In Ten Days, My New Life Starts

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classes, college, fun!, life, now, starting, university

As of August 20th my college life goes into full effect. I will be majoring in English with a concentration on writing and as far as a minor goes, I’m not sure what I will be doing as of yet (Main decisions are Journalism and Marketing). I will have to see what the classes are like before I really decide.

This first semester, I am doing general studies and prerequisites. A couple of them, I absolutely abhor, but I feel that if I get them out of the way now, I will have a much more enjoyable experience during the rest of my college career. It means waiting, but that’s something that I’ll have to learn at some point, right?

The first class I’m taking is English 131, a basic mandatory English course that is the first stepping stone into the writing field. I’m going to enjoy this one I think, but probably not as much as I’m going to enjoy the Creative Writing that I’m going to be taking Junior year.

Next is Speech. Ugh. This is one class that I’m going to hate the most due to my incredible disinterest and fear of getting up in front of people. I hated it in High School and didn’t enjoy it any more by the end of the class than I did in the beginning. But, there is no way that I’m going to be waiting until my final Semester when I’m all burnt out to finish this thing. It’s going to be done now!

Third up is a Literature course in Western Masterpieces. I’m excited about this one, yet a little apprehensive due to the massive amount of reading that I’m going to do. I think some of my hesitant feelings are due to having a college prep class during High School where we were reading a book every other week. I know I can do it, but the amount of time and effort is going to be a challenge. I will be happy to do it, but I know that by the time that it’s finished, I’ll be ready for a break!

The fourth class that I’m taking is Math. More specifically, Algebra and Trigonometry.  Not sure what to think about this class. Never received a grade below a B in a math class, but I have never enjoyed it. We shall see.

And my last class is Astronomy. Don’t know what to think about this one either, but I’m kinda excited about this one, mainly because I love space. I’m curious about how everything works, so this, I think, is going to be a new adventure! Who knows, maybe I’ll find another passion!

All in all, I’m pretty excited for the school year to start! I’ll be busy, but I’m going to be trying to work on my writing as usual. I should be able to post the first chapter of my second draft here in the next few days when I’m happy with it! I would love it if I could get some feedback on it!

Cheers!

Ben.

Aww! Ain’t they right durn prettay!

The Beauty of Nature

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camp, fishing, nature, photographer, photography, photos, pictures, sunset, sunsets

This gallery contains 8 photos.

So these are a few of the pictures that I took while on my vacation over the last week! The …

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College Update, YAY!

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and, college, like, on, stuff, that, update, yeah

(A picture that I took while walking through the local park.)

So! Within the last few weeks since my last post, a lot has happened! I can proudly say that I am well on my way to College and becoming an English major. 🙂 I have finished signing up for classes at SOAR (Student Orientation and Registration) and will just be taking general classes for the first couple of semesters as it turns out. But! I am taking the ones that I will enjoy the least first(Looking at you speech and math), that way when I am approaching my final semester during senior year , I won’t be hating myself for having procrastinated.

Right now, the classes that I am taking are Alg. and Trig., Speech(erg…), (Basic) Eng., Astronomy (One that I’m actually really excited about), and one that I am actually REALLY excited about is Masterpieces of Western History.

The people there are really great and I can not wait until I make new friends over there! 🙂

Anyway, that’s all I have to say on the subject! I’m just really really excited! My book is kind of at a standstill right now, but I’ve been enjoying taking pictures here and there!

Cheers!

Ben

That Phase of My Life Is Now Done

Namely, high school. All my life, or rather most of it, I have been Homeschooled. A couple years of “normal school” have been spattered in among my many years as a homeschooler, but for the most part, I have remained and loved the latter. I know all the connotations that come with being a homeschooler. All the stereotypes and snide remarks have not slid me by. But, thank you to my mother, a wonderful woman by the way, I have now graduated from highschool with honors, a 3.7 GPA and a looming education from the local college.

As you all know (or not?) that I am going to become a Bachelors in English and Writing. I picked the degree because I love reading, I like writing and I really, really, really want to get better at both. I fantasize of becoming a great author one day, but right now, I am content with just living in my own mind within the little spare time that I am granted every day. Nothing gives me greater joy, and though I graduated from High School only two weeks past, I am beyond ready to move on to college and meet all the people there, as well as to learn the first few stages of what is expected to become a writer.

The first couple of years are going to be basic classes and small requirements, but the final two are the ones that will be enamored with all my creative writing courses! Those are by far the classes that I am most excited about. They will let me meet new people and I will be able to be judged on what I love to do best. I know it won’t be pretty the first time ’round, but I will get better and take into account the criticisms that I will be given.

In the mean time, however, I will be working on writing things that I enjoy. I can go to school for years and years and years, and still never really know what is needed to prepare me for what is expected. I realize this, but the connections and the education that I will be receiving will be incredible and I am going to make friends that share the same feelings that I do. Things that are so incredibly exciting!

Bring it on, Life!

——-

As for my other blog, I have a new post there. It’s a shoddy little poem that I wrote a couple years ago, but I would love it if people would take even a glance in its direction.

