365 days of being a writer: day 203

One of my poetry submissions was rejected. I wish I knew whether or not the poetry was good. The fact that the editor sent a curt and formulaic email leads me to believe that he/she didn't like it. They seem to talk more when it's close but not quite there.

I also sent a novella to the director at Texas Tech. There are some money things I want more detail on, and some curriculum issues I wanted clarified.

At the day job, I was mostly formatting information, rather than creating it. It was wild to hear the Tech Comm & Rhetoric folks at Tech getting all fired up about the theory behind what I do every day.

I've also started one of the professor's books. Is this ass-kissing, or research? It's a genuinely gripping book, does that change the potentially ass-kissing nature of reading it?

All I can think about, all I want to talk about, is what happens in August. I have a month to figure it out. Whatever it is, it's going to be good.

365 days of being a writer: day 202

My plane trip started at 5:50 am this morning. I slept a bit on the first leg. On the second leg, I was knitting and thinking about a story that happened in New Orleans (one of the other prospective grad students and I discussed NOLA several times and it was on my mind, I suppose). After thinking for a few minutes, I grabbed my notebook and scratched out 5 nearly illegible half pages before I ran out of steam. It was good, to be back to a pen and some words.

The rest of the day was a haze of sleep deprivation. I couldn't nap, but couldn't really think either. I'm about to start a book by one of my (maybe!) future professors.

365 days of being a writer: day 201

Tech has definitely impressed me, y'all. I am serious. Today's itinerary was a bit more relaxed. After talking for a couple of hours with a few faculty members and getting a tour of the campus, two of the other prospectives and I spent the afternoon wandering the town of Lubbock.

The faculty and my "cohort" might just be the deal breaker here, as they are both great. I have some things to consider and weigh and what not--and I still have two schools left to report. No decision was made this week, but at one point in a meeting today with about 20 prospective students, the Director of Creative Writing responded to one of my questions by referring specifically to the types of things that I write. He knew about my work without a prompt--that was a powerful moment. And the nonfiction professor already has an assignment for me: an unsolved homicide in town. (Exciting and a little hilarious.) I have so many cell phone numbers right now, of faculty, cohort, other grad students. The vibe of openness and earnest INTEREST in my attending was strong. It felt good.

Shout out to my newest follower, Lyndsey, who found me via Xenith. That rocks, too.

365 days of being a writer: day 200

Boy, talk about a culmination. Two-hundred days later, and I spent the whole day talking about myself as though I were in fact a writer. I imagined two years of just writing. I day dreamed, bonded with like-minded individuals, strolled dark overfull stacks in an amazing library...

And while Texas Tech was effectively and seductively wooing me, Kansas State sent an email: Yes! Yes! Yes!

Many things to think about, now.

365 days of being a writer: day 199

I have arrived in Lubbock, TX. It was a long travel day that started with half a day of technical writing. I submitted Coney Island to another journal.

On the eve of my 200th day as a writer (for real), this writer is beat. Good night, cyber-cherubim.

365 days of being a writer: day 198

I'm very stoked to note that Colleen nominated my blog for a Style award. Please go read her inspirational blog this minute (and then come back).

I would love to have the time to write up the reciprocal post, but I am packing for Lubbock tonight. Yee-haw.

I have never "visited" a college before. My heart was set on PNCA from the beginning--one, because it never occurred to me that I might get into other schools; and two, because I couldn't afford to go anywhere else. I toured the building, but it was with the full knowledge that I wanted to go to there.

This tour is different. Tech is trying to convince me (me, you guys!) to attend. It's surreal, really.

I was just talking to a friend about how I never shaved my legs in college. I stopped shaving around high school (I was a hippie, I'll admit it) and didn't start again until my marriage collapsed four years out of college. Those eight years of hairy legs seemed to last forever. But that was almost twenty years ago.  It seems longer ago than that that I had no idea what I wanted to really do with my life--but it's only been three years. Like Barbara Krueger's My Pretty Pony: time has stretched and doubled over and wound around. When I think about how much has changed in those last three years, I am astounded. The day to day of my life, my aspirations, my fundamental wants--everything has changed completely. Who takes this long to figure out their shit? Me. I do.

And let the record show: I still don't have it all figured out, I just have a whole new plan.

Anyway. I have to pack. I am nervous about this visit for petty and not so petty reasons. I want to be liked, I want to be successful. I want to fit in with my potential cohort, and I want to stand out. It's like a blind date with your whole senior class.

365 days of being a writer: day 197

I was able to watch an episode of House tonight, knit a few rows, AND submit two shorts from last year to a couple of journals.

Now that the starlings have a home, it is time to get Utah and Coney Island out of the nest. I made a couple of changes to the Utah piece but left Coney Island as is for now--it hasn't been rejected from too many places yet.

I sent an email today to the Director of Wyoming's MFA program, asking if "falling back" on the TTU MA would hurt my chances to reapply to UW in two more years. She said it would not. No decision has been made: I still want to see what UA and PSU are going to send, as far as funding options go, and visit Texas Tech. Plus, I am still waiting to hear back from three schools (though one of them is an assumed rejection).

Anyone out there want my cat? He is not coming.