So I hail originally from Warr Acres, and am a Senior
English writing major. I'm a member of Christians on Campus, and participate in its activities on a regular basis (the banner for this blog is from one of the outings we had in Fayetteville, Arkansas about a year ago). My hobbies include watching NBA, playing basketball, reading, and writing stories. My current goal is to start publishing short works of fiction in magazines. I hope that once I have published enough of
them, I will eventually collect them together into a self-published anthology
and sell them to rake in a little extra money. I just finished a short novella
recently, and am planning on submitting it to some magazines as soon as I’ve
had enough beta readers give me feedback on it. Hopefully it will be the first
in a long list of stories I plan to publish in the future. Even if it isn’t,
there’s always the next story! With enough perseverance I’m sure that I can
eventually break into the short fiction market at some point. I don’t have any
delusions about becoming a full time writer living from novel to novel, but
being able to write short stories alongside a regular job would be ideal for
me.
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| Sometimes you feel like this after you've written long enough (Image information: Wikipedia commons) |
I'm due for graduation this semester, and am taking a pretty
interesting mix of classes, including my capstone, an Oklahoma Writing class, and
an online Sports Management class, alongside this one. Being an
English major really grants you a lot of flexibility when it comes to class
choices since the degree requirements allow you to take practically any upper
division course as an elective. I imagine I’ll be learning a great variety of
things this semester.
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| (Image Information: Personal photo of my two nephews and niece, taken some time last year) |
I have two brothers and one sister, plus two sisters-in-law and several nephews and a niece. All of my immediate family lives in Oklahoma, so I see a good amount of them. Having a big family that I can spend time with throughout the year is one of the biggest blessings one can ask for.
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| (Image Information: Personal photo of me photobombing my brother at the airport before I even knew what photobombing was, taken I think in 2008) |
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| Image Information: Personal photo of my sister and I, taken in 2008) |
So yeah, that’s me!
I have to say that I really don't like English writing, and I am poor in English writing because English is not my first language. After read your storytelling, I feel that your writing is a short novel, which is not just a storytelling, really make me be attracted. I am applying for the master degree, I have some personal statement to be revised, if you have time, could you help me and give me some suggestion about grammar and sentence striation? :) Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to help with any of your statements. Just send me an e-mail with any questions, or if you want a proof reader, I can do that too!
ReplyDeleteKyle, it's awesome how you are pursuing a career in creative writing, my sister is also looking down that path and it looks like a fun and challenging opportunity. What genre of writing are you looking into or what type of magazine do you plan on submitting to? Also I'm glad you are plugged in and active with a church group here in Norman, it really helps having that outlet when you aren't home.
ReplyDeleteThe novella I wrote is a fantasy-esque story that I plan to send to the few fantasy and science fiction mags that publish stuff of that length--stuff like the "Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction" and "Giganotosaurus."
ReplyDeleteKyle, you are so lucky to be living in this day and age, with all these new opportunities for enterprising writers! (humans AND apes, ha ha ha) I am really excited to hear about your plans, and I hope this class can help as you develop your writing repertoire. I've published some books with regular publishers, but I far prefer self-publishing for the incredible freedom that it offers. It's more work to do all your own editing and to find your audience, but that's something I really enjoy - I actually like editing (even though editing your own stuff can be so hard! ouch!), and reaching out to find an audience on the Internet is such a fun adventure. I publish very niche stuff (in Latin - which is about as niche as you can get I guess)... but I know some authors who self-publish and reach really wide audiences too. If you are interested, here are two websites of authors I have gotten to know online and who do such great work. Maybe their sites can inspire you too!
ReplyDeleteNathan Lowell
John Spencer
It's great to meet another writer through this class! I do mostly fiction also, but reviews for websites and blogs too. Are most all of your short stories also fantasy-esque like your novella or do you jump between genres? I like that you're looking to self publish. Many people over look that, but it's so much easier now than it ever has been.
ReplyDeleteKyle,
ReplyDeleteYou seem like such an interesting person! I think that the route you want to go career-wise is really interesting and I think it is so cool that you want to write short stories. Writing is really great and you do an awesome job at it (kind of creeped through your blog for this class, sorry!). I have heard nothing but great things about Christians on Campus so I'm sure that it is such a fun organization to be a part of. Hope you have a great last semester here at OU!
I think it is so cool that you are an English major and that in your future you see yourself publishing some of your short stories! I love to read other people writing but it has never really been a strong point of mine! I like basketball too, what are some of your favorite teams to watch? I hope you are having a great semester so far!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your upcoming graduation! I am always taken aback by people who have so much drive to pursue writing careers, because I feel like it is such a competitive field! However, I think it’s great that you have a realistic goal in mind while still keeping your hopes and aspirations close by. I love all the pictures of your family; your niece and nephew are precious!
