The end is in sight - an OU update

 

Hi folks! Now the mad frenzy which is the A-Z Challenge is over, it's time to try and get back to something resembling normality.

My Open University studies have been continuing in earnest, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. We're one week away from the deadline for the final assignment, and I feel I'm in that exam delirium where you're frantically trying to cram as much revision into your brain as you can, and as a consequence I'm in a constant out of body experience. It's fun, but only for a short time.

There is no exam for this course though, just a 4000 word short story to be sent alongside a commentary on how we feel the whole thing has gone. My story has been taking shape nicely, but it has been a hurdle to get to the 4000 word mark. I've never completed anything this long before, but its actually quite exhilarating. I'm excited at how I've been focused to push myself, to write things I didn't even know I had in me.

I've really enjoyed writing this story, and I'm keen to submit it somewhere after my studies are done. I may as well, right, after putting all this effort in. It's been up and down, I've lost faith in where the story was going, only to be drawn back into it after working through the kinks. It's been a huge reminder of why I Iike writing so much, and why I got into it in the first place.

I just need to get over this final stretch with my editing cap on, and then I can enjoy the summer sunshine until I start all over again in October.

Almost caught up!

OK, so we're one week past deadline day for my third assignment, and I carried on true to form and submitted about two hours before the final hour passed. All my good intentions of spending the whole week on it went out the window, but I did a reasonable job on it I think. I'll have to wait until next week for the result, and I think this one will determine if it's still possible to get the Distinction I've been aiming for. Fingers crossed then!

In the last two weeks I've managed to do a lot of catching up, and I'm now only one week behind. Yippee! Admittedly, I did skim read a lot of it, and was pretty selective about which activities I did, but I can always go back over it if I need to. I enjoy doing the activities, I've been producing lots of material that can be put to good use in the future, but sometimes time just doesn't give me the luxury. They're my course books now though, so I can go back to them whenever I want :-)

I'm excited about the next assignment, we're putting together our proposal for the 4000 word short story that is due for the End of Module Assessment. I've never written anything as long as this before, so I'm looking forward to stretching myself a bit. I've got an idea in mind for it, I just need to work out the details and see if it fits the length requirements.

Right then, time to hit the books I guess. I better make a cup of tea first though ...

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Falling behind, always behind ...

  

Hi folks! I hope you're all enjoying your January so far.

I'm just dropping in with a little update on how my Open University studies are going.

I'm just over half way through an English Literature degree with some Creative Writing components. I'm in my fourth year out of six, studying a level 3 advanced creative writing course. 

It's been a bit of a rush the last couple of months, and I've been doing the bare minimum to get through my assignments. This is far from ideal I know, but with so many things getting in the way I just seem to fall further and further behind. The last time I checked (and I try not to because it frightens me) I was six weeks behind with my course reading. 

I have managed to get my first two assignments in on time, and I've been amazed at the scores, both only a few marks short of a distinction. I did them both at the very last minute, too, writing right up until the last few hours of deadline day. It does make me wonder just what I could achieve if I actually did the reading properly and gave myself plenty of time for the assignments!

Assignment 3 is due in next Monday and I've made a tentative start. We are critiquing each others work and commenting on the discussions involved. It seems fairly straightforward, so hopefully if I devote this week to it I should come in with another good mark. It's a bit scary critiquing other people's work though, particularly as I will be seeing them next weekend at a tutorial!

My aim over the next couple of weeks is to get caught up properly on the reading and get back on track, rather than continually playing catchup. Oh, and scheduling in proper time for the assignments.

Wish me luck!

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What's Up Wednesday - 18th September

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What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow . It's a brilliant way to tell the bloggy world what you're up to, in both reading and writing and anything else that's going on for you.

It's broken down into four headings:

                    1. What I'm reading
                    2. What I'm writing
                    3. What else I've been up to
                    4. What inspires me right now
 

What are you waiting for? Head on over to join in!
                                              

                  

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What I'm reading:

 

I'm currently re-reading my way through the wonderful 13th Floor Series by Christine Rains.

She's having a month long blog tour in October to celebrate the release of her stories in one collection, and to join in the celebrations I've been giving my thoughts on each story in the series as part of my new 'Book Thoughts on Thursday' feature.

 

http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.co.uk/

 

What I'm writing: 

 

writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.co.uk

 

I've been working on a piece of flash fiction that will feature in the next installment of Write ... Edit ... Publish. 

This is a monthly hop with a different theme each month. This months theme is 'Moving On', and those of us already signed up will be posting this Friday, 20th September. 

It's not too late to join in, so head on over to sign up yourself! 

 

 

 

What else I've been up to:

 

notboxed.com

 

 

My new course materials arrived last week for my first creative writing course with the Open University. I've enjoyed having the rest from study over the summer and I'm now ready to get back into it. 

As soon as the parcel arrived I sat straight down with my books, schedule and diary to mark out all the important dates for the assignments and End of Course Assessment. No exam this time! 

 

 

 

 

 

What inspires me right now:

 

I know the start date isn't officially until 5th October, but I've made a tentative start on the course book. It's kick-started my freewriting habit and introduced me to clustering as well. Clustering is a lot like mind maps, with a key word in the middle of the page, from which you branch off different ideas as they present themselves.

I've never tried this technique before, but I find I'm quite liking it, and I'm having more ideas than I thought I would. It's definitely inspired me in the writing stakes.

 

 

What have you been up to this week? Read any good books? Have you tried clustering?

 

Happy Wednesday everyone!

 

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