I've been home a week and finally settling back into a routine. I haven't written as much as I hoped, but have done at least 1000 words, just not necessarily on a scene from my new book, although I did get one and a half scenes written.
I have been compiling notes from all the lectures and reading and drafting my essay. I bought at least one or two of all of the lecturers books as a way of matching what they said to their writing and to maybe go into deeper thematic issues that would flesh out my essay. So far I've read:
My required reading for this term at Carlow University is One Thousand Years of Prayers by Yiyun Li, Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian, East Wind West Wind by Pearl S. Buck, and The Writer on Her Work Vol. II by Janet Sternberg. Evelyn Conlon suggested the first and she allowed me to pick two, so I chose the two prize winners. We were going to do a poetry selection and I chose "Push Open the Window Contemporary Poetry from China" published by Copper Canyon Press, but then decided that a book featuring essays would probably help me a lot since I'd like to improve my essay writing.
In addition to the lecturers, mentors and readers, most of these people had suggestions for reading that would help our writing that I've begun to compile.
My mentor also had a set of recommended reading that I've purchased and plan to read; many of the writers are from around the world and by women writers whose journey to publication mirrors mine in many ways: read "Flight" by Sinead Morrissey in the State of the Prisons if you need clarification.
The photograph is from the inspirational courtyard outside my mentor group classroom at Trinity College.
I have been compiling notes from all the lectures and reading and drafting my essay. I bought at least one or two of all of the lecturers books as a way of matching what they said to their writing and to maybe go into deeper thematic issues that would flesh out my essay. So far I've read:
- The State of the Prisons and Through the Square Window by Sinead Morrissey. (The latter I lost when I left it in the airplane at JFK airport
- Skin of Dreams by Evelyn Conlyn
- Penguin Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry ed. by Peter Fallon and Derek Mahon
- The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley
- Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan
- The Granta Book of the Irish Short Story ed. by Anne Enright
- One Thousand Years of Prayers by Yiyun Li
- Even So and Selected Poems by Mark Roper (another airplane loss)
- Talking Steel Towns by Ellie Wymard
- The Writer on Her Work Vol. II by Janet Sternberg
My required reading for this term at Carlow University is One Thousand Years of Prayers by Yiyun Li, Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian, East Wind West Wind by Pearl S. Buck, and The Writer on Her Work Vol. II by Janet Sternberg. Evelyn Conlon suggested the first and she allowed me to pick two, so I chose the two prize winners. We were going to do a poetry selection and I chose "Push Open the Window Contemporary Poetry from China" published by Copper Canyon Press, but then decided that a book featuring essays would probably help me a lot since I'd like to improve my essay writing.
In addition to the lecturers, mentors and readers, most of these people had suggestions for reading that would help our writing that I've begun to compile.
My mentor also had a set of recommended reading that I've purchased and plan to read; many of the writers are from around the world and by women writers whose journey to publication mirrors mine in many ways: read "Flight" by Sinead Morrissey in the State of the Prisons if you need clarification.
The photograph is from the inspirational courtyard outside my mentor group classroom at Trinity College.
I did find I'd gained weight and felt slow, bloated and not very healthy after 10 days of not much exercise. I should have been up at 6 everyday walking campus as I planned; I guess more and more I am feeling my age.
So our three days of golf a week plus walks and swimming has my muscles somewhat achy, suffering from the heat with headaches several times but happier.
Meanwhile, I started talks with an illustrator who would like to produce the illustrations for my book; my husband and I hope to hire a lawyer to look over the contract for us. The talks have made me focus on the type of details needed to flesh out the illustration and have resulted in revisions needed for the book where I hadn't included enough detail. When the contract is ready, I'll need sketches for each of the drawings to give to the illustrator. I've already paid him for one sketch to see if he can do the type of illustration I would like and provided him a list of illustrations with size requirements.
The photograph is from today's hike at Lake Jesup Park. I swear, the huge oak at the center of the picture looks just like a dinosaur sized moose.
So our three days of golf a week plus walks and swimming has my muscles somewhat achy, suffering from the heat with headaches several times but happier.
Meanwhile, I started talks with an illustrator who would like to produce the illustrations for my book; my husband and I hope to hire a lawyer to look over the contract for us. The talks have made me focus on the type of details needed to flesh out the illustration and have resulted in revisions needed for the book where I hadn't included enough detail. When the contract is ready, I'll need sketches for each of the drawings to give to the illustrator. I've already paid him for one sketch to see if he can do the type of illustration I would like and provided him a list of illustrations with size requirements.
The photograph is from today's hike at Lake Jesup Park. I swear, the huge oak at the center of the picture looks just like a dinosaur sized moose.
My husband also had his birthday this week and he pleased me by wearing his matching Trinity College shirt (even if it didn't have a pocket).
Since my return I've had several talks with my nephew Tom about his plans to go on for his Bachelor of Science in Biology as pre-med coursework to become a doctor. He's found that the Army has a program that might help him during his graduate work to become a doctor; we're very proud that he's finally focused on what he'd like to accomplish.
I've also heard from my mother several times about my niece, my nephew and my nephews best friend--they all recently got jobs, hurray! And my nephew set for college in the fall.
Photograph is of my husband Bob at 70 years old and one day, with his nightly drink and reading the Economist; we both were horrified to read the account in National Geographic about numbers of migrating birds declining in Europe due to wide spread poaching.
Since my return I've had several talks with my nephew Tom about his plans to go on for his Bachelor of Science in Biology as pre-med coursework to become a doctor. He's found that the Army has a program that might help him during his graduate work to become a doctor; we're very proud that he's finally focused on what he'd like to accomplish.
I've also heard from my mother several times about my niece, my nephew and my nephews best friend--they all recently got jobs, hurray! And my nephew set for college in the fall.
Photograph is of my husband Bob at 70 years old and one day, with his nightly drink and reading the Economist; we both were horrified to read the account in National Geographic about numbers of migrating birds declining in Europe due to wide spread poaching.
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