My Unfortunate Process

A big thanks to all the supporters who read my last post and hopefully got around to reading the article as well! My editor reached out to me recently and informed me that, seeing as they only used a little bit of what I wrote in the article, they want to use the rest of piece in their blog, so that's pretty awesome (: I'll post a link to that when/if it happens. 

I've started to work on my book a little more, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. The only problem is that it's almost impossible for me to work on it while I'm at home. It's pretty much the same logic as not being able to do homework at home - just too many distractions. I like to go to the coffee shop on UNT campus to get my writing done. It's good because it gets me out of the house, it has a nice ambiance for getting work done, and the coffee is good. However, it does mean I have to spend money, so that sucks. There is a "business center" in my apartment complex that I could go to. I've gone there before, but the environment there isn't as good for me. It's really cold and quiet. Plus it's just too close to home, and it's nice to get out. 

I'm thinking of posting a little "sneak peek" of one of my chapters on here to get some feedback. I'm scared to do that, though, because A.) I don't want anyone to steal it, and B.) I like the thrill of having people wait until it actually comes out officially. I have looked into the process of copyrighting my work, but it's pretty complicated and expensive. It seems as though I would need to finish the entirety of the book before I can copyright any of it. So it makes me nervous to put any of it online (even the title!), but we shall see. 

Again, thanks for the views! 

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After a Long Hiatus

I know I keep saying I'm going to post more often. I really don't have an excuse to offer, but I do offer my apologies to those who actually enjoy reading my vivacious blurbs.

So, here's an update on what has happened in the past few months. I didn't get the job at Gearbox, and I deleted the post addressed to them, so sorry if you didn't get to read it, but it wasn't meant for you anyway. I'm not super surprised I didn't get the job, but I'm disappointed because I did go out of my way to try and get it. I actually went up to their office to try and see if I could talk to someone on the writing staff. Apparently, the receptionists are taught to tell people they don't know anything about anything, and to only contact the Gearbox staff through their website (ugh), so that's what I did. I emailed them and got no response, and I also gave them the link to this blog in my application, which is why I wrote a colorful and eager post dedicated to grabbing their attention. They didn't respond to that either. Oh well.

I am now working as an editorial intern for a publication called BNP Media. They publish this magazine called Roofing Contractor, which is what I've been working on. It's not my dream job, but the staff is amazing and very friendly, and it's a good start should I decide to go into the publishing line of work. It's definitely a different experience for me. The writing is more journalistic than anything, and I have a creative writing background, so my journalism training is practically nonexistent. But it was kind of thrilling to go to events and write about/report on them. All in all, it's just more to add to the resume, right?

Unfortunately, it is an unpaid internship, so I also work at a resale store called Plato's Closet. Again, not my dream job, but it pays the bills and I like the people I work with. Since I'm the only sales associate with a degree (I think), my bosses want to start giving me more responsibilities so I can make more money, so that's cool.

"How's your book going?"

Thanks for asking! It's terrible. I actually hate the people who make writing look so easy. Granted, I see these people by proxy of movies or TV shows, so I probably shouldn't take it personally. But geez, when I see a character who can write a 400 page book in one summer and get it published by the end of the year, I feel pretty inadequate.

"Well, isn't that motivation for you?"

You'd think, but I (like every other artist out there) am my own worst critic, and I spend most of my time editing my work than I do actually writing. I've been expanding/editing my first 3 chapters for the past 2 months rather than just moving on to the 4th chapter. And now it's hard for me to read other books, because I just find myself comparing my crappy book to the other author's.

I probably should blog more. Just because it's good way to write without all the pressure of a book, and it's a good outlet for venting about my struggles. I won't promise anything though, because we've seen how that has turned out in the past.

In other news, I got to cover this panel at the International Roofing Expo (IRE) for my internship. The topic was how to get more women in the roofing industry. Roofing Contractor Magazine has included some of what I wrote in their article covering the IRE. They even gave me a credit line for my contribution, so read to the end! This is the first time anything I've written has been published, so it's very exciting. You can also find a picture of me with a stormtrooper.
Find the article HERE
And thank you for reading

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Long Time No See!

