Poetry, Exhaustion, and Coffee
I am so tired. I stayed up way late to finish peer reviewing all of these stories and then we only talked about like 2 of them *head-desk, twitch* which was fine though because then at least I'm done with it all, and I liked talking about the stories we'd read that we hadn't had a chance to go over yet. Today has just been brutal because I'm so tired. I've had two cups of coffee and I'm not even that huge on coffee. Gold fish crackers suck with coffee too, the coffee completely over powers the taste. However, they were free and I wanted something to snack on. I need to decide what I'm going to do for din, din and then I need to weigh in the morning. However, for all of my lax habits I've only put on like a lb maybe 2 lbs which is fantastical and it could be water weight with all of the salt ingested. Anyway I've decided that coffee is gods gift to man kind just below the internet and right above Stephen King novels. I think I'm beginning to feel jazzed, finally, maybe I'll get a third and see if I can't make my heart explode. Anything to keep myself hoppin', ya know?
*Random* Yay! I just saw my friend Laura from down in the Repository. I miss the people I worked with down in the dungeon, but not the people I worked under. My new job up in the Inter-Library Loan office (hence to be known as ILL) is like amazing. I just love it, because nobody is pretentious about the fact that what we're doing isn't changing the world or the Purdue libraries at large it's just laid back and fun and not awkward. I just have to say that my old supervisor, Dot, scares me (in the omg, you really are psycho way). It also apparently very much pissed her off that I switched positions without bothering to consult her. All I can say is 'Sorry, Charlie, you fucked me over first.' At least Laura and I agreed that was the logical conclusion the way she acted about it (which if I described it wouldn't seem that way, but like I said, she's psycho). Anyway back to musing in the library...*/endRandom*
I have to say I really enjoy work shopping, but I'm wondering if I'm too picky. Not in poetry really I mean today was the first day I felt like I was getting back into the poetry swing, and I've made a pact with myself to start reading more poetry of my own volition and maybe start tacking up my favorites around the room. I mean I think poetry is an under appreciated art form, but only because High School or even Middle School for that matter glossed over it and when we did touch on it they made it a lot more tedious than it needs to be. Anyway maybe I have too much of a fine tooth comb, but other people say certain things and then I feel self-conscious about sharing my opinion. I know I'm not an expert, and I don't want to come off as a 'know it all' but I feel like I owe them my honest opinion from my experiences in the craft. I also feel like 205 (Intro to Creative Writing) kind of spoiled me. I mean everyone in there was fantastic (minus that one creepy-ass stupid guy), and with everyone relying so much on stereotypes for these beginning stories I'm afraid I might not get much out of it.
I think I'm just worrying too much, but if I put it out there then I have a better time moving past it. Maybe when we get to my story in workshop then I'll feel more confident depending on the feedback. I think today I just felt particularly under confident because I'm just so tired so my brain is struggling to make all of these connections, and in poetry sometimes things just go right over my head. I should facebook someone in that class so I can almost pre-workshop a little, maybe that would help me find my footing? I have to say I'm also once again really enjoying Poetry more than I thought I would. It's a lot of a work, and it's not going to cease to be hectic this semester but I really love my class it's very lively. Fiction, however, seems forced. Intro spoiled me like I said for the Fiction aspect, and I really miss all of the people in that class (minus that one) because we had a great group dynamic. Maybe my Fiction class will find it's footing. I just hope it does before I feel like I'm wasting my time. Of course on a high note it's not as work intensive as Poetry so (except for this deluge of critiques I had to do) it's a fairly laid back class.
The fact that Poetry is right after Fiction also presents an interesting challenge. My brain has to suddenly switch gears and today it was tough. I need to find a strategy to make the transition so I don't feel like I'm struggling, and I feel like I struggle at the beginning of class too. It's that deep rooted fear we all have (at some point or to some extent) that we're going to speak up and say something totally silly. I think I'm going to go back over my poetry stuff from 205 so I don't feel so lost in the dark, and the same for Fiction. I think my fictional voice has really evolved though since I took Intro. I mean the story I submitted for Fiction is nothing like the idea I had for Intro during the fiction portion (which admittedly wasn't my best work). I want something for the next work shop that is challenging for myself and for the class, I can't even remember what I have to do except that it's a close 3'rd person POV I think.
