Cheers to 20

So in the month of February alone, four of my best friends are turning 20.  And I’ve written them birthday cards, and a theme has popped up in the cards: to-do lists.  I’m not quite sure why, but 20 seems so daunting and terrifying and a bit saddening, but it also seems so full of life, exhilarating, and inspiring.  Though no longer holding onto the teen years, and not quite 21 to be considered adult enough, 20 is this in between limbo, and I think there are things everyone should do before the drinking age rolls around.  20 should be special so cheers to everyone who has turned or is turning 20 this year, make the most of it, and maybe check a few of these events off your list:

 

1.  Have a kiss right out of the movies.  I don’t mean re-create the Notebook’s pouring rain scenario, but have that kiss tale that you tell over and over again.

skyrush.com

 

2.  Go on a road trip, see the world, bond with your besties, and roll down the windows and blare your favorite music.  You have time to travel, so take advantage of that.

3.  Go see that band you’ve been dying to see since middle school.  Those people who were like oh yeah I’ll catch Nirvana next time they come to town are regretting that decision still.  Plus, if you’ve never been to a concert, do it.

4.  Get in shape.  While you are in your 20’s, you’ll be in the best shape of your life, so practice good health and exercising, so you can do it later in life, and so you can own your body while it’s rockin’.  Play pickup soccer, go Zumba, or just go running, whatever, get active and learn to love it.

tourdefit.com

 

 

4.  Explore food you’ve never tried before.  Just branch out and maybe go to that Thai restaurant.  Let your taste buds experience new and exciting flavors.

janetnewenham.files.wordpress.com Baby Octopus Salad

 

 

5.  Go on stage and perform.  Conquer that fear of public speaking.  Whether you go to a karaoke bar and sing, read some poetry at a cafe, or participate in a play, do it.  Embrace your nerves and take center stage.

6.  Shut down technology for a day, this doesn’t entail no microwaves or heat, no no no.  I mean don’t log on to Facebook for 24 hours, don’t touch your cellphone, no Tumblr, no Pinterest, basically no internet, no iPad, no cellphone.  Just exist for a day, be with people and talk, read a book, go for a walk, enjoy where you are and who you are with no ties to the tech world.

trial-technology.blogspot.com

 

 

7.  Make a semi-big purchase.  Whether you buy a $300 pair of jeans you’ve always wanted, the new PS4, a car, a tattoo, whatever, save for it and finally spend that money on something you’ve wanted but never thought you’d be able to afford.

blanchemacdonald.com

 

 

8.  Document being 20.  Whether you take photographs or you write in a journal every day, when you’re 21, and even older, 30, 40, 50, 70, you’ll be glad you can look back on your life and experiences and relive memories.

chicaandjo.com

 

 

9.  Change your hair, or do something along those lines that puts you out of your comfort zone.  Try bangs, grow it out, get that pixie cut, dye the ends.  Or wear heels everyday, gals, or dudes no basketball shorts each day.  Or get a nose stud, a lip ring, or earrings.

besthairstyles2013.net

 

 

10.  Spend more time with your family.  Take your grandparents out to dinner and ask them about their childhood, and what it was like growing up in the 60’s, and the first concert they saw, or the first time they fell in love.  And go for a walk with your parents, and ask them about their first car, the first time they left home, their college experiences.  Learn all you can from loved ones and appreciate who has helped shape you and helped you grow up.

 

 

 

 

12 Points of Writing & Life

Senior year I took a Creative Writing class and my teacher shared with us 12 points of writing.  I still have the notebook, I still talk to the teacher, and I think the information can correlate to our own lives.

1.  Credibility, or ethos.  We believe who we respect and thusly an author has to establish that he or she knows their topic, or the character must seem believable.  Whether it be an interview, a conversation amongst friends, or a paper you’re writing, do your research and know your subject.  In life we should be tuned into the world and know what’s happening.

2.  Intrigue.  This term’s a little harder to define, but it reels us in to a story.  Likewise, we’re all interesting people, so embrace that about yourself.  We’ve all got our own stories to tell, so don’t ignore or talk down about yourself because people won’t be interested if you’re not interested in yourself.

