Doing the Unbelievable

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I decided to go back to school after my youngest was born. It was something inside of me that always felt…unfinished.

I had over twenty classes to complete what I had started so many years before. My mind told me I couldn’t do it—there was just too much to do—but my soul told me I could.

So I started digging through classes one by one. Studying while babies slept, while teens learned to drive, as children grew into towering stalks.

I took my time, making sure I learned what was being taught, gleaning research that I hoped would be used in the future or even the present.

Math never came easy to me. I used to dream it did when I was a child—when numbers were made of magic. I failed the course—I was defeated.

It was time to quit.

But the fighter in me told me I couldn’t, I had to keep in the battle, even though I was weary and ready for home.

So I fought.

Now I can see it, just beyond the horizon. Waving to me, urging me to keep in the fight, to keep moving forward. The flag—my flag. The one that calls to victory.

And I know it can be won.

(Two and a half more classes to go!!! *squeal*)

What is your fight? Revising, school work, finding awesome writing shoes? 

Are You Teachable?

I believe this is called a rant. Please beware!!!!!

Have you ever been in a critique group where a person wouldn’t take the advice from someone because they weren’t as good of a writer as they thought they should be?

When I first started out, this happened to me with a group of writers (not my current critique group-they rock). I didn’t know the grammar rules as well as I should. I didn’t know plot structure or what an antagonist was (*gasp* I know, scary).

But I did know something…I knew how to read. I knew what sounded right and what sounded…tedious. I could pick out the sentence structures that sounded wrong. I also knew how to put down a bad book. Yet, my advice was counted as nil.

Over the years, I have taken many classes to learn the semantics and syntactical use of language (I actually know what those mean :) Well, kind of. I may have used those wrong in that sentence, but you get the gist. Right? *fingers crossed*). I’ve learned language development, usage of grammar and punctuation (yes, I still use my spell-check. Much to the dismay of my critique group-they helped me critique two research papers last night. I made lots of mistakes. LOVE YOU GUYS! I owe them big…I owe them big), I’ve taken creative and non-creative writing…the list goes on, but that is not my point. This is my point…

Even though I have and am taking all these classes that hopefully will help me…I still don’t know everything there is about writing. I may never know everything. I may be getting A’s in my English classes in college, but that doesn’t make me–wise.

As writers, we work our baloganas off to create a work of art. We learn the craft of writing, we learn how to become better. To a point. Sometimes we work so hard, we think we know it all.

When someone less learned than we points something out to us, do we ignore them, just because we know better? *mwa ha ha ha – throwing hair back behind head like some evil villain of villainy* Or do we stop and think, “Hum…maybe they have a point.”

I do understand that some things critiqued can be laid aside. And that’s okay. But if we are letting our smugness get in the way, well, that’s a different matter.

Our readers are not writers, yet… they know a good book. They will be able to pick out plot holes, find grammar errors, and yes…even be bored with our writing. We shouldn’t blow them off, because “they just don’t understand writing.”

We need to be teachable. We need to learn from the advice from others.

It’s the only way we can get better and reach our dreams.

So Let it be Written - So Let it be Done

Don’t you love those words? Thank you, Hollywood’s version of the Ten Commandments, extremely awesome. Which brings me to my thoughts this day.

Summer is coming. Don’t be frightened, it will be just fine.

This means days full of child entertainment, white scary legs that have frightened even my mail guy away, and school…for me.

Yes, last week I got my English grade (an A in my creative writing class) and relaxed for a good day before realizing the doom that was ready to implode. I have to take three classes this summer in eight weeks (because of the short summer terms, they scrunch sixteen weeks of work into eight, which is kind of awesome to get all that work done).

I am ready to take it on…maybe.

So for eight weeks, my mind will be turn into a calculator, English philosophizer and analyzing child doldrums.

Yes my friends, I will be a walking fountain of information, that is unless you ask me about the early formation of ingenious rocks or why (2 x Y) – (S x A) = i which I know nothing about. (Actually, I do know a little bit about the rock thing because of that cool rock class I took many, many, many years ago. Plus my son has this great rock collection with a little book of rock names and how they are formed. Yes my friends, I may be as smart as a fifth grader. Fingers crossed. I’ll let you know when my fifth grader quizzes me.)

But this also means my writing time may be filled. I may have to wait to release my mischievous scoundrels on each other until I finish up with the infamous task of intelligible knowledge of learning (I know, that made no sense whatsoever – it’s late).

I have debated not finishing my degree, because I thought I only had six more classes left. I was wrong….so, so wrong. I have eleven (plus I am on a deadline to get it done or they boot me from the program). But I have come so far, I will not give up.

Even if my feet stink from walking from class to class and my head bounces up and down from lack of sleep as I listen to the mundane lectures of mold vs. fungi (aren’t they the same?).

I shall prevail! My laundry might not, but I will. Do you have any awesome plans this summer?