The one with a plane ticket

Official. It's a word I've been throwing around for months now with a smile and a shrug. "Oh yeah, I'm going to spend a year in Korea. No big deal." When I stumbled on the idea that I could teach and travel, it seemed too wonderfully adventurous to be true. Get paid? To travel and teach?

Inconceivable!

And yet, yesterday I picked up my visa, the last step after six months of arduous paperwork.

 Me, elated but terrified on the elevator ride down:

So what am I inclined to say now? It's official. I have my plane ticket, my visa, my wardrobe, and everything else I won't be able to find in Korea for a year (plus some pencils/stickers for my students). I have approximately ten days to cram my life into two suitcases, and shove as much knowledge of the Korean language as I can into my memory. I can already tell my first few months aren't going to be overly eloquent in the way of linguistic exchange.

Whether I feel ready or not, it's almost time to travel 6500 miles in fourteen hours, and immerse myself in a culture very, very different from my own.

 I quit my job at Chipotle over a month ago now, and I am more than ready to get back to work. I feel like I've been stuck in an interminable summer vacation that has long since lost its shine. But as official as everything is, I still can't believe it's happening. I think traveling is a tricky beast, in that it doesn't feel real until you're there. I've been blessed in my life to travel to a fair amount of places. I still feel completely unprepared, even though I've been to South Korea (and the town I'll be staying in) before.

 It comes in waves, this knowledge of how strange my life is about to become. Sometimes I feel elated about it. After all, I've always been the type to get antsy after a few years of living in the same place. I like change, crave it the way I crave autumn after summer. I'm excited to actually be using my degree as well. So many people have told me stories of having to settle for jobs they didn't really want, or careers that led them away from their passion and/or what they studied in college. I love English, both language and literature. I've had fun during the few experiences I've had teaching. I basically won the lottery of jobs, as far as I'm concerned.

 Sometimes though, I feel terror, heavy and dark in my stomach. I barely know a few words of the language, the culture barrier is intimidating, and I like my friends. It takes years to make the kind of relationships I'm lucky enough to have, and I'm terrified that it'll take less than a year to ruin them. Also I don't like being alone.

As a Gryffindor, a Leo, and extrovert, I prefer to have people around, people I can connect to. As crowded as South Korea is, I'm sure I'll get lonely. Even if I'm prepared. Even if I'm having the best time of my life. Even if I make wonderful friends there (which I totally plan to do). I have made minor preparations for that inevitability with my DVD collection: Lilo and Stitch. It's a movie that makes me feel happy whenever I watch it, and (added bonus) it's a crier, so I won't feel guilty bursting into tears in the middle of it! I'll also have pictures of all the fine, lovely people in my life. And a stuffed animal (it'll fit in my suitcase if it's the last thing I do). Music is probably going to be what saves me, in the end. As long as I have the perfect song to start my day, life is generally good. 

This post wasn't meant to sound so pessimistic. I'm excited to travel. I want my life to be one big adventure. I want to learn new things and meet new people. This will be good. This will be wonderful and amazing, and yes, perhaps frustrating at times. But it will be good.

An Announcement of Sorts

It’s official. After at least seven months of daydreaming, five months of paperwork, four months of (sort of) studying Korean, and three months working in fast food to save up a bit of dough, I’m going to Korea. I have a little over a month left, but no more time to deliberate. If there ever was an option to back out, that option has left the building.

Which is not to say that I want to back out. I don’t. But to say that all I feel is elation and excitement would be a complete and utter lie.

I can’t honestly tell you how I feel about it, mostly because I don’t know. It’s hard to pin down the exact emotions running through me. Some days I’m terrified. My skin crawls at the degree of unfamiliarity and the plethora of awkward moments that surely await me. Traveling fourteen hours away to a country whose language I am not that familiar with is going to be difficult. Add on the fact that I’ll be completely alone, and yes, I may be quivering in my boots.

However.

The idea of going somewhere new, meeting new people, teaching English and trying new things is absolutely intoxicating. As many risks as I’m taking, they’re nothing compared to everything good that can happen. I’m beyond excited about this. And I can’t believe I was lucky enough to stumble into this career.

The Details: I’ll be teaching English as a foreign language in Cheonan, South Korea from around the 15 of October, 2011 to the 14 of October, 2012. So I’ll get home a few months before the world is due to end, I guess. I’ll be one of two foreign teachers at the school. My students’ ages range from 7-15, though I’ll only have one class of high school kids. I will teach five classes a day, starting at 4pm.

