Thursday 22 September 2011

I'm getting too old for this shhh.


An interesting day today. I enrolled in the Queen's University Belfast MA for creative writing. It was a bit of a challenge to get to this point. First the stress of getting accepted onto the course. I applied thinking it was a long shot but in the time it took to get word back I began to believe that I needed that offer more than anything in the world. I'm good at torturing myself that way. But the offer came and then I had to figure out a way to actually attend the classes. Turned out I would have to take a demotion at the day-job if I was going to make the classes. After considering the finances and whatnot, and with the support of my perfect wife, it looked like it would be a reality. Then I had to pay the fees. Not easy on my newly reduced income. But we worked it out.

And I got what I wanted in the end. So today I spent a lot of time marvelling at the fact that I'm so much older than the majority of folk milling about the Queen's campus during freshers' week. I passed down many an offer for a free shot at a nightclub or a reduced rate pizza from young hipsters armed with a stack of coupons positioned at strategic points on campus. And I accepted the reality of the work I'll have to put in to gain that piece of paper that will validate me as a serious student of creative writing. And I got a student card that will entitle me to money off clothes from shops I wouldn't dare set foot in.

But hey, now I can dream of a day-job in the arts sector. And I feel accomplished.

In other news, I got a further ego boost when I read an article in the Belfast Telegraph that names me as a writer to look out for in the future. Gob bless Colin Bateman and read the article here.

8 comments:

seana graham said...

Way to go, gb--on both counts.

Alan Griffiths said...

Congrats, GB. Sounds like a lot of hard graft but I'm sure it will be enjoyable and rewarding. Best of luck with it all and keep us all posted.

Cheers.

Photographe à Dublin said...

Here's wishing you every success.

You will certainly have plenty of material to fuel your writing, as university live is so varied.

Photographe à Dublin said...

"Live" should have read "life".

This looks promising, but I have not read it:

wsupress.wayne.edu/books/89/Writing-Humor

Sean Patrick Reardon said...

Life has been very good to you of late! Congrats. Only a matter of time, til your doing beer funnels, swallowing goldfish, and squeezing into booths with your frat buddies! Wishing you the best, with firm swat in the arse with a cricket bat.

Gerard Brennan said...

Thanks, Seana!

Allan - Will do, man. Cheers.

Maria - Thanks for the link and good wishes.

Sean - I know, right? Waiting for the other shoe to drop, to be honest. Cheers, dude.

gb

seana graham said...

I forgot to say that I give big props to your wife for giving her blessing to this.

JamTheCat said...

Excellent news! Now rock their world...and you know you can.