Whoa, been awhile, huh? Well, I guess the biggest news since my last post is that I graduated UNT.🙌 I received my certificate in technical communication in the mail a couple weeks ago, and now I'm waiting for my diploma (which should arrive in a week or two). I'm pretty proud of myself, to say the least. Considering some drawbacks I experienced a couple years ago, I didn't really see myself graduating in 2019. Goes to show what can be accomplished when you pull yourself up by the bootstraps (summer courses also help). OH AND HEY. I started a book. I'm not going to go into too much detail, because who knows what kind of idea thieves might be lurking around here, but I'm super duper excited.
I know I only have, on average, like 5-10 readers or so (mainly because I don't share things on social media due to social anxiety and acquaintances critiquing me on my ramblings), but I kind of miss blogging, and I'm less busy since I graduated, so y'all might be hearing more from me. You're welcome.

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Group Projects=Death

Hi everyone! I've had a substantial increase in readers in the last couple weeks. I have my wonderful parents to thank for that. Also, thanks to everyone who read my story about my drug journey through epilepsy. It means a lot.
To the matter at hand, sorry for not keeping y'all up to date these past couple weeks. It's the end of the semester, so I'm very busy! While I have a free moment, I will share with you what I've been up to. For my class finals I have to:

• Expand on one of my nonfiction essays
• Collaborate with a team for a "client editing project" 
• Do a secondary research report
• Take another test (that's the easy one)

The client editing project is the most stressful. I was elected team leader, and I hate it (: 

Let me tell you why: my group has next to zero communication. As much as I try texting in our group chat, I don't get many responses, and when I do, it's hours later, which is very stressful. Two of my subordinates never complete their assigned work until a couple hours before class, which is also stressful, because I have to look over their work before I submit it. AND.... none of our schedules line up, so in the two weeks we've been working on this, we've had two group meetings, and neither of them included the entire group. 

Now, let me explain to you what the goal for this project is: my group has to edit, format, and put together a Wikipedia booklet on the RMS Lusitania. For those of you who don't know, the Lusitania was a British ocean-liner during WWI that was sunk by Germany. Since this ship was transporting over 100 American citizens, it was one of the deciding factors of United States' declaration of war on Germany. Interesting stuff. 

This Wikipedia page has a little of 10,000 words in it. That's 10,000 words that we have to copy/developmental edit, format, and throw into a booklet. We also have to write up a client letter to a fake client explaining to them why their Wikipedia page is garbage and why our booklet is better. This wouldn't be so bad if my team was capable of communicating with each other. But alas, it's up to me. Takeaway: I despise group projects.  

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Feels Like Home...

Happy Thursday
I wrote an essay yesterday that's a "research/personal hybrid" essay. It basically means I do some research on something that I relate to myself, and then I mix that research with my personal thoughts and/or memories. Hope y'all like it.

Feels Like Home…

Canyon, Texas is a small city just outside Amarillo. In the 2010 census, the population was 13,303. In 2010, my grandparents were a part of that population.

I lived in Canyon most summers of my childhood. For three months, I would be able to eat pancakes at any time of the day—always paired with a Snapple bottle, washed out and refilled with milk.

My cousin lived in Canyon with our grandparents. Our summers were filled with silly adventures acted out on a trampoline—jumping around and pretending we were different people. After an hour we’d get tired enough to go inside and play Mario, Sonic, or Zelda. The fun never ended as long we were together.

Canyon lies in a valley that eventually becomes the Palo Duro Canyon. Palo Duro is home to the world-famous outdoor musical Texas, which plays every summer. I’ve seen that play at least five times.

The first time I saw Texas, I was with my entire family: my grandparents, cousins, sister, aunts, my uncle, and my dad. It was magical. Before every performance, right at sunset, a man on a horse will ride across the top of the canyon holding the Texas flag. The whole crowd, including me, goes insane with Texan pride.

The last time I saw the play, it was just me, my sister and my cousin. But it was still just as magical as the first time I saw it.

