I am almost done with this blogging break. I shall be back round here for good starting Friday. In some ways a month seems too short--I had not realized how stressed I was until I actually took a load of things out of my life (Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest). My goal this month was to get back in touch with real life enough that my first impulse upon experiencing a thing wasn't: "This will make a great blog post!" or "Let me Instagram this!" Ridiculous as it sounds, I had been living life with an unconsciously materialistic viewpoint so that each little bit of life only served to be ground into flour with which to make my writing pancakes. I started the month with an eye to get a lot of writing done in the interim. What happened instead is that I lived a creative month, but from the writing standpoint, it was unproductive. And you know what? I am okay with that. I had sapped so much creativity for so long without putting anything back into the fund that my well was running dry.
I took a rest month and I'm sure my brain is the better for it.
What did that month look like? Well, in pictures, it went something like this:
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| Filling a quote-book with favorites |
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| Experiments in cookery: pomegranate-orange cheesecake with a gingersnap crust, anyone? |
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| Making jewelry. You can buy this neat poetry-ring in The Warren! |
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| breaking my brain over geometry to enlarge by hand a 5x5 photo of Audrey onto four different 12x12 canvases |
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| Having fun with celery as a stamp. :) |
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| A sweet friend gifted me with an UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER. Guys. This is the brand Callie uses. I may or may not have legitimately freaked out and bounced up and down and made excited noises and yelled when the "ding" went off. |
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| started over with my 1000 Gifts list |
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| Made a batch of cuties. <3 |
So yeah. My life has been touched by a bit of drama. I have led a quiet, peaceable, gentle life this month and I feel refreshed, relaxed, and loved. God is good, whether or not I am on a brilliant roll with my writing. That being said, I have been hard at work this month applying the final edits I made a couple months back for
Fly Away Home and I will have some exciting news forthcoming about that novel. Secondly, I feel like I know Vivi and Farnham pretty well at this point which comes from just thinking about these characters for a month, reading up on Northamptonshire, and a goodly dose of James Herriot. I look forward to digging into the story with a concentrated effort soon. And speaking of The Warren, if you are looking for Christmas gifts for any of your writing/reading/word-smashing friends, check out the 20% off sale! Everything in The Warren is 20% off until Christmas and I will be continuing to add new products all month so stay tuned. :)
The main purpose of this post, though, was to announce December's Chatterbox! You know the ropes, and if you somehow missed what this Chatterbox thing is about, just click on the label below and read all about it. It's a barrel of fun. This month's topic?
Mythology
I can't wait to read all your posts on this topic! Mythology in any society is an interesting thing. I want to see your characters talking about it! Maybe some of them swear by the myths of their world, maybe others are skeptical, maybe others are creators or participators in those myths. Whatever the case may be, I want to hear about it! Sorry this challenge is late this month! I have (obviously) been away. I have missed all of you and look forward to catching up about the things I have missed this month.
Posts
8 comments:
An Underwood! Oh, I love it! What does it feel like to type on it? I imagine it must be pretty different from a computer.
Now you've got me wanting to bake cookies. And 'mythology'...hmmm, that's going to be a tricky one. I'll have to see if I can come up with something before I take my own blogging break over Christmas.
Rachel,
Glad to have you back! Mythology is a very thought provoking topic. I am hoping to fit this Chatterbox into my writing schedule. :) Have fun with the rest of your Christmas preparations!
Eowyn
Elisabeth: it feels really strange, actually. I wonder if people back then had smaller hands...? Also, the keys are on an incline. We are used to typing flat on a keyboard but these are lined up like bleachers at a baseball park...it feels neat, though. :D
Here's my link! http://scribblingskeyboard.blogspot.com/2013/12/chatterbox-mythology.html
glad to have you back!
Oh that type writer is fantastic! Does it work? I think the one I have is an Underwood but I can't recall off the top of my mind. Sadly though, it doesn't work. I'm in the process of repairing it because it is from the 1910's and I want to be able to write a letter on it someday.
Taking a break is always a good thing, or seems to be. Getting away from the internet and online things and reconnecting with the real world.
I stole one of your quotes, the victory one. I like that one 8-D Is it from a book or did you create it?
Once again I have nearly neglected to post my contribution to Chatterbox. Here you are, old bean: The Blackguard.
And here is my Chatterbox.
I love the typewriter! :D I have my grandfather's but it's packed up for when I get my writer room... :)
and here is my Chatterbox: http://firstseekhim.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-legend-of-ariae-who-loved.html :)
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