ReplyDeleteKyle, I commented on your Storytelling post before reading your Introduction, and now I understand why your writing was so good earlier. My favorite part of this class has been the opportunity to write creatively. Typically, I'm too busy to sit down and do what I love. It's a breath of fresh air to take another stab at it. If you ever need an extra set of eyes for your stories, please let me know! I love reading others' works!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you are such a fantastic writer! I think it's awesome you are pursuing a career in writing, I'm a Political Science major so my major requires a lot of writing as well, but I'd have do say I tolerate it more than enjoy it haha. I hope the magazine accept your novel, as I'm sure it's a great piece of work if it's anything like the stories you've written for this class so far. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteA fellow English major! I'm English Lit but it's close enough. I've been wondering about publishing to different magazines and things, do you have any tips about finding them? I'm mainly working on some novels but I think it'd be nice to do some short stories for a couple extra bucks. What type of genre do you like to write for most? I'm a fantasy girl myself but I think that's mainly because I enjoy reading it so much. Wish you luck on your capstone! I'm in mine too but I've got Velie so it's not as bad as it could be.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are a creative person with lots of ideas! I enjoy writing but I'm definitely not creative, so I'm sure your stories are great. A few of my friends are English majors and really enjoy the classes they get to take. Being PR, I write a lot but mostly for news or media outlets. I'm excited to read your storytellings now because I know you want to do this as a hobby. Good luck with everything this semester and in the future!
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to lead quite the interesting life, sir! It's awesome that you have such a large family here for you all the time! I wish I had nieces and nephews! You are a brave soul to be an English major, I couldn't do it. It's exciting that you're graduating this semester, I am too! It's lovely to think that in just about two and a half months, we'll be blowing this popsicle stand! I hope you do learn a lot from your classes this semester and good luck with everything you do in the future!
Hey Kyle!
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome that your are an English writing major. I once had a teacher tell me I should major in professional writing, but I do not think I am good at it! Anyways, I also love watching NBA games, the Thunder obviously :) I love how intense they are! Unlike other sports, you can be losing horribly one minute and the next you're up by ten! It is just so much fun! Since you are practically a professional writer, I am so excited to read your stories!! Have a great semester :)
Kyle, I bet this class has helped a lot in developing your writing skills and editing skills. You probably get many ideas for stories through this class as well. The large variety of tales from different times and around the world can really spark some ideas for new stories. I wish you well in the future with getting your work published. I am jealous that you have some much freedom within your major to explore different avenues of interest. I am not as lucky, since most of my classes are science based and requirements for grad school. You seem to be very close with your family and so am I. My family all lives in Texas though, so I do not get to see them as often. You have a bright future ahead of you and I hope maybe one day I will stumble across one of your short stories in a magazine. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome that you are that passionate about writing. I'm way too insecure in my writing to ever want to publish it haha! So props to you! So are you a big Thunder fan since you're from Oklahoma? I'd be interested to see what you think about our chances with Kevin being out for the first month or so? Anyways, good luck with your writing. I'll try to keep an eye out for your stuff!
Hey Kyle, My current roommate was also an English major, he graduated last semester. His is constantly writing short stories about our experiences as friends as well as ghost stories that he has been told from his immediate and extended family. I love reading short stories, its almost like watching a twenty minute episode on Netflix. I hope that you do well in the writings of your short stories!
ReplyDeleteKyle,
ReplyDeleteI think you're the first English writing I have, sort of, met so far this semester! This makes me especially excited to go onto your storybook and storytelling posts to see what they have in store. Congrats on finishing up your bachelors and graduating this semester! Hopefully I'll come across some of your readings, in magazines, once you're published!
Hi Kyle,
ReplyDeleteHow cool that you get to take a variety of classes. Being a Communication major I have some flexibility so it's always nice taking classes for your varying interests. I hope your dreams of creating an anthology come true! It's true if you just persevere and remain optimistic a lot of things can be accomplished in time. Good luck with your remaining last semester!
Best of luck with getting your short story published! Even though you consider being a full-time author an impractical dream, it’s great that you haven’t given up writing on a professional level. Speaking of writing and books, thanks for the recommendations! I’ve heard of the Temeraire series, but not the Powder Mage series (which sounded really interesting! I checked out the description on Amazon). Anyways, if you’re looking for a short but quality read, check out The Emperor’s Soul. The book is thought provoking, and the magic system within it is really unique. Hope the rest of your semester is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI've actually been meaning to eventually get around to reading "The Emperor's Soul." I'm a big fan of Sanderson's work ever since reading his "Mistborn" series, and actually the author of the "Powder Mage" books--Brian McClellan--was a protege of Sanderson's, which explains the creativity that suffuses his writing. McClellan's been a big inspiration to me of late since in between novels he likes to write short stories to keep his readers' satisfied as they wait for his next publication.
ReplyDelete