Wednesday, July 9, 2014

What's Up Wednesday--Super Worms!





What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop created by Jaime and, Erin Funk, to help writers connect. ***Please remember to link to their blogs and/or use one of the WUW buttons provided.***

WHAT I'M READING

I hardly ever read a book that wasn't meant for young adults, and when I do, it is almost always high fantasy. I'm taking a departure from that to read A Thousand Splendid Suns (by the same guy that wrote The Kite Runner). I'm really enjoying it, and I don't really see what the big fuss is. It isn't taxing my brain to read ATSS any more than a young adult book would, and the themes are different, but don't capture the human experience any better than the books I usually read. 

I finished reading We Were Liars while I ought to have been visiting with my husband's family. We were spending the weekend at a cabin together and I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know what had happened to Cadence. Every time I thought I knew, the next few pages would prove me wrong. After it ended I bawled like a baby. My daughter took it from me and finished it the next morning. Though she felt the same urgency to read it, she didn't have the same emotional response to the ending. She was kind of angry, actually. 

WHAT I'M WRITING

I didn't even write a post for RSW this week, because my writing was nil. See below.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW

Inspiration is in short supply lately. I'm always inspired by time I spend at the cabin, so I walked out into the lake and said to the world at large "Inspire me!" and waited. It didn't happen, at least not all at once. I started feeling glimmers of inspiration while I was doing the dishes. It's so different doing the dishes at the cabin. There is usually company, and yet it feels solitary and quiet. So different from my typical mad rush of trying to do at least 5 things at once, while I'm late to something else. Plus with music. I think I'm too tightly wound to be inspired right now. But now that I've identified the problem, maybe I can find a solution.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

#1: We had the unexpected opportunity to have a foreign exchange student from France in our home for a couple of weeks. It's a 3 week program, but the home Axelle had originally been assigned to didn't work out, and so the representative in charge of the program emailed us. We've been asked before, but have always said no, for various reasons, but this time it just felt right. It's been wonderful for my family, but it has entailed giving up a lot of my originally scheduled programming for the next couple of weeks. 

#2: A short list of interesting things about our cabin trip
     1. I'm not quite the natural on a paddleboard that I'd always dreamed I would be. 
     2. The fishing worms escaped from their container in the fridge. (!!!!) Ew. Luckily everything in the fridge was in a sealed container, but it was still a disgusting experience. We even found one that had somehow crawled out of the fridge, through the kitchen, through the family room and had nearly made it to the door. This leads me to suspect that some of truths I've always known about worms are really myths. A. They are not stupid. B. They do not necessarily go into a state of hibernation just because they are cold.
     3. I sleep better when there is a hurricane raging outside than I do in the silence right before it. (It was a tropical storm by the time it got to us, but it was still noisy.)

**So, I've been to a whole bunch of blogs this morning, and left a whole bunch of comments, and most of those comments seem to have vanished into the nether...Hopefully you're getting them, even if I can't see them. Sigh.

15 comments:

  1. I love that you shouted "Inspire me" at the world at large. :)

    And I love your description of cabin life. And yes, doing the dishes in a cabin is more of a ritual than it is a chore. For some reason basic things, when you are surrounded by woods, take on an entirely new character. Like washing your own clothes in a stream when you are camping. Very different. I normally pretend laundry doesn't exist...but it the woods it is a beautiful thing.

    Hope you have an amazing week and that the world at large decides to rain inspiration down on you. :)

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    1. What is this "laundry" of which you speak??? I see it on my To-Do list, but its been there for a while now...

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  2. Everyone seems to be talking about WE WERE LIARS - I might have to check that out!

    Hope you get your inspiration back soon! Sounds like you've been busy, anyway. Have a great week!

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    1. I definitely recommend it, though The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks is still my favorite.

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  3. For some reason, washing dishes in 'nature' isn't nearly as bad as doing it here at home. Sounds like you're having good time with the exchange student. H

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  4. I want a foreign exchange student from France! Don't know how much my husband would like that, but it sounds so fun. I speak French so it could be epic.

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  5. Okay, that worm story is kind of gross, but also kind of funny. ;-) You might be right about the intelligence of worms. Scary thought lol. I hope this week is a lot more inspiring on the writing front and that things slow down a bit for you. I find the summer is so tough for getting writing done. Too many distractions! Have a wonderful week, Melanie!

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  6. New book idea: The Worm's Journey? There's a story in there somewhere, though it might be more PB than YA. Or a really, really disturbing horror book. :0)
    I find more inspiration in the off-moments-- showering for one, definitely when washing the dishes, or driving. Sometimes when the things around me actually ARE inspiring there isn't room for my own ideas to bloom, if that makes sense. Have a great week of reading and writing.

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  7. Ick, worms!

    Here's hoping inspiration will strike when you least expect it :)

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  8. I loved The Kite Runner. It definitely one of my favorite reads in AP English. I hope I get around to reading A Thousand Splendid Suns one day.

    I keep hearing a lot of mixed reviews on We Were Liars. So I'm not sure how I would feel about reading it.

    I hope you're able to find inspiration soon. I know how it feels to feel like the world isn't giving you any kind of inspiration but hopefully you'll be able to take the inklings of inspiration you have and find a solution.

    Maybe there's even a story in having an exchange student stay at your house? That's awesome by the way! I also like what you said about it just feeling right.

    Have a wonderful week. :)

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  9. Sounds like you had a lovely vacation at your cabin even if inspiration was being stubborn. I hope it hits you in a huge avalanche this week and that your vacation time has left you feeling refreshed and ready to write. Your worm story made me laugh. Not exactly what you want to find when you open the fridge door lol! :)

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  10. Okay, if it were me, those fishing worms would be stored OUTSIDE from now on.

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  11. It's interesting how differently people can react to the same thing/book, right? I loved WE WERE LIARS. The voice was just incredible.

    Hope you get inspired and time to relax and time to write soon! But being a host to a foreign exchange student must be pretty cool too.

    Also, your comment showed up on my blog! So no worries, and thank you! And FYI, the skirt was from Forever 21. :)

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  12. Oh, ugh, the worms! Gah! I can just picture it. And it isn't pretty. How fun to have an exchange student for a couple of weeks. My kids are at the age now where it would be great to have an exchange student here but I don't know that I'd want to do a full school year. Two or three weeks sounds just right! Have fun!

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  13. The worms...wow. I like worms, but outside. I can't imagine the refrigerator--okay, I'm trying and...wow.

    BTW, I read A Thousand Splendid Suns and loved it. Of course, I loved his other books too. His prose are lyrical and restrained, and I cry like a baby when I read his books. :)

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