Read Reed

The workshop yesterday could not have been better. I haven't been so excited to work with someone since Steve came in for the first workshop that I did last year. I think this will be something that is really going to help me in life because of the fact that I want to write novels, I've always dreamed of writing a novel and now that it is time go off into the world of people who do this for a living, I feel that my ideas are changing, my intentions for my characters are changing, and the stories I write are maturing before my eyes. From the moment he told us that we were going to be writing the first chapter of a novel I was beyond excited. This was my chance to really branch out like I had not had the opportunity to before. When I worked with Steve it was on play writing, with Mr. Semerdjian it had been more about poetry, I've yet to really work with someone who writes novels, full lens stories that I have been wanting to dive into. I couldn't care less that he doesn't write the exact genre I do, I know that it is probably a huge advantage that he doesn't and I feel that when I get further into the workshop my ideas are going to expand even more, adding to my repertoire of writing.

We were given the assignment to work towards the first chapter of a novel, and next week are to present him with an idea. I already have one. I am going to be writing from the criminal's point of view. I want to write a story about a team of hackers who stumble upon the coding for a missile guidance system and now the government (of which country I am not yet sure) is chasing after them. Each of them with go by only their hacker handles in order to dodge this chase. It feels to me more of the thriller side of the crime novel but that excites me, action, seeing as I am used to things being very steady and unmoving in my work with a lot of scenery I will need to adapt to fast dialogue. movement and cityscape environment that I feel will help me learn.

I've started typing at home and despite the fact that Reed has asked us for one chapter, I don't know if I will be able to stop at just one. I feel like I have a burst of creative energy and could use this one chapter to jump start a whole novel that may unfold itself in front of me. 10-15 pages in six weeks. That seems so little in grand scheme of things and I will probably wind up writing more than that. All I really know is that this is going to be probably the best workshop I have ever been in. I am confident from the start that this is going to be something that I will remember for a long time and will be a great advantage for me when I get to college. The only thing that I am sad about is that this is only going to last six weeks with only one day a week. Something like this I wish I could do for long periods of time each day. I don't think I have ever been this enthusiastic about workshops. I think that over the next six weeks I am going to do a lot of writing, and hopefully past that, all the way into college because I think that when I get to college if I can have continued writing from now until then on this one project I will be able to do something with it there and who knows, maybe I'll find a professor who will help me get it published. That is really what I have always wanted, to see the paperback copy of my own words with my name printed boldly below the title as if to say, "Hell Yeah I wrote this!"

It's a long arduous journey ahead of me but I think that working with Reed is one hell of a start to it. Thanks Luke, for this workshop. Thank you so much for putting me into it. I feel like all of the waiting for something like this and all of the writing I did last year has really paid off. This doesn't even feel like work. This feels like more of a reward. I cannot wait until Monday.