GrandM.A. Adventure

Monogamy? What?

2011-05-22T17:25:00.000+10:00

I booked to go to one of the sessions for the Ideas Festival. It was held at the State Library, and I suspect didn't get the publicity it was aiming for, but it was interesting. I didn't learn until I got there, about how varied it was. I'd been sent a message about one of the sessions called "Big Love: Will Monogamy continue to prosper?" Considering where i am in my life I thought it could be a bit of fun, and I guessed there'd be some alternate views. It was in The Edge - something that I did not know existed but it is a part of the State Library, but specifically targeting the young 'nerd' I guess - with awesome equipment for sound and film, and all, I believe free to use. (I shall be exploring it.)

The two guests, were 'newly-married Israeli-Australian author Lee Kofman and self-described lesbian, ex-Mormon comedian Sue-Ann Post". I confess to not having heard of either of them.

Lee is clearly infatuated by sex, and likes having different partners, three-somes etc, and read some of her writing which was clearly very erotic. Sue-Ann describes herself as a 6 foot lesbian - she is a big girl and not very feminine in any way. She described her lifestyle which started with a full on lesbian relationship when she was 18 years of age, with a married woman, whose husband was ok with the deal. They had some good points, though they didn't convince me to look at trying any of their ideas. Certainly there is a high rate of divorce in Australia (and the world) and a high rate of cheating, and a dissatisfction of marriage as we know it. Sue-ann laughed at the idea of same sex marriage. Why do they need to get married?? There was quite an animated discussion.

I have no doubt that we as a community could have a more open discussion about marriage - and what people expect of it. There was a session with one of my favourite stars of the kitchen Maggie Beer, but it was a luncheon and costly, and I had needed to prebook too.

I wandered around the library and had a look at the Flood of Ideas Exhibition too which was interesting. There was a lot of effort put into the program which looked extrememly interesting, but I am sad to say I knew little about it. One thing though, all the sessions were recorded and you can watch them at the website here. Ideas Festival Website.

Study continues..

2011-05-21T08:42:00.000+10:00

Time flies when you are having fun or studying. Here it is nearly at the end of May. I've just a few things to do to complete my work for this semester, and with any luck, a break of a week before the next semester's material arrives and Semester 2 for 2011 will be well under way.

This last semester I have been doing two subjects - one is Script Adaptation - learning to write a movie/film script from a book. My final assignment was a short piece I created out of a book called "Matron wants to see you nurse", which I bought back several years ago, that someone had written about Mt Gambier Hospital in South Australia. There was even a photo of me in it, dancing in a sort of nursing outfit, and doing the can-can if I recall!

I managed to find some dialogue from the book and create a short piece. The other subject was Writerly Self. I won't explain that here, but it is a rather academic type subject which is not my forte. I don't delve into why or how things happen, so it was a bit challenging for me.

This coming semester I am doing a subject called "Reading and Writing" which reminds me of a subject by the same name that I 'taught' at Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages last year. We had a bizarre text book with short pieces that students had to read, and then answer a few questions about.

My other subject is Scriptwriting. I had rather shuddered at anything to do with script writing, but alas some of it is in the core subject list for Swinburne, so I had no choice. I am certainly warming to doing more in that field.

Today I am going to a Festival of Ideas presentation at the State Library. That could be interesting. Then I will wander into the city, before getting home early in the afternoon. Oh, I have a book to collect at the Brisbane City Library too.

I will take my Kindle - I am well into another book by Xinran about China. She writes so clearly and honestly about life in China. I may well finish the book today - plenty of bus and sitting time I think.

This afternoon I shall finish my last assignments. A glass of wine would be good to celebrate when done.

Time flies

2011-01-09T14:39:00.003+10:00

I didn't realise that I had not posed for a while here. The good news, and it was days later than announced, the uni results were posted. Imagine my thrill to have my results confirmed - two distinctions and one credit. It was enough for me just to pass, so I feel particularly blessed.