Canyon is home to West Texas A&M University. Some of my dad’s side of the family went there. They have a waterpark inside the school. Looking back, it wasn’t anything fancy. One slide, a lazy river, whirlpool, and a kiddie section, but when I was 10, it might as well have been Hurricane Harbor. I spent hours there with my family.

The average low temperature during Christmas time is around 25 degrees Fahrenheit. I have never seen more snow than when I spent the holidays in Canyon. I never packed properly. My dad would always make runs to Walmart to buy warm socks and boots to keep my feet dry, but he never complained, at least I don’t think he did.

The city motto is Feels Like Home… and it always did. I hated leaving my grandparents house every summer. The 6-hour drive home often felt like a drive away from home. If I could relive one moment of my life, I would choose any day out of any one of those summers—a day where I would wake up at 9:00 a.m., and have my granny waiting for me at the dining table, my pawpaw making breakfast in the kitchen, and a Snapple bottle full of milk.

In 2010 my granny was a part of the Canyon population. In 2011 she wasn’t. That was my last summer spent there.

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Happy Epilepsy Awareness Month

About a week ago I wrote a nonfiction essay about the different medications I've had to take to control my seizures.
Here's a little background:
I was diagnosed with epilepsy November of 2013. My first seizure happened while I was working; I was a server at a pizza cafe. I was diagnosed a couple weeks later. I didn't want to take medication at first, because I knew that my body would end up relying on it, but I didn't have a choice, and now I do rely on it. I've gone through three different medications, the first one was the worst one I was on. I'm still taking the second two together every single night.
Here's the essay. Hope y'all like it.

Drug Facts

KEPPRA

Symptoms may include but are not limited to: sleepiness, weakness, dizziness, and irritability. You will experience all of these symptoms. You will not speak to anyone, and when you do it will be curt and annoyed. Your mom will cry because she doesn’t know why you’re so rude, but she does know why, and that makes her cry more.

You will have to quit the dance team because practicing two hours a day at 6:00 a.m. five days a week will take too much of a toll on your mind and body, and you’ll bawl your eyes out when you see the Spring Showcase at the end of the year, because you had to give up something you truly adored.

Your grades will fall because you do nothing but sleep. You won’t be able to help it. Exhaustion will overcome you. You won’t remember you had homework until it’s too late—you’ll get rejected to the first college you apply to.

LAMICTAL

Symptoms may include but are not limited to: tremors, drowsiness, back pain, and sleep problems. You won’t notice these side effects until much later, but they come, and you won’t be surprised. You’ll be happy though, because, unlike the last medication, you won’t feel moody all the time. It will be like stepping out of a bubble. The bubble that you’ve been in for over a year. The one that made your friends go away.

Eventually, you’ll have to increase the dosage, because the twitches won’t go away. They won’t ever go away, but you don’t know that yet.

You’ll probably be on this medication for the rest of your life.

ZONEGRAN

Symptoms may include but are not limited to: loss of appetite, loss of coordination, drowsiness, and headaches. The headaches won’t be much of an issue, but you’ll start to notice other things. You won’t know whether it’s from the medication itself or from the epilepsy. You won’t care. You’ll just hope the combination of this drug with the one you’re on now will actually work. It will.

You’ll go over three years without a seizure. Technically, your doctor can try to take you off the medicine if you go over three years seizure free, but you’ll be too scared to stop taking it. You know it’s a crutch, one you might not be able to live without. You’ll purposefully miss a dose every now and then to see what would happen. The next day the twitches get worse, and you’ll be embarrassed when someone notices it, and you will pretend like you can’t see their face change when they do notice it.

And you’re back popping pills that same night.

The day of my first seizure ☮

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As Promised

Here is a nonfiction essay that I wrote. This essay is a "collage essay" because it is made up of different sections that, when put together, create the theme of the essay. Another great collage essay is Ira Sukrugruang's "Loose Interpretations of the Dreams You've Had During Naps in Thailand While Your Mom Listens to Buddhist Sermons About Suffering"

Enjoy.

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