Updates on Life and Writing

This weekend I am going on a tubing trip! Some friends and I are going to float down the Deerfield River in oversized inner-tubes for four hours. The people who run the shuttle/rent out the tubes even supply a little tube attached to a rope for your cooler. There’s an island in the middle of the river where you can stop and eat. It’s going to be an amazing day. I can’t wait.

Even better—as of today at noon I am officially on vacation! Of course at my office today at noon translates to today at five-thirty, but I won’t complain. The key words here are: today and vacation. I haven’t taken time off since last October when I showed my friend New York City for the first time (we went at Halloween—needless to say, she got the full experience!)

Don’t expect much from me with regard to the blogosphere or my typical forum haunts—I will have very limited access to the internet/my computer. Blue Journal will be by my side, of course, but I am limiting my use of technology and instead opting to explore the world. I encourage you to do the same every once in a while. It works wonders for inspiration.

As far as my story goes, editing is coming along somewhat nicely. Work, as usual, still infringes upon it, but I’m taking those precious moments I have and utilizing them to the best of my ability. When I have spare time, I turn off the TV, hide the 3DS and get to work. I’ll confess: I do fall asleep with my laptop on my lap sometimes—though I’m sure every writer does that now and again. It’s what makes us such a crazy dedicated bunch.    

I’ve also been doing a lot of reading/ fact checking. My story has to do with world-mythology—it doesn’t just focus on the ancient Greeks or Chinese or Sumerians. It is an amalgamation of many different religious, cultural and historical beliefs all chocked into one neat package. I love the idea of cross-pollinating, which is why I did it. I am reading to learn more about and understand the ideals I am writing about. I plan to learn much, much more during my time away.

Last night I was reading World Mythology: The Illustrated Guide by Roy Willis, Robert Walter. As I read I thought about how much I ingrain my own interests into my work.  I wonder: does a particular Author input an innate curiosity/interest into his or her subject matter? Or does he or she merely think it a good topic to focus on and learn from there? Do other Authors allow their interests to transfer into their writing? Do you?

Let me know how you come up with your ideas and whether or not they tie into your personal interests. I’d love to learn more about how other Authors think about and choose ideas. As you know, I’m all about learning. Understanding your peers is one of the best ways to do it! It also further contributes to that sense of writer-ly community we are establishing with one another. Why not firm that bond even more?

Until next time,

—R