Okay, so I went to the new writers meeting, but was greatly disappointed that the interests of the magazine differed from my own. I wish them all the best, but I couldn’t stand to see my name associated with the subjects they planned to cover.
Of course I’m disappointed that the job wasn’t what I thought it would be, but the show must go on, right? There will be other jobs that live up to my standards. I have to trust that God will bless me for keeping high standards.
Thanks for reading!
Yesterday, after fumbling around on craigslist.org, sifting through administrative assistant advertisements, I found a writing job. A new magazine, called Modern Upstate Family, posted an advertisement for writers and columnists. I applied immediately and sent out texts to my family to ask for their prayers.
Today I planned to call and confirm that the editor-in-chief had received my application. Instead, I found an e-mail waiting for me in my inbox. I was invited to attend the new writer’s meeting tonight at 6pm. Naturally, I was enthusiastic!
There’s not much I know about this position yet, but I will post tomorrow and let everyone read about what I learn at the meeting tonight. I am so excited to expand my portfolio and my writing experience with this magazine–my first writing job in South Carolina 
I’ve recently finished reading Walks with Men, by Ann Beattie. The novella follows a young woman through two dysfunctional relationships. My favorite thing about this book is the character of Neil. He is a prick, to say the least, but Ann’s portrayal is interesting! Neil is an older, married man who approaches Jane, the main character, about an affair. He promises to teach her about the ways of men and life. Only wear a Burberry rain coat (I’m with him on this one), leasing a car is superior to buying, and use crystal glasses for morning orange juice. He reminds me of a character from The Great Gatsby or someone Truman Capote would write about (a few gay men make a short appearance).
The last lines of Beattie’s novella: “I can hear you, you know…I’m right here beside you.” Jane’s first relationship is with a man who later changes his name to ‘Goodness,’ teaches yoga, and lives in voluntary poverty. Unfulfilled and seeking adventure, Jane leaves the farm where she lives with ‘Goodness.’ She works low-level writing and editing jobs, meeting Neil in the meantime, hoping to find greatness. Jane meets Neil’s wife, realizes that she should leave but she never does, against her friends’ advice. Neil squashes her potentialand keeps her from a full life, passively.
I have had relationships like this in some ways. My partner never actively stopped me from growing, but I did, just the same. Maybe that’s the real test of a relationship: does he cause your life to thrive?
The story ends with Jane, loverless, visiting her stepfather. I feel like I should write a thesis about this book. Timeless and deep.
Beattie’s newest came out in October: The New Yorker Stories. I can’t wait to read them!
Sex is a part of everything, isn’t it? Lately I’ve been watching movies like “Taken” and “Trade” which deal with illegal sex trafficking, not that there is a legal sex trafficking. This topic can’t help but impact even the hardest of hearts, and mine is no exception, especially after a speaker came to our church from Australia. She owns an organization that recruits ex-law enforcement, cops, FBI, etc. and sends in rescue teams to bust the children out and get them home and into counseling. That is the first person I have seen who can make a difference. Everything else is about awareness and giving money, which is well and good, but to meet someone who is risking life and limb to save the most endangered species, our innocents, is convicting.
This is my newest inspiration for my writing and it will take me to a very dark place, I’m sure. I wish I could do something more than write – kick in some doors and arrest a few godless (no strong-enough expletives), but I am 5’1″ so this will have to do.
Parents, I know you’re reading this.
That thought hovers above my shoulder, whispering in my ear, while I write. It didn’t use to. In elementary school when I would lock myself in my room after a long day, pull out a notepad and write for hours, I wrote to entertain myself. Later in college, I wrote what I suspected my professors wanted to grade, to read in the bathtub late at night only to drop our papers in the soapy water (long story). Now, with the possibility of each word being published, I am frozen with anxiety. What will they think? Will I hurt their feelings or their perception of their only daughter with these words?
How can a person be honest with thoughts like those? How can I write what I feel? I thought my days of recklessness ended the day I was married, but it turns out that they began again with that chunk of Roquefort; that Real Simple essay. There are too many things I can do wrong, and I wish I was stronger. I can be stronger. I will be. Just watch.
So…for those of you following my progress, you have surely noticed that I am 7% done with my 100,000 words which were to be finished by September 1, 2010 (see date of post). I am henceforth extending the deadline by one year in hopes that I will summon the discipline required to further my career. Wish me luck!
I cannot believe that it’s time for the next Real Simple Essay Contest! I feel like I just submitted last years. As you know, my essay wasn’t chosen, but I will not let that defeat me. This year the prompt is: “I never thought I’d…”. The essay is supposed to be about a risk that I have taken and how it has changed my life. My head is swimming with ideas. The deadline is September 24, 2010 so I’m going to get booking with this. Wish me luck!
