Friday, May 28, 2010
Image via Wikipedia
We did it. We switched our plane tickets, and we're headed to Idaho. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I would take a vacation like this, but I am. And it might just give me a creative boost. I'll be taking my laptop to perhaps get some writing done while I'm there. We're staying in a cabin in the Sun Valley/Ketchum area where Ernest Hemingway found much inspiration and relaxation.
While I am far from the outdoors-y type, I hear there's plenty for me to do. There are bike trails, hiking trails, horseback riding, in the winter there's skiing, and there are all sorts of local events and activities. The best part? While the folks back home in Tennessee are praying for an early fall, we'll be in the mountains in August with low heat and low humidity. Say it with me: "Ahhhhhh!"
If you have any good suggestions for what we can do in the area, forward them my way. I don't know much about the Western United States, and I'm about to get an initiation.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e8f8ea15-2af3-457e-82ab-3ffcf6bc6833)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Image via Wikipedia
I had my little heart set on going to New York City this summer. I booked the hotel and the flight, and all that was left was planning the activities. But then I read this book--Rachel Gibson's True Confessions--and found myself dreaming of a quieter vacation in a place where I can see every star in the sky at night. I've never been in a place where I could do that, and the idea is bedazzling.
True Confessions is set in the Sawtooth area of Idaho, and the main character in the book travels there on a writing retreat for six months. Her editor sent her there so that she could rediscover her creativity. And I started thinking about it, and I realized Will and I have never taken a vacation strictly centered around relaxation. I looked at the map, and Idaho is full of recreation areas and national monuments. It's also fairly close in proximity to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana. So then I checked to see how close we could fly in to that area, and guess what? I could switch my tickets and catch a flight to either Boise or Salt Lake City.
It's oh, so tempting to change our plans. Cities are cities no matter where you go. I've lived in Chicago, and I've visited Paris, London, San Francisco, Nice, Monte-Carlo, Atlanta, and more. And while they all have interesting things to do and see with a unique vibe, they are still cities. I would think New York City isn't much different that way.
So now here I sit, straddling the line between the bright lights of one of the biggest cities in the world and the wilds of the West. Not an easy choice. I don't envy myself.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7b339eff-6727-4032-bbd0-5c213b8e3623)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Image via Wikipedia
As writers, we're told, "Write what you know." It's a perpetual refrain that sometimes becomes tiresome. I say you don't have to write what you know. What you don't know can be much more interesting.
I didn't grow up on a ranch. Or attend balls in 1800s England attended by nobility and royalty. I have no idea what life might be like on another planet. The idea of residing in a Scottish castle is utterly foreign. And yet some of those scenarios are much more interesting to read about than what I had for lunch.
I lead a quiet, mostly uneventful life. I've traveled, and I have a vivid imagination. But much of what I want to write about I've never experienced. A great deal of the joy in writing is in vicariously living new experiences through our characters and settings. In my opinion, reading--and writing--would become far less interesting if it meant only writing what we know.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ce4b6629-6a50-496e-8791-fc7938dde249)
Monday, May 17, 2010
About five years ago, a dear friend of mine began mentioning this financial guy Dave Ramsey to me. Being 24 (almost 25) years old, of course, I thought I knew everything and poo-pooed it. I listened to the show once, decided I didn't like it, and promptly went back to my old way of doing things.
But my friend didn't give up. Instead, he kept mentioning Dave at every opportunity, and eventually, I listened. So what's happened since those days? How has life changed?
For starters, our income increased dramatically since our attitudes also changed as our checkbook balance grew. The stress of debt no longer hung over our heads like a dark cloud. Our communication skills as a married couple improved since we were forced to talk about not just money but what we wanted to do with our money. And that includes goals and visions 20 years into the future.
One of the benefits of being free of the stresses of debt for the past three years is our ability to travel like we've always wanted to do and the ability to invest into retirement. We have savings. We pay cash when we want to buy something new for our house or for ourselves. We were able to buy a home without getting in over our heads by making a significant down payment. Unlike many of our peers, we do not have student loans or credit card debt. We own our cars outright. But best of all?
We sleep soundly at night.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9449dba1-5489-49f4-b3e0-d74212362b47)
But my friend didn't give up. Instead, he kept mentioning Dave at every opportunity, and eventually, I listened. So what's happened since those days? How has life changed?
For starters, our income increased dramatically since our attitudes also changed as our checkbook balance grew. The stress of debt no longer hung over our heads like a dark cloud. Our communication skills as a married couple improved since we were forced to talk about not just money but what we wanted to do with our money. And that includes goals and visions 20 years into the future.
One of the benefits of being free of the stresses of debt for the past three years is our ability to travel like we've always wanted to do and the ability to invest into retirement. We have savings. We pay cash when we want to buy something new for our house or for ourselves. We were able to buy a home without getting in over our heads by making a significant down payment. Unlike many of our peers, we do not have student loans or credit card debt. We own our cars outright. But best of all?
