Creative Writing

This week my classes start up again. All of my classes are online again this semester. So far in my entire school career I've only had to take two classes on campus--last spring when I took Algebra I because I forgot everything I'd learned in high school and IvyTech didn't offer that online, and this summer when I took Chemistry because I thought it sounded like fun. (Ha!)

Since I transferred to IU East this last fall, I will only have one more class that I will be taking on campus. The main reason is that IUEast's campus is three hours away, so it's a little far to drive. The one class that I have to take on campus I will be taking at IvyTech again and transferring it in. I'd rather not have to, but IU East doesn't offer Spanish II online and I need it for my degree. I've already got more credits at IvyTech than I can transfer, but it's got to be done. It will just have to replace a different class that I transferred.

Since I have to take Spanish II at IvyTech anway, I'm going to take it at campus. Language is a really difficult class to take online. They had audio and video clips to listen to, but I would do better getting a chance to actually practice speaking and listening to others in a group setting. I'm hoping to do that this next fall. In the meantime, I'm trying to brush up on what I've already learned before I forget it all.

This semester I'm taking four classes, as usual. It'll take me a little longer to graduate that way, but that's about all I can handle with working and homeschooling and church and everything. I'll be taking a class called New Media, which I have no idea what it's about, Propaganda and Persuasion, Cross-Cultural Communication, and my favorite--Creative Writing. I'm really excited about the last one.

I just get so much pleasure out of reading a well-crafted sentence. Sometimes I'll stop in the middle of a story just to admire a good, descriptive sentence. For example, I just finished reading Lynn Austin's latest book called "Wonderland Creek." On page 152, she writes, "Lillie took both of my hands in hers, gripping them tightly as if trying to squeeze all the fear out of me like juice from an orange."

Isn't that wonderful? How do authors come up with such delightful ways of writing when I'm still using simple adjectives? I'll admit I'm slightly jealous of that talent.

I will confess I have a couple of good ones that I've stashed away in the corner of my brain in case I ever have an opportunity to use it. If my Creative Writing class calls for one, I'll at least know where to start, but I hope to learn how to pop them out of my head as easily as some people seem to do.