Tuesday, October 04, 2005

First Night

Home from my first night of class.  F is already asleep, but I am still wound up from the hike home from the bus stop.  I’m sure it won’t take me too long to crash, but for the moment I am wide awake.

First impressions…
One of my new classmates entered the class, spotted me, and sat down right next to me.  I didn’t think anything of it at first but I have a feeling I will come to regret her decision if she chooses to continue.  I may have to find another spot.  There was plenty of room in the class for people to spread out.  It’s not that she smelled or anything, I just didn’t appreciate sitting next to her.  Something about her demeanor bothered me.  Maybe it was just the fact that she had the sniffles.
Another lady in my class reminds me of all the traits I dislike in another woman.  I can’t describe them at all, but she bothered me.  I was in a group critique session with her and she said all kinds of things that made me think evil thoughts about her.  This isn’t coming out just right, but it was like this woman had all the bad qualities of my mother only magnified 80% and with none of her redeeming aspects.  I had to fully explain the character I wrote about before she would get the image she had decided on out of her head.  And the woman wrote about cucumber sandwiches.  Seriously.  I am sure there are people out there who love cucumber sandwiches…but…

So, first night and I think I will like the class.  It was funny to me how concentrated people were on getting published.  Must get published.  Like it is a new purse everyone has to buy.  I don’t know that I have ever really given it that much thought.  Other than the dreamy wouldn’t it be nice thoughts that every one toys with at times in their lives.  For me this class is about writing.  Learning to write, figuring out what I need to do, and not churning out the next great hit. 
I also have my first assignments.  Re-write what I wrote in class.  I have to turn in up to three pages for the instructor to critique.  Feels scary.  I also have to go to a bookstore and decide where I think my novel (the one I haven’t even started yet) will sit.  What shelve it will go on.  I think while I am there I will pick up one of my instructor’s novels and see what it’s like.  She seems like a very smart lady.  I have a feeling her novels are pretty smart too.

Time for bed…