-Cheers!

Writing Is Coming Along

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about, again, blogging, just not sure yet, on, other, planning, some, things, update, Writing

Slowly but surely, my book is coming along. It’s been pretty hard balancing work, school and editing my book. I’m working about 40 hours a week between the two jobs, and on top of school, which is only a couple days a week, writing has been hard to take a prevalent part of my life. Of course, I have been making time for it, but it’s been harder than before. Once I go back to a part time job and college, things should be a bit different. Maybe not time-wise, but my focuses should be a but different!

Anyway, I have been reading through my first draft, and I must say, not too shabby. Considering most of it was written in a month, with every entry written late at night, powered by coffee. Of course, it’s nothing to sing home about, but it’s definitely better than I had originally thought that it would be. I love the way that I have made the world pretty dark and gruesome, but then at the same time, keeping a few things that are nice about it. I hint at old grandeur fairly often, hinting that there is more to this world than what is immediately apparent. I love the descriptions and the subtle horrors that lie within.

The only thing that I’m not absolutely crazy about, is the way that I present my characters. I don’t think that I go far enough into their heads to where I can make them seem human. It almost seems like they are just cardboard cutouts that move around to these obscenely detailed places, making them do robotic things. At least, that is how it seems in the very beginning. A few chapters in, and I can see that I had been realizing this as I was writing, but had not bothered to go back and fix those problems. The characters start to flesh out later, but I need them to have more motivation and drive in the beginning. That way, I can hook the reader and get them invested into the story.

Not bad, but definitely needs some work. However, I am still really excited about my idea here. The plot has so much potential and I can’t wait until it is polished. I have a good friend reading my first draft, warts and all, just so that she can give me some of her honest opinion.

Before I had handed her the draft, she read the first chapter and loved it. She said that I had a great style with my words and that excited me greatly. We’ll see what else she says about the rest of it.

 

P.S. Still thinking about whether or not I wanna have a blog that is exclusively featuring my writing. Haven’t been able to really think about it.

Busy, busy, busy!

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job, update, Writing

It’s been a little while since I have posted here, and I kind of regret that. I do have a list of excuses, like everyone else would, though I think I’ll spare everyone the agony of having to hear it. I will, however, tell everyone of my new job, my writing, and my experiences thus far.

In my last blog entree, I said that I had been hired at Barnes and Noble. That was a good three weeks ago. (Yeesh! Time flies!) So far, they have had me stay at the register and I have been enjoying that immensely. The people there are so friendly and classy, so it is a complete joy working for them. The job is easy so far and is low-demand. The only thing I have to do is check people out of the store and push deals and sales. It’s not bad, and it’s definitely something that I am good at. I like how everyone there is like-minded and they all have an immense love for books. Feelings that I can share with intense vigor.

Yesterday, they called me and asked if they could train me in other parts of the store, so I’m eagerly looking forward to that! They were saying that it was with Customer Service. Kind of self-explanatory and something that I can easily do, I’m sure.

As for my last job, I had to withdraw my two weeks notice, only because BN had to slash some hours, and because I was new, I was the victim of that. So, I’m working both jobs on top of school, so I’m keeping very busy.

On the writing front, I have begun to re-read my novel. I finished the first draft a little more than a month ago, so it is high time that I go back and revise the thing. I re-read the first chapter, and I will say, it was painful. I had written most of this book in a month. The last bit of it took another 3, so a grand total of four months to finish my first draft which has come in at about 300 pages. Not bad, but the writing right now is really lacking in the coherent level.

However, despite the fact that my book is in shambles, I am incredibly excited to start editing it and get this thing in a readable state. It’s my dream to be an author, so for that to come true, I need to actually sit down and write. Which is something that I dearly love.

 

I believe that is all for now. I’m sorry for the lack of effort put into this post. I’m writing it between work and school, so it is hastily put together. I hope that everyone has a wonderful day. I plan on writing more in the next coming days, not weeks. 🙂

Some Things Just Take Time

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!@!, #new, and, barnes, barnes and noble, books, can't, excited, get, job, love, new job, noble, so, started, to, wait

Well, I had said that I had a new job offer at Barnes and Noble about a week ago and that I had the interview and was waiting for the phone call. I had been stressing all week.

Well, I can stress no more! I received the job and yesterday was my orientation. I start training on Monday and I leave my now old job on April 10th!!! I’m so excited, I can’t express it enough!

If there is one thing that I love in life, as a hobby and a guilty pleasure, it is the existence of books. I love their smell, their feel and especially the stories that hide behind every page. I will never be a complete convert to E-books, even though I have an E-reader now. There is something to be said about the feel and touch of books that makes the story feel that much more alive. Anyway, I have always wanted to work with them. I volunteered at the public library for about two years a few years back and I can say that I am absolutely stoked to leave behind the raw meat business and go back to something that I love.

