Okay, I know at some point that I am going to begin to sound like a broken record, but I found out more information about IU Bloomington's Creative Writing program and the fact that it is still available.
I went to http://www.indiana.edu/~mfawrite/ and was really excited with what I found.
Apparently there are two versions of the Creative Writing program: the 30-credit-hour M.A. program, or the 60-credit-hour M.F.A. program for students who want to become professional writers or want to teach Creative Writing (I will assume that I fit into this category since I want to do both, haha).
Ohhh man, I want so badly to get into that program; I cannot even BEGIN to explain the drive I'm feeling for it. It is such a crazy ambition to want to be a writer and be able to teach Creative Writing (specifically at the high school level).
I think what is making me so antsy about the whole thing is another page about the program, http://iub.edu/~mfawrite/about, which tells all about the program and their reasoning behind it. I think one of the hardest things about the program, though, will be being received into it. Six students are received into the fiction department and six into the poetry department each year; that's some heavy competition, but hopefully I will be talented enough to make it in.
Anyway, that's enough of my rambling for now. I think I'm going to read up on their requirements and see where I think I stand for now. Will be back again soon, will hopefully have something more to talk about than Bloomington then, haha.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Who Am I Writing For?
This question has always intrigued me, ever since it was first offered to me as a ten minute writing prompt by my teacher, Mrs. Mary Malloy (who accompanied me throughout my three years of Creative Writing), in my third year of Creative Writing. Our prompt was to write a poem to the person that we felt we were writing to; I wrote a poem to an anonymous reader who I believed would change after every event in their life. Basically in this statement I am saying that I am writing to everyone and understand that they very well may not be the same after reading my work.
Oh and by the way, here is my poem that I wrote for the prompt last year (in its unedited version).
Lost
I remember the last footsteps you took,
compared to me a shrinking frame;
and I realize that as your silhouette comes
back into focus, it won’t be the same again.
Your lips are still smooth but with small lines
hinting at cheapness I never saw and dimples
not in the same position. Feelings are different
when you look in my eyes, eyebrows staying
straight and sparkle remaining vacant. I
remember your hair in the same style but now
untouchable, much like your skin now tanner
by a rising spring. I know your image did not
rise the same, and it leads me to think of
someone with an unexplored face so I may
only remember the blue of his eyes and curls.
© McKenzie Lynn Sanders, 13 April 2007.
Oh and by the way, here is my poem that I wrote for the prompt last year (in its unedited version).
Lost
I remember the last footsteps you took,
compared to me a shrinking frame;
and I realize that as your silhouette comes
back into focus, it won’t be the same again.
Your lips are still smooth but with small lines
hinting at cheapness I never saw and dimples
not in the same position. Feelings are different
when you look in my eyes, eyebrows staying
straight and sparkle remaining vacant. I
remember your hair in the same style but now
untouchable, much like your skin now tanner
by a rising spring. I know your image did not
rise the same, and it leads me to think of
someone with an unexplored face so I may
only remember the blue of his eyes and curls.
© McKenzie Lynn Sanders, 13 April 2007.
Oh, Those Ventures for Bloomington
Okay, I admit it. Creative Writing is not the biggest profession out there for students to choose during their college years; it’s not one of those career choices that is going to be offered on every campus in the United States. I realized that once I was on the IU South Bend campus, and it nearly tore me to pieces. I had every intention of completing one major after the next on the same campus and end up adding Creative Writing to my teaching license along with English. Well, it turns out that those weren’t the cards I was dealt. Yes, I will have a Bachelor’s in Secondary English teaching. Yes, I will have completed a minor in Psychology. And yes, then I will go on to my two years of student teaching. However, after that block, I will have the options of continuing my Bachelor’s degree, continuing teaching (assuming that school wants to keep me, *nervous laugh*) or I can begin pursuing another degree.