Yes, I’ll be able to stay on my creepy nocturnal schedule (win).



The Plan: I’m leaving for Texas on the 19 of September for two weeks. Then I’ll be back in Milwaukee for a few days. After that, I’ll be in Chicago on my friend’s couch until I leave from O’Hare. Then the work starts. Don't worry. I'm ready. I bought enough motivational stickers for the next decade of teachers.

I will be blogging regularly, though the posts no doubt will focus more on my crazy new life than writing. I will still write. Of course.

If you want to keep in touch, make sure and get a Skype account, since it’s free and convenient and such. My Skype ID is: kirabell1989, in case you’re wondering.

And now, music! I got to see these guys live at summerfest, and they were absolutely amazing.

Limbo

I'm in limbo right now. It's terrible, and confusing. I'm not a college student (finished last week. WOO!), but I don't graduate until this Saturday. I have one job (in publishing. What?) secured, while another depends on a mountain of red tape and paperwork. My wardrobe is half college, half high school, no business. That last one is just a matter of my obstinate avoidance of slacks and button up tops, but still. Limbo. Population: me.

It's one of those turning points in life, except now nothing is certain. For my whole life, I've had a plan: learn to walk, figure out how to ride my bike, wait for the next Harry Potter book, get to high school, write, get to college, write.

For the first time in my life, I don't have a plan for the next four or so years of my life. It's terrifying, but exhilarating. I know that it's dangerous to write about "real life" beginning, because when does real life begin? I've been living real life in its various stages for 21 years, so this certainly isn't a plunge into real life. It's no more solid than anything else I've lived. But maybe, maybe it's a matter of throwing away the map. Having no GPS, so to speak. Just staring down the road with a vague idea of where I want to go, and a hope that I can drive myself there with my own sense of direction.

Wow. That metaphor fails. Who drives without a map? Ok. Let's say my sense of direction is the North Star. How about that? That makes it a little better.

But I digress.

I suppose I can't complain about monotony. In all likelihood, by September I'll be on another continent, speaking another language, typing madly away at query letters and blogs, working to better the world through promoting literacy in its various forms.

Which is my major epiphany of the past few months, by the way.

I want to spend my life bettering the world through promoting literacy! I've sort of known this for a while, but all of my career aspirations have honed in on it in a way my brain never did: teaching English, working in publishing, writing novels.

Brain: "Duh, Kira. Duh."

Me: "Don't be mean. College ruined my common sense."

There is so much I could write about right now, so I apologize for this vague, rant-filled post. Upcoming blog posts include (but are not limited to):

1) My epic road trip to House on the Rock (and how Neil Gaiman completely inspired it).

2) Printer's Row, Sears Tower (No, NOT Willis Tower), and Divergent.

3) Editing my baby (and how I'm still in love with it after all this time).

4) Stephen Colbert's epic commencement speech of epicness. I just picked up my cap and gown today, so I feel a little awestruck at the moment.

5) The benefits and downfalls of fanfiction.

6) Titles of books (why they change, and why they matter).

7) Why no one should live with their parents after graduating college unless they're willing to suffer the consequences (whoops. Not a blog post topic. Just a frustrating rant you should pray I don't put here).

So there's some goodness coming up. I hope. I think.

In the meantime, here's some jam music to keep you busy. If you've read Morgantown (or as it's called now, ANIMUS), this is what someone recently told me is Derrick's themesong. So clearly that makes me happy:

Neil Gaiman!

Guys. I saw Neil Gaiman. THE Neil Gaiman. In Person. It was awesome.

If you don't know who he is, get in your car, drive to the nearest bookstore, and pick up Neverwhere. Read it. I'll wait. Done yet? Good.

Or check out The Graveyard Book, one of his other wonderful works:



Also, check out his story, "Bitter Grounds." It's one of about a thousand short stories he's written. I know, approximations and such.

And look! He's in Arthur!



HE'S SO AMAZING OH MY GOD I LOVE HIM.

I saw him at the Chicago Public Library for a talk on his book, Neverwhere, which was chosen for this year's One Book One Chicago selection. Pretty sweet. Met some awesome people, including a British physics know-how (or some other intense science. I get them confused), and two amazing NU students intent on figuring out what Neil Gaiman was doing in their falafal (watch the Arthur episode. Just do it). Anyways, this was on April 12, and as you can see, it's May. What happened? you may ask. Why did it take so long to write this?

