No chance for writing these days, any time I have to spare (which isn't a lot) is spent studying and writing essays, and trying to maintain some kind of cleanliness in the pigsty I call home...
In about 6 weeks I have exams and then I will have a few months off study at least, so hopefully my little darling will sometimes spare me time to write a story or two.
I also look forward to catching up on all your blogs and escapades...I have not forgotten any of you, I'm just hibernating my writing-self.
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Busy, busy, busy...
Very stressful & busy time this week....changes to the course I'm doing, last minute, means I need to make some pretty important decisions. So not a lot of time for writing, or reading other people's blogs :-( Sorry!
In the meantime, have a microfiction. 99 word story, called:
Sisters.
Leslie watched the gate. “He’ll come,” she told her sister.
Marie shrugged.
“He’ll come,” Leslie repeated, keeping her gaze fixed on the gate.
No one appeared. A little drizzle started, but they paid it no attention.
“He’s probably got somewhere better to be,” Marie remarked. “He’s bound to have moved on, by now. You shouldn’t blame him.”
“He’s welcome to move on,” Leslie hissed. “I just don’t want him to forget. There,” she added as he appeared.
Marie had enough sense to stay silent as Leslie’s former husband laid flowers on her grave, and shed a tear for her.
In the meantime, have a microfiction. 99 word story, called:
Sisters.
Leslie watched the gate. “He’ll come,” she told her sister.
Marie shrugged.
“He’ll come,” Leslie repeated, keeping her gaze fixed on the gate.
No one appeared. A little drizzle started, but they paid it no attention.
“He’s probably got somewhere better to be,” Marie remarked. “He’s bound to have moved on, by now. You shouldn’t blame him.”
“He’s welcome to move on,” Leslie hissed. “I just don’t want him to forget. There,” she added as he appeared.
Marie had enough sense to stay silent as Leslie’s former husband laid flowers on her grave, and shed a tear for her.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Reality...Check
I've spent so much time this summer doing what feels like nothing.
It involves a lot of reading, quite a bit of writing, loads of manuscript formatting to send stories out, dog walking, reading interesting blogs, playing mafia wars on facebook, eating, writing this blog...these sorts of things.
Today is the first day however that I can register for my course for the next year. Which will be my final year. I have three modules left to do in order to obtain a degree: A sociology research module, a cognitive psychology module, and a basic literature module just to make up the numbers.
I do love literature but it might be weird studying it. Will it make me feel completely inadequate as a writer? The module is being revised but as far as I know it'll still have Shakespeare (Hamlet - which I've never actually read before, and am kind of looking forward to, even though I know the basic premise of the story), Ibsen (A Doll's House, which I read when I was 18 or so and have long since forgotten) and Yeats (Bleugh - moany old git of a poet who never stopped bloody complaining), plus a few others.
One of the reasons I didn't study it before is that there isn't an awful lot that a Literature degree leads to - except teaching, and I think I'd rather blow my head off than be a teacher in the existing education system at least. Hence the sociology and psychology - though seeing as there are no jobs going at all these days, I could probably put down on my CV that I have a degree in advanced nuclear engineering and still be told I'm under qualified to work at a checkout.
And then of course there's the fact that assignment deadlines tend to be in mid December, mid February and early April. With a newborn baby, that will be interesting. I might not have much time to focus on doing anything but scraping a bare minimum of marks in Lit, as it's the other two modules which will count toward my final degree marks.
I really should try to get a headstart, and start reading Hamlet or something now. But I have several books from the library that I really want to read first, like H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, and a book about the science behind Star Trek. And then there are loads of other things to do as well, like write. And pick a fantasy football team. And....and....and...
So I might as well enjoy doing nothing and feeling little baby kicks and stuff while I can....as I may be very busy over the Winter!
It involves a lot of reading, quite a bit of writing, loads of manuscript formatting to send stories out, dog walking, reading interesting blogs, playing mafia wars on facebook, eating, writing this blog...these sorts of things.
