WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY
I’ve been following What’s Up Wednesday through the blogs of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk for a few months now, and I’m happy to join in this
week.
WHAT I’M READING
I’m just about to start We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I’ve heard
and read great things about this book and can’t wait to dive in. I think it
will be a quick read, which will please my teen daughter anxiously waiting for me to hand it over to her. We often trade books back and
forth—she is currently reading my copy of The
Diviners by Libba Bray. Meanwhile,
she just bought Out of the Easy by
Ruta Sepetys and Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher and I’ll be next in line for those.
Also on the go is a reread of Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein. This time
around I am listening to it as an audiobook with my husband while following
along with a hard copy. I picked up a few poetry books from the library
yesterday, among them My Letter to the
World and Other Poems by Emily Dickinson—a read-over-and-over little book
gorgeously illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.
WHAT I’M WRITING
Over the last several months, I’ve worked
on a few rounds of major revisions on my YA contemporary novel. I am now in that final edit phase. Most of my
writing time is focused on sharpening my cover letter and synopsis. I’m also
dedicating a small amount of time every week to the writing of songs that will
be included in my other completed YA novel as a part of the main character’s
songbook. My poetry critique group has been a great support and source of
inspiration for that project.
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
Trees. I have always been a lover of trees,
but I am rediscovering them this summer. Trees play a small but meaningful role
in the YA novel I am about to start pitching to agents. I’ve been taking a
little time each day, even if only 15 or 20 minutes, for forest bathing. I’ve
been noticing the different sounds they make and have been focused on
identifying a few of the trees, before I see them, by the noise their leaves make. Poplar, for example, sounds very different in the wind than the maple or
oak.
I’ve been photographing trees all summer.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
I’ve been spending a lot of time with my
mom. I could have included this point in the paragraph above as she has been a
major source of inspiration for me. She is beautiful, wise, hilarious,
generous, and grateful. She is so strong—a survivor. I continue to be blown
away by the lessons she passes on to me.
Wishing you a wonderful and productive
week!
