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| I just got word back from my advisor: I passed my comps! Now, I need to get another piece of paper, a signature or two, turn everything into the graduate office, and I'll be graduating in August! |
| I'm done. I sent my comps off to my advisor. And now, for the agonizing wait before they come back and tell me if I passed. I am fairly certain I will, but there's always that doubt. Ah well. Time for a nap before lunch. |
| Yep. I figure I'm entitled. After all, I've worked on the thing roughly thirty hours total (25 pages - 3 works cited lists at roughly 1 hour/page composition + revising/editing) over the past three days. My brain's been fried. This is probably the correct time to start writing the pink fluffy unicorn poem that has been lurking at the back of my head. |
| Well, after a long day, I've finished essay number three (5 pages) and started essay number four (about half a page in--talking about reading genre/popular fiction in an MFA program). Also, did other stuff, like knit a bit (it was a fifteen minute reward that lasted about three hours) and took a nap. Now, I'm going to go to bed early (it's only 10ish here--I've been going to bed at 2 or 3am) and get up early tomorrow, and finish the last one, and look it all over and revise if necessary and write another poem for the dew drop in, probably about unfinished comps, and look it over again, and sleep, and stew on it, and make dinner, and probably look it over again, and text my advisor any lingering technical questions and get it all ready to send off, and sleep again tomorrow night and send it off bright and early Thursday morning, at which point, I'll probably take a nap until I have to go to campus for my night class. Sounds like a plan. A goal even. Hmmm . . . I wonder how I'll do. |
| Comps dropped two hours ago. I have three pages done on the first question (half done, need four to six total). Needed fifteen minutes so I don't go insane. Never mind. Already insane. Otherwise, why would I be doing this. Now, to go back to John Gardner's notions of aesthetic interest and narrative truth. |
| Five pages and five hours later, I'm done with the first question. Taking fifteen before I go to the next question. Its an "imagine how you would teach time and place to young short story writers" question--with reference to three short stories from my reading list. I'm not scared of it. I don't mind hypothesizing. Although I do prefer to have a story at the end of the imagining. |
| Okay, that's two down. This one was the full six pages, but what do they expect when they specifically want me to write time and place in three different stories. I'm a writer--I'm better at expanding than editing away. I'll try to pare away when I go back over everything. It actually wasn't bad. I tried to write as I'd lecture. But I think I'm done for the night. Time to figure out my poem for April 4. And possibly check my blood sugar. I think I'm feeling a bit high. Or low. Or just tired. Thanks for putting up with my randomness all day. I appreciate the company as I plug my ears and buckle down and write. I will start tomorrow on page 14 (works cited pages added a page to each of the previous essays) |
| Well, my thesis defense starts in 34 minutes. Wish me luck. |
But Christopher Roy Denton  don't you already do that?  Never mind. Of course not. Bowing is completely unnecessary. Although one of my brother-in-laws is threatening to call me "Master Rhyssa" |
| Oh, Master Rhyssa, you so, so, so shouldn't have told me that! (I like your brother-in-law, btw. He's cool) So, Master Rhyssa, what do you plan to do with the rest of your life, ma'am? |
| Oops--I need to take a nap, I guess, or I wouldn't have made so serious a mistake. He'd probably like you too. He plays piano in one of the military bands (not that those necessarily follow, but like I said, naptime). And the future . . . well after comps (and catching up on my sleep) I'm probably going to try to get a job teaching college. |
| I printed out my thesis last night (well about half and then the printer ran out of ink). I am going to print out the rest today. And I got an electronic copy off to my advisor. And I got a story finished for workshop tonight (to be discussed next week). And I finished reading the stories for tonight. And my stomach is so full of knots I can barely breathe. But it's happening. I'm going to defend, two weeks from today. |
This is an imposition, probably, but if anyone could review this short story:
It's for my thesis (MFA thesis--defending at the end of the month) which is due Thursday (yes, I know three days). I've made the changes my advisor wanted, but was not able to turn it around again and get more feedback, and I'm questioning two major changes I've made in the last edit. 1: Should Nathan choose to tell there at the end? 2: Is the ending complete. Any other advise or criticism you have would also be welcome. The story is less than 5000 words. I've posted it on the review board, but I don't know if I have friends who would be willing who don't check that. Thank you. |
I just posted a survey about writing--I'm trying to gather information for a school project.
I would welcome any contributions anyone makes. None of the questions are required, but as much information as I could gather would be useful. Thanks |
| Dead tired. Finished grading. Now, need to work on next revision (thesis now at 8 stories and 159 pages--advisor gave me line edits on 6, major revision on 1, and still is finishing his line edits on last) tomorrow, after significant sleep. I don't think I'll be done by Tuesday, which is the deadline to defend at the end of the month, but it could happen. If not, I need to get the final draft within the next two weeks, and I'll defend in January then take my comps. It sounds so simple when I say it like that. |
| Well, I just turned in a complete, 166 page (the goal is about 160 pages) first draft that consists of ten short stories to my thesis advisor. I am happy with six of them, still writing an eleventh, and probably going to scrap two (by which I mean, set aside for later). That means I need to get three stories to my happy stage, and then start worrying about making him happy. It's at times like this when I wonder why I'm getting an MFA in the first place. |
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I'm not planning to walk. I suffered through high school graduation. I don't need to suffer through this one.