Marathon Writing

On Friday, Doc challenged me to a writing contest. My first reaction was to ask if the contest was who could write more, or who could write better - he acted like I stabbed him in the back XD

The rules were to write as many radio scripts as possible before midnight on Sunday. We had to include an introductory bit of audio as well, which I usually do last, so that made it a touch harder. I didn't expect to do very many; it can take a while to do one of these well. It's easier if it's an author I'm already familiar with, and considerably more difficult if it's an author that Doc gave me to looks up. He's assigned me to some pretty obscure people in the past, which is part of the reason finding audio is the hardest part for me.

I'd say I put some seven or eight hours into writing nine scripts over the weekend. To make an already difficult task even worse, my Internet spent a large part of the weekend broken. We've had problems for a long time, but it's lasted without much issue for the past couple of months. Figures that it would start acting up when it did. On Sunday, I spent literally an hour and a half on hold trying to reach the Internet technician. Never did get a hold of them.

So at 8PM Sunday night, I packed up my laptop and went to my parents place to wrap up this contest. On the way, Doc texts me and offers an extension for me to Monday at 6:00. I turned him down because I knew I'd be babysitting in the morning (grandparents had a funeral). Even with that, I still stayed in Little Rock past midnight, swapping witticisms and taunts with Doc through e-mail. He conceded defeat ten minutes after midnight. Finally made it home around 1AM, knew I would have to get up sometime around nine.

Basically, I spent the weekend earning my nickname. I've become very attached to being called Rodette.

The authors I chose were Brian Jacques, Dorothy Parker, Dostoyevsky, e.e. Cummings, Margaret Mitchell, Nabokov, P.L. Travers, Dante Rossetti, and Jesse Stuart. I've only read three of these authors XD

I'll have to revise them of course, but I think most of them are already in pretty good shape. I'm still the most proud of my Agatha Christie and Rod Serling pieces, but I think the Nabokov is going to end up being one of my favorites. I think he turned out well.

Today we were nearly late for Drama. We wasted a lot of time going back and forth about the competition. He had a ridiculous amount of fun, and I'm happy for that. I know he's been stressed lately. It was nice seeing him relaxed and happy.

 

The blue W is my trophy. He'll be wanting that back, so I'm sure we'll do this again. Not anytime soon - I'm not writing him another script for a while XD

I made a book.

 

So I made a book.

A few people suggested making an anthology of the pieces I've written about Doc to give him for his birthday. I felt that was kinda vain, but thought it might make a neat present for Father's Day. A week early perhaps, but I'm bad at keeping secrets for very long. I'm rather proud of myself for this little project. I definitely want to make more of them. I had to drop some cash, but the price tag won't be so much now that I have stuff to work with. I also got some coupons from the store, so that will help too.

 

I found a kit of sorts when I went to Michael's yesterday - I guess it wasn't really a kit since it was more like two pieces of thick cardboard to use as a book cover and back, but it was what I needed. The main reason I've never tried my hand at making a book is because I've never been sure how to create the outside to hold the pages. I also got some binder rings, distressing ink, a blending tool, decorative keys, and some tags to decorate the cover page above a little bit. The bluebird in the center was made from one of my existing stamps and distressing ink.

 

I didn't choose blue and brown for any particular reason - I just liked the colors and thought they would look good together. I picked up some plain white cardstock and hoped I'd be able to make neat cuts and that I would be able to print on that. Worked out beautifully. I think I'm going to get some more ink - it's kinda expensive, but I really like the results of working with it.

 

I ended up using 12 pages, single-sided. Mostly poems, but I threw Superimpose in because that started the whole thing and I still believe it's the best thing I ever wrote. I didn't use everything I ever wrote about Doc, but most of it is there. The stuff I left out was either too long, or I didn't like it enough to include. And I only had the 12 pages, but shhhh.

 

I think he was rather touched by the gesture. Said it was one of the nicest things he's ever received.  I really am happy with this little project. I can't wait to do another one :)

I also made a little gift for his wife for the book she bought me. I picked up some nice cookies and some coffee from Tuesday Morning. I don't know anything about coffee, so I was kinda guessing, but I figure everyone likes vanilla. And if you don't, then we can't be friends =P I'm with Doc though - I'm more of a tea person. Coffee is too bitter for me.

Still stuck on what I'm going to get him for his birthday. If I can find one, I'd like to get him a handheld chalkboard. They moved our Drama class from the usual room, and as annoyed as it makes him, he's excited to be in a room with an old school chalkboard. I watched him today, and he was carrying a piece of chalk almost the entire time. I think it would be a neat little idea.

Suspicious

I think Doc may be trying to turn me into a Springsteen fan.

It's only a hunch, but  I really can't shake it.

Also, this isn't out on loan; he gave it to me. I feel bad because it's a rather expensive book, unless he got it for less than the price on the dust jacket. I'm about 150 pages in.

Honestly, it's been so long since anyone gave me anything just for the hell of it. Even if he is hoping that I'll learn a thing or two about research writing by paging though it =P

I kind of love my mentor.

Well, things since the last post have been... I don't want to say "eventful," so I guess I'll settle for "interesting." Nothing's really happened, but I feel like something has shifted.

I mentioned Doc and the shower of compliments he drowned me in not long ago, and those words are turning into something more concrete. On Tuesday, he sat me down and went into serious mode.

"I have decided your career path for you. You don't have a choice. You're going to be an editor."

There's a really good magazine based right here in Little Rock called the Oxford American. As in, one of the best literary magazines in the country. It's kind of a big deal for Southern writers. Doc has offered to pull whatever strings he can to see about getting me an internship there. He's friends with the publisher and is trying to get me an interview with him. He spent some ten, fifteen minutes just telling me how much I would enjoy it, that I deserved a break and someone to go up to bat for me.

I honestly never expected to really get anything out of helping him out, but Doc is convinced I would make a magnificent editor. Interning with the magazine would be a great way to test the waters while getting a foot in the door. He can't guarantee anything, but it means worlds that he would even bother to try <3

Meanwhile, today I finally got to see what the recording process is like for the radio scripts. I met Doc at the department and we walked over to the studio (I'd never been, so I really didn't know where I was going). It looks pretty much like you imagine from TV and movies: a panel full of buttons and those bendy microphones. We spent a little under an hour there, him reading and me just watching the process. Three scripts, including one I wrote, were more or less finished this morning.

On the way back, he starts telling me about a few other radio projects he's involved in and I think I may have been roped into that too XD One of the other English professors is doing a half-hour show on Shakespeare's birthday and he wants me to have a look at that script. All while encouraging me to think about interning and editing for the local radio station.

If he keeps praising me like this, I might actually start to believe it XD