every morning there's a halo on the corner of

I cleaned out my piggy bank today. I don't know how much was in it, but I was definitely an interesting child. I found Deutsche Marks, Francs, and 5-cent Chinese renminbi coins that are apparently very valuable these days. I'll have to look that up.

The greatest inventions, the most awe-inspiring, gasp-inducing, finger-snapping ones, are the ones that we wish we could have thought of. The beauty of them is that they're usually so simple that we wish we had. The household objects that are so easy to mimic that you find yourself wondering.. if only I had thought to twist a metal wire around a couple of times, or add some adhesive substance to pieces of yellow square paper...

The greatest words, the most powerful novels, I think, are the complete opposite. Some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read--in fact, I daresay all of the most beautiful prose I have ever read--strikes me with this deep pang of envy and awe. The first thought I find myself thinking is, "Holy shit. I wish I could write like that."

Mathematicians and scientists, doctors and surgeons, I admire them all. They are impressive, and their genius is undeniable. On the other hand, their genius is approachable--they are following established rules. Formulas. Facts. Laws and theorems that have been around for far longer than the children to aspire to be one of the elite. Of course, they enjoy their own brand of innovation and their minds are certainly above those of us mere mortals, but personally, I believe that the genius of creative writing transcends the genius of the core sciences. It is brilliant in a completely different way, but without some kind of natural gift, some instinct and natural intuition, it is near impossible to fathom.

The path of a doctor is set in stone, for the most part. Students of medicine must take A, B, and C in order to reach X, in order to get the resulting Y, and then live a life of Z. Their path requires little actual planning. It's been mapped out, all they need to do is follow directions. It's different for writers and readers and the dreamers who spend all their time doing one or both.

English is often looked down upon as a impractical major. Plenty of people, the fathers and mothers and uncles and aunts and students of medicine, scoff at the thought of spending 55K a year to read novels. After all, is it really necessary to go to school for Shakespeare? Can anyone be serious? And besides, you English majors don't even do anything. Well, this English major strongly disagrees.

What can you do with an English degree? The honest truth is, anything you want. You can even go to med school if you decide to backtrack a little and follow the path. It's not too late. But the hard part is those people who decide they want to be English majors.

You move towards this path, and then realize... wait a second. There is no path. There is no set line to follow, only this great sheet of possibility that you are left to navigate alone.

I am not a great fiction writer. I often find myself reading the words of others and feeling my insides twist with admiration and envy. A word choice here, a full sentence further down, the simple use of punctuation--leaves me enthralled. IF ONLY... If only I could write like that.