Sunday, April 18, 2010
Just Four More Days
Of school, that is. This semester has been the longest, most difficult, and definitely the most trying. There are four days of school this week and then the following week is finals. I only have one final, and its open-book/open-note, so I don't really consider it a final. And once I turn in my paper for Critical Lit & Theory (which I have yet to write, and it's supposed to be 8-10 pages) I will be officially done and free and sane. Well, not completely sane, but partially sane. I can't fight genetics, you know.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
A Lesson in Assertiveness
As part of the requirements for my poetry class, our class collaborated with graphic design and art students to put together books of poetry. I was so excited when I found out what we would be doing. A book of my very own poetry!
It started out fine. I met with my designer and illustrator at the beginning/middle of the semester to give them some poems. We talked about book size, how many poems/pages, etc. Just basic formality stuff. My illustrator said his artwork would reflect his interpretation of my poetry, and that was fine because I knew I didn't have a say in what was illustrated, just as he didn't have a say in what my poetry was. It seemed like things would be great.
Then my designer and illustrator dropped off the face of the earth. I didn't hear from either of them for weeks. I finally contacted my designer to ask if I could send him a revision of one poem, which I told him at the first meeting I would be doing as the semester progressed. The initial poems I gave him were just as much for the illustrator to get a sense of my writing as they were for the designer to know how many poems there would be. Other classmates talked about how they were meeting with their designers once a week to make sure things were going in the right direction. One classmate even had her illustrator draw a picture and she wrote a poem to go with it. "How neat," I thought. And so I waited.
And waited, and waited. And heard nothing. Until this Monday, when my designer contacted me to ask if I wanted hardcover or paperback for the book. I thought, "It's done? How can that be? I still have a revision to one of my poems. I haven't edited anything." I sent him a text and told him I had one more revision, and it would not change the feel of the poem at all, just some stanza changes and better wording. He told me he had already submitted the book and finalized it online. That means he did that without me editing and giving the okay to print. Big no-no.
And here's the kicker. One of my poems is missing the last line. The last line. You can't do that to a poem. Sure, you might be able to pull one out of the middle, but not the last line. It's the most important one!
Needless to say when I previewed the book online, I was furious. But once I calmed down, I was even more upset at myself. I know my designer should have contacted me. If I were a real client, he would have had major issues with sending something out to print without the author's okay. Legal trouble. But I should have contacted him to see what was going on. Only I didn't know the deadline for the project.
I'm just frustrated. This could have been a great experience, but it wasn't. I know I didn't have a say in the artwork, but one of the illustrations shows the backside of a nude woman. It isn't really in your face, it's kind of out-of-focus. I think he used pastels, but I'm no artist and I can't be sure. The point is, I never would have put my poetry in a book with a girl's naked bum in it. That's just not me.
And my professor said I should contact my designer to let him know that I am not okay with all of this. But I'm so mad I feel like I can't say or write anything or it will be too mean. Help!
It started out fine. I met with my designer and illustrator at the beginning/middle of the semester to give them some poems. We talked about book size, how many poems/pages, etc. Just basic formality stuff. My illustrator said his artwork would reflect his interpretation of my poetry, and that was fine because I knew I didn't have a say in what was illustrated, just as he didn't have a say in what my poetry was. It seemed like things would be great.
Then my designer and illustrator dropped off the face of the earth. I didn't hear from either of them for weeks. I finally contacted my designer to ask if I could send him a revision of one poem, which I told him at the first meeting I would be doing as the semester progressed. The initial poems I gave him were just as much for the illustrator to get a sense of my writing as they were for the designer to know how many poems there would be. Other classmates talked about how they were meeting with their designers once a week to make sure things were going in the right direction. One classmate even had her illustrator draw a picture and she wrote a poem to go with it. "How neat," I thought. And so I waited.
