Five Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. I’m currently fighting off a shiny new idea. I need to be rehabbing an old WiP that I think has promise. But I can’t help compiling playlists and plotting out this new idea. Hey, at least I’m being productive, right?

2. One of the big reasons I can’t resist the siren call of this shiny new idea? It’s set here:

How can I resist that?

3. I may or may not have made chocolate chip brownies and had a Gilmore Girls marathon last night. And it may or may not have been awesome.

4. I finally got my copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins! I’m waiting until I have three hours of uninterrupted time, because I know I’m not going to want to put it down.

5. This is the first year that I’ve used a planner consistently all the way through. I used to get tired of planners after a few months. Now I’m so scatter-brained that I’m completely dependent on it. Must be getting older. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?

Holiday Spirit and Building Tension

I’ve already started holiday season. I couldn’t help it. I made hot chocolate and watched a Christmas episode of Friends, and I’m in the spirit for snow (well, there won’t be snow here, but you know, go with me on this) and gift-giving and winter decorations everywhere.

I’ve always loved the holidays. But my favorite day isn’t Christmas—it’s Christmas Eve. The night before the big day. It’s all about the delicious anticipation for me. I remember when I was younger staring out the window Christmas Eve night waiting for Santa to come, falling asleep listening for hoofbeats on the roof. Those are my favorite memories.

I thought about this a lot while I was writing my current WiP. My favorite books are those that build the tension throughout the story. For example, since I’m a sucker for a good romance, I love the books that show the two characters slowly becoming attracted to each other. Hand grazes, lingering eye contact, awkward moments. The building of all that tension makes the payoff—when they finally get together—that much sweeter. In a thriller, I want the mystery to build, the danger to become more threatening. I want the whole book to be leading to that climactic scene.

How do you build the tension in your story? Is anyone else ready for the holiday season?

Pea Coats and Productive Days

Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:

1. A weekend of college football and reading good books. Can’t beat that.

2. Pea coats. And oversized, fluffy, comfy sweaters. And any fall apparel, really.

3. TED.com. There are so many amazing, inspiring talks on there—I never fail to find something interesting.

4. Leisurely grocery shopping. I love spending an hour in the store, planning meals (even though I never cook).

5. Days when I wake up and just know it’s going to be a productive day.

Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?

Five Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. I’m reading The Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford, and I can’t recommend it enough. I love the girls’ quirky but real voices, and the writing has me captivated.

2. Yay for the third season of The Vampire Diaries! I’m loving it so far. Team Damon FTW!

3. Also, my love of Vampire Diaries is getting me hooked on The Secret Circle. I’m okay with this.

4. Got woken up this morning by a fire alarm test. I did one of those classic “jump up in bed in abject terror” moves that you see on TV. Lovely.

5. I need to go shopping for clothes (it’s been a while), but I dread it. Am I the only one who finds shopping tiresome? I like having new clothes, don’t get me wrong, but the process of hunting through the racks and trying everything on wears me out. It’s silly, I know.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?

Finding Inspiration

When I’m starting a new WiP, I look for inspiration pretty much everywhere. I use Pandora to hunt for new songs that weave a story in my head. I go for long walks and make sure I look at everything around me. I people-watch in coffee houses (first dates are the best to watch—so much amazing awkward tension and hope). I go to museums and movies and concerts and anything artistic that I find. I brew a mug of tea and free write. I go out with friends. I travel. I take photos of everything.

Every little bit of life can be inspiring, I’ve found, if you make sure you’re looking around. All it takes is an intriguing song lyric or a black-and-white photo on a museum wall, and all of the sudden, I have a vague whisper of an idea. There’s nothing more exciting than that.

Where do you find inspiration?

Apricot Tea and Emily DIckinson

Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:

1. Apricot tea. The perfect drink for curling up at night with a good book.

2. Step Up. I have such a weakness for that movie (well, a weakness for Channing Tatum—same difference).

3. Pumpkin bread! I finally made it this weekend, and I think it turned out pretty nicely, if I do say so myself. You can find the recipe if you CLICK HERE.

4. Emily Dickinson poems. Even her darker ones make me happy. She has such an incredible way of choosing words.

5. Rain! It finally rained here this weekend, after months of drought, and it was absolutely awesome. I’ve missed rainy days more than I realized. There's no better atmosphere for writing and reading, don't you think?

Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?

Five Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. I don’t really know how this happened, but I still haven’t seen the last Harry Potter movie. Even though I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. I have a serious problem with seeing the end of things (series finales, final books in a series). I’d rather just avoid endings altogether, thankyouverymuch.

