Introduction to Overactive Imagination
Hello! My name is Lauren Skaggs, and here is a little history about me!
Family
My parents live in Oklahoma City, which is where I was born and raised. I have a twin brother; his name is Braden. We look absolutely nothing alike. He is 6'1" to my 5'3" with thick brown hair that makes my strawberry blonde look like toupee. My family has two dogs, Zander and Ginger. Ginger loves to cuddle and hide under blankets when the wind is too loud. Zander likes to pout and steal food off people's plates.
Family
My parents live in Oklahoma City, which is where I was born and raised. I have a twin brother; his name is Braden. We look absolutely nothing alike. He is 6'1" to my 5'3" with thick brown hair that makes my strawberry blonde look like toupee. My family has two dogs, Zander and Ginger. Ginger loves to cuddle and hide under blankets when the wind is too loud. Zander likes to pout and steal food off people's plates.
(Personal Photo: Zander)
(Personal Photo: Ginger)
(Personal Video: Ginger Hiding)
What I'm About
When I was a kid, the very first thing I ever wanted to be
was a priest. I liked the songs we would
sing at church, the people always bustling around, how everyone seemed to know
each other. Unfortunately – or
fortunately, depending on how you like to view things – I wasn’t born with the
right parts and I eventually moved on to other career ideas. After the fallout at the realization I wasn’t
allowed to be a priest, I can only remember ever wanting to be a writer. I was fascinated with music, and could often
be found screeching along to a Britney Spears’ song. Fortunately – and it really is only fortune –
I now know my singing capabilities are aligned with the siren-song of a walrus.
Since priesthood and becoming a mini-Britney Spears were no
longer options, I started realizing that I was pretty creative and books were
actually really cool. I had an active imagination, especially when
I was younger, as I took the things people said in ways that were more
conclusions I drew than the actual truth.
For example, my mom always told us to stay away from windows during a
tornado. Good advice, really, except for
the fact that I assumed the reason was because tornadoes were sentient and that
they really hated people – so much
so, that if they saw you, they’d whirl in your direction like a vicious dog.
I am majoring in English Creative Writing, with a minor in
Spanish and possibly Professional Writing.
My favorite things about my major are the great professors and
interesting classes. I love having so
many diverse options and wide-ranging topics to choose from. The people are the best part. Everyone has so much personality, and I have
never failed to find a friend to connect with in any of the classes I’ve taken.
Well, that's the really interesting stuff! I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.
Zander and Ginger are such cuties, Lauren: maybe they will make an appearance in some of your stories this semester! Along with a sentient tornado or two, ha ha. And I am so glad English now has a creative writing major... this class should be a nice writing laboratory for you, experimenting on whatever kinds of stories and style you would like to play with. You'll see I share different writing resources and writing motivation materials in the class announcements, and if you ever have suggestions about materials like that I can include, let me know! Writers are usually very good COLLECTORS of things, and with blogs, we can then share what we collect with others. :-)
ReplyDeleteGinger and Zander say thanks! I am very excited to be in your class. It seems like it will be a lot of fun and a good lesson in writing!
DeleteAs an engineering major, it'll certainly be refreshing to read something written by someone who actually knows what they're doing. Sometimes I reread my writing from even a week ago and wonder what in the world I was thinking, maybe you can give me some pointers! And cute dogs! You can trust me when I say that because most dogs make my sneeze my brains out, so they need to be exceptionally cute to gain my approval. I look forward to reading your stuff in this class and hopefully beyond when you become a bestseller!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteYour dogs are so cute! Like you, I’m in Gaylord College and my major focuses on writing. Writing is such a great tool to be able to communicate with others. This class must be right up your alley! Like you, I wish I could be a mini-Britney Spears… But not everything goes our way, right? Best of luck with your career in storytelling!
Hi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your dogs are absolutely adorable and I love that one of them likes to hide under blankets. It's really cool that you have a twin brother even though yall look nothing alike. It really sounds like you have found a passion in your major and have a love for what you are doing. I've always been jealous of people who have a creative mind and can come up with wonderful stories. You will do very well in this course and allow you mind to create great stories. I hope to read one during this course!
Hi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteYour dogs are really cute! I'm generally of the opinion that all dogs are good dogs, but yours seem like they are particularly good. That video of Ginger hiding under the blanket is absolutely adorable. I think it's super cool that you're a creative writing major. I'm a professional writing major myself, and I've heard from some of my classmates who switched courses that the type of writing the classes focus on is different, so I'll be interested to see the ways you approach writing stories for this class.
