I just spent two weeks of road tripping through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California (then back up through Oregon and into Washington).
My husband is "THE Driver" and prefers things that way. I used to fuss over that, claiming I needed to drive, but after several years of marriage to "THE Driver" I'm content with a load of books, my laptop, and the amount of daydream time I get staring out the window. Plus, I have good conversations with The Driver. He's a much nicer driver than I am in many ways - if I'm driving I want control of the radio, heat, and basically everything that's going on in the car. I'm kind of a driver control freak. My husband just wants to drive and the rest is up to the passengers.
During our drive, I read aloud portions of my book to my family, and I discovered something during that time . . . I need to let my characters open the windows, and change the radio station now and then. I've suffocated the story in this last revision, forcing the highs and lows.
My poor main character has been boxed into a tight passenger corner, not allowed to even open a window and let the sun shine on her face.
However, I need to stay at the wheel, and keep the shift engaged for the wild ride. Plus I need to clean the windows now and then . . .our car became bug spattered so often on our drive that we stopped more often to clean off the windows than we did to fill the gas tank.
The bugs on the windows of my story have a tendency to be massive amounts of repeated words and phrases. My family and I started laughing every time my characters "ducked," "turned," or "breathed." I think I used each of those words at least two dozen times in three chapters. Aagh!
So, I'm back at work, hoping that somehow this story will be the story I want it to be, hoping that when I get done it will feel like this:
My husband says this is how he wishes he could have driven through San Francisco.
Oh, and this is my 72nd day of 100 Days of Revision - I'm going to have to give my revision process more gas to make my goal.
Showing posts with label Road Trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Road Trip. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Road Trip!!!
(photo from here)My family and I are off on a much needed grand adventure!
With only 9 nights of hotel stays nailed down, and 14 days of driving ahead of us, we'll be making a few stops in the unknown. (This is wild for me, since I'm usually a mega planner for trips)
We're headed to a friends house first, then Arches, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (where we'll be hanging out with friends who have a working farm outside the city), Anaheim, San Francisco, Redwoods, friends and family in Oregon, Portland's Powell's bookstore (largest bookstore in the world), and then home again.
I'll be here in the blog world for two events - the Shh! It's a secret blog hop and the Insecure Writers Support Group. I might post a few pics from our trip from the road, but I won't really be present more than two to three days in the blogsphere in the next few weeks.
I'll miss you all, but I need this break.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
365 Days of Blessings - Day 112
365 Days of Blessings, Day 112
1. The Lord gifts us with family and laughter. I love unwrapping those gifts!
2. My husband gifted me with a two day trip to Shakespeare-Land theme town aka Ashland, OR.
3. My daughters, although only recently introduced to Shakespeare, were excited to come on this trip.
4. My mom and dad decided to come too, and in fact came earlier.
5. We had a long car ride of conversation, home-school reading and discussion, some reading aloud, some music listening, and only three breaks . . . all in all, a good trip.
6. We arrived in time to have a quick dinner, change clothes, find parking and pick up our tickets at will call.
7. The excited atmoshpere of theatre goers in the square, preparing to go into three different theatres . . . ours being the outside venue.
8. The rain showers passed before the play started, we were slightly undercover from an overhang, and the only problem from the wetness occurred when an actor, in the midst of a happy jig, leaped onto a platform, slipped, fell, and recovered quickly. Even though his character was the focus of some of Shakespeare's slapstick humor, we all knew that fall wasn't planned. The audience groaned in sympathy, the other actor on stage paused in concern . . . and then the play went on.
9. The amazing, talent and skill of the actors who perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. If you want to see Shakespeare's plays done well, this is the place to come. Our favorite players of the night played the parts of Olivia, Viola, the Fool, Malvolio, Sebastian, and Mary. All of the actors were excellent, but as we reviewed the play's scenes in our hotel room, the actors that played those parts stood out in our minds.
10. Malvolio's first attempt at a smile made all of us laugh, and laugh, and laugh. I am so thankful for laughter. Some of Shakespeare's humor isn't my kind of humor, and some of it is . . . very much so.
11. My oldest daughter liked the play, and my youngest daughter only liked parts of it. I am just thankful that I get to introduce them to Shakespeare here at this festival like I was introduced at the age of 10 with Henry IV, part one. I didn't like all of that play at that age either, but Falstaff made me laugh, and the theatre itself is amazing.
