For the entirety of the month of November, I will be a hermit. I will have no social life. My grades will slip (a little). I will scream profanities at the heavens for hours on end. I will eat a great deal of unhealthy food, and question my sanity numerous times. I will finally understand what new parents feel like. My life will cease to be my life.

You don’t need to panic, really. I’m not doing anything truly awful.  I’ve just officially registered for NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is the abbreviation for National Novel-Writing Month, an event that occurs during the month of November where writers around the world decide to write an entire novel (totaling 50,000 words) in the course of a month. So, I have decided to be one of these writers for the next thirty days. Certainly, this is a reach for any writer, especially one who is also attempting to keep up with four classes and blog once a week and work-out regularly. I will be reaching new and rarely heard of stress levels that will have me ripping out my hair. It’s something I’ve been considering attempting for five years, so why now?

There are several reasons. One is that a few of my close friends are planning on attempting it, so I’d like to do it with them. Also, I’ve got a real, concrete idea for a single novel, and it’s a chance to challenge myself as well as accomplish something simply for my own pride. I’m actually really, truly excited by my idea, and it’s not even a multi-book fantasy series idea! It’s just one novel, and the more and more I think about it and brainstorm about my character the more excited I get! My feelings towards my idea are what most writers would do anything for. And I can’t help but fantasize about what it’ll be like to have tens of thousands of words of ONE story. I’ve never had that before! But it at least seems attainable.

Really, my attempt at NaNoWriMo is similar to what students of other majors should be attempting. It’s something well beyond my reach that I hope to complete, but I’m not sure I will. But writing this novel will help me become the person I want to be post-graduation. I feel like I’m trying to bring the future to myself right now. Heck, I think it’s worth it.
And when things get really bad (meaning I’m low on caffeine and the Motley’s closed for the night), I’ll just remind myself that the characters on this season of Downton Abbey have it much worse right now.

Here’s a link to the NaNoWriMo song, written and performed by Kristina Horner (which I’ve been listening to on repeat): [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhs-yodZJcw]

It might seem an obvious point, but difficult decisions are a big part of planning your future after college. While some struggles are internal (like my current struggle between going to Prague or a small town in England for my study abroad next year), others are conflicts between yourself and those around you encouraging to pursue certain daunting opportunities. One such conflict/struggle that I was involved in last semester was how to spend my summer break. I was more interested in taking a couple of classes at UCLA to keep myself preoccupied in an academic setting, where I was more comfortable than I was in applying for an internship at a studio in the greater Los Angeles area. As I am not an LA-native, this would have required renting an apartment on my own as well as potentially getting a paying job so I could support myself for the duration of said internship.

There were several pros and cons to each option. An advantage of taking classes at UCLA would be getting some extra credits, as well as the fact that I could use campus housing and I wouldn’t be as stressed out as I might be with a job or internship. I would also have more time to spend time with friends in LA and I could experience what life is like at a big university. A disadvantage would be that I would have to pay for my classes.

On the other hand, if I got an internship, it would look great on a resume for future years and I could get a head start on learning the business and making contacts. I would also gain independence and develop a better sense of the Los Angeles area. This was the option that was pushed on me by my CP&R consultant and a couple of my friends.

After many tears and stressful conversations, I decided on taking the classes at UCLA. I felt like getting an internship would push me too far out of my comfort zone and that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I would like taking classes. And since I was only going into my second year of higher education, it was unlikely that I would be able to get any internships in the first place. The rest of my then-transcript wouldn’t help me much, either.

In the end, I’m glad I went with my gut and took UCLA classes. The film program at UCLA is such that it’ll still look great on a transcript when applying for actual internships this year, when I’ll really be ready to live entirely on my own. I also discovered that I am NOT a big university girl and that the small community at Scripps is perfect for me. And, on a more frivolous note, had I not had a flexible university schedule, I might not have been able to wait in line at Amoeba records for ten hours to get a ticket to a Doctor Who DVD signing with the two stars, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

My final advice would be to only do what you feel ready for. Don’t let people push you into something if you feel as uncomfortable about it as I did. The circumstances are different for juniors and seniors, but if you’re only entering your sophomore year, just make sure you’re doing SOMETHING to build your resume.

This week’s blog post is going to be considerably more relevant to English and Humanities majors, so I’m sorry to any math or science majors I’m excluding here! But it’s an important topic and one that anyone applying for any sort of writing job should find useful.

That topic is creating a portfolio.

In Professor Drake’s Writing 100: Arts and Culture class, our final was a project rather than an additional writing assignment or paper. The class objective was to gain skills in writing reviews on movies, food, and music. We wrote ten pieces over the course of the semester, and for our final project we selected five to edit and arrange in a portfolio. We had to include at least one article from each category length: short (100-150 words), medium (500-600 words), and finally a long, more memoir-esque type article (1,000 words). We then had to arrange them in a way so there was a certain flow and fit together coherently.

The way I chose to arrange my pieces was from most personal to least personal. Even if you’re applying for a drier, more fact-driven writing job, a personal touch or flavor can be an asset. This will show that you’re an actual person, as well as giving a hint as to what kind of bias or slant your pieces will be sure to have. When selecting the shorter pieces for my portfolio (which were increasingly less personal), I chose the pieces that I liked the most, but not necessarily the ones I thought were the best examples of my work. In doing this, I still revealed a part of who I am, and they had more potential overall. Demonstrating growth and development can be key. For my medium-length piece, I opted to revise my old-film review (of Psycho) because I thought it would have wide appeal, as opposed to my (in my opinion) much better travel review of my hometown of New Orleans.

