First Submission

Remember my New Year's Resolution to try to get one thing published?

I'm actually working on it for more than a day or two this year.

In fact, I've just submitted something to be published - the Barbie anthology thing. It was exactly 150 words, and it made my boyfriend laugh (which I'll take as a compliment, even though he kind of has to...).

It's kind of uplifting. Even if it doesn't get picked (and I'm sure a lot of people are submitting, so it very well may not), at least I tried.

Like it or not,

"Barbie is a role model!" (As the character Starla so charmingly puts it in the movie She Gets What She Wants.)

Now, I must admit, I was definitely one of those girls who loved Barbie. But whether you loved her or hated her, chances are, at least if you're a girl, you have a Barbie anecdote.

If so, check out the website of Tanya Lee Stone. She's writing a book about Barbie, and she wants anecdotes of, at most, 150 words. So polish your skill with succinctness, and take a stab at getting published.

And, to give credit where credit is due, I heard about this opportunity from the livejournal of Sarah Dessen.

I'm going to try. I even think I kind of know what I want to do... The hard part is keeping it to a mere 150 words. Eesh. Why am I so wordy?

Oh, and to get you in the mood, here's the first Barbie commercial. Ever! (Courtesy of YouTube)

A Bit of Dialogue

This is something I whipped up as application to a writing position. I'm not surprised I didn't hear back - the writing sucks. But, still, it's something I wrote, and therefore feel a compulsion to save somewhere before deleting it from my computer. And it's not all bad. It's not executed great, but the scene is there, and might inspire someone with greater writing talent than I possess. So read on - at your peril. ;)

Setting: A college classroom, with a chalkboard on one wall. In front of the chalkboard is a long table, behind which are two chairs. There are various student desks facing opposite the long table. About twelve students are seated.

Graduate Student Instructor (GSI): (walks into the room and sits at a chair behind the long table): Hello, everybody. (Removes a copy of the Aeneid and a legal pad covered with notes.) Now that we’ve finished Vergil’s work, we should be able to hold an interesting discussion.

Meg: Who’s Vergil?

Tiffany: (disdainful) The author of the Aeneid.

Meg: Oh, right.

GSI: Anyway, what are everyone’s thoughts on the end of the poem?

Meg: Poem?

Tiffany: I hope you don’t pass this class after making it so obvious you don’t do the reading.

Meg: (pouting) Well, that’s not very nice.

GSI: Now that we’ve covered the fact that the Aeneid is an epic poem written by a guy named Vergil, why don’t we begin analysis of the piece?

Tiffany: I thought the end of the poem was perfect. I mean, there’s a reason this poem has withstood the test of time – Vergil was a great writer.

Andrea: Well, Vergil was a fairly good writer, but I didn’t really like the ending. It was so abrupt.

GSI: It does seem abrupt, but that may not have been the way Vergil planned on ending it.

Tiffany: (haughty) That’s right. Vergil died before he considered the poem finished; he actually asked them to burn the manuscript entirely. Thank God they didn’t.

Andrea: You know, as much fun as it is to hear you sucking up to the GSI, I have SparkNotes, too. Why don’t you shut up and allow those of us who actually did the reading have the discussion?

(Conspicuous silence)

GSI: (wearily) Did anyone literally hold their copy of the Aeneid open and read the words contained therein?

(Andrea raises her hand)

Meg: (sighs) I wish you wouldn’t use such big words; we already know you’re smart.

GSI: (raises her eyebrows for a second, then lowers them) Well, it seems pointless to hold a conversation about something only a couple of people have read. If anyone actually does the reading, and wants to talk about it, come to my office hours. Next week, we’re having a quiz on the reading – one you can’t pass by glancing at SparkNotes. (picks up her bag and storms out of the room)

(Students glare at Andrea, who giggles nervously.)

New Year; Hello, 2009

So, an important part of a new year is, of course, setting goals.

I'm not much of a goal setter, but I've been pretty unhappy lately, so I figured, maybe that's one of the things that need to be changed.

Other than the weight loss and new job, I wish to focus on writing, as well.

I really am revising that silly story of mine from high school. It's going slowly, and I want to work on it everyday.

Then, I'm also working on a couple of short stories, and occasionally, (really shitty) poetry.

So this year, I want to focus on writing, and trying to get one thing published. If I can get one piece of writing published, I will be satisfied.

I mean, I'm bound to write something good sooner or later, right?