My latest read is “Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks,” by Carrie Prejean. When I picked it up at the library, I had never heard of Carrie Prejean and I expected this to be a biography of a former beauty contestant. It wasn’t! How had I never heard of this controversy? Okay, so I suppose it can be attributed to my total lack of interest in Miss USA – can you blame me? No offense intended towards beauty queens; it just doesn’t apply to my life.
I was drawn into Carrie’s story and became outraged at the slander and hatred flung into her beautiful face. A strong conviction came over me as I read. I wanted to “stick it to the man,” as they say and take the God-hating liberals down. It evoked passion in me, so it must be a good book, right? Well, I expect it wouldn’t be quite as good for someone who is acquainted with the story already. Also, the ending was a huge bummer: the last 2 or 3 chapters were full of mush and dramatics. Oh, well. I would recommend it if you’re willing to skip the last chapters. Trust me, you won’t miss anything there, but Still Standing is definitely worth the read.
I have just finished the book “Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper” by C. Marina Marchese. It was a fun summer read and has me interested in buying local honey instead of the stuff from WalMart. Marchese is the founder and owner of Red Bee Honey and I believe she has hopes of honey becoming as exclusive and renowned as wine. That seems a little over the top for me, but I learned a lot from her stories about beekeeping, recipes and little known facts about honey. Bees scare me – I think I’m allergic to wasps which are similiar – so I would never raise my own, but I plan to visit our Farmer’s Market this week to see what I can find in the way of what she calls “chunk honey.” Chunk Honey is liquid honey in a jar with a bonus piece of honeycomb. I wonder what honeycomb feels like when it’s bitten into. Is it waxy or crisp or just gooey when covered with honey?
My husband has recently discovered the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. This is relevant to my book because just as Marchese is a honey purist, Kingsolver is a “locavore,” meaning she eats only what is made locally. Since the beginning of the green movement Dan and I have switched to cloth grocery bags and energy-conserving lightbulbs. It is decidedly not in our budget, however, to purchase a hybrid or new “EnergyStar” appliances simply because it will reduce our carbon footprint. Barbara Kingsolver and her family make their own cheese, vegetables and bread, and raise their own poulty for eggs and meat. All of these things sound like a good idea. I was raised with garden vegetables and fruits from outside my bedroom window, but I am 24 and live on .25 acres of clay beaten every summer by scorching sun and high humidity. Thus, when my husband suggested we begin making our own cheese and grow vegetables, I felt like I was watching a vacuum suck up the next 10 years of my life. On the other hand, I adore fresh mozzerella and it could cost less to make it ourselves and grow veggies from seed. But as I write this I am watching my 2 once sturdy indoor basil plants shrivel in the outside heat. Oh, dear…
Sidenote: Did you know that local milk costs 25% more than milk that is trucked in?? Ridiculous! We have yet to compare WalMart prices with the Farmer’s Market, but I’m holding out hope that it will not break our bank. Hey, maybe this will make us healthier – I know we will never be bored
I will catalog our locavore experience as it begins – feel free to laugh!
Today I am reviewing the non-fiction book, Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America, by Kurt Andersen. I was drawn to this book partly because I’m reviewing it for July, America’s month of patriotism, and the title was very intriguing. It’s interesting to hear others talk about this recession and the effect it’s had on their spending habits and their investments. As a young adult, recently married, and new to the rat race, I feel that my lifestyle is typical regardless of America’s current economy. Newlyweds are infamous for living on love, not wine, and I actually feel we’ve been very fortunate to move 500 miles away from family and buy a house before our one-year anniversary. My parents began their marriage with nothing and lived on pennies for years and years, and I feel blessed to be starting so well. It’s very easy to lose perspective watching television and observing young women wearing diamonds and driving expensive cars. That disconnect is too bad and I feel it’s a tragedy that anyone feels like they’re “behind financially” when they otherwise would be happy and satisfied with what they have achieved: life well lived.
But back to the book, I was intrigued by some of Andersen’s ideas and views on the Recession and how America will pull out of this whiplash. He has high hopes for a refocused generation concentrated on quality of life instead of monetary fortune; hopes we will continue the spending habits we have been forced to adopt these recent years. I like his concept that we’ve been living in the never-ending ’80s. We remained in the culture of PCs, the ever-rising stock market, and a casino mindset of winning the game. Adults, Baby Boomers, specifically, never grew up – play clothes (jeans) became work attire, toys are found in offices, ice cream is no longer a kiddie treat but an all-age food group – and life was focused toward fun and an instantaneousness trademarked by seven year olds. Adults refused to grow up, at least the way previous generations did, and the recession hit their habits, hard. I think the question now is whether we will step up to this challenge of taking the baton where our parents couldn’t. Will we live a life of everyday sacrifice necessary to build progress and responsibility, to focus on quality and enrichment instead of wealth and glamour? God help us, we certainly can try.