Add one part lazy and two parts senior year. You'll have an excuse cocktail, straight from me to you. Drink it down.

Anyways, he had a lot to say, and once I'd calmed down after shaking his hand, I figured that I should try to share a few gems.

First of all, here are some Instructions, just in case you ever need them:



Now that you know what to do, let's do some quotes:

"Good fantasy novels always begin with a map." In the beginning of Neverwhere, there's a cool map of the London Underground, complete with tunnels that have been shut down for years.

When asked about having his books taught in college classes:

"You should have safely been dead a long time before people start teaching you in University."

On Writing:

"Collaboration creates a palpable audience." He was talking about Good Omens, which he co-authored with Terry Pratchett. It's about the apocalypse.

"I see things in my head and try to describe the things I'm seeing." I think this really helps to explain the wide range of art he's done. Neil Gaiman has written movies, music, episodes of TV shows, books, graphic novels, and picture books. It's pretty inspiring to see the different mediums other writers have delved into.

"Embrace your typos." This was probably the most interesting writing-related thing he said. Apparently, he was writing a letter to his friend, Caroline, and he accidentally wrote Coraline. This name sparked the idea for his book (and the movie adaption, of course), Coraline. If you haven't seen it- well, you know the drill.

Neil Gaiman also doesn't believe in writers block. "Writers claim writers block, but mostly we're just stuck, which is different from writers block." He says to stop writing when this happens, put it away for a while (like a week), then print it out. One important aspect of writing is being able to read your work like a reader. There are bad writing days for every writer, though. Days when you sit down to write, but "the little gods of writing hate you." Neil says to trudge onwards. It's easy to fix the bad stuff.

The conversation eventually took a turn towards American Gods:

"In England, you can find whatever you're looking for. You just need to go back far enough. In America, you can find whatever you're looking for. You just have to drive long enough."

He's wise. No joke, I'm heading to House on the Rock in a few weeks (google it. It's a riot), which as you fans out there, is the core location for another famous novel of his, American Gods.

He went into further detail about House on the Rock, saying, "it's like being handed a giant crosswaord puzzle, with all the clues in a foreign language." It's a pretty trippy place, from what I've seen thus far. He said he asked, "Dear God Why?" And that's where the book started, trying to answer that question.

Be warned, though. American Gods is not a book for kids. "Maybe the extreme violence and peculiar sex will keep kids reading, but mostly I think it'll bore them." Ha.

Anyways, I was floored by the whole talk. I got to shake his hand, and (through hours of slave labor on his part) I bought one of the many signed books sold outside. I got The Graveyard Book, in case you're curious. Haven't been able to read it yet, though. Senior year and all. But come summer, I am going to finish each and every book in my... three to-be-read piles. Don't judge, guys.

Here's to Hoping

I have a good reason for not posting in a while, guys.

Ok.

No, I don't.

BUT, there have been some life plan changes, so let's have a chat. Pull up a chair. Can I offer you some tea? Lovely haircut, by the way.

I stumbled on a new career idea over break, and it took hold of me. So now I'm possessed. Completely. I love it. But this is the middle of the story, so let me start at the beginning.

As a Senior in college, I've been interrogated this year. INTERROGATED. By everyone around me. My parents, grandparents, my friends' parents, my parents' friends, every member of my family I talk to. EVERYONE. Which is to be expected. Not that I like it, but they really do just want to know about what I'm doing, and I appreciate that they care. But.

But.

I didn't know. I had NO IDEA what I was going to do. Sure, I had some awesome desire to sail a ship across the seas, but I didn't get into the training program. I wanted to hang out in New York and try my hand at publishing. But my casual approach to the career is a clear enough indication that it's not for me. Obviously, I want to be a writer, and while I've been writing like a fiend (come this Friday I will have three polished short stories, one of which will be in a contest), it's not something I can support myself with. At least, not yet.

Cut to spring break, the plentiful time of much internet surfing. I stumbled on a travel website, and on that website I stumbled on a blog. A girl from Canada just picked up and left to teach English in Thailand.

Say WHAT?

She just packed her things, no certificate, no experience (ok, I'm not sure on this one, but let's just assume?), and LOVED IT. Then she went to Istanbul. Then she went to South Korea.

So I researched. Oh lord, did I research. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (or TEFL/TESL, as the insiders call it) is actually growing as a career lately. With an English major, I'm kind of primed for this line of work. And I fell in love with the idea. Unfortunately, I have so many student loans that I'm limited to a precious few countries who see fit to pay a generous amount. South Korea and Thailand (not sure on that second one). But still. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?

