Back to School
Fall is my favorite writing season. I’m not sure if it’s the ‘back to school’ feeling in the air, the actual cooler air, or something else, but I’m generally motivated, purposeful, and energized when autumn rolls around. September may signal the end of summer, but it always feels like a new beginning to me. Maybe it’s because I was one of those kids who always looked forward to going back to school. Don’t get me wrong, you couldn’t pay me to go back to high school, but I’ve always loved standing at the start of a new school year with all that potential stretched out ahead of me.
I’ve been circling the idea of going back to school for years. A few weeks ago I finally pulled the trigger and applied to grad school. This particular MFA program is unique in that it focuses on genre fiction writing, publishing, and screen writing, so I won’t have to pause my writing career while I complete it. I am so excited to be part of a creative, academic community again and to level up my own game, so to speak.
Funny thing though… my undergraduate college can’t find my transcripts. Apparently, when they digitized all the records years ago, mine never made it, and the paper copies are long gone. It’s like I never went to school. The registrars are sorting it out, but I feel like an accidental Mike Ross, minus the eidetic memory skills. It’s odd to think there’s no official record of all my work. I’m sure there is some lesson here on letting go, but I’m not sure exactly what it is. While I’m pretty confident everything will work out, please do keep your fingers crossed!
Provided they let me in, classes for this program won’t start until the summer session, so in the meantime, I’m committed to finishing the last few books in the TSI romantic suspense series. Really. I promise. I’m currently at work on A.J.’s story, and I finally, finally have the bigger plot arc sorted. Once that happens, the writing flows much more smoothly. As Ray and I chill here in gorgeous Santa Barbara for the rest of the month, I’m going to take advantage of my fall-inspired sense of motivation and write ALL THE WORDS, and hopefully get accepted into grad school. I’ll let you know!
In other news…
On Wednesday, September 27th at 7 pm EST, I’ll be teaching a 90 minute webinar titled “Pathways to Publishing” through the ARIA Writing Academy. For more info or to register, click HERE.
If you’re interested in following our travel journey, check out my alternate blog, Five Things.
Enjoy these pictures from one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen!