And waited, and waited. And heard nothing. Until this Monday, when my designer contacted me to ask if I wanted hardcover or paperback for the book. I thought, "It's done? How can that be? I still have a revision to one of my poems. I haven't edited anything." I sent him a text and told him I had one more revision, and it would not change the feel of the poem at all, just some stanza changes and better wording. He told me he had already submitted the book and finalized it online. That means he did that without me editing and giving the okay to print. Big no-no.
And here's the kicker. One of my poems is missing the last line. The last line. You can't do that to a poem. Sure, you might be able to pull one out of the middle, but not the last line. It's the most important one!
Needless to say when I previewed the book online, I was furious. But once I calmed down, I was even more upset at myself. I know my designer should have contacted me. If I were a real client, he would have had major issues with sending something out to print without the author's okay. Legal trouble. But I should have contacted him to see what was going on. Only I didn't know the deadline for the project.
I'm just frustrated. This could have been a great experience, but it wasn't. I know I didn't have a say in the artwork, but one of the illustrations shows the backside of a nude woman. It isn't really in your face, it's kind of out-of-focus. I think he used pastels, but I'm no artist and I can't be sure. The point is, I never would have put my poetry in a book with a girl's naked bum in it. That's just not me.
And my professor said I should contact my designer to let him know that I am not okay with all of this. But I'm so mad I feel like I can't say or write anything or it will be too mean. Help!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Self-Grounding
The semester is winding down. Only three weeks of school left, then finals week, and then this semester is over! I am so anxious for a break. With Ben taking 9 credits of masters' classes, and me taking 14 credits for my BA, our house and family has been a little crazy this semester! We are all looking forward to summer and a little bit of laziness.
Because it's down to the wire time at school, I really have to stay focused. I have one 8-10 page paper that I haven't even started yet, one 2 1/4 page paper that needs some serious revision and needs to be turned into a 6-8 page paper. I have to finish my poetry sequence, which means writing 3-6 quality poems before the semester is over. I have a resource binder to finish (to start, for that matter) for educational psychology. Needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me.
And that is good and bad. Good, because I know what needs to get done, and it's not really difficult-no studying all hours of the night for finals or anything-just more time consuming than I'd like. Bad, because I have this problem. It's called recreational reading...and I can't stop!
I've always enjoyed reading, but my enjoyment has blossomed since Melanie and Ben have become just as avid of readers as I am. We've started buying books, which is great, but now I have these shelves filled with books that are calling my name, reaching out to me, and I can't help them right now!
I just thought I'd share with you the books on my "to read" list. In no particular order (feel free to suggest an order so I know where to start) they are:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Great and the Terrible Series by Chris Stewart (six books)
Gregor the Overlander (same author as Hunger Games and Catching Fire, five books)
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin
Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
Fairest Gail Carson Levine
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Beauty by Robin McKinley
The following books are not on my shelf, but on my list:
The Professor's House by Willa Cather
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Sister Carie by Theodore Drieser
So, do you think I'll make it? Do you think I'll ever see the lovely rays of the summer sun? I really don't think I'll make it through all of them...unless I turn into a hermit and live in the forest without talking to anyone, and that just isn't me. I know I'll kick myself for asking this one, but do you have anything you'd add to the list?
Because it's down to the wire time at school, I really have to stay focused. I have one 8-10 page paper that I haven't even started yet, one 2 1/4 page paper that needs some serious revision and needs to be turned into a 6-8 page paper. I have to finish my poetry sequence, which means writing 3-6 quality poems before the semester is over. I have a resource binder to finish (to start, for that matter) for educational psychology. Needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me.
And that is good and bad. Good, because I know what needs to get done, and it's not really difficult-no studying all hours of the night for finals or anything-just more time consuming than I'd like. Bad, because I have this problem. It's called recreational reading...and I can't stop!
I've always enjoyed reading, but my enjoyment has blossomed since Melanie and Ben have become just as avid of readers as I am. We've started buying books, which is great, but now I have these shelves filled with books that are calling my name, reaching out to me, and I can't help them right now!