3.  Richness of detail.  In writing, we need descriptions of the physical and tangible, objective characteristics, such as, the humidity in the air clung to my clothes.  In life we’re surrounded by an overload of details, there is so much to be noticed.  So, take the time to gaze at the sky or listen to traffic or inhale the aroma of the ocean.  We exist in richness of detail, so learn to appreciate it.

4.  Richness of dimension.  On the other hand, this means the metaphysical, the subjective, the intangible.  For example, I feel stretched thin over my to-do list.  Much like richness of detail, embrace the dimension of this world, the feelings and thoughts and ideas you have are important; take notice of them, share them, write them down.

5.  Economy.  This is so important in writing: don’t overwrite, say what needs to be said in the fewest number of words to deliver the most meaningful impact.  Basically less is more, and we all know this is true in life.  Don’t get greedy!

6.  Speakability (dialogue).  Going along with credibility, this means the character speaks credible words of the character, the words must sound organic and flow naturally when coming from the character.  This translates into the simple life lesson of being yourself.  Don’t pretend to be something you’re not because it won’t feel natural to you and people who know you well, won’t believe you, either.

7.  Gravity.  This term means the importance and impact the piece of writing makes, basically its lasting significance and what the reader takes away from it.  This could be taken in many different directions in life, but we’ll go with this one: first impressions.  Those are important and you want to leave people with a good feeling after they meet you, and you never want to burn bridges.  When people walk away after meeting you or spending time with you, what will they say about you when you’re not in the room?

8.  Pertinence.  In writing this means urgency, in the moment, immediacy.  I know this sounds incredibly vague, but to help define it, basically think of a Nancy Drew novel.  When there was suspense and action was occuring, you as the reader were captured by it and felt the moment with Nancy.  You believed the action was happening in your now, as opposed to feeling removed from the “now” in Nancy’s world.  Pertinence literally, by definition, means relating directly or significantly to the matter at hand.  So in life, pay attention to both the big picture and the little things.  If a friend is stressed take care of them for a few moments, even if you have a lot to do.  Space out a project so you have time to complete them instead of waiting until the last minute.  Basically, balance your life and try to realize what details deserve your immediate attention.

9.  Compression.  This means fitting the story in the single narrative frame and chopping off unneccesary information that’s not paramount to the story.  In a nutshell, it would’ve been weird in Harry Potter if we had learned of Oliver Wood’s back story and how he finally became captain of the quidditch team.  Sure, it would have been interesting, but Oliver’s not the main character, and his childhood would do nothing to help Potter defeat Lord Voldemort.  In life, don’t waste your time with those that don’t matter.  If you have someone in your life who puts you down and only criticizes you, cut that person from your narrative frame because he or she isn’t helping with your character development in life.

10.  Flow.  In writing there must be logical order of how the character gets from point A to point B; it should make sense as well as be realistic.  Likewise in life, there’s a certain way of progressing, and we have to accept that.  As a college student, I’m constantly being told that when I graduate I’ll have to be okay with working at a small business, but I can work my way up to becoming a professor or becoming an editor at Vogue.  Even in life, there’s a certain flow, and we have to accept it.  It wouldn’t make sense if a high school graduate suddenly became the editor in chief at Rolling Stone; that’s illogical and we wouldn’t believe it in a story nor we would allow it or even accept it happening in life.

11.  Intensity.  This refers to the emotional consistency and support.  As a writer, one needs to provide the reader with a reason to care.  A writer must choose the right words to bring forth the ‘correct’ emotion.  Readers need to feel for the character in some way.  This may sound cheesy, but embrace the spectrum of feelings we have.  If you’re mad, be mad, don’t try to hide it or bottle it up; it’s not healthy.  If you’re sad, cry; if you’re ecstatic, smile.  Let it out and don’t be afraid to share your emotions with others and learn to empathize.

12.  Celebration.  This means take pride in what you’re doing, love it, care about it.  As you can tell, from reading this post, I appreciate writing and wanted to share with you my knowledge; I love it.  In whatever you pursue, love it, share it, care about it.  And if you don’t, then find something you’re passionate about because you gotta love what you do and do what you love, ultimately to be happy.

