The View Up Here

Part of writing is reading, as some wise person said a billion years ago. Here's what I'm reading these days: 1. Just finished re-reading Frank McCourt's Teacher Man 2. Just about to start Chuck Palahnuk's Rant (thanks, A.; now you can borrow Teacher Man ) 3. Current: Story by Robert McKee. 4. The Writer's Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing (skimmed and scanned). 5. Current: It's Up To You , by Dzigar Kongtrul (foreward by Pema Chodron, my one of favorite Tibetan Buddhist teachers, which I understand is and of itself not a very Buddhist sentiment).

The semester has been quite busy. It's my first time teaching "freshman writing" (aka Academic Writing I) and thus creating lesson plans takes up as much time as grading papers. Nevertheless, I've been diligent in my writing practice, I'm happy to report. Here's what I'm working on these days: 1. Submitting short script "Looking for Skylab" to competition. 2. Submitting short story "Dream Job" for on-line publication. 3. Working on (hopefully) the final draft of feature-length screenplay "Homeworld" 4. Sloooowwwwwwly writing the first draft of feature-length screenplay "Beauty Is..." 5. Plugging away at a novelette (Space: 1999) and hoping to get the okay to send a synopsis and excerpt to the publisher that currently holds the license. 6. Journaling my way to an eventual script for "Korea Dreambus!" (documentary currently in post - see link on the sidebar) Whew! The semester's over in about a month, the...