Mood:
rushedTopic: Writing
It's been a little while since I filled you in on my writing world. I started off 2010 with a promise to write more, and that I have done. I'm still keeping up with this blog, writing for my job, doing lots of freelance, and still trying to get grips on my memoir.
But I have a confession to make—my memoir isn't where I wish I was. And that, my friends, has a simple explanation. I have put myself on the back burner. Well, kind of.
I have heard that writing is like prostitution—first, you do it for love, then, you do it for friends, but in end, it's just for money. Right now, amidst a severe budget crisis, I am doing it for the money. And writing a memoir isn't making me money. I have been putting work first, writing as much as I can, to not only prove my worth, but to fill my portfolio in case I find myself looking for work soon. I have nearly drowned in my freelance assignments—in April, I will have two stories in House & Home Magazine, instead of my usual one. And I will also begin work at another local magazine; my assignment is to be determined.
Between all that, I've been making pitches to other publications, trying to make an extra dollar (Dear The Frisky, please hear my cry). Of course, I love writing. This is not a chance for me to complain, but simply fill you in on what I actually do—you know I read, cook, bake, drink heavily, and watch television. But I spend a majority of my life writing.
Lately, it's been hard for me to find things to even blog about because my life has dwindled to simple survival—making money, then putting it into savings. Nights out are very rare (maybe once a month), nights in are nearly pathetic. I don't know what many of you like to read in my blog (I get lots of notes about the Real World recaps), but sometimes I've got to do the housecleaning and impress the outsiders—so I write about writing.
So today, I wanted to take some time to look back on some features I've written for LSU this year, mainly because in only two months, I've met some amazing students.
My first story of 2010 fell into my lap when a colleague sent me an e-mail about a student, Vashti. Vashti gave birth to her son during her senior year of high school. Having to work to take care of him, she never thought of going to college, so she graduated from high school and went straight into the work force. Her parents pushed her to seek higher education, so she enrolled in the community college. There, she succeeded in her first semester before she found out more information about transferring to LSU. Of course, she was accepted and landed herself a spot in a service-learning course. As part of the class, Vashti was required to visit a local elementary school each week and spend time reading with a student. Her experience was so enlightening, she enrolled in another class with a service-learning component. This time, she worked with women living in a battered women's shelter. Now, Vashti's son is 5 years old. She is a senior, set to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She is looking to get her master's from LSU afterward.
When I heard Vashti's story, I was touched. Here was a woman raising a child, going to school, working, dating, AND doing community service. Wow! On paper, she's outstanding. In real life, what a breath of fresh air. Vashti arrived at our offices for a photo shoot on one of the coldest days of the year, and stood outside for the pictures we needed. She is one of the most cheerful, optimistic people I've met in a long time.
When her story when live on the Web site, we got many e-malis from her friends saying what a delight she is. Even people who didn't know her wrote in to say how emotional the story was. But when her story began to fade from the Web site, I found out something more telling—a week after we met, Vashti's house burned to ashes. Nothing was spared, except for her and her son's lives.
I ran into Vashti days later. If I hadn't heard about the fire, I sure wouldn't have known about it then. She was still the same girl, as happy as could be. I expressed my condolences and she merely said, "well, at least no one was hurt."
After Vashti's story, I wrote on Academic Programs Abroad's Study Abroad Fair; students get a chance to meet professors and find out information about studying overseas. Next, I interviewed and wrote about LSU alumnus and Emmy-award winning director Robert Zimmerman as he mentored LSU students for their Forever LSU Campaign videos. I then wrote a feature on something many in the LSU community didn't know about—the LSU Fishing team.
Monday, another one of my stories will go live. That would be the story of Sgt. Brad McKee and his Disposable Heroes Project. McKee graduated high school and wanted to go to college like everyone else. But once he got into the classroom, he felt he wasn't serving his country the way many other men and women were in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, without consulting anyone, McKee signed up for the Marines. Since then, he's served in Iraq twice as a sniper. When he left Iraq the second time, he told himself if he got back to the states he would make a promise to continue to serve those who've served him. Shortly after his return, he enrolled in classes at LSU. He then saw a news story on a man who'd injured his legs from an IED—yet this man had just run 100 miles in one day, raising money for wounded soldiers. The light bulb burned bright, McKee would run a 100-mile ultramarathon to raise money for wounded warriors and their families.
So in April, McKee will host the marathon. He has invited anyone who has served to run with him. The ironic part is...McKee told me he hasn't run more than 10 consecutive miles in his life. He said he doesn't care if he's walking, limping, or crawling, he will always be moving forward to finish the race.
Talk about motivation, right? It's one of the more incredible stories I've heard and really felt the pressure to make it as great written as it is to hear. Makes me feel kind of wrong for that prostitution comment I said earlier. Eh, well, here's to writing more great stories this year, well for love, or just for the money.
