Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Image via WikipediaToday is my birthday. I'm 30 years old.The world has changed a lot in 30 years, but I suppose the way my own world has evolved is more important (to me) than how the world around me has. When I was a kid, I had a certain vision for my life. I'd be an actress in movies, live in Hollywood, and be rich and famous. How differently life has turned out for me.
I lead a quiet life in Nashville. I don't work in the music industry, and I'm a somewhat reclusive nerd. I have a day job I love and a night job (writing) I love just as much. I've never been to Hollywood, but I once lived on Hollywood Avenue. The only famous people I've met are Dave Ramsey, Scott Hamilton, Teresa Medeiros, Annie Solomon, and Larry Jones (Feed the Children). None of this is all that spectacular, and yet despite the vision I had for my life as a kid, I like the life I have so much better.
Word came yesterday that Sony is discontinuing the Walkman. I can recall begging for a Walkman at Christmas because all of the cool kids had them and brought them on field trips. The Walkman eventually evolved enough to play CDs, and then along came the iPod. My, how technology has changed just in my lifetime. The first computer my family owned didn't enter our house until I was a senior in high school. The year was 1998, and my mom scraped together enough money to give my sister and me a shared gift. It had barely enough RAM to surf the Internet, and today, my Mac has an 80GB hard drive, and I have no idea how much RAM. We moved from a console TV to a flat panel to a flat screen.
I've done things I never thought I'd do. I've been to France, Monaco, Italy, England, and Wales. I've lived in Glasgow, Bowling Green, Louisville, Chicago, and Nashville. I got married in Las Vegas and traveled to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Sun Valley, Idaho. I went to a Chicago Cubs game, and I attended a Keith Urban concert in Chicago only five seats away from the catwalk. I've watched George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, and Bill Cosby live. I wrote a novel in 1999, and then I finished another one in 2010.
I lost my grandfather in 1990, my grandmother in 1998, and my paternal grandmother in 2007. I never knew my paternal grandfather. My father walked out on us when I was 13. And I've had my heart broken a couple of times. I fell in love a couple of times. I married my best friend. As a couple, we paid off every debt we had and then bought a house.
As I look back over all of the things that changed and how I've changed as a person, it amazes me how long 30 years really is. Where did the time go? It almost feels as though I looked up one day, and I was 25. Of course, it didn't happen that way, but life is flying by, and I'm doing my best to hang on for the ride because it's been such a good one so far.
What an amazing life I've had with all its ups and downs. Here's to 70 more years.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Image via WikipediaMatthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."Will and I had an interesting conversation in the car last night. We're having discussions about things we need to do around our house, the different car we want to buy, and the travel we want to do. In other words, we were talking about our dreams however big or small they might be.
As the conversation ebbed and flowed, I came to a realization: I value the substance of memories far more than I value things. What does that mean?
It means that when I think about driving a car or taking a trip to Ireland, Ireland nudges the car out of the way. Subconsciously, I already knew this because the trip is like a siren call whereas the car is merely a way to get from Point A to Point B. When I'm 85 years old, will I remember the car I drove at 30? Nope. Not a chance. But will I remember the magical moments spent looking out over the Atlantic Ocean from the cliffs of the Dingle Peninsula? You betcha.
I place far more value on sentimental moments than something of substance which can easily be thrown away after some use. I've never forgotten a vacation, but I've long forgotten many Christmas gifts that could be defined as merely "stuff." I hardly bat an eye at spending $5,000 on a European vacation, but spending $15,000 on a newer car causes me to pause for a moment. A car truly isn't where my heart is.
Question: Where do you place the most value in your life?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I'm starting to move forward with other projects since completing the second draft of The Stolen Lady. I'm sure there will still be changes to make and polishing to do, but the next book is already tickling the edges of my subconscious. This morning, I took some initial notes on what my new heroine will be like. Now, I need to flesh out my new hero, formulate a plot, and off to the races we go...again.
The thing is you're never finished. As a writer, completing one project only means you're moving on to the next. The bittersweet process of writing a novel is both a blessing and a curse, but luckily, those of us who subsist on its pleasures find it to be more of a blessing—most of the time.
Piecing the second draft of this book together was especially difficult because portions of it were written when I was 22, portions were written at 25, and the last portions were written in the present. Life perspectives change, and how I felt about my hero and heroine at 22 was far different than how I felt about them today. I did learn a lot about revising and what a first draft should have looked like, so the experience was a worthwhile one even if this book never sells. And a learning experience is never a wasted effort.
This weekend, I have a writing workshop to attend, and I'll also write the first draft of a synopsis for The Stolen Lady. I've put that fun little task off for a little too long, and it has to be done before I start querying agents. So...while it was a ridiculous relief to complete the second draft of my novel, the work is far from over.
The thing is you're never finished. As a writer, completing one project only means you're moving on to the next. The bittersweet process of writing a novel is both a blessing and a curse, but luckily, those of us who subsist on its pleasures find it to be more of a blessing—most of the time.
Piecing the second draft of this book together was especially difficult because portions of it were written when I was 22, portions were written at 25, and the last portions were written in the present. Life perspectives change, and how I felt about my hero and heroine at 22 was far different than how I felt about them today. I did learn a lot about revising and what a first draft should have looked like, so the experience was a worthwhile one even if this book never sells. And a learning experience is never a wasted effort.
This weekend, I have a writing workshop to attend, and I'll also write the first draft of a synopsis for The Stolen Lady. I've put that fun little task off for a little too long, and it has to be done before I start querying agents. So...while it was a ridiculous relief to complete the second draft of my novel, the work is far from over.
Monday, October 11, 2010
On Saturday, at 11:59 P.M., I completed the second draft of my manuscript, The Stolen Lady.
FREEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOM!
Have you ever listened to The Dave Ramsey Show on a Friday afternoon? Yep. That's what I sound like right now. I felt so free and light that I baked brownies last night. From scratch. (Pick yourself up off the floor. It isn't that shocking.)
I'm now awaiting feedback from my beta readers, and if all looks good—meaning only some minor changes this next go-round—I'll be writing my synopsis and beginning queries in the next couple of weeks. RWA PRO status, here I come!
FREEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOM!
Have you ever listened to The Dave Ramsey Show on a Friday afternoon? Yep. That's what I sound like right now. I felt so free and light that I baked brownies last night. From scratch. (Pick yourself up off the floor. It isn't that shocking.)
I'm now awaiting feedback from my beta readers, and if all looks good—meaning only some minor changes this next go-round—I'll be writing my synopsis and beginning queries in the next couple of weeks. RWA PRO status, here I come!
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