My bosses at the meat market were not pleased that I was leaving and tried to convince me to work both jobs. But I know that would cause way too much trouble with the schedules and I just want to leave. Nothing against them personally (Not exactly), but books are something that have had main dominance in my heart, not meat. I plan on being an author someday, so it only makes sense!! 🙂

I  can’t wait to get started!!!

Workspace, It’s important.

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desk, I, place, school, where, work, workspace

So this is my work place. Yeah, it’s quite tiny, but I love it. It’s where my mind goes to flourish and make magic happen! I only took a picture of Skyrim’s map because I think that it’s so cool. 😉

New Job? Fingers Are Crossed.

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and, barnes, barnes and nobel, book, books, interview, job, noble, store, stories

Well, this should be interesting for sure.

So, unless you don’t know (most likely you don’t) I work at a meat deli here in the Fort. It’s a small family owned business that serves a wide range of people from some of the wealthiest people in the city, to the poorest. The sane, and the insane.  If I could sum up my job and the kind of business that we get in one word, the word “Circus” comes to mind.

The main reason for this is just the wide range of people that we get. We have people that literally look like they haven’t seen the light of day since they were born, but then others, look as if they had never had any shortage of money. Now, this kind of customer base does offer the advantage of a lack of boredom, but it does offer a bit of stress. I have had the pleasure of waiting on one of the wealthiest men in the city, but then I also had the pleasure of a man that was wanting a ten pound bag of worms for dinner, then ending off the order by telling me to cut off my family members.

Yeah, quite the crowd.

Anyway, I have been there for nearly two years, my boss, needless to say, is a bit on the controlling side. I had originally taken the job so that I could just make money and build up some skill in retail. Now, it’s the time for me to move on. I really, really want to work at a bookstore, always have. Any, really. I love books and my life has pretty much revolved around the little things. Filling my head with people and places that I could never dream to see and struggles that I would never want to happen to me.

Two days ago, though, I was called by Barnes and Noble and yesterday I had the interview. Fingers crossed that I get the job! The interview lasted about 40 minutes and I talked to both managers of the store. They were friendly and very professional, and I enjoyed myself even though I had been stressing about it just before the event.

Here’s to hoping that I get the job there. I think that I would love it there, oh so much. The atmosphere there is fantastic and I would be with the things that I love the most. Books!

It’s Just One Of Those Accomplishments

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book, epic, exciting, finished, first, it's, my, novel, plot, poems, sagas, story, Writing, yeah

As of four nights ago, I officially finished the first draft of my book. The feelings that go through my head are ones that I am not incredibly familiar with. Yes, I have had my fair share of victories and defeats, but this certain victory has left me breathless and in a bit of shock. I still don’t know how to react to it, even a few days after the initial, THE END.

I suppose that I can only summarize it as one of the many milestones that I am going to have to take during my life as a young adult and in many years as an older adult. I honestly didn’t think that this day would come, where, after all the times that I was saying that, “I am writing a book!”, to, where I can say, “I wrote a book!” I have dabbled in creative writing for about 4-5 years, reading and playing with the idea of becoming an author, even attempting the first few chapters of a book. But it wasn’t until about a year ago that I really buckled down and tried it. The first book, I dropped, this one, I have finished the first draft in about four months. Not too shabby, if I must say so.

*Sigh* I’m sure that it’s going to take a bit of time before I can overcome this feeling if disbelief and confidence. I know it’s only uphill from here, though and the trials are only going to get more difficult. It would be nieve of me to think that since I have finished this first step, that I am in the clear.

I’m still not positive what I want to call my book, however. I have two names that I kind of like, but they miss the snazzy catch to them. The first is, “Relance: Shattered” and the second is simply, “Fallen”.

I like these two for different reasons. The first one gives a bit more mystery than the second one does. I mean, when you read it, what goes through your head when you see it? Do you think, “Well, who or what is Relance? What is shattered? Someone’s soul, or is it a world consumed by war? All are things that come to my mind, however, my only gripe with it, is that it is a bit of a mouthful and doesn’t seem to flow very well. That is kind of why I liked Fallen. It’s simple, but it still encompasses the plot of the story fairly well.

My plot is as thus: Four people are living within a world that was incredibly prosperous. (Now ain’t that original!) However, it’s now at the end of it’s life and is in a slow decay. The gods that had ruled the four cities that are in the world had succumbed to their selfish desires and were thrown into a deep sleep. Well, without their gods to rule them, the people fell into decay as well. All of which turned into their own monsters. The cities took on personalities of their own and are now slowly falling apart. The four main characters have been spared from the fate of the denizens of the world for reasons that they are not aware of.

I took the idea of the four apocalyptic horsemen and made a bit of a twist on them in terms of how the people in the cities suffered. I think that it creates a real dire situation, but one that is also exciting and compelling. The characters are separated and are told from parallel story-lines. I think what keeps them linked together through their trials and sufferings is what really makes the story something worthwhile.

Now, I won’t go into all the details of how I made the theme of the four apocalyptic horsemen into something original, but when people read it, I think that they will be pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, what are everyone’s thoughts? Have any of you ever had accomplishments that have left you in a state of disbelief? If so, what were they?