Hey Lauren. That's really cool that you wanted to be a priest! I grew up in the church, so I've always imagined being something like that someday. I'm impressed that you can major in English and minor in Spanish at the same time. I took three semesters of Spanish for my major, and it was not easy. Good luck with your studies!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! Your dogs are so cute, I love dogs and have some of my own. Wow, I am impressed with all of your writing abilities and creativity. This class has already been hard for me because I am not a big writer, I'm more of a science/math girl. I am excited to read some of your stories because I'm sure they will be very creative. Also props to you for minoring in Spanish, I took three semesters and that was enough for me. I hope you have a great semester!
ReplyDeleteHowdy Lauren, it makes sense that your week 2 story was so good given your major and aspirations! Neat that you have a Spanish minor as well, do you plan on doing writing in both languages? Great dogs, my cousin has a pooch that looks a lot like Zander. As far as tornadoes go, how do we know that they DON'T just hate people?
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI'm with you... books are pretty great. When I was younger, I used to imagine the world around me as set in the Harry Potter universe, so I totally understand your comment about tornadoes gaining sentience. I always asked my mom what kind of tree the Womping Willow was made out of and how we could get one to protect our house from any kind of intruders.
Your dogs are adorable! I've never actually seen an animal burrow under blankets, and that is incredibly cute. Hopefully you get to see them often, with home being so close!
ReplyDeleteIt's neat that both of your first dream careers involved music. Music can be so many things, and it can be a part of so many different paths - like a priest or a singer/songwriter! The shift to an interest in writing doesn't seem like a bad thing, of course. Honestly, if you can find a way to do so in this class, I'd love to see a story written about sentient tornadoes that hate people! That could be a really interesting story.
Hi Lauren! Your dogs are so adorable! I have a little boston terrier, Oscar, who is a menace when it comes to stealing food off plates. If you leave a plate on a table, he will jump up there and lick it spotless! He has also licked them into the floor. He is a devil, but I love him. I think it is great that you are a creative writing major! I always wanted to be able to write a novel, or something of that nature, but I just don't have the perseverance. I bet the skills you have obtained while studying are really going to help in this class!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge dog person, so of course I think your dogs are adorable. I have five dogs actually, and I also have one that loves to steal food right off your plate. However, my dogs are a lot bigger, so it makes for a lot more work, unfortunately! But I still love them.
I think your passions are definitely in the right place. I had so many career paths that I was dedicated to for a while, but then life changed, I changed, and my interests changed. But that is okay, it only better prepares us for our future. I think it is great that you are interested in creative writing. I feel like that is definitely a job that you will enjoy in the future - it won't feel like 'work' when you enjoy it. Best of luck for your future!
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteYou're dogs are so cute! I am 100% a dog persona and love and big (and little) fur babies. That is so cool that you have a twin! Are you close/share a lot of the same interests or are you completely different just like your looks?
I think its really neat that you were finally able to figure out what your passions are and English creative writing seems like a perfect fit for you! I could tell just from reading your introduction that you were very creative. good luck in the future!
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI can already tell I really like your style of writing and look forward to reading your stories. I also was not gifted with the voice of an angel and have often likened my squawking to that of a dying cat. It seems like creative writing is the perfect major for you. I have always loved creative writing, but I decided to go study Biology which is the exact opposite of creative writing. Good luck this semester and I look forward to reading your stories!
Hi Lauren! I am also a twin. I have a twin sister that is 5’3” as well and I am 6’2” haha. We kind of look alike though. I love the pictures of your two dogs and how one of them steals food off of everyone’s plates! My dog is also scared of the wind and loves hiding under blankets while snuggling with me. I look forward to reading some of you stuff since you are a creative writing major.
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, what adorable dogs you have! One of my favorite things is hearing about people’s pets because I feel like you can really get a sense of who they are via their pets. Secondly, you’re a creative writing major that’s so cool! Creative writing is something I considered for a major (I was unfortunately talked out of it, but it’s all good). I imagine this class is right up your alley because of all the writing we do. I can’t wait to see what sort of cool stories you come up with!
