Tag: update

What I am up to

Goodbye 2015!

Kyle Freelander

It’s been a while since I’ve done the whole blogging thing. I could make the expected excuses of all work and no play, but that feels unnecessary. Instead, let’s go with thank you. Thank you for continuing to follow this blog. Thank you for the continued support on this site as well as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and wherever else we have been able to come together. Most importantly, thank you for being you. I value each and every one of my readers, and I know that I couldn’t be who I am as a writer without you all being who you are.

Here are some of the writer-ly (or whatever) things I’ve been up to in 2015:

  • I finished my first year and a half of graduate school! This means I’m now officially halfway through my MFA program. That is both an exciting thought as well as a terrifying one. I’m not sure where I’ll be after getting this degree, but I know that I will be a stronger writer for it.
  • I started teaching English 101 (and am now prepping to teach ENGH 101 and 201 in the spring). Teaching college students has been an interesting (and usually rewarding) experience. I realize that a lot of students really value the feedback they get and take their inquiries outside of the classroom. Now I can laugh at all of the times that I used to say I never wanted to be a teacher. Well, maybe it’s more of a quick chuckle.
  • I started working on my thesis project. It’s a book I’ve tried starting two other times but ended up setting aside again. In many ways, it’s different than what I’ve written before but, in a lot of ways, it is familiar to my writing. This third start really has been the charm. I feel like I have a better understanding of my characters (who are now a lot more interesting than they were before!) and that my relatively complicated story line is becoming clearer. I’m very excited to continue working on this piece and cannot wait to let you all know when my first draft is done! (This will be quite a while. Don’t hold your breath.)
  • There has been a lot of tutoring this year. It’s been rewarding to help younger students reach their full potential in English (reading, writing, grammar, etc.). Then there’s the math tutoring that I thought I left in the past but it has actually been a lot of fun to revisit the topics I thought I left behind. It’s all so much easier now. (Having answer keys might be part of the equation there…)
  • I also spent some quality time teaching creative writing workshops as part of the Sally Merton Fellowship program. It’s fun to see how excited the kids get about getting to do something creative (and just having a new face in the classroom). Also, I value the collection of drawings and thank you cards that these kids have given me. I could probably do with a little less hair-braiding, but even I can’t really complain about that.
  • Fall for the Book 2015 was also a major success (in spite of the impending hurricane that thankfully dissipated so that we could continue the festival as planned). During the festival, I had a chance to talk to Tim O’Brien and get my book signed. Steve Watkins (a former UMW professor whose class I was sooooo close to taking) was there as well and it was nice to get a chance to chat with him. (He gets a double thanks for giving me a signed copy of his book as well!)
  • In addition to all of that, I drank obscene amounts of coffee, met new people, went new places, and lived to write about it all. Stay tuned this 2016 for more writing and reflecting on A Dose of Kyle.

 

Enough about me. What have you accomplished this year? Did you get lots of writing done? Read any good books? Travel to several cool places? Leave a comment below!

Kyle, What I am up to

The Return of the Faded: An Update

kylefreelander

Here is where I make a list of excuses as to why I haven’t been posting lately:

1). Grad school has taken up a lot of time but, all in all, has been very rewarding

2). I was helping with Fall for the Book, GMU’s annual literary festival and for fear of getting into the blurb I gave all newcomers about the festival, I’ll opt for a link to the festival’s site for those of you who are curious enough to venture to it.

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Check out the festival here!

3). I started teaching creative writing to little kids who may or may not actually like creative writing…yet

4). I have a new blog. No, it’s not a betrayal to this one. It’s about horses and it is for one of my classes (Online Writing), so I would really appreciate any support or suggestions you all may have!

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Check out my horse blog here!

5). Did I mention all of the books for graduate school? There are like 25 of them for this semester alone.

6). I spend my rare free time sleeping or lying awake in bed thinking and thinking and thinking.

 

However, these are all just excuses and a lot of my thinking has led me to the conclusion that I would like to resume regular posting on this blog –especially the Writer Wednesday posts since I feel those have been helpful to other writers. So hang in there as I shake my schedule up some more in order to get back on track with this!

Thank you readers!

 

Featured image courtesy of flickr
Kyle, What I am up to

Current Events in the Writing Life of Kyle

kylefreelander

1). 100 posts deep on A Dose of Kyle!

