tisdag 26 mars 2013

Last blog assignment!

Important: I have chosen to write this blog post in Swedish since the interviews I held as well were in Swedish. Therefor it was easier to keep writing in the same language.

Det första ”mässbordet” och personen jag intervjuade var Frida Ottersgård. Hennes ursprungliga tanke var att hon ville skriva en novell som skulle vara uppbyggd av ett flertal kortsagor. Hon ville att dessa korta sagor skulle vara fristående men med gemensamma komponenter för att knyta samman dem alla. Hon ville blanda olika stilar såsom allt från cliffhangers till dikter eller krönikor. För att knyta dem samman funderade Frida på om de skulle ha en gemensam karaktär eller om alla kortsagor kanske skulle handla om varsin känsla eller genre. Från början tänkte Frida även skriva mycket om det ”Amerikanska livet”.  

I slutändan valde Frida att novellen skulle handla om en karaktär och att det var hennes liv man skulle få uppleva genom hennes ögon. Den första stora förändringen från hennes ursprungside var att hon bestämde sig för att skriva i dagboksform då det kändes enklast. Under jullovet så åkte Frida på en resa till Sydafrika. Innan hon åkte visste hon att hon ville ha med influenser av landet men det var först där borta, och efteråt, som hon insåg hur mycket fattigdomen verkligen påverkade henne. När hon var hemma igen i Sverige valde hon att dela upp boken i två delar där det Sydafrikanska livet skulle ta lika mycket plats som det Amerikanska. Frida skrev den första halvan av boken om en tjej som blev adopterad från Sydafrika och den andra delen om hur hennes liv kunnat se ut om hon inte blivit adopterad. För att få berättelsen med verklighetstrogen skrev hon om riktiga platser och händelser.

För att få ihop nog för de akademiska målen med projektet så valde Frida att undersöka publishing. Dock började hon att undersöka så pass mycket om Sydafrika så att hon själv tyckte att det borde räcka för den akademiska delen. Dock stötte hon på lite problem när hon väldigt sent under projektet fick veta att hon faktiskt behövde inkludera publishing. Frida satsade allt under två veckors tid och fick tillslut ihop en guide om publishing och vad man ska vara beredd på när man vill/har blivit accepterad av ett bokförlag.

Hennes process har varit lite ojämn då hon inte gjorde så mycket under höstterminen för att hon inte kunde bestämma sig helt för vad hon ville jobba med. Hon kom igång ordentligt först efter sin resa under jullovet där hon fick mest inspiration. När hon väl kom igång så började skrivandet att flyta på. Under veckorna efter projektperioden jobbade Frida på för fullt för att hinna med både novellen men även guiden om publishing. Hon skrev mycket på sin blogg och pratade en del med Jeanette Clayton om just publishing.

Frida hade gärna velat komma igång tidigare från början med hela projektet och novellen men är i slutänden nöjd även om det fanns vissa grejer hon gärna ändrat/förbättrat. Till exempel hade hon gärna velat hinna skriva mer och längre än det hon nu hann med.

Den andra intervjun jag gjorde var med Alice Paues (som har jobbat med Anabelle Lancelot). Hennes ursprungliga tanke var att skapa en sorts akademisk uppsats fast det skulle göras i formatet av en hemsida. Den skulle försöka hålla samma standard som en akademisk uppsats sett till källhänvisning och akademiskt språk. Hemsidan skulle handla om/innehålla de fyra olika produktionsstadierna i filmskapande och på ett enkelt sätt förklara för en olärd publik hur man gör en film. Alice ville balansera innehållet mellan att vara för generell till allt för detaljrik för att så många som möjligt ska förstå, d.v.s. inte gå in allt för långt på till exempel olika teknikaliteter. Deras mål var att ha intervjuer med folk från branschen för att få en ordentlig insikt i den världen och inte bara söka om information på nätet.

När projektet nu är slut är deras hemsida och slutprodukt väldigt lik deras ursprungliga idé. De problem de stötte på var bland annat att det var svårt att arrangera intervjuer, svårt att nå dessa personer. Dock fick de till en intervju vilket dem var nöjda med. De fick även lära sig att det inte är fyra produktionsstadier i filmskapande utan faktiskt fem, så de skrev om alla dessa på hemsidan. Det här upptäckte dem ganska sent, men det var inte svårt att ändra på för det var inga fel i deras fakta utan bara att de behövde dela upp delarna annorlunda än vad de gjort.