Before the results were posted I was well underway with another two subjects, and am working my way through it. We had a fabulous tutor for one subject but after three weeks it was announced that he was offered a full time position with the university, so I have the same tutor for both subjects. We were all devastated as the original lecturer was so inspiring. And to add insult to injury, the tutor has not responded to our posts for two weeks now.

I have kept up with all the assignments, and today should be working on two more plus my major assignments. Hopefully I will manage to get them all done.

I have now downloaded all my lectures, which are on a CD (one of which was not sent to me - had to ask for it to be sent a couple of weeks into the course, onto my MP3 player, so I can easily listen to them without being in front of the computer.

It is strange doing all the course online. Some benefits of course, but I'd love to chat with the tutor and other students.

I've read quite a few books in the last couple of weeks - some are suggested readings, some are my own choice - including one Christmas gift, the Di Fingleton story.

Uni Results

2010-12-16T07:37:00.000+10:00

I had read on the uni website that exam results would be posted on December 11th. I'm sure of that - although all reference to that date have mysteriously disappeared from that website. Just prior to the "due date" some marks appeared on the website, and I wrote them down, but they too disappeared before December 11th. A few days later, no doubt after a query from a student (or students) there was a message for two subjects that the results would not be available until December 21st, or 22nd. So I still wait in quiet anticipation to get the official results.

Still, onwards with my assignments for my two new subjects, and I have already submitted assignments for this coming week.

So I am ahead, and as it is Christmas and New Year and I might just get all excited about the festive season and neglect my studies I am trying to get ahead.

On Tuesday we had the Society of Women Writers Qld, Christmas Party at the library in the city - and the announcement of the winners of the Article and Short Story competition. I won third prize in the Article competition. Whooo. A certificate and a cheque for $50!!!

Writing Groups

2010-12-10T09:00:00.000+10:00

I am a member of a number of Writing Groups. One is the Queensland Writers Centre - which has premises at the Queensland State Library in the cultural precinct of Brisbane near the Brisbane River opposite the city centre. Each year they hold a Christmas Party - and this was the first in their new premises. Last year they were in an old building at Metro Arts.

I met some friends there - and we had a wonderful evening - Wine Women and Writing...... On Monday another group launched their Anthology - A Twist in the Tale

You can buy a copy at the RiverBend Bookshop at Bulimba where the launch was held.

Wonderful on-line community.

2010-12-09T15:43:00.000+10:00

This semester my two subjects are Writing History and Journalism, and I've met (online of course) the students I will be working with this semester. It is amazing the age range (some are almost finished their Masters at 25 years of age, and at least one other is mid 60's like me. They come from all around the world - one student posted from a coffee shop in New York this morning, and others are in Europe and all parts of Australia.

In Writing History we are exploring our own family histories and in less than 500 words there are amazing stories that scream out for a book. Some of the students and families escaped from Europe during World War II, others have histories dating well back before that of settlement in Australia, and some have had tragic beginnings to their lives. I've laughed and cried reading the stories.

At the same time I have been reading a book by David Hill "The Forgotten Children. Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants." It is a gripping tale of the children who were shipped to Australia, some orphans or from one parent families, to Australia to a so-called better life in the lucky country. The gall of the Fairbridge Society to buy them new clothes, and shoes and send them by sea to Australia, and take the wonderful new clothes and shoes from them on arrival, and have them live life as servants essentially to the Farm as they grew up. How they were not re-united, as earlier promised, with their families, and how they were treated in a most acrimonious fashion in Australia.

I am halfway through the book and can't put it down. I'm angry, embarrassed, and so sad for the children who grew up in this abomination of a place in New South Wales.

I know times have changed and we tend to be more critical of things that occurred in the past comparing them with the knowledge and information we now have, but the treatment of these children by a church associated organisation is galling.

Three down - nine to go!!!

2010-12-07T13:38:00.000+10:00

It appears I have passed all three of my subjects for last semester. Not all marks are in - but I'm sure I can't fail!!! Yippeeee! Only nine to go and I have started on two more.

