Friday, February 17, 2012
How do our brains work?
Why is it exactly that at approximately 3am is when the best ‘idea’s come to me – when I’m in bed, comfortable and not in a place to write the idea’s down? Is that my brain being an arsehat? Or is it just a point, when I seem to be the most creative? (Can you tell I took notes at 3am) I did take notes – or actually I downloaded an app to allow me to record my voice on my ipod. So instead of ‘writing’ my ideas – I just spoke them into this app, it saved what I said, and I’m now re-playing it back to myself. (I am actually quoting myself here!)
At 3am I thought of all these amazing blog ideas, thing to make people want to come to my site and read what I have to say, but then I roll over, and I’m back into the ZZzzzzz… I can’t remember what I thought when I woke up.
Random thought: I was driving today. Did you know that trying to spit out a mint (I won’t name the brand) that has gone a bit ‘off’ out your window whilst doing 100Km/ph causes the mint to fly out, and back into the car, landing on your lap!!!! Would have been easier and less messy to spit it into my hand, and place it out the window. (It’s a MINT – it’s going to biodegrade – Getting in early for all the hippies who want to have an Environment rant!)
That’s all I’ve got.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Library
Hello Readers,
I start my job placement at the local library tomorrow :) I'm really looking forward to it. I'm still plugging on through those 28 books, but I am getting there.
Summer has finally arrived in Australia - it's hot.
I hope to post a few updates re my work placement in the next few weeks.
That's all I've got right now - my life is pretty quiet.
Sal :)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Will a postgraduate send me over the edge?
Hello dedicated readers, Happy New Year.
I’ve completed my undergrad and I’m about to embark on a post-grad in information management and librarian studies. One of the four classes I’m taking in first semester has a list of books in which we have to choose two of the three genres of EACH genre and read. So for science fiction I’ve gone with Young Adult genre author Victor Kelleher’s Parklands (Just finished it) and Joanne DuPrau’s ‘The city of ember’ (Not stared it yet).
The entire list will be a total of 28 books. I like to read, but when the pressure is on to get that many books read in the amount of time a semester is, plus the readings etc involved in the rest of the class, along with the other three subjects. I’m sitting here thinking. WTF have I gone and signed up for?
Will this make me or break me? I’m being a more positive thinker in 2012 and I am going to say it will make me, it will create information and skills within me, to allow me to undertake a job within the librarian / research environment which I hope to enjoy doing. So therefore it will be nice to end all my studies and gain a job I actually ‘like’ and have worked towards and in my ‘free’ time I’ll work on that other career goal of becoming a published Author.
So readers – what do you have planned for 2012?
That’s all I’ve got.
Sal
Saturday, December 17, 2011
New Blogger
So blogger has upgraded to Blogger 4.90. Somewhat of a learning curve - including my 'nice' template that is no longer working with the new improvements. However I'll search out some templates that will work with new Blogger and all will be well in the world.
The count down is on for all the Christians out there to celebrate Jesus, and for those of either other religious beliefs, or atheists, it's a chance to get cheap stuff on the boxing day sales.
I personally am eyeing off an x-box - but then I think of the textbooks I will have to buy and the X-box gets put onto the back burner.... One day I shall own an x-box! That will be the day I make Thississcoman proud ;P
Anyone else with blogger accounts, what are your thoughts on the new changes?
That's all I've got.
Sal :)
P.S Be nice and feed my fish ;P
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Post-Grad
Hello followers -
I've graduated my undergrad (ceremony not until May next year) and have been accepted into a Post-Grad in Librarian information management. So happy times
I've graduated my undergrad (ceremony not until May next year) and have been accepted into a Post-Grad in Librarian information management. So happy times
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Hi
Hello faithful readers.
I'm alive... and just three subjects away from graduating. I've also applied for a post-grad in Information and Librarian Management.
I've received yet another rejection letter. However, this piece I'm not letting just be 'shelved' I'm far too proud of it.
Actually I'm planning on creating a website with my writing on it. Somewhere that I can send potential publishers too, so they can see what I am capable of. Some of pieces will be just extracts as there's always someone out there wanting to steal your work.
Anyway - I just wanted to check in, apologise once again for the lack of blogs, and thank you all for sticking around.
Sal
I'm alive... and just three subjects away from graduating. I've also applied for a post-grad in Information and Librarian Management.
I've received yet another rejection letter. However, this piece I'm not letting just be 'shelved' I'm far too proud of it.
Actually I'm planning on creating a website with my writing on it. Somewhere that I can send potential publishers too, so they can see what I am capable of. Some of pieces will be just extracts as there's always someone out there wanting to steal your work.
Anyway - I just wanted to check in, apologise once again for the lack of blogs, and thank you all for sticking around.
