It started out as a distraction. You see, I had only just finished a zombie story I'd been writing over the last year, and my typical strategy is to place a period of time between the writing and editing processes. This is not my creation; I got the idea from Stephen King's On Writing. Anyway, I started a new story between writing and editing. It began as a lighthearted story about a preacher from a religion that I created to parallel the monotheism of Christianity/Judaism/Islam who goes to serve at a school run by the church. This transformed, over the course of six weeks, into a 280-page monster. It is officially the longest story I've ever written in my life. It got much darker, much more complex, and much more interesting than it had originally been.
It also has yet to give any indication that it's finished. I write anywhere from five to ten pages a day. I wrote the ending two weeks ago. Now I'm working to fill in the gaps and elaborate on details. In case you didn't know, I'm more of a short story person. I like to create stories that fit neatly into a few pages. I've written a couple of stories that ended up being 100-150 pages, and I felt accomplished. This creature, though, is a thing all by itself. I have yet to run into a block or get tired of the story. I don't feel like I'm stretching out parts simply to make the overall product longer. The big difference between this story and my other ones is that 280 pages later, the story has yet to feel tedious.
But enough about the monster. I'm sorry to report Mormons for Dummies has been placed on temporary leave until I do not have school upon which I devote my attention. Mormons are, of course, hilarious. The other day, I earned myself a few good glares by shouting "Jesus Christ" on Temple Square. I was trying to get home when I got stuck behind a crowd of tourists. Another time, I was nearly run over by a woman in a Mormon Utility Vehicle (aka a minivan) who was not paying attention to the red light and was instead looking for parking. Like I said, Mormons are hilarious.
On a not entirely unrelated note, I love Salt Lake City. I really do. I'm surprised by how quickly I've adopted it and its quirks; it took me an entire school year to decide I semi-liked Portland. Salt Lake and Portland share a few things in common. For starters, the homeless people here are just as crazy as the ones in Portland. A few days ago, I observed a man carry on a conversation with a mannequin in the window of a suit store. It was fascinating. Salt Lake also has a decent public transit system. Ours is called TRAX, as opposed to MAX in Portland. We also have a good bus system.
The biggest difference, though, is the most important one- I love University of Utah. I absolutely love it. Portland State did not feel much like a university; it felt like a grouping of buildings where people went to class. The U feels like a real university. It's the kind of campus you see in the movies, with sloping grounds, towering trees, and people hanging out in common areas studying or playing instruments. The University of Utah is perched on a hill, set against the Wasatch Front. Our stadium is visible from virtually everywhere in the Salt Lake Basin. You can tell the city of Salt Lake has fierce pride when it comes to the U- the "drum and feather" logo is visible in business windows and flying from flags in front of homes. Everyone on campus wears their spirit gear with pride. It's a school that brags cutting-edge research and an excellent football team. Utah is a community in every way Portland State wasn't; I'm going to a school I enjoy and can be proud to attend.
So that's what's going on in my life. Thus far, moving to Salt Lake has been the best decision I've ever made. Two years ago, if you told me I'd be happy to be living here, I would have laughed. However, two years ago I was confident in a lot of things that turned out to be wrong. I never would have guessed that I would be studying anthropology, or writing a giant novel, or living in Utah. After the last two years, I've decided that assuming I know where I'm going in life is a dumb idea. I know a few people going into college, and the biggest thing I'd say to them is that it's bad to try and find something to do for the rest of their lives. All we can do is find what makes the present meaningful, and just go along with that. I moved from Portland to Salt Lake and I'm happier than ever. Nothing is fixed.
Meg, you know you're grown (or growing) up when you realize that assuming you know where life is going is a dumb idea. Congratulations. Three years ago, I could have told you these things, and you would have glared at me. Now you know them for yourself.
ReplyDelete