Category Archives: Graduate Studies

Eco-Criticism

We’ve been doing presentations each class, and the girl who went today was probably my favorite presentation so far. There is a new brand of literary criticism that analyzes books for how the present environmental issues. Especially in children’s literature, the criticism looks at the didactic nature of a book and how a book teaches a child about the human/nature relationship.

She used eco-criticism on the last book in the Atherton series, The Dark Planet, which I haven’t read, but still really enjoyed listening to her analysis. She said that while Carman did a good job of showing that in order for humans to lead a healthy happy life, they need a clean environment to live in (correspondingly if you have a filthy, uncared for environment you will live a correspondingly sickly, unhappy life), Carman also failed at conveying a key message. In the book, The Dark Planet (a polluted and overcrowded planet that brings out disease in it’s inhabitants) is miraculously cleaned up with crystals that are suddenly found and released. This is not sending a good message to our youth because it’s essentially advocating complacency and instilling the idea that miraculous technology will eventually come along to clean up our messes.
I also liked the point she made in her presentation about the lack of species diversity on the utopian satellite planet. In their utopian world, there are only horses, sheep, rabbits, and a handful of genetically engineered creatures/plants. There are no fish, birds, or insects. What does this say to our youth about protecting endangered species?
Really fun presentation to listen to. I did not get bored once. Then we talked about folktales… where I did get bored. I just wanted to get out so I could work on my writing, which I’m going to do as soon as I finish this post!
Only 4 more classes!!!

Coming Together

Seeing a book come together from nothing over the past 5 weeks is pretty fantastic. I had 3 other works-in-progress when I arrived at grad school, but none of which are as complex and ambitious as what I have before me now. Seeing the themes and richness in this idea really shows how far I’ve come and how much my graduate classes has given me.

One of the speakers we had at the beginning of the 6 weeks was asked the question, “Could you have done what you’ve done without going through an MFA program? (MFA = Masters in Fine Arts) He answered wholeheartedly “No.” He said he grew so much while pursuing his masters here, and he would never have been published if he hadn’t gone through an MFA program.
I don’t think it’s so much that the teachers are showing me how to create a character, or how to outline a plot. You have to do that on your own, and there isn’t any magic formula. What the program is doing for me is exposing me to literature I probably wouldn’t have read on my own, teaching me how to read like a writer, and making me question the words I put on a page. I think I’m developing more of the mentality of a writer by being immersed in it.
Writing isn’t just telling a story and loving your characters. That’s all well and good, but there is a great deal more to think about. I honestly believe that by the end of this I will have a novel I can be proud of, with more layers to it than I would have written on my own. And maybe I’ll earn a little respect and success in the publishing world too… dreaming big 🙂

"The Others"

Today in class we looked at both The Outsiders and Harriet the Spy as novels about outcasts or as my professor kept referring to “the others.” (I kept thinking of Lost.) He meant the not-quite-perfect children. Kids on the outside of the social circle.

It was an interesting approach. We talked about how the greasers in The Outsiders really aren’t at the bottom of the food chain socially. In the book there is mention of the hoods, which are at the bottom because they are described as the more uneducated bunch. Ponyboy, his brothers, and the rest of the greasers are actually more of the middle class. If it weren’t for their parent’s death, Darry could have gone on to college on an athletic scholarship. Ponyboy is smart and gets good grades. They have more potential than the hoods, and that’s probably why the Socs see them as more of a threat. Because there is the possibility that Ponyboy and his brothers might one day be their equals.
I decided I’m not such a fan of Harriet the Spy. Here’s why: Harriet does not learn anything after people find her journal and read it. She writes down such mean and horrible things. She’s sees it as the truth, and so there’s nothing wrong. She writes things like:
PINKY WHITEHEAD WILL NEVER CHANGE. DOES HIS MOTHER HATE HIM? IF I HAD HIM I’D HATE HIM.

IF MARION HAWTHORNE DOESN’T WATCH OUT SHE’S GOING TO GROW UP INTO A LADY HITLER.


That isn’t the TRUTH. That’s just plain mean! And by the end of the book, she doesn’t develop any sort of heart or compassion. She simply says, “Ole Golly was right. Sometimes you have to lie.” The lesson she learns from the whole book is that you have to lie to have friends. That’s a terrible lesson to learn.
I had a very hard time liking Harriet at all reading this as an adult. I think as a kid, I thought she was shocking. I probably thought it was cool she had a secret notebook. But she’s a mean kid.
After class tomorrow, I meeting with my teacher to discuss my novel. I made a two page list of road blocks I’ve encountered. Maybe she can help me brainstorm ways around them.

7 more classes…!

