The Power of Proofreading

In case I haven't yet shared this tidbit, I'll let you know that I love to write. I have since I was a wee youngin.'

That being said, I knew when I was very young that writing was what I wanted to do as a career someday. It still is-- thus why I'm going to go to grad school for journalism, and hopefully make a name for myself as a writer. Also the reason why I write whenever I can: two websites, a university newspaper, this blog, my journal.

The more I write, the more I realize that this isn't just something I like to do. As cliché as it sounds, I really feel as though writing is something I'm meant to do.

This may sound as though I'm just tooting my own horn but, when starting in second grade every teacher you have lauds your writing ability and tells you that you should do something with it, I feel as though there has to be something more to it than just ego.

Now, as I continue to write and branch out into different writing styles and mediums, the more I become aware of how I write: my voice, tone, grammar, word choice/usage, all of it. This, coupled with the fact that I am constantly reading due to a) being a bookworm who thoroughly enjoys reading and b) being an English major, makes me extremely critical when it comes to the written word.

This caused my semester in the required intro-level college writing course to be a miserable experience. It consisted of peer editing a lot of papers that were either just flat out poorly written, or (even worse) clearly showed that their writer had a lot higher opinion of their own writing quality than it actually warranted.

Anyway, my critical eye has led to me possessing a general frustration toward much of what gets written today. My family has often been entertained at my expense as I suddenly let out sighs or groans of exasperation or jump up to grab a pen to correct errors while I'm reading.

It doesn't matter what I happen to be reading, be it a book (really, you'd be surprised how many errors manage to sneak into books during publishing), magazine, or newspaper, 9 times out of 10 I will find at least one error. What makes this so bloody frustrating?

The fact that these publications go through editors and copy-editors! People are paid to correct any mistakes and make the writing a perfectly polished piece, and yet blatant errors still manage to slide through!

Granted, copy-editors aren't always reliable. Whenever I have an article published, I always compare it to the original piece that I submitted, just out of curiosity to see what might have been cut. On more than one occasion, I've read articles of mine that were published with errors--spelling, a word or two missing--that were not in what I submitted. Seriously.

I realize that most people don't have someone designated to be their editor. Thus, we have to be our own editors.

Proofreading, my dears, is the key.

When we write, it's easy to rush through and not give what we've written a second look. But that second look is crucial. Spelling errors, grammatical errors, words that look similar used in the wrong context-- all of that is damaging to the credibility of the writer. It takes away from the overall quality of a good writer, and makes a poor writer look even worse.

Personally, as soon as I encounter an error in what I'm reading, my focus on the piece is gone and I'm instead keeping my eyes peeled for the next mistake. And I know I'm not the only person who does this.

So please, if you're going to write something, I don't care how insignificant it may seem, make sure you pay attention to what you're doing.

And always remember the power of proofreading.

The Future Freaks Me Out..But Not as Much as it Used To

Oh my goodness. I am growing up. Eep! Admittedly, I am scared to death of the future (refer to one of my previous posts...). However, in the last few days I have decided to face that fear head-on in order to try to conquer that fear. What have I been doing? Well...

In my Business and Professional Writing class we've been working on writing our résumés. This is something my mom attempted to get me to do this past summer...and the summer before...and the summer before that, too. Not being one who is too inclined towards being a grown-up...Hold on. I'm going to digress for a moment.

I've noticed that both in these musings (few as they've been so far) and my daily speaking, I make a lot of references to growing up/being a grown-up. I feel as though I should take a second to clarify what I mean by that. In my opinion, there is a HUGE difference between being an adult and being a grown-up. An adult is what you become when you turn 18, and are seen in the eyes of the legal system as no longer being a minor. Adult, however, is NOT the same as grown-up. I see grown-ups as being people who have real responsibilities in life, are fairly dependent on just themselves, and likely have responsibilities for someone other than themselves as well. Not the most in-depth explanation, but I want to get back to the point I was previously going towards, so this will have to suffice for now.

As I was saying, not being too inclined towards being a grown-up, I of course put off the résumé writing. Now that I have been required to write it, though, it's kind of fun going through and finding all the things that make me awesome. A bit narcissistic, perhaps, but it's a nice little ego boost. It also makes me feel like I'm floundering a lot less than I discussed in a prior post. For what I want to do/the type of job I'm looking for, I'm actually pretty qualified. Writing up my résumé has actually helped me breathe a sigh of relief about the future. Let's face it: we all know what our academic and job experiences have been, we know where our skills/strengths are but, at least for me, just having them in thought form made them seem insignificant and too theoretical. Putting them on paper has made them actually have meaning and worth, which is what I was so scared of lacking.

I have also made myself finally dive into the grad school search. This is another thing I was terrified of doing. The whole grad school concept fills me with an -almost- inexplicable trepidation. The fear that comes from looking at grad schools is two-fold: 1. I know grad school is continuing education, but it just seems so much more of a grown-up thing than I feel (well, felt) ready for. Undergraduate education is seen as this time to learn, of course, but also a time to experience life and goof around before you actually have to be a grown-up, whereas grad school is hunkering down and driving yourself towards your career. That's intense! 2. Moreso than that even is the matter of not knowing where I'm going to end up. Specifically, not knowing where I'm going to end up in relation to a certain someone.

