Friday, August 29, 2008

Fuck it , I'm getting a General Studies degree

It took me ten years to get a General Studies degree. I just knew that I wanted double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology-with a minor in Sociology. Why? I have no idea... because I find personality traits fascinating. even the crazy ones. I also thought that maybe I could help people, maybe be a parole officer or work in juvenile detention center. But there was always this niggling in the back of my mind...why don't you write?

Then I'd bring myself back to reality and tell myself I'd have a career in psychology...

I worked in a Prison for a little while. I was so bored and working with the psychologist out there was far scarier than the prisoners. I knew I'd be miserable, so my senior year (coincidently the semester after my father passed away) I changed my major to English. But by then I'd been in school so long I finally decided to say "Fuck it. I have enough credits to graduate..."

I might point out that I wrote all the time when I was younger, but I never wanted anyone to read it-so it'd burn it when I was done. Or tear it into little bitty bits and toss em. But not long before my dad passed away he happened to read something I'd written. "He said, "Wow, this is really good, Karin. Why are you wasting time with psychology?"

I've been writing this damn book for almost 10 years... I mean I was just playing around when I first started because I worked at the computer lab at the college and I was so incredibly bored or needed something to distract me from homework... so the first few attempts I don't really count but still... the first time I wrote it, it was in first person, then I changed to having a few more characters so I put it in third person, then I completely deleted the new characters... now I'm still stuck in the same damn place I always get stuck in, and last week I though, I wonder what would happen if i put this in first person. I go to critique group and the comment I get is "you need to narrow your point of views so that we get more of Alex." (which is true or I never would have thought what it would be like in first person.) So I'm rewriting... again.

My question is this.... Am I going to play around so long that I finally say "Fuck it... I've written enough." and just move on?

1 comment:

Travis Erwin said...

I don't think you will and if you do it will be a shame because you have loads of talent.