I will be done with classes next Thursday, and I have a lot to do before then. A 2500 word term paper that will involve lots of researching and analysis and a Masterpiece/Book Jacket to create. I really, really, really miss home. And I really, really want to go to the beach because it just doesn’t feel like summer until I’ve been to the beach. I normally head to Bethany the week after school lets out in June, and not getting there until August has left me craving sand and sunscreen. Maybe we won’t get so much snow next year and I can squeeze in a weekend before I leave for Roanoke next summer. We’ll see.

I’ve e-mailed my professor for his opinion on my term paper, but I think I’m going to do a feminist analysis of The Country Bunny with the Little Gold Shoes and look at how that picture book portrayed women. I’m sick of Marxism, and I want to stay away from that approach…
The Masterpiece is essentially to polish up the sci-fi dystopian project I’ve been working on. Then I need to create a book jacket which includes the cover art and jacket summary, etc. That should be fun. It just might be tricky to polish this thing up because there are still some things about the future setting that I’m not sure about and still working out.
I did a presentation today on Children’s book series, which I had a lot of fun preparing for. It was only supposed to be a 20 minute presentation, I went over by 10 minutes, and I rushed and left out a TON of stuff I could have and wanted to say. I could easily have spoken for an hour. It was a little disheartening that I didn’t get to everything. Oh well. My teacher liked it. She said when I was done, “I’m not even going to ask you how long that presentation took to make.”
This time has definitely gone by fast. I will most of all miss the Library and my Craft of Writing class (mostly the teacher). But boy! I can’t wait to come home!

Awesome Day :)


I am having a fantabulous day, but first let me review Wintergirls and then I’ll tell you all about my day’s loveliness.

Summary
Eighteen year-old Lia battles her eating disorder and tries to come to grips with feeling guilty for her best friend’s death. Mature subject matter includes: eating disorders, depression, self-mutilation, drugs and alcohol, death, and ghosts.
My Review
There are certain topics and subject matter that I try to avoid in books/literature. This book pretty much had every single topic that disturbs me. I had heard buzz about this book before I read it, but then discovered what it was about and said, “I’m not reading that!” Then it was on the reading list for my grad school class, and I couldn’t avoid it. Do I regret reading it? Yeah. I hate the images I now have in my head and it is without a doubt the most depressing and darkest book that I have ever read. HOWEVER, the author is an amazing writer, and the things she does in this book (writing techniques/use of language, etc.) takes the reader on an astounding journey into the mind of a girl with an eating disorder. This is not a book you’ll want to read, but is a book that will change the way you look at eating disorders and mental illness. Is it important that this book got written? Yes. Definitely. But it is a very difficult read.
My Fabulous Day
On a lighter note, I have a had a lovely day! I was expecting to be dead tired and needing a nap about now because I was up until 2:30 am. After finishing my homework about Wintergirls, I was totally creeped out by the ghost scenes in the book and needed to dilute my mind before going to bed. (I have a very active imagination when it comes to creepy stuff and nightmares are pretty much guaranteed when my brain is on that track.) So I pulled out my laptop since I have no TV, and I didn’t bring any DVDs, so I browsed Hulu for recent junky TV, and stumbled across the Bachelorette… And after two hours of ridiculous romance, I was ready to have nice dreams instead of scary ones.
So while I should be exhausted right now, I’m not! After having a lively and engaging discussion in class about Wintergirls, we moved on to writing. My teacher told me she was so mad last night because she read my story and I left her with a cliff-hangar ending. She wanted to know what happened “after the lights went out.” She’s been saying how dark my piece is and told me I needed a hopeful ending. (Though my work is nowhere near as dark as Wintergirls. Not even within the same hemisphere.)
Our assignment today was to decide on a symbol that would reappear throughout our novel, and then write a scene where that symbol appears. I went outside to brainstorm and then was giddy when I came back in, and told her, “I’m going to write a mushy love scene.” Which definitely got her curiosity up because there has not even been the hint of romance. So she let me read first, and it was really fun. I got good feedback, applause, etc. My symbol is the blue color of a boy’s eyes and the blue color changes in meaning for the main character over the course of the book. I love the idea, and it fell into place beautifully.
After class I went to a student reading (grad students reading their work aloud to an audience). My favorite story was one about a genie, hamster, and a plastic pool full of spit. It was hilarious!
Then on my way to Panera, I discovered I had a parking ticket. Which stinks, but I’m going to contest it. I was parked in visitor parking near the library, but there aren’t any signs that say you can’t park there if you have a permit. I had only parked there yesterday because I had to run into the library when is was pouring rain, but I made sure not to park in the 30 minute only spaces. Then I forgot I left my car there and just walked back to my dorm instead of driving back. Grrr… I’ve decided I’m not going to contest it today because I’m in a very good mood and not a fiesty mood. I’ll go by the office tomorrow.
Today, I’m going to work on a PowerPoint on series books for children, or maybe write for a bit. I don’t have a lot of homework for class tomorrow since we’re doing picture books (which is probably a good thing since I’m sure I’ll pass out early tonight after I lose my energy high.

