Whew.

T-minus 2 days before I send the rough draft of the portfolio out to former advisors.

Almost finished with my third person POV story...I'm not really sure how to wrap it up so I started making minor edits to the rest of the piece. All in all, I have one page that is completely ready to be sent out ("We Sing".) I hope tomorrow to make more edits to the piece I read for the Art of Service Show at the Brannigan. Its been so long since I've dealt with it that I hope I will have a new perspective on what needs to be done with it.

And I have absolutely no idea on where I am going with "Barfly." At all.

However, as it stands, even if I don't include "Barfly," I'll have about 27 pages done. Most schools want anywhere from 20-30 (unless you are University of Michigan. They just 'want enough to judge your work.')*

So, you all know this song and dance, Readers. EDITS! I WANT THEM! ANY FEEDBACK YOU CAN GIVE ME AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND A DAY. Leave a comment or get in touch with me by any other means (just don't stop by my house...its a wreck and I've been pretty much living in dirty pjs for the past few days).

*I'm not sure if I really plan on applying to UofM. Sure, it's a great school and very ideally located, but I'm not sure if I could get in. It's one of the most competitive in the country.

Update

Hey All,

This month has certainly been a challenge. Between trying to stay focused on writing the portfolio, studying for the GRE, and watching Criterion Collection Films, I have been busy with liesure. :)

So far, my portfolio includes:
-An expansion on "Barfly" (combined with a piece I wrote during undergrad about sleep)
-"We Sing"
-"Brother"
-And a complete overhaul of part of a piece I also did when I was an undergrad.

This last one is proving to be one of the most challenging/enjoyable. During my undergrad fiction class, I wrote a piece that was completely overwrought. *But* it did include a parallel story that wasn't all that bad. So I took one of the parallel story sections and started expanding and editing it. But it was going nowhere: the further I got length-wise, the further I felt I was going from my Main Character. I kept on forcing it and was getting frustrated.

But the other day, at random, I picked up "Snow Falling on the Cedars" by David Guterson. Within the first two pages of his technically sound prose, it hit me. I needed to write the story in third person. Reader, it has been such a freeing experience to write in Omniscient Third POV. Granted, I'll probably tighten it up later so it falls in closer to my MC, but for now, its one of those experiences where I actually enjoy the free and easy writing.

I still have a lot of work to do, and in the next few days I will be mailing my first draft of my portfolio off to former teachers, advisors, and friends for edits and critiques. I hate to say it, but a deadline is a great motivator.

Be well,

dizzyfemme