Last Day of Normal Classes!

Hellooooo everyone. So, uh, a lot has happened in the last month. So much that I was kind of like...Whoa! Spread out good news! I can't take you all at once! So anyways, I'm sure most of you have heard that I got accepted into the NYU publishing program that I applied to. Columbia rejected me right away (I didn't want to go there anyway!) and I was put on the waiting list of the University of Denver program and I didn't really think I had a chance of getting into NYU and then I recieved my glorious acceptance email (yeah, email!) And then I proceeded to freak out.

I am very excited to spend six weeks in NYC but also scared because..hello, it's New York! And also I've watched a lot of Law and Order:SVU episodes, so that can't help the paranoia. Anyways, I'm going to live on NYU campus (hopefully) and our classes are in the Woolworth Building. Do you know what the Woolworth Building looks like? Because if you don't you should google it. Yeah, skyscraper. Me and publishing in a skyscraper. I head off to NY in the beginning of June and return July 16th or so (maybe with a job but if not, a lot of experience that could help me get a job in the Cities publishing houses.)

The next good news I received was in the form of my English Capstone and Nonfiction writing Professor. My capstone is made up of an academic paper as well as a creative writing portion. For my creative writing portion, my professor told me I could work on my book (the book I've been writing and rewriting for the past 4 years). I met with my professor before we discussed it in our class (everyone has to read everyone's stories) and to my surprise, he said that he was impressed and thought it was a good story, with good characters with obvious needs for revision. (I was expecting the "Don't quit your day job" advice which I would have disregarded but actual liking was the best thing I could have gotten. And yeah, I know I need to revise and revise and revise. Little known fact: Authors can revise forever. Basically their agents have to rip the manuscript out of their hands for it to be 'finished')
My professor was impressed with it so much that he began asking around for anyone in the industry to read my book (The professor is a published nonfiction writer with a whole stack of books of essays so he knows people.) He found me a contact...a very impressive person to send my writings to. Like Salman Rushdie big! Like HOLY CRAP THIS GUY IS GOING TO READ MY NOVEL?? (not Salman Rushdie. I'm keeping the name under wraps in case someone googles me and reads this blog!) Anyway, I'm sending my novel to someone very high up in publishing at the end of this week.

This does not mean that I am going to be published. The worst he could read it and not do or say anything with it. He could give me some feedback and still not pass on it. He could like it enough to send it to a literary agent who could not pass on it and send me some feedback. Or this literary agent could take me on and we could work on my book and upon selling my book to publishers. Now the last case scenario is very very VERY unlikely and I am totally aware of that. It's a pipe dream. I follow enough authors to know that rejection is part of the business. I am prepared for years--YEARS!-- of rejection before I get published. So even getting feedback from people in the business would be incredibly helpful and amazing This is a very BIG opportunity for me...so yeah FREAKING OUTTAGE!!!

In other news, today is my last day of class. I spent it finishing my 40 page manuscript of essays for my nonfiction class. Two of the essays are rambles about how I can't smell and also why being from here means you don't freak out every time it floods. There's also an essay on swinging (as in a swingset)and I use it as a metaphor for graduating and the future. I'm not at all certain that this metaphor works but I don't care anymore. I'm graduating and NYU can't reject me based on grades anymore and I will now be foraying into the land that isn't based on a grades system. Thank you, baby Jesus. I don't have any finals just one myth test (oh by the way, I'm consistently beating my friend in that class mwhahahaha) which is only on the past week of material so it should be easy! That being said, this week will be devoted to making sure my book sucks as less as possible before sending it off into the unknown. SQUEEEEE!

Oh yeah....I have a blog I should be writing...oops.

Yes, I am a poor blog writer. I'm sorry!! You'd think what with me wanting to be a writer and all that I would be better at updating this blog but alas that is apparently not how things work in Mallory's world. Anyways, so my last blog was at the end of last semester. And this blog is a month away from my last semester of college...ever...as in I'd be done with school after sixteen years...as in I'd have a degree...as in OH MY GOD I NEED TO FIND A JOB!!

Yeah, fun times. Well in case some people are not aware, I've applied to three summer programs (which a roommate has dubbed Publishing camp) that run six weeks and teach me all about the world of book and magazine publishing. This is because I have no idea what I want to do with my life. A career counselor asked me what I wanted to do and I said, "I want to be a writer." and then she looked at me with her sad eyes and talked about some temp agencies that I should sign up for. Anyways, these programs are at Columbia University, NYU, and Denver University. I'll be contacted around April 15 or 16th to find out if I made it in to any of them. Right now, I believe my chances are pretty slim to none which is why I'm looking for jobs in Fargo but if I do get into the programs it would be pretty cool. Being an editor or a literary agent would be kind of awesome especially if I get to work in the YA sector (That's Young Adult). I think the U of Denver seems like the one that would fit me most because six weeks in New York kind of scares the pee out of little midwestern me.

That's what's going on with my life. Sure I've got classes and I'm currently taking my Writing Capstone (see my last blog for my harrowing History Capstone account) but it's going much better. I really get along well with my professor and I'm writing about the quality of YA literature because that is what I want to write. This capstone has an academic paper but also a creative writing part and I get to work on the novel that I've been working on for four years. Yay! And also boo! and also Holy crap! Yay because I'm finally getting actual help on my book (and there needs to be a lot of help) Boo because I've already rewritten my book three times and it's tough! and Holy crap because I'm that much closer to maybe becoming an actual writer!

