A Writer's Wanderings

This was one of the few summers that I didn’t really have to do much in terms of school. I’ve tutored the last three summers and I’ve taken a summer class or two. However, the only classes I need in order to get my BA are all upper-division now—and can’t be taken during summer. So, I say all this to make this grand statement: I’ve had nothing to do this summer. I caught up on some reading for pleasure ( The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a great book!), but most of my time during the day was still uneventful. Rather than boring myself to death, I did something I would never imagined I’d do: I started going to the gym. In the beginning, I would go to the gym three days a week, which I thought was more than enough. I followed a full-body routine, and by the end of each workout, I was trenched, tired, fatigued—but I felt good. I kept with this routine for another two weeks before moving on to four days a week.            It wasn’t long before I not...

          It’s fall and we all know what that means… a packed schedule! Between classes, homework, house work, work-work, sleep, family time, and social time, how the heck are we supposed to keep our sanity? Well, I’ve got a few tips on how you can balance your hectic life and even find yourself a little down time!             You’ve probably noticed on social media and at your local stores how much personal planners have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. At just about any home-goods store, you’re bound to find a section dedicated to planners, calendars and to all their accessories. Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, Target, and Tuesday Morning are a just a few stores with pretty impressive personal planner inventories. Using these planners is not only fun, but they’re also linked to better memory formation. According to  Scientific American , reading from paper media results in better content recall than readi...

Whether you are a high school student or a community college student, transferring to a four-year university can be a big change -- especially the difficulty of the classes. English can be one of the toughest subjects to adapt to when it comes to transferring, so I have compiled a list of ways you can better prepare yourself for the changes ahead! Read as much as possible! The first step to becoming a well-versed writer is reading. All the time. Constantly. Reading is the most important step to understanding how the English language works in new and exciting ways. The more you read, the more your brain will pick up, and the easier it will be to write. Write as much as possible! After reading, writing is also an essential step to developing your English skills. It seems pretty obvious when stated out loud -- to become a better writer you must actually write -- but you would be surprised at what an obstacle this can be! It is much easier to take a passive approach and simply hope...

During this time of year, people begin to travel or go to the beach and spend more time with friends and family; for others, they are finally able to dive deep into their creativity and write a poem or a short story—or even a novel! Nonetheless, this is your time to relax—and however way you like to spend your summer, going to the theater and watching a good movie is always something fun to do, and luckily this is another stacked year for motion pictures. These are some flicks to check out next time you’re at the movies: ·          Hereditary : We’re halfway through 2018, but Ari Aster’s supernatural horror film is already hailed as the scariest movie of the year and, according to some critics, the scariest film since The Exorcist ! I found this film to have a nice slow and gradual pace, which builds up to a truly suspenseful and intense climax. The conclusion of the film is arguably one of the most controversial endings in recent memory—...

I wrote a poem one day. I thought it would take a long time to think up an idea and write it, but it didn’t. I learned something from that encounter. Here’s the secret, you don’t necessarily need creativity to whack you in the face to start writing something. Really! The poem I wrote was literally about me sitting in my living room writing a poem and feeling bad because I wasn’t cleaning my house. That’s a pretty mundane thing to write about, but that’s where creativity is born. Creativity, in my opinion, comes from taking a deeper look at the everyday things in your life. Every person is different, our lives are different, and our views are different. Sometimes, though, it can be tough to write something you think is good. Writer’s block is real and I have experienced it myself. One day, you are writing nonstop and the words come to you so easily, but other days it seems like your mind has built a brick wall between your creativity and your writing. I get you; this happens to all of ...

Are you taking summer classes? Studying abroad? Teaching yourself something new? Trying to get through a mile-long reading list? These are all great feats, especially for a three-month break from school! However, taking a break from things that require high levels of brain power is really important! Blending together high-level and low-level activities during the summer time is important to give your brain a break. If you spend your summer busy and frantic, you might go back to school in the fall feeling like you never even got a break! Here are some tips to keep yourself grounded and balanced during the summertime, while still being able to feel productive. Know your limit when it comes to summer classes!  Summer classes are far more fast-paced than regular college courses, and they expect to fit in an entire semester’s worth of work into 4-6 weeks. The classes are typically scheduled Monday through Thursday for hours at a time, or they are only twice a week in huge f...