Swamplandia, dawn treading at Turtle Beach and 12 weeks until Freedom!
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WHAT I'M READING
I received a very fun package in the mail this week. Which I feel is definitive proof that @JayeRobinBrown is one of the coolest people on the Planet. (Thanks Lovely!) Come on, anyone who knows me knows how I feel about swamps, right? So how could I not be in love with this title?!!!
I'm only about 100 pages into it thus far, but oh god I'm in love!! It hooked me from the very first page. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and I'm a sucker for nature with a dose of magical realism. I think this is one that I will be giving 5 stars to, and my 5 stars do not come cheaply.
WHAT I'M WRITING
After my considerable slackitude of last week, I am pleased to report that I buckled down and got all of my edits in on ISIS. I've been rereading the whole MS to check for consistency and make sure those chapters I moved didn't mess anything else up. Then I get to send it to my CP's of Awesome. Which also means I will be able to stop one of them from saying "Where's my Naked Boy?!" every week. (Haha! I love my CP's...really I do.) *hugs Awesome CP's*
I also wrote about 3K on my new MS. (It's so SHINY!!) So I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. If I can just manage to keep it up. My goal is to finish new MS for NanoWriMo this year. I'm really excited about this one and I can't wait to share it with someone else.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
Highlights of this week included:
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
You guys, I am quitting my day job in 12 weeks! (eeeek!)
I can't believe I am actually doing it. I looked at my life a while back and I wasn't headed where I wanted to be. I wasn't doing the things I wanted to with my "one wild and precious life". And so I decided to make a change. I've been working towards it for a while, but I have no idea whether I will succeed. But in 12 weeks at least I can say, "I tried". And even if I fail spectacularly, I won't have to live with the regret that I never tried to take that leap.
Wish me luck. I'm going to need it. *grin*
I'm only about 100 pages into it thus far, but oh god I'm in love!! It hooked me from the very first page. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and I'm a sucker for nature with a dose of magical realism. I think this is one that I will be giving 5 stars to, and my 5 stars do not come cheaply.
WHAT I'M WRITING
After my considerable slackitude of last week, I am pleased to report that I buckled down and got all of my edits in on ISIS. I've been rereading the whole MS to check for consistency and make sure those chapters I moved didn't mess anything else up. Then I get to send it to my CP's of Awesome. Which also means I will be able to stop one of them from saying "Where's my Naked Boy?!" every week. (Haha! I love my CP's...really I do.) *hugs Awesome CP's*
I also wrote about 3K on my new MS. (It's so SHINY!!) So I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. If I can just manage to keep it up. My goal is to finish new MS for NanoWriMo this year. I'm really excited about this one and I can't wait to share it with someone else.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
Highlights of this week included:
- Going for early morning swims at Turtle Beach. This time of year the water is so warm and floating is effortless. I swam hard and then just floated on my back, stared at the sky and listened to my heartbeat underwater. Also pleased to announce that new swimsuit is less prone to wardrobe malfunction. (Buy the suit made by the folks who make rock climbing gear, it's worth the money. I find these things out the Hard Way, so you don't have to.)
- Stomping through my swamps. I restored about 400 acres of wetlands for work. I get to tromp through them twice a year and do all sorts of sciency stuff I won't bore you with. But man oh man, does it make me happy to see how they've grown. I also like coming back to the office in full swamp boots, soaking wet, caked in mud up to my thighs, with a machete strapped to my back and watching my coworker's eyes bug out. (Take pleasure where you can.)
- The etc's: Making music. Making things. Stretching new canvas. Painting. Not flooding the house.
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
12 WEEKS!!!!!
You guys, I am quitting my day job in 12 weeks! (eeeek!)
I can't believe I am actually doing it. I looked at my life a while back and I wasn't headed where I wanted to be. I wasn't doing the things I wanted to with my "one wild and precious life". And so I decided to make a change. I've been working towards it for a while, but I have no idea whether I will succeed. But in 12 weeks at least I can say, "I tried". And even if I fail spectacularly, I won't have to live with the regret that I never tried to take that leap.
Wish me luck. I'm going to need it. *grin*
Posts
Best of luck with such a huuuuuge change! Eeep, exciting times! :D
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on all the writing and editing you've done. Yay, progress!
I'm really enjoying swimming, although I do it in a pool. And yeah, swimsuit malfunctions are definitely not the thing you want happening EVER.