Alice har haft en bra process som har varit relativt effektiv. De började med att leta många akademiska källor och olika böcker om ämnet. Sedan jobbade de med att hitta just rätt information för sitt projekt och organisera detta på det viset de ville ha det. De källhänvisade under tidens gång och intervjun skedde på sidan om då den varit relativt självständig från arbetet. Efter projektets slut var de nöjda med sin källhänvisning och källkritik. De är även nöjda med det slutgiltiga utseendet av hemsidan och med all text men hade gärna velat ha fler intervjuer med någon som jobbar/jobbat på en riktig filmproduktion. Skulle även gärna lägga till lite fler bilder på hemsidan om hur allt går till.

Om jag ska jämföra dessa två olika projekt med mitt eget om projekt bröstcancer så finns det både likheter och olikheter. Om man ser till slutprodukterna så är det Fridas projekt som ändrat sig mest under tidens gång. Hennes slutprodukt var en novell (precis som hon tänkt från början) men den fick sig ett helt nytt upplägg med endast två olika delar istället för flera olika korta sagoberättelser. Det som var skillnaden mellan min ursprungliga idé och min slutprodukt var att den presenterades i skriven form (liten faktabok) istället för den muntliga versionen (presentation vid Kulturcafét) som jag tänkt mig från början. Förutom några små saker så var Alice slutprodukt den hon tänkt sig från starten med en akademiskt skriven hemsida om hur processen av en filmproduktion ser ut.

Om man ser till själva processen och hela projekt tiden så var jag redan klar med hälften av mitt projekt innan jullovet då jag redan sålt klart mina Rosa Band, vilket var hälften av mitt projekt. Det här var väldigt skönt för mig medan till exempel Frida först kom igång med starten av sitt projekt efter jullovet. Hon blev väldigt stressad över det här och det var något hon gärna ändrat och gjort annorlunda.

Vi alla tre har haft ett akademiskt syfte genom all fakta vi har sökt och använt oss av. Frida om Sydafrika och publishing, Alice om hur man skapar en film och jag om bröstcancer. Där var vi väldigt lika och vi alla har kämpat hårt med just dessa delar även fast våra ämnen skiljer sig mycket åt. Jag var dock den enda som inte egentligen ville ändra på nästan någonting av mitt projekt då allting gått väldigt väl med intervjuer och läkare jag har träffat. Frida och Alice hade lite mer problem med dessa och har båda uttryckt att de finns saker de gärna gjort annorlunda eller ändrat på med sina projekt. 

onsdag 20 mars 2013

Final product! So happy!!

Today I received my final products, my small breast cancer books! They look so good and I could not be happier right now. Everything is now ready for tomorrow and the Kultur Café. I will also try to stop by my mentor´s office to give her a copy of my book.

Kista Snabbtryck delivered just as promised and if I need this favor in the future I will surely come back to them. The book is exactly what I wanted. 


onsdag 13 mars 2013

Drawing of my upcoming mässbord!

Today I also planned for how I want my mässbord to look like during the Kulturcafé. Here is a quick drawing of how it probably will look!

The theme will be all about pink, red, hearts and Rosa Bandet. Striking sentences fastened on the screens in the back and a cloth with hearts on the table. I will be selling Rosa Bandet and the breast cancer books will of course be in focus!

Final touches on the book

Tomorrow is the deadline for the project and I am currently working on the last final details on the book. Tomorrow I will email my digital version of my book and a description of my mässbord.

It really feels great to be so close to the end and I am so happy of what I have accomplished. I have learned so much and I know that my work has and will spread the knowledge to many young women. I do not only feel like I did a project, but that I did a project that has affected me in so many ways and I feel that I come out much stronger in life after all the fantastic experiences this project has brought me. 

tisdag 12 mars 2013

Glöm inte handen! (Bröstcancer)

Today I spoke with my project mentor about the final product hand in and what my project is called. My book´s name is going to be “Glöm inte handen!” so therefor that will be the name of the whole project as well but with breast cancer in brackets afterwards. On the Kulturcafé I will have a small booth where I will display my books and I have already thought about how the rest is going to look on the table.

The final deadline is on Thursday and during that day I will be handing in my book in digital form to my mentor. 

