Writer's Corner: Compelling Characters

It's been a while since I've had a Writer's Corner post. Which...is kinda too bad, because I had some cool insights about characters a few months ago. Be sure to tell me what you think in the comments.

So, the last writerly post was about active versus reactive characters. As I was thinking about active characters and their common threads, I landed on a thought - the very best active characters have a superpower.

Why Cookbooks Matter in a Pinterest World

Funny story - I received a bunch of gift cards for Christmas, for both Amazon and Powell's Books.

For a while I've been circling various craft books, whether it's paper craft, needle felting, what have you. But the thing is, new hobbies take time.

And - I've got books to write. Food books, not needle-felting books. So after hemming and hawing over using the gift cards to get started on something new, I decided to take what is, likely, the wiser path.

Simple Holidays from Thanksgiving to New Year's - an Update

The holidays - they're over!

Did you survive? I hope you did. We did, though there were a few skin-of-our-teeth moments.

I wrote in the previous post about how we were simplifying the holidays, and I wanted to write up a recap of what that looked like and how it went.

For Thanksgiving, we had nine loved ones over for Soupsgiving 2013. Now, if you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know that I have a deep and abiding love for soup. What you likely don't know is that I have an equally abiding hatred for roast turkey. So for me, the Soupsgiving was a win on several levels.

Dialing Down the Holidays and Life in Portland - a Not Very Organized Blog

A wreath I saw at Provisions in Eugene last year.

I've tried to start, like, four or five blog posts in the last while. And...they're all kinda ranty. You don't need that. So I'm drawing a veil.

We're coming out of a high-stress season in our lives, and into a time of more manageable mid-stress. I think I still have a subconscious fist raised to the heavens over what we've lived through for the last while.

There's certainly a place for a good rant, but...yeah, I'm not there yet. Because so much of it is still too fresh, and when I dial it back to normal people levels, it becomes short to the point that it could be a baby Facebook post, rather than full-scale blog. Or I'll change my mind.

Time Travel

...is what I'm going to go with. I was prancing around (what movie was it where the guy said, "I seldom prance?), thinking I was going to blog more regularly when the first book was done, and yet, it's not mid-September and I think we can say no, no that did not happen.

I've started four blogs, but nothing's gotten off the ground in a real and true and meaningful way.

(Okay - I had to Google it. The line is from Aaron Sorkin's The American President. That was bothering me.)

Anywho, we moved...kind of. I don't feel right with a past-tense verb because it's not over. But in early August, we moved our personal belongings and excess stuff into storage and in with a generous family member, leaving the house staged in such a pristine state that I will hold on to those pictures forever.

Little Boxes

I'm writing this from my phone while we drive to Shiloh vet, where he will be thrilled to see some of his favorite people,  and less thrilled to receive a series of vaccines.

This hasn't been his favorite week, since we've been packing up the house. But soon we'll be quasi-settled in our interim housing while we sell our house.

Right now, we're trying to squash a much as we can into our last days in Richland, wishing there was time for more even while wishing we were already in Portland. And while I hate packing up,  I've been culling through a good deal of clutter. It feels good to be clearing things out,  getting ready for the next chapter.

Lots of excitement ahead, though! We'll be headed to Atlanta (specifically Decatur) for my cousin's wedding, and I'll be continuing work on the edits.

My hope is to be able to find a little pocket of time to enjoy some summer weather - Oregon is capable of some glorious Indian summers.

That's what I'm looking forward to  -  what about you?