As of 4 p.m. EST on April 11th, I am done with writing my thesis! It's not perfect, I would go as far as to say that it is still in the drafting process, but it has been printed and handed to my thesis committee. I have to say, I'm particularly proud of myself--I wrote 100 pages of solid, publishable (with a few tweaks), non-fiction material. I have a MANUSCRIPT. More importantly, I proved to myself that with dedication, I CAN do it. Granted, I also learned that I need to set a more rigorous writing schedule for myself and actually stick to it, otherwise it's a lot of late nights. Though, I seem to writer better and am most focused after 12:00 p.m. Apparently, this means I'm going to have to get a "real" job (I scoff at you real job) at night or really early in the morning, I suppose...

So it's DONE! (does happy dance for like the 1 millionth time).

In other news:
Author Kurt Vonnegut has passed. In truth, I haven't read much Vonnegut, and I haven't read Vonnegut recently. However, I do recognize what I have read (a handful of essays, Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat's Cradle) as true masterpieces. Not only do these books weave an amazing story, but they address hugely important social issues. To have the ability to tell a story that, upon completion, makes the reader set down the novel and go "Wow, man" is something that most writers can only dream of. To have your books impact not only a generation, but generations upon generations is something many dream and only a few achieve. And to do it in a wry, satirical manner...

I remember the first time I read Vonnegut. My 12th grade A.P. English teacher, Ms. Vigneaux, assigned Cat's Cradle as a "modern" novel. I remember not being able to put it down (which maybe doesn't say much--I have a seriously bad habit of losing entire days to novels. Poof! Gone just like that.) and reading through the night. It was funny, sad, and metaphorical all at the same time. I found myself going, "Wow, man" as I finished the last page.

So here's to you, Kurt. I raise my imaginary pint in honor of your literary greatness. May the light of your genius never burn out.


Tags: thesis, kurt vonnegut