Draft sent to the doctor for final valuation!

A couple of days ago I sent the draft of my texts for my book to Dr. Lagercrantz. It feels good and I really feel like I have all the facts that I need to make sure people understand this disease better than before. I also feel so happy in myself because it has been a great journey for me with a lot of emotional meetings and striking facts I have faced about this cancer. I have learned incredibly much and this is an experience that I will never forget.

Also, I have had the fortune to be lucky in this project. There has not really been much that has gone the wrong way for me which makes me even happier. I have had great contact with the doctor at Karolinska Sjukhuset and I even got to meet patients with breast cancer and got to hear their stories which are amazing. This whole project has taught me so much, mostly about breast cancer but also about people and how to handle and deal with this cancer. 

lördag 9 mars 2013

Compiling all facts for the book!

Finally I have the time to blog again! Last week I begun to compile all the facts for my book now and things are starting to come together. I have the structure ready since earlier and now it is only to fill in words and texts and pictures where they belong and make sure everything is understandable and readable since there are hard medical words and terms used.

My plan is to send the draft of the texts to Dr. Lagercrantz during the next week since she has been so supporting and has offered to help me correct the draft to make sure all facts are used properly and that there are no mistakes made when spreading the knowledge and truth about breast cancer. When this is done it is only the printing of the book left and I am already in touch with a printing company (as stated in former blog posts here) so everything is really starting to fall into place.

The Kulturcafé is just around the corner now! 

tisdag 19 februari 2013

Decided for a printing company!

So these last few weeks left is going to be stressful so therefor I think it is important to get going with the finish product as early as possible. As seen in the last blog post I have now a draft structure for how my book will end up like and that feels good.

However I have had a small bump when trying to find a good printing company that I feel strongly for. I have searched the net and asked friends and I got some tips but none of them got my attention the way I wanted after looking into their websites. I really wanted to find a company where the prices are affordable yet producing the form of book and binding that I am looking for. I want the book to look nice and like a real book and not like the cheapest printing possible.

So this obstacle has been hard to face but today I finally found what I have been looking for. I talked with my mum and she has worked with a company called “Kista Snabbtryck” a couple of years ago and they have apparently always been great to work with. So not only this positive reference from my mum but they also have affordable prices that I have been looking for since I have to finance it myself. Their delivery takes 1-2 days after sending what I want printed to them.

Right now I think I will print five books in total but I have not made a final decision about this yet.

Now it is time to start writing together the content and texts which will be in my book!

lördag 16 februari 2013

Draft structure of my book

Today I planned the draft outline of the structure for my finish product, the small fact book spreading the knowledge about breast cancer to young girls and women in my own age. So here is the first draft and since the book will be written in Swedish I also chose to write this one in Swedish.




måndag 4 februari 2013

Printing for my book

Printing for my book… I need to find a printing agency and ask how much it all will cost and how much time they need for the actual printing. I will search the web and ask friends who already have been printing with some companies and places and see what they think and have found. I will post here again when I have decided for something.

lördag 2 februari 2013

Decided for different final product

Today after a meeting with my mentor, I have decided to change the final product from a presentation to a small fact book about breast cancer. I will use the information from KS and all facts from the doctor I meet there. This feels really good and now I do not have that small anxiety in my body of standing before people talking about such a personal subject.

torsdag 24 januari 2013

Happy to see the fighting everywhere!

So today I went to the store to buy some groceries with my mum. I was so happy when I saw the back of the cereal box and saw the encouragement to fight breast cancer and that you should take care of your breasts. This makes my belief in spreading the knowledge about this disease so much stronger. We need to fight this cancer and we have to do it together.


torsdag 17 januari 2013

Right track of my project

Today I had a ”mentor meeting” and it really feels like I am on the right track of this project. I feel good about where everything is heading and especially after my day at KS. The final product is still in the air since I am not 100 % sure of what there has to be but within the next week I will be clear on this point as well. The aim of my project is still the same with spreading the basic knowledge about breast cancer to specially girls and young women.

onsdag 16 januari 2013

Reflection of myself at the KS

Yesterday I was at KS meeting Dr. Lagercrantz. As I have said earlier here it was an amazing day and the experience was priceless. What I have thought about now is how I acted at KS during the day. I have thought about my feelings and my way of thinking when I met the patients and how I talked to the doctor when we were alone and how all of these things had an effect on me.

