mardi 3 mars 2026
I cannot the smell of…
Well, writers aren’t perfect. What the heck was that prompt?! Or, maybe it was intentional to play on how the mind will fill in missing pieces. I did a direct copy/paste from a thirty days of prompts document made available to us on Canvas from our Memoir and Personal Essay Workshop through UCLA Extension. It was the first of my creative writing courses in this Writers Program. The first of many, I’m hoping.
The writers program UCLA Extension requires 21 credit hours for completion and that one was worth one and a half. It was only two Saturdays from 9am to 5pm with one reading before, one writing submission in the middle and access to a wealth of materials to retrieve from Canvas, a course holding platform, and direct emails from the instructor and classmates. I paid, what, under 300 bucks? I’m not mad at it.
(The prices for professional courses at USC are atronomical. In comparison, UCLA Extension is extremely affordable).
The pricing for that 2-day workshop being within reach was definitely a deciding factor in my enrolling. I was browsing the Creative Writing course catalog on UCLA’s Extension website recently (and by recently, I mean yesterday or the day before.. yep, the day before yesterday because yesterday, I was in Hacienda Heights with my feet kicked up at a friend’s place doing makeshift market research for my future interview series featuring professional athletes; I binge-watched episodes of Good Sports with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson, two comedians that welcome guests from the world of sports and entertainment. Did I cackle or find myself profoundly moved? Not a chance. But was it worth watching as I let the Cava that my friend took me to get digest, then continue watching as I stuffed my face with Kettle Chips at the gym the next day? Yes. It was cool. And of course production quality was top notch with two seasoned vets as co-hosts and overhead costs being covered by the behemouth that is Amazon via the monster company’s streaming service that comes with Prime)… Hm, I obviously want to talk about that sports show in relation to my future sports show, don’t I? That was one long parenthetical; I’ll come back to it.
In regards to scrolling [timer sounds]…
The vast majority of Creative Writing courses within UCLA Extension are online and who’s about to pay to feel as though I could be sitting at YouTube University for free?! Nah, bay-bee.
When I did find a creative writing course that both fit my interest and was offered in-person, it was eight or nine-hundred dollars! Babe. Yes, reasonably priced in comparison to the ridiculousness that is tuition on a certificate at USC, however a thousand dollars for a single course? There, is where, I am not. I moved my mouse towards the top of the screen and closed that browser.
I have to get habituated to paying this new, big, first-solo-apartment rent before I enter my card number online to pay that sort of price tag on a writing course that can promise no guaranteed return-on-investment in immediate or near future financial means. Yes, I’ll be smarter and feel better and enjoy it. At this moment, though, I need some money, h03!
This thirty-minute daily journaling session (that I’d missed the day prior, after only having started the day before) followed a midday walk up, down and around Culver City Stairs. photo: aroundwithTK
I’m sitting on my couch, my very first couch, writing with my notebook in my lap and boy, it surely does get more uncomfortable the further I get to the bottom of the page. Which reminds me, I need to continue furniture shopping. I never had my own living room, meaning that I’m starting from scratch. I smile at the thought of creating a cozy and aesthetically pleasing lounge space. Let me not feel the relaxation too soon. Aie aie aie, so much on my plate.
(I’d tapped repeat on the timer set to thirty minutes, but now I’m at the end of the page; 15 minutes remain).
What’s going on here? Your guess is as good as mine. This sliver of Internet authority that I’ve secured for myself, aroundwithTK, is serving as an exploration space. I’m writing and creating to keep from going crazy. Other writers have readers; here, we’re riders. Thanks for coming along and I hope you’ll stick AROUND.
Read (mentioned): A List of Writing Prompts for Thirty Days
Connect (Instagram): @aroundwithTK
Watch (vlog): Living in L.A.: Hollywood Hotspots, Hikes, Late Nights & Sunset Views | AROUND: Los Angeles (S1E1)