Nearing the cut-off date!

I've been so busy with my course work, and other studies, this last few weeks, there haven't been enough hours in the day to come on to my blog, let alone write anything in it! :)

I've been unable to sleep tonight, so I thought I'd come along here, and catch you up with what's happening with my studies - obviously quite a lot, of course! Lol

I've been nose-to-the-grindstone with this next TMA work, busily writing the script of my TMA 01 story, and editing, editing, editing!
I've been amazed at how much my story has had to change, so that I can transcribe it into a radio script, and having to change a very visual prose into an oral peice has been very difficult at times. I managed to do it, though, after a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Lol

The blood, by the way, was where I cut my finger on some paper - don't laugh, that really hurts, you know! {g}
The sweat was caused by wrestling with my story, and trying to keep the core of it as true as I could, while changing so much at the same time. :(
The tears were when I couldn't see a way forward - luckily I managed in the end!

So I'm now at the point where I've got a - rough - draft of my TMA 02, and I've even managed some commentary and references as well! Lol

Now all I have to do, is get a willing ear (my daughter is visiting, so guess who I've selected. Lol), and I'll read it all, timing as I go, to make sure I've written the fifteen minutes of radio script I've been asked to do. 
I just hope, and pray, that I've witten enough because, if I have to find any more, I feel my creativity will be sadly lacking at this stage :/

Anyhoo, I've got until the 8th January to fine-tune this minor miracle, and then all I can do is keep everything crossed that I've done enough, and well enough, to pass this next TMA! :)

Oh dear! I didn't realise just how much I was neglecting my blog recently!

In my defence, I've been up to my eyes in learning about scriptwriting, plus still haven't got over the utter exhaustion left over from the swine flu thing!

But, first of all, I must tell you - I got a whopping 80% for my TMA!
I was utterly gobsmacked by it, and would have jumped about madly, if I'd physically been able to {g}
Considering that I wrote it while delirious with swine flu, I was expecting a bare pass, if possible, so to get this sort of result is utterly brilliant!! Maybe I should get ill for every TMA? Lol

Secondly. I'm really, really enjoying the scriptwriting!
I was quite daunted by the whole thing when I first looked at the course book, but I seem to have taken to it like a duck to water, and am loving the activities we're asked to do in practice of it all.
I've actually been writing scripts that have nothing officially to do with the activities - just for the sheer joy of writing them - am I sad, or what? Lol

I've always loved writing, but I've found an extra germ of creativity with the scriptwriting - maybe it's just that this is such a new form for me, but I'm truly excited at what I'm learning - and hope this keeps on for the rest of the course!

Hope you all have as much enjoyment in whatever you choose to do, creatively!

Hello from the stranger!

I blush with embarrassment as to how long it's been since I last posted!

My only excuse, is that I have, firstly, been too busy getting into the start of my course and, secondly, am just getting over a strain of the swine flu currently swathing itself through the rank and file of my family and friends :(

Apart from the health aspects, which have affected already ongoing health problems, I also had to deal with writing my first TMA of the course, which came at least two weeks earlier from the start of the course than any first TMA I've ever done. So there was a very short period of learning between the beginning of the course, and having to write it. But I managed it - which is a minor miracle in itself, believe me! :)

I'll know exactly how well I did within a few weeks, so I'm going to be very anxious about my results until then! I just hope my illness didn't affect my creative ability too much. I know the first TMA isn't as important as later ones, but it's still worth 15% of the overall course marks, so I'll just have to hope I did okay.:/

As for the course so far - well I've enjoyed the first two weeks enormously, as I was dealing with things familiar to me from my level 2 Creative Writing course. Unfortunately the third week is a blur, as that's when I was going through the worst of the flu symptoms - I'll have to go over that part of the course again once I've got a bit of time spare - and the week we are given to prepare and write our TMA was a mad rush of trying to get better, and writing what I hope will be at least a creditable attempt at a story!

What I am looking forward to - with a heavy dose of trepidation - is the next section, as this is where I learn, and attempt to write for myself, about script writing. I'm going to be learning how to change the story I've written for my first TMA into a script on this second part, and I beleive it's now we have to decide which type of script we're going to be pursuing throughout the course. With the story I've written, it's very probable that I'll be changing it into either a script for film or TV - I won't know really, until I learn more about the subject. But I'm looking forward to learning about it anyway!

I'll let you know how I got on when I get my TMA results - and I'll also be letting you know how the learning about script-writing comes along! :)

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Due to start on the 10th . . .

Well, everyone who wants to has introduced themselves in my tutorial group. There are a few familiar names from my previous course, which is great, and everyone else seems to be freindly, and willing to share who they are. :)

Our tutor seems very nice, and has already set us a few Ice-breakers, so that we can get to know each other and, presumably, she will have a sense of what we are capable of before the course starts.

I've just sent off my dummy TMA, so now it really feels as if I am actually starting! Lol

I've actually done the first week's activities - more to break myself back into study-mode really - but I don't want to get any more ahead of myself, and have stopped there until the course catches up with me, so-to-speak. Lol.

Just from the short Ice-breaker exercises, I can see that most of the group are going to be excellent writers, so I'm feeling a bit nervous that I'll be able to keep up with them, or even be in the same league as them, come to that! I guess I'll have to look on it as a spur to excell myself . . .

It's actually my 26th wedding anniversary today, although we're not celebrating it as such until saturday - which happens to be the start of the course! Yet another reason I'm glad I've got slightly ahead of myself. {g}
Mind you, I think that is one of the best advantages of this distance learning - if I need to, I can catch up with what's being posted at any time convenient to myself, so at least we can celebrate on saturday without me feeling guilty of neglecting the course! :)


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Promises, promises . . .

I had promised myself that I would start on the Big Blue Book (BBB), the course book for A363, which arrived last week but, as in all plans of mice and men, there seems to have been one thing after another stopping me this week!

Between illness and unexpected trips and visitors, I feel as if I've barely had a moment to think, let alone look in any depth at the book, but I'm determined to do better next week, as I feel I need to make a head start, just in case ill health puts me behind with the course which, if this last few weeks is an example, will probably happen.

I've managed a brief look-through and, from the small amount read, I really feel I'm going to enjoy this course, even if it is a giant step up from my usual studies so far. To prepare ahead of myself a little, I've already started an embryonic support group of friends and fellow-students who will be doing the same course, albeit in different tutor groups, and I think this will be of great help to all of us, especially as we're all feeling a little apprehensive over learning about script-writing for the first time.

But, whatever faces us once the course starts, I'm sure we'll be able to cope with anything thrown at us, with the support of each other!


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