So, I'm back from my Christmas vacation. It was a lot of fun regardless of the two feet of snow dumped on unprepared Oregonians/Washingtonians. They don't salt the roads for environmental reasons I guess (the run off of salt water into streams etc.) So it made for an interesting trip all in all. But I got plenty of time in front of a fire with a book (I can't say a good book because The Pillars of Earth was endlessly frustrating). By the end of the book I was reading 2-3 pages a minute because it was so overly descriptive about the same buildings and concerns about each character for 900 pages I realized I could skip 2/3's of it and still get the story just from the bite size morsels of dialog between the pages of description paragraphs, ugh. If being a successful author like Ken Follet means all you gotta do is take a 300 page book and stretch it to 980 pages... Okay, enough with the book bashing, sorry.
I got some wonderful gifts for Christmas. Without a list from me my mom always seems to come up with great ideas I would never have thought of, like new soft sheets. I don't think I've ever had nice soft sheets, something so simple that makes such a big difference in my ability to sleep. My box of food gift cards was another great one. But I think my new backpack for school is my favorite gift, thanks mom and dad!
I made some good story progress on my writing as well. I wrote a couple pages outside of the main story arc, one being a breakup between two of my characters. I think it turned out really well, I'm not sure how to fit it into the story yet, or even if it will make it in there, but it's a fun realistic piece of dialog I think. Sorry, no spoilers yet. Everyone will just have to wait.
I think I need to get into more relationships and religious discussions I've concluded. When things go well, I can write in detail the goodness I feel so much better than when bad things happen (which is a good time for writing the bad times hehe). But it's those life-turning moments that are the most important. Those moments when you can see the big picture, the rounded edges, the layout of the foundation all at once. Those gems of truth. I need more of those, I just wish I could remember more vividly those feelings to articulate them, because those are the true moments and the real morals of books, and why I read books. So far, my book is pretty depressing, good I think, but depressing and I need some happy fun times in life to pick it up otherwise it's going to be a pretty sad story lol. Obviously talented writers don't need to be going through something to write it... but I'm not good yet, so I accept that and I'm trying to work with it. It's another one of my experiments I suppose, let's hope this one goes better than the others haha. But being able to get down some of the stuff I got down is going to really pay off. I write so much better when I'm writing with the conviction of the feeling in my heart. I do much better once I have something to work with I know, so having written parts when I was sad or contemplative are really priceless pieces I couldn't write well without. And yes, I do have some happy moments down as well, but just not as many recently because my story wasn't really calling for them, so don't freak out. It's not going to be Aaron's Heartache Hotel.
-A
ps I got a cold and I've lost my voice completely. So, if you wanted to have some conversation in which you feared I would overrun with my own, now would would seem the appropriate time.
