Randomness

No School! The Feels…

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello there!  I think I’ll address another question/comment today.  Remember, feel free to send me questions or comments or whatever here or at Facebook or Twitter.  This one is from Dallas Funk.  She recently brought it to my attention that we aren’t preparing for a new semester, we aren’t panicking to finish up our last packets, and we aren’t getting ready to travel halfway across the country for ten days of writerly business and fun.  How does that make me feel?  Well…

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Actually, that’s only kind of right.  Sure, I’m sad, but I’m also a little excited and relieved and not as stressed (though I fully admit to facing new kinds of stress).  I mean, right about now is usually when I’d be starting to prepare for the residency and worrying over the drive that isn’t for another month (irrational fears FTW!) and all that.  Instead, I started writing a new novel this month while I wait for feedback on the other one.  I had been working on a collection of short stories, which was becoming tedious, so I switched projects.  The fact that I’m not working towards a thesis, and that I didn’t have to check with anyone first, made it much easier to convince myself that this kind of shift is okay.  The freedom, man!  The freedom!

I will definitely miss everyone, but this is what happens as we grow.  We lose touch with some and make new connections with others.  Also, I’d normally have a social buffer right around this time to make the transition easier.  A weekend out among other similar minded freaks (granted, these are anime lovers, not writers, but still).  Also known as A-Kon weekend.  But I’ve chosen to skip it this year (that was a dumbass move on my part).  I think that has me more sad than anything.  I knew school was a limited time thing going in, but this is the first time in thirteen years that I’ve skipped A-Kon.

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The Minion and I almost ready for the masquerade ball last year.

Don’t get me wrong, it is time for a break from A-Kon, but I kind of regret doing it the same year I finished school.  However, I am trying to stay a little social by going to readings and stuff.  Yeah… I guess that’s really the biggest “sad” part about not prepping for a new semester.  It’s just the lack of socializing that’s got me a little down.  That’s actually a pretty terrifying revelation for someone who never really cared about having a social life.  Gee thanks, Stonecoast!

I guess what all this boils down to is that I’m having feels about the situation, but none of them are really standing out.  Actually, I posted a Facebook status a few days ago that said “It feels weird to not be prepping for A-Kon or a new semester.  I shouldn’t have stopped both in the same year.  Sad Cyn is sad.  In other news, I decided to start a new novel tomorrow.  It’s a standalone.  Much more post-apocalypse (but not really) sci-fi than I’m used to writing.  I’m kind of excited.”  That was when a friend’s mom asked if I was bipolar (jokingly, of course) and I replied with “It’s a writer’s life!  Conflicting emotions are the norm.”  So, that there’s the short version of everything I just said.

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A writer’s life… So many feels, bro.  So many feels.

Moving Forward and Looking Back

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, again!  It’s May 12th, as I’m writing this.  According to Facebook’s “On This Day” thing, I graduated from Southern Methodist University exactly three years ago.  I never really put much thought into this supposedly momentous occasion.  I had my issues with SMU (some of which I will probably complain about here), but it was always just a necessary stepping stone to me.  It wasn’t a big deal for me or anything.  It’s funny how time changes your perspective on things like this.

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The obligatory fountain picture, again.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that SMU held a lot of firsts for me.  It was my first major unpleasant experience with lack of accessibility issues.  It’s a major university with millions and billions of dollars being sunk into its sports programs and stadiums, so of course I assumed it would be entirely accessible.  But you know what they say about people who assume things!  Yeah, I learned my lesson.  (Major eye-twitch inducing moment for me.)

It was the first place where some of the classes actually challenged me.  That was an impressive experience.  My first C+ on a test, however, was not as impressive.  And yeah, I know that sounds cocky, but it’s true.  School was always a place where I excelled.  The real world, not so much.

It was also the first place where my graduation day was uneventful (like no broken bones and no family squabbles).  Yeah, I had serious bad luck with my previous two graduations.  I really didn’t want to go through another, but I did, and it wasn’t bad.

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Dallas Hall… I could get in the basement, but couldn’t fit in the elevator. Good job, SMU! Also, the date is wrong. This was some time in April of 2012.

Anyway, it’s three years later, and I’m still in touch with a number of the faculty (I fully admit SMU had an awesome faculty and staff, despite my other issues with it).  I didn’t come away with many friends (one who I keep in regular touch with, and two I fall in and out of touch with every now and then), but I wasn’t looking to make friends at that point, so I’m okay with that.  For someone who was in “get in, get degree, get out” mode, I’m impressed by the connections I did manage to make. 

