What I'm Reading I'm reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get to this book as I enjoyed the first one quite a lot My chapter a day classic is Anna Karenina. The kids and I are reading On the Banks of Plum Creek.
What I'm Writing I've been revising Slumber. It feels a bit like rewriting at this point. It is the first novel I wrote and my writing grew so much while drafting it that the first parts and latter parts of the book are vastly different in style. I'm weaving in descriptions, adding dialogue (I apparently didn't use much back when I was starting lol) and making sure my facts match up.
I made progress on the story that resists all titles. Eventually it will have a good one. For now I'll still call it Mirra. My MC is still an inanimate object but she is getting sick of it and is about to try to break the spell... We will see how that goes. I predict that it won't go well. Not at first, anyway. You know, that whole make your protagonist suffer and all that :)
What Inspires Me Right Now Sleeping in on a rainy day. It was one of those mornings where you wake up and wonder if your house was transported to the foot of a waterfall while you were asleep. The sound lulled my two year old into a deep enough sleep that he didn't wake up at his usually 6 A.M. and since he is the one that hauls the older kids out of bed, well it was bliss :) I am not nearly as desperate for coffee as I normally am.
I've also been inspired by #WriterRecharge. It has helped me form some concrete goals for the month and I've made tangible progress in the past few days. Love it!
What Else I've Been Up To
I don't even know. After being sick for over a week I've been trying to catch up on all the household things that didn't get done. Doing school with the kids was about all I managed last week. This week has been much better.
I thought INSURGENT was the best of the series--though it was a close call with DIVERGENT. A great series, and I'm glad you're enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteYour inanimate MC intrigues me every time you talk about her. Would you mind hurrying up and getting the book finished, and getting an agent, and getting published so I can read it? :)
You guys get water, we get snow and ice. I think right now I'd prefer rain. We've had more than our fair share of the white fluffy stuff--and especially the sleet and freezing rain. Though as soon as I say that, I think of our friends further north, and I know I should be grateful for small mercies.
Have a great writing/revising week, Sarah! :)
TOLSTOY <3 <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteAhem. But really, he is amazing.
Waking up to the sound of rain (better yet, waking up late to it ;) ) is one of my favorite things. I'm also in agreement with your 2-yr-old--LOVE falling asleep to it. :) It makes me so sad when I live in places where I can't hear the raindrops...
I love the experience of rewriting and revising an old book. It's like getting to write it twice or more, and going on that journey with the characters all over again, with entirely new eyes. Sometimes it feels challenging and frustrating, but it's something to be proud of in the end.
ReplyDeleteThis: the story that resists all titles
ReplyDeleteI've been there! (the project is now shelved.)
I think revising an older project has its own rewards. Like you say, seeing your progress as a writer. Having a foundation to work from, and you can improve with new skills.
Ah, I do enjoy listening to the rain in bed. Very relaxing. Good thing, too. With all the rain and gales we've had here, I'd best enjoy it :P
ReplyDeleteI had a book without a title for 6 years once :P Give it time ;)
Have a lovely week!
It's a lovely day when the kids sleep in, i'm sure!
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to the mismatched story situation when you get to revisions. The story I spent ages revising was exactly like that because it was my first ever story as well. By the time I finished it, the earlier scenes felt so much more amateur than the later segments. The plus side is that you can actually see just how much you've learned and progressed. Always a silver lining, right? (Even if it does mean a good deal of rewriting.) I hope you make even more awesome progress on this one, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteOoh - sleeping in on a rainy day. Is there anything better? It's probably even more valuable to you since you have little ones!
ReplyDeleteYour DM last week (was it last week) about your revisions got me SUPER excited. :) Be sure to share when you're ready!
It must be fun to get back to an old manuscript. I love seeing how I've grown as a writer. And if you can make it work now, then go for it! We're having a very rainy day here today and it's making me so tired. Wish I had slept in!
ReplyDeleteSleeping in on a rainy day sounds AMAZING! I'm glad you got to enjoy that. Care to send any of that rainy weather north to Canada? Pretty please?
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you've noticed a lot of growth in your writing from that first manuscript. I think we don't often notice how much our writing has progressed until we take a look back at some of those early attempts. I'd probably end up laughing quite a bit if I reread some of my old stuff. It's very cool that you're rewriting that story instead of shelving it. Have a great week!
Revising old stories can be a weird experience. I'm off and on revising the first YA I wrote, and it's pretty much a rewrite because of how much work it needs. But it's sort of fun too, to see how much better you can make the story and how much your writing has grown.
ReplyDeleteI read Insurgent in the month it came out yet still haven't gotten a copy of the final book. I was holding out to get local paperback but I might just buy a kindle copy this month. I'm not paying the Hardcover Price in Jamaica or following Amazon's ridiculous shipping charges. I recently started writing an old idea and it is fun since it seems so fresh despite being an idea I had jotted down years ago. Glad you are progressing and getting some sleep.
ReplyDeleteIt's tough to catch up when you're sick. Try not to overdo it, so you continue feeling better. Rain has a way of making things feel so much better, especially when you don't get much of it. I love listening to the rain and letting it relax me.
ReplyDeleteMJ, A to Z Challenge Co-Host
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