What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up. It is run by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. Jamie has a link at the bottom of her post with everyone who's joining in each week.
What I’m Reading:
I’m really enjoying my break from school and work with a ton
of reading. In the past week, I’ve finished 5 books (you can check out all the
books I’ve read this year on my Book List page). The most exciting reads were
Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night. I read the first one in a
single sitting, without closing the book once. And the second in 3 (twice
before bed and then woke up yesterday and read until it was finished). So, so
good. I can’t even handle it. I loved that the POV switched back and forth from
Aria and Perry (plus, I’m a sucker for reading romantic, lovey stuff from the
guy’s perspective). I loved the independent friendships they each had with Roar
and the Marked senses (you know, and the ritualized tattooing; love that!).
There was just so, so much that I loved. At first I was a little weirded out
because my grandfather’s name is/was Perry, but I got over that quickly. Just
like recently reading the Mara Dyer series, I had to exercise a ridiculous
amount of willpower to NOT just start re-reading them again as soon as I
finished. Those really are my favorite kinds of books.
I am currently reading the Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch. I
got it at a Scholastic book sale on campus about a month ago. It was one of my
8 new books I got for $28. It’s in my favorite genre, dystopian, and then MC is
a boy, which I am excited about. I know that the majority of books are written
by men with a male protagonist, but most of the books I read are written by
women with female protagonists. So, I am always excited to switch it up. I’m 5
chapters in and enjoying it, for sure, but not loving it yet. Hopefully that
will come as I get further and more characters are introduced.
What I’m Writing:
AHH!! I finally was able to start writing my novel
yesterday. I had planned on starting last Monday, the day after my graduation,
but with packing for New York and spending time with the Sister (and last
minute dress shopping for the niece’s Choir banquet, which resulted in finding
half off brown riding boots! YAY!), I wasn’t able to. Then, I planned on
finding a park in The City and writing a bit but it was rainy and cold the
whole time I was there. Then I thought, Sunday,
I’ll start Sunday. But alas, I slept all day Sunday (and finished An
Abundance of Katherines and read all of Under the Never Sky). Then Monday…well,
I went car shopping with Dad. So finally, after finishing Through the Ever
Night, I started writing. And seriously couldn’t stop!! I wrote just over 5,000
words and 3 chapters. I am LOVING it!!!
I’m sure it’s going to take a ton of editing once the draft
is done, but it feels right. If I am able to keep that pace up, I could finish
at 70,000 words in 2 weeks. That won’t happen, I’m sure, but it’s a nice thought!
I’m going to try to keep most of the plot to myself until
it’s written, but I’ll tell y’all what I told Facebook. The main character’s
name is Quinn. It came to me months ago while I was planning but I never wrote
it down because I was unsure how much I liked it. But any time I tried to
change it, she just wouldn’t let me. There were a few close contenders, but
they just didn’t fit. Her personality isn’t fully formed yet, but the other
names I found, though I loved how they sounded, just didn’t fit her. So, Quinn
it is. And her nickname will be Q. And I love that.
What Inspires Me:
I’m incredibly inspired lately by people, book characters,
bloggers, anyone, embracing their flaws as part of themselves. I am LDS and
there is a definite push towards perfection in the culture of the church, not
in the doctrine and teachings of it. Growing up, any flaw I had was a source of
shame and caused me to try too hard to a)not let people see any flaws and
b)change it as quickly as possible. But all that did was increase my feelings
of shame and self-loathing. Over the past 5 years or so I’ve been slowly
learning to deal with my shame and change it and I’ve made a ton of progress.
But lately, I’ve been really touched when I read about people, real or not, who
accept their flaws and human-ness without shame and loathing. That’s not to say
they aren’t working to become better, because to some extent, they are. They
just don’t base their value as a person to be loved, on the existence, or lack
of, flaws. I find that so beautiful.
I’m trying to accept myself more than I ever have. Even the
bad stuff. And each step I take in that direction has been freeing. I want to
be completely honest with myself about who I am, what I want, what I want to
strive for. Each thing I do, I want it to be because I want to, not because of
some outside pressure or expectation. I’ve learned a lot about inner-honesty as
a therapist, and even more through the books I read, and I want more of it in
my own life.
I want to share some of that on this blog as well. I’m
working on some posts that will be more about me and my struggles than about
reading. So, the content on here will vary a little more than it has so far.
But reading and writing will still be a part of it all because those things
have saved me over the past 9 months and are part of my story. So, I hope
you’ll still be interested and follow along. I’m scared to be that real, but
I’ve been working up to it for over a year, and I think it’s finally almost
time.
What Else I’ve Been Up To:
Unpacking from New York, completing the rearrangement of my
room, collecting graduation pictures from my family members, and NYC pictures
from my sister. Mostly, I’m enjoying my time off. I’m going to spend my days
reading and writing, with some apartment organization and cooking sprinkled in.
Heavy on the visiting friends and family. I’m excited to just be me with no
outside pressures. It won’t last long enough, but I’m trying to enjoy every
second of it I have left.
What about you?! What are you up to?
