My apologies for the long lapse in posting. It's because . . . well, because I've had trouble keeping my writing fire lit. The ordeal with VDM Verlag drags on, hard-earned money disappears into contest coffers, and things generally seem to be unfavorable as far as writing goes. Wah, wah, wah. Now that winter's in full swing here in the Rockies (first snow to speak of on December 8th), I'm keeping a hot fire lit in the house while wishing I could do the same on the writing front. And I can, I know. Here are a few things that have helped so far: 1. I am still doing what I want to do--write--instead of a myriad of other jobs I'd rather not do. This, in itself, is a good thing. (My office has a nice fireplace, a fully stocked kitchen, and fantatstic views, too.) 2. Things take time. Writing is, by its nature, a difficult occupation. If I thought (even in the back-back of my mind) that things were suddenly going to magically fall into place just because I did what all the conference attendees warn against ("Don't quit your day job!") well, lets just say I've had an attitude adjustment. I've been paying dues for about 25 years. Apparently, I'm nowhere near paid up.3. I still have lots of ideas in the hopper. Some of these include a screenplay for Milton's Paradise Lost and I'm well on my way into the next novel, Fearless. There's work to be done, whether I feel like it will amount to anything or not. And if I thought the work would leave me be, I'd ignore it. But it won't, so therefore, it must be worth doing all by itself. In the end, I've got to look at my face in the mirror and account for my time as a writer. How I mine or squander these ideas is up to me. 4. I believe in what I have to say. That sounds a bit ridiculous, perhaps, but it's really my main M.O. No one can say it but me. I also think someone can use it, somewhere. Others have told me so already. So, I'm pressing on. Keeping the fire lit is a lonely job (wah, wah again), one that any serious writer will attest to. And any serious writer will keep it lit no matter what. Wintertime helps.
Praise for Depending on the Light
"This is a work that shatters the separation of body/spirit, logic/emotion, virtue/sin, Christianity/lesbianism to create a space for human growth and understanding. Heise’s raw insights and well-sculpted language are definitely worth reading."
—Emily Golson, Ph.D.
American University in Cairo
University of Northern Colorado
"Karen Heise never shies away from two of the most important things in life: truth and honesty. At the core of her sensibility is an undeniable desire to know what it means to be human regardless of gender and social mores. This is a must read for anyone who is intrigued by the notion that a woman can be courageous enough to swim against the tide of public criticism."
—Laurie Wagner Buyer, author of
Spring’s Edge: A Ranch Wife’s Chronicles
What people are saying about our online textbook:
"A very helpful text for new online instructors ... I recommend it highly."
--Ben Varner, Professor of English, Univ. of Norther Colorado/Feature Editor, Online Learning, Academic Exchange Quarterly
"An excellent tool to structure faculty workshops or for the novice instructor interested in teaching online for the first time ... a valuable asset to faculty, instructional designers, trainers, and departmental managers."
--Cindy Smith, Secretary of the Texas Distance Learning Assn./Instructional Design Coordinator, The Univ. of Texas at Tyler
"If you're looking to increase your retention or just starting to teach remotely, this is the book to read--a real textbook for online instructors!"
--Mickey Slimp, Ed.D./Project Director, Internet Teachers at Every College/Founding Director, Virtual College of Texas/Executive Director, Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges
Other Writing and Teaching Services
TEXT EDITING/PROOFING
Got a manuscript that needs some tweaking? Need to get a project ready to submit to an agent or editor? Need assistance with general writing projects? E-mail me--I can help. You'll receive electronic line-by-line editing and manuscript critique, as well as an overall summary of the work.
RATES:
$150 -- first 5 hours of
critique
$ 50/hr. for any critique/editing over 5
hours
QUALIFICATIONS:
--M.A, in English, Univ. of Norther Colorado
--12+ years' experience teaching online and classroom-based college-level writing courses, including technical writing
--Online and print media editing experience
ONLINE CLASS TEACHING/CONSULTING
Would you like your institution or organization to go online and offer classes? Do you need help getting the process started, building classes, or managing classes already up and running? I can troubleshoot areas you may need to improve, then help you accomplish your goals.
CONSULTATION RATES:
$50/hr./2 hr. minimum charge
Ongoing support is also available
QUALIFICATIONS:
--online teaching for two TX community colleges since 2004
--class design
--multimedia design and support
--co-author of Building the Successful Online Course with Dr. Ken L. Haley, Paris Jr. College
