First, a couple of pictures of the girls. Aren’t they cute? I think so. Also, I should comb their hair more often. Anyway….
Second, I did not get into Texas Tech.
PLEASE don’t tell me you’re sorry.
I’m not—why should you be?
Let me explain.
Over the last few weeks, as I’ve contemplated being in school while trying to raise a young family, it’s seemed a bit overwhelming. I have trust in the Lord and I knew things would work out just fine if that was His will for me, but I was finding contentment in the current routine and I was kind of loath to give it up. Now that the girls are getting older, I can teach them things and have them help out around the house and they absorb it and like it. That brings me joy. Being in school, I would have missed out on a lot of that.
Also, if I hadn’t applied to Texas Tech, I would not have researched Lubbock so thoroughly. You see, we’re still moving there.
The Hub and I, since the beginning of our marriage, have always said that we want to live in the smaller town, but still have access to amenities that you normally find in a college town, like good libraries and decent shopping. Lubbock is a smaller town and the main employer is Texas Tech, according to their Wikipedia entry. We also said that we’d like to move to a place that has four seasons—the climate is one of the few things we miss about Utah. (Our extended family would be another!) Lo and behold, Lubbock has a climate very similar to the Provo/Orem area (though with less snow and more risk of tornados and cockroaches)! Lubbock also has amazing real estate prices and decent rental rates. And Lubbock’s relative ruralness means that it’s not far from good camping and hiking sites.
A few more fun stats about Lubbock: It’s only six hours from Arlington, where The Hub’s folks live. It’s 13 hours from Arizona, where my folks are. It’s nine hours from my Auntie A in Arkansas. It’s still 16 hours from Layton, UT (where my grandparents and one of my brothers lives--The Hub’s sister and her family are nearby), but 16 hours beats the 24 hours it is from Arlington. Just please don’t ask us to visit in the winter, as we have to drive through Colorado and Wyoming to get there. Interestingly, by cutting through New Mexico, it’s only 15 hours to Provo (where another one of my brothers and his wife live). Huh. Google Maps is my authority here. Anyway….
Now, lastly, I have a small confession to make. You see, I applied to the Creative Writing program. In that way, the rejection was a blow, but as they said in the letter, there were a number of factors in deciding not to accept me—it wasn’t just my writing abilities that were up for examination, but my interests and how they fit with the department, my test scores, and a number of other things. I’m choosing to believe that my interests didn’t fit with the department faculty’s expertise—it was a concern from the beginning, when I emailed the graduate advisor for the department about my interest so I could get more information. They don’t have a strong young adult writing program and that was my primary focus.
The confession is this (and you thought it was the application to the creative writing program!): I want to be a writer. Technically, I am a writer. I just haven’t been published yet. I’ve written a couple of novels over the past few years that will never see the light of day again, but they were good practice for the current one. I’ve been working on a young adult novel about fairy tale characters going to high school while they’re living out their tales. Right now I’m in the middle of my last revision (I hope!) and soon I’ll be sending out queries to reputable literary agents, and so on.
That’s all I’m going to say about that. If I get an agent, I’ll post about it here. If I get published, I’ll die from shock. Then I’ll post about it here.
I have to admit, there was one thing that did make me wonder if Texas Tech would have been the right program for me anyway. On the envelope and throughout my non-admittance letter, they misspelled my name.
9 comments:
I'm not sorry you didn't get into Texas Tech.
Out of all of the people I've known, you are the one I would have considered most likely to have a book published. I can't wait to hear news on that! On one hand, I'm sorry that things didn't work out the way you might have liked--but on the other, I'm glad that they seem to be working out for the best. It's always nice to know that Heavenly Father is in charge and knows exactly what He's doing with our lives. I hope things continue to work out for the best for you!
Someone told me about ten years ago that it takes ten years to publish a book. I thought they were undershooting and that it would seriously *not* take ten years. I was wrong. But someone else told me something, too: people who publish books are the kind of people who *finish* things. I've found that being a writer is a heckuva lot more tolerable if I reassure myself with number two and not try to rush number one. So it'll take ten years. That's OK. No worries. It's just something I'll *finish.* Eventually. That's my writing advice. It's helped me, personally. Good luck! (And I won't say I'm sorry cuz you said not to, but it *is* a bummer. Probably *was* because of faculty fit, though. That was what the program that rejected me told me and--even though I didn't believe them at first--I believe them now because it wasn't hard at all to get into a school that had similar-to-me minded faculty, in spite of the fact that the school had a much, much better reputation. Plus, you don't need a PhD in writing unless you want to teach. Do you want to teach?)
And their hair looks really nicely combed, actually. I can't keep Lily's under control to save my life, so I'm really impressed!
Well, I'm sure you will find the right place for you! Plus, you know, writing does not require another degree. I hope you are going right ahead with writing anyway.
I have to tell you, niece by marriage, that I am fiercely GLAD that you didn't get into the program. First of all, in my experience, most university writing faculties don't really know that much about writing - they are often unpublished or only locally published themselves. They may be intelligent readers - you'd have to judge them one at a time.
Writing is not a school skill. It's a reading/talent skill. Don't ask me what makes it work in one and not another, because I don't know. But I will also tell you this: there is no such thing as "being a writer," except in that collection of moments between signing your first contract and the first sales report on your book.
Young Adult writers don't make much money, either - unless they have a runaway hit, which is a rare thing. And as soon as your sales drop (second royalty statement, complete with number of returns), you become a sort of shadow figure, an almost has-been until you strike it lucky again.
On the other hand, you can call yourself a writer if you love writing and you use it in the decorating of your life - blogs, for instance. Some are bloggers, some are writers. Money, then, doesn't define a writer. Nor does wide distribution.
It is SOOOOOO much more important for you to stay home with your kids than to go sit in a classroom where some wannabe but ain't prof pontificates about the craft and science of writing - a thing I believe in very little. I know a lot of authors, and I'm one of the celebrated has-beens, so you may take my words with whatever amount of salt you like. But if you don't stay home and learn what children are from the ground up, how are you ever going to write a real one?
I'm SOOOOO SORRY to hear you didn't get into Texas Tech (**roll eyes here**).
I think the alternative is awesome (location, family time, etc) and if you do get published, I hope I can get an autographed book from you. I'll even pay for the book (heh heh).
Anyway, Elise is a little upset that I'm two-timing her right now...
It think everything happens for a reason. I know you'l be missed in AZ, but Lubbock sounds great too!
I meant to say "I think...," not "It think..." =)
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