Scripture Blessings:
Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
1. The Lord gifts us with family and laughter. I love unwrapping those gifts!
2. My husband gifted me with a two day trip to Shakespeare-Land theme town aka Ashland, OR.
3. My daughters, although only recently introduced to Shakespeare, were excited to come on this trip.
4. My mom and dad decided to come too, and in fact came earlier.
5. We had a long car ride of conversation, home-school reading and discussion, some reading aloud, some music listening, and only three breaks . . . all in all, a good trip.
6. We arrived in time to have a quick dinner, change clothes, find parking and pick up our tickets at will call.
7. The excited atmoshpere of theatre goers in the square, preparing to go into three different theatres . . . ours being the outside venue.
8. The rain showers passed before the play started, we were slightly undercover from an overhang, and the only problem from the wetness occurred when an actor, in the midst of a happy jig, leaped onto a platform, slipped, fell, and recovered quickly. Even though his character was the focus of some of Shakespeare's slapstick humor, we all knew that fall wasn't planned. The audience groaned in sympathy, the other actor on stage paused in concern . . . and then the play went on.
9. The amazing, talent and skill of the actors who perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. If you want to see Shakespeare's plays done well, this is the place to come. Our favorite players of the night played the parts of Olivia, Viola, the Fool, Malvolio, Sebastian, and Mary. All of the actors were excellent, but as we reviewed the play's scenes in our hotel room, the actors that played those parts stood out in our minds.
10. Malvolio's first attempt at a smile made all of us laugh, and laugh, and laugh. I am so thankful for laughter. Some of Shakespeare's humor isn't my kind of humor, and some of it is . . . very much so.
11. My oldest daughter liked the play, and my youngest daughter only liked parts of it. I am just thankful that I get to introduce them to Shakespeare here at this festival like I was introduced at the age of 10 with Henry IV, part one. I didn't like all of that play at that age either, but Falstaff made me laugh, and the theatre itself is amazing.
Scripture Blessings:
Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
Friday, September 17, 2010
365 Days of Blessings - Day 111
Blessed Blog Award Friday!
There are so many blogs to choose from, and so many blessed writing posts. If you receive this award, please know that you are a blessing in my life. Your writing has inspired me.
This week this award goes to Grace from a grace story because her life and her posts inspire me to be a better mother, to place every aspect of my life in God's hands, and to have joy in all of life's moments. She also writes beautifully.
Thank you for being a blessing in my life, Grace!
365 Days of Blessings - Day 111
1. The Lord answers our prayers.
2. Resolution.
3. Feeling free of worry. Why worry, when God has everything in his hands?
4. The strength of my family. I see the way that God has blessed us with connectedness as we work together, play together, eat together, pray together, and snuggle together.
5. My youngest daughter, Trisha, saying "Thank you, Mom, for finding my ballet clothes, and making us dinner, and putting my hair in a bun."
6. My oldest daughter, Anna, who often stays calm in the midst of a scramble of dinner-making, clothes-finding, and hair up-doing. She brought me all the necessary hair bands and brushes so I could put hair in buns while dinner made it to the table.
7. Bags of books taken back to the library, and bags of books brought home.
8. Road trip today!!! I mean, educational field trip :-).
9. Ashland, OR and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
10. My daughters have found a way to wear their fanciest dresses with warm clothes underneath so they can "dress for the theatre" even though the Elizabethan theatre is outside, and we may be cold. I planned on wearing long johns, jeans, and several layers of shirts plus a sweatshirt or a ski jacket. They spent a half hour last night making sure that tights, leggings, long-sleeved shirts, scarves and gloves looked good with their dresses. Peals of laughter could be heard all over the house.
Scripture Blessings:
"and Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." Matthew 1:16
"after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'" 1 Matthew 1:2o-21
I have often read the geneaology listings in the Bible with some boredom, but today in Matthew as I finished reading that list with Matthew 1:16, I realized that these lists are a way we can be sure that God cares about families and family life. In the context of the story of Jesus' birth, when God sent his only Son to live with a human family, I find these lists meaningful and comforting. God chose a family for his son. Family is a gift.
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