Bonfire Night, Saint Catherine & Kerouac
WHAT I'M READING
True to my promise, I read nothing but lightweight books this week. I read ANGELFALL, in an afternoon in the hammock. Then followed it up with THRONE OF GLASS. Both were lightweight and fairly predictable, but it was just the ticket to get my brain on a new page. I really want to read TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME, but I think I might save any books dealing with death for Lat-er.
WHAT I'M WRITING
I've been making a little progress on LOVE AND OTHER CURIOSITIES. I've gotten as far as my outline goes, now I need to get all those other jumbled up ideas into some semblance of order and crystallized in ink. It would truly help if I ever wrote things in order. Sadly, Beginning, Middle, End doesn't work for my brain. *sigh*
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
- Playing music around the bonfire in the back yard. I love it that people just show up at my house with instruments and ask when the fire is. And not necessarily people I know.
- Too many Holiday parties. Wow. It is possible to have a Pie Hangover. (Now you know.)
- Kayaking. (Big surprise, I know.)
- Making things (Snow Queen Headdress (it's not for me), Victorian Era Gadgets (which requires being able to spell Zoopraxiscope) and one of my recent favorites...Sun Catchers of my own devising that use convex lenses, mirrors and colored glass to throw patterns around the room when exposed to sunshine. These have been very fun to make. And Tolerant Boy is being tolerant while I smash up colored glass with a mallet. He just handed me safety glasses without saying a Word.
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
I came across this quote in my online travels. This strikes me as a rather revolutionary thing for a saint to say, and I'm not really one for quoting saints, but it stuck with me nonetheless. It's funny that a young girl in the 14th Century, who was disappointed that she wasn't martyred, would share a sentiment with a 20th Century author and wanderer, Kerouac,
“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time...that burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
Posts
That is a great quote, thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been having a fun and creative time.
Have a great week.
Thanks Alexa! I'm going to let that inspiration carry me through the week. :)
DeleteYou may not have all your ideas in the correct order yet, Kris, but at least you're making progress. Some would throw up their hands in despair. Keep plugging away, and don't worry about the way you write. If it works, don't knock it. I would actually advocate writing out of order if you're stuck writing the next scene, but you have great ideas for a later scene. I'd say go ahead and write the later scene--you never know how that might inspire you for the one you're stuck on.
ReplyDeleteI hope you continue to have fun this week with all your creative activities! :)
Thanks Colin, that's really great advice! I'm going to try not to dwell on how I make it to the finish line...so long as I eventually make it. :)
DeleteThanks for sharing the quote. It's really inspirational :)
ReplyDeleteWrite in whatever way works best for you. I like writing out of order sometimes. I just have to keep a really detailed notes so I can slot it all together later.
Yeah, detailed notes are important. I have a whole separate file for notes and when I hit a roadblock, I look back at the notes file to remember where I was going in the first place. ;)
DeleteIt was 22 degrees this morning when I rolled out of bed, so I'm currently feeling jealous of your bonfire and hammock reading activities. I might need to come visit. I'll just drop by your bonfire with a tamborine and say "what's up?"
ReplyDeleteHahaha! This is a brilliant, Brilliant plan. Plus, we always need a tambourine player. p.s. Please don't freeze to death before you make it down here. :)
DeleteThat quote is beautiful. I hadn't heard it before, so thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI understand your need to wait to read TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME. I'm reading it now, and while it's sad, it's also really lovely. You'll have to let me know what you think after you read it.
I hope you have a good week, Kris!
I've added TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME to my Kindle, so I will eventually get to it. I've heard such amazing things about it, but when I read the synopsis, it was just a liiiitle too close to home right now.
DeleteHope you have a great week too!
I love the bonfire and music thing! I'd totally stop by with my dulcimer :) Thanks for sharing such a great quote too!
ReplyDeleteLOVE AND OTHER CURIOSITIES - have I mentioned that I love the title???
ReplyDeleteTell the Wolves I'm Home is beautiful, but sad, sad, sad.
I'm only able to write in order. I've tried to write random scenes when they pop into my head, but I just can't do it and it drives me crazy.
Those are both awesome quotes! I like reminders to live life, and for some reason fire and explosions seems about right. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found some light reading. Hurray for books that are chill and happy. Last year I discovered Kristan Higgins' books for a similar reason ... I just lost a close friend to breast cancer, and picked up JUST ONE OF THE GUYS, which isn't something I would normally pick up ... but I needed something light. The book was a total surprise. It made me laugh soooo much, which just what I needed. :)
Anyhow. All that to say: Yay for light reading! And Tolerant Boys who hand you safety glasses without question! And bonfires!
:)