Saturday, February 07, 2009

Gone A Long Journey

I remember reading a columnist or writer of some sort once. He wrote of  taking a train home from prep school at Thanksgiving. That was alien to my experience, and sounded a little melancholy and lonely. That's perhaps why it stuck with me while the rest of the article is lost. I've usually gone to school close to home.

Now, I go a long way, and my literal and symbolic journeys begin again tomorrow. The literal journey is by plane, by boat, by bus, taking me practically off the continent to Port Townsend, WA. 

I'm not really looking forward to the traveling, but I'll take reading material. I have at least an idea of my reading list for the next semester, though it will be molded in discussion with an advisor. 

I've found inspiration for a few titles in a fabulous podcast I discovered recently, Out of the Past, named for the Robert Mitchum classic.

I have not read The Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips, for example. Film and book are subject of one OOTP episode, and I'm hopeful of getting it green-lighted since Goddard is pretty flexible about letting you pursue titles that reflect sensibilities that might benefit your work.

My master's thesis novel  is a Southern Gothic mystery with a hint of magical realism, an effort to create something with perhaps a bit more weight than my early thrillers, so crime and noir have relevance as do works of Faulkner and The Woman In White, as I've mentioned in earlier posts.

There's a reading journey as well, I guess, enfolded inside the travel and extending beyond.

I'm nervous but excited. Both the trip and the journey will be challenging, but it's time to focus again after a little break, time to contemplate character development from new perspectives and points on plot with my professors.

It's a long trip but a good one. 

Miles to go before I sleep and all that but good miles. I'll keep in touch and keep you posted.

7 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Good luck. Sounds like a bit of an adventure. I envy you just a bit.

Erik Donald France said...

Terrific! Bon voyage, good luck, all aboard for work and hopefully funtime, too . . .

Lana Gramlich said...

Enjoy & remember; It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.

Miladysa said...

I LOVE the Woman in White and your story sounds like something I would definitely read!

I wish you a Safe Journey Sidney :D

AvDB said...

Best of luck to you Sidney. I'm sure you'll be the star of your class.

Sidney said...

Thanks for the thoughts guys. It's been a good week so far and there's much more to go even though it's Friday. I read my flash pieces from Halloween last night at a gathering. Today everyone is giving me whatever I want.

Steve Malley said...

Crime, noir, Faulkner and The Woman in White?! You ever want an extra beta reader, just let me know!

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