Well, while doing research of Scott Russell Sanders for my final research paper last semester, I found not only that he was teaching at IU Bloomington (which makes me insanely happy, I have to meet the guy one of these days and talk his ear off! Haha), but Bloomington has a three year Creative Writing program. Okay, so I understand that that fact may not punch readers in the stomach the way it did me when I found out, but maybe when I add in the fact that the program is designed as a two-year Creative Writing program, flexible enough to be added to a teacher’s license, and the third year is to help the writers create their first book, then maybe readers will understand. This is absolutely HUGE for me, and I am praying with all my might every day that I can find a way to make it there in the next six years. Being economically limited I know that this is a lot to ask and dream for, but you know what? I want Creative Writing on my license; I want to be able to pass on that same gift that I was given when I decided to take three years of high school Creative Writing and Spectrum (Penn High School’s literary magazine) and became 100% permanently hooked on the craft.
Well, while doing research of Scott Russell Sanders for my final research paper last semester, I found not only that he was teaching at IU Bloomington (which makes me insanely happy, I have to meet the guy one of these days and talk his ear off! Haha), but Bloomington has a three year Creative Writing program. Okay, so I understand that that fact may not punch readers in the stomach the way it did me when I found out, but maybe when I add in the fact that the program is designed as a two-year Creative Writing program, flexible enough to be added to a teacher’s license, and the third year is to help the writers create their first book, then maybe readers will understand. This is absolutely HUGE for me, and I am praying with all my might every day that I can find a way to make it there in the next six years. Being economically limited I know that this is a lot to ask and dream for, but you know what? I want Creative Writing on my license; I want to be able to pass on that same gift that I was given when I decided to take three years of high school Creative Writing and Spectrum (Penn High School’s literary magazine) and became 100% permanently hooked on the craft.
Shadows of Ink: This Is Who I Am (No More, No Less)
Oh my word, WRITING (no pun intended, haha). While I was in high school, I knew I had an interest in English, mostly reading Literature; and I had a growing interest in writing poetry. So I decided it would be a good idea after my freshman year of high school to adjust my schedule to English Honors and add in a Creative Writing course. Well, I did it and have never looked back.
English Honors proved to be far more entertaining and fitting for me than the English course I had taken the previous year. But Creative Writing needs far more description. The first semester was all about short stories, establishing our writing style and doing sensory observations (basically establishing a place you felt comforting writing and writing down all the things you observed about it in person once a week, so awesome); and the second semester was all about poetry and establishing all our weird styles and practicing different forms of fixed poetry, as well as free style. Well, after being completely hooked on that class, I decided to take Spectrum the following year. Spectrum is Creative Writing 2, which is basically a more advanced form of the previous class as well as the class that pulls together the school’s literary magazine (composed of student stories, poetry, essays, plays and songs). Since I was only a junior when that course ended, I decided to take it again as a senior and became the Advertisement Advisor and Art Advisor (I was requested to be one of the Magazine Editors in Chief, but they weren’t allowed to participate in class debates of whether a piece could be voted into the magazine or not, and I didn’t want to not participate, haha).
If anyone out there can’t gather this, Creative Writing left a huge impression on my life, and I’m nowhere near ready to leave it behind. Now I want to teach it and pass it on to other possible writers that are currently living in students.
One of my favorite writers, Stephen King, wrote a book called “On Writing,” which acted as a sort of memoir as well as a teaching aid for young writers to use to help pursue “the craft” themselves. I loved how King termed writing as a “craft,” and every since I have been phrasing it the same way. Call it plagiarism if you like; it rubbed off on me, as you might call a shadow of ink.
I should explain that as well. While I was in my Creative Writing classes, I had to submit a ten-page project at the end of each year as a compilation of my best work. However, I overdid it each time. The first two years, I produced small journal-sized books – the first 84 pages and the second 81 pages. Then as my final project of my senior year, I put together a full-sized book that was 187 pages. The first project I completed I called “Shadows of Ink,” which was a portrayal of how writing was beginning to rub off on me and how it seemed completely permanent. My hands, my heart, my mind and my soul are permanently marked with shadows of ink. I’m hoping to at least leave smudges on the minds of others. . .
