I actually got a lot done this weekend.
I finished editing the book that I agreed to read! It was my first real romance novel. I mean, yeah, I’ve read almost every single one of Nicholas Sparks’ novels, but I kind of feel like they’re in their own genre. This book was Beguiled by Laura Parker and it was a historical romance novel set in 1987. If you’d like to find out more about it, you can check it out on GoodReads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6317457-beguiled
I discovered that I really enjoyed editing. I’m actually pretty good at it. Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer writing but there are a lot worse ways to spend your time than being able to read while helping someone out at the same time! Plus I got a free book out of it.
I was given a week to read and complete the edits. I’ll be honest, as much as I enjoyed reading the book, I did kind of feel like I was back in grad school. Grad school is, above everything else, a LOT of reading assignments, at least if you’re a Humanities major. I’ve never regretted my decision to go to grad school (though the mass of student loans that will probably follow me until the day I die might have me taking that back in the coming years). This week, however, I realized that I’d probably advise anyone who wants to pursue an independent career, if they can, to go to grad school.
For one thing, people take you WAY more seriously if you tell them you have a Master’s Degree. Seriously, when I was an undergrad and told people I wanted to be a writer, they’d either laugh or ask, “But what do you want to do for a career?” Once I got to grad school and told people I wanted to be a writer, they’d all ask what my plans were, what I wanted to write! Suddenly you’re a cool, reasonable adult! Also, it looks great on resumes and on your LinkedIn.
“Oh, she has a Master’s Degree. She must know what she’s doing.”
Quick story: Once, my best friend and I were at a party hosted by her brother, one of my lawyer friends, and he invited us and all his lawyer and medical student friends. We both agreed that being able to say that being able to say that we had Master’s Degrees in that crowd made all the schooling and papers and reading and torture worth it. Even if it never gets me anywhere in life, at least I looked smart in that group of people!
The greatest advantage I gained from grad school, however, is that I learned dedication, patience, and how to overcome intimidating obstacles. It wasn’t as much what I learned in graduate school that helped me out as it was the skills I developed while learning. Grad school takes everything you learned as an undergrad and forces you to question it all and look at it from a different perspective. It’s really different from college and in my experience, a lot more useful, especially for an independent writer and publisher. I learned to finish what I begin, to respect deadlines, and to not let self-doubt get the better of me, because it almost did during graduate school. Then I read The Hunger Games and immediately felt like I could do anything, but you know, not everyone will be as lucky as I was to have Katniss Everdeen as a grad school ally.
It’s funny. All throughout college, I was the only one of my friends who had no intention of going on to grad school. The only reason I applied was so I wouldn’t have to get a “real” job. Maybe I should have postponed graduation a little longer…
Aside from finishing editing Beguiled, I also got to do a little photographer, but sadly those pictures are on my other computer. I’ll share them eventually.
Cemetery Tours also got another great review!
It also surpassed 300 likes on Facebook! Woo-hoo!
https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryTours
I think that might be all for now. All I can really think about is how I am a mere three days away from attending the midnight premiere of CATCHING FIRE!
Be jealous.
Good night, all!
A Platform of Sorts 