Posting While the Posting is Good

So far the pattern has been that we work like crazy during the week, then still have more work to do or just don't feel like doing much on the weekends. I got out today to the store, but it was the same CVS I'd already been to, so that wasn't even a new experience. I got myself new headphones. I had brought two pairs with me and they're both broken! Well, one isn't broken so much as the connector/converter piece is broken, so they won't plug into my laptop. We'll see how long these new headphones last.

Headphones are a necessary piece of kit. We're sharing this area of campus with various groups that move in and out and some of them like to throw parties at night. Imagine, loud music on a Friday night? People are writing here!

There's some sort of math and science camp called Cosmos here now, as well as an Esperanto group. Great for writers, if you're the sort to go out and talk to random people about their interests. Which I'm not.

I think I've read all the stories we're likely to get to in workshop tomorrow, but I've only written a critique up of one of them. Karen Joy Fowler is our next instructor. She doesn't arrive until tonight, because she was at Readercon. I'm jealous. Though I have no reason to be, since Readercon has been like half an hour away from me for /years/ and I've never actually gone.

Next year, Wiscon and Readercon. I mean it. Money or no money.

So far I've had one story workshopped, and it was as short as I tend to write. However, doing Jeff's assignment last week I'm going to count in my 'one story a week' plan. Because it was a lot of work and a great divergence from how I usually write.

I've done some noodly work with a story idea. It may or may not turn into the next story I submit. Which I need to do in the next day or so or next week's schedule will be all full up. Truthfully, it may already be. The group as a whole has been very prolific.

We're all still awesome, by the way. Greg said so.

On the Not Blogging Thing

I've noticed some people, in comments on my blog and others', wondering about the so-called 'no blogging rule'. So I thought I'd address it.

I knew before coming to Clarion that we'd probably be asked not to blog. So it's not a new thing for our class. Other classes have been told this by various people. Everyone who talks to us to seems to have different reasons or opinions on the subject.

Here's some of the reasons. This is no one person or entity saying this. Just diverse opinions.

1) Blogging about the contents of the workshops might inhibit some instructors from being open with some information.

I can definitely see that. I think I'd be inhibited if I knew a group of people I was talking to was going to run out and tell the world. Suddenly that amusing anecdote about a wart you once had doesn't seem so amusing...

2) Blogging about the contents of the workshops and other people's stories just isn't nice. It's an invasion of your classmates' privacy.

Definitely can understand this. I may or may not blog about my own stories.

3) Blogging other personal stuff can make a bad situation worse.

Clarion can be stressful and we're living in close quarters with people. If someone offends someone, then maybe they'll apologize after they've gotten some sleep. But if in the meanwhile, someone's blogged about it and other people have started taking sides, then that apology won't be as useful when it comes. If it ever comes.

There may have been other reasons given, but those are the ones that stuck in my mind. Maybe because I felt they were all valid. I'm usually careful about what I blog anyway, and I intended to continue to be careful while at Clarion. But this odd situation we're living in for six weeks can warp our minds, so it's probably a good idea to be told not to blog about certain things. Sometimes you can't tell what was a bad idea to post until you have some distance from it.

So, I hope I've been careful. Counterwise, I hope I've said interesting things about Clarion that people Clarion-blog-surfing will appreciate hearing about.

If you're wondering why we're all mostly quiet, it's not so much the no-blogging thing as the no-time-to-sleep-let-alone-blog thing.

If there's specific things you want to know about, leave a comment. I'll answer it as best I can without violating the three guidelines above.