Too amazing. That's how.

So now I'm changing my resume to reflect my few experiences with teaching, and writing a cover letter to appeal to the good employers of South Korea. Then it's off to Asia, if all goes well. Obviously there are steps I have to take, things I must learn, but holycrapI'msoexcitedIcan'tevenexplainit.

This is perfect.

So if I go, this blog will still happen. But it won't just be about writing any more. It'll be a travel blog as well. So. I hope you guys are up for that. I know I am.

Just a little eye candy:




And a few travel quotes to rev up the excitement!

Stolen from Dybek: Words are Important!

No but really, they are.

We spent a long time in class talking about words, and Professor Dybek brought up something that may or may not be a fairly obvious point:

"A writer should always want every word he or she writes to be important."


True. While the comment has its merit, and we all know that sometimes we must kill our darlings if they aren't absolutely essential to our story, it's a bit... obvious, no?

But then he went on to talk about the focus points, which I believe are less obvious. Let's talk about them, shall we?

1) First line

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Come now, dear reader. I haven't actually read A Tale of Two Cities, but I'm painfully aware of this first line. It's good. Like, really good. And distinctive. A first line can hook your reader in, or turn them off completely to the idea of your book. A first line can make a reader forgive a slow beginning. A first line, in other words, can work wonders.

I think this also connects to the idea of first impressions. You never get a second chance, do you? Think of your first line as introducing your book to your reader. Don't worry, though. Your betas/critique group will let you know whether or not it works.

If only our friends could fix first impressions in real life...

2) Last line

Less important than the first line, I think, but that's just me. It is still important though. If written correctly, it will resonate with your reader. It will help your story stick with them long after they've set it down.

"All was well."

Whether or not you liked the controversial epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I'm pretty sure this last line is the epic punchline of the entire series. It sure as hell stuck with me.

If you mess up your last line, it might not do much to hinder your story. But (and this goes especially to short stories) it could throw off the entire thing. Be careful.

3) The Big Kahuna: Titles

See what I did there? That may not be a shining example of a GOOD title, but it's the first thing a reader will see when surveying your book, and it is often the deciding factor (along with the font, and cover design. Let's face it, we all judge books by their covers).

Titles are both ridiculously fun and ridiculously frustrating. Sometimes I have a lot of fun playing around with them, trying out the effect they have on the story's overall mood. Dybek said "The title of a story has a direct effect on the author and how they write it." Agreed, Professor. Agreed. A story needs a title, and even if you prefer to wait until it's done to name it, the title NEEDS to be there, on the cover or at the top.

Which is where coming up with a title can turn into a horrific mess. Did you know that Stephanie Meyer wanted to call her vampire book "Forks" for a long time? Yeah. Bad idea. My first Book is still titled for the city it takes place in. Also lame. It can be hard to come up with a good title so here are some tips:

a) Look around for main themes or recurring words (besides I, And, and It) in your manuscript. If it's not good enough for a title, it can at least be a starting point.

b) Do some free writing. List words even minutely related to your book. They can be characters' names, major plot points, etc.

c) Ask your beta readers for help! Sometimes all it takes for a good title is another mind in the mix. Bounce ideas around. Wine helps (but only if you're 21!). Trust me.


That's all, folks!

Remember: Words are important. Some more than others.

Why Not Make Out?

In my writing class, we just read a short story that ended with two characters making out in midair. Plot aside, some people took issue with it. Why were they in midair? Why didn't they care more that they were floating? What prompted the floating? What prompted the kissing, and the touching, and the feeling?

My teacher had a gem of an explanation:

"If you're gonna float, you might as well make out."


I have to agree. I think this quote lends itself more to writing advice than one might think. It ties into non-realistic fiction more so than literary fiction, though. Despite the tireless care a writer must take in making every word, every comma, every gesture count towards the story, sometimes it's just fun to think about a heavy make out session in midair.

There are so many bits of fiction that, while not exactly imperative to the story, add to the fun and feeling. Was most of the Quidditch in Harry Potter imperative to Rowling's overall narrative? No. But it was hella fun, and it dragged us further into her world. Was it really important for Collins to describe the endless clothes and dresses Cinna forced Kat into in The Hunger Games? Absolutely not, but it DID help, in some non-official way.

I don't think this will be in a lot of writing manuals, I think, but sometimes it's completely called for to have a scene in which your characters float and make out at the same time. Or something like it.