Maybe it's ok after all. Fair enough it's hard, so much harder than the prose work but I'm actually enjoying the challenge. I don't think what I'm producing is particuarly good, but I'm persevering, and I already have a piece that is being edited and re-edited and will hopefully, finally, be submitted as my assignment! I'm not going to show you that though. Oh no, s'for my eyes only!!
I will show you this though: a little piece developed from one of the course exercises, that asked us to make a list of proverbial expressions used by friends/family/colleagues and list them as a poem.
I’m not being funny but it’s
just not fair and
don’t tell me it’s not raining.
It’s raining in my head.
You’re ruining my life and I don’t
really care about crumbling cookies.
Funny how hindsight really is
20/20 vision. It’s obvious now:
My best interests nestled
in your heart. Watching out for your little acorn,
you hoped to see a great oak grow.
I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket, I
made my hay dressed in shorts, so when you ask
me if the proof is in the pudding,
you’re taking the words right out
of my mouth.
All’s well that ends well.
It is by no means great. I know this. But it does resemble a poem, kind of. & I wrote it. This is an improvement on prior attempts, believe me!!!
Showing posts with label OU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OU. Show all posts
in which i freak out about the OU
It's bad. It's actually really bad. So bad that I am wondering why the hell I signed up for the stupid course in the first place.
That's right guys and dolls. It's poetry time. I can't do it. The end. I just really can't. It doesn't help that I'm struggling at the moment to find the time to do the exercises - maybe I'll feel better tomorrow when I've sat down and worked through it all some more but at the moment I have a deadline for a 40line poetry assignment looming and I just want to cry. I have no inspiration, and it's all just really technical and gah. I want to cry. I need to take a deep breath, and count to ten and get on with it, I know, but it's stumped me. I've been loving it up to now: the prose side has been awesome, I'm quietly confident about getting the mark for the last assignment and it's al lbeen good and now this. If I fail this course it will be because of the next few weeks. Oh, help.
That's right guys and dolls. It's poetry time. I can't do it. The end. I just really can't. It doesn't help that I'm struggling at the moment to find the time to do the exercises - maybe I'll feel better tomorrow when I've sat down and worked through it all some more but at the moment I have a deadline for a 40line poetry assignment looming and I just want to cry. I have no inspiration, and it's all just really technical and gah. I want to cry. I need to take a deep breath, and count to ten and get on with it, I know, but it's stumped me. I've been loving it up to now: the prose side has been awesome, I'm quietly confident about getting the mark for the last assignment and it's al lbeen good and now this. If I fail this course it will be because of the next few weeks. Oh, help.
in which i get my first TMA back...
I don't want to brag, in fact, I don't even know if I have anything to brag about given that I don't know how the OU marking structure works, or what constitutes a good grade, but I got my first TMA back today. 72%. I can't help but be a little proud, especially when that grade was accompanied by comments such as:
"This piece shows a great deal of skill with language and character development...." and "you include touches of humour and excellent use of desrciptive detail...." and, best of all "....it's one that you could enter for competitions looking for short stories: short, but perfectly formed."
YEAH FOR ME!!!!
"This piece shows a great deal of skill with language and character development...." and "you include touches of humour and excellent use of desrciptive detail...." and, best of all "....it's one that you could enter for competitions looking for short stories: short, but perfectly formed."
YEAH FOR ME!!!!
in which Ian reveals he is a secret writer....
S'quite annoying that I repeatedly fail to hit the 'save' key and lose my posts. Dammit.
So, currently I am mostly grumpy. My job sucks at the moment, my jobs sucks most of the time, but at the moment it sucks more. In the last week and a half my boss has had me in tears for 5days out of 7. How marvellous. Perhaps I need a new job. I am so stressed out, and so miserable that I can't read. I'm not even lying. I settle myself down with a hot milk and honey and my Margaret Atwood and I start reading. & then I have to stop because I realise I've read the same line seven times and all I can think about is what's going to happen at work the next day and I have a horrible knot in my tummy and the only way of getting rid of it is to be asleep. Reading has always been my only escape. How bad is it that even that doesn't work anymore.
Anyway, enough enough. On to more optimistic topics. I am nervously awaiting the return of my first TMA, which should be here in the next few days. Eek. I hope I haven't failed. This week I am working on chracter development. I like it. I might post some of the exercises on here, if anybody is interested in reading what I'm doing? Last night's exercise has even left a little plot bunny hopping around, so I might take it further, make it into an actual piece. How exciting.
It was lovely last night actually. Aaah, Jasper. I was laid on the floor writing away, and he came and laid next to me, little white paws resting on the edge of my paper, big kitten eyes staring at me. He was entranced. A literary kitten.
& Ian, wellwell, what a dark horse. I did my work last night and went for a shower leaving him with the workbook and a pad and pen. He had a go at the exercise, and you know what, it was bloody good! Who knew! & we had such a laugh, I think I shall make him my unofficial OU buddy....
