Week ??: Five Years Time

While I am still buried deep beneath the mountain that is finals, I thought I'd better get something up here. I have a plan for saving this blog project and having the right number of posts up before the end of 2013. I promise. But for now, here's an excerpt from a paper I wrote for one of my classes. The assignment was to write about where you want to be in five years. It was an interesting project, and really helped me to think about my future in a different way - with less sheer terror, and more tentative optimism.
"Five years from now, I would like to have my writing published in a variety of places. That might include magazines, newspapers, a collection or anthology, or possibly even a book of my own. There are also several news/general interest websites where I would love to see my writing. This goal is important to me because writing is the best way I can understand life and communicate with the world around me. It is an area in which I can be proud of my work, while also constantly striving for improvement. Writing is a creative endeavour, but it can convey any message that the writers sets out to express – from innermost thoughts, to a fantastical story, to an important social message. I would like to try my hand at both fiction and non-fiction, and through both of these I see myself addressing issues that are of great personal importance to me, such as the environment, feminism, and LGBTQ rights.

In order to achieve my goal, I know I will need to be determined and persistent in getting my writing out there. I will submit pieces to many different publications, and take rejections and criticism as opportunities to learn and improve. Above all, I will need to practice by constantly writing, whether it is for publication or simply for myself. I may consider additional education or training in writing – for example, a M.F.A. in creative writing – but I don’t foresee this as my first step directly after graduating with my B.A.S. degree. It may be necessary for me to work in another field while I develop my writing skills and build a freelance career. Later on, a more permanent position, at a magazine for example, would be ideal, but this is unlikely to happen within five years. If I do end up working as a professional freelance writer, I will need to be particularly disciplined and organized in my work, and essentially be my own boss. It is impossible to lay out a step-by-step plan for this type of career path, but if I remain flexible and open to every opportunity, while keeping my end goals in sight, I am confident I can achieve whatever I want to."