My Presentation Results

So today I gave a big 30 minute presentation in my History and Criticism class. Each student was assigned a different type of criticism and then we had to use that type of criticism to analyze the book of our choice. I got Marxist criticism, and decided to apply it to the first two books of Patrick Carman’s Atherton series.

I made a 40 slide PowerPoint presentation (technically it was in Keynote, but most people don’t know what that is), and spent A LOT of time on this. And trust me–reading about Marxism isn’t how I’d like to be spending my time this summer.
I was pretty confident in my presentation. My professor expressed during the first class that he doesn’t know how to use PowerPoint, so I kind of figured anything I do with technology would be impressive due to his lack of know-how. My thesis is essentially accusing Patrick Carman of promoting Communist ideals to children through his books.
So I presented, it went well. I knew what I was talking about. I answered questions at the end. Did my professor say one word of feedback? NO.
As a teacher myself, I always give my students feedback at the end of a presentation. I usually use a 2:1 ratio, two positive things to one thing to work on. Something like, “I like how you approached this…” or “This idea was really fascinating…” and then “If you wanted to work on this, you might want to refine your point about…”
I don’t know why he didn’t do that… Did he think that kind of feedback is private? Because I wouldn’t have cared, and I think my classmates would have liked to hear some feedback to get an idea of what he’s looking for when it comes their turn to present. So I’ve resolved to e-mail him tonight, and ask for his advice on how to turn this presentation into my term paper.
Oh well. It’s done. I have a reading log on Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson to do this afternoon, but I’m hoping I have time to work on my sci-fi book project. Will post on Wintergirls tomorrow (super depressing and disturbing book).

Secret Garden = Adam & Eve?

I made my whole class laugh and giggle today, including my professor. We read The Secret Garden for class today and we were in the middle of discussing it. We’ve been talking about how literary critics can make up bogus connections to literature.

So I started coming up with my own bogus theory about The Secret Garden being a religious metaphor. Mary shows Colin the forbidden garden just as Eve gave Adam the forbidden apple. The robin leads Mary to the garden just like the snake/devil led Eve to the apple. Mr. Craven forbid one garden but said they were free to go in any of the other gardens just like God said they could eat from any tree except that one.
Everyone was giggling because it was pretty silly. My Professor said that’s how bad literary criticism starts.
On my 5 hour drive home, I thought about my sci-fi book, and a character popped into my head fully formed and wove himself into my plot and gave me the book’s ending. I wish I could figure out how/why that happens in my writer brain. How a character fully forms himself like that, like a real person. The subconscious brain is an amazing thing.

Tiring weekend?

This weekend wore me out more than classes. Halloween Party (I know it’s July. Don’t ask.) I was kind of disappointed in the costumes. I’d heard it was a big deal, and was expecting cool, kid’s lit themed costumes– and it was a let down. There were only 3-4 cool costumes, including my own last minute Harry Potter costume. Oh well.

Then a 4th of July potluck… where there wasn’t any hotdogs or hamburgers. Just salads and dessert. Kind of lame. And then I’d heard you could see the fireworks really well from a hill on campus… not so much. Fireworks also lame.
But both were late nights and both wore me out. And today I had to drag myself out of bed to class. Luckily I love this class.
Semiprecious
Brief Summary
In the early 1960s, two daughters deal with being abandoned by their mother who feels she must pursue her dream of a music career in Nashville before it’s too late.
Thoughts on the Book
This book was written by the woman who was supposed to teach the class. And we didn’t hold back when we were discussing it… because she wasn’t there. The biggest strength of the book, in my opinion, is the conflict with the mother. There are several other subplots, but the core of the book is the protagonist, Garnet, learning to deal with the fact that her mother is not a good mother. This is pretty tough subject matter that I haven’t seen handled frequently in Children’s Lit.
Our criticism was multifaceted. My biggest criticism was that the climax came too early in the novel. Garnet goes to Nashville to confront her mother and learns just how much her mother has been lying and cheating. But after this last big moment with the mother, there is still another 100 pages in the book! Other criticisms were that there was way too much description and unnecessary detail as well as too many subplots without strong meaning. The book didn’t feel as well knit together as some of the others that we’ve read.
However, if for some reason, I had someone looking for a book with a strong mother/daughter conflict, I would recommend this book in a heartbeat. That part of the book was done very well.
Publishing Discussion

