Category: Uncategorized

Thing really are moving. I started the second half of my bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas in Fall of 2020 and am thoroughly immersed in the U.T. experience. I am an active participant with the Student Veteran’s Organization, President of the New Wave Longhorns non-traditional student org, and am working hard to maintain a high GPA. When all is said and done, I’ll have a degree in interpersonal communication and a creative writing certificate (the same as having a minor) with a focus on writing fiction. I’ve gotten to work directly with some of the most amazing professors and met amazing fellow students.

There are many challenges and many successes and a whole lot of feelings while I figure out my new directions. The biggest question I’m facing as I shift around to get comfortable in my new form (just enjoyed a milestone birthday) is who is this girl and what is she supposed to be doing in this world.

From a post on the Facebook

by L. Nicci Haynie

A few people have asked how I am being affected by the state of the racial issues in the US right now. I’ve not really been able to give a thorough answer because there’s about 400 years of information in my response. But for now, I want to talk about the lives that matter.

I recently read a post by a friend that said, “I’m starting a new movement. DLM – Dog Lives Matter…” Even writing this, my eyes get a bit teary, although I know that it was not intended directly toward me and the person doesn’t really have any malice in their nature, reading that post was no less a punch in the face.

Being a black person in America is a constant struggle to have my value recognized. Most people don’t realize how frequent and prevalent racial disparities are in our country and it’s ok, you should not have to. NEITHER SHOULD I – However, it’s pretty clear that this country was made for the white male founders. There is specific language in the constitution that denies our very humanity. While the language has been corrected in recent laws, the fact that it is there still takes away from the truth of our equal standing as people. Moreover, as people whose blood, sweat, and tears built the foundation of this potentially great nation, we deserve to be SEEN as proper and equal citizens.

When people decide that dogs, career choices (blue lives), and everyone else matters above our basic struggle to be accepted into our own society on equitable standing, is a continuation of the demeaning behaviors that have sparked these moments throughout our American history.

Detractors fight over the value of peripheral details like the violence of opportunists and reworked verbiage over whose lives matter (yes, everyone’s matter, but who continually has to remind society and PROVE that their lives and the lives of their loved ones hold value?).
People who find themselves unaffected or inconvenienced cry out “why can’t we all just get along?” We can’t because the people who have been taught that they matter less (our legislation only decided that we were full citizens sixty years ago) and are somehow unworthy of the successes that others enjoy are not buying it anymore.

As much as I love dogs (my boys are my babies), it is important that we recognize that there is a hostile environment for people of color in this nation. Before we can reach the greatness that we strive for, lives of black people must matter equally to all Americans.
I implore you: do not be part of the problem by appropriating the terminology that people of color are using to call for justice.

Black lives MUST matter.

The whole world has gone mad.

I have been watching things for the last couple of months, doing what experts advise is best and trying to make sure my feet go where they are supposed to. Social media has been too overwhelming, so I’ve tuned in with a lower frequency and checked in to the news to see what, if anything, has changed. Change is a slow and scary process, with a lot of work involved. I see it happening, though. Things are changing all over the world.

While I definitely thrive in the isolation environment, I know that not everyone does so I’ve been periodically checking in with people and have had some brilliant conversations. I have agreed with some and disagreed with some, but it has not caused me to “unfriend” anyone. I never want to be that person. People hold their beliefs because of a plethora of information that has built them into who they are. We are created from tiny pieces of information that build over the years to create the whole person. These little shards of humanity combine to give us the rich and colorful mosaic that is our society. Holding to that as a core understanding means that I accept that it is impossible for me to see things from some perspectives as it is impossible for some to see things from my angle. So I can respectfully disagree and still hold said person in high esteem.

Even if those differences are fundamental to who they are, I can still accept them where they live and not try to force my own views. I will never understand putting chocolate (or anything else) on bacon, for instance. In my belief system, sweet stuff on meat is… well it’s just not right. But I have plenty of friends who feel differently, (some of them don’t even like bacon). I do not love them less.

As our nation goes through these growth pains, I hope we can all agree that our differences are still a thing to be celebrated. We very much need all the colors of the rainbow to make it complete.

We must continue to strive for a strong, colorful nation.

LNH

I am ready to commit to a timeline.

• Draft 1 – Complete
• Draft 2 – In progress, soft deadline, May 30, 2018
• Send to the beta readers – August 17, 2018
• Corrections and updates – August – November 2018
• Editor view – November 2018 – May 2019
• Corrections and updates – May 2019 – July 2019
• Rest, breathe, travel to Germany
• Publication – deadline, August 17, 2019

Stay tuned, friends. I’ll be posting a lot more updates as we near completion. For now, I’m back to writing. Ciao!

I do not like the term “Blog”. I’m not sure why, but it makes me itchy. Maybe it’s an aversion to new terms, but that would be strange, since I am certainly known to invent my own words on occasion. I am much more fond of rediscovering old words and incorporating them into my everyday language.

In any case, this is my blog. Enjoy!

I am terrible at this!

I did not know how bad I was at managing a page until I created this website. I’ve got a lot of learning to do while I work to get this story completed.

Much more time has been invested in story writing than site management. None-the-less, much more time should certainly go toward creating this page as I near the completion of the book. Right now, I’m learning how to transition from a free form writer to editing and completion of the story. Since this is the very first of what I hope to be many books, I must simultaneously create the story and create my own process of storytelling. I’ve got a lot of learning to do!

Fortunately, learning new things is something I’m quite good at!