So, the year began on a hump day. Has it been three already?

Gah!

Tooooo fast.

However, I must be having fun if time insists on flying.

WRITING:

The coursework rolls on, as does that new story idea that I’m NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON, but for which I’m continuously generating new ideas. 

I do have workshop exercises that focus on my WIPs, so there’s a plus. Some of my writing is also in another language for one of my classes. Another language will join the fray this Saturday and I can give a better report about all my academics for the month of January.

I also found a 12-Day Plan of Writing Exercises at Writer’s Digest. I’m going to give them a go and share my findings here when it’s all done.

READING:

Due to all the reading I’ve had to do for school, my bookish reading has slipped ever so. I’m only on the second chapter of the NetGalley Thy Kingdom Fall by Austin Dragon. I’m hoping to put a huge dent, or better yet, finish that puppy by the weekend.

I’ve also been asked to be a judge again for The 2014 Sandy Writing Contest hosted by the Crested Butte Writers. I’ll be reading half a dozen or so contest entries in the coming weeks. I had fun the first time and it was a great learning experience, as well. I’m looking forward to it again.

NETWORKING:

I wasn’t able to attend my write-in this week, but I did start a study group for my French class–because I’m nerdtastic like that–and it’s definitely a bonus for me to get extra practice with dialogue. My class has an interesting range of people. It’s never boring. It’s been four years since I’ve taken a Mandarin class, so we’ll see how Saturday goes.

I did Ali Luke’s Summer Writing Challenge and she’s back with a Winter Challenge. It will help keep me on track. Ideally I’d like to write/edit 4ooo words per week. This may or may not include the minimum of two posts I’d like to write per week, as well. Those two tasks should keep me on a forward trajectory.

LEARNING:

I’m still in the honeymoon phase with school, so I shouldn’t jinx it. However, I must say that I’m enjoying learning thus far. I’ve got the two language classes, and a Behaviour Intervention class online. I’m also taking free courses through Canvas and Coursera. They are as follows: General Semantics: An Approach to Effective Language Behavior (Canvas), Child Nutrition and Cooking 2.0 (Coursera), and Modern European Mysticism and Psychological Thought (Coursera).

These are taught through various universities around the world which also means I have a huge global class. What’s great about these is you have the chance to learn many things without the pressure of taking credit courses. They all have some application to my daily life whether it’s writing or non-writing, career or personal. You should take a look at what’s out there. Education has truly come a long way.

Such a happy buzz this first half. Hope the rest of January is just as spiffy.