Graduate School Category
I Signed a Book Contract!
Posted on November 21, 2020 1 Comment
Be the first to get release news and book updates! Here’s the story: Several years ago, when I was a still a new mom, my parents paid for me to go to one of the local SCBWI writing retreats. I dropped my husband and daughter off at my sister-in-law’s so she could help with the […]
Titles
Posted on September 5, 2020 Leave a Comment
I’ve been adding new classes to my Outschool listing, one of which is a critique group style class. This last Thursday was our first meeting. We wound up talking about titles. Well, titles are not my strong point. Many of my projects have gone through half as many titles as revisions–and I revise a lot. […]
Jealousy
Posted on July 9, 2014 1 Comment
I’m not exactly jealous, I just wish I could be there, too. This week is the Writing for Children and Young Adults summer residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Oh how I miss those days!The comraderie, fellowship, and breadth of knowledge/experience are a winning combination. Plus, these people are a lot of fun. One […]
It’s Finally Published!!!
Posted on April 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
Not my book, my old roommate’s! I’ve been bugging her off and on since we graduated because I’ve been wanting to read the entire thing. She had us in stitches at her graduate reading. Well, she usually had us in stitches at all her readings. 🙂 I am so excited to read Hope is a […]
Getting Close to Close-Third
Posted on December 11, 2009 Leave a Comment
My packet was originally due today (Thursday), but my mentor is out of town, so she asked for it on Saturday. I’m very grateful for the extension. Workshop and Thanksgiving in one packet period ate into my writing time a great deal. I have made a breakthrough. I think I am finally getting the hang […]
Twenty Pages
Posted on November 9, 2009 Leave a Comment
Today, I wrote twenty pages. My hand hurts, but I feel pretty good. My packet is due on Thursday, and for once, I feel mostly prepared. I am so glad that I don’t have to divide my attention between creative and critical work anymore. Yes, that means that I have finished my critical thesis. I’m […]
Critical Thesis: Hypertext Narrative
Posted on August 18, 2009 1 Comment
I realize it has been far too long since I updated. Toward the end of last semester I began to really struggle with getting everything done. I often thought of updating, but I couldn’t if I wanted to get everything else done on time. I’m now in my third semester of graduate school, which is […]
Fourth Packet Panic
Posted on May 1, 2009 Leave a Comment
Obviously, I’m still struggling with the whole grad school + real life thing or I would have updated during the second and third packet periods. I’m used to this time of year being done with school, not having the fourth packet panic. When I was in college, I could push myself through this I’m-so-tired-of-school! feeling […]
Space? Time? Continuum?
Posted on February 16, 2009 Leave a Comment
This packet period has been fun, exciting, challenging, and now, stressful. The first week, I was sick in bed, so I did most of my reading then. I tried a sampling of contemporary novels. The next week, I did most of my writing. I’m working on a contemporary middle grade novel, and I am thoroughly […]
The Start of My Second Semester
Posted on January 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
I’m just finishing the second-to-last full day of my second residency. This residency has been much more relaxed. Not as many people graduate in the winter, so I have fewer lectures from which to choose. That might sound like a bad thing, but if you knew how packed the summer residency was, you’d know this […]
A. W. Downer 