kah's picture
kah from Ewan is reading everything on al gore's information super highway October 8, 2011 - 4:35pm

and signed up for zen mind. 

not sure what to expect, but i'm hoping it give me the motivation I need to stop using the "I have a job and don't have the time" excuse. 

not that i expect anyone to reply to this thread, but i'm hoping i get a shiny badge on my profile for creating it. 

Fylh's picture
Fylh from from from is reading is from is reading is reading is reading reading is reading October 8, 2011 - 4:38pm

You'll like it.

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch October 8, 2011 - 4:40pm

I only have fond memories of my Zen workshop. Enjoy! I hope you get a good group taking it with you, but the workshop itself rocks!

Charles's picture
Charles from Portland is reading Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones October 8, 2011 - 9:43pm

you'll like it. you'll leave feeling confident and cocky as shit about your ability to make a story happen. i know, cause that's how i left the clevenger class i took earlier in the year. you'll probably learn some shit too. shit you never even thought about before.

Mark's picture
Admin
Mark from Lexington, Kentucky is reading The Chronology of Water October 9, 2011 - 5:39pm

Well, congratulations on taking the plunge--and on badging up like mad!  I double checked on some things since your profile says you're a federal employee.  Mr. Obama just told me this LitReactor stuff is cool and all, but it had better not be happening on company time.  He lightened up, though, after we'd downed six or eight longnecks from an assortment of his favorite microbreweries.  So it's all chill.  And the class will be off to a fun start incredibly soon.

.'s picture
. October 9, 2011 - 5:42pm

Ah yes the class starts tommorow. I can't wait. I think i'll just start fresh and write all new short stories instead of trying to brush up any old material.

Raelyn's picture
Raelyn from California is reading The Liars' Club October 9, 2011 - 5:58pm

Forgive me if this question makes me sound like a complete idiot, I've never been a part of an online class before.  Do we need to login at a certain time, or anything similar to that?  I'm really looking forward to the class and wouldn't want to crap out on the first day.

Charles's picture
Charles from Portland is reading Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones October 9, 2011 - 6:02pm

@rae: no. if its like the one i did with clevenger, you write a piece a week at your leisure, and you do reviews for the people in your class/groups pieces at your leisure during that week. there may also be a teleconference with the class and mark, which is the only thing thats really time based.

.'s picture
. October 9, 2011 - 6:10pm

A teleconference? Thats pretty cool, I didn't know about that. Is that how he does his lectures for the class?

Charles's picture
Charles from Portland is reading Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones October 9, 2011 - 6:14pm

no... in my experience it happened at the end or before the last week, and it involved people just talking about things, and just having this chance to ask the instructor candid questions. it makes the experience a little more personable.

kah's picture
kah from Ewan is reading everything on al gore's information super highway October 9, 2011 - 6:14pm

i was kina hoping for video chat so I could tape a picture of Charlie Day to my web cam. 

.'s picture
. October 9, 2011 - 6:28pm

18 possible people on a teleconference...sounds messy.

Mark's picture
Admin
Mark from Lexington, Kentucky is reading The Chronology of Water October 9, 2011 - 6:39pm

@Raelyn:  Charles summed it up.  Fixed meeting times would always present a schedule conflict for someone.  Since we gather students from every conceivable time zone and since we cater to adult learners who often have full-time responsibilities, it only makes sense to take advantage of the flexibility an online format allows.  There will be deadlines for written assignments to keep the class together, but always with the understanding that an individual student may not even see a newly posted assignment for the first six or eight hours after it's live.

@jacks_username:  Lecture content will be presented in written essay form for you to read, comment on or post questions, copy to your notebook, etc.  I'll arrange some phone conference time for the expanded personal dimension that allows, but it will be less formal than a lecture and more of a bonus, since some of your peers may have schedule conflicts that make live conferencing impractical.

kah's picture
kah from Ewan is reading everything on al gore's information super highway October 10, 2011 - 8:50am

and we're off...

kah's picture
kah from Ewan is reading everything on al gore's information super highway October 10, 2011 - 8:50am

and we're off...

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch October 10, 2011 - 9:37am

Have fun with the class! Give us the highlights!

Mark's picture
Admin
Mark from Lexington, Kentucky is reading The Chronology of Water October 10, 2011 - 2:11pm

It looks like a great group, so far.  Brilliant short bios in the introductions section, clear goals.  And a couple to three or four seats remain if you want to pass word along to anyone who'd be the right fit.

As per my Twitter feed:

Don't Miss Zen Mind Last Minute Seats - http://eepurl.com/gldHn

Thanks, all.

Mark

Mark's picture
Admin
Mark from Lexington, Kentucky is reading The Chronology of Water October 11, 2011 - 4:09pm

Update:  The enrollment tightened right up after yesterday's newsletter, fulfilling the cap we set before day one had expired.  It's exciting to see this much demand in the very earliest days of the new site.

Sarah Metts's picture
Sarah Metts from Rock Hill, SC is reading A Game of Thrones October 11, 2011 - 8:41pm

So far I feel the power of the class working. I've struggled with trying to carry through with my habit changes. Having the site be there, lectures posted, discussions brewing and an assignment marked with a deadline, takes out the stress and gets my mind focused. 

kah's picture
kah from Ewan is reading everything on al gore's information super highway November 6, 2011 - 5:58pm

I passed. Granted Mark graded on a curve so my 58 wasn't as bad as it looked. 

I'm very happy with the three pieces that came out of this class, and now I just need to repaint the pentagram on the driveway and grab a couple of chickens and a goat in order for at least one of them to see the light of day in a publication. 

.'s picture
. November 7, 2011 - 5:49am

I was freaking out for a second, thinking we really got a number grade. I sure didn't do the extra credit...not all of it, and my assignments were turned in late. Seems too much like high school. The only difference is that I actually learned something in Mark's class opposed to high school. Congrats litreactors.