I know that probably sounds completely naive and girly and lame and like I'm planning my future around one person, but that's not really the case. I'm going to leave out details entirely, but let me just say that we had to go through a LOT to finally get to the point we're at now, and I'm just scared of us ending up on opposite ends of the country next year and having everything that it took so long to build just fizzling out. It's not the greatest thought, but one that must be faced.

While looking at grad schools, I discovered that there are only around 60 journalism grad programs in the country (and that number isn't JUST journalism...it includes mass communication as well). From those 60, I have managed (in 2 days!) to get it narrowed down to 15 (well, 14 journalism and one professional writing program) that I'm actually interested in finding out more information about. Not too shabby, eh? The thing that's weird though is that the more I research schools/programs, the more excited I get about it. It's still really scary to think about, but in that good way. Especially when I read about the master's program at Syracuse...it sounds like my utopia beckoning to me. That's all I will say about that for now.

So that's where I currently stand on all that. Feeling pretty good about stuff, woot. Hopefully I manage to stay in such a positive view of everything...I have a tendency to psych myself out, or to find some minute possibility of what could be negative that ends up pulling me down. But no! I am determined to continue feeling good, dammit!

Flight of the Frontman

Today the members of the band Chiodos announced that their singer/frontman Craig Owens has been 'let go' from the band. Now, being a fan of Chiodos, I've been continually refreshing the page of Chiodos Myspace bulletin making the announcement, just to see what kind of reaction the news is getting.

Frankly, I'm a little shocked by it. There are (upon my most recent click of the 'refresh' button) 78 pages of comments...and almost all of it consists of 'fans' telling the other members of Chiodos how much they're going to suck now, and how Craig was Chiodos, and Chiodos was Craig. I'm inclined to question the fanship of these people.

A band consists of more than one person. One person is not a band. To say that you like a certain band strictly because of one member of it makes you a fan of that individual, not the band. I will admit that part of the reason I enjoyed seeing Chiodos live is because I find Craig a very attractive guy, but ultimately it's the band as a whole that caused me to want to go to their shows. Craig is currently touring solo, and I have not (and still don't have) the slightest desire to see him on his own.

Despite this opinion, I'm well aware that people generally base their view of a band around a 'frontman,' who is usually the lead singer. That's all fine and dandy, the singer is the one you can easiest feel a connection to since they're the one communicating the actual words that are hitting you. But what about the rest of the band?

We all love the frontman/frontwoman, but aren't the other members of the band just as important? I feel it's unfair that bands so often become associated with just one (sometimes two) of their members. Examples? I'm friends with a few guys who are HUGE Alkaline Trio fans, complete with having man crushes on Matt Skiba and tattoos of the Trio symbol. However, any time Alkaline Trio comes up the only person from the band they ever make any reference to is frontman Matt Skiba.

Why, why, why?! I understand that the frontman is the one putting their presence out there, more or less creating the personality of the band. At the same time, though, they are still just one person. They represent the band, they are not the band itself.

I'm not saying that the frontman should be ignored, because yes, they are an important part of the band. Just let's not forget that there are other members of the band as well, who are just as essential.

Well, there's my rant for the day.

And the count is now up to 87 pages of comments, still all Chiodos bashing. Le sigh.

Time Marches On

...And I often feel like it's marching too fast for me to keep up.

I feel like the majority of what I hear about these days is about people diving into jobs and internships, getting engaged, having kids, making plans for what they're going to do after graduation, all these important life-changing things.

Me on the other hand?

I think I'm rather stunted on the whole moving forward fact of life. Here I am, almost 22 years old, graduating in 8 months, and...absolutely petrified by the idea of the future.

It's not that I'm afraid of change, I just have an overwhelming fear of the unknown. The way I see it, as much potential as there are for things to work out well and life to be this amazing ride, there's just as much chance of everything falling apart at any given moment. This terrifies me.

The fact that I'm not one of those people who has everything planned out is a double-edge sword in this regard. On one hand, I suppose it's good that I don't have a set plan, then I'm not putting limits on myself or boxing myself so strictly into some unchangeable plan. But on the other hand, not really having ANY plan just makes me feel like I'm aimlessly floundering.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely lacking in direction. I have ideas of what I want to do, where I want to go, what my options are...I'm just not quite sure how I mesh all of that into something that satisfies everything I'm looking for.

*sigh*

I suppose things will fall into place however they're meant to.

For now though, I guess I have eight more months of anxiety to look forward to. Yay.

Cookies and Cupcakes and Brownies, Oh My!

Well folks, today is Friday. Which, last year, turned into my baking day. Last summer my friend Sarah and I (and often our friend Pat) started what we like to refer to as "Cookie Monday," where every Monday night we would go over to Sarah's and...you guessed it...make cookies.

