Reading a short story a day
So I wanted to read a short story every day after watching “On Writing Horror 2: Creating a Schedule.”
I’ve read one short story every other day. It’s a start. One from a literary magazine and the other from a collection I’ve been meaning to read.
Friday I received my Kindle Fire in the mail. I subscribed to “One Story” and “Poets & Writers Magazine.” It’s really exciting to read e-books on the go and access the Internet.
For my international media class we have to blog, so check out my first post here: http://turnalightswitch.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/hence-the-title/.
The first week of classes ended well. I’m looking forward to all of my classes and what I’m going to learn this semester.
Prompt–Sunday, January 15
For today’s prompt, write something using the symbol crescent. According to “Symbols Around Us” by Sven Tito Achen, “…the beautiful crescent should have been identified with the most exalted powers in life: kings (usually together with the sun) and a variety of gods and especially goddesses” (Achen 16).
A spoon could cover
the mirror of your
light, my thumb
your beauty.
I hope you laugh
at jokes meant
to bring this smile
to light.
Some videos to watch
A friend of mine started vblogging this year, so I watched them as a way to support him. And as someone who has not read a lot of horror, I am interested in learning more and will continue to watch.
In the video he shared that he reads a short story every day. I usually focus on novels, so I never thought of reading one short story a day.
So I’m going to try it.
I finished “In the Heart of the Heart of the Country” by William Gass. I’m going to pick up some collections I’ve wanted to read for a while.
Theresa shared this link on her Facebook, and I found it amusing and sad about typewriters. Typewriter
And just because this is a post about videos, here’s one of my favorites on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct5Q73pgVMA
First Day of Classes
The first day of my final semester at Bowling Green went well. I did better on the pop quiz of international trivia than I expected (six out of ten). Check out these quizzes and see how you do: http://iew.state.gov/quiz.cfm.
As for contemporary fiction, we started reading “In the Heart of the Heart of the Country” by William Gass.
“He badly needs a shave, coal dust has layered his face, he spits when he speaks, and his fingers pick at his tatters. He wobbles out in the wind when I leave him, a paper sack mashed in the fold of his arm, the leaves blowing past him, and our encounter drives me sadly home to poetry–where there’s no answer.”
So where is the answer? What’s the question?
And I spent a few hours in the University archives searching for early editions of Prairie Margins. The magazine was originally called “Inkstone.” So excited that I got to hold the first issue, published in 1963.
Afghan–Complete!
I’ve been working on crocheting this afghan for several years. Not sure exactly when I started it, but I did finish today.
It’s one of my favorite crochet patterns I found on a yarn label years ago. I use it for scarves, baby blankets, and afghans. What a relief to finish a large project.
The Tao of Pooh
I finished reading “The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff. If you’re familiar with Tao Te Ching, you’ll enjoy Hoff’s comparison with the Winnie the Pooh stories.
Some of my favorite quotations from the book:
“Each time the goal is reached, it becomes Not So Much Fun, and we’re off to reach the next one, then the next one, then the next. That doesn’t mean that the goals we have don’t count. They do, mostly because they cause us to go through the process, and it’s the process that makes us wise, happy, or whatever. If we do things in the wrong sort of way, it makes us miserable, angry, confused, and things like that. The goal has to be right for us, and it has to be beneficial, in order to ensure a beneficial process.”
“The play-it-safe pessimists of the world never accomplish much of anything, because they don’t look clearly and objectively at situations, they don’t recognize or believe in their own abilities, and they won’t stretch those abilities to overcome even the smallest amount of risk.”
If you decide to pick up this book or have already read it, what do think of “The Tao of Pooh”? What are your favorite quotations or chapters?
My Musical Quilt
Sometime last summer I was in the craft shop in downtown Bowling Green, and I saw a collection of music squares.
Perfect for a quilt. I picked them up and in December I went back to the shop. I bought the rest of the materials for the quilt. I’ll post pictures of my progress, especially since I’m planning on doing this quilt by hand because sewing machines and I tend to not get along.
Prompt–Sunday, January 1
Create a list of New Year’s Resolutions for one of your characters. I’ll do one for my April Novel’s protagonist Charlotte.
- Research about being a first time mother
- Prepare the baby’s room (crib, blankets, toys, clothing, etc.)
- Finish the painting for the baby’s room
- Find a job
- Do something fun
Suzanna and Writing 