WRIT 3500 Portfolio
ABOUT ME
Callie Miller: The Writer
Callie is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Denver where she studies Creative writing, Communications, Psychology, and Writing Practices. Callie was born and raised in Castle Pines, Colorado (only a short drive south of Denver). She has always loved hiking in Colorado's three-hundred days of sun and having fun at the endless concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Her favorite artists she's seen there have been Twenty One Pilots and Rainbow Kitten Surprise.
Callie will be interning with Denver Life Magazine's editing staff this summer to get her foot in the door of the writing industry. While in quarantine, Callie has been reading and writing nonstop, drawing and painting regularly, and learning to make new food here and there. She has also been playing The Sims 4 in order to live vicariously through her sims who can still enjoy social outings.
"Always be a poet, even in prose."
Charles Baudelaire
THIS IS HOW I WORK
Location: Denver, Colorado
Current Gig: Student at the University of Denver
One word that best describes how you work: Creatively
Current mobile device: iPhone X
Current computer: MacBook Pro
What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?
Texting/messages, calling, facetime, and Netflix are probably the only ones I can’t live without
What’s your workspace setup like?
I can really work anywhere, but for one thing I make sure to never do work in my bed. I typically do work either on the couch in our living room or in the corner of my room on a little chair with string lights and my bookshelf. This little space in my room is mainly for reading and writing so I can get into the right headspace.
What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
I don’t have many, but I guess I kind of have one that I’ve used since high school. For schoolwork or really anything productive, I make sure that by dinner time I do not allow myself to do any more work. Somehow this has always helped motivate me to get my work done earlier in the day and I get it done faster than if I allowed myself to do work after dinner. This then gives me time at night to focus on myself and have free time.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
I most definitely use the Notes app on my iPhone for all to-do lists or any other lists.
When doing research, are there any tools that you find to be indispensable?
What do you write with?
If I’m journaling, I write with a black Pilot pen in my Moleskin journal, but most of the time I’m typing in Word. I prefer typing over writing with pen and paper, my thoughts seem to flow easier and faster.
What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else?
It’s a weird flex, but I’d say that I am extraordinarily good at remembering my dreams. Every day at the breakfast table or later on in the day I never fail to remember my dreams and tell them in detail to my friends or roommates. I never knew this wasn’t an ordinary thing to be able to do, but I have learned that most people aren’t this good at remembering dreams. I’ve heard that this might mean I’m not getting very good sleep, but I beg to differ.
What do you listen to while you work?
I have a playlist on my Spotify full of songs that make me feel very inspired to write when I’m writing poetry. When I’m working on other projects that aren’t poetry though, I find it best to listed to classical or just instrumental music.
What are you currently reading?
Wow I’m reading several books at the moment. I’m reading both Diane di Prima’s Memoirs of a Beatnik and Pieces of a Song. I also just started There There by Tommy Orange.
Do you use an e-reader or do you prefer paper books?
I absolutely prefer paper books, more specifically paperback books (hardcovers always seem to get in the way). I spend much of my time for school on electronics, so it’s nice to get a break and read from physical paper books, plus I love watching my personal library grow!
What’s your sleep routine like?
I’m typically a night owl so on the weekdays I try to be in bed my 10:00pm, I catch up on social media and news on my phone, then I turn off my lamp and go to sleep by 11:00pm. To be able to sleep well, though, my bedroom door must be closed, all lights must be off, windows must be covered as much as possible, and my room must be either dead silent or have a white noise of my fan or oil diffuser on my nightstand (typically with lavender oils). I make sure every night to get at least eight hours of sleep, and any more than nine hours leaves me groggy all day, so I’ll typically wake up around 7:30am naturally and rustle out of bed around 8:30 to start my day.
Fill in the blank: I’d love to see Olivia Gatwood answer these same questions.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My father has always given my sister and I the advice, “Whatever you do in life, make sure you’re having fun. When work starts to feel like work, find something more enjoyable to fill your time.”
Is there anything else you want to add about your writing life?
The only thing to add is that I’ve just started working on my creative thesis, so if I sound too obsessed with poetry, then good. That’s what’s on my mind most of the time.