What is a good teacher? How do we teach critical thinking skills? And are we preparing our students for the twenty-first century? I’m not sure, but I’m trying.
Balance Our Budget!
I’m tired of all the political posturing and the threats to axe all the artistic, cultural, and women’s health programs that help make America a good place to live. It’s time to make the hard call and Balance our Budget by Reforming Social Security and Medicare.
Posted in financial, government
Tagged Budget Reform, Federal Deficit, Medicare, National Debt, Social Security
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Outliving Retirement – One Woman’s Struggle
Susanna Wilson is a 70-year-old living near the Sierra Nevada who is nearly over-the-edge financially because she has no savings and around $15,000 in debt.
This, to me, seems particularly scary, since I regularly rack up $5,000 credit card bills. But there’s a way to avoid this dilemma: always save money. Use the credit cards to maintain responsible cash flow rather than simply suck interest payments out of your soul.
Posted in personal finances
Tagged checking accounts, credit cards, debt, debt cycle, retirement, savings
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Velociraptor Insurance: For When There Is No Escape
Does your home have doors? Then you need protection. You need to be ready for the day when carnivorous dinosaurs devour your family. Velociraptor Insurance Will Protect You from the significant financial and emotional losses sustained during an infestation.
VHA: Velociraptor, Home, and Auto. Comprehensive Insurance for Life After Velociraptors.
What Should I Look for in an MFA Program?
It’s a tough question – how do I choose an MFA program? What are the best schools? Should I even be applying for an MFA?
I recently posted an answer on Facebook to “What Are the Best Schools in the United States for a Degree in Creative Writing?“ The answer I gave focused more on my own experiences earning an MFA from Johns Hopkins, and how you can learn from those experiences in choosing a large program versus a small program, or whether to choose a program with a teaching requirement. In case you don’t use Facebook or would prefer to see the article without the other answers, I’ve also Posted My MFA Answer Here.
If you’re not sure you want to pursue an MFA, you might want to check out an earlier article I wrote on Choosing the Right Writing Workshop. The focus of the article is on the various types of workshops (distance versus in-person), but it also leads into whether you should take the next step of earning an MFA.
12Writing: Links to My Creative Writing Websites
I currently teach two sections of Introduction to Fiction and Poetry at Johns Hopkins. On the side, I’m also building a creative writing website with resources for writers and teachers. Here are the highlights:
12Writing.com – The central homepage, this is where you can find news, interesting articles, and book recommendations.
IFP.12Writing.com – Introduction to Fiction and Poetry – This is the homepage for the IFP course I teach at Johns Hopkins. Here you can find articles for beginning writers along with lesson plans for Part 2 of the course (currently in progress).
TheHuman.12Writing.com – I taught Writing the Human in Science Fiction during this past Intersession at Johns Hopkins. This blog offers insights into writing narrative and plot, particularly as applies to writing in science fiction.
WordPlanet.12Writing.com – This is the new Undergraduate Online Literary Journal for Johns Hopkins. We’re currently accepting submissions for our inaugural issue – be sure to take a look if you’re Hopkins student interested in publishing your work online.
Dragons.12Writing.com – The Unfinished NaNoWriMo novel! This online story aims to answer the fundamental question that drives all existence: who wins? The dragons? Or the machine guns?
Posted in writing
Tagged creative writing, Introduction to Fiction and Poetry, NaNoWriMo
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Articles from the Archives
Yes, the old website materials are still up. Have you missed some fascinating footnote from my early life? Do you need proof that fossils never die? Click onward to see my early attempts at website design:
Can We Prevent Burnout Among Our Service Members?
I served in the U.S. Army for five years, which included three years with the 82nd Airborne and a ten month deployment to Afghanistan. Compared to many my friends, I had a relatively stable enlistment. Yet I saw many areas of the military life which are causing a lot of personal difficulties for the troops whom we put in harm’s way.
You can visit my HubPages Article on Preventing Burnout Among U.S. Military Units for thoughts on how we can better maintain our military’s combat effectiveness.
Posted in military
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My Articles on the Web
“Why Fantasy Novels Are Overlooked” on Helium.
“Writing Action – Parts 1 and 2” on Bill Henderson’s TrueVoice Blog.
“Because the Truth Hurts: Why I Write Fiction Instead of Autobiography” in the archives (with new discussion on 12writing.com)
Dagny v. Writer on Scribophile.
Posted in Uncategorized
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