2. Speaking of, do you think J.K. Rowling will ever write more Harry Potter books? About his kids or something? Or are you happy with the way she wrapped things up?

3. I’m so excited for this weekend! College football and the Emmys and finally finishing up my query letter—it’s going to be an awesome weekend.

4. As for the Emmys, if Friday Night Lights doesn’t win everything it’s nominated for, I’m going to be SO MAD.

5. It’s cooled down to the low 90s here, which has everyone excited. Seriously. Now if we would only get rain…

Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?

Getting to Know My Characters

When I start planning out a new WiP (I’m a total plotter, not a pantser), I always try to get to know my characters as soon as possible. Over time, this getting to know you has become a list of questions. I cover the basics (How do you like your parents? What’s your favorite hobby? Favorite color? Current crush?). But the best way I get to know my characters is asking the questions that no one else knows the answers to. Questions about their secrets. Their dreams. Their fears. Their worst memory.

I don’t always reveal the answers in my writing. Some of that information just isn’t relevant to the plot. But I know it, and that helps me know my characters better. I can envision how they’ll react in certain situations and how they relate to other characters.

What questions do you ask your characters?

Horsehoes and Key Lime Gelato

Things that make me happy, even on a Monday:

1. Browsing through the bookshelves at a store and finding that one of my fave authors has written a new book. This doesn’t happen all that often, since the blogosphere is great at keeping me informed about new books, but when it does happen, it’s so very exciting.

2. Horseshoes. I played a few games of it in Vail, and though I’m awful at it (throwing a heavy metal horsehoe at something just does not come naturally to me), it is ridiculously fun.

3. Ciao Bella gelato. I pretty much love all of the flavors, but right now, I’m savoring Key Lime Graham. Tart and light and just perfect.

4. Romantic comedies. I’m on a romantic comedy movie kick these days. Even if it feels like the plot’s been recycled a million times, I love watching two unlikely people have a happy ever after.

5. Pumpkin bread. I’m going to make some this week, people. It’s happening.

Happy Monday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?

Five Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. I’ve been taking my time reading Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. I’m such a big fan of her beautiful, lush writing that I don’t want this book to end!

2. I watched Thor for the first time recently, and I loved it. Just the right amount of humor. And Chris Hemsworth shirtless. :)

3. I bought Tiramisu coffee beans the other day, and I can’t wait to try it. Anything sweet, I’m going to be a fan of.

4. How is it that I still laugh insanely at every Friends episode, even though I’ve seen them all? Those jokes never get old for me.

5. Yay for college football finally starting! Thank goodness I don’t have a TV or I would be watching every game. Instead, I have to make family members and friends invite me over to steal their TVs. It works out well.

Happy weekend, everyone! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?

Mountain Sunrise and Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Since I missed posting on Monday, I thought I would post happy things today. So here’s what makes me happy, even on a Wednesday:

1. NOT wildfires. They’ve been devastating central Texas, helped by winds from Tropical Storm Lee and the excessive drought that the entire state is in. So many people have lost their homes and their land. My thoughts and prayers are with them right now.

2. The fact that this weekend, I was here:

I was in Vail, Colorado for the holiday, and I really thought I might never leave. It was 60 degrees there, people! And gorgeous!

3. Waking myself up early so I could come out on our hotel balcony and watch the sun rise over the mountains. There has never been anything as peaceful as that.

4. Pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks! They didn’t officially have them on the menu in Vail, but when I asked, they made me one, and oh my goodness, that is heaven in a cup.

5. When I hear a new song and I know within thirty seconds that it’s going to be my new favorite. The one I’ll play on repeat all week.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Anything making you happy this week?

Five Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a concert. And I miss it. I’m not talking about big arena concerts—I’m talking about little concert halls that host indie bands, where you and the perfectly-sized crowd are right next to the stage, responding to the music. No pyrotechnics, no costume changes. Just music. I love that.

2. You guys! It’s September. Which means it’s almost October. Almost fall! I know I talk about fall way too much, but I just can’t wait. Pumpkin bread and apple cider time is coming, everyone.

3. I’ve become dependent on my afternoon cup of coffee. Without it, I’m so very tempted to take a nap and ignore work for a few hours. With it, I become an insanely hyper version of myself, and it’s amazing how much work I can get done.

4. I’m currently keeping up with only two shows, which has got to be a record for me. True Blood and Awkward. Kind of an awesome combination. Once fall shows start, though, that number is going to go way up.

5. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is coming out this month! Cannot wait. Anna and the French Kiss is one my favorite books ever, and I know I’m going to love this new one!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Any fun Labor Day plans?