codecalla

In the fall I may have the opportunity to teach a literature class, for which I am exceedingly grateful and excited.  I’ll have some time to read through the material and plan the scheduled readings and writings.  Usually I teach freshman composition, developmental writing (pre-college level), and a few higher writing courses.  My degrees are in both rhet/comp and literature and liberal studies.  One of the things I loved doing in my literature classes as a student was throw out ideas and see who would shoot them down or start a discussion.  Sometimes the class would get pretty quiet, and I wasn’t sure if the others had read the story or knew what to say.  I hope that I will manage to encourage readings and discussion, which are the most fruitful parts of literature classes.  Discussing the what-ifs and possible meanings, implied and direct, are fascinating.

This coming semester I’ll be teaching Research-based Writing, which should be interesting from the usual fare.  I like expanding my repertoire of classes taught.  It would be amazing if I were gifted with a Creative Writing class; however, I most likely would have to get a published work of renown or get a 3rd MA degree, or rather an MFA.  I’ve one self-published work, that I released most recently.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Protectors-of-Tarith-ebook/dp/B00ARQX63K

The Protectors of Tarith is a fantasy work, with a focus on romance, sword-play, action adventure.  Tully is one of my favorite characters.  I hope that I may tell stories that people will enjoy reading, ideally good stories.  I’ll hone my skills further and learn from my adventures with writing fiction.  Self-publishing is definitely a learning experience.  I’d prefer a traditional publisher, because they often offer more support and editorial guidance, but at least I’m on the path.  If someone reads it and enjoys it, I’ll be satisfied.  (Of the 1.79 million books available from Kindle, my offering is a seagull coasting on the waves of an epic ocean.)

I’m currently working on developing another fantasy novel, for which I developed a synopsis rather quickly.  It’s in the early stages yet.  I have more research to read through during my break and I like to let my brain percolate the ideas a bit.   I’d like to let the characters flesh out a bit more, and give some thought to how I’ll weave the plot together.  I have a lighter course load this semester, so I should have more leeway with developing a solid writing schedule.