Wednesday, July 3, 2013

What's Up Wednesday



What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up, put on by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. If you'd like to join click on the links above!

What I'm Writing:


Still editing. I didn't meet my revisions goal this week. Life sort of got in the way. I had my mother-in-law in town all last week helping us rip out our old carpet so we could install the new stuff, which made it difficult to find time. But on top of that last Thursday I got into a bit of a fender bender and that drained any of my ambition to do anything, especially because I spent all weekend on the phone with our insurance company, and then had to go to the police station to file an accident report. Thankfully no one was hurt and it was a minor accident, but still, it makes me sick just thinking about all the woulda coulda shouldas. My goal for this upcoming week is to get 50 pages done.

What I'm Reading:

I finished Quintana of Charyn the other night, the last in the Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta and all I have to say is WOW. I've loved every single one of the books and was continually impressed with the world-building, intricate plot lines, and character arcs. You want kick-ass leading ladies? You got them- Isaboe, Quintana, Phaedra, just to name a few. These women were warriors, they experienced grief, pain, joy, hardships, and they weren't perfect. In fact there were times all those ladies drove me nuts with their stubbornness, but they felt real and authentic and my heart broke for each one of them. If you haven't read this fantasy series, what are you waiting for? Get.On.It. The writing is fabulous and I was constantly amazed by how much thought and love went into creating these stories. There were several times I found myself teary eyed because of how much the characters suffered and loved and lost, and the words made me feel those things. By the end there wasn't one plot line left loose, she covered them all. Thanks to Melina Marchetta I don't think I'll ever be able to find another series that quite lives up to this one.

What Inspires Me Right Now:

Writers. I lay there last night, going over all the edits I need to make to my manuscript,  and I was struck by how incredible it is that we, as writers, can create whole new worlds. Our imaginations open portals to places others couldn't even begin to imagine. Places like Narnia, the Shire, Hogwarts. Not only that, but we fall in love with the cast of characters, we get invested in their lives, we feel their pain.  Can you believe that? I think it's incredible, and very humbling as a writer. Honestly, writers are awesome.

What Else I've Been Up To:

The Fourth is tomorrow! Woohoo! I love fireworks and I love having delicious food, and combining the two makes me very happy. I'm looking forward to spending some time with family and watching my kids as they stare up at the sky when the display sparks in front of their eyes. I love all the wonderment of life when you're a kid, and I really miss it. But I think it's awesome that I get to relive those moments and see them through my kids.

What have you been up to?

10 comments:

  1. Oh yeah, Marchetti is a master. I loved that trilogy so hard.

    Sorry for the rough week. Here's to a better week, meeting your editing goal, and HAPPY Fourth of July!!

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  2. I read three books on Monday, the first entirely forgettable (so I won't say the title) the other two were great! 'One for the Murphy's', and 'Transparent'.

    Last night during dinner, I got a thousand words of new writing done, another 500 this morning with coffee.

    Inspired by the cabin, reading other writers' blog posts, and books :)

    Other stuff? ...at the cabin :) not much swimming, too rough/dangerous with the number of boats/skiers here for the Canadian long weekend, but it's calmer out there today, so I think I'll attempt to swim the length of the lake.

    Good luck in your revisions, and have a great long weekend!

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  3. Glad everyone is okay after the fender bender! I got into one years ago (my fault) as I was leaving work to go to lunch and I was so upset, I couldn't even finish out the day. I was still a teen and the other driver was freaking out on me. When the cops came, they yelled at the other people for yelling at me and it was a huge mess. Would not want to relive that day again!

    Hope this week is way less stressful for you :)

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  4. Sorry about the accident, that must have been scary. Glad no one was hurt.

    Enjoy the 4th July and good luck with your writing this week.

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  5. Ya know? That is one of the most wonderful things about motherhood - getting to relive and watch the childhood joy in our own kids. Have fun at the fireworks!

    Also, I am SO SORRY about your week! That has to be so frustrating. :( Hang in there! And I'm wishing only good things your way!

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  6. So sorry about the fender bender, dealing with insurance companies really does put a damper on things. :(

    But Happy 4th! It sounds like you really need a holiday and I hope you have a great one.

    And I completely agree with your utter amazement at writers. I am always floored when I discover a new world that only exists in someone's head. I love that books allow us to share that. It's truly extraordinary.

    Hope you have a great holiday!

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  7. I'm sorry to hear about your fenderbender, BUT I hope you had a happy Fourth filled with delicious food and fireworks! :)

    Oh goodness, I still have to read Quintana, but I totally agree with you about the Lumatere books. They are SO. GOOD. The writing and plotting, the characters and world, the themes are masterful! I think it is really YA fantasy at its best.

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  8. I'm always surprised at what drips out of my head on onto the page. And when I encounter a place like Hogwarts inside the pages of a book, I am completely awed by the power of the human imagination.

    I hope you are doing okay after your fenderbender. Working with insurance companies and all that red tape can really drag you down. Hopefully, that's all behind you now. I wish you the best, though.

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  9. Sorry to hear about your fender bender but glad to hear that no one was hurt. It can really be a hassle, though, can't it?

    I love what you said about the "wonderment of life" for kids and many times I have to remind myself to just let my kids be kids and enjoy life! I'm tend to hurry them here or there or tell them, "Mama's writing," but lately I've been trying to get away from that and spend more time helping them explore that wonder. ;)

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  10. Summed up everything in short :-)
    Like that book cover (Quintana of Charyn)

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