Sal
Monday, July 4, 2011
Writing Project Proposal
Hello readers ;)
Here is my 'rough' proposal for my final piece for my writing major. It's the proposal we have to submit. Once you read it it's kinda self explanatory.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Sal :)
**************************
Title:
Either:
a) Gender is undistinguished to love
b) The knots in the pit of her stomach attempt to stitch up the hole in her chest.
Summary:
The aim of this piece if to combine the skills I’ve learnt within my writing major to produce a piece that will hopefully showcase my writing ability. Area’s that have influenced me the most are writing from the edge, genre, and autobiography / memoir.
Rationale:
My piece will be collections of short journal entries – in the omniscient first person. It will tell of the struggle my main protagonist has with being a teenager and also coming to terms with her sexuality.
Issues / problems this piece will address include: Gender, sex, stereotypes, bullying, violence, hatred and oppression, through too emotions such as love, sadness (Depression), self-doubt and suicide.
By writing through stream of consciousness’ inspired by Virginia Wolfs ‘Mrs Dalloway’ the protagonists main thoughts will hopefully allow the reader an insight into the world of a teenager coming to grips with being in her teens which as we all know is hell, combined with the added weight of coming to terms with their sexuality. I plan to do this through a journal entry of the thoughts of the main protagonist, along with poetry and other ‘bits’ you’d find in someone journal. The poetry will allow for a 2nd and 3rd person ‘you, she, he’ to be voiced also. Perhaps letters from the main protagonists love interest, thus allowing an insight into ‘their’ perspective of this journey, which cannot be achieved with omniscient narrative.
The influences from a writing perspective will be drawn from some of the following:
Craig Raine: ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’ influenced my writing with his visually descriptive piece, especially his line ‘Everyone’s pain has a different smell.’ (Raine, 1996, line 30). That is the type of essence in which I want to achieve within my writing.
Allowing others to feel, smell and taste my main protagonist’s emotions, to laugh and cry with them, and also have a feeling of wanting to help defend them in their life battles. If I can convey this and expose the darkness that surrounds this topic (Teenage gender and sexual identity issues) through my writing, then I feel that I have accomplished something over the past four years of my degree.
Others who have influences me within my writing genre selection are
Ken Bolton: ‘Talking to you’. – Examples of a ‘natural voice’
Gabrielle Prendergast: ‘White Christmas Eve’ – shows how language can express emotions through word. ‘I’m bending backwards. Spine explodes. A coiled spring into white wing’ (Prendergast, Citied in Smith, 2005, p.15)
Ruby Langford: ‘My Names’ - Shows how to apply progression within writing - Langford’s ideas of establishment of identity.
Gregory Corso: ‘The Mad Yak’ - Subjectivity within writing allows the perspective of the subject, their feelings, opinions and beliefs to be seen, or portrayed onto the page.
Inga Clendinnen: Memoirs are a very personal account of a journey that has taken place. “I turn the Kaleidoscope, a new pattern dances in the glass. It is all refractions, shifting plays of light on the fragments of memory.” (Clendinnen, 2000, p. 140) Clendinnen’s writing style allows the reader to be a companion on that journey, and gives a privileged view of private moments of her life.
Finola Moorehead: ‘A novel in ten lines’ Short and sharp from beginning middle and end in ten lines – it can be done. I plan to incorporate this into my piece.
Finally Hazel Smith: Smith asks us to think about ‘open-minded strategies with diverse outcomes.’ (Smith, 2005, vii). I hope to achieve this.
References:
Bolton, K. ‘Talking to you’, Talking to you, Rigmarole books, Clifton Hill. (Available to view online at: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/bolton-ken/talking-to-you-0055017)
Clendinnen, I. 2001, Tiger's eye: a memoir, Scribner, The University of Virginia.
Corso, G. 1994, ‘The Mad Yak’, in Paul Hoover (ed.) Postmodern American poetry, Norton, New York.
Langford, R. 1988, ‘My Names’ in S Gunew and J Mahyuddin (eds), Beyond the Echo: Multicultural women’s writing, UQP, St Lucia, pp 91-93.
Moorehead, F. 1982, ‘A Novel in Ten Lines’, in Anna Gibbs and Alison Tilson (eds), Frictions: An Anthology of fiction by women, Sybylla, Fitzroy, p.201.
Prendergast, G. 1991, White Christmas eve’, Unpublished, Cited in Smith, Hazel 2005, The writing experiment: Strategies for innovative creative writing, Allen & Unwin, NSW
Raine, C. 1996, ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’, in Margaret Ferguson et al. (eds), Norton Anthology of Poetry, 3rd Edition, Norton, New York and London, p.1397.
Smith, H. 2005, The writing experiment: Strategies for innovative creative writing, Allen & Unwin, NSW.
