In which Monica enters college.

So. College.

Yeah.

Um...

I have literally no idea what I'm doing.

You?

YES, ME. Being a freshman is hard. I have no idea what to expect. Things are awkward half the time because practically everyone is a stranger. It's this bizarre mix of exciting, terrible, stressful, and fun, all at the same time. Fortunately for me, I have Ally from Charlie and Me as a roommate, which means that we don't fight over house rules or boys or muffins.

We also back each other up during awkward or difficult moments.

Furthermore, it means we watched The Importance of Being Earnest. So let me tell you earnestly a thing or two about my first week of college. May you learn from my experience, dear reader.

1. Getting a cold without Mom's TLC is miserable, so come prepared.

*achoo*

I got a sore throat on the second or third day being away from home. It was miserable, and I was panicking, because I've had some pretty nasty cases of strep throat in the past and I know for a fact it's not fun. Fortunately, I came to school fully stocked with Vitamic C drops, honey, Advil, and all the other things a sicky Vicky might need. I don't know what I would have done without them.

2. Keep your expectations realistic.

You're not going to walk on campus and be the coolest thing anybody has ever seen. You're also probably not going to meet your future spouse on the first day (emphasis on the "probably"). So if you're hoping for this:

Expect to be momentarily impressed before getting distracted by one of the other zillion things going on.

And if you thought you had just signed up for four years of fun and games, well... Keep in mind, you're going to be studying a lot of German grammar.

You'll look perfectly plain in the process, but you ARE supposed to be getting an education.

3. Always make time for writing, even it requires a make-believe excuse.

Writing is therapy. I can say this with every fiber of my being after orientation week. Whether I was typing up a blog post, jotting down thoughts in my random journal, working on a fairytale, utilizing my prayer journal, or throwing together a passage for a potential novel, I felt so much more relaxed during and after writing. It keeps your head screwed on straight and lets you take out all of your stress on the page. Do whatever it takes to make writing a daily exercise.

Any other college newbies who are putting their pens to paper?

Wheel of Fortune

Sometimes, I feel pretty unlucky. Like when I find myself falling asleep during prom because I had an allergic reaction to a walnut in the chicken salad (?) and I'm drugged up on Benadryl. Or when my prom date gets a flat tire. Or when I finally get home at nine o'clock at night and literally fall out of my the driver's seat of my dad's truck while balancing a book, a laptop, and a large pizza, muttering to myself, "Ah, the irony of being called Grace" (my middle name), only to be caught in the act by a large dog and accompanying gentleman. To whom I proceeded to say "good evening" in the friendly tone that, according to my sister, is "really weird".

Fortune? She is a strumpet.

Fortune has not smiled down upon me.

I have bruised my back by walking into the chimes in the pit band. I cut my thumb making a milkshake. I ran into an incredibly intimidating girl on the only occasion I have ever in my high school career made the decision to run to class. And yet...

Fortune has smiled down upon me! Because I, ladies and gentleman, have had a flurry of writing activity. Not to mention a lovely day. After my AP English Exam (which was full of little happy surprises for me, which I may not disclose... curse you College Board), I got to eat at Panera's. Mmmmm... My best friend and I then went to Wal-Mart and bought BFF necklaces, a Captain American cup, and a cheese grater. (Long story.) Then, we went to Goodwill and browsed the used books section, which resulted in some dramatic readings of romance novels and Pride and Prejudice in my very best Ricky Collins voice... Like so.

Oh Ricky. *grin*

If you thought I just wanted to tell the world about my life... you're partially right. But there's a moral to the story! Just like the early episodes of Hannah Montana!

"Wow, I learned so much about respecting my family and friends, humility, and how to be a good person. I certainly how this show doesn't become about a materialistic diva that reflects the behavior of the actress who portrays me!"

My point is, I would highly recommend adding little bits of luck in your characters' lives... and short moments of misfortune as well. Good days and bad days are part of life. If your story doesn't balance the two...

Well, it won't be good.

Confessions of an Invalid

It's official: I have strep throat. Yuck! What to do when one is sick?

