Keeping busy

Back in England I would be keeping up a part time job, working as a journalist and actually being a student where I could fit it in.  In America I legally cannot work and I have struggled to find an internship.  
So what do I do with all this free time?


The great thing about Chicago is there is so much going on! This weekend I will be attending the AWP conference and hearing from the likes of Irvine Welsh and Audrey Niffenegger as well as attending panels about teaching comics in the classroom and other neat stuff.
But what else?  Well - I'll tell you!  
I have organised, the first in a long line, Ladies Night at Graham Crackers comics.  I wanted to organise the event because there is a shift happening in the comics industry as more and more women take an active role in what we buy and what we read graphically. 

Poster designed by Edward Cheverton

I think organising events like this is a really good way for students to get involved with the industries they're hoping to break into.  It's a chance to meet people, network and also to make a name for themselves.  If this event goes well there will be more, and more, and more, eventually leading to bigger and better things.  Well, that's the plan at least. 


Another fun event I will be attending is the Chicago Zine Fest.  I won't just be attending however, I'll be selling a variety of Zines from my good friends in England and attending workshops by artists I really admire.  If you're going to be in the area then check out table C13...

Designed by Lilli Carre

What have you all been doing to keep busy?

Journals

Something that both Columbia College and Bath Spa University have in common is that they encourage us to write everyday.  It makes sense really, we are writing students after all.
In my first year Core class, the equivalent of Fiction 1, we were told that writing 500 words a day was something that we should be aiming for.  In Fiction 1 we are asked to make regular journal entries, including lists, observations, fragments of stories and essays. 
The 500 words often resulted in people coming to class and saying they had not really done much writing and that a lot of the time was spent re-visiting and editing old work which is not quite the same thing. It can be very tempting to type out the 500 daily words but the problem here is the delete key.  Whole paragraphs of work can we erased with a simple click and that goes against the point entirely. By maintaining regular, handwritten journal entries I've found that not only am forced to create new work but I also have a tangible object I can hold in my hand.

My journal is also the notebook I use for class...

Personally my journal is in the same book that I use to make my notes in class.  I am horrifically unorganised and so have found having one book that I use for all of my Fiction Writing and journal I am more likely to write each day.
One of the only gripes I have with the journal idea is that John Shulz, author of Writing From Start To Finish and creator of the Story Workshop method that our class follows, says that journals should be private - meaning writers have absolute freedom to develop and explore their writing. Every few weeks however we are asked to type out one or two journal entries and hand them in. Not only does this mean they are no longer private, but occasionally we are aslo asked to read aloud from our journals.  
An easy way to get around this is obviously to just write entries that you are happy to share but that does suggest a level of self censorship that would not have been there otherwise.

The main thing I love about my journal is that I am using it.  I find myself revisiting descriptions or phrases, whole chunks of prose, that I have scribbled down in it's pages, whether it is work that class, another class, or for an article. This idea that I have a constantly growing resource is a very attractive one.  
If you're a writer and you're stuck not being able to write consistently then I would recommend a journal for sure.


P.S I think I am the only person in class who illustrates theirs...
P.P.S I turn 22 tomorrow.  Happy Birthday to me!

Hello / Hey

I'm Hannah, I turn 22 next week, I am a Piesces, I am allergic to cats, I am a comics lover, dinosaur  fangirl and an out and out nerd.  But most importantly I am an exchange student studying in America.

This is home - or at least it's Bath Spa University - my school back in lovely England.

This is a photo of Gatehouse.  The campus at Bath Spa is stunning.

And this is my new home! Columbia College, Chicago.

This is one of Columbia's buildings.  They're downtown and very cool.
Picture from artnet.com

I arrived here a month ago and it's incredible.  Moving anywhere new is exciting but Chicago is such a bustling, culture rich and exciting city that it's hard to believe I am really here.

So here's a little about Hannah in England.

I am a second year in Creative Writing with a focus on journalism. I am a straight B student with a shaky record of attendance.  If I was on a sports team I'd be the benchwarmer with a lot of heart. 

Skip forward a month and Hannah in America is a totally different story. I have been to every single class, on time and with my homework completed.  I am an eager beaver trying to intern everywhere and socialising as much as possible.  I love it here.

THrough this blog I will be exploring the ways my two schools differ and how they are the same.  I'll be looking at workshopping methods, strictness on attendance and homework and the subjects on offer.

I hope you stop by and share how exciting all of this is!

Hannah