Ok, folks — here’s the plan for the next two weeks:

Tomorrow, April 19th, MEET IN THE CLASSROOM at 8:30 a.m., at which point I’ll take you to the computer lab (probably 1302 — I asked to have our class there) to continue working on your web portfolio.

Then after a break, we’ll come to the Portfolio Center, where writing and editing professionals Keidra Chaney and Marina Lewis will give you feedback on the writing that you sent in. See the Portfolio Center blog for more details.

On April 26th, we’ll continue working in a computer lab (hopefully 1302 again) and finish up your web portfolios. By May 3rd, all the following should be complete:

• Your final portfolio should be completed and contain at least five samples of writing (whether published and/or unpublished) – all of which have been edited and polished based on the variety of feedback you’ve received over the last semester
• You should have excerpts written for each of your portfolio writing pieces (where and whether they are used in your portfolio is beside the point — you should have them handy, if needed)
• An edited and finalized resume, artists statement (and/or combination of statement and bio)
• Business cards (which most of you already have); it’s not required that they be printed by end of semester, but do try to get them printed as soon as you can

Your final grades will be mostly based on the final product (the web portfolio), but I will also take into consideration your participation on the blog (and your collaboration with your colleagues), interviews conducted, resources shared, etc.

And then, on May 3rd, Adam Berry (who will have already received your links) will give you final feedback on your web portfolios and be available for any other technical questions you may have.

And then . . . that’s all folks!

Hey folks — for those of you needing them (though you’ll get sent the site for the Portfolio Center’s templates, too), here are some websites that I found that offer free web design templates:

http://www.oswd.org/

http://freesitetemplates.com/

http://www.openwebdesign.org/

http://www.bluevoda.com/

If you end up using one of these, then when you’re done, we’ll upload your web pages to your internet site. (so don’t worry about that unless you think you can do it).

Kristin

Ric has graciously offered to share some of the resources he has found regarding copyright and business-related issues that helps you protect your work and your rights as a writer. So be sure to take a look and share anything you might come across, as well.

Don’t forget that next week we will focus solely on web design issues, so bring everything you have (on disk).

Ric it ended up going in for moderation, but here is your original blog. Thanks!

So here’s a summary of the three bloggers who spoke to us last week.

David Littlejohn, the Columbia grad, runs the blog http://advertisingforpeanuts.blogspot.com/ He talks  about advertising that he finds interesting. Which I don’t. Barbara Iverson runs the http://currentbuzz.org/ site. She talks about the media and current information technology and how it is changing current (and rapidly transforming) information business models. Lots and lots of other links. And then you can link to popurls.com and there are hundreds and thousands of others that you can waste your entire day flicking around.

Ben Tanzer (http://bentanzer.blogspot.com/) is a writer with a web-site/blog that probably applies closest to what we’ve been looking at. As fiction writer’s anyway. And, in a little example of the concept of infinity as viewed through two opposed mirrors, Mr. Tanzer talks about the panel at Columbia and about the sites that I’m refering to here, so you could, enter into an endess loop were you read it here and click on his link and follow that to the other sites and then back here and so on and so on… Maybe that’s what he means when he says that this blog will change your life.

From the above, very random examples, we can infer, quite inaccurately in a statistical sense, that blogspot is the place to go to set up your own new blog. Have at it.

Ric

Both events will be held at the Portfolio Center (623 S Wabash, Suite 307) / Students: first — meet me in class at 9:00 a.m.

We’ve got someone from the alumni association coming over to talk briefly with you. We’ll go over some things, then go over to the PC together.

March 29th @ 11am

Blogging and the Writer’s Portfolio

for: Writers (of all kinds)

Local writer / bloggers of all kinds will visit for a discussion about the advantages of using a blog as part of a writer’s portfolio, including tips and best practices for getting a blog rolling.

Guests include Draft|FCB Copywriter (and alum) David Littlejohn, author of Advertising for Peanuts, Journalism Faculty member and author of CurrentBuzz Barbara Iverson, and novelist and freelance writer Ben Tanzer, author of This Blog Will Change Your Life.

This discussion is open to all students and alumni of Columbia College Chicago.
April 5th @ 11am

Pitch & Query: Writing for Hire

for: Writers (looking to get published)

Set your own hours. Get paid to work from home. Write to your hearts content. Sounds good, right? But to be a successful paid freelance writer or novelist, you need to know how to sell your ideas through clear writing – not gimmicks. Join agent Joanna MacKenzie and acquisitions editor Jacque Day discuss the do’s and dont’s of pitch and query letters.

This discussion is open to all students and alumni of Columbia College Chicago.

From this week’s Reservoir - a short piece that quotes Jotham Burello on various tools needed to succeed as a writer.

I’m not sure exactly where Mr. Marceau wanted me to move his post to, so I thought I’d start a new blog of general class musings beginning with his, below . . . Kristin 

—————————

This was a really great week. Today was awesome…Rushdie and Lethem at the Chicago Public Library. I left amazed.

The Grad Student Reading was incredible. Something definitely worth aspiring to. For those that didn’t or couldn’t stay until the end, well, you missed out. What a closer.

Business Card printing was a fiasco at the local FedEx/Kinkos…never again. I left feeling like the world was a shit-hole and everything was an obstacle to my goals. I wasn’t about to fork out the $125+ they wanted for a minimum of 500 cards. Eat my ass, Corporate America.

The weather was a gorgeous tease this week. Glad I wore my stinky leather…it got to be the cold, unfriendly Chicago weather we all know and love this afternoon.

Networking. I DID get a few phone numbers, numbers I’ve wanted for a while but haven’t seen the people in a long time: Grads and Alumni. Connections are connections, I’ll take what I can get (for now).

I had my Info Interview and Portfolio Advising appt. w/ Joanna. Cute, smart and energetic. A pleasant meeting to say the least. Learned some of what I already knew, a few new things and details about industry information I was a little fuzzy on. I brought my Improved Frosted Turd (resume) with me and she thought it was passable. I need to put the stuff in Bullets, but other than that, I’m on the right track.

The events this week have been a real treat. I’m gonna miss this shit when I graduate…so, I guess I’ll put it off another year.

It’s late. Zzzzz-time.

Ok, folks — try to go to as many events at Story Week as you can (the link has the full schedule plus). This only happens once a year! Great chance to network — especially you, Ric . . . ’cause we all know just how little of that you do!

Also, be sure to read the bios of the folks we’ll be seeing on Thursday. Cheers, Ks.

Steve May, Director of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University in England and four of their students will be visiting the Fiction Writing Department from March 5 through March 16, observing some of our classes and participating in Story Week events.   

We know that our faculty and students will welcome these visitors. The Fiction Writing Department extends an invitation to all faculty and students to join us for a reception welcoming our Bath Spa guests on Friday, March 9, starting at 2:30 P.M. on the third floor of the Columbia College library. Substantial refreshments will be served. 

Hi folks, here’s something Matt Green sent me (who you met this morning):

In class I talked about the organization that seeks screenplays for actors to read in front of an audience.  It’s actually called Chicago Scriptworks

- http://www.chicagoscriptworks.org/

…but your student also mentioned the Chicago Dramatists which is cool too – http://www.chicagodramatists.org/classes/

Also, Wendy Lalli’s website (www.wendylalli.com). Please send her a thank you for taking the time to talk to us this morning!

I’m also going to be copying and pasting all the links you send into the blog into the “Resource Websites” page (above as a button), so it’ll all go into one easy-to-find place, so check there, also (regularly).

see ya’ll later . . . Kristin