The Hunt Begins

That's right it's a hunt for my perfect place...and we're off! I accumulated a list of coffee houses that I plan to test as a writing spot. In making this list I made a few rules, which are listed at the bottom if you are interested, but for now I plan to visit each of these shops to see if any will help me become the writer I dream of becoming:

1. Primo Coffee House Does this place still exist?
2. The Ugly Mug
3. Perk and Brew I don't know if this place is still there either?
4. The Common Cup
5. Starbucks on Washtenaw Ypsilanti
   
6. Starbucks on Washtenaw Arborland
7. Starbucks on Carpenter
   
8. Espresso Royale
9. Biggby Coffee
10. The Coffee Lounge in Canton but I'm willing to give Cherry Hill a Chance
11. Beezy's
12. Harvest Moon Cafe
13. B-24's
14. Cafe Ollie
    

* Many of the places I found on the internet I know have gone out of business and so anything I found that I knew was out of business did not go on the list...duh, but some shops I think may be out of business, but I'm unsure did so we can see about them. I consider myself coffee house keen, since its more my scene than a bar is and some I have not heard of so I wonder if they are out of business or simply the best kept secret ever!
**There is no Bearclaw Coffee on my list because they are just stands.
***Most shops that were listed too far in Ann Arbor have been excluded because of the travel and parking effort.
****No Tim Hortons or Dunkin' Dounts because I have more class than that
*****Not in Canton or Plymouth since that is my hometown and I already know the perfect spot would be the Plymouth Coffee Bean which again has been excluded due to travel time
******Nothing on Eastern's Campus unless I am feeling nostalgic and writing/ re-living my college experience that day
*******Why not a library? Mostly because of hours and that would make writing seem more like work and like I said before, the purpose of this exercise is to make my writing an escape from my work...

Ideally, I would like to find a place that isn't corporate. I'd like to find a nice hipster privately owned by bohemians spot, but I am unsure this will happen given the hours I need the writing spot to be available to me and therefore places like Starbucks and Biggby still remain on the list.

Make the Time, Find the Place

I have decided that I am going to fight this identity crises, I am a writer and writing is what I will do dammit. I think what may have sucked the fun out of it for me was when I started thinking of writing as a second job...writing as work, instead of expression and escape. So, I just need to set myself up to work and make writing fun at the same time.

When I saw Margo Rabb speak-mentioned in a previous blog- she called the first part of writing a novel "coffee shop time." She said that she initially goes to a coffee shop sits there with a nice drink and spaces out in order to see her entire novel scene by scene like a movie. This sounded so appealing and relaxing to me that I am going to take her advice. This will be step one to writing my novel...

I just need to find a time and a place.

A time is easier to decide on, I work 9-5 Wednesday through Sunday and I don't see why after work I cant spend at least one evening spending time relaxing and writing.

A place is a little more difficult...I want to find a local coffee shop that is my writing spot. This will save valuable seconds deciding where I want to write each night. This writing spot of mine will require the following:

1.) Hours that fit with my schedule

• This will typically be about 6pm-11pm unless I go on a day off

2.) Inexpensive Drinks

• After all I am a bohemian and cannot afford to pay a toneach visit

3.) A cozy place to daydream and sit
4.) Local

• Preferably within walking distance or a place that has free parking

5.) People that do not Annoy me, will be friendly but not distracting

So my mission is set...and I choose to accept it: #1- start writing in free time and #2-hunt for the perfect coffee shop to become my writing spot...

Words of an Identity Crises

I haven't been writing and this is strange for me. Lately, it has crossed my mind that maybe I'm not a writer after all...and this is strange for me. There have been no journal entries, no short stories, no poetry, no novel and as you can see there is a major lack of blog entries.

Writing was something I did automatically as a child, something that came natural, something I needed to do to breathe, but lately...nothing.

Have I given up on this dream so easily? Is this part of my identity gone? Just two years ago, I was so set, so determined to become a writer. Why did I stop?

Was it just too difficult? Others were better than me and I couldn't stand the jealousy I felt? I wondered what the point was with so many other writers out there? Was there too much negative feedback? I find it hard to believe that would stop me...but did it? *shivers*

I am going to library school. I want to be a youth librarian, but did graduate school really cancel out ALL writing time? Will this soon turn into another librarian's blog? Bleh.

