Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas, Weddings, Nano, New Stories

Lots of things have been on my mind this December, and my life has been packed with all brands of wonderful. Here's a sampling of the sweetness.

Winter bride
1. My baby sister got married yesterday. She looked lovely in her beautiful white dress and lacy winter shawl, but much, much more importantly, she was SO HAPPY. She cried. I cried. We all cried. I love you, Emily. I'll make 700 crepes for your reception any day.

2. I won NaNo in November. I realize this news is late and therefore anticlimactic, but I'm still thrilled about it. While doing NaNo again was cool, it was ten times more thrilling that I also finished my novel in November. Now The Lovely Invisible is taking a little rest in prep for a scrutinizing revision, and it always helps to have a little distance so I can get super objective.

3. I have a bright, shiny, and very different (for me, anyway) idea for a new novel! Since I revel in revisions, I'm amazed I want to draft something new already. This story is that special. It's already given me a rash of sleepless nights and all kinds of glorious distractibility. Good signs. But the premise is tricky and needs more research. I want to do this right, so I'm gearing up for major brainstorming and research-a-thons come January.

Trying to rock the 3D glasses
4. I saw The Hobbit in 3D and at an IMAX theater (my first IMAX experience). I'm a harsh film critic, and I have lots of opinions about this film, but I'm willing to forgive many things because the last half of the film was pure awesomeness (Peter Jackson rocks endings), and Thorin (played by a fab actor, Richard Armitage--have you seen North and South? Swoon!) was incredible and totally made the movie for me. So go see The Hobbit (but not in 3D). I can't wait to see it again!

5. I'm spoiling myself for Christmas (yes, I pick out my own presents) by getting a bunch of novels and writing books I selected with a focus on emotion and impactful endings--two aspects of writing I don't feel get enough attention on blogs or books on craft. I'm excited to dig in and continue to learn, learn, learn.

6. I'm most grateful, especially in light of world events, for my sweet family. They are my best gift.

Celebrating my oldest daughter after she performed in A Christmas Carol

I'd like to leave you with a Christmas present (courtesy of Coldplay). This is one of my favorite songs ever (probably tying for first place with Brandi Carlile's "The Story"). Even though this is a Christmas song, it reminds me of summer, which is when I first heard it. But it's definitely a year-round favorite.

Merry Christmas, everyone!


12 comments:

  1. Lovely photo! I'm glad your sister's wedding went well.

    I haven't seen The Hobbit Part 1 yet, but I'm excited. I hope to go Saturday night.

    Good for you for picking out books for Christmas! I don't think I'm going to get as many as I'd like, but I'm hoping!

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  2. Yay! Wedding pics already AND I can't wait to see The Hobbit (I'll take your word for it and not go for the 3D version), and I'm excited for your SNI. Isabelle looks lovely and I've never heard Christmas Lights before-so glad you shared it (I'm still waiting for the snow to fall).

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  3. So sweet! I love wedding pictures. :)

    I saw The Hobbit in 48 fps and actually enjoyed it. I'm not usually a fan of 3D (I get motion sick at the thought of getting motion sick), but I didn't have a problem. And, oh, Richard Armitage as Thorin was so amazing. Loved it!

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  4. I'm still reeling about your new idea. Can't wait to read this one. Agreed about Richard Armitage...he was fabulous. I can't wait to find out what you learn about emotions and endings--I could probably use some help there. :) Great song!

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  5. Hooray for weddings! And NaNo! And new ideas! :)
    One book you might want to treat yourself to (if you don't already have it on your list) is the Emotion Thesaurus. I've found it helpful in helping me display outward emotion in my characters.

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  6. I saw The Hobbit too! I really liked it. And it's totally not to late to celebrate winning NaNo!! Congrats :)

    And congratulations to your sister :)

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  7. Emily - Thanks! And I wish you loads of books from your wishlist this Christmas. Can't wait to see you next week!

    Robin - Isn't that the best song? Makes me so happy. Happy Hobbiting!

    Jenilyn - I did slowly adjust to the 48 fps/3D. I thought it worked better for the darker scenes. It looked strange/home video camera-ish in the more starkly lit scenes. My favorite part of the movie was the theme of home and how the dwarfs were wanderers.

    Ilima - Thanks! I'll let you know if any of the books I read are true winners. I always love a great new craft book.

    Jenna - That's one of the books I bought! I used it all the time when it was a free resource online, so I'm eager to get my hands on it again. I found (when I used it before) that I rarely used something from the list they gave for each emotion, but it really helped spark my own ideas and dig deeper.

    Kelley - Thank you! And I'm glad you enjoyed The Hobbit. My brother (whom I saw it with) saw it again last night in 2D and said it was AMAZING in that format, and he loved it so much more the second time. I can't wait to see it again!

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  8. Awesome, Kathryn! Glad you enjoyed The Hobbit as much as I did, and congrats to your sister! Have a wonderful and Merry Christmas. :)

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  9. Hi Kathryn, thanks for stopping by my blog. I changed address a while back to rebeccataylorbooks.blogspot.com --I hope you jump over there sometime in the future!

    Congrats on the Nano...I have never even tried though considered it many times. Such a chicken. :-) The pic of your sis is gorgeous, may she have a lifetime of joy and happiness.

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  10. You are seriously SO GORGEOUS, Kathryn. Like, model gorgeous. Love the pics. Love the post! You are awesome. :D

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  11. Your sister is gorgeous!! Love her dress and shawl. And I, too, am SO excited for your new idea! I still need to see The Hobbit... who knows when it'll happen. But, oh! how I love Richard Armitage... (I'm not even going to tell you how many times I've watched THAT KISS.)

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