I gotta say, folks: every time I think I’ve got my life under control, something new crops up and I’m left scrambling, trying to readjust and attain some semblance of balance.
Change, I think, has been the theme of the last few months. Practically all of it has been good–a new relationship, new friends, tons of awesome adventures (some of which will hopefully be immortalized in a glorious series of blog posts), and now, a new job. I’m grateful for all of these new opportunities; there’s so much room for growth and development. But whew… A girl’s gotta have time to breathe, y’know?
Needless to say, there hasn’t been much writing of any sort happening since I checked in a few weeks back, but I’m starting to think of this period as my summer hiatus. I’ve lived, I’ve explored, and I’ve gotten to do things that I’ve never done before.
California, 3000 feet in the air.
Aerial scavenger hunt from a single-engine plane? Check. 1920s Downton Abbey-themed party at a historic California mansion? Check. Four-wheeling through windy dirt trails with 3 people crammed into a 2 person tractor? Check. Jazz concerts, experiments with moonshine, experiments with sangria, the worst wedding ever, countless trips to the Academy of Sciences…? Check, to all of the above.
Living, as so many of my astute writing friends have pointed out, is one of the keys to becoming a good author. Living–and reading, and watching movies, and taking time to absorb the world in which we live–is what allows us to create fictional worlds with all the vibrancy of the real thing, to construct living and breathing characters that our readers will come to love (or love to hate).
As August marches on and Autumn (slowly–soooo slowly, please, I’m not done with summer) approaches, I’ll hopefully get to a point where I find a rhythm and routine for my days. My new job runs from 12-6 pm, which means that my mornings can be for research and writing, and my evenings can be for happy hours and time with friends and family.
So cross your fingers for me, folks! I’d like to be able to have tons more progress and such to report in the weeks to come. After all, I’ve got deadlines to meet (revisions for my very first academic journal article on August 23rd, and my revised dissertation proposal by mid-September), which means I need to start hustling, and soon.
How’s the summer going for everyone else? Are you making progress, or have things slowed down?
Swing on by and wave hello to the rest of our ROWers checking in for today!
August 14, 2013 at 2:01 pm
Aerial scavenger hunt? I hope you’re going to blog about that. Love to hear about that and everything else. I completely agree with you about living life in order to breathe life into our writing. SO true. 🙂 Hope the rest of your summer continues with the awesome theme!
Coleen Patrick recently posted..Framework and Dreams: What Catches Your Eye?
August 15, 2013 at 10:56 am
Yup, there’s definitely a post coming up about the aerial scavenger hunt. It was all the more epic for the fact that it ended at a former WWII training facility in the middle-of-nowhere, California. I’ve got tons of pictures and stories to share, so now all I need to do is write ’em down!
Thanks for stopping by, Coleen!
August 14, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Sounds like you’ve had an amazing summer, Lena. Well except for that worst wedding ever. Keep on doing what you’re doing because life is too short to not get out there and live.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Patricia recently posted..And Then What Happened?
August 15, 2013 at 10:57 am
I’ll admit, even the Worst Wedding Ever was an adventure, and will live on in my memories for a while to come. 😛
Thanks for swinging by, Patricia!
August 14, 2013 at 7:14 pm
Lena, sounds like you’ve had a fantastic summer girl! Wow, you’re living it up! Well, except for the wedding. But…you got to keep the parasol! Right on. Yes, please let time slow down just a little bit. If you figure that one out, please share! Anyway, love hearing how well things are going for you. {{Hugs!}}
Karen McFarland recently posted..Country is Taking Country by Storm
August 15, 2013 at 10:58 am
Seriously, Karen, I keep thinking that I need a time turner or something, just so I can get everything that I want finished and done with! And yes–I’m SO happy to have that parasol in my collection. I’ve always wanted one, and now I’m thinking about ways I can paint it and make it pretty. 😀
Many, many hugs to you as well!
August 15, 2013 at 12:12 am
Wow Lena. You are having the time of your life… sounds like your life balance right and progress is inevitable. You have such a beautiful spirit, I imagine good things are drawn to you. All the best for further progress with your writing goals… but hey, you’re enjoying life and moving in the right direction. No rush. 🙂 X
August 15, 2013 at 10:59 am
Thanks so much, Shah! I really do feel like I massively lucked out this summer–amazing adventures and a wonderful person to share them with. 😀
Hope your summer is going well!
August 15, 2013 at 2:51 am
Lena,
Oh, what stories you will weave, once there’s time for them! =D Till then, I say take it all in with your capillaries wide open!
No aerial scavenger hunt for me…your picture made me dizzy!
Your August 23 deadline is my 16th wedding anniversary. Hopefully, that’s a good omen (even if the children and I will be in one state, and Jim another, that day…).
And I agree with Karen. That parasol needs you in the worst way!
Delight in your living! =D
Shan Jeniah Burton recently posted..Creative Time Travel: ROW80 Update, August 14, 2013
August 15, 2013 at 11:09 am
Ohhhh, happy early anniversary! And yes, I will definitely take that as a good omen. 🙂 I’ve promised myself this week to get oriented with the job, with the understanding that next week I’ll tackle *real* work during my mornings.
So glad to see you, Shan. Thanks a million for commenting!
August 15, 2013 at 5:58 am
Lena, just the fact that you are preparing your dissertation in the midst of everything else, has always impressed me! Your list of summer activities looks like it has left you with an abundance of novel material when the time is right … particularly the wedding from hell … and, um, an aerial scavenger hunt … really? Wow! Congratulations on completing your first academic journal article! I know that deadline will be no problem for you. Somehow you always manage to ‘git ‘er done’ … and in great style!
My summer in Toronto has flown by, with work on the WIP squeezed in between real life. We are off to France in a few weeks and I’ll have a book launch party in Antibes on Oct. 4th … part of my fantasy that I actually live there!
Patricia Sands recently posted..CBBH Photo Challenge: Ancient & Modern
August 15, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Wow! Sounds like you’ve been having an awesome time! I am rather jealous! (Particularly considering I’m in the wrong part of the world and it’s winter right now). I don’t think you can be blamed for not cramming any writing in, and as you say, it’s these experiences that give us the chance to shape our writing.
Emily Witt recently posted..#ROW80 Update: Ch-ch-ch-changes and #WIPpet Wednesday – A new history for some characters