Why can't I do both? Today, someone must pick one career and spend all their time working toward it in order to succeed. God forbid, someone does decide to split their time between different interests, because then they are not considered dedicated enough to one...they will not become as much of an expert on one thing and for this they will not be respected enough to accomplish their goal.

My name is Angela Michelle Scott...and I am a writer...right?

The Heart Doth Repair Itself

Dr, Jonas Frisen: "In an old person, the heart muscle cells will be a mosaic: some that have been with that person from birth, and there will be new cells that have replaced others that were lost." -Lauren Rediness, Radioactive, page 180, 2010

In this case...it's a scientific fact.

Definitions of Romanticism

A Long Overdue Post

Romanticism- according to Wikipedia Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, it was a revolt against the aristocratic norms and was inspired by the industrial revolution. It validated strong emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as trepidation, horror and terror and awe—especially that which is experienced in confronting the sublimity of untamed nature and its picturesque qualities, both new aesthetic categories.

Romanticism- according to Webster:
1. Consisting of or resembling romance
2. Having no basis in facts
3. impractical in conception or plan
4. marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized

5. a : having an inclination for romance : responsive to the appeal of what is idealized, heroic, or adventurous
b : marked by expressions of love or affection
c : conducive to or suitable for lovemaking

6. of, relating to, or constituting the part of the hero especially in a light comedy

Romanticism- some random website: Whereas rationalism was dominated by logic and reason, romanticism is more emotional, less controlled

Romanticism- Sixth Edition, Handbook to Literature: Romanticism arose so gradually and exhibited so many phases that a satisfactory definition is not possible

Emotion be Gone!- A one liner

I worry everyday that all this patience is for nothing-but I keep telling myself to have faith. I only hope that the worry does not turn out to be true and the faith turn out to be false.

So...Angela...what the H-e-double-hockey-sticks?

Up until this point...and even a little now, this blog has been unfocused...all over the place. So you might have some questions for me, let me take a few moments to try and answer those:

So..is this a writer's blog?

It is in the sense that it is about a girl who likes to write, who sets writing goals for herself and hopes one day that maybe it will lead to publication and be her primary job. However, that is not all that this blog is about. It's more of a journey of what its like to live a life seeing the world the way I do.

Whatever happened too.... Applying to Columbia College Masters Program?
I never completed the application, was too scared to ask for recommendations and did not find an MFA a very practical degree to strive for when I would've had to take out loans to do it. I desperately want to earn my MFA and work on my craft one day, but honestly I have to make a living first.

Writing for the Eastern Echo? The simple response is I am not a student at Eastern anymore. The more complicated one I will try to leave simple by saying I did not find them to be a credible publication to write for anymore and while I loved seeing my name in print and earning a little income through writing (dream come true), I was afraid I was beginning to look worse in print rather than better.

Your Non-profit Certification Program at Eastern? It seemed like most non-profit jobs that paid well included asking people for money all the time...it not only isn't me, but also a lot of non-profits I had to work with through-out my class, not going to name any names, but I want to make it really really clear that I am not talking about 826Michigan, were extremely unorganized and I need more structure in my life. I quit the program with 3-6 credit hours left...who knows maybe I'll go back and finish it someday...maybe.

NanoWriMo? I failed. Yes, it makes me feel like a bad writer, but I will try again next time. I am confident that some November I will be successful.

With all that said, what's going on? I am on a day shift at a library and it is my first full-time position ever. For once, the stress of applying for jobs is lifted from my shoulders and I love every minute of daytime...NO MORE MIDNIGHTS!!! I also will surprise you by saying I went back to library school, only this time with a concentration as a Childrens' librarian instead of an archivist. I want to work with kids and teach them how to be resourceful and perhaps even love literature. I will hopefully earn my masters in a couple years.


In short, I am happy and thankful and more secure than I have been in years. I am sure the turmoil of life is not done with me, but I am happy to catch you up to speed and report that at the moment I am pleased where life has brought me.