Carol's thread ...

[ginnysthe1]

Hi! Kim here. Is this a private conversation or can anyone join 
in...? ;-)  This was an interesting thread and instead of just 
lurking, I thought I'd add my two cents in case anyone was still 
listening...

Carol wrote earlier:
>A Marketing major with a Lit minor might not be bad--one for the job 
opportunities and the other for cultural and intellectual 
enrichment. . . . "<

Luna replied:
>Yes, excellent idea ... Marketing major with a Lit minor.  I just 
did it all wrong when I went to school ... I let life interfere 
rather than staying focused on finishing my education. <snip>  I 
wonder if I could get my Masters in Lit?  Hhhmmmmmm ... I could get 
serious about that!  I love to write, but think I'm lousy at it, so 
further education would definitely be in order  :) <

Carol replied:
>I think you need at least a minor in English to get into a masters 
lit program. But if your interest is in creative writing, you *might* 
get into a masters program by submitting a piece of creative writing 
that the faculty member in charge considered promising, but that's a 
long shot. A better bet might be an adult education program in 
creative writing--a lot more fun, a lot less pressure, and a whole 
lot cheaper.  Just a thought, as Steve says.<

Kim's 2 (or maybe it's 22) cents:
After reading Luna's replies and already knowing Carol's posts from 
the HP canon discussion list, I'd venture to say that, college degree 
or not, writers show themselves, whether they realize it or not! As a 
reader, poster, and sometimes "critic" on the HP list, I'd say Luna 
already knows how to put sentences together pretty well.  It was a 
tad sad to read that you think you're lousy at writing -- I'd bet you 
aren't lousy at all, and believing in yourself can be half the 
battle.  I believe in you and I don't even know you :-).   So even if 
you decide to go back to school for a degree in literature, if you 
already love the idea of becoming a writer, whatever kind of writer 
you may become, by all means, go for it now, whenever you find the 
time.  That's what I do, anyway.  It's a great creative outlet if 
nothing else, and you never know where creative outlets can lead...  
Besides, just think of JKR's website or read about her or other 
writers' habits -- you could try something like keeping a little 
notepad and pen in your pocket whenever you can.  If you see 
something that catches your fancy, if an interesting idea comes to 
mind, jot it down.  Come back to it later, read it again, add a 
little here and there, etc.  Pull out your pocket Roget's thesaurus 
to look up different words, pull out your pocket dictionary to look 
up meanings, whatever it takes.  Don't expect too much right away -- 
it's a little bit like planting a seed -- you wouldn't expect it to 
grow into a tree right away, would you.  Your creativity is like a 
seed.

Also you might want to consider some of the *great* writers of all 
times.  Abraham Lincoln, for example (no, I'm not kidding).  He never 
even went to college!  If you can find the Gettysburg Address online, 
you might want to read it as an example of beautiful writing (and 
it's short too).  Maybe not perfect, but very beautiful, IMO.  You 
might look upon Old Abe as an inspiration. 

Of course there are practical aspects to almost any pursuit, so going 
for a degree isn't a bad idea at all, and Carol's suggestion to try 
adult ed. classes is a good one.  You can learn a lot in them.  But 
til you do, why not use the intervening time to "practice"?   My 
guess is that Carol already had a natural talent for writing even 
before she went to university and got her degrees.  If Luna hasn't 
been on the HP canon list and read Carol's posts there yet, she's 
missing something (and hey, I'm not buttering anyone up -- this post 
is essentially anonymous -- I've got nothing to gain or lose). 

Anyhow, maybe you already know all this, so maybe I'm just preaching 
to the choir.  In that case just consider this a letter from 
a "cheerleader."

Cheers, Kim