I guess the point is that of course you get sad when meeting a disease in its rawest form like this but for me it was more than that. Yes, I wanted to cry sometimes and yes I got really emotional on the exterior but I felt it deeper than that. I felt something inside of me. It was like some sort of strength and power that wanted to help these women to fight the cancer. There was a connection I felt which made me feel like helping all of these fellow people. I do not know if this is common or if it is something that just I felt but this is how I reacted and my reflections on it. 

tisdag 15 januari 2013

Home again after my day at KS

I just got home from Karolinska Sjukhuset after my day with Dr. Lagercrantz. It has been so amazing and I do not know where to start. To start off we sat in a small room discussing all my questions. She was really good in explaining what breast cancer is and what it does to the body. After that we had lunch and continued to talk about the day and new questions that kept popping up in my mind.

In the afternoon I got to meet four patients and they were all so different. Of course I will not say any names or so because that it not allowed but I can say that they were all very different. There was one girl that was only 35 years of age and one that was above 60 years old. It was really interesting seeing the difference in each case and how their lives were affected by their disease.

During these hours I had a lot of feelings running through my mind and body. There were a couple of times that I wanted to cry because breast cancer is horrible. It is mean and evil and I do not think anyone deserves to have this disease at all. But sadly people get sick with breast cancer and when that happens it is so crucial and important to see to the positive aspects and not only the bad ones.

Though the times were I felt tears coming through there were happy times as well. There was one patient that got good news and I just saw how she got this massive smile on her face and then it is really hard to not smile yourself as well. There was such joy in that moment and it is something I will never forget.

I am so happy after today, it all went so great and I have learned more than I expected to. I got many facts, tips and tricks and so much stuff that I will use during the rest of this project. 

At the hospital!

So I am currently at Karolinska Sjukhuset in my scrubs for the day! I look like a doctor student right now!



måndag 14 januari 2013

Preparing for my day at the hospital

So tomorrow I will go to Karolinska Sjukhuset for my day with doctor Lagercrantz. I am really excited and actually a bit nervous. I do not know how I will react or what will happen. What I know is that I will go there, to Radiumhemmet as it is called in Swedish, and there I will meet Dr. Lagercrantz. First we will be talking alone and she will try to answer my questions I have prepared. After that we will have a small lunch and then I will be a part of her four examinations of patients that is on her schedule.

The part that scares me the most is probably the part where I will meet her patients. I do not know who I will react to all of this, seeing the disease in it true form and what it does to people. I have some fears that I will start to cry, get really sad or upset. But I guess that time will tell how I am going to react.

For preparation I have come up with a lot of questions and they are quite open so that each of them can start a discussion or lead into a larger conversation and not only a yes or no answer. Here are a few examples of the questions: 
  • Hur ska man förklara vad cancer är för personer i min ålder så att de förstår?
  • Är bröstcancer ärftligt? 
  • Vad är viktigast att tänka på redan nu i ung ålder? Vad drar vi mest nytta av nu att veta inför framtiden?


söndag 13 januari 2013

Finally feeling better!

Today is Sunday and I am starting to feel better again. The soreness of my throat and everything else is starting to back off so it makes me really happy. The medication from the hospital is helping, my strength is coming back and I think I will be able to start with the “background checks” on the basics of breast cancer today. It has been worth to be at home and just resting this last week. I do not think I would be healthy right now if I would have worked and then the project would suffer from bad work and that would not be so good in the end. So basically I am happy that I feel better and that I let myself take this rest. It was the smartest thing to do.

torsdag 10 januari 2013

Still sick…

So today is Thursday and I am still really sick. I got tonsillitis and it hurts so badly. I can hardly eat and I have been in bed since Monday. There has not been any work done during the week and it bugs me a bit but I know that it is better to rest now and get better and healthy again instead of getting worse by working. Hopefully I will feel better during the weekend so that I can have a fresh start next week.

måndag 7 januari 2013

Starting the project weeks with being sick…

Today is the first day of the two projects weeks and sadly I think I have caught the flu... my whole body aches and I can barely move. I will be lying in bed until I feel better, hopefully that will be soon. There is no chance that I will be able to work anything today with my head feeling as it will be blown into pieces any second…