On August.

I love August. That’s an unpopular opinion because it signals the end of summer, but it means fall is closer, and that’s my favorite season, and that football and school are starting again. So as much as August is about endings, it’s also full of beginnings. And it’s such a beautiful word, if you think about it. There’s something sturdy but elegant about it.

Writing

Moody Blue is getting rave reviews from the readers who have been kind enough to take the time to reach out! Here are some more responses:

You can order your copy here and join the conversation! If you’ve read Moody Blue and enjoyed it, please consider taking the time to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. That can help me expand my readership! Thanks in advance!

My dissertation is almost done. Now, my focus shifts to editing. I plan on following the lessons on editing from Professor Joseph O’Connor and Kit de Waal. I believe I’ve shared this before, but the most important lesson about writing I learned from the Master’s course was to put the work in, especially when editing. I bought highlighters and colored pencils to print out my draft and read it through. I’m prepared to do it again and again, focusing on a different area. The specificity helps keep the job from being overwhelming and refines the editing process, making it more effective.

Reading

I’ve been reading Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra. The writing is factual but beautiful, imbued with a stoic sentimentality that makes a perfect tone. It was the basis for a fantastic, underrated film of the same name.

Definitely worth checking out.

I’m about a quarter of the way through, and I’m really enjoying it.

Goals for the Academic Year

I return to New Jersey at the end of this month. I’m renting a place in Seaside and returning to teaching after a year and a half outside of the classroom. I’m excited to be going back and am interested in seeing what it will be like to be in Jersey without my family. I’m starting to think the independence will embolden me and I’ll keep moving in the right direction to become the woman I’ve always wanted to be: a wild, creative, bohemian beauty. I’ve started this list:

Attend graduation for Master’s degree in Creative Writing in Ireland
-This will take place in January. I have to make sure to request time off, book a flight, and book a hotel.Be a better role model for literacy
– For a long time now, I’ve been wanting to stop scrolling on my phone as much. To that end, I should always have a book to read. I also think it’d be great to join a book club.Research earning my Master’s in Literature.
-If I went somewhere closer to home, I could further my education and meet new people. Being back on campus in Ireland was awesome.Make my classroom feel more inviting and treat it more like my office
-I want to add rugs and decorations and flexible seating. I want to have snacks for me and my students in my desk, and I’d like to have a mug warmer and maybe a coffee station I could hide in my cabinet. The bottom line is, I want to make the spaces I spend the most time in more personal.Take a class: art, music
-I’ve always wanted to play piano and I’ve always wanted to paint. I even had a couple of sessions with one of my students who was very talented.Make my aesthetic match who I am because I want it to be that way.Miracle Maddie

We returned from Mexico on Thursday and Maddie took a long weekend to recover. At the beginning of this week, she resumed her regular schedule of therapy. We also started capping her trach again–got her up to twelve minutes!–and we’re making plans to resume HBOT protocol before we make it to Austin, Texas.

Want to win some valuable gift cards?

We leave for Austin, Texas in 17 days for Miracle Maddie’s Magical Medical Tour! LET’S GET THESE BOXES GONE!

Pick a number to fill a box! When you choose your box, you’ll commit to donating that dollar amount towards Maddie’s upcoming therapy intensive with Dr. Crawford at the Austin Center for Developing Minds in Austin, Texas!

There are THREE ways to claim your box: 1) Venmo the amount to @Melissa-Wagenhoffer-1; 2) Use Cash App: $MelissaWagenhoffer; 3)PayPal: john_wagenhoffer@yahoo.com

There are 10 gift cards in mystery numbers throughout the chart–choose the right box and you could win a gift card for gas, to Amazon, Starbucks, and more! Winners will be announced when we return from Austin, Texas!

The post On August. appeared first on mandi bean: writer.