Because I always seem to blog on a Monday morning. Maybe that is because I am procrastinating the beginning of yet another week. Which I’m usually afraid is going to suck.
But not for much longer!
The perk of being in academia is definitely the summer break. This summer, I have every intention of finishing my second [...]
I must like blogging away the Mondays.
The Voice of Authority, or, the Authoritative Voice
I learned a valuable lesson yesterday about confidence.
As it turns out, when you are unsure of yourself, it shows. When you think that you are right, even despite evidence to the contrary, people believe you. Or rather, if you have that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’, they believe in you. And once someone believes in [...]
Fiction Friday - the next excerpt from my novel, serialized. . . .
PART ONE - TRANSMISSION
Chapter One
Siem Reap, Cambodia – early April, 2010
The taste of it was in Myriam’s mouth – gritty like a mouthful of wet dirt, sharp like the crackle of dead leaves on the jungle floor, wet like the moisture from a steam-bath with its droplets of water dripping from the ceiling. Absurdly large, [...]
Prologue - “The Eye of the Virus”
PROLOGUE - GENESIS
Tay Ninh, Vietnam – February, 2010
I like the southern delta of Vietnam. It is sweltering, with air so humid that if I were a snake, I might stick out my tongue just to taste the musty, earthy water it contains. The vegetation is dense and rich and everywhere that the humans [...]
It’s been awhile . . .
I’ve been ambiguous about posting for awhile now. Caught up, mostly, in my own mini-drama with my literary agency. First I had one, then, I didn’t. In total, I had an agent for about two weeks, an agency for approximately six. Even for the fickle world of publishing, that must be some kind of record.
Here’s [...]
Literary Agents and Anxiety
I am a Master Worrier of the First Class, certified. I worry, it’s what I do. I am anxious, it is my default setting. In the end, I manage to get things done, much to my own mystery.
Do I need the worry to spur me on to accomplishments? Is it my fuel?
The good news is: [...]
Procrastination: I’m supposed to be working, but instead, I’m wasting more of my potential.
Alas, it is a beautiful day here in Berkeley, California.
The sun is shining. I can hear the bells of the ice cream truck outside my window. The kids that live next door are enjoying their plastic pool. It’s 75° and a cool breeze is blowing.
I am inside.
Why?
Because I’m supposed to be writing my first field [...]
April 14, 2008
Categories: commentary, humor, life . Tags: academia, academic life, graduate school, life, potential, procrastination, self-help, writer's block, writing . Author: tmacphail . Comments: No Comments