Woolf, V. 2008, Mrs Dalloway, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Here is my 'rough' proposal for my final piece for my writing major. It's the proposal we have to submit. Once you read it it's kinda self explanatory.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Sal :)
**************************
Title:
Either:
a) Gender is undistinguished to love
b) The knots in the pit of her stomach attempt to stitch up the hole in her chest.
Summary:
The aim of this piece if to combine the skills I’ve learnt within my writing major to produce a piece that will hopefully showcase my writing ability. Area’s that have influenced me the most are writing from the edge, genre, and autobiography / memoir.
Rationale:
My piece will be collections of short journal entries – in the omniscient first person. It will tell of the struggle my main protagonist has with being a teenager and also coming to terms with her sexuality.
Issues / problems this piece will address include: Gender, sex, stereotypes, bullying, violence, hatred and oppression, through too emotions such as love, sadness (Depression), self-doubt and suicide.
By writing through stream of consciousness’ inspired by Virginia Wolfs ‘Mrs Dalloway’ the protagonists main thoughts will hopefully allow the reader an insight into the world of a teenager coming to grips with being in her teens which as we all know is hell, combined with the added weight of coming to terms with their sexuality. I plan to do this through a journal entry of the thoughts of the main protagonist, along with poetry and other ‘bits’ you’d find in someone journal. The poetry will allow for a 2nd and 3rd person ‘you, she, he’ to be voiced also. Perhaps letters from the main protagonists love interest, thus allowing an insight into ‘their’ perspective of this journey, which cannot be achieved with omniscient narrative.
The influences from a writing perspective will be drawn from some of the following:
Craig Raine: ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’ influenced my writing with his visually descriptive piece, especially his line ‘Everyone’s pain has a different smell.’ (Raine, 1996, line 30). That is the type of essence in which I want to achieve within my writing.
Allowing others to feel, smell and taste my main protagonist’s emotions, to laugh and cry with them, and also have a feeling of wanting to help defend them in their life battles. If I can convey this and expose the darkness that surrounds this topic (Teenage gender and sexual identity issues) through my writing, then I feel that I have accomplished something over the past four years of my degree.
Others who have influences me within my writing genre selection are
Ken Bolton: ‘Talking to you’. – Examples of a ‘natural voice’
Gabrielle Prendergast: ‘White Christmas Eve’ – shows how language can express emotions through word. ‘I’m bending backwards. Spine explodes. A coiled spring into white wing’ (Prendergast, Citied in Smith, 2005, p.15)
Ruby Langford: ‘My Names’ - Shows how to apply progression within writing - Langford’s ideas of establishment of identity.
Gregory Corso: ‘The Mad Yak’ - Subjectivity within writing allows the perspective of the subject, their feelings, opinions and beliefs to be seen, or portrayed onto the page.
Inga Clendinnen: Memoirs are a very personal account of a journey that has taken place. “I turn the Kaleidoscope, a new pattern dances in the glass. It is all refractions, shifting plays of light on the fragments of memory.” (Clendinnen, 2000, p. 140) Clendinnen’s writing style allows the reader to be a companion on that journey, and gives a privileged view of private moments of her life.
Finola Moorehead: ‘A novel in ten lines’ Short and sharp from beginning middle and end in ten lines – it can be done. I plan to incorporate this into my piece.
Finally Hazel Smith: Smith asks us to think about ‘open-minded strategies with diverse outcomes.’ (Smith, 2005, vii). I hope to achieve this.
References:
Bolton, K. ‘Talking to you’, Talking to you, Rigmarole books, Clifton Hill. (Available to view online at: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/bolton-ken/talking-to-you-0055017)
Clendinnen, I. 2001, Tiger's eye: a memoir, Scribner, The University of Virginia.
Corso, G. 1994, ‘The Mad Yak’, in Paul Hoover (ed.) Postmodern American poetry, Norton, New York.
Langford, R. 1988, ‘My Names’ in S Gunew and J Mahyuddin (eds), Beyond the Echo: Multicultural women’s writing, UQP, St Lucia, pp 91-93.
Moorehead, F. 1982, ‘A Novel in Ten Lines’, in Anna Gibbs and Alison Tilson (eds), Frictions: An Anthology of fiction by women, Sybylla, Fitzroy, p.201.
Prendergast, G. 1991, White Christmas eve’, Unpublished, Cited in Smith, Hazel 2005, The writing experiment: Strategies for innovative creative writing, Allen & Unwin, NSW
Raine, C. 1996, ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’, in Margaret Ferguson et al. (eds), Norton Anthology of Poetry, 3rd Edition, Norton, New York and London, p.1397.
Smith, H. 2005, The writing experiment: Strategies for innovative creative writing, Allen & Unwin, NSW.
Woolf, V. 2008, Mrs Dalloway, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
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