Advice to Future Cohorts.

 

Put yourself out there. In writing, of course. My advice to any writers, spill your f***ing guts onto that blank page. Let the words crawl from your mind and unfurl onto the blank page. Dirty the void.

 

Say something.

 

My advice to cohorts: Don’t do too much thinking before you write. Just write, goddamnit. Are you stuck on an idea? Or even a sentence? Don’t sit there with your hands pinned underneath your ass, be active about your immobility. Either move on to something else, or talk it out with your instructor, a friend (imaginary or real), your mom, cousin, brother etc etc etc. You get the picture.

The worst thing you could do as a writer is be still. Standstills are inevitable. Rough patches are inevitable. You might hit one in the early brainstorming stages or final revision stages, or somewhere in between. The point is: it’s natural to be stuck, but don’t stay stuck for too long. Because then you’ll lose the spark.

 

One of the most important things this class will teach you is how to be a part of a community. Take advantage of the talents and opinions of your fellow cohorts. You are all here because you share a passion for words. Make use of this commonality and really get to know your peers. Utilize them as a resource and more importantly, reciprocate. I’ve found that reviewing my peer’s work has helped me edit my projects.

 

Have an open-mind. Come to class ready to discuss. Add something each day. The great Hannah Montana once said “Life is what you make it.” Well, this class is what you make it. You can come to class simply for attendance and you can fulfill your projects simply for the GPA. But to what end? Don’t you want this course to mean something? You are minoring in this subject; it should mean something to you. Anyways I feel like I’m getting aggressive, I’ll back off and leave you with this sentiment: the possibility is in your hands; it is up to you to make something of this course.