Awesome!!

Interesting Websites for Writers

2010-12-01T07:37:00.002+10:00

During the course I will give information about writing - some websites with articles that I think readers may find interesting. There's so much on the Internet - and I know that is not necessarily the best resource - but I will do my best to give readers interesting information.

Writing History is always very challenging. It really is the popular genre at the moment - and of course, as I have said, is something the piques my interest. I am currently reading a book that I learned about at the recent Brisbane Writers Festival - when I heard Dr Anita Heiss read some of her book "Who am I The Diary of Mary Talence". I could not find the book and eventually located it in the Brisbane Council Library catalogue, but it took several months to be available. Perhaps people who attended the Writers Festival queued up to read it.

Mary Talence, was a 10 year old aboriginal girl, who was given a diary for her tenth birthday, and over a year, wrote everything that happened to this girl who was taken from her aboriginal family, and spent some time in a home before being fostered by a family who wanted her to forget being an aboriginal and live like a white person.

The story is fictional - but based on real facts, and is an enlightening read if one wants to learn about the way these children and their families were treated by the poorly named "Aboriginal Protection Board." This book is not one of our readings for the course - or at least not for Module One - it may appear later, but I wanted to read it to see how the writer had created the story. Dr Heiss is aboriginal, and clearly passionate about the stories of her people, but it is a good read none-the-less.

One article that I have just read, which is something from the course, is "Writing a Non-Boring Family History, on a website called WritersWrite . I'm interested to learn that so many people think that family history is boring. For me the collection of dates on marriage, births, deaths, etc is boring - I am interested in their stories. I know that when one writes about it, one needs to have a theme for create a non-boring story - something to keep the reader hooked until the end of the book, and sometimes it is hard - which is why some writers fictionalise the material.

The New Semester Begins.

2010-11-30T08:48:00.002+10:00

It was with great excitement that I collected the first CD from Swinburne for this semester. There should be two - but I was happy just to have the one at this point. It was the CD for Writing History. The CD has the whole semester's lectures on it - I can listen to the lecturer, print out the lecture, and if I want download the lecture to put on my MP3 player and hear it as often as I like.

It was with great anticipation that I opened my Swinburne website and saw who was in my tutorial group, and who the tutor was for my group.

I am in a much better situation this semester than I was at the first semester - so many things I have learned on how to do it all on-line. Last semester not only did I have to master three subjects, but also master the website and all the information and instructions that came with doing the course. Information overload I think, but now I am happier as I can start with a little more confidence.

I am doing two subjects - Writing History and Journalism. My tutor for Writing History is very interesting and I am impressed not only with his introduction and story about himself, but he gave details of his own website. I can see a photo of him - so I can identify with him a little more when I communicate with him.

The tutor for Journalism was my tutor for two of my subjects last semester.
(I'll decide if I like him if I pass my final assessments! :) )

I was also thrilled to learn that some of the students from last semester are in my tutorial groups - for both subjects, so I have already requested a couple to be my 'critical friend' in the subject.

One of my resources.................

2010-11-26T17:54:00.006+10:00

One of my favourite resources for writing is the Australian Writers Marketplace - an absolutely must-have publication.
Purchase the latest issue here.

Work, work, work.....

2010-11-26T09:18:00.004+10:00

Actually I've not got much to do at the moment - but I received some of my information about the next two subjects at Swinburne, and on Monday I should be able to access the material on the website and get started.

I did go to the cricket at the Gabba yesterday - you can read about it here.

Today my tasks include preparing for the next semester. I've read through the suggested reading and will go to the Brisane City Council Library, to collect some of the books there, and I'll go onto Amazon.com to get a couple of others. I will in the next week visit some of the University Libraries to see if other books are available there.

Because I am an external student, I do not get a student card unless I go to Melbourne to get it. Strange isn't it??? Next semester (starting in February) I will be enrolled via Open University and I will get my student card then. It will enable me to borrow more from the university libraries without paying.

