Castle in the Clouds

According to Blogger, I began writing this post on 12/29/2010. Apparently, I was distracted. And then I forgot about it. I must be honest and admit I considered deleting it and writing about something a little more current, but then I realized I really want to document my holiday break. Did I mention that I had 2 and 1/2 weeks off work? It was heavenly. Well, most of it was heavenly. The first couple of days weren't really all that fun as they were set aside for writing, and not the fun, creative writing I prefer. Oh, no. I had to write a 16-page paper on Dickens. In the middle of writing the paper I took a day off to go Christmas shopping. This is a recent tradition. It started when my in-laws got tired of trying to figure out what we would want for Christmas and decided it would be easier to just take us to the store so we could pick it out for ourselves. So, for the last few years, I join my mother- and sister-in-law for a day of shopping. While we're finishing up ...

That's where I'm at right now: I've got three out of four assignments completed. Just one more and the semester is officially over! Last night I finished reading the fourth and final Dickens book. While I must admit I have some issues with his treatment of the feminine, he's an amazing writer. Relatively easy to read for a Victorian author. As I read David Copperfield, Hard Times , Little Dorrit , and Our Mutual Friend it was easy to understand how he could be considered the father of the modern novel. In all truth, and at the risk of getting rotten tomatoes thrown at me, I can't tell you the number of times I thought his stories had been retold in so many of the historical romance books I've read over the years. In other words, I'm positive I've read these stories as genre fiction, which I'm sure many view as the antithesis of great Literature. Now, don't get me wrong. Dickens as a Victorian writer could never get away with going where ...

It's too late to put much effort into this right now. In fact, I'm about twenty minutes past my bedtime. So, in brief, I miss writing. I'm so ready for school to be done. Not just this semester, but altogether done. I want to graduate and get my life back. Get my creative groove back. Okay. That's the end of the pity party.