I just thought I'd share with you the books on my "to read" list. In no particular order (feel free to suggest an order so I know where to start) they are:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Great and the Terrible Series by Chris Stewart (six books)
Gregor the Overlander (same author as Hunger Games and Catching Fire, five books)
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin
Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
Fairest Gail Carson Levine
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Beauty by Robin McKinley
The following books are not on my shelf, but on my list:
The Professor's House by Willa Cather
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Sister Carie by Theodore Drieser
So, do you think I'll make it? Do you think I'll ever see the lovely rays of the summer sun? I really don't think I'll make it through all of them...unless I turn into a hermit and live in the forest without talking to anyone, and that just isn't me. I know I'll kick myself for asking this one, but do you have anything you'd add to the list?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Misunderstandings...
The boys and I were eating breakfast this morning when Carter said, "Mom, Jesus must be really old by now."
I giggled quietly and said, "Well, Carter, I think people stop getting older once they're resurrected."
"What does resurrection mean?" Riley asked, sincerity in his cute little voice.
I opened up my mouth to answer him when Carter replied in a spooky Halloween-like voice, "It's when people come back from the dead!"
I giggled some more and explained that wasn't quite what it meant and gave Riley a better explanation.
What a way to start a weekend!
I giggled quietly and said, "Well, Carter, I think people stop getting older once they're resurrected."
"What does resurrection mean?" Riley asked, sincerity in his cute little voice.
I opened up my mouth to answer him when Carter replied in a spooky Halloween-like voice, "It's when people come back from the dead!"
I giggled some more and explained that wasn't quite what it meant and gave Riley a better explanation.
What a way to start a weekend!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A Small Concern at the Dentist
Yesterday I took a trip to the dentist. It had been almost one year since I had visited the dentist's office, so it was high time for a cleaning from the dental hygienist. She was a nice woman, good at the typical small talk you'd hear in the dentist's office. Except for one strange comment.
She was cleaning and inspecting my teeth and gums and noticed the bridge I have. "Wow, that's a really nice bridge. You can't even tell from the front that there's a crown or anything," she said with her fingers in my mouth. "Did Dr. Sorensen do that or someone else," she asked, still with her fingers in my mouth. What is it with people at the dentist's office asking you questions with their fingers in your mouth?!
Slipping her gloved fingers out of my mouth, she gave me a second to respond. "No, it wasn't Dr. Sorensen, it was Dr. Williams," I replied. (Sadly, Dr. Williams passed away a few years ago.)
Then she said, "Before he died?"
Seriously?
It's a good thing her fingers were back in my mouth, because I'm afraid my sarcasm would have got the better of me at that point. And it's not a good idea to be sarcastic with someone who is inspecting your gums and your teeth with a sharp implement.
p.s. No cavities!
She was cleaning and inspecting my teeth and gums and noticed the bridge I have. "Wow, that's a really nice bridge. You can't even tell from the front that there's a crown or anything," she said with her fingers in my mouth. "Did Dr. Sorensen do that or someone else," she asked, still with her fingers in my mouth. What is it with people at the dentist's office asking you questions with their fingers in your mouth?!
Slipping her gloved fingers out of my mouth, she gave me a second to respond. "No, it wasn't Dr. Sorensen, it was Dr. Williams," I replied. (Sadly, Dr. Williams passed away a few years ago.)
Then she said, "Before he died?"
Seriously?
It's a good thing her fingers were back in my mouth, because I'm afraid my sarcasm would have got the better of me at that point. And it's not a good idea to be sarcastic with someone who is inspecting your gums and your teeth with a sharp implement.
p.s. No cavities!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A Treat for Melanie and Me
Thursday was a great day for Melanie and me. One of the books my YA Literature class read this semester was Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George, who just happens to be a friend and collegemate of my professor. Luckily enough, the university sprang enough moolah to bring Miss George to SUU!
My YA Literature class combined with the Advanced Fiction class for a special presentation by Jessica. She is hilarious! It was an hour and 20 minutes of good information on the processes of writing intertwined with her witty, and slightly sarcastic and sassy, remarks. My professor gave the OK to bring Melanie along with me, and she had a fantastic time hearing from Jessica.