Needless to say, you want to put your best foot forward with these pieces and show your potential employer just how freaking awesome you are. However, even though it seems counterintuitive, make sure your pieces aren’t completely perfect. They need to be exemplary of your writing. You have flaws (and you know it), and it’s okay if those flaws show a little bit in whatever you’re writing. It’s best to admit to your flaws in your application or during an interview so that your potential employer has some sort of warning about what they are before offering you the job. This will also show a little bit of humanity in you. And any pieces you write in the future won’t be perfect -you’ll have copy-editors.

All in all, the main point of this somewhat rambly post is to help organize a portfolio so that you don’t just haphazardly throw something together for an application, which is something many would do. But the way in which your organize and edit your application is very important, and hopefully with these tips you’ll stand a better chance in the future!

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a GREAT first couple of weeks back! This week, I’ve decided to talk about one of my most CP&R-relevant experiences from this summer, which was establishing a connection with someone of consequence in my future field, creative writing. Obviously, having connections like this is very important in that these people can give you suggestions on where to apply for internships, and can even move your application to the TOP of the pile so that your chances of getting a desired internship are higher.

My mom had been invited to the Renaissance Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which is, apart from being completely different from a Renaissance Fair, a weekend gathering of highly respected intellectuals from around the world and their families. Attendees included screenwriters, famous historians, and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson. At each meal, we were to sit at a table with eight seats and really get to know and talk with those at our table. One evening, I happened to be seated at a table with Patrick Hunt, the head of the writing department at Stanford. When I mentioned that I was hoping to design my own major in creative writing and pursue writing further in graduate school, he responded enthusiastically and said that he would be more than willing to give me his e-mail address so I could contact him later if I ever needed anything.

This was the first time I had ever met a person who was so high-up and knowledgeable in my field. As such, I was extremely nervous and didn’t quite know what to do. Even though I wasn’t sure whether I would follow a screenwriting or prose track after college, I still knew this was a connection it would be important to have. I was lucky enough to have a smartphone, so as we were leaving the table, I used it to take down his name and e-mail address. Boom. Useful connection made.

We happened to be flying with the same airline as we were leaving Jackson Hole. Recognizing him, and thinking that I had not done enough on my own part to give him information to contact me, I regretted not having a business card of some kind. So in lieu of a formal card, I wrote down my name and e-mail address on a scrap piece of paper in highlighter, handed it to him, and watched him stow it in his pocket as I scuttled off. Only five minutes later did I realize that giving him my information in that manner was probably a bad idea. When you’re trying to establish a connection like this, the most important thing is that you have his or her information. Once you have it, send them a cordial e-mail as soon as you can (which I did as soon as I got home!), because it’s polite, and will ensure that they have your information electronically. Then, whether it be weeks or months later, you can enter an already opened channel of communication with your contact. I was lucky in that Mr. Hunt replied to my e-mail almost immediately, but do not be discouraged if you don’t!

But above all, just try to be yourself and polite, and if they don’t specifically ask for your e-mail address, all you need is his or hers. Hopefully you’ll come across some connections as kind as Dr. Hunt. Good luck!

Hello everyone! My name is Meg, and I am SO excited to blog for CP&R this semester! I’m quite the dreamer, so I’d like to take a moment to discuss how CP&R fits in with this aspect of me and what it means for my future.

Only a week ago, I was standing between my two best friends from high school at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom watching their fireworks show, “Wishes.” The theme, or even message, of the event was that if your heart is pure and you wish really hard, your heart’s deepest wish will be granted.

Great. Fantastic. If that’s true, then in fifteen years’ time I’ll have been the creator and executive producer of two television series, one Emmy-winning and one cult favorite, as well as the head writer of Doctor Who for a season or two. But, of course, the entertainment industry is one of the most competitive industries in the United States, and the British people would never allow their most popular hour-long drama to be run by an American.

Now, I know that I want these things as much as Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy or Cinderella wanted to go to the ball. However, because my life isn’t a Disney movie, I don’t have a fairy godmother and, as such, my dreams are going to be harder to realize. I do, however, have the CP&R office to help me (please note that I am not trying to glorify CP&R by any means, but they are the ones with the connections and tools it would be near impossible to attain on your own). And I am not Snow White nor am I Cinderella -I am a SCRIPPSIE. I am a Belle, so to speak. I am a young woman who is smart enough to and capable of going out and getting what I want. And so is every other woman who goes to Scripps.

If you got into Scripps, then the great news is you probably have a pretty darn good start on a resume. And as a student at the 5C’s, you’ll have more opportunities than other students at other schools could ever dream of to make connections with people in whatever industry you want to go into. So if you’re a writer, like me, then attend every book Q&A and signing the Writing Department organizes. If you’re a political activist, attend those relevant lectures. And if you properly utilize CP&R, they will help you find internships, make connections online, and write cover letters for job applications. So with you and your natural talents and your CP&R helpers, you really can achieve what you want. It’s through CP&R that I’ve begun to already look at opportunities for internships next summer.

Now, I’m not railing against Disney when I say wishing upon a star will give you want you want is, well, rubbish. I’ve always been a Disney Girl who believes in a happy ending and that anything is possible. Wishes can come true, but you just need to put some real world effort into them, and let the fireworks happen!