You Know You’re A Writer When…

As writer’s we’re passionate about words, we love to create characters, dialogue, and plots, and we enjoy reading.  For a few laughs, I hope you enjoy this funny (yet totally true), blog post.  YOU KNOW YOU’RE A WRITER WHEN:

 

1.  You write your Christmas cards as if you’re writing the next Great Gatsby.

 

2.  You go to parties and read the titles of the host’s books, and secretly judge the host on their chosen literature.

 

3.  You know at least ten synonyms for the word “blue.”

 

4.  You become so emotionally attached to your characters that you actually cry when something bad happens to them or you call your mother to tell her what wonderful event took place in your character’s life.

 

5.  You never leave home without a notebook and a pen.

 

6.  You always use proper grammar.

 

7.  You narrate in your head as you go about doing everyday tasks.

 

8.  It’s 3 AM in the morning and you cannot fall asleep because you need to open a Word Document and begin writing because your writer’s block finally went away and now you’re just full of ideas.

 

9.  You collect words and sentences.

 

10.  In your free time, all you do is write, think about writing, or you read.

 

11.  You leave a character unnamed for more than 10 pages simply because you are waiting for it to hit you because the name must capture everything the character stands for.

 

12.  Something terrible happens in your life or a friend’s life and you think, “Wow, this is good material for my next book.”

 

someecards.com

My Rare Work Ethic

The motto at my college is: Sleep Comes After Death.  Each day I hear of people pulling all nighters, constantly doing work until the early hours of morning, or the people who say they are solely running on caffeine because they’ve only gotten six hours of sleep in the past three days.  Between the hours of nine and ten, the sandwich shop at my dorm becomes insanely busy with hungry college students who are still up doing work.  Most people at my school claim they work best under pressure, and thus many people procrastinate and leave their work until the last minute and then in the next 12 hours or so they must stay up and finish their projects, and then complain of lack of sleep.

 

elizabethhorlemann.com

 

I have discovered that I am a rare breed at my college.  The latest I stay up is maybe 11:00 PM, simply because I cannot fall asleep at my usual hour of 9:30 PM.  I get up early, between 7:30 and 8:00 everyday.  Procrastination is not in my vocabulary.  The instant work is assigned, I stress over it, and I’ve discovered that I deal with my stress by doing work.  I work ahead in my classes because I am so worried about the workload.  I do every extra credit assignment for fear of my grade falling below an A.  I am constantly doing work at school.  Sometimes when I hang out with my friends, I am simply in their room reading a book for a class, or I am editing a paper with a friend.

 

Today, I was walking with a very good friend of mine and he was informing me that he had skipped class because he had too much work to get done before his second class of the day.  This particular friend of mine has admitted to being a procrastinator and he has told me the pressure to get work done before a close deadline spurs him to complete better work.  Unfortunately, today, he had procrastinated too much to even venture to class.  I was telling my friend that I had much work to get done as well.  I had just come from class, and I was debating whether or not I should skip going to the gym so I could do my work.  My friend simply told me, that knowing me, I have no work to do, because I work ahead, and thusly I should go to the gym.  My friend was correct.  I had worked so far ahead in my one class that I was exempt from doing the homework.  I was going to work on a paper that isn’t due for another four weeks.  I was going to read a play for a class that I don’t have to read for another ten days.  I was going to continue writing my short story that isn’t due for another few weeks.  So, taking my friends advice, I went to the gym, and am now at the library doing work, and writing this blog post.

 

I am an odd college student, and I accept it and I know it.  My friends know my work ethic, and I have been dubbed a nerd by every single one of my friends.  I get at least eight hours of sleep a night, and I find time to eat, hang out with my friends, and even enjoy myself by writing and painting.  I attribute my time management to having a job in high school and having to balance school and homework and my job and soccer and friends and family and a boyfriend.  Thankfully, my work ethic has carried over to my college career.  And, even though my friends make fun of me for being an absolute nerd because I get my work done early and I do not procrastinate, I am the first person my friends call on when they need help with their own work.  I am a reliable student, friend, peer, and person as my work ethic illustrates.