To start out with

So, I've thrown around the idea of starting a blog for some time now, and came to the conclusion that I never would. I thought, "Everyone and their five brothers has a blog, and despite the fact that they all hope people will read it, maybe two actually do and one of them is their Mom." As it turns out, for a class that I'm taking as a Creative Writing major, I am, in fact, required to start a blog. Guess I came to the wrong conclusion, there. Oh well, this could actually be kinda fun.  : )

I guess my first post should be a little bit about me, the author.  My name is Amber, and  as I mentioned, I am a creative writing major, and I am also double majoring in history. I know- I have made some seriously excellent choices for an economically sound future. You know that now you all want to go change your majors, and then we can all get together and have a community of box-dwelling authors who have deeply intelligent conversations about the influences of corn on the cultures of the world.

Really though, I have always lived by the philosophy that if I am going to spend so much time and money invested in something, and if I am aiming towards making that something what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, I am going to make it something I'm passionate about and enjoy. What I'm doing in college is true to that, even though I know I have to work that much harder to make it in either field.

I came across a quote the other day that describes my relationship with history quite well:

I have no special talent, I am just passionately curious. -Einstein

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with history. I'm considering a few things after I get my bachelors, perhaps getting my Masters in a more specific field; I'm thinking European History or Ancient Civilizations. What I am sure of, however, is that I really like knowing this stuff. I love just learning about all of the world's countries and cultures and what shaped them and made them what they are today. That is, for whatever reason, incredibly thrilling for me. I seriously had a spaz-attack when I visited the Archives in Washington, DC and saw the Declaration of Independence. I swoon a little at the prospect of seeing a Mayan or Greek or Roman ruin in person. I have spent hours reading-and enjoying- history books, and often when I have free time, I spend it watching documentaries. I fully accept that I am a nerd and am proud of it, too. : )

When it comes to creative writing, I have wanted to be an author since I was pretty young. I loved reading, and since I didn't think it was a possibility to spend the rest of my life reading good books and be able to do any good to anyone else by doing so, the next best thing was writing books. I hope to be able to give someone feelings like the ones I get when I read a good book. I want to make people laugh, be on the edge of their seats with anxiety and anticipation, cry even. My goal is to use my talents to give some joy. Recently I've tried my hand at some other forms of writing, too- poetry, short stories, flash fiction. I'm experimenting and thoroughly enjoying the process.

Okay then! I know my life is of the very deepest interest to you, but for now that's all. There's more-no, duh- and it's not all about academics. I do actually have a life (yeah, we'll go with that) and interesting thoughts to contribute to the world (or at least I hope they're interesting), but they will have to wait. So, talk to you later!

~me