Sapphics, the Unknown Form

So, I'm a little stressed right now. I kind of procrastinated on getting my presentation for my poetry class ready. It's due next week. I thought I would have enough time. Until I found out that apparently the sapphic is not a popular enough poetic form to be in any of the major poetry books. But a spoonerism is!

The very fact that my spellcheck thinks that sapphic is spelled wrong, but is totally okay with spoonerism, kind of tells you something...

And I have to make this presentation half an hour long... I have a feeling I'm not going to do very well on it. But tomorrow I'll go to my school library and check out the few books that might help. I'm crossing my fingers that they might even mention sapphics, let alone go into details with them. Even our class text book, which we can use but not include as a resource, just mentions it in passing. I have no idea how I'll get this done. Apparently no one cares about this form.

Anyway, back to research.

Lots of School

And another week without an update. Sorry guys! But nothing too much to report anyway.

I've been working on that list of tasks for my Business of Writing class. I got a few points from attending a conference, which I have to thank my wonderful friend for driving me to (I really need to get my N...). After I went to the museum that my mom is the curator of, and used it as an opportunity to fill in the 'go to an archive' task. Technically I have to go for research purposes, but I helped my mom do some archiving on clothing, so I learned a few things there... such as what a cotton apron looks like, and how to spell the work crochet. (Which I now just proceeded to spell incorrectly... Thank spell check!) I talked to my professor today, and he gave me some more suggestions, such as researching more authors, magazines and publishers. I'll do the best I can with my internet connection.

What I'm most excited about it Fan Expo. I was told that'll be worth about three points if I go all day, which I definitely plan on doing. I really want to check out the indie press corner, and the sci-fi/fantasy author, whoever that may be.

And on another subject, I got an A on my midterm portfolio for poetry! I thought I was going to get a B, maximum. I really don't have too much confidence in my poetry, but it seems to be better than I thought. I was even told to tweak a few poems, and submit them. I think I'll do that, and gain a few more points for my list.

And finally, I've decided that I will take one course this summer. I really want it just to get my U-pass, but I also don't want to be taking a fourth year English course while also taking multiple other classes. The course I'm planning on taking is only once a week, and at a decent time, so I figured I'll get it over with. The information on it is very vague, so I'm hoping I luck out and like the subject. It's based all on what the professor chooses to teach. The last time I had a course like this, I really didn't enjoy the readings, partly because they all seemed to centre around males... But my professor this time is a female, so hopefully it'll be different. It'll also be my second to last English course! Yay! And the final one I have to take is actually a second year course. It's required, and I wanted to take it this semester, but because my grades for the prerequisite had not been submitted yet, it said I had not finished it. And unfortunately that class isn't offered in the summer...

Last Minute Procrastination

Just a quick post tonight, partly because I'm working on an essay (that's kind of due tomorrow...), and because I don't think my internet will last much longer.

I managed to finish my portfolio for class today, then proceeded to forget to print out multiple copies of my workshop poem. So I learned how to use the library printers at school. I have to say, they're less confusing than I thought. I managed to get back to class four minutes after it started. And I wasn't even the last person in. That being said, we got out early, because none of us were in school mode yet. That's what happens after reading break.

And that's my first day back at school. Now back to the essay that I should have started much, much sooner...

Sestinas...

Reading breaks are fabulous... I should really be doing more reading...

I actually only have three days off this reading break, because I was working on Monday, and I work Friday and Saturday... And I kind of wasted those three days off. I did do homework. I'm working on my poems, and all but one are coming along very well. I really hate sestinas. I really, really do. I just cannot get a nice flowing poem when I'm forced to reuse words. I cannot get a narrative without it sounding choppy and repetitive. And I'm having a lot of trouble just fitting imagery in, though the form isn't completely to blame for that.

And I still have an essay to write. I'm struggling over that even more. Poem has too much structure and form, but English doesn't have enough. The guidelines for the essay is to write an essay on a poem we've talked about. I know this is fairly normal for higher level courses, so be able to see a theme and write an essay around it. But we're not supposed to use outside sources, and I'm assuming it has to be on one poem, not a poet or a collection of poems. Ugh. Poetry. It'll be the death of me.

So I'll try and get at least the sestina done by Tuesday. What I have so far is already better than my previous one, but I know it's just going to crumble as I struggle to come up with new things to say... I never thought I would miss free verse so much.

Time to be Productive!

It's reading break! And I actually have some reading to do... Well, writing, but close enough. I get three days off of work and school, in which time I have to write an essay and a poem, along with some editing and compiling. I guess it's a good thing that my school decide to have its reading week two weeks after almost every other school. All my friends are back in school right now, so I won't get as distracted.

On another note, I applied for a job at Chapters! It's a three month contract job, so I was kind of iffy about actually applying for it. If I got the job, I'm not sure when I would actually start. The application is open until April, so I assume after that is when the job would start. That would be perfect, because it would give me time to finish school, and for us to train a new person at work, since my co-worker is leaving. I'm not sure if I would actually leave Starbucks, but at least being out of school will allow me to work more than a couple days at each location. So wish me luck with that. I like to think that my updated resume is pretty good, now that I can say I've been an assistant manager somewhere.

I guess I should also get onto submitting some writing to magazines too. I saw a few from some class presentations that might accept my work, so I'll check them out.

Internet...

Ugh, I might just have to smash my router. That way my parents might actually do something about it. So once again, I'm blaming my lack of posts on my internet. I swear! I tried to post on Tuesday, but my internet kept crashing. Let's see if I can actually get this post out tonight.

So it's a Thursday, so that means I had my Business of Writing class. Last week we actually got the day off to go off and do stuff. I accompanied my boyfriend to his school, because they have a massive library that I wanted to check out. I tried to find the periodical section... and failed. That place is massive. I did, however, find this interesting little display case that had the journals, notes and books of authors. I suppose they are probably authors that graduated from the school.

This week we talked about publication. It was... eye opening. We looked at journals to submit to though, and I feel a little more confident that I can actually get into some. My writing is mostly speculative fiction, so that really limits who will take my work. Most places like the down to earth, family friendly stuff. I like to write about the apocalypse, or other worlds. But that's not considered literature, so is rarely accepted into literary magazines. But that's okay, because I've become aware of the limited magazines that will accept them. I'll have to revise my stories and check up these magazines soon.

The prospect of getting paid to let someone have movie rights to my book is awesome though... I'm still going to keep dreaming.

Goodbye, Monty

2015 is starting off with a bleak beginning. I would take last year's start over this years, and least year I had the flu twice within the first two months. Near the beginning of January, my grandma passed away. Now the nerd community has been dealt a blow with the sudden death of Monty Oum.

He was the head animator for RWBY, a unique and unequaled small animated show. It took the overused and cliche idea of fairy tale characters, and wove it into a story that has never been told before. With the death of Monty Oum, it's hard to say if it will finish being told. 

Just a quick post today, to pay tribute to a fabulous man that was taken far before any of us were ready.