So, currently I am mostly grumpy. My job sucks at the moment, my jobs sucks most of the time, but at the moment it sucks more. In the last week and a half my boss has had me in tears for 5days out of 7. How marvellous. Perhaps I need a new job. I am so stressed out, and so miserable that I can't read. I'm not even lying. I settle myself down with a hot milk and honey and my Margaret Atwood and I start reading. & then I have to stop because I realise I've read the same line seven times and all I can think about is what's going to happen at work the next day and I have a horrible knot in my tummy and the only way of getting rid of it is to be asleep. Reading has always been my only escape. How bad is it that even that doesn't work anymore.
Anyway, enough enough. On to more optimistic topics. I am nervously awaiting the return of my first TMA, which should be here in the next few days. Eek. I hope I haven't failed. This week I am working on chracter development. I like it. I might post some of the exercises on here, if anybody is interested in reading what I'm doing? Last night's exercise has even left a little plot bunny hopping around, so I might take it further, make it into an actual piece. How exciting.
It was lovely last night actually. Aaah, Jasper. I was laid on the floor writing away, and he came and laid next to me, little white paws resting on the edge of my paper, big kitten eyes staring at me. He was entranced. A literary kitten.
& Ian, wellwell, what a dark horse. I did my work last night and went for a shower leaving him with the workbook and a pad and pen. He had a go at the exercise, and you know what, it was bloody good! Who knew! & we had such a laugh, I think I shall make him my unofficial OU buddy....
in which i submit my first ever OU assignment...
Well, it's finally happening. I am a student, proper and yesterday, I submitted my first TMA. It wasn't due til the 30th, but, I was in danger of over editing and so I decided to just go for it. I hit the 'send' button, and that's it. No turning back.
I am so nervous. Seriously. I have no idea if it's any good, no idea really what they expect and I am just terrified that my tutor will hate it and my mark will be embarrasingly low. There's not a lot I can do but wait and see.
It was a good assignment actually: a short freewrite inspired by a given prompt, a fiction piece inspired by your freewrite, and then a commentary on both. I enjoyed it. I'm enjoying the course as a whole, and have even been brave enough to post a few of my exercises on the course forum - thankfully my public feedback wasn't awful - it was even rather good. Phew.
Poetry next. I shall be making headway with that over the weekend and I am trying to embrace the challenge rather than be petrified! Doesn't help that I've never written much and all the people I know that write poetry do it incredibly well. Campbell, that means you!
I am so nervous. Seriously. I have no idea if it's any good, no idea really what they expect and I am just terrified that my tutor will hate it and my mark will be embarrasingly low. There's not a lot I can do but wait and see.
It was a good assignment actually: a short freewrite inspired by a given prompt, a fiction piece inspired by your freewrite, and then a commentary on both. I enjoyed it. I'm enjoying the course as a whole, and have even been brave enough to post a few of my exercises on the course forum - thankfully my public feedback wasn't awful - it was even rather good. Phew.
Poetry next. I shall be making headway with that over the weekend and I am trying to embrace the challenge rather than be petrified! Doesn't help that I've never written much and all the people I know that write poetry do it incredibly well. Campbell, that means you!
in which i get excited about the OU
It seems I have failed lately with the whole blog thing. Real life has gotten in the way and holidays and work have left me with little time to update. However, I am back on it, and have much to talk about such as Margaret Atwood and the Shopaholic books, and my new found love for Neil Gaiman...til then though, the OU.
The stuff for my creative writing course came through at the end of last week, and it looks very exciting! So much so, that I am tempted to start before the 'official' start date of beginning of October. It won't matter will it, and it's not like this blog is widely read enough for me to get caught ;)
All the course material looks great, and there are some fun looking excercises in the big fat workbook, so, with any luck (mine and not yours) I will soon be posting lots of new stuff on here. I've also taken a sneaky peek at the TMA's - the course is assessed on 5 TMA's and one final assignments. They look awesome. I am excited about them all with exception to the poetry one, and really can't wait to get started on the first one - due October 30th. The poetry I am dreading. Really. I don't write poetry, never have and whilst I know that's the point of the course; to learn, I have to admit to being a little dubious. How can I learn enough in a month to be able to write 40lines of poetry to a standard required to get the marks? *panic*
We'll soon see I guess. But yes, all very exciting!!!
In other news we have mice. I am refusing to leave the office and despatched folk to try and find a humane way of removing them. *shudder*
The stuff for my creative writing course came through at the end of last week, and it looks very exciting! So much so, that I am tempted to start before the 'official' start date of beginning of October. It won't matter will it, and it's not like this blog is widely read enough for me to get caught ;)
All the course material looks great, and there are some fun looking excercises in the big fat workbook, so, with any luck (mine and not yours) I will soon be posting lots of new stuff on here. I've also taken a sneaky peek at the TMA's - the course is assessed on 5 TMA's and one final assignments. They look awesome. I am excited about them all with exception to the poetry one, and really can't wait to get started on the first one - due October 30th. The poetry I am dreading. Really. I don't write poetry, never have and whilst I know that's the point of the course; to learn, I have to admit to being a little dubious. How can I learn enough in a month to be able to write 40lines of poetry to a standard required to get the marks? *panic*
We'll soon see I guess. But yes, all very exciting!!!
In other news we have mice. I am refusing to leave the office and despatched folk to try and find a humane way of removing them. *shudder*