Hey Lauren! Those dogs are adorable! Funny story, mysteries sister also wanted to be a priest when she grew up when she was little. I'm assuming Catholic, but I remember her making me play mass where she was the priest and I and the stuffed animals were the congregation. And you're a creative writing major, that means I'm sure that your stories will be good!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I think I remember you and your brother from PCN (I was point secretary for NHS so I was always checking everyone into meetings and stuff) hahaha :) Hope you're loving OU! I love the little career options you had growing up and what you finally decided to go with. I bet the writing part of your major will be really helpful in this class, and I'm excited to see what kinds of stories you come up with. I'm also a Spanish minor, so that's super cool! Hope that's going well for ya. Good luck this semester and with this class :)
ReplyDeleteand by the way, everyone has already said this, but your dogs are TOO CUTE.
Hey Lauren! Your dogs are so adorable! Makes me want to get dogs of my own! Its sad that one's gender still gets in the way of one's dreams but thats the society we live in sadly. But it seems this class is perfect for a creative writing major! I can't wait to read your stories and see how they blow mine out of the water! Im also a Spanish minor so thats awesome!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren. I agree with you, books are pretty great. When I was younger, I used to imagine the world around me as set in the Harry Potter universe, so I totally understand your comment about tornadoes gaining sentience. I always asked my mom what kind of tree the Womping Willow was made out of and how we could get one to protect our house from any kind of intruders.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I love your taste in books! I personally never got into Harry Potter but I did get into other fantasies like Narnia! Also, I love the pictures of your dog. I am an advocate for people posting pictures of their dogs. so thanks. Also, i think it is really neat that you wanted to be a priest when you were younger. I grew up around kids who wanted to be in the church scene so that is really cool that you had too! I look forward to reading your stories!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI really like the design and layout of your blog and I feel like incorporating personal photos into your introduction was a nice touch! Your dogs Zander and Ginger are so adorable and I really enjoyed watching the video of them too! I hope you are having a great semester so far and I can’t wait to explore the rest of your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! It is so nice to meet you. I love that you put pictures of your dogs in your introduction post. Zander and Ginger are adorable!! Also, I love that you added a video of Ginger because no other intro posts that I have seen have had videos. It was fun getting to know more about you and thanks for sharing all that!
Hi Lauren! Your dogs are so cute! I think we were alike because when I was younger I also wanted to be a priest. I also wanted children and priests aren’t allowed to have wives so that was a deal breaker for me. I think it is awesome that you are majoring in English Creative Writing. Your stories are bound to be leaps ahead of my writing.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren!
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOODNESS. Your dog is the cutest, besides my own dogs of course! 😉 I have a chorkie and an eskimo pom. They are my world. Do you like having a brother the same exact age as you? Has it been hard sharing a birthday? I have always wondered what it is like to have a sibling close in age. I have known a few pastors in my life who were women, but they are few and far between. I think it is a little ridiculous that our genetic make-up can keep us from leading others to Christ in that way. I love that younger you thought that tornadoes hated people. That is too adorable.
Hi Lauren!
ReplyDeleteIts neat that you are a twin, so am I and we also look nothing alike. My twin sister has super thick brown hair that I would kill for. This is weird but I am dating a guy who has a twin sister as well and I have always found their relationship interesting. There's the proximity and relationship from being a twin, but then the obvious gender differences come into play when they communicate. I imagine you have similar aspects to your relationship. Anyways, I can't wait to read some of your stories!
Hi, Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI know we've talked about the fact that we're both in this class, so I am surprised that I hadn't commented on your introduction until just now. Your dogs are so cute, and I love that you're a Creative Writing major; that fits you so well! We'll have to chat more before the end of the school year about what sorts of classes you're taking next semester!
Hey Lauren!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, those dogs are so freaking cute. I am having a very stressful Monday and seeing their cute fluffy faces totally made my day. That is so awesome that you're doing Creative Writing. I am super excited to read your stories now! I am not that talented when it comes to writing, so mine haven't been that great or creative so far.
Hey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI am also twin! Although we are pretty much the same height, I also used to have strawberry-blonde hair (although now it's mostly just blonde). That seems like a really cool major you have! I am not a strong writer by any means and think it's really cool when people are able to write out interesting stories. Anyways, good luck with finals week!
Hey Lauren! It is great to meet another person with an overactive imagination (there aren't many of us). I am in the Indian Epics class. But creative creating is really not my strong point. It is crazy to see how your life path has changed so much. Since you are a writing major, I thought that it really fits well with you. Good luck with the rest of the semester!
ReplyDelete