Swamplandia is such a great title for a book XD
Thanks! And I wish I had a pool to swim in. I'm thinking of digging a natural swim pond in my back yard. I have lots extra time to do that, right? *grin*
DeleteQuitting the day job was one of the toughest and best things I ever did. I LOVE that I can focus more on my family and just be around for them. And I get to write during the day! And clean my house! And not stress so much. SO happy. Of course, there's the not getting paid aspect so I may be stressing about that, but eh - I'm happier. I hope you find great happiness in whatever you set forth to do too!
ReplyDeleteAlso, congrats on the revision pass! And yay for sending out to CPs. I don't know what I'd do without mine!
I think I will be much happier too. At least that's what I'm shooting for. Hearing from someone who has done it and is currently on the "grass is greener" side makes me feel much better. I've been trying to avoid full panic attack mode. :)
DeleteAnd I have to agree, CP's are probably the best thing I've discovered on this whole writerly journey. Not only do you get to talk to awesome writers, and read fantastic stuff before anyone else, but you also get to cheer from the sidelines when they succeed.
12 weeks! Congrats on making the decision to leap! I quit my 9-5 four years ago next month to become an independent contractor (with flex hours and plenty of writing time) and I haven't regretted it once.
ReplyDeleteSWAMPLANDIA has been on my TBR-list for longer than I can remember - I should bump it up!
I didn't know that about you Jen, that's fantastic!! Now I'm super curious what kind of independent contractor you are. (If you feel like sharing, of course.)
DeleteAnd it makes me feel so much better to hear about other people making it work. These butterflies in my stomach have been multiplying of late. It's like a butterfly zoo in there. :)
That's awesome that your current job involves saving wetlands. I hope your new life path brings you just as much success and happiness. Maybe someday I'll be able to justify not having any day job either.
ReplyDeleteI have four stuffed turtles, two in the car, so I'd love to go to any beach called Turtle Beach!
You'd love Turtle Beach then! It has the largest population of nesting Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Florida. You can go out really early in the morning this time of year and watch/help the little guys make it to the sea. It is the cutest little hectic race EVER! :)
DeleteThat image from Turtle Beach is gorgeous... I want to go! I'm loving SWAMPLANDIA's cover. So fun, and your comments about the writing and the magical realism are very intriguing. Way to go on your writing this week, and yay for SNI... I hope it stays shiny for you. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Katy! You're invited to Turtle Beach any time!
DeleteAnd I hope my new project stays shiny too. Usually at about the rewrite/editing stage is where my projects start to lose their luster. *crosses fingers*
Have a great trip, we were up at Vero Beach this Jan and it was lovely. I wish we went in the summer so we could enjoy the ocean.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with this new stage in your life (quiting your day job! WOW!) I really hope that works out for you. :)
It's actually not a trip, I live here. Haha! Yes, I know, I live where other people go to vacation...still can't wrap my head around that.
DeleteThanks so much for the well wishes on giving the ol' day job the heave ho! :)
Wow, that's so awesome that you're going to quit your day job and go after your dreams. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on all your revising and writing progress this week. That's great that you got down 3000 words. :)
Thanks Ghenet! And cross your fingers for me. (And maybe your toes too, just to be safe) :)
DeleteYou don't need luck. You're doing the right thing because just the sheer thought is making you giddy. That says it all. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm marking twelve weeks on my calendar. I can't wait to see how your life will really begin then! Yay!
And uh, get that book to your CPs! Cause if I have to wait one more second for that Naked Guy to get to the shelves, I'm gonna scream! LOL
Eeek, best of luck! And congrats on the writing progress! :)
ReplyDeleteOooh! Exciting! I can't wait to hear how your new adventure goes. I love swimming at the beach this time of year too. I was there yesterday :)
ReplyDeleteHooray for packages! (Which, now that I've typed it, sounds SO much filthier than I was intending...) Okay, you kicked serious butt in your writing this week. I'm very impressed! And restored 400 acres of wetlands? Seriously, you make us look bad. ;-) I'm so excited for you that that the countdown is on with your job. How cool that you're tackling something you love, taking a risk, banishing regrets. Very inspiring post, Kris! :-)
ReplyDeleteExciting! Good luck with your new adventure! That picture of the beach is pretty. It makes me want to go to the beach. Ha. Good luck with your writing goals. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWow--that's quite a leap, Kris! What I want to know is, in 3 months time, will you still be showing up to work (wherever that may be) in swamp boots and with a machete strapped to your back? :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, all the best to you both with your writing and the dramatic life changes. I hope they all work out for you.
You're so brave to quit your job to pursue something more fulfilling! I admire that so much, and I hope it works out even better than you hoped it would! I'm also impressed that you restored 400 acres of wetlands! That's amazing!
ReplyDeleteWay to go with finishing your edits and adding 3k to your new ms! :)