Sunday, June 30, 2013

Goals, Guilt, and a Great Read

Here I am with my June post just under the wire! Woo-hoo! *wipes sweat from brow* WHICH brings me to my first topic: GOALS. Last year, I was getting bogged down with the whole every-Wednesday-blogging thing, so I decided I would lessen the pressure and just aim for once a month. Sure, my readership was slashed in half *sniffle*, but I'm happy to say I've kept that goal. I'm also happy to report that I'm on track with my revisions on TICKET TO REDEMPTION (title to change). Of course, the revisions were/are pretty extensive, so I'm probably going to have to do several read-throughs AND have some [fabulous] writer friends beta it (read as: I still have a longgg way to go before this puppy is ready to go back into the query trenches--BOO!).

So what's the consequence of saying tohellwith everything else in your life and sticking to your goals no matter what? Guilt. A big, fat helping of G-U-I-L-T. And I'm not talking about the fact that your house is looking like an episode of "Hoarders: The Beginning," but the fact that sometimes determination and drive can get caught smack dab in the middle of family time. I try VERY hard not to let that happen, but sometimes it's impossible for it not to. Kids want to be played with, spouses want your undivided attention, and mothers/brothers/sisters want to talk/get together. When it's a "real" job, they understand, but when it's something you don't "have to do"  . . . well, that can cause problems. Luckily, it's not a huge problem for me, since my family is incredibly supportive, but it doesn't mean I'm immune to the feelings that come from choosing writing over family time.

On a happier note, I want to tell you all about a fabulous book I read recently: ELEANOR AND PARK. The book had been popping up all over Twitter, and it seemed like every time I perused my [Twitter] agent list, an agent was raving about the book. Wanting to see what all the hype was about, I checked it out from my library. And holy goats. It was FREAKIN' AMAZING!! Here's the blurb (taken from Goodreads).


Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.

I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.



I suck (big time) at writing reviews, but I will tell you that this book touched me in a way a book hasn't in a VERY long time. I don't know if it's because the setting takes place in the 80's (HOLLA!) or because I, like the main character, had a douchey step-dad growing up (though nowhere near as bad as hers); but I LOVED THIS BOOK and recommend it to anyone who likes quirky, romantic, gut-wrenching stories.

That's it, faithful readers! Thanks for stopping by! See you next month ;)

6 comments:

  1. ACK! I gotta get my hands on that book! I keep seeing it on Twitter, too. And it's set in the 80's?! SIGN ME UP

    Once again, you've been loitering in my brain waves with this blog post. You nailed the life of a writer right on the head!

    love you.

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  2. Hey, pretty lady ;)
    You HAVE GOT TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BOOK!! You will love it--I guar-ran-tee-it (heh, remember that old Cajun-cookin' guy who used to say that?). You were the first person I thought of when I was reading it!

    Ah yes, the life of a writer . . . 'tis glamorous, no? ;) Just waiting for the day when it all pays off! ;)

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  3. I'm still here! And I'm with you in the revisions. It's a painful process, but you (and by "you," I mean "we," as I'm in the midst of it too) will be so happy when it's even better when you're done. And guilt can be cured by chocolate. Well, gummy bears. But gummy bears don't float everyone's boat.

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    1. Hmm . . . what about chocolate-covered gummy bears???? :o) Yes, I'm hoping the revisions turn this story into what I always imagined it being (funny how we can sometimes know exactly what kind of story we want to tell, but struggle with the execution the first time around).

      Good luck to you with your revisions!!

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  4. I only blog once or twice a month now, too. It is definitely hard to write with family needing attention! My kids are older (11 and 14), so usually we all just have computer/study/reading time and do our own thing in the living room or something so I can get in some writing.

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    1. Hi Alexia, thanks for stopping by! My kids are getting older, too, and you're right, it does make things easier :)

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