Inspiration – Feeding Your Brain

Filed in: book reviews | events | friends and family | miscellaneous | slice of life | travel | writing    Tags: brainstorming | inspiration | plotting | random musings | travels | writing

Lately I’ve been brewing a lot of thoughts. Last night I even plotted out an entirely new novel. For some people that’s no big deal, but I rarely commit enough to an idea to outline it. It takes a long period of mulling over an idea before I decide it’s tickled my interest enough to latch onto it. Writerly friends always talk about how many ideas they get that are pulling at them and urging to be written. That so ain’t me, babe.

In San Diego, I was thinking about Little Sis’ fiance. Soon-to-be Brother in Law is a journalist and a freelance travel writer. Sunday morning, they got up early to take my brother to the airport, hit the zoo for five hours and then meet up with us for lunch. What kind of crazy person wants to squeeze in time at the San Diego zoo on Sunday after going to a huge wedding the day before? To me, it just sounded exhausting, but Brother in Law was giddy about going to the zoo and seeing lions and tigers and bears.

I thought then about all the articles he has to write on a daily basis. If I had to come up with ideas on a daily basis, I’d implode. Even these little bloggy thingies are hard to come up with sometimes. But BIL loves to go out and experience things. You might think, yeah, who doesn’t? But Little Sis and BIL, both writers, are out every chance they get finding events, places to go, people to see. Maybe all these inputs help BIL formulate this neverending cycle of ideas.

It leads me to think about what kind of experiences I’ve been stirring into the daydream soup. Ever since my honeymoon, I haven’t been writing or revising in earnest (yes, confession time). Some of it was because of the whole euphoria of finding an agent and getting embroiled in the day job. But I’ve also been going out and doing things. There was the weekend in San Diego and the entire week visiting friends and family in Los Angeles.

Even back in St. Louis, we’re getting out more. After the farmer’s market in Amsterdam, I remarked to hubby that it was the sort of Saturday I’d like to have every week. Sure enough, when we got back home, hubby started taking us to the Soulard Market on Saturdays. We’ll walk hand in hand, buying fresh fruit and vegetables. Then we go home and I’ll make the best sangria and guacamole. And that, of course, leads to another couple hours of lounging and non-writing.

All of this stuff feeds my mind, so I guess I have a happy brain right now. So maybe it’s not so bad to not be writing so much for the moment.

No Comments

My non-writing life

Filed in: friends and family | miscellaneous | slice of life | travel    Tags: chit-chat | friends | random musings

Still in Los Angeles. One more day to go.

I had lunch with a dear friend yesterday. We used to teach together and when I say teach, I really mean we were in the trenches together. We fought the system at one of those huge high school institutions in the inner city. We broke away to start a charter school that is just kicking butt now.

I’m not at liberty to reveal personal details, but she’s going through a lot right now. This is a strong, independent woman and the one of the most dedicated teachers I know. She got dealt a bad hand of cards for absolutely no reason at all and she doesn’t deserve it. Karma doesn’t deal good or bad cards though. Karma allows her to go through all she has and still smile and laugh with me over sushi.

I didn’t mention my writing life at all. It’s not that it isn’t important and I didn’t want to brag, but different things are important to me when I’m with my non-writing friends. Writing is something I’m “stuck” with all the time when I’m in front of a computer or driving or doing chores on my own. I’m okay with taking a break.

Hubby and I then visited the friend who officiated our marriage ceremony. He had two rug rats running around and was excited to tell us about a new robotics class he was going to teach. He and hubby geeked it out for a while before I was too tired to keep my eyes open. Unlike me, hubby does like to talk about programming when he’s not on the job.

No Comments

Hubby's reaction

Filed in: friends and family | miscellaneous | slice of life | travel    Tags: authors | bookstore | julia quinn | nora roberts | random musings | writer's life

Still in California. Had a wonderful day yesterday having lunch with a friend at El Indios (the proclaimed birthplace of the taquito) and then exploring Old Town San Diego. Many pictures to come once I can find the cable to get these pictures off my phone.

I was reflecting on how many people have asked what hubby’s reaction has been to my recent Golden Heart® and agent news. I wonder why that is? I guess we’re romance people and we always want to know how people balance writing with life and love and everything else.

I try not to let writing take over our conversations. We both have full time jobs to discuss and kibitz about. I don’t talk to him about my plot or writing issues, etc. But I do update him on how the hunt is going and gush a little with him for every contest final or full request. And with each update, I have to explain to him what Romance Divas are, what RWA is, what’s a critique group, etc.

So yesterday I was searching a bookstore for Silver Phoenix and hubby came over with me to the Romance section.

“So explain to me, how do you know which publishing house these are from?” Hubby is a programmer, a techie at heart. He likes to probe and question and break things down.

I showed him the listings on the book spines: Pocket Books, NAL, Avon.

“Which house do you want?” he asked.

I laughed. “Anyone who will take me.”

I showed him a Julia Quinn book and he asked me what her husband did. I explained that he was a research Ph.D. in infectious diseases and that she made more than he did. He protested that once I made it big, he wouldn’t be motivated like that. He’d quit his job and spend his days planning meals for us. Keep in mind that hubby is actually super-driven with his job; a total Type A, alpha male. He does, however, love to cook.

“Nora Roberts’ husband is supposedly extremely good as a handy man. He helps her run a bed and breakfast.”

He grinned. “Now that’s more like it.”

No Comments

California Dreaming

Filed in: events | friends and family | miscellaneous | slice of life | travel    Tags: California | friends | happiness | hollywood | life | Los Angeles | random musing | travel

In California today and going to drive down to San Diego for cousin Kimmy’s wedding. Still floating on air on the wings of my agent announcement.

Jet lag and sleeplessness seem like they are just going to stick with me for a while. Whenever, I’m back in California I seem to burn the candle from both ends; waking up insanely early because my body is used to Central time, then staying up too late because I’m out with friends or what not.

Already my Los Angeles schedule is filling up:

• Kimmy’s wedding – Lots of family time
• Tea and sit down with Little Sis to go over my critiques for her manuscript
• Dinner/Lunch with mum
• Take pictures of Hollywood and Kodak Theatre (for Amanda)
• And then there’s  a bunch friends I want to see!  Divas are in town, I haven’t seen my chemistry counterpart in forever, and my BFF has a play that’s opening this week. It’s so hard to squeeze everything into one week. I always feel like I’m neglecting someone.

This is all while juggling my real life IT job. I’ll be working from the hotel and driving to the OC for a team meeting one of the days.

On the other hand, the timing is so perfect. I so want to see everyone and give them the biggest hug in the world! I don’t know who or what to thank — I just want to thank everyone. The emotions are overwhelming. Life is full and life is good.

I keep thinking of the last line of “Pursuit of Happyness”:

“This part of my life, this one little part, is called ‘happiness’.”

No Comments