More than mere words...

One of my greatest desires is to be able to write in such a way that it is more than mere words that flow from the page, but also joy and laughter, sorrow and heartache. I want to move people to fits of giggles, to action, to tears. I want the write something that stands out, that people will remember, not so that they will remember me, but will remember the story and what it meant to them and they will carry it with them. In my life, I have read probably four or five books that did this for me. I have seen two or three movies like this, and probably two episodes of television that have touched me so much, so deeply that their meaning cannot be forgotten. And yet this is what I want to create-- something so rare that not even the most accomplished writers do it all of the time. And yet, to me, to do anything else would be a failure. And so instead, I do nothing.

It is time to stop doing nothing. The deadline for applications for admission to the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at Vanderbilt University is January 15, 2009. I now have less than five months to complete my packet. This morning I tried to create a timeline for myself to get everything done.
Here's what I need:
1) My writing sample. Not just any writing sample, but it will need to be the best thing I've ever written. 25 pages of fiction--- part of a novel or a short story. The goal is to complete the first draft by Oct. 15 and the final draft by December 15.
2) College transcript. I need to head down to UNR and order this by Nov. 15
3) Statement of purpose. Yeah, not quite sure about this one. I can't really include the above in my statement of purpose because it's not really realistic...
4) Three letters of recommendation. Hmmm-- Also not sure about this one. Need to find out who are acceptable people to obtain letters from since I have absolutely no contact with any of my college professors, most of whom have disappeared from the University (or at least those who would have written letters for me.) At any rate, I will ask the people by Oct. 1 and request to have the letters back by Dec. 1.
5) GRE scores. This one is relatively simple since I'm still w/in the 5 year window. After that I would have to take the test again. So I'll just have to order the results online and shell out the twenty bucks to have them sent to another school since Vanderbilt was not even one of my considerations three and a half years ago when I originally took the test.
6) Lots and lots of prayer. Okay, so this is not actually part of the application packet, but really, this is what it's going to take for me to complete this, for me to remain obedient and actually follow through and finish something that I start. I don't usually struggle with follow through in other areas of my life, but in my writing it is a HUGE issue.

Good night and good luck.

A Reward Upon Completion

Today Season 4 of House came out on DVD. I had intended to wait until after my essay was finished before I bought it, figuring it would be a reward-- but then I realized if I waited I would be paying 10-15 dollars more for it because it is always cheaper when it first comes out. So today I bought the DVDs, saving 10 dollars, plus also acquiring a 5.00 dollar Target gift card with my purchase. Here's the catch-- I am not allowed to WATCH the DVDs until after I finish my essay. Right now I am working on take 2 of my second draft. I have a lot to cut, and my first attempt at a second draft was getting longer rather than shorter. So my deadline for myself is August 31. I have 12 days to finish.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

Things to Come

Coming up soon, I am going to be providing my readers with tales of some "interesting" roommates I had back before I decided that living alone would be in my best interest. If you are not interested in my roommate experiences, too bad. Blame Erica... She told me I should write about them. He he he.
But before I am allowed to write those thrilling tales, I have to edit my essay for the Real Simple essay contest. The question was "What was the most important day of your life?" and the contest deadline is September 9. After I get my essay sufficiently edited and sent off, then I can write the roommate stories. For those of you interested in reading my essay, you can either ask me about it and I will send it to you, or you can wait until I find out that I didn't win, and then I will post the essay on my blog.
I also found another essay contest that I am planning on entering. It is for Glamour magazine and the deadline is December 31st. That one offers the winner the opportunity to meet with a literary agent. Again, I doubt I have much chance of winning, but (almost) every writer gets many rejections before they get paid for any of their writing, so I will use the cliche statement "nothing ventured, nothing gained" and I will proceed. This essay contest asks writers to simply provide a "real-life story." For this contest, I think I am going to write about the journey to find joy in a life that is nothing like I had imagined it would be or planned it to be. I did not plan on being 29 and single was not anywhere on my timeline (yes, I know I am not 29 yet, but I will be by the time I start work on that essay. And it's not like 28 and single was any more of a walk in the park)-- It was supposed to be something like married by 25, first kid by 28, done with kids by 35 at which time I would be able to stay at home and write for some additional income while caring for the children and the home. I know this goes against the feminist ideal that a lot of my female friends stand for, and usually I do, too, but that is really what I had imagined my life would be like. And most of the time, it's okay that it's not-- but every once in a while, like when another friend announces their engagement, or a pregnancy, or buying their first home with their husband, I get a little bit sad that I am missing all of these things. And my life is a constant journey/battle to try to find peace and joy in my life, just as it is. So this is what my essay will be about for the second essay contest.
Oh, and I am considering re-opening the Cross & Quill blog for all of you writers out there, just for the fun of it. I'll post writing topics on there every once in a while, just like I used to. This is not definite--just something I'm considering.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Another Sleepless Night

It is almost 3 am. I have to be to work in about 4.5 hours and I have yet to fall asleep. I should be exhausted. I walked to and from work, then to Whole Foods for some shopping and upon my return, I spent the rest of the evening cleaning. I finished cleaning for the night at about 10:45 and headed off to bed. By 12:30 I still had not fallen asleep, so I decided to get up and work on my entry for the essay contest in Real Simple magazine. It's not like I'll actually win, but there's no chance if I don't try, so I'm going for it. I thought I would get tired working on the essay, but no--instead I wrote six pages (handwritten) that have to be edited and shaved down to 1500 words. And I still was not tired. That was at 2 am. I'm almost ready to just give up and stay up until I have to go to work. But that never makes for a good work day. So here I am blogging about sleep, hoping that if I say the word enough times, it will actually make me want to sleep. So I think I hear my pillow calling me back for another attempt.

Good night and good luck!