I'm also taking Greek Myth from a favorite Professor and two friends. One of these friends is competitive about grades because he always wants to be the smartest. I hate, hate, HATE, when people are like that. It doesn't usually matter to me but I've consistently beat him grade-wise and now I feel as if I need to keep it up because he's kind of a jackass and he needs to take a chill pill.

Anyways, I may blog about why I think everyone (not just teens) should read YA literature (young adult) but my good intentions may fall to the wayside as I am reaching the final month of college.
If by chance, you want to just try a YA book on my suggestion that would be awesome!
I just read a thrilling murder-mystery that I started last night and finished today because it was so intense! It's called The Body Finder by Kimberley Derting.
If you want to read possibly my favorite author of YA right now (I love too many) then John Green's book Paper Towns is amazing and beautiful and hilarious. I didn't know what to do with myself after I finished reading it because I spent most of the time going "I'll never be able to write like this!! I should just quit now!!"

Anyways, those are suggestions that would be cool if someone actually took because I love talking about books with people. You can always ask me to lend you the books too! Cuz I haz them.

I also enjoy getting book suggestions...leave them in the comments??

End of the semester...finally

Helloooo everyone. Yes, I am fully aware that I have not written for months and months but to be honest. I haven't really done anything exciting. Well, that's not true but Senior year is proving to be the hardest year yet. You think they'd want you to have fun the last year before you have to grow up and get a job but as of right now...not so much. Well, I'm only a day a way from the end of the semester and I don't have to take any tests, just finish papers so I am very very happy. All I really have to do is finish my Senior Capstone on Ida B. Wells (which you are all invited to read if you'd like...though it'll be about twenty pages long and probably boring to you.) and a take home test from Russian History (Leon Trotsky..kinda my new favorite person) and then I'll be free to return to my home where my parents make me supper and I don't have to write about anything for two weeks. Grr.

Anyways...here are some pictures of events from this semester so that I don't have to write about them! Yay laziness!

Homecoming at Mick's (the Concordia hangout)


House picture



I'm not really sure what we're supposed to be doing here...but it's a funny picture nonetheless.


Roommate Thanksgiving Dinner...I'm carving my turkey.

Yeah, so that's all for now. I came up with another subject I wanted to blog about so I'll probably write another blog soon....hopefully.

Back to School for Senior year...eek!

So it turns out that when I'm not in a different country I don't have much to blog about. So after about two months I finally did something to blog about. I moved into my house this week! Yay, however, the previous tenants of our house decided that cleaning wasn't necessary when they left and my roommates didn't really feel the need to clean when we weren't all living there (there's six of us in all) so Monday was dedicated to cleaning our house. And clean we did...the whole day. and that didn't include our individual rooms that included our living room, kitchen and laundry room. It was disgusting but now we know whatever dirt is about it's our dirt.

Tomorrow is our first day of school and I'm kind of excited. I have a history filled semester and I loooooove history. I'm 21 now so I can safely go to parties without feeling as if the cops will burst in and give me a minor! I like getting a schedule again after months of not having one and if the weather is going to act like fall I might as well be back in school.

Well, that's about it. I have one last day of freedom and then off to homework and studying. I can't believe I'm going to have a degree after this year. Ahhh!

New Post New Post after...like two months.

Oops. So I guess I should probably tell everyone what I've been up to since I've returned from Norway.

Which hasn't been much to be honest.

I've read a lot of books (and just bought eleven new books).

I've worked a lot (at a job I wasn't going to work at but I need money so)

I turned 21!! Woop Woop!! (And apparently built up some sort of tolerance in Norway because I had a martini and five shots--starburst, chuck Norris, upside down pineapple, scooby snack, and a redheaded slut--who knew?)

Written around three or four chapters in my rewrite of my book (which is pretty good fyi)

I haven't gotten a tan.

I haven't been swimming that much.

I've only been to the lake twice.

I haven't printed my pictures from my semester abroad.

I haven't started researching for my History Capstone.

I haven't moved into my house.

But things have been pretty good

New Blog! Just for a few months

I will not be posting on this blog until...probably June because I'm in Norway!!

You can see my adventures in my new blog! adventuresinnorway.blogspot.com

Updating when there's no news

I was told to update my blog but unfortunately there isn't much to update on.
Christmas was fun. I got a lot of good gifts which is fun. New Years was...anti-climatic but I think that's what happens when you open at 6 that morning and go to sleep at 12:10. Whatever, Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper kept me entertained for two hours and Shannon and I watched a movie so that was fun. Not very wild, but what are you going to do.

We put Toby down yesterday because his ear tumor came back. Like you can imagine, it sucks. A lot. He was a good dog. Well, he wasn't so much his first year but he was so cute you could forgive him. After that he had naughty streaks that were pretty entertaining. So yeah, it sucks not having him around.

Preparations for Norway are under way. I'm trying to figure out how many books to pack. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm not going to have time for reading. Uh, yeah, I will. It's not like I'm going to pass up going to Oslo or something to read. I'm not that lame. But I need books. I do. I need them.

I had my last day at Ristreto on Saturday which was kind of boring though one of my coworkers got me a nice journal as a going away present which was very nice and unexpected.

In blog news, I may be getting a new blog specifically for Norway. I'll let you know when I set up a profile and where. One of my roommates used a travelblog site that made her blog into a nice glossy book when she got back which is pretty cool. So I might use that.

Uh, that's all for now. Sorry this wasn't more exciting or entertaining.