Last Wednesday I had my mid-semester meeting with my Stonecoast mentor, Jim Kelly. I was a little nervous. I'm not sure why. I've known him for a while now, but this is the first time we got together to talk about all of my work. He spent a little less than 2.5 hours with me, which was so much longer than I had anticipated.

We talked about everything from what I'm currently working on to what I plan to work on over the course of my next three semesters at Stonecoast. He was glad to hear that I'm switching to writing science fiction and humorous fiction. I think I might have worried him a little with all of my twisted, dark fantasy! Sorry Jim!

My third semester project is focused on the adaptation of an original work (such as a poem) and turning it into a screenplay. My plan centers on adapting "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" into a screenplay. However, I'm starting to think that I might turn it into a novel instead. My end goal is to introduce new generations of readers to the beauty, fantasy, and horror of the Romantic Poets. Blake, Shelley, Coleridge - three of my all time favorite poets and storytellers. I’m going to have to really think about what to do with my project because it will mean a significant shift in the type of writing I'll be doing over the next couple of semesters (as well as after I finish the program).

I've also been doing a significant amount of research on European discovery voyages between the 15th and 18th Centuries. The information I'm learning is fascinating and it's encouraging me to think bigger than a screenplay. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a fantastical, if not horrific, poem written about a Mariner who kills an albatross and then has to suffer through a series of terrible lessons before his penance is done. I feel like a movie can’t go deeply enough into the psychological depths that need to be explored to fully realize the significance of this poem. So, it’s decision-making time. Stick with the screenplay or switch to novelizing the poem. What to do?!

Next week is going to be insane. On Thursday, I'm heading to the World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY - it's one of those locations that just isn't easy to get to anyway you slice it. The schedule has been posted and there are a ton of readings, which should be terrific. I'm especially looking forward to the reading by David Anthony Durham. I was disappointed that he left Stonecoast the semester before I began. I would have loved a chance to study with him, but I can’t fault him for taking a tenured faculty position! Congrats David!

All right, so it's back to work now.