Time Marches On...

Wow, March already... Spring Break will finally be arriving next week (much to my relief), but I do have a couple of things to finish before class tonight... and a lot of things that I want to try to steamroll through before the end of break (can we say: "Getting ahead of the curve"?) so I will still be busy in a lotof respects...

Script Frenzy is supposed tobe kicking off in a couple of weeks... I signed up back in November about possibly being a Local Moderator (sorry, Municipal Liason), but have yet to hear anything since... While I'm itching to do it, I don't think I'll be too disappointed if they have forgotten... but I do still plan on working on a script (which reminds me... I need to start putting my notes together, actually on paper...)

Which reminds me of something else... (stream of conciousness is cool stuff, eh?) There is a "Directed Readings/Special Topics" type class that is planned for the fall, that I plan on registering for. The plan (as has recently been distributed within the department) is "Writing the Short Novel" - with a focus on planning and writing a "short novel" in conjunction with NaNoWriMo... The idea (output quantity) has me a little nervous at the moment (based on my past experiences), but excited at the same time. Personally, I'm looking more forward to the "planning" side, since that's generally been where my past experiences have broken down - I've either had a rough idea but no formal order to the work, or I have an outline for the story but no other details worked out (character details, geography, etc.). I don't think I'll have too much of a problem putting words on paper, if I can give myself a good enough foundation that I can then get out of my own way (instead of tripping over myself).

Now, to the main reason for starting this post... I have to do an interview with a "local writer" as part of the requirements for the Research class. The assignment's focus is geared more towards understanding and exploring the use of research in a creative writing project, generally using one of "their" works as a starting point for consideration and common point of reference.

When it was first proposed earlier in the semester, I knew that I didn't want to do anyone from my campus. I have had several of them as instructors before, and I wanted something that would be a clean slate, and a new set of perspectives... and a way to do a little networking. I looked atsome ofthe campuses that were suggested, and found a couple of names at the UNC-Wilmington campus that stood out, but one in particular.

I decided that I would go ahead and go "all-in" and set my sights on the biggest name (read: publishing credits and sales volume) that I could get access to, and I heard back from him over this past weekend. I will be meeting and interviewing Clyde Edgerton. Dates are still being ironed out, and I am already thinking up several questions for the battery that I want to ask - but not just about research. I hope to work towards touching on several parts of the writing process as well ("research" from a different angle - in tracking down agents, publishers, publishing opportunities, etc.). This may actually be a chance to tie in my "Teaching" class as well, on a tangental thread of questions.

I'll report back on how things go, but that's one of my missions over the next couple of weeks - and one that is definitely higher on the importance list for me...