Yes, that is correct: there are officially 100 various posts on this blog. In fact, this is post 101. Happily enough, post 100 was a Writer Wednesday post for all you fellow writers out there. Thank you to all of my current followers and readers, along with all of those to come down the road. You all make blogging worthwhile! <3

2). Heyy App

You may have noticed this earlier this week, but I have begun blogging for Heyy App –a dating app that turns everyday moments into amazing relationships. Did you meet/see someone but ultimately missed the opportunity to get contact information? Wish you had another chance to talk to the woman at that party? What if you could find the man you exchanged glances with at the bar? Post a heyy! You can add text, location, and even a picture to connect with your very own missed connection. Take a chance, post a heyy. (Available July 2014).

What am I doing on their blog? Well, I am there to share your heyy moments (sparks) as well as dish out dating and relationship advice. Some of these posts will find their way onto this blog and others will only be available on heyy app’s blog, so follow them if you want to stay connected 😉

Find the blog here: http://heyyapp.wordpress.com/

3). The return of the novel

I can make excuse after excuse for why I haven’t been working on a novel currently (or at least not consistently), but I will save you all the pathetic list. I’m embarrassed to admit that I could even make a whole list of excuses! To be a writer, you must write. I’ve been doing that, but now it is time to kick my butt back into gear, so to speak. While the articles, poems, and what not will continue (right here on your top ten favorite blog), I will be returning to my habitual novel writing because that’s how I roll…especially in the summer.

 

Join me on Facebook where we party like…well, we party: https://www.facebook.com/kylefreelanderwriter

Or twitter, my little birdlings, where we can write to each other in clips and phrases that are less than 140 characters! @kylefreelander

 

Kyle, What I am up to

Why I’ve Been Sucking at Writing Lately

kylefreelander

So somewhere within the whole getting into graduate school, packing, moving out, moving in, unpacking, starting a new job #1, starting a new job #2, and watching my baby sister graduate, I got a little off track with my writing. My blog experienced a delay in my regular posts that I am genuinely sorry for. The novel I am currently working on also got put on pause. However, I am writing this update to say that I am getting back on track starting TODAY…beginning with this post. Thank you all for bearing with me and I can’t wait to share more with you very soon (don’t fall off the edge of your seat)! For now though, quench your thirst for more Kyle by reading my articles on Thought Catalog if you haven’t already –I would really appreciate the support! <3

What the Person You Deserve is Like: http://thoughtcatalog.com/kyle-freelander/2014/05/what-the-person-you-deserve-is-like/

Love Will Knock You Down: http://thoughtcatalog.com/kyle-freelander/2014/05/love-will-knock-you-down/

Kyle, What I am up to

Moving time!

kylefreelander

It has come time for me to move out of my apartment and in memory of my time there, I thought I would make a list of things that I will NOT miss about this place:

1. The kid running around upstairs. How a little kid manages to shake my whole apartment, I will never understand. Literally, baby earthquake every time that kid is home.

2. The finicky thermostat where my room is always too hot or too cold (never just right) and my roommate’s room is always the exact opposite. There is no winning.

3. The train. Admittedly, you only really hear it if you are outside or have the windows open but it is a little strange to be neighbors with a choo-choo train.

 

While there are things I won’t miss about this place, there are a ridiculous number of things I WILL miss that I can only begin to list here:

1. The historic downtown area as our backyard. It’s pretty cool that almost everywhere you go has a story that dates back a good hundred years.

2. Everything being within a ten minute drive. Or, better yet, a brief walk.

3. The pool. It had a sort of resort feel to it. Plus, it wasn’t very crowded during the week which was definitely a plus for my roommates and myself.

4. It’s a nice apartment. Like a Barbie dream home. You know, if that dream home was an apartment with two roommates and everyone’s respective significant others.

5. Not having to share a bathroom. This is the first time I haven’t had to share a bathroom with one or more females, so I have this apartment to thank for finally introducing me to straightening my hair, storing my products, and in general having my own decorations in the bathroom. It’s the little things…or the weird things.

6. The food. When moving away from a variety of restaurants both large and small to an area that mainly has chain restaurants, the food will always be missed.

7. The nightlife, although it occasionally felt limited, was a nice atmosphere. There were the few regulars that were always fun to spot coupled with a bunch of new people of all ages (well, above 21 that is). Plus, it was easy to barhop since everything was within a short walking distance. If one place wasn’t happening, you could easily venture forth!

8. EVERYTHING. Oh well, I am moving onto bigger and hopefully better things. Maybe you will see me there again some day…

 

Facing the Tide, Kyle, What I am up to

Le Update. (What I am up to lately)

kylefreelander

After hitting roughly 32,000 words on my next novel, I hit a sort of writer’s block with my project. I realized I needed some space from it to really think about how I wanted to go about the rest of the book. So, I have set that novel aside for now and….

