Brief Update:

In classes. Taking a documentary class that I'm psyched about. Documentary is about date rape awareness and starting an educational program at the University. Developing a summer directed study creating another documentary (about homelessness) and writing a feature story to go with. Will probably be getting a summer internship with a documentary film making company in Chattanooga.

Working on applying to grad school for communication. So much work to do right now and I'm behind on my assignments. This is a very exciting time!

Get Me Back on Track

I've been pushing writing to the back because of a visiting sister and a trip home, but I need to put some words down. I've only managed a few hundred in the past several days and I need to get more. It's hard to focus when my schedule changes like this.

After having car trouble on the way up to see my family, I've started dreading a visit to my parents' house. I don't want to hear my dad grumbling about my problems with cars. When he finds out I forgot my papers for the car at home he'll be even more annoyed.

I just impregnated my protagonist. She's not very excited about it, either, considering her husband let her down big time. I hope things get better for her soon.

So Far...

I'm happy that a reader has questions for me about the writing project I'm working on, however, I prefer questions be handled here on the blog, so this is what I have so far:

My main character is a specialist trying to develop new techniques in raising animals for food, when a strain of resistant bacteria kills thousands and its scope of contamination extends beyond tainted meat. Testing by the DoA on soil and water reveal negative results. Meanwhile, farmers slaughter cattle and dump the bodies in an attempt to void their herds of contaminates.

That's all I have just yet. I wanted to do something with my character taking action after her ideas were ignored, but I don't have a great plan for that. I wanted her to do something about the cattle slaughter, but I don't have that worked out yet. I'm just gonna go with whatever and see what happens. I don't have time to play around with details. Plus, excessive planning will slow my creativity down.

I made her husband an organic farmer and professor of agriculture, or professor of something like that, and I don't see him being fully supportive of illegal activities, but there's some sort of support there.

I want my character to get beaten by the cops and go to prison and have families protest her trial to blame her for trying to kill more people. Mothers holding signs of their dead children and telling her she is horrible for trying to spread the disease. In the end, I think she had the right idea and her suggestions will be followed with positive results, but she won't be credited with them. She'll be let out, her job will be gone and she'll go to work on her husband's farm, maybe.

Any thoughts?

Time to Relax

OK, I'm not really going to relax and be lazy. I don't want to. A friend suggested I sign up for the novel workshop class next semester, but it's full and I can't. I said I still wanted to write a novel along with my friends in the class, so I'm getting started now. I have to figure out what I want to write about by the end of the day tomorrow, and get started on it. So far, I have no idea what I want to write about. I did just decide this about a half hour ago though.

I'm looking through my writing notebook for ideas. I want something fun and light. Most of my pending story ideas are pretty heavy and require research that I don't have time for.

I'll be referring to the NaNoWriMo web site for some help on this. Luckily, I have over four months to write my novel. Gonna check this out at the library. Has some good reviews at Amazon.

Now, to get thinking. I'm thinking it should be a relationship sorta story. Something I won't have to research. Any ideas out there would be welcome. Please share!!

Follow Through

I had a consultation with my feature writing professor, Dr. Gailey, a few days ago and she gave me loads of encouragement, but she said she wants me to work on following through with writing projects more. The meeting was about a revision for my second feature, which I still haven't submitted to her. Despite teaching for thirty years, she said I was possibly the best writer she's ever had. That's a comment I don't think I'll ever forget. She said she sees so much potential in me, and it's hard to describe what that kind of recognition means to me. She invited me to take her documentary II class in the spring even though I haven't taken doc I, a prereq for the course, because she said she's really wanted me in the class ever since she read my first feature.

I'll be hearing soon whether I got the assistant features editor job at The Echo or not, and if I do get it I'll be forced to follow through on writing stories on a regular basis. Dr. Gailey thinks I should be the editor rather than the assistant, and while that's not an option since that position has been filled, I couldn't see myself having that much control. I've never seen myself as a leader, and I really couldn't imagine it.

Buh-Bye Fall '10

Latest article for the school newspaper was printed. Not very good, but it's practice.

The semester is almost over and, with only a few more papers to work on and one exam to prepare for, I feel myself slowly returning to my normal self. This break will be very much appreciated since my return to classes next semester will be more intense than this past semester. I'm trying not to think about it too much.

I'm worried that I'm not dealing with stress very well. It's taking a toll on my body, but I'm sure now that it's the reason I've been so apathetic about school these past few semesters. I don't want to exercise, which would be a great way to reduce stress, and I don't have anyone to have sex with, which would be my preferred method of stress reduction, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it.

Local woman lays down law

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — After months of chaos and compromise, Chattanooga woman Sarjen, 30, decided to enforce stricter rules in her suburban apartment home regarding her cousin, Joseph, 14, who moved into the apartment Aug. from Mich.

Photo of Chattanooga woman, Sarjen, at her wits end. Note
her disheveled appearance and angry expression.
Cameraman Mike had to dodge a fist after taking this photo.

     Sarjen, who had previously given the only bedroom to Joseph, took the room back and reorganized the apartment furniture. She cleaned the kitchen and sorted laundry as a start to what she called, "The new clean regime." 

      The regime was her carefully constructed plan to maintain a clean living space and would require regular chores by Joseph.

     "I love Joe," Sarjen said, "And these chore requirements aren't a punishment for his hurtful disrespect towards me, but a plan for a clean home that will make him happy and comfortable living here."

     There has been no word yet from Joseph on how he feels about the new changes. 

     "That's probably because he doesn't know about them yet," Sarjen added.

     In addition to the added chores, Joseph will lose computer and phone privileges until they have been earned. A new incentive program Sarjen calls, "Responsible parenting for the good of the child." Earning of these privileges will be outlined at a later date, but Sarjen feels optimistic about the success.

     "I don't know if things will work out with Joe living here for long, but while he's here I plan on finding things for him to do with his time besides staring at screens. He has so many opportunities for a better life here, but now he's going to have to earn them."