Time flies

I didn't realise that I had not posed for a while here.  The good news, and it was days later than announced, the uni results were posted.  Imagine my thrill to have my results confirmed - two distinctions and one credit.  It was enough for me just to pass, so I feel particularly blessed. 

Before the results were posted I was well underway with another two subjects, and am working my way through it.  We had a fabulous tutor for one subject but after three weeks it was announced that he was offered a full time position with the university, so I have the same tutor for both subjects.  We were all devastated as the original lecturer was so inspiring.  And to add insult to injury, the tutor has not responded to our posts for two weeks now. 

I have kept up with all the assignments, and today should be working on two more plus my major assignments.  Hopefully I will manage to get them all done.

I have now downloaded all my lectures, which are on a CD (one of which was not sent to me - had to ask for it to be sent a couple of weeks into the course, onto my MP3 player, so I can easily listen to them without being in front of the computer.

It is strange doing all the course online.  Some benefits of course, but I'd love to chat with the tutor and other students.

I've read quite a few books in the last couple of weeks - some are suggested readings, some are my own choice - including one Christmas gift, the Di Fingleton story. 

Uni Results

I had read on the uni website that exam results would be posted on December 11th.  I'm sure of that - although all reference to that date have mysteriously disappeared from that website.  Just prior to the "due date" some marks appeared on the website, and I wrote them down, but they too disappeared before December 11th.  A few days later, no doubt after a query from a student (or students) there was a message for two subjects that the results would not be available until December 21st, or 22nd.  So I still wait in quiet anticipation to get the official results.

Still, onwards with my assignments for my two new subjects, and I have already submitted assignments for this coming week.

So I am ahead, and as it is Christmas and New Year and I might just get all excited about the festive season and neglect my studies I am trying to get ahead.  

On Tuesday we had the Society of Women Writers Qld, Christmas Party at the library in the city - and the announcement of the winners of the Article and Short Story competition.  I won third prize in the Article competition.  Whooo.  A certificate and a cheque for $50!!!

Writing Groups

I am a member of a number of Writing Groups.  One is the Queensland Writers Centre - which has premises at the Queensland State Library in the cultural precinct of Brisbane near the Brisbane River opposite the city centre.  Each year they hold a Christmas Party - and this was the first in their new premises.  Last year they were in an old building at Metro Arts.

I met some friends there - and we had a wonderful evening  - Wine Women and Writing......  On Monday another group launched their Anthology - A Twist in the Tale

You can buy a copy at the RiverBend Bookshop at Bulimba where the launch was held.

Wonderful on-line community.

This semester my two subjects are Writing History and Journalism, and I've met (online of course) the students I will be working with this semester.  It is amazing the age range (some are almost finished their Masters at 25 years of age, and at least one other is mid 60's like me.  They come from all around the world - one student posted from a coffee shop in New York this morning, and others are in Europe and all parts of Australia.

In Writing History we are exploring our own family histories and in less than 500 words there are amazing stories that scream out for a book.  Some of the students and families escaped from Europe during World War II, others have histories dating well back before that of settlement in Australia, and some have had tragic beginnings to their lives.  I've laughed and cried reading the stories.

At the same time I have been reading a book by David Hill "The Forgotten Children.  Fairbridge Farm School and Its Betrayal of Australia's Child Migrants."  It is a gripping tale of the children who were shipped to Australia, some orphans or from one parent families, to Australia to a so-called better life in the lucky country.  The gall of the Fairbridge Society to buy them new clothes, and shoes and send them by sea to Australia, and take the wonderful new clothes and shoes from them on arrival, and have them live life as servants essentially to the Farm as they grew up.  How they were not re-united, as earlier promised, with their families, and how they were treated in a most acrimonious fashion in Australia.

I am halfway through the book and can't put it down.  I'm angry, embarrassed, and so sad for the children who grew up in this abomination of a place in New South Wales.

I know times have changed and we tend to be more critical of things that occurred in the past comparing them with the knowledge and information we now have, but the treatment of these children by a church associated organisation is galling.

Three down - nine to go!!!

It appears I have passed all three of my subjects for last semester.  Not all marks are in - but I'm sure I can't fail!!!  Yippeeee!  Only nine to go and I have started on two more. 

Awesome!!

Interesting Websites for Writers

During the course I will give information about writing - some websites with articles that I think readers may find interesting.  There's so much on the Internet - and I know that is not necessarily the best resource - but I will do my best to give readers interesting information.

Writing History is always very challenging.  It really is the popular genre at the moment - and of course, as I have said, is something the piques my interest.  I am currently reading a book that I learned about at the recent Brisbane Writers Festival - when I heard Dr Anita Heiss read some of her book "Who am I The Diary of Mary Talence". I could not find the book and eventually located it in the Brisbane Council Library catalogue, but it took several months to be available.  Perhaps people who attended the Writers Festival queued up to read it.  

Mary Talence, was a 10 year old aboriginal girl, who was given a diary for her tenth birthday, and over a year, wrote everything that happened to this girl who was taken from her aboriginal family, and spent some time in a home before being fostered by a family who wanted her to forget being an aboriginal and live like a white person.

The story is fictional - but based on real facts, and is an enlightening read if one wants to learn about the way these children and their families were treated by the poorly named "Aboriginal Protection Board."  This book is not one of our readings for the course - or at least not for Module One - it may appear later, but I wanted to read it to see how the writer had created the story.  Dr Heiss is aboriginal, and clearly passionate about the  stories of her people, but it is a good read none-the-less. 

One article that I have just read, which is something from the course, is "Writing a Non-Boring Family History, on a website called WritersWrite .  I'm interested to learn that so many people think that family history is boring.  For me the collection of dates on marriage, births, deaths, etc is boring - I am interested in their stories.  I know that when one writes about it, one needs to have a theme for create a non-boring story - something to keep the reader hooked until the end of the book, and sometimes it is hard - which is why some writers fictionalise the material. 

The New Semester Begins.

It was with great excitement that I collected the first CD from Swinburne for this semester.  There should be two - but I was happy just to have the one at this point.  It was the CD for Writing History.  The CD has the whole semester's lectures on it - I can listen to the lecturer, print out the lecture, and if I want download the lecture to put on my MP3 player and hear it as often as I like.

It was with great anticipation that I opened my Swinburne website and saw who was in my tutorial group, and who the tutor was for my group.  

I am in a much better situation this semester than I was at the first semester - so many things I have learned on how to do it all on-line.  Last semester not only did I have to master three subjects, but also master the website and all the information and instructions that came with doing the course.  Information overload I think, but now I am happier as I can start with a little more confidence.

I am doing two subjects - Writing History and Journalism.   My tutor for Writing History is very interesting and I am impressed not only with his introduction and story about himself, but he gave details of his own website.  I can see a photo of him - so I can identify with him a little more when I communicate with him.

The tutor for Journalism was my tutor for two of my subjects last semester. 
(I'll decide if I like him if I pass my final assessments!  :)  )

I was also thrilled to learn that some of the students from last semester are in my tutorial groups - for both subjects, so I have already requested a couple to be my 'critical friend' in the subject.