Category Archives: Exams

Writing, Exams, Inspiration, Method, Publishing, School

A Quick Update

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This entry is part [part not set] of 73 in the series The Writing Life Blog

It is now the last week of classes at UW Madison so things are hectic indeed. Next week come the finals. My Create Writing class doesn’t have a formal final thankfully so once I turn my portfolio in on Friday I’m done with the graded work. Not done with the class though as we are putting together some of the stuff we worked on over the semester to publish as a free ebook. I offered this as an opportunity to the class and everyone was all for it. I’m interested to see how it turns out.

In other news the UW Creative Writing Award ceremony is this Thursday and since I submitted a couple of things to two different contests I will be attending. They don’t tell the winners ahead of time so you have to show up to find out. A rather devious way of making sure plenty of people attend, not just the winners. No idea what my chances are but I’m not holding out much hope. I am a very new writer after all.

I also received my very first rejection notice from the folks over at Flash Fiction. Woot! I was pretty happy to see that and I plan to keep every rejection I get as a souvenir of the work I’ve done. This may seem a bit strange but I think of it as proof that I’m really giving this writing thing my all. I hope to have many, many more rejections by the end of summer. And a few acceptances as well of course. Without classes to worry about I have some big plans. Which I need to sit down and write out. After finals.

Uncategorized, Insomnia, School, Stuck in my Head, (Not so) Deep Thoughts, Deep Thoughts, Exams

Writing into the Darkness

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This entry is part [part not set] of 73 in the series The Writing Life Blog

It’s almost 1 AM now and I’m still awake. Despite having morning class tomorrow and knowing that being up this late is going to make me super tired for my favorite class. This isn’t the first night this week I ended up late. Why? I’ve been asking myself that very same question and so far I don’t really have an answer.

Things aren’t particularly bad right now even if I do have a tone of work from school. With just three weeks left of classes, plus one week of finals, things are getting pretty intense. The two literature classes that were manageable all semester have become a bit overwhelming. Yet really it’s just a lot of reading. Nothing I’m not used to in the end. Except I’m having trouble sitting down and doing it. I’m distracted and I have trouble concentrating.

Dead Wesley Smith talks about writing into the dark on his blog. It’s the phrase he uses to describe writing when you have no plan, no plot, and no idea what you’re going to write about. You just start writing and go. I really like this idea and I’ve been itching to try it. Then I realized that’s pretty much what I always do with my blog entries. I don’t have a plan. Sometimes I have a thought and that’s my starting point. One little thought. Tonight my thoughts are rioting among the streets and alleyways of my mind and it’s making me crazy.

I’m sad and depressed, yet hopeful and determined. Mixed feelings describes it well. Then there’s the fear. The nagging, little voice in the back of my head fear that this is all going to come crashing down and I’m just a stupid little idiot for every thinking I could pull off writing for a living.

A poem written about fear and anxiety. By Aaron Lowe
A poem written about fear and anxiety.
By Aaron Lowe
School, Writing, Exams

Thinking Ahead

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This entry is part [part not set] of 73 in the series The Writing Life Blog

Even though this is my first semester at UW Madison I transferred in so many credits that I have senior status. Which is funny to me because I’ll still be here another three semesters at least meeting the requirements for my degree. The upside is that I’ll be one of the first undergraduates to sign up for classes. So go me, I guess. The flip-side of that little perk is that I have to figure out my classes for next semester NOW. There’s only a couple of school days left to get advice and learn about just what the possible courses I might take next semester will entail. I need to maintain full-time student status, but I’m out of the easier gen-ed courses at the end of this semester. That means a full four advanced English courses. I could easily screw myself over by taking a far too large workload on. There’s also NaNoWriMo in November that I’d really like to do, and win, this year.

Not huge problems when compared to all of the truly serious issues in the world but definitely something I’ve been pondering.

Update: After talking with the always helpful folks in the Creative Writing department I’ve settled on taking three creative writing workshops and one required literature class. Not sure how heavy the workload is going to be, especially when NaNoWriMo rolls back around, but I’m going to give it my best shot.

General, Life, Love, School, Writing, Dreams, Exams, Imagination, Inspiration

And Out the Other Side

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This entry is part [part not set] of 73 in the series The Writing Life Blog

It was a rough week for me and a rough week for the city. Tests, renovations, hard topics, a reading, and a shooting we still don’t know enough about. Now it’s Friday and life moves us on inexorably. The weather is the warmest it’s been in months so there’s the feeling of renewal along with a rekindling for the appreciation of the beauty around us. It’s hard to see this beauty and think about the horrible things happening around us, and around the world, every second of every day. Really it’s a wonder the human race has achieved anything positive. That was the state of mind I was in Monday when I wrote a poem for my creative writing class today:

ENG307EpiphanyPoem-page-001

I came out of class Monday afternoon after watching a documentary about the murder of Vincent Chin feeling angry and voiceless. I guess this was my way of expressing those feelings, and a way of distancing myself from the evils others have wrought. In the end, regardless of race, creed, religion, or beliefs, we are our choices and actions. I share nothing with those who choose evil beyond the barest whisps of DNA and physical traits. These traits do not define me. I define me.

 

 

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School, Exams

Once More into the Midterm Breach

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This entry is part [part not set] of 73 in the series The Writing Life Blog

Less than an hour away from my first big test in my return to college. Over the years I’ve learned I’m not the kind of person who can sit and study for tests. Rote memorization just doesn’t work well for me. Instead I’ve discovered that I have to be super focused in class, every class, take notes, and participate. That gets me the best rate of retention. It’s just one more thing I have to thank the Navy, and specifically my time at DLI, for teaching me. So for these midterms I’ve only gone over the study sheets provided by the professors, re-read my own notes, and skimmed a couple of things we read at the very beginning of the semester. Here’s hoping it’s enough.