Okay, so to warn readers now, this blogspot is for my thoughts about writing, for random ideas that readers (or future writers like myself) might be interested in, my pursuit of Bloomington’s program and how I am going to incorporate Creative Writing into my future classrooms. My other blogspot, “Just Trying To Be Real,” is more of a focus on just some of my random ideas – and definitely opinions – of what I think could and should go on in the classroom, whether or not I have previously seen it done before (for example, I have this weird idea that involves a ventriloquist dummy. . . intrigued yet?). However, both of them are a focus on me trying to be a strictly honest person. There’s a song by MercyMe called “No More, No Less,” which I’m sure you noticed in the title of this entry; and I really hold it as a theme song for myself. I am truly trying to be a “true” person with everything “written on my sleeve.” So if you want to get to know two very big parts of me, know this writing site (which may incorporate my art interests one day, too), my teaching site and hopefully someday my psychology site (if I ever get the time to get it up and running, haha). But anyway, I think this is enough for my second – but truly real opening – to this blogspot. Hopefully I didn’t scare all my readers away; thank you for sticking around if I didn’t.
English Honors proved to be far more entertaining and fitting for me than the English course I had taken the previous year. But Creative Writing needs far more description. The first semester was all about short stories, establishing our writing style and doing sensory observations (basically establishing a place you felt comforting writing and writing down all the things you observed about it in person once a week, so awesome); and the second semester was all about poetry and establishing all our weird styles and practicing different forms of fixed poetry, as well as free style. Well, after being completely hooked on that class, I decided to take Spectrum the following year. Spectrum is Creative Writing 2, which is basically a more advanced form of the previous class as well as the class that pulls together the school’s literary magazine (composed of student stories, poetry, essays, plays and songs). Since I was only a junior when that course ended, I decided to take it again as a senior and became the Advertisement Advisor and Art Advisor (I was requested to be one of the Magazine Editors in Chief, but they weren’t allowed to participate in class debates of whether a piece could be voted into the magazine or not, and I didn’t want to not participate, haha).
If anyone out there can’t gather this, Creative Writing left a huge impression on my life, and I’m nowhere near ready to leave it behind. Now I want to teach it and pass it on to other possible writers that are currently living in students.
One of my favorite writers, Stephen King, wrote a book called “On Writing,” which acted as a sort of memoir as well as a teaching aid for young writers to use to help pursue “the craft” themselves. I loved how King termed writing as a “craft,” and every since I have been phrasing it the same way. Call it plagiarism if you like; it rubbed off on me, as you might call a shadow of ink.
I should explain that as well. While I was in my Creative Writing classes, I had to submit a ten-page project at the end of each year as a compilation of my best work. However, I overdid it each time. The first two years, I produced small journal-sized books – the first 84 pages and the second 81 pages. Then as my final project of my senior year, I put together a full-sized book that was 187 pages. The first project I completed I called “Shadows of Ink,” which was a portrayal of how writing was beginning to rub off on me and how it seemed completely permanent. My hands, my heart, my mind and my soul are permanently marked with shadows of ink. I’m hoping to at least leave smudges on the minds of others. . .
Okay, so to warn readers now, this blogspot is for my thoughts about writing, for random ideas that readers (or future writers like myself) might be interested in, my pursuit of Bloomington’s program and how I am going to incorporate Creative Writing into my future classrooms. My other blogspot, “Just Trying To Be Real,” is more of a focus on just some of my random ideas – and definitely opinions – of what I think could and should go on in the classroom, whether or not I have previously seen it done before (for example, I have this weird idea that involves a ventriloquist dummy. . . intrigued yet?). However, both of them are a focus on me trying to be a strictly honest person. There’s a song by MercyMe called “No More, No Less,” which I’m sure you noticed in the title of this entry; and I really hold it as a theme song for myself. I am truly trying to be a “true” person with everything “written on my sleeve.” So if you want to get to know two very big parts of me, know this writing site (which may incorporate my art interests one day, too), my teaching site and hopefully someday my psychology site (if I ever get the time to get it up and running, haha). But anyway, I think this is enough for my second – but truly real opening – to this blogspot. Hopefully I didn’t scare all my readers away; thank you for sticking around if I didn’t.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Early Thoughts (Happy Valentine's Day)
It's interesting to first begin a blog, seeing as how I won't know where this will go until I get there. However, as a writer, that's probably the best part. Not knowing the ending as I pursue the different paths and creating the new characters is the way to be. Even though I will be one of those characters that is being formed along with everyone else that I interact with is rather interesting. However, I won't be writing about roses and Hallmark cards on my opening post; you'll just have to wait and see. . .
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