I'm confident I'll get my ducks in a row though. I've been doing pretty well with that so far this semester. I hope I can keep up the work ethic. I mean I'm tired of disappointing myself you know so I've decided to step up my potential a notch. Maybe I'm just more focused because I feel like I'm on the right path finally? I think having a fairly uneventful summer helped too and maybe it gave me some perspective, and I think once I get used to my schedule everything will just be routine and it will cease to be less of a worry and more of a 'that's how it should be'. I plan to spend a lot of my Saturday's reading I've decided. I have to read a lot, and reading during the week is taxing. I feel like I constantly have my nose in a book, and so I think if I devote more time to it on the weekends and read ahead and such then I'll be in pretty good shape and I can spend more of my evenings web surfing rather than page surfing. I think if I can manage myself well enough this semester then next semester I won't have a problem. I've decided already that I'm never taking two writing classes again in the same semester, but at the same time I'm glad that I'll have both of these out of the way since I'll be able to meet my requirements faster as a consequence, and with all of my pre-requirements pretty much completed I can just sail smoothly on the required English courses I'll have to take. I'm thinking about picking up English as a second major or a minor, because since I'm going to have to have X-amount of classes anyway it might work well together. I need to go check out the requirements for both, because if it's just taking more classes that I'm going to have to take anyway than why the heck not? Makes me more flexible seeming as well.
So now that I've written an excessively long blog post I'm going to go into the poetic machinations of my brain and sort of see what I can fling out. I'll put them behind cuts, and I'd enjoy your feedback on things like imagery, metaphor, and the like. I plan on just doing them without preamble so it will be entirely up to your interpretations. I know you all are busy, but... pretty please with sugar on top? The only thing I will say is that they will all be first drafts so suggestions for revision are what I'm mostly look for. :) Also all titles are tentative ;).
---Poetry---
Piano
I flirt with ivory and sable,
searching for a moment
when music is more than sound.
My fingers traipse,
waltz,
tango,
jump, laugh, and sing.
Chordal left follows,
rhythmic right leads.
Left is patient,
controlled,
an unassuming background on the canvas of a scene.
Right moves and shakes,
controls the feet of dancers,
brings the people to their knees.
As individuals they are nothing,
together they are divinity.
*Random* Yay! I just saw my friend Laura from down in the Repository. I miss the people I worked with down in the dungeon, but not the people I worked under. My new job up in the Inter-Library Loan office (hence to be known as ILL) is like amazing. I just love it, because nobody is pretentious about the fact that what we're doing isn't changing the world or the Purdue libraries at large it's just laid back and fun and not awkward. I just have to say that my old supervisor, Dot, scares me (in the omg, you really are psycho way). It also apparently very much pissed her off that I switched positions without bothering to consult her. All I can say is 'Sorry, Charlie, you fucked me over first.' At least Laura and I agreed that was the logical conclusion the way she acted about it (which if I described it wouldn't seem that way, but like I said, she's psycho). Anyway back to musing in the library...*/endRandom*
I have to say I really enjoy work shopping, but I'm wondering if I'm too picky. Not in poetry really I mean today was the first day I felt like I was getting back into the poetry swing, and I've made a pact with myself to start reading more poetry of my own volition and maybe start tacking up my favorites around the room. I mean I think poetry is an under appreciated art form, but only because High School or even Middle School for that matter glossed over it and when we did touch on it they made it a lot more tedious than it needs to be. Anyway maybe I have too much of a fine tooth comb, but other people say certain things and then I feel self-conscious about sharing my opinion. I know I'm not an expert, and I don't want to come off as a 'know it all' but I feel like I owe them my honest opinion from my experiences in the craft. I also feel like 205 (Intro to Creative Writing) kind of spoiled me. I mean everyone in there was fantastic (minus that one creepy-ass stupid guy), and with everyone relying so much on stereotypes for these beginning stories I'm afraid I might not get much out of it.
