Countdown to NaNoWriMo 2014

NaNoWriMo 2014 begins in 25 days. I’ve decided to work on a new YA novel, while also working on short creative non-fiction pieces during that time. That way, if my word count falls short with the novel, I can use the creative non-fiction pieces to make up the difference. Hopefully I can use the non-fiction work I do as a jumping off point for next summer’s SOL session. 

NaNoWriMo has a few new sponsors this year, including Blurb (which I use a lot for book printing), and Inked Voices, a platform for small-setting, online critique groups. I like the idea of Inked Voices, especially if you’re like me and live in a smaller city with few writers, and even fewer who want to share their writing. They offer a free 14-day trial, so I may give it a go after NaNoWriMo finishes up (as they’ll offer a discount code for the monthly fee). 

May graduation, June classes

My graduation day on Mother's Day 2014 in Sewanee, TN was amazing, and far more than I ever imagined a graduation ceremony could be. At least 400 students (both graduates and undergraduates) accepted their diplomas, and swarms of friends and family members cheered as we exited All Saint's Chapel. A dozen School of Letters students walked that day, and I can honestly say it was magical. And in May 2018, I'll do it all over again...except this time I'll be receiving my M.F.A., instead of my M.A.

The long awaited day

I didn't have long to bask in the glow of achievement, however, because I started back to the SOL less than a month later for my 1st summer as an MFA candidate. My classes were Creative Non-Fiction workshop with Nat Geo writer, Neil Shea, and Bible as Literature with one of my favorite professors (and thesis advisor), Dr. Jenn Lewin. Both courses were demanding in their own right, but I managed to get through them both without pulling my hair out. It helped having four previous years of grad school under my belt, I think. I had the fortune of dining at Pearl's with the editors of The American Scholar and the Virginia Quarterly Review (along with Neil Shea, April Alvarez, and a couple of my classmates) before the summer ended, and learned many hard-to-swallow facts about the publishing world. I learned that I will not be pursuing traditional routes to publication in these types of journals. I have not the patience nor the will power, and I honestly feel that the publishing world has become a soul crusher. The main point of this harsh education, however, led me to realize that writing is not something to be taken lightly (not that I've ever taken much in my life lightly), and like any craft, skill, or profession, it requires constant attention, work, and perseverance in order to walk the lonely road of a professional writer. Writing isn't easy, or I should say, good writing isn't easy, and whoever says so is a big fat liar.

So, all that to say: three copies of my thesis has been submitted for binding, and will take their rightful place in the library, archives, and SOL. My summer papers have been turned in, and I'm officially free to do whatever the heck I choose (writing-wise) from now until June. I have two YA novel drafts waiting to receive 2nd edits, and a NaNoWriMo novel to plot before November. Onward!

Rivendell Dinner with a few professors and former classmate.

These Walks: Poems

After 5 years of writing short poems on WDC, I decided to put together a collection of my favorites, and had them printed up for friends and family. Blurb did a great job with the printing (as always), and I'm happy with how they turned out. A big thanks to my husband, Brad (www.bradwallaceimaging.com) for the cover and layout design.

Thesis Defense and Graduation

After a 4 year summer program at the Sewanee School of Letters, I've finally completed my M.A, well almost.  I defend my thesis, ("Caged Eagles, Songsters, and Carrion-seekers: Birds in Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Bleak House") tomorrow, and my graduation is on Mother's Day. Every summer at Sewanee was amazing, so much so that I've decided to return for an MFA in creative writing. So, I graduate in May, and start back less than a month later. School is never over! 

Courses (2 per summer) I took for my M.A. in Sewanee (2010-2013):

• Samuel Johnson and the Poets with Prof. Allen Reddick
• 18th Century British Novel with Prof. Allen Reddick
• William Faulkner with Prof. Allen Reddick
• John Milton with Prof. Angus Fletcher
• 19th Century British Novel with Prof. Jenn Lewin
• Creative Nonfiction workshop with John Jeremiah Sullivan
• Shakespeare with Prof. Ann Jennalie Cook
• Classical Literature in Translation (Greek) with Prof. Chris McDonough
• Thesis hrs.
• Thesis hrs.

Becca Fitzpatrick's 'Hush, Hush' Saga

After a month interval, I've finally finished reading Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush Saga: Hush, Hush, Crescendo, Silence, and Finale. Yes, they're supernatural YA, but the up side is there are no vampires, werewolves, or zombies. Only angels, demons, and nephilim. None of the books have a religious slant, so the books can be enjoyed for what they are: fiction.

Being a big fan of happy endings, I wasn't disappointed with the series. I bought the first book on a whim from Hasting's in Tullahoma, TN during my last trip to Sewanee, and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. Usually, I hate getting sucked into a book series (or saga, in this case). After Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, and The Mortal Instruments, I felt I'd had enough of a single story being told in multiple books, but Fitzpatrick's series wasn't draining in the least, and each book can easily be read in a day or two. Plus, they're all available--so no waiting (except for the movie, which is going to be made sometime in the future).

Now, back to my thesis...

Updated reading list for 52 books in 52 weeks

Updated reading list for '52 books in 52 weeks' (2013)

•                The Family Fang: A Novel by Kevin Wilson

•                The Convalescent by Jessica Anthony

•                Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA)

•                Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA)

•                Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA)

•                Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA)

•                Becoming Jane Eyre by Shelia Kohler (fiction)

•                The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

•                David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 

•                Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood 

•                City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•                City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•                City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•                City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•                Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•               Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•                Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (YA)

•                The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry 

•                The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

•                Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

•                Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

•                A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz 

•                Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

•                Lady Susan by Jane Austen

•                Jane Austen by Carol Shields (biography)

•                The Dark Angel by Meredith Ann Pierce

•                Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman

•                The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories edited by William Trevor

•                The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

•                The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark

•                A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry

•                Defend and Betray by Anne Perry

•                Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

•                Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (YA)

•                 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (reread)

•                Villette by Charlotte Bronte

•                The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
•                Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

In the thick of things

My Mobile  Thesis Station

My last Sewanee summer ended in July, a blurred frenzy of Shakespeare (with the great Ann Cook), and Classical literature in translation (a.k.a. ancient Greek literature). I became a Shakespearean actress for 6 weeks, watched more plays than any person should have to endure in a lifetime, travelled with my classmates into the depths of Solomon's Temple cave on the Domain (convinced I wouldn't survive the ascent back up the mountain), and visited Athena at her temple in Nashville. Like I said, a blurred frenzy.

Now that summer has passed, I'm deep in the bowels of the thesis beast, trying to find my way back out. While I prepared a year in advance for my research, I find that it hasn't set me ahead by much. My first chapter is due in the middle of December, and I'm praying I can make the deadline.

Meanwhile, I'm also participating in NaNoWriMo 2013, which I probably shouldn't be doing, but it's only for the month and I need something to keep me sane, right? Last year's NaNoWriMo was awesome, and I'm finally getting around to editing the novel I wrote for it. It seems if I'm not super busy, I'm bored to death, which forces me to have many irons in the fire. In fact, if I had a Native American name, the English translation would probably be "Many Irons in the Fire".