Where have we been?

Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or whenever you are reading this. It has been almost 2 months since my last blog post, the reason being that quite a lot has been going on and in recent years I have realized just how quickly weeks fly by.

The biggest news is I recently received the final results for my MA, and to put it simply I was very happy. I now have an Upper Second-Class Honours MA in Modern Literature and Film, which means from now on my official title is Darragh McGrath BA, MA (fancy I know!). I look forward to the graduation ceremony in the new year, as does my mother I am sure. It seems fitting that I should celebrate this good news here on this blog (even if I am writing the post a couple of weeks late) since, as I have mentioned before, it was a module on the MA programme that inspired me to start a blog in the first place and my experience of writing my thesis was the focal point of this little side project for its first few months. Despite the fact that my posting has not quite followed the set schedule I had originally intended, because I had forgotten how busy life can get (minor detail), sharing the experience with whoever reads these blog posts has been enjoyable and fulfilling, and my hope is that I can inspire others to consider postgraduate study in the arts or support those currently going through the process. If I made it so can you!

Okay heartful celebrations out of the way, let’s get back to the serious journaling. What else have I been up to? Well, my job hunt has officially begun, and admittedly it has been more difficult than I anticipated. Fortunately drawing on my past experience working with the university careers service I know where I need to keep my eye open. I feel looking for relevant work experience in the areas that most interest me will be the best option in the meantime.

Another reason why I have not had time to write more blog posts recently was I have been engaged with another writing project in my spare time, again even someone who enjoys it as much as I do does not wish to spend all of their time staring at a computer screen. As I mentioned in my post on Creative Writing I have been working on a fantasy novel for quite some time now and recently have retuned to writing it in earnest. The experience gained in writing my MA thesis has definitely improved my skills in that regard; longform writing projects no longer seem as daunting and I have become much more adept at editing and drafting. While it is still a work in progress, I have managed to complete Part 1 of the novel and the wordcount currently stands at just over 25,000 (almost double the length of my thesis!) If the reader will forgive this minor self-praise, I am proud to finally be progressing in something that has been a plan at the back of my mind for so long and has filled many scribbled notes and doodles. I have sent the first draft to some of the best literature scholars I know: my friends! I await their opinions with great expectations before beginning work on part 2 of 3.

So there you have it; seeking employment and making headway with my novel has kept me busy for the past 2 months, which has meant I haven’t had as much time for this blog. I do however, have plans for posts and hope to publish more frequently as we enter into the holiday season. With my MA now under my belt (and on my CV) I feel this is now truly a scholar’s notebook and there is much still to be written into it.

Thank you for joining me.