Now, I’ve got a Master’s degree, which I wouldn’t have gotten without my SMU adviser’s advice, and letters of recommendation from others at SMU.  I’ve made a number of connections during my time in my Master’s program, some of which actually tie in with my SMU connections.  I’m in the process of cleaning up a novel that started as a short story in one of my SMU fiction classes.  I learned very quickly what kind of critiques to take to heart, and which to brush off thanks to my writing classes at SMU, which made my time at Stonecoast that much easier.  So yeah, I guess SMU was more than a stepping stone after all.

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SMU Mustangs. Pretty sure this was the day or so before graduation.

Why am I rambling on about all of this?  Honestly, because I couldn’t think of anything productive to write about.  But sometimes it’s good to take a look back, especially at things you took for granted.  It often gives you a new perspective to move forward with.  And moving forward is all we can really do, right?

What Exactly is an Avid Reader?

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello, hello!  I have a confession to make.  As much as I love books, I’m not a voracious reader.  I think that one summer when I read like 15 books (including the uncut version of The Stand) kind of killed that part of me.  Granted, there are some books that I can still binge read, but usually two or three chapters at a time is all I can sit still for.  But it’s important for a writer to be an avid reader, right?  Well, yes and no.

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Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely important to keep up with what’s hot in your genres, and reading certainly is key to improving your own writing.  It’s the word “avid” that I take issue with.  Mostly because people seem to mix up avid (“having or showing a keen interest in or enthusiasm for something,” according to Google) and voracious (“wanting or devouring great quantities” of something).  In other words, yes you should be an avid reader, but that doesn’t necessarily mean being a voracious reader.

You might be thinking that I’m splitting hairs with this, but am I really?  We all read at a different paces (and I happen to be on the slower end of the spectrum), so my “avid” is going to be different from yours.  I have friends who talk about the three books they started and finished within a week, and others who read two or three books simultaneously.  Meanwhile, I’m not even halfway through a book I started a week ago!  For a long time, that frustrated me.  It was like I was doing this whole reading thing wrong. 

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But then I wondered how exactly one could go wrong with reading.  You can’t.  Not really.  About the only way you can go wrong with reading is by not doing it.  I finally figured out that I am an avid reader, despite the fact that I read fairly slow and don’t binge read as much as others.  I’m perfectly okay with that now.  Plus, I’ve discovered other areas of reading in which I most certainly am voracious.  Manga is one of those areas.  I can read three volumes in one sitting if left to my own devices.  I think it’s partly because the pictures keep me from getting distracted the way I do with “big girl” books that have no illustrations.  I’m not ashamed to admit that.

Anyway, I guess what I’m getting at is that reading is important, but don’t let the reading rates of other people discourage you.  And for the super fast readers, keep it up!  Don’t look at us slowpokes like we’re nuts when we say things like “wow, that’s a lot,” though.  Everyone should be comfortable with their own pace.  As long as you find the magic meant for you in the book, that’s all that really matters!

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Read on!  Write on!  I’m off to get lost in the book I’m currently (slowly) working my way through.  Have a great day!  I’ll see you next week!

Introduction

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

cherryblossom

Hello!  As you may have gathered, my name is Shawna.  Rather than jump into an official blog post (whatever that may be), I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself a little less formally and a little more thoroughly than the website allows for.  I apologize in advance for any repeat information.

I am a writer, curently working on a supernatural YA novel.  I dabble in all genres, but my true love is horror.  Much of my work touches on the darker side of human nature.  I minored in psychology as an undergrad, which was when I developed an attraction towards the stranger psychological disorders.  Even my more fantastical stories tend to draw from such disorders.  I feel that even villains need to be human (not literally, of course), so I try to formulate a diagnosis to work with when creating them, even if it’s never mentioned on paper.  The psychology of different types of characters is something I will be exploring more in future posts.

I admit that I’m not as avid a reader as I should be, but hopefully that will change after I finish my MFA and actually have time to read.  I’m not picky when it comes to books.  I do prefer horror and fantasy and the like, but I’ll try anything once.  Please feel free to send me recommendations!  Occasionally, I will post a review of works that strike me in a particular way.

As far as the rest of my interests go, they are wide and varied.  I love all things Japanese: anime, manga, the food, the culture, etc.  Food and music (in general, not just Japanese) are two of my favorite things in the world.  I enjoy drawing as well.  Movies are fun, especially since I’ve taken a liking to writing screenplays.  Don’t be surprised if you spot a random post about any of these things and more (though I will try to keep them at a minimum and focus on writing related issues).

I think that’s enough about me for now.  Please, introduce yourself!  And look forward to a glimpse into my experience at Stonecoast (my MFA program).  That’s what’s coming up December 15th.