I admit that iin the last semester I did take on too much, though in retrospect, it didn't really become a big issue until the end of the semester when I had three major assignments to do. This coming semester I will only do two subjects and I am excited about both of them.

The first one is Journalism which I am really looking forward to. Not that I intend being a journalist - it is too late for me. Perhaps something I could have explored many years ago. I think about my school days and there was no information on careers - nothing like the career expo's and other information which is available to students in these times.

The second one which really excites me - Writing History - People, Places and Times. I can't wait to get going on this one, as it really is what I like writing about. I am very excited about doing the subject and it is books for this subject that I have located at the Brisbane City Square Library.

I have spent time reading some of Colin Thiele's work. He died on the same day as Steve Irwin - and you can imagine that his death was not the BIG news story of that day. He was such an amazing author, so prolific and so wonderful a writer for children. He wrote over 100 books.

The student website was not working earlier - but today is the day when we get feedback from our tutors. Some will do it today, but others will not do it until early next week. I'm not worried. I just need to know I passed. Anything above a pass will be thrilling.

Meanwhile I wait.

All finished - for this semester.

2010-11-24T07:55:00.000+10:00

It is a good feeling to know that one has submitted all the assignments required for the semester at Swinburne - and now I await results. I have about two weeks before results are due to be posted and I am going to try to ignore it all.

I have said I will not write for a few days - but what am I doing now?

The new semester starts next week - so I do want to have a few days off between assignments. I am today going to final assemblies at Moreton Bay College - with two grand children in primary school I will have to sit through two sessions. (Have a book!!!)

And tomorrow I will be at the cricket - the first day of the Ashes series between England and Australia at the Gabba. (Again a good book will be helpful!!!!)

Still this blog is about my journey to my Masters - so will update in a day or so - after the "rest" from writing.

Last Assignment

2010-11-20T06:31:00.001+10:00

I've worked on the last assignment for the last week. I had planned to research nursing stories, and I have done so but had some challenges along the way. I've changed the format several times and even now have another idea worth trying, and will set my papers out this afternoon to explore the proposed new concept. I've still go the one major assignment and three smaller ones to do. I will be busy.

As well I've received notification that I have been accepted for two subjects in the next semester, commencing next week, so there will be only be a small break between.

I met with another student yesterday and showed her my 'work in progress' - we think I'm on the right track with it. Time will tell. I should be working on it all day today, but I am going into the city first thing, as there is a march in the city of Australian military back from Afghanistan. I have to return books to the library too.

Studying again

2010-11-16T20:38:00.006+10:00

While I was in China, I learned that another teacher from Brisbane had started to do her Master of Arts (Writing) through Swinburne University in Victoria. I've been writing for a long time - a very long time without getting anything published.

I thought that if I focused on writing, as one will have to do, studying for a Masters in Writing, it may get me through the invisible barrier that seems to stop me from finishing, or submitting work.

And so it was that some 14 weeks ago, I completed the documentation, had copies of my Griffith University results and posted them off to Swinburne. Soon after I received the letter advising me that I had been accepted.

My friend CD, who had told me about the course, had not made it clear to me that it would be best to enrol through Open University - I found out about that later, and have now enrolled via Open University, but that will not come into effect until the new semester in 2011.

As I write this, I have all but completed the first three subjects (and I don't recommend doing three at a time, but somehow I enrolled in three - I thought I'd only enrolled in two!) but luckily I've managed to do them all.

I still have one major assignment to complete and three smaller ones to do and all is over for the semester.

The three subjects this semester are Critical Friends, Research to Publication, and Real Life Writing.

Results are due out around December 11th.

The students doing the course are from Australia and other parts of the world - easy to do as it is all online. I did get a parcel of information (mainly CD's) at the beginning of the semester, but most of the material is all accessible from my computer - it is all online, which means students from all around the world can participate in real time.

I've studied online before - and as I did my degree via distance education. I don't mind working this way, but I do enjoy meeting up with other students. On this course it is via weekly only discussions. We post and comment at times to suit ourselves.