I HAVE STARTED A NEW NOVEL.

Okay, it’s not really an entirely new novel. I started this one while I was on break from college and set it aside once it was time to go back to school. Now that I have been out of school for a while, I find myself thinking more about this novel then the one I had been working on. Now seemed like a good of time as any to switch. Currently, I am at just over 14,000 words into my first draft. Let’s see where this third novel takes me.

AS FOR BOOK #2…

It’s in beta reader mode. My mother wants it to be in “Mother-read-me mode,” but that comes later. Patience, Mom, it’s headed your way soon. I’m really excited about how this book turned out, although I am a little skeptical about some of the details. I might want to change a few things around, but I’m counting on my beta readers to let me know if that’s necessary or if I am just looking for reasons to hold onto my novel longer. We’ll see. What you should know is that it is a chic lit novel that will make you sad, happy, and (most importantly) laugh out loud (well, hopefully).

IN THE MEANTIME

Poems and various other writings are being posted on this blog. If you have the time, take a look around and feel free to let me know what you think! I love feedback.

AND THE SHAMELESS PLUG

My debut novel, Facing the Tide, is now available in both print (on Amazon) and eBook formats (on Amazon kindle, Barnes and Noble nook, Apple iBooks, Smashwords, and more).

Thank you all for your support!

Kyle

Facing the Tide, What I am up to

What I am up to

kylefreelander

Current projects:

As my second book nears editing mode, I am now a week into my third book.

In dream world, I will be writing 60,000 words in 30 days.

That means 60,000 words by March 1st.

[ [ Hold me to it. ] ]

I tell myself I have done it before and I can do it again.

I just have to keep swimming through the snow and ice that is my February.

[ [ Slow and steady wins the race, right? ] ]

Current word count: 14,162 words

Current mood: Publicly optimistic, internally worried and occasionally fighting off the feeling of defeat

Other writing news:

My debut Y.A. / new adult novel, Facing the Tide, will be available in paperback on February 15th.

And yes, there will be a giveaway. For a signed copy.

[ [ Get excited! ] ]

Like my Facebook page [ [ https://www.facebook.com/kylefreelanderwriter ] ] for forthcoming details!

[ [ Hint: Like my Facebook page. It will help you on your quest to winning a SIGNED paperback copy of my book, Facing the Tide. Also, it will make you feel loved and provide you with fun new reads and tidbits. Win-win. ] ]

list, What I am up to

13 Things I am grateful for from 2013

kylefreelander

While 2013 brought me many things (both good and bad), I am reflecting back on the positive things that the past year has brought to me as I welcome everything 2014 has in store for me. Bring it, I’m ready.

[In no specific order]

[[This is by no means a complete list]]

1. Graduating from the University of Mary Washington.

Okay the picture is humorously dorky but it was a big accomplishment for me.

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2. The beginning of a new, beautiful relationship.

We have had our ups and downs, but he challenges me to be better…to be the person I want to be and do the things I want to do. I am excited to ring in the new year with him and cannot wait to make more memories together in 2014.

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3. My first book, Facing the Tide, being published.

AMAZON pink COVER sm

4. Acceptance into Graduate School for an MFA in Creative Writing Fiction.

While this was an offer I sadly had to turn down, I was flattered none the less to have gotten in. Now I am in the stages of reapplying to MFA programs and hopefully will be able to pursue this particular dream in 2014.

5. Getting to spend time with my family.

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6. Meeting new people, making new friends, and the continued friendship of old friends.

Imagine there’s a mirror here…

7. Learning new things like…

a). how to cut out people in my life who take advantage of me and/or our friendship.

Admittedly, this is still a work in progress but even these baby steps have been a weight off of my shoulders.

b). it’s not the end of the world to ask for help when you need it

[and the pleasant discovery that there are still people out there who love to lend a hand to those in need].

8. Knowing the best dog in the world, Pepper, who my family and myself sadly had to say goodbye to in October after 14 years.

He was the best dog a girl could ask for.

Pepper

9. The chance to travel.

10. Yvonne, our fancy mouse (who passed away a few days ago). 

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11. Moving into a new apartment.

12. Getting back in the saddle…

horse

…and leasing my first horse.

Lukas

13. The chance to ring in another new year!

Best wishes to all of my family, friends, fans, readers, those who stumbled upon this post by accident, and everyone else. Happy 2014!