One of the best ways to describe me is that my hobby is to collect hobbies. I have half a dozen collections from stamps to vinyl records, write, stargaze, compose music, play trombone and a bit of tuba, read copious amounts of fiction, code websites and apps, act (and write plays), and am an advocate of Free and Open Source Software.
The two most common responses I get when explaining one of my interests:
- You picked the wrong major!
- So… what do you want to do with that?
The first, while meant well, I disagree with; I'm very happy as a Communications BA, far more than I think I would have been if I'd gone into computer science or indulged my inner physics nerd. Communications teaches me to understand interactions I see and gives me skills which are vital to everything I do.
Which brings me to the second question: what do I want to do?
I want to be a professional writer. Currently, I'm especially interested in experimenting with the now-pervasive digital world as a medium. (One such experiment, though a work in progress, is A Rainless Sky, an interactive murder mystery set in a bespoke fantasy world. Depending on the reader's choices, there are three possible murderer/victim combinations.)
It's not an easy field to get in; I'm currently in the process of trying to get published professionally. Eventually, I would like to write full-time, whether fiction or non-fiction. I'm passionate about writing, about communicating ideas to an audience in novel ways, and I've already seen my Communications classes have a large impact on the quality and depth of my writing.
I'm also trying to take as many people along for the ride as I can; you can see everything I publish as I go on my main website.