The Dreams We Have

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to ourselves the gift of living well." - Voltaire

Two days ago, I celebrated my 27th birthday. Unfortunately, I did not feel I should commemorate the day. Instead, I mourned the loss of another year in which I did not accomplish the vague goals I had set. No longer wanting to live a life of almost finished and not quite there, I have set the following goals that I will work towards achieving by my 28th birthday:

1. Read and review/discuss 50 books. Although I may read 50 books a year, I never take the time to write and post a review/discussion on my blog. I have several books on my list that I am going to read. Are there any books you think I should read or books that you would like to see discussed?

2. Discuss one article regarding books, authors, the literary world on my blog weekly. I read several articles a day as I'm sure many of you do as well. If you ever want me to read and/or discuss an article, just send me a link!

3. Create and utilize a Twitter account. I know, I know. Most of you have had a Twitter account for as long as it has existed. I have been dragging my feet. Do you have a Twitter account or know of a great Twitter account I should follow?

4. Attend at least two writing conventions.

5. Have at least two of my short stories published.

363 days from now, I will evaluate how I've done. If I fail, I will have to learn that "success is the ability to go from one failure to another wit no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

Defining Great Literature

Before I begin posting reviews, stories and poetry, I would like to define great literature. Every one of my literature and creative writing professors began class with the questions 'what makes great literature great.' Not until I began reading more prose for my own benefit and less for class, was I able to solidly define great literature.

Great literature is defined by effective character development and the efficacious use of metaphors, similes, and other literary devises. A great piece of prose must entail layers that the reader has to recognize and peel away. If a reader is not allowed to think, to search for truths, then the reading becomes mundane and lifeless. I want to finish a book, a poem, a short story and feel disappointment and a sense of accomplishment simultaneously.

I do not want the author to give me the answers, but rather make me want to search further, dig deeper, and start asking the questions to understand the truths that the character may never fully realize.

Please do not misunderstand me. I don't like when the author confuses the reader with inconsistent plot development, vague descriptions, and confusing characters. Instead, a great piece of literature entails clear and succinct prose, the effective use of symbols, imagery, metaphors, as well as other literary devises, and cogent character development.

Unfortunately, good and bad literature outweighs great literature. As a result, I continue my quest to find the great literature that I know exists.

To initiate discussion, I would like to ask you to add comments describing what great literature entails. The elements of what makes great literature great is purely subjective, and no wrong answers exist. So you tell me, what makes a great piece of literature great?

I recently graduated from college, moved across country, started a new career, staying busy all the while. Now that the hoorah of it all has subsided, I notice the absence of thoughtful discussion, enlightened reading, and scholarly opinions. With this blog, I hope to satiate the void, continue growing as a writer, and spark interest in the books I will be reviewing.

Although I have written thousands of papers - yes I know I'm exaggerating, but it sure felt like thousands in college - I have never written a blog. Any and all constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome!

My greatest obstacle will be posting without over analyzing every word. I am a perfectionist, and I will have to work on letting things go in order to be productive. Please be patient with me! I'm sure I will become more efficient with time.

I look forward to contributing to the already abundant amount of blogs that exist, as well as the discussions and comments that will result from the reviews, poetry, and short stories that I will post.