Hartma's Blog

creative non-fiction

hartma — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:42:05 +0000

A few weeks ago, I went to a reading from some of the Grand Valley writing department staff. The first few readers focused on poetry, and the last performed a fourteen minute piece of creative non-fiction. Me? I’m definitely a fiction writer at heart. But hearing this professor’s creative take on true events really gave me a new appreciation for the genre. Although I haven’t taken any non-fiction classes yet, my next semester will be my introduction to the series. I’m not sure anything in my life is particularly writing worthy at first glance, but with a little creative spin, maybe I’ll surprise myself. After all, much of my poetry comes from real-life events; why not carry that over into a different format? The next semester is sure to present challenges, and it is my hope that I am successful in meeting them. Who knows, maybe I’ll find myself a career.

grant writing

hartma — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:36:21 +0000

A few weeks ago, I sat down with a work friend of my Dad’s. She, a professional writer, was hoping to offer me some insight on what I may want to use my degree for. Having heard the presentation in class from Rebecca at the CAC, I had started looking into grant writing opportunities. My dad’s friend, also named Rebecca, is a grant writer too. Talking to Rebecca gave me a little more insight on what this line of work would entail. While I’m not sure that I would want to commit to grant writing for my entire life, it seems like a good opportunity to gain some experience and make a little quick cash. Admittedly, I was more than a little put off when Rebecca mentioned to me that some of her grants end up being ninety plus pages…sounds like one big research paper to me. But hey, like it’s said, I guess I won’t knock it ’til I try it!

journalism

hartma — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:28:39 +0000

Two winters ago, I sat down to coffee with a friend of mine from back home. Somewhere in between sips of lattes and stories of failed relationships, we came to the topic of the future. Do I have any idea what I want to do with my life? Not the faintest. Did I have a better understanding then? No way in hell. But one of the things my friend said to me really stuck in my head.

“I always saw you as a journalist. You have the look about you, you can write, and you’re good at getting information out of people.”

I laughed it off and continued to drink my coffee.

It wasn’t until later that what he said really struck me. The next year, I switched my major and signed up for my first news reporting class. While I soon discovered that journalistic writing was perhaps not my forte, the entry level courses that I had completed gave me the means to build my emphasis. I am a professional writing major with an emphasis in journalism. And while I don’t plan to use my journalistic training on a career-based level, the skills I have gained serve to make me a more well rounded writer. And, if anything, it’s narrowed down the playing field by at least one discipline.

First Post: Life Options

hartma — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:45:41 +0000

Currently, I am a degree seeking twenty-year-old junior at Grand Valley State University. That said, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. By the time I graduate, I will have earned my bachelor of arts in writing. More specifically, I am exploring the world of professional writing. However, being inexperienced in the professional field, I don’t know a whole lot about what’s out there. So, for the next few days, I will take the time to investigate the realm of professional writing. That is, the different professional 0pportunities that my degree will have earned me. For each post, I plan to select a type of writing, do a little research about it, and report back with whether or not I think it has potential for a career path in my not so distant future.

Happy reading.

Hello world!

hartma — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:32:56 +0000

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