Qualifications for a Writing Blog
I realize this probably should have been my first post on here. You’re probably wondering what makes me qualified to have a writing blog. Here’s why I think I I’m qualified. You judge for yourself. I’ll start with the resumé portion of this post, then I’ll kind of delve into how I came to writing as a hobby, then as a profession (hopefully). I’m not going to get into the subject matter of what I like to write (that could be a post in and of itself because of the rant I tend to go into) and of what I like to read (again, that’ll be another future post).
I recently (December 2013) graduated from the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. My track was fiction (there’s also nonfiction and poetry); I also received a Certificate in Publishing and two minors: English and history. I was magna cum laude, and I graduated a semester early. That takes care of the academic qualifications.
In the BFA program, we learned how to write a good story, but more importantly, how to edit and revise a good story into a better story and how to use grammar properly. From our workshops, I gained experience editing all kinds of stories both developmentally and grammatically. For my Certificate in Publishing, I worked in several classes dedicated to editing, grammar, and book design; I have produced two chapbooks as well, so I can design and produce tangible books too.
Finally, I have an editorial assistant internship at the Black Mountain Press in Asheville, NC, wherein I edit manuscripts for common grammar mistakes and note passages and places that need work before recommending whether the house should go forward with publishing the manuscript. And I have a little publication experience, with a story called “Waiting for the Verdict” published in an on-campus contest and another published in Black Heart Magazine called “Memento Mori.”
I began writing between middle and high school. I didn’t start writing when I was really young like some writers. When I was young (as in elementary school-young), I was dedicated to being a marine biologist and a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld, if you must know. (Then I realized there was way too much math and science involved in being a scientist; major props to scientists and mathematicians, by the way, for doing the things not all of us can.)
That’s what writing is too—doing things not all of us can. After elementary school, where I was probably the closest I’ll ever come to being popular, I became shy and quiet. Probably because I lost my two best friends (one moved away and one was placed in other classes), I didn’t have the confidence I used to have—so I retreated further into books. I’ve always been a reader, and that probably contributed to me being annoyed by the other kids in my class. Not because I was teased, but because they weren’t like the people in the books.
So I wanted an escape. I felt isolated. Why didn’t anyone else want what I wanted? Why did no one talk about what I wanted to? So, from the daydreams and the boredom, half-formed stories and characters that were more like imaginary friends came into being. Reading wasn’t enough anymore—I wanted to give myself what I couldn’t get from my peers, because I was fed up, I suppose. Writing came out of nowhere and surprised me. But it was one of the only things I truly enjoyed doing in high school; I didn’t have to pay attention in class and I would read during the lectures and lessons (in all subjects) that didn’t challenge me at all (I was both too smart for the “regular” honors classes and too unmotivated to go for AP classes). I took college courses in senior year, and senior year was when I found out about the BFA program at UNCW. I realized the stories I was writing was actually something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life (not to mention the fact that I knew, without a doubt, that I could not do anything science-related ever).
My writing stems from me wanting the people around me to be the people I could be around and look up to without being annoyed them. I didn’t want to talk about Taylor Lautner or Cosmo or, for God’s sake, Justin Bieber. I’ve tried so hard to overcome my budding misanthropy and pessimism, and that struggle produced my stories about “overcomers.” And now, now that I’m out of college and in the dreaded early twenties, I want to write the stories I wish someone had wrote back then, so maybe kids like me don’t have to feel so alone or disgusted with their peers. And I also want to write stories that defy categorization; adults should feel free to read YA, young adults shouldn’t feel restricted to the YA shelves in Barnes and Noble. Anyone can read anything (within reason), and that’s what I want to do.
This post is much longer than I expected (2.5 pages in Word). Sorry about that. I guess my next post will be an elaboration on my writing style and the subjects I like to write in, probably to be up next week. I'm still waiting for “Memento Mori” to be put up on Black Heart Magazine, so I’ll post the link when it goes up.