Archive for the ‘life’ Category

On the Personal Front

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

I’m knee deep in writing lately, trying to meet deadlines and be productive and finish projects I’ve fallen so behind on due to- well, life.

But today I have to stop and reflect on one thing: my baby is now 11 months old. Next month he’ll be a year. How is that possible? I remember the morning I went in to have him with so much clarity it literally feels like yesterday. The first 3-4 months passed in such a haze of sleep deprivation, new mom worries, and emotional burnout that I hardly remember them.

So here I am, with a beautiful, hysterical, walking almost-toddler and I just feel overwhelmingly blessed to be his mommy.

That is all.

Where is the Time Going?

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

The days seem to be flying by. It’s hard to believe 2010 will be here in a few weeks. I have a vacation coming up after Christmas which I’m so thrilled about! Family is doing their usual trip to the Cape. I’m looking forward to late night games of Spades, Godiva White Hot Chocolate, and the likely snow storm (there’s been one every year for the last 3 years when we’ve gone).

I also tend to get a lot of writing done when I go up there. Something about the relaxing atmosphere. The lake, the horses they’re all good for reviving the heart and muse.

In the meantime I’m trying not to allow Christmas retail to suck out my soul. ;)

The Smell of Books

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

So, as of yesterday, I’m back at work at Barnes and Noble. And what an odd little world it is, to be surrounded by so many  books, by other lovers of the written word, by the smell of paper and brewing coffee. It’s nothing like the days I spent at home watching PBS, or covered in Sweet Potato baby food, or napping with my Peanut. And although I miss him horribly (and really, the naps were quite lovely) I have to say that it’s nice to have conversations with other adults and to talk about something I love, which is reading and books. Not to mention, I’m thrilled to get the discount on books, because now I have full access to all the YA fantasy goodness (Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is first on my list!) so that I can review them on Tales from the Hollow Tree.

And of course, I’m scheduled to work on Black Friday, so I’ll be here with some fun stories about that. I expect to have a very large Caramel Machiato and maybe a slice of cheesecake to comfort myself after getting yelled at by rabid customers. ;)

Back to the Bookstore

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Starting Tuesday I have been scheduled to work a few days a week at my old day job, B&N. This both terrifies and thrills me. For one, I haven’t been back to work for about a year and now I’m returning on the busiest shopping week of the season. And I love my coworkers to death but my extent of human interaction has been limited to an infant for quite some time.

So I’m understandably anxious and already missing my Peanut. On the plus side, I’ll have new influences to inspire my muse which has been in a serious writers depression. I’ve been stuck on the same chapter for months, despite rewriting it like four times. I need a boost. A creative rewire. Though I wonder, is working Black Friday the answer? Probably not. But maybe a few days not changing diapers or being flung with baby food will be good for me. ;-)

Finally… Progress

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Although it’s been quiet here on Twisted Fairytale, I have certainly been working hard to up my productivity. So hard in fact that I reached a frightening level of burnout and had to slow myself down. I think I fooled myself into thinking that I could write, keep house, and run after my 8 month old without something suffering… not to mention weekend plans with CBear and other responsibilites. It just couldn’t be done. Not with the schedule I was keeping. And I was simply not willing to sacrifice the important things in my life- so I have come to this conclusion:

Daytime is reserved for Peanut and housework/errands. I will also be returning to work in a few weeks and handling the opening shift at the bookstore, which I think will force me into a more regular routine. This is a good thing! I’ll wake up the same time everyday, I’ll break/eat at the same time, I’ll get home at the same time. Then it’s play with Peanut and clean up until Hub gets home. Then it’s dinner. And finally, writing time!

I’ve decided that I cannot force myself to be productive during my ‘off’ hours. I’ve always written better at night and trying to change that was making the quality of my writing suffer. I’ve also allowed myself to get far too distracted by the internet (evil Facebook games) so I think from now on, I will be printing the chapter I’m working on and working by hand. It forces me to focus, helps me weed out the junk in my head and get to the meat of things. I like this plan. I think it will work. :) I don’t expect to triple my production or anything, but I’m hoping at least to get back to writing every day.

Also, things at Tales from the Hollow Tree are going really well! We’ve met some great people, readers and bloggers alike, and we’ve touched on some great movies, books and trends in YA fantasy! Come visit us and tell us your thoughts! Lisa has a fantastic post up today about book series vs. stand-alones. What do you prefer? Why? I happen to be a big fan of the series. If I fall in love with a character, it’s nice to spend more time with them in their world.

And to all those doing NaNo this month- right on! Get those manuscripts written! :D