I had so much fun making the cookies that I kind of got hooked on it. Once I got back to school last year, I kept up the weekly baking ritual, just changing it from Cookie Monday to Baking Friday. I don't know why, but I really like having that time every week set aside for that particular activity.

There's something I find very therapeutic about baking (unlike cooking which, while I enjoy it, seems like such an effort), about seeing raw ingredients come together into something awesome. I suppose it has something to do with the creative process, that desire to see what you've set out to do come to fruition. I don't know, perhaps I'm over-analyzing it. Long story short, I love to bake.

The previous two Baking Fridays resulted in chocolate chip cookies the first week, and brownies the second. Fantastic, no? So of course the question is, what am I making today? Well my dears, I am making cupcakes. Of the funfetti variety.



I think cupcakes are awesome, because I love cake and cupcakes are a mini-cake. Makes sense, right? However, I don't particularly like making cupcakes, due mostly to the fact that I like making anything I bake from scratch, and as I've not yet found a recipe to make cupcakes from scratch, I must resort to using a box. Alas.

As for the type of cupcake today's baking involves, personally, I find funfetti cake to be highly overrated (my fave is yellow cake with chocolate frosting). It's tasty and all, but it's not like the funfetti bits really make for a different flavor. It just looks pretty. But, funfetti cupcakes were requested of me, and I aim to please, so funfetti cupcakes is.

So far, my baking endeavours have been rather simple- cookies, brownies, cupcakes, a few simple breads. I do believe it shall be my next mission to get a baking cookbook and find some tasty recipes to try. I'll let you know how they go.

Now, to the kitchen I go!

Sad Little Bookworm

I have been a bookworm my entire life. When I was little, I read, quite literally, constantly. It wasn't until about 6th grade that I actually started paying any sort of attention to where I was when I was in the car, since my nose was always stuck in a book. Even now, reading remains one of my all-time favorite activities.

However, the life of a college student (particularly an English major college student) has turned me into rather the sad little bookworm in the last couple of weeks. As I said, I still love to read. But let me clarify: I love to read on my terms. Let me have a book of my own choosing, and I will dive into it whole-heartedly, and have it devoured in no time. This whole business of having to read for class, on the other hand? I'm not particularly enjoying it.

It is only the start of the 3rd week of classes, and already I find myself burnt out on the amount of reading my classes entail. Just to avoid any confusion, I do not, by any means, dislike my classes. In fact, I'm really enjoying my classes this semester. The discussions and content covered are interesting, and my professors all intrigue me. So as far as that goes, no complaints.

But having at least 20 pages of reading in every class (of which I have six), every night? It's a bit much. Again, it's not a dislike of what I'm reading that is causing me to become disgruntled, it's the sheer quantity of reading these classes entail that is getting me down.

I'll be the first to admit that I procrastinate like it's my job, but I've honestly been trying to stay on top of things this semester, but I'm already falling behind on what I'm supposed to have read, solely because of the massive amounts necessitated. It's incredibly frustrating. Seriously, it has hit the point where my workout time (which is my much needed 'me' time) consists of me reading--for class, of course--while working out! I am not a fan!

Hopefully I can get myself back on track and up to speed with everything that needs to get read, which may alleviate the overwhelming feeling of doom I get when I look at my nightly assignments. Wish me luck?

Oh, and just to add insult to injury:

All I've wanted for the last week has been to go to Border's or Barnes and Noble and find some good stuff to add to my bookshelves. But can I do that? Of course not, I have too much required reading to be doing, no time for pleasure reading! Bah.

I tell ya though, once I'm caught up on the school reading, I will be going on quite the nice bookstore raid. For now, though? Back to the books!

Intro Pt. II

I'm not sure why I feel compelled to explain myself so clearly in regards to this, but since I gave an explanation of the name of this blog, I now feel it necessary to explain the url of it (othersidedoor). As I said in my first post, this blog is like you're looking at my life through a keyhole. Thus, from the other side of the door. Pretty easy explanation, but there you go. Nothing else of interest currently...maybe tomorrow I'll have something for you.

Intro

Well, I finally did it. I caved and started a blog. I'm still having mixed feelings about it, so we'll see how it goes/how long I stick with it. To start things off, I'd like to give a brief explanation of the title of this brand new blog of mine.

I don't wish for this to be a blog where I recount every detail of every day of my life- that's what I keep a journal for. Instead, this is more going to be accounts of random thoughts/ideas/opinions that pop into my head, which I can hopefully turn into some sort of coherent piece of writing (or they could turn into exercises in stream of consciousness...that'd be interesting...). That said, most entries will probably be fairly short, and I'm ok with that.

Since this blog is going to present merely snippets of my life, I feel as though it's as if you, the reader of this humble blog, is seeing my life as if you were (wait for it)... looking at it through a keyhole, only getting glimpses of what happens to pass in front of that limited view.

Maybe you'll enjoy it, maybe you won't. Maybe I'll enjoy it, and maybe I won't. We'll just have to wait and see, from our respective sides of the door.