K is for Kayak
Some of my earliest memories take place near water, and my favorite adventures usually involve some kind of interaction with it. My family owned a boat when I was growing up, and I learned to love all things aquatic at a young age. I’ve manned or been a passenger on many types of watercraft, but I think one of my favorites is one of the most simple, and it’s the kayak. In fact, I think kayaks are one of my favorite ways to travel.
J is for Jaunt, and Jolting the Creative Juices
The dictionary defines “jaunt” as:
jaunt | [jawnt, jahnt] | noun
a short journey, especially one taken for pleasure.
Jaunts can be as simple as taking a walk or they can be a little more involved, such as going away for the weekend. They’re a great way to explore when you don’t have a lot of time, but you’re looking for a break from the routine.
Continue reading “J is for Jaunt, and Jolting the Creative Juices”
I is for Italy: 3 Favorite Things from our Italian Vacation
As I mentioned yesterday in my reflection on the joy of being home, we just returned from vacation a few days ago. As we spent ten days in Italy, and the ‘I’ day fell just a few days after our return, it seemed fitting that I post something about the trip today. There will be more detailed posts coming, but for now, here are three of my favorite things from the trip. (Read all my subsequent posts on Italy.)
Continue reading “I is for Italy: 3 Favorite Things from our Italian Vacation”
H is for Home
This wasn’t the post I planned to write today, but sometimes it’s best to go off-script.
Today, for just this morning, I’m home and I’m alone and it’s quiet and it’s wonderful.
I’ve just polished off a bowl of homemade popcorn and a glass of sweet tea — yes, at eight o’clock in the morning. My body and my brain probably think this is appropriate because it feels like two in the afternoon. You see, I’m home for just a few brief hours after arriving home last night from eleven days of vacation out of the country. (More on that tomorrow.) After I hit “publish” on this post, I’ll go unpack and then repack so I can go into work, catch up on emails, and then hit the road to do some training in another city.
G is for Go
Go.
Such a simple word with somtimes complex execution.
Go work. Go play. Go explore. Go write. Go travel. Go do. Go be.
If you go, will you do it? Will you be what you want to be? Not always. In a world of constant distraction, going doesn’t always mean doing.
But to do, you have to at least start. You must begin. You must go. Continue reading “G is for Go”
F is for Fears
I was recently asked the question: what are your writing fears? And the answer wasn’t quite what I expected. It was just something I wrote down as the first idea that came into my head, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s probably my biggest one.
I fear that I write too much for myself. That what I write is really just for me and won’t resonate with others. Continue reading “F is for Fears”
E is for Edit
The last stage of writing is one that I have yet to complete, at least for a novel, anyway. But editing and proofing have always been integral parts of my work, so out of all the parts of the writing process, this is one place that I feel within my element.
Editing is not glamorous. It’s tedious and nitty-gritty, and it takes a careful repetitiveness, but I’m OCD enough that I really like it.
So how do I go about editing? Continue reading “E is for Edit”
D is for Draft
Drafting might be one of my favorite steps in the process of writing.
There is so much possibility in the first couple of drafts. While stories have the ability to surprise you at any point in the process, I think the drafting stage is when they are most alive and untamed. No matter how much time you spend in the previous stage of creating the plot many things can change when actually writing. Continue reading “D is for Draft”
C is for Create
Today begins a mini-series within this month-long series of the A-Z Challenge. I’ll be posting on three parts of the writing process: creating, drafting, and editing. Each post will be short, offering three insights into that stage of the process. It will by no means be comprehensive, but hopefully it will be fun and informative.
So, C is for create. Continue reading “C is for Create”
B is for Books
Because without books, I’m nowhere.
Before I had any idea how much fun travel could be, I was going on adventures every day by reading. And no matter how many amazing places I see in the world, there’s nothing like a great book’s ability to take you to somewhere you’ve never been. And for me as a writer, the book is the inspiration and the aspiration, something to look towards.
A is for Adventure
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what I want this blog to be, what theme I want it to encompass.
As I’ve come to be a more consistent blogger over the past year, I’ve realized that I most enjoy blogging about two topics: writing and traveling.
The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized that writing and traveling are very connected. Both allow you to explore new worlds and adventures. Both entail a combined process of research and spontaneity in their exploration. Both like to surprise you.
A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal
A love of adventure is something that drives many endeavors, and it’s the motivation and joy behind the two things this blog is about: writing and traveling. Each of my posts from A-Z will explore some aspect of how writing or travel (or both) is an adventure. Continue reading A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal
Theme Park Guide: Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Even though it was years ago, I still remember where I was when I turned the last page of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I had read it in one sitting in my dorm room, staying up all night and skipping class to finish it. I remember closing the book, and then laying down on my bed. A dual sense of satisfaction and loss came over me. The story felt so real, and I was captivated by the magic of Hogwarts in a way that I had never been and have yet to be with a book. The satisfaction was because I knew I had just read one of the great stories of my lifetime, and I knew that I would read it over and over in years to come. The sense of loss came from the emotional ending, but it also came from the understanding that Harry Potter wasn’t real, and I would never get my Hogwarts letter.
Not long after the series came to a close, Universal Studios announced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Along with every other potterhead out there, I was ecstatic. More than four years after the grand opening of Hogsmeade in Orlando, I finally made it.
Continue reading “Theme Park Guide: Wizarding World of Harry Potter”
A-Z Challenge: Coming Soon!
For the month of April, I will be participating in the A-Z Blog Challenge, and I invite you to join me! What is the A-Z Challenge, you ask? To quote the website: “…you would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until … Continue reading A-Z Challenge: Coming Soon!
Island Guide: Oahu, Hawaii
It’s been a cold, snowy, icy week here in North Carolina, so it seemed time to share one of my favorite trips of 2014 to the warm, sunny climate of Hawaii.
Neither my husband nor I would ever classify ourselves as “beach people.” Yet, I don’t think it’s possible to do anything but adore Hawaii. Somehow, this island paradise is a U.S. state, even if I feel like I’m in another country every time I visit. One reason we keep returning to Hawaii is that it’s so much more than beaches. It’s full of adventure and culture. It’s wild and untamed, and breathtakingly beautiful. There’s always something to do, something to explore. And that allure will keep us coming back.
Booked & Ready 