We sleep soundly at night.
Friday, May 14, 2010
I'm hooked on the Sookie Stackhouse book series. It started when a friend of mine loaned me the first season of the hit HBO TV series True Blood. I'll be the first to admit that fantasy and paranormal science fiction-y stuff is not my game, and that's exactly what True Blood is. It's what Charlaine Harris--author of the Sookie Stackhouse book series True Blood is based on--writes best. And since I got reintroduced to this particular genre, I find myself going deeper and deeper into it. I'm watching The Vampire Diaries and searching for similar novels to Harris'. The craving won't be quenched because, despite my prior snootiness toward it, it's nice to escape into a completely fictional world for a while. A world I know doesn't really exist, but just for a little while, in my head, it does. It's fun. It's escapism. And it's my guilty pleasure.
As I watched The Vampire Diaries season finale last night, we were given a little taste of what's to come when True Blood returns on June 13th.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=5c1c4823-d54a-4ede-991e-3f774922df8a)
As I watched The Vampire Diaries season finale last night, we were given a little taste of what's to come when True Blood returns on June 13th.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I've hit the pause button on revisions to The Stolen Lady, mostly because my mind just won't focus. I've hit a brick wall. So rather than continue to dwell on it and bemoan my frustration instead of writing, I'm channeling that energy into a new project. It is as yet untitled, but instead of a Regency set (meaning set in the Regency time period of England), it is a contemporary romance. And once my mind has refocused for a while, I expect to restart revisions on The Stolen Lady in full force.
Why did I switch to contemporary? Simply put, I needed something different. My first love is historical, but if I want my mind to go elsewhere, I don't need to write in the same subgenre as the book I'm trying to revise. Some writers can, but this is a little test for me...to see if I can successfully write a book that's historical as well as contemporary. I do think I will shift back to historical quite quickly since they're so much fun for me to write, but we'll see how this little experiment goes. I'll keep you updated.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e7b6723c-7176-4943-bc2d-4e3a44cc9f25)
Why did I switch to contemporary? Simply put, I needed something different. My first love is historical, but if I want my mind to go elsewhere, I don't need to write in the same subgenre as the book I'm trying to revise. Some writers can, but this is a little test for me...to see if I can successfully write a book that's historical as well as contemporary. I do think I will shift back to historical quite quickly since they're so much fun for me to write, but we'll see how this little experiment goes. I'll keep you updated.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
By now, most writers in my genre have heard: the national conference slated for July in Nashville at the famed Opryland Hotel will not take place. Instead, due to massive flooding, the conference has been moved to Disney World in Orlando. You can see what the beautiful Opryland looks like now in the above photo.
I won't say a whole lot about it since most of it has already been said, but I'm disappointed. I'd been looking forward to this conference for almost a year and paid my fees to go as soon as registration opened up. Part of the draw was being in my own backyard. I could sleep in my own bed, be at home in the evenings with my husband and dog, and maybe even have a meal or two at home. No plane tickets to deal with or hotel rooms to worry about. That all changed last evening when RWA made the decision to move the conference to Orlando.
While I'm pleased RWA was able to take care of the situation in a timely and efficient manner for all of the other attendees, it still hurts my heart a bit. I was looking forward to meeting some editors, agents, and other writers. I wanted to attend the numerous workshops and learn from professionals in the industry. But now, due to budget restrictions on my end and the sheer inconvenience of traveling when I hadn't planned to, I've canceled my conference registration. Generously, RWA has offered to waive conference cancellation fees to those who can no longer attend due to the change in venue.
I'm not the only one who won't be attending. I've seen numerous tweets and emails from others who can no longer go because the travel is restrictive. They wanted to drive to the location or stay with family or... Regardless, it's changed the game for many of us. I have a feeling the conference may be a bit smaller this year than it has been in years past.
Maybe I'll be there next year when RWA is welcomed to the Big Apple. After all, who wants to miss NYC?
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d60fa5df-5520-45c2-9f46-e1c453fd4db3)
Monday, May 3, 2010
This weekend, I suffered from a bit of cabin fever as I sat glued to the TV watching coverage of the disastrous Nashville flooding and reading tweets from other Nashvilleans. I was unable to leave my subdivision due to the flooding near my home, and Will did not make it home Saturday night. Instead, he had to find a hotel room, and we were reunited last night.
Mashable posted two different articles about the impact that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube had on real-time news updates. One of the best videos I've seen depicts what happened here over the weekend without saying a word. You'll find it below. But I'll again emphasize how important Twitter has become since it was one of the best places to find the latest information on what was going on around me.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=38cef2db-b4c5-4319-9b9c-f28da8b29207)
Mashable posted two different articles about the impact that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube had on real-time news updates. One of the best videos I've seen depicts what happened here over the weekend without saying a word. You'll find it below. But I'll again emphasize how important Twitter has become since it was one of the best places to find the latest information on what was going on around me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
