I Got My Snow

Great weekend! Had a nice time at the company party, got to see and listen to the Band of Brothers (more on that in another post), went to a Christmas concert, and spent all of Sunday marveling at the gorgeous snowfall, writing, and relaxing. Here's a shot of me and two of my wonderful co-workers:

And here's the snow at about 4 p.m. or so. It kept snowing and I'd estimate that we got a few inches.
Ahh. Here's the finished Christmas decor in the living room! It went together well and I'm pleased with the results.

Felt great to get back to my novel. I'm hoping I can concentrate on it a bit more this week since most of the Christmas shopping and decorating is done. I'm not baking anything this year, so no need to worry about that. I do still need to get my Christmas cards sent off. I always enjoy Christmas cards, even though the tradition appears to be dying out somewhat thanks to the Internet and e-cards. Still, I think receiving a Christmas card in the mail is nice.

Today is also the 68th anniversary of the attack of Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941. You can read President Roosevelt's speech asking Congress to declare war on the Japanese here. Unbelievable that it's already been 68 years - and even better? The Japanese are now our allies. Amazing what happens in history, isn't it?

I'm Thinkin' I Need a Cave

Life is hard. We know this. But I feel like mine has been a series of knock-outs this past year. Separation, divorce, financial woes, emotional upheavals, (not to mention those darn agent rejections), and assorted other issues have left me feeling drained. There are times I'd like to crumple into a heap on the floor and not move for a couple of days.

Of course, I can't do this as I am a mother, have a job, and well, it's not in me to give up. I'm a fighter. Or at the very least, a survivor.

The latest emotional upheaval left me reeling and I've felt scatter-brained and "off" my game ever since. I haven't looked at my novel since Wednesday (I actually wrote a page or two on the laptop while on the road home - don't worry, I wasn't driving!) and I miss it. My writing is my escape.

I also am not yet possessed of the Christmas spirit. This is my favorite time of year, a time when I'm usually blissfully happy and loving the spirit of the season. Yet I haven't felt the joy. Last night, my daughter convinced me to put up the Christmas tree. I wasn't in the mood, but I wanted to do it for her. So I put on my Christmas music and we hauled out the Christmas tree. I felt maybe a twinkling of Christmas spirit, but nothing like I usually do. This saddened me.

There are bright spots in all of this. I have reconnected with old friends, discovered (once again) what an amazing and awesome family I have, and this weekend, I have a few Christmas parties to go to that require dressing to the nine's. I'm looking forward to it.

But mentally, I need to go to a cave for awhile. I need to regroup, rethink what I want out of life, and do some serious soul-searching. This is a good idea to do every few months anyway, but right now, it's paramount to my sanity. I've lost focus and need to regain it in a lot of areas of my life, particularly in my faith, in my writing, and in my relationships with others.

Sometimes I wish gut-punches weren't so painful. But they all include a lesson that I need to learn. Even though I have to go through the agony, it makes me a stronger, more resilient, and much wiser individual. And really, you can't beat that.

Christmas Is Coming!

Wow. It's December 1st already. How did that happen?

The majority of my Christmas shopping is done - hooray! Now all that's left to do is wrap the presents, decorate the house, and put up the tree. But I'm just not in that Christmas spirit yet.

I'm sure I'll get there.

Have you started decorating the house for Christmas? Started listening to Christmas music?

Great Weekend

Wow. Had a wonderful weekend with the family. Food, football, more food, card games, laughter, naps, friends, and more laughter.

I'll post some photos when I get them downloaded. Got home late last night, so I didn't have time (or the energy) to get out the camera.

I'll definitely need to get back to the gym, though, after all the food I ate!

How was your weekend?

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Because It's Too Funny NOT To Share

My daughter didn't have school today. Thus, I told her she could fall asleep watching a movie last night. Which she did. Two movies, in fact, as I found out this morning. Although I was not pleased by her subterfuge which led to a decided lack of sleep, I at least knew that she could take a nap on the drive home to western Nebraska.

Anyway, I thought she might be just a bit tired today, but this was confirmed when we were getting ready this morning.

She came out into the living room and said, "Mom, what is wrong with these jeans???"

She had them on backwards.

"Umm," I said, trying not to laugh, "they're not supposed to go that way."

She looked down at her pants, realized what she'd done, and burst out laughing.

We're still laughing about it. What a memory!

What Makes a Great Character?

I just finished reading Swedish writer Stieg Larsson's novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was a great read and a definite page-turner. But the one thing that really captured me was the main character.

Her name is Lisbeth Solander and she is so unique, you can't help but wonder what makes her tick. She's a skinny 24-year-old computer hacker, with tattoos and piercings, a penchant for doing what needs to be done (even if it's illegal) and a loner. She comes to life on the page. Larsson does an incredible job of creating her, of making her real, yet still manages to keep some of her secrets that really are the backbone of who she is. It's a fascinating technique. As a reader, you really want to know what those secrets are - it makes her all the more intriguing. But Larsson doesn't tell you.

Of course, since there are two more books in the series, I imagine that some of these secrets will be revealed. But it doesn't detract from the power of her character in the first book.

What makes a great character for you in a novel? How do you try and translate this to your own work?