Today is the first day however that I can register for my course for the next year. Which will be my final year. I have three modules left to do in order to obtain a degree: A sociology research module, a cognitive psychology module, and a basic literature module just to make up the numbers.
I do love literature but it might be weird studying it. Will it make me feel completely inadequate as a writer? The module is being revised but as far as I know it'll still have Shakespeare (Hamlet - which I've never actually read before, and am kind of looking forward to, even though I know the basic premise of the story), Ibsen (A Doll's House, which I read when I was 18 or so and have long since forgotten) and Yeats (Bleugh - moany old git of a poet who never stopped bloody complaining), plus a few others.
One of the reasons I didn't study it before is that there isn't an awful lot that a Literature degree leads to - except teaching, and I think I'd rather blow my head off than be a teacher in the existing education system at least. Hence the sociology and psychology - though seeing as there are no jobs going at all these days, I could probably put down on my CV that I have a degree in advanced nuclear engineering and still be told I'm under qualified to work at a checkout.
And then of course there's the fact that assignment deadlines tend to be in mid December, mid February and early April. With a newborn baby, that will be interesting. I might not have much time to focus on doing anything but scraping a bare minimum of marks in Lit, as it's the other two modules which will count toward my final degree marks.
I really should try to get a headstart, and start reading Hamlet or something now. But I have several books from the library that I really want to read first, like H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, and a book about the science behind Star Trek. And then there are loads of other things to do as well, like write. And pick a fantasy football team. And....and....and...
So I might as well enjoy doing nothing and feeling little baby kicks and stuff while I can....as I may be very busy over the Winter!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
I remember back at school they used to tell us not to cram for exams. I didn't listen then. I don't listen these days either. Cramming worked for me for the Leaving cert, and so far it's working for me for the degree.
See, cramming works by stuffing all the required info into your brain so it's near the surface, so you can reach it when required (during the exam). The downside is that it has a tendency to leak due to being overfilled, so whatever is learned during cramming is most likely forgotten again a few weeks or months later. That's ok though, because by then the exam is over.
Cramming doesn't work for everything, obviously. Like in psychology, I actually do have to understand it a little bit. Therefore, if there are any questions on factor analysis, I shall be ignoring them, as that's too complicated for me to comprehend. However, as long as I understand something to some extent, I can cram in the info that goes along with it - the name of the guy (yeah, it's usually a guy, but give it time) who came up with a theory, or the year the theory was first published, etc.
So cramming wins. Probably doesn't work for everyone, but for me it has always proven an effective method of passing exams. The key to cramming is not to start too early. So that's my excuse for not having started yet...today though, it is snowing, I don't feel like doing any more spring cleaning since it no longer feels like Spring...so I might as well go ahead and start writing up some notes that I can read in a frantic panic come exam day in mid May.
See, cramming works by stuffing all the required info into your brain so it's near the surface, so you can reach it when required (during the exam). The downside is that it has a tendency to leak due to being overfilled, so whatever is learned during cramming is most likely forgotten again a few weeks or months later. That's ok though, because by then the exam is over.
Cramming doesn't work for everything, obviously. Like in psychology, I actually do have to understand it a little bit. Therefore, if there are any questions on factor analysis, I shall be ignoring them, as that's too complicated for me to comprehend. However, as long as I understand something to some extent, I can cram in the info that goes along with it - the name of the guy (yeah, it's usually a guy, but give it time) who came up with a theory, or the year the theory was first published, etc.
So cramming wins. Probably doesn't work for everyone, but for me it has always proven an effective method of passing exams. The key to cramming is not to start too early. So that's my excuse for not having started yet...today though, it is snowing, I don't feel like doing any more spring cleaning since it no longer feels like Spring...so I might as well go ahead and start writing up some notes that I can read in a frantic panic come exam day in mid May.
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