Cats, Computers, Clicking & Knocking a Professor Out of His Chair

 Written by M. K. Waller

I fell asleep in my chair and when I awoke, I was right clicking on Ernest the Cat’s soft underbelly.

Such is my life: cats, computers, and clicking. It’s past time for a new project.

Thirty-three years ago this month, I received a master’s degree in English. I’d spent the previous year digging myself into and then out of research that resulted in a thesis: The Writing of Helen Hunt Jackson’s Ramona. I followed my usual writing process: modified chaos. If my adviserhad known how I worked, he’d have booted me out of his office the first day.

At the outset, he gave me some excellent advice:

1. Modify your aspirations. When I said I’d like to write about Emily Dickinson, he asked if I wanted to spend all my time reading what everyone else had written about her.  I didn’t. He said…