G'Day

OC-138

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Cheers mate.

Good work, stick with it.

Once you get through uni everything will be sweet. Life begins haha.
 

tarkine

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A warm welcome to the new folks.

It must be almost spring time, because I've been spending much more time outside, preparing the garden and collecting acorns for seedlings.

Cliff - uni will be over before you know it. Enjoy it while you can.

Big wave hello to everyone else.
 

Caitlin Black

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I'm totally burnt out on Uni right now. Looking forward to the mid-semester break!

Over the Christmas break, I'm hoping to get a lot of writing done. Haven't had the time lately...
 

linkonrad

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Ooh, I found the Australia thread! :)
Hi, I'm linkonrad.
I hail from Adelaide, currently in second-year uni, and writing as a hobby at the moment.
 

linkonrad

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I'm studying psychology at the moment.

I used to write only fantasy and sci-fi, but now I'm experimenting with different genres and stories.

How about you? :)
 

Caitlin Black

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I write fantasy mostly... Some thriller, erotic or comedic elements, depending on what piece we're talking about.

And I'm studying an Arts Degree: double major and a minor, philosophy, creative writing, and sociology.

Kind of a mixed bag, really. :tongue I'm not sure which will be my minor... Haven't had to declare my majors yet, so I'm still undecided.
 

linkonrad

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Yeah, that's kinda the way I approach writing at the moment. I haven't settled on any one genre or style yet, so right now I'm writing in lots of different areas.

I would have loved to have done philosophy and creative writing. (I might do a course one day when I have time + money.)

Best of luck with figuring out your minor! Getting it all sorted can be a bit stressful at times, if you're undecided.
 

linkonrad

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Knowing what you want to do can be difficult, because sometimes people expect you to know and have made a decision right then and there. (At least, that was what I found.)

At first I was doubtful about doing psychology, because I thought I might be bored... but to my surprise, it's actually fun. So now I know what I want to do... but I still have a ton of doubts about whether I'd be a competent counsellor. Same with writing.

Maybe you never stop doubting. I think it was Neil Gaiman who said, even when he was successful, he was terrified "They" were going to come along and take away his writer's card.
 

Caitlin Black

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Mmm. That's the problem right there.

Do I choose majors that I enjoy, or majors that will lead to a job I wouldn't mind doing?

I mean, philosophy is really interesting, but I'm not sure it'll open up many jobs. Creative writing is fun, but my preference in that is to be a published author, which will happen or not regardless of my credentials. And then there's sociology... It's intriguing, but I can't see myself being a social worker.

I need to make an appointment with a career counsellor at Uni. Hopefully they can shine some light on this dilemma...

But even so... Even if a potential job sounds great, how will I know I'll like it before doing it?

I should probably just do what seems the most interesting at the time. It's as good a plan as any. :tongue
 

linkonrad

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I mean, philosophy is really interesting, but I'm not sure it'll open up many jobs. Creative writing is fun, but my preference in that is to be a published author, which will happen or not regardless of my credentials.

I like to think I can have both.
Writing probably won't make me money, unless I become "the next J.K. Rowling". :rolleyes: So the plan is to get a job that pays decently, and do writing on the side.

Even if a potential job sounds great, how will I know I'll like it before doing it?

Seeing a career counsellor at your uni is a good start. :)
Another thing that may help is reading books on targeting careers that will fit you. Or you could try out a personality test to see which kinds of careers would suit you. (eg. if you want something fast-paced or quiet, something outdoors or indoors, something physical vs mentally challenging.)

Anyway that's just my 2 cents! :) I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you get a lot out of the creative writing course.
 

Caitlin Black

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Thanks. :)

I took one of those career tests in High School. This was when I wanted to be a theoretical physicist. Surprise surprise, the test results were "Scientist".

I'm pretty sure that I modify my answers based on what I think I want to do... :tongue
 

linkonrad

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I have today and tomorrow on campus, then 2 weeks off!

Can't wait for the holiday! (Well... technically it's not a holiday, more like "writing assignments instead of going to lectures".)
 

Caitlin Black

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Hello, just found this place today.

I'm from Sydney, and was born in England.

Welcome!

Can't wait for the holiday! (Well... technically it's not a holiday, more like "writing assignments instead of going to lectures".)

Yeah, I hear that! I'm going to be editing about 15 poems and working on 2 essays in my time off... So not really a holiday. :tongue But if I can get all that done, it'll mean less stress for the rest of the semester. :)
 

Caitlin Black

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Thanks. :)

Funnily enough, the first novel I wrote was a comedic fantasy. When I submitted it for the first time ever, I knew I wanted to use a pen name, and I wanted the name itself to be a joke. Hence, Cliff Face.

When I rang that agent a month later, after they hadn't gotten back to me (apparently they sent an email the morning I rang, which I hadn't noticed at that point) I mentioned my story title and my pen name.

"Cliff Face?" said the woman. You could hear the doubt in her voice...

After that I decided maybe it wasn't the best pen name. :tongue But by that point, I had signed up on AW.
 

February

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I've always used my own name, maybe I should go by something else. Ohhh, my first book is called Something Else!

Funnily enough Shades Of Grey is by EL James

I'm EA James. Have had a few funny comments from friends about that!