I think I'm just worrying too much, but if I put it out there then I have a better time moving past it. Maybe when we get to my story in workshop then I'll feel more confident depending on the feedback. I think today I just felt particularly under confident because I'm just so tired so my brain is struggling to make all of these connections, and in poetry sometimes things just go right over my head. I should facebook someone in that class so I can almost pre-workshop a little, maybe that would help me find my footing? I have to say I'm also once again really enjoying Poetry more than I thought I would. It's a lot of a work, and it's not going to cease to be hectic this semester but I really love my class it's very lively. Fiction, however, seems forced. Intro spoiled me like I said for the Fiction aspect, and I really miss all of the people in that class (minus that one) because we had a great group dynamic. Maybe my Fiction class will find it's footing. I just hope it does before I feel like I'm wasting my time. Of course on a high note it's not as work intensive as Poetry so (except for this deluge of critiques I had to do) it's a fairly laid back class.
The fact that Poetry is right after Fiction also presents an interesting challenge. My brain has to suddenly switch gears and today it was tough. I need to find a strategy to make the transition so I don't feel like I'm struggling, and I feel like I struggle at the beginning of class too. It's that deep rooted fear we all have (at some point or to some extent) that we're going to speak up and say something totally silly. I think I'm going to go back over my poetry stuff from 205 so I don't feel so lost in the dark, and the same for Fiction. I think my fictional voice has really evolved though since I took Intro. I mean the story I submitted for Fiction is nothing like the idea I had for Intro during the fiction portion (which admittedly wasn't my best work). I want something for the next work shop that is challenging for myself and for the class, I can't even remember what I have to do except that it's a close 3'rd person POV I think.
I'm confident I'll get my ducks in a row though. I've been doing pretty well with that so far this semester. I hope I can keep up the work ethic. I mean I'm tired of disappointing myself you know so I've decided to step up my potential a notch. Maybe I'm just more focused because I feel like I'm on the right path finally? I think having a fairly uneventful summer helped too and maybe it gave me some perspective, and I think once I get used to my schedule everything will just be routine and it will cease to be less of a worry and more of a 'that's how it should be'. I plan to spend a lot of my Saturday's reading I've decided. I have to read a lot, and reading during the week is taxing. I feel like I constantly have my nose in a book, and so I think if I devote more time to it on the weekends and read ahead and such then I'll be in pretty good shape and I can spend more of my evenings web surfing rather than page surfing. I think if I can manage myself well enough this semester then next semester I won't have a problem. I've decided already that I'm never taking two writing classes again in the same semester, but at the same time I'm glad that I'll have both of these out of the way since I'll be able to meet my requirements faster as a consequence, and with all of my pre-requirements pretty much completed I can just sail smoothly on the required English courses I'll have to take. I'm thinking about picking up English as a second major or a minor, because since I'm going to have to have X-amount of classes anyway it might work well together. I need to go check out the requirements for both, because if it's just taking more classes that I'm going to have to take anyway than why the heck not? Makes me more flexible seeming as well.
So now that I've written an excessively long blog post I'm going to go into the poetic machinations of my brain and sort of see what I can fling out. I'll put them behind cuts, and I'd enjoy your feedback on things like imagery, metaphor, and the like. I plan on just doing them without preamble so it will be entirely up to your interpretations. I know you all are busy, but... pretty please with sugar on top? The only thing I will say is that they will all be first drafts so suggestions for revision are what I'm mostly look for. :) Also all titles are tentative ;).
---Poetry---
Piano
I flirt with ivory and sable,
searching for a moment
when music is more than sound.
My fingers traipse,
waltz,
tango,
jump, laugh, and sing.
Chordal left follows,
rhythmic right leads.
Left is patient,
controlled,
an unassuming background on the canvas of a scene.
Right moves and shakes,
controls the feet of dancers,
brings the people to their knees.
As individuals they are nothing,
together they are divinity.