We had a discussion in class today where we began by going around the table sharing our dreams about writing. Here’s what I said:
“I read a lot of author’s blogs online, and see that they spend a lot of time traveling and talking about their books, whether at schools, conferences, or book events. I would love to be successful enough at writing that I could quit teaching, but travel the country talking to kids about my books and just reading in general.”
No one else mentioned the traveling aspect or talking to kids about books. But that is the kind of interaction I want to have, and that will be my test that I’ve made it in the publishing industry. If I can draw a crowd–I’ve made it!
Our teacher then went on and shared her own experiences in the publishing industry, which are dream-like and not realistic at all. A friend sent in her manuscript to a publishing house, who forwarded it to an editor who handled that kind of material, who called from New York City, asked my teacher to come up in the next few days to chat, and when she got to NYC they told her they were going to publish her book. A fairy tale, correct? It doesn’t normally work that way.
She went on to explain about query letters, agents, self-publishing, etc. Most of which I knew because I’ve already done a lot of reading up/research on the industry. It surprises me that so many of my peers haven’t done that.
Two big resources where I’ve learned about the publishing industry are:

#2 = the blogs of authors I enjoy.
Pretty much every author has some sort of website, and many of them keep daily blogs. My two favorites are Lois Lowry and Maggie Stiefvater. (Maggie has lots of good writer tips/advice and she’s adorable.) But I have over 20 authors bookmarked in their own folder, and when I’m having a lazy-stay-in-bed-until-noon-with-my-laptop kind of morning, I’ll often go through author websites/blogs for a few hours like I’m reading the newspaper. I highly recommend any aspiring author do the same.
In Class Writing Exercise

Inspired by today’s book discussion, we had to write a scene where our main character is disappointed or betrayed by someone. This was perfect for the story I’m working on! I had no trouble with this prompt and easily scribbled out three pages in half an hour.
Next class, we are going to have to write a scene where the setting has a prominent role in the conflict. That one I’ll have to think about, but I already have some ideas.
Ahhhh! Such a long post! Gotta go do work!

What I’ve been reading…

So I read something like 450 pages yesterday. That’s a lot. Most of which in a rocking chair. Here’s what I read:

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Semiprecious by D. Anne Love
Thoughts on Bree Tanner
When I write, I always like to switch to other characters’ points-of-view. It usually becomes a problem because then I want their point-of-view in the story and I end up with 7 characters all trying to tell the same story. But it’s fun. So I understand why Meyer liked to do the same thing (with Edward in Midnight Sun and now Bree in this novella). The story actually was pretty interesting. It held my interest even though I knew the outcome. And she did create a couple of fleshed out characters that haven’t appeared in the Twilight books. I was surprised at how well thought out this was. The only thing I’m going to poke fun at is Meyer clearly wants her dream man to be her protector. Over and over again, her male love interests protect women. I don’t think she can write a romance and not put that in there. If you want to read the novella about Bree, it’s free online for the next 72 hours (until July 5th). Just google Bree Tanner.
Beginning Thoughts after reading Semiprecious
I’ll probably do another post after I discuss this book in class. The author was supposed to be my professor, but couldn’t teach the class. This is one of the books she’s published. I couldn’t help but notice LOTS of similarities between the books on the reading list she created.
-Two deal with Communists (and then a third has hate against Germans during WWII)
-Two have Native American influences
-Three protagonists who move and must deal with making new friends
-All of them take place in the past
-All but one take place in a small, rural town
-Three have a teenage older sister who is obsessed with boys, clothes, and make-up
-All have a white main character. (In fact I think the only non-white character was an Indian.)
I’m getting really bored of these types of books. I’m really sick of realistic fiction. That doesn’t mean these were all bad books. I just really think she should have had more diversity in the reading list.

Craft Day 4

After discussing the book Loud Silence of Francine Green we moved on to another writing exercise. I’d been hoping we’d get to read the piece we’d revised as homework because I’d made some pretty big changes and revisions and I was curious what my peers would think. So I was a little disappointed when we didn’t do that.

Instead we wrote something completely new. And the prompt was very difficult for me to apply to my character. My character’s biggest trait is her fearless and fiesty attitude. The prompt was: Have your character confront a challenge and not make the brave decision.

Well, if you have a fearless and fiesty character, that presents a problem. My character is not a coward in the least bit. So I tried to work through my frustration with the prompt by brainstorming things my heroine may be scared of. I came up with three things: getting caught, trusting people, and losing her younger brother.

Then I knew at some point they were going to run away, so I wrote about some hypothetical situation where they were running away and ran into people, and “Jane” made a decision not to trust them. It wasn’t my best writing. It was a very cliche scenario. And so now, after I finish this post, I’ll write for fun without a prompt.

And at some point today… I’ll read Alice in Wonderland.