"I'm not a hard-ass and I'm not a push-over; I just care about what I do and I expect you to as well"

Classes started yesterday. I know what I'm getting into with my British Fiction class, but my Advanced Fiction Writing Course was a bit more mysterious. The gentleman teaching it is actually a successful writer (though by his own admission he has sold more copies of his book
in Norway than here in the states (we're busy reading Harry Potter and US Magazine). He said a half-dozen-or-so things that really got me motivated (all of these loosely transcripted):

-"As a writer, the way you've been conditioned to read is completely wrong. I will refer to that style of reading as 'The Wrong Way' or 'The Problem'."

-Had sharp criticisms for the tradition of workshop including workshops administered at our University (in response to a detail regarding the Intermediate Class provided by a classmate: "that's total bullshit")

-"There is a market for books. Anyone who says literature is dead isn't paying attention."

-"You get a B if you turn everything in. You get an A if you deserve it. most of you will get B's or fail."

-"Most people say they want to write. I assume you're here because you aren't them."

-"In your response to the readings, don't say you like it or don't like it. A story is not a piece of cake."

etc, etc



Additionally:
I'm going to climb Kilimanjaro in January. The tallest mountain in Africa. One of the most 'prominent' mountains in the world (defined by how much rock is actually exposed. Kilimanjaro rises out of the flat serengeti like a metaphor for the ascent of man.) The excitement and relevance and biography of this event is pretty hard to measure. It teeters on a reunion that means more to me with every approaching second. The inclusion of new party-members each has its importance as well: a journey across the globe with my brother (the first Kellys to travel the world other than for the purposes of killing Viet Cong), an adventure with my boss/friend that will push us past the point of no return in some ways. The hope that this begins an annual tradition of unlikely adventures; casting the rest of the solar cycle in a sort of transient and anticipatory light. The Motherland. I predict a Guerilla touching every continent by the end of the decade.



Also. Aesop Rock released a new album. I won't claim its the best thing ever. But its better than anything he's done since Labor Days.