Putting money where my mouth is (or my hands, or my brain)

I signed up for another college class. This time, I will be torturing myself with Creative Writing (insert foreboding organ music with lots of 32' stop sound here. Or even the Phantom of the Opera organ music. That's foreboding, but COOL). I'll have to show proficiency in the arts of poetry, personal essay, and short story.

I like to pretend that I'm a writer, as you can probably tell from my copious posts here at the shoebox castle (the only castle wall that allows writing on it). But this class scares me. Just pretending to be a writer doesn't count in college.

So far, during this stint "in college" (independent study), I have taken PE (I love telling people that I took a homestudy PE class!), Organ, Geography, Humanities--Ancient to the Renaissance, Modern English Usage (academese for Grammar), Persuasive Writing, and Old Testament (I go to Brigham Young University where 14 hours of religious classes are required. This finished that requirement up). Did I forget any classes? When I signed up for Organ, I thought that was going to be the hardest class that I would take, but I WAS WRONG. As of last tally, Persuasive Writing was the hardest. Or the most taxing. But Creative Writing should nose Persuasive Writing out in the end, I'm sure. I'll be putting my very heart and soul on the line, putting it up for critique (which I am NOT good at taking).

I'm trying to finish what I started many years ago, which was curtailed by marriage to a senior (yes, it was Jim) who was planning to go to grad school somewhere else. And curtailed further by Katie announcing her intention to be born (she was quite adamant about it). I gave college up rather easily, even though I loved it. I still don't regret giving it up, but in my quest to be a substitute teacher, I have realized that the road to a bachelor's degree is much harder to travel in my circumstances (i.e. living far away from the school where I go and having 5 children). But I shall press on steadfast.

I wonder if the professor will allow me to write bad poetry for the poetry unit?

Comments

Jenni said…
You should submit extra poems and just make them read it and say it is just because you love bad poetry!! I'm glad you are taking another class. You have done well. All this work to just pretend to teach. That is what I did for 4 years. I'd even tell the kids I was pretending and they liked that idea. Now I have to quit pretending and do. I was a lot better at pretending. Anyhoos, you will be pleased to move on into that phase of your life. YIPEE for creative writing!!
Dennis said…
I applaud your tenacity and drive to finish your education. You have done well and I have confidence that you will continue to succeed. Besides you write gooder'n most folks 'round these parts.
Jen said…
Good for you, Sara. I always hated (and still do) writing in school. That's part of the reason I took up math as my major...no writing papers. Ha, was I wrong, I had 2 or 3 classes that required article reviews, essays, research proposals, presentations, etc. It was so unfair...wah!