I've got all my life to live...

I've survived! I'm almost done with my first week of class (just one more tomorrow), and I have experienced a range of emotions this week: Elation, anxiety, frustration, interest, disgust, confusion, pride, nostalgia... and I could go on. Classes have been really great, although I think that blogging has ruined my writing "etiquette" and so I'll have to brush up on that.
It's been difficult for me to decide what exactly (outside of the academic learning) is interesting me the most. Is it the way that the 18 year old freshman react in class? Or is it the constant connectedness that is apparent all over campus -- iPhones, Laptops, Blackberries?
First, let me say that the second time around is quite different for me. I know what I want to do, I'm very committed and highly motivated. I know that when I was younger, my mind sent was not exactly the same, but SURELY I was never as flippant as the kids in my classes? Right? Why is so cool to spend 7,000+ a year on college, only to slack off and not attend class? I guess I just don't get it.
And moving on... I am ALL for social media. I think it is great. Fantastic, even. Being on twitter has connected me to Charlotte in a way that is mind blowing. Pretty much everything I know about Charlotte now comes from twitter. I follow interesting people, and have actually managed to make friends with a few people, just by "tweeting" at them. Very cool. But when is it too much? When are we crossing the line of "acceptable, informing communication" into "self-obsessed, absurd vanity"? The only thing I can keep thinking is Narcissus. When will this happen to us? One day, when the phone breaks or we're out of service range on vacation, how will we react? Will we take the sword and end it all, simply because we have no access to this wonderful reflection of ourselves? Ok, it's dramatic but, honestly, how far is it from the truth?

Truer Words...

One of the frustrating things about writing is that I will have the best ideas when I am not in a position to write something down, and then I'll forget about it later. Sometimes I feel like these nuggets that get away from me are the very reason why I get stuck. If I could just hang on to these tidbits my writing would be increasingly more productive, although this could just be lie I'm telling myself to make up for the fact that I have been sucking at writing anything decent lately. Just this morning I had a thought and managed to get it on my notepad in my cell phone -- prompting me to consider the need for a tape recorder, however lame that may be. It's much faster and more convenient to speak the words, even if it is only a thought or a fragment, then it is to carry around the essentials for writing.

As anyone who is a writer knows, you can't force yourself to write well, and once you try it's all over. Inspiration comes at 2am when the rest of the world is sleeping, or in moments that others view as difficult or ugly, but we as writers view as inspiring and true. That is what kind of writer I feel that I am (or that I want to be) -- a truth writer. And not to say that everything I write is real, but I want there to be an element that people can read and think "I know exactly how that feels". I want to capture the moments that seem mundane and make them memorable. I want to help people realize the intricacy of everyday life, the beauty that emerges from the pain and the depths to which they themselves are capable of discovering.