1. Eat lots of unhealthy food.
This one may not seem like such a good idea at first, but after one considers how wretchedly miserable they are, comfort food does seem to be a viable and reasonable option. I myself have already downed two pieces of buttered toast (classic sick food), a bowl of potato soup, a serving of ice cream (for my throat), a piece of spinach quiche, and a glass of orange juice. Mmmmm! I'll get around to the fruits and veggies part of my day later. *coughhopefullycough*

2. Watch television reruns.
Technically, TV is off-limits during Lent, but when you're ill at 4 AM, our family makes exceptions. I've watched nothing but Full House and Boy Meets World. I restrained myself from watching Doctor Who: That's my go-to "sick show", so I'm still making a sacrifice. 

FULL HOUSE!!! :D

3. Nap... a lot.
Even if it means you have weird dreams involving awkward proposals that go somewhere along the lines of, "I love French dresses, and I love you!" Did I mention this dream involved a certain William Mason? And that I was not being proposed to? Bummer. I was holding hands with an unknown, small child and walking nearby. Awko tacos.

I love you. Is that dress French?

4. Avoid any and all homework like the plague.
Yet another act of The Merchant of Venice? But I'm an INVALID!

*snort*

5. Read.
I finished Under a Fairy Moon, and I have yet to decide what is next on my priority list. Under a Fairy Moon was sweet, and though the writing wasn't "bad", I do think the novel needed a lot of work in terms of pacing and characterization. It still had the marks of an early draft. Of course, it's also aimed at younger children, but there were still parts where I was either confused or felt like I wasn't getting the full picture. Still, stunning cover art! I really ought to finish A History of Ireland, but I'm stuck in a dry part. Boo! Any suggestions?

6. Write.
Working on fairy-tales? Yes, please! Nothing like a fun story to lighten my mood.

What do you like to do when you're sick?

Why, hello there.

You've probably forgotten all about me. I mean, I haven't posted since break. In that time, I had a lovely Christmas, came down with a bout of "something" (unidentified potentially flu-like thing), and made myself a pair of nerd shoes. Yes, nerd shoes. Old white sneaks from South Pacific converted to quote-o-rific, bona fide nerd shoes. Gonna be a real hit this summer.

Since that last post, I attended a local writer's support group. It was my second time going. There were only four of us, and that's counting my sister and I. The one other person our age was busy getting ready for his black belt test, otherwise we would have been five. I should also add that I was coming down with the flu-like thing over the course of the meeting. Now, I would like to talk a little bit about writer's groups and all that rot.

I always mean my compliments. Rest assured, fellow writers!

I don't know about you all, but my writing is pretty goshdarn personal. No one ever gets to see it. Not my parents, not my siblings, not my best friends, not anyone. That's because there's this half of me that knows some of the stuff in there is pretty terrible, and there's this other half that thinks some of the stuff is the best stuff since Shakespeare. Knowing that someone might see the bad, or even worse, not like the good, terrifies me. So it takes a lot of courage for me to share a paragraph, much less a chapter, of a WIP.

Sharing my work a week or two ago with three more people than usual was scary. Do I have some regrets? Definitely. But it also taught me a thing or two.

* Note: I brought a WIP short story with me to the group. That's what I'm talking about below.

The good news. I noticed a lot of stuff I hadn't when the document was sitting on my desk. For example, my character greeted someone in a way that probably wasn't historically accurate. I needed an adult to point that out. Also, my character was starting to sound kind of whiny for no reason. I needed my sister to point that out. Talking with my sister after the meeting helped me to work out a) why I had made the character so whiny (she is really unhappy with her situation and she is lashing out on her loved ones) and b) where I need to change my manuscript (her mindset doesn't come across very well, just her behavior).

The bad. I'm someone who needs some praise to help me wash down the medicine that is criticism. A few compliments on a character here, a couple "nice sentence" remarks there, and voila! I will gladly listen to what you have to say! However, most of my follow-up consisted of questions, comments, and concerns. My immediate reaction was to diss my own writing, criticize myself, and give up. I'm still hesitant to pick the project back up. Entrusting my work to adults was somewhat intimidating. I think I'll save my true "babies" for my eyes and maybe those of my parents, best friend, or sister.

If you like to have a lot of feedback, I would encourage you to join a writer's group and put yourself out there. I got a lot of helpful comments. My story was historically based, so sometimes I need help finding flaws in the historical component. See, helpful! But if you're like me and prefer to keep your stuff close to the chest, don't feel pressured to share to soon. I myself will probably wait until the 2nd or 3rd draft to get criticism from now on. By then I will hopefully have a better idea of what needs help. And I'll probably keep my writer's group limited, too.

How about you all? Ever shared your work with a writer's group? Feel free to comment and share your experience.