Monday, August 18, 2008

Stone Walled Again

I was feeling so good last night after reeling off 4300 words. Today I wrote another brand new story for the Apex Halloween contest keeping it under 1000 words. Then the mail came...

For those of you who don't know, I had a running battle with one of my lecturers during semester 1. Much to my chagrin, I have him again for semester 2. It's a hate-love-hate kind of relationship. He tells me how much potential I have and then makes odd comments, almost snide remarks, about my work.

Well today saw a return to normal services. Two assignments that need to be resubmitted with little real suggestions, only general comments and yet with ticks on every page - not a single note to point out what he specifically thought was wrong. Just generalised fluff on the overall assignment. Not really helpful. Then he supplies me with pages of possible markets for students to submit work to. It's like sugar and a stick. He offers me a sweetener and then smacks me over the hand when I reach for it. So the remainder of the assignments for Mr Stone go back on hold while I rework these two. I need to focus more on the freelance article-side of my writing, maybe this is just fates way of giving me a nudge. I'm missing something about identifying topics and markets. If only that penny would drop...

Have to take the lad to cricket training first but then the rest of the evening is on Diploma work.

I hope your writing is on less of a roller coaster ride than mine is currently.

BT

2 comments:

  1. I may well take you up on that, but I don't actually get into the city very often. I do the course by correspondance.

    Did you want me to delete this comment so your number and email isn't displayed here for everyone? After I take copies of course?

    I understand what you mean about Mr Stone and you may have seen in previous posts my comments about him that I do appreciate him pushing me and why. He's already done the show my first published articles to the class - thank God I wasn't there. Flattering but happy I don't have to go through the red face bit.

    I hope we're not too similar, I don't want to be a perpetual 4th year -you've got me wrried and I haven't finished first year yet!

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  2. The above comment may look a little out of place because I deleted Jason's comment due to it containing personal contact detail we didn't want left in the public domain. So I've taken it offline and edited it - below is what it said:

    Brenton, mate, I don't know you from Adam but sometimes you remind me of myself to a scary degree. I'm serious. I've even done the same course as you at Adelaide TAFE(perpetual 4th year student!) and am also familiar with one Johnathon Stone.

    The only advice I can offer is to just take it on the chin - he's a disciplinarian, but he has a heart of gold and oodles of industry experience, and he only wants you to be your best. And you must be talented, or else he wouldn't be pushing you so much. I too felt that I was hard done by, till the day he brought a little clipping from the SAWC newsletter into class and waved it around, proud as punch. It was the brag piece for my first published story.

    hey if you're ever in town and want to catch up for a chin-wag and a bite to eat, give me a ring on xxxxxxxxxx or email xxxxxxxxxxxxx.

    I really admire your approach to your craft, and I think you're going about things the right way.

    Needless to say, I've contacted Jason and expect us to become good writing friends.

    Isn't the Net wonderful - everybody sigh...

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