Later that evening she gave a book reading and signing. It was just a lot of fun. She read from her upcoming book, Princess of Glass, which is a sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, both of which are a retelling of certain fairy tales. Do you want to know which one? Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the books to find out. Anyway, that evening a couple of my friends who are in YA Literature with me, Melanie, and I were just hanging around and chatting with our professors and Miss George. She was packing up to leave and gave Melanie an advanced reader copy of her book - and it won't be on shelves until May! It's the copy that she/her editor/her agent/the publishing company (as you can tell, I'm not sure who sends it out) sends out to magazines and what not to review her book. Melanie was speechless! Actually she was very polite and smiled and said thank you. And then she couldn't stop talking about how nice it was of Jessica to give her that and how excited she was to read it. So I guess she wasn't speechless at all. She was speechful, but that doesn't have the same ring to it.
It was a really good experience for me. Slightly disheartening when Jessica showed us all her scrapbook of rejection letters. 188 known (she admitted to burning a few in the kitchen sink) rejection letters. And yes, they are in an actual scrapbook. Some of the letters sent back to her were so mean. But it is nice to know, that I don't have to be a master at English to be a writer. I just have to love what I'm writing.
I should have been a smart mom and taken a camera with me. Kicking myself as I type. No pictures for you, no pictures for Melanie. Oh, well.
My YA Literature class combined with the Advanced Fiction class for a special presentation by Jessica. She is hilarious! It was an hour and 20 minutes of good information on the processes of writing intertwined with her witty, and slightly sarcastic and sassy, remarks. My professor gave the OK to bring Melanie along with me, and she had a fantastic time hearing from Jessica.
Later that evening she gave a book reading and signing. It was just a lot of fun. She read from her upcoming book, Princess of Glass, which is a sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, both of which are a retelling of certain fairy tales. Do you want to know which one? Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the books to find out. Anyway, that evening a couple of my friends who are in YA Literature with me, Melanie, and I were just hanging around and chatting with our professors and Miss George. She was packing up to leave and gave Melanie an advanced reader copy of her book - and it won't be on shelves until May! It's the copy that she/her editor/her agent/the publishing company (as you can tell, I'm not sure who sends it out) sends out to magazines and what not to review her book. Melanie was speechless! Actually she was very polite and smiled and said thank you. And then she couldn't stop talking about how nice it was of Jessica to give her that and how excited she was to read it. So I guess she wasn't speechless at all. She was speechful, but that doesn't have the same ring to it.
It was a really good experience for me. Slightly disheartening when Jessica showed us all her scrapbook of rejection letters. 188 known (she admitted to burning a few in the kitchen sink) rejection letters. And yes, they are in an actual scrapbook. Some of the letters sent back to her were so mean. But it is nice to know, that I don't have to be a master at English to be a writer. I just have to love what I'm writing.
I should have been a smart mom and taken a camera with me. Kicking myself as I type. No pictures for you, no pictures for Melanie. Oh, well.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Books, Books, Books
One of the classes I'm taking this semester is Young Adult Literature. It is a fabulous class! We're reading 10 books geared toward young adults, five for 9-12-year-olds and five for 12 and up. I should have written reviews as I've read each one, but I didn't think about it until now. So you get four in a row. I'll try to keep on top of it. :)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
This is a book I have wanted to read for a long time, but any time I'm in a book store I always pass it up for something else. I remember watching the movie when I was a kid, but I didn't realize how often I watched it until I sat down with my kids the other day when they were watching it and I could still quote a lot of the movie. The movie is based, let's say "loosely," on the book. They took several liberties with the movie, so if you watch the movie and then read the book or vice versa, just think of them as two separate, unrelated stories and you'll be fine. The book is about this mouse who is trying to save her family. In order to do that she really has to make some courageous leaps and as she does so she learns a lot about the group that helps her to do so. It's a mix between science fiction and fantasy, but comes closer to an animal fable. Melanie read it after I was done and loved it, and now Ben is reading it. Wonderful book.
Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg
This is one of the books that is supposed to be geared toward the 9-12 group, but I wouldn't suggest it for that young age. There are some serious subjects that kids who haven't had the sex talk with their parents might be a little uncomfortable with. Nothing inappropriate, just better for the older age group. I won't let Melanie read this book yet. That being said, I loved this book. Konigsburg is a fantastic writer, I had trouble putting this book down. There is a lot in the book about the benefits and disadvantages of silence. It's definitely in the realistic fiction category. I learned a lot about reading books by reading this book.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is a British author, who apparently has done every kind of writing imaginable. Neil Gaiman also wrote Coraline, which I loved. He has a different style of writing that took me some getting used to. This books falls nicely into the 9-12 category. I say this book would be in the fantasy section. This book is about a boy who grows up in a graveyard because of things that happened to his family when he was a baby. I learned a lot about boundaries and how we make assumptions about people. Another great book.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Wow. This is a beautiful book, and I don't get beautiful from the theme of the book but rather from the artwork inside it. It's kind of a graphic novel and is just amazing. This book is about a boy who is separated from his family and is trying to survive and find his place in the world. It's really great. Melanie read this a while ago and kept getting me to read it, but its 500+ pages turned me off. Don't let this happen to you! Seriously, you could read the whole book in a few hours. Another one for realistic fiction. And the art is amazing. And the story is great.
And that's all for now. This class is a two-edged sword. We are reading all these fantastic books
and all that does is bring up titles for other fantastic books, which I won't be able to get to until summer. Seriously, I have so many books lined up for summer I feel like I'll never make it through them all!
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
This is a book I have wanted to read for a long time, but any time I'm in a book store I always pass it up for something else. I remember watching the movie when I was a kid, but I didn't realize how often I watched it until I sat down with my kids the other day when they were watching it and I could still quote a lot of the movie. The movie is based, let's say "loosely," on the book. They took several liberties with the movie, so if you watch the movie and then read the book or vice versa, just think of them as two separate, unrelated stories and you'll be fine. The book is about this mouse who is trying to save her family. In order to do that she really has to make some courageous leaps and as she does so she learns a lot about the group that helps her to do so. It's a mix between science fiction and fantasy, but comes closer to an animal fable. Melanie read it after I was done and loved it, and now Ben is reading it. Wonderful book.
Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg
This is one of the books that is supposed to be geared toward the 9-12 group, but I wouldn't suggest it for that young age. There are some serious subjects that kids who haven't had the sex talk with their parents might be a little uncomfortable with. Nothing inappropriate, just better for the older age group. I won't let Melanie read this book yet. That being said, I loved this book. Konigsburg is a fantastic writer, I had trouble putting this book down. There is a lot in the book about the benefits and disadvantages of silence. It's definitely in the realistic fiction category. I learned a lot about reading books by reading this book.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is a British author, who apparently has done every kind of writing imaginable. Neil Gaiman also wrote Coraline, which I loved. He has a different style of writing that took me some getting used to. This books falls nicely into the 9-12 category. I say this book would be in the fantasy section. This book is about a boy who grows up in a graveyard because of things that happened to his family when he was a baby. I learned a lot about boundaries and how we make assumptions about people. Another great book.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Wow. This is a beautiful book, and I don't get beautiful from the theme of the book but rather from the artwork inside it. It's kind of a graphic novel and is just amazing. This book is about a boy who is separated from his family and is trying to survive and find his place in the world. It's really great. Melanie read this a while ago and kept getting me to read it, but its 500+ pages turned me off. Don't let this happen to you! Seriously, you could read the whole book in a few hours. Another one for realistic fiction. And the art is amazing. And the story is great.
And that's all for now. This class is a two-edged sword. We are reading all these fantastic books
and all that does is bring up titles for other fantastic books, which I won't be able to get to until summer. Seriously, I have so many books lined up for summer I feel like I'll never make it through them all!
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