Turkey Day Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving, and I have so much to be grateful for. I am so lucky to be spending the holiday at home in Santa Barbara with my family and my boyfriend, and to have my dreams present and real before me. I have written over 100 pages of the rough draft of my novel, and my writers’ group is thriving. After a critique in my intermediate short story class at the UCLA Writers’ Program last week that did not go as I’d thought it would, I felt shot down and uncreative. I didn’t even want to write. My group was an incredible source of support. In addition to working on the novel draft, I also completed a short story to submit to my class. And with holiday coupons, I’ve added a couple of books to my collection and gotten a jumpstart on holiday shopping for my cousins. I am surrounded by people I love, and I’m doing what I love. I couldn’t be more thankful.

SBMag Oct/Nov

I have two bylines in the October/November issue of Santa Barbara Magazine. I was pleased to do the back page again, this time with a photograph of Einstein from when he visited in the 1930s. Researching those is always fun, because I come into contact with interesting people and I learn about the history of the town, both of which make me feel more connected to the Santa Barbara community.

I also interviewed Jennifer Freed, an SB local and author of Lessons from Stanley the Cat, a self-help book of humorous tips garnered from Freed's feline friend. Check out the Stanley website here, and find the interview on page 45 of the Oct/Nov issue of SBMag!

Plotting Along a Straight Line

More novel plotting. Similar to the other sketch, this one was actually done first. I find these useful for reference, especially when I get stuck. A member of my Santa Barbara writers' group, who is further along in his novel draft than I am in mine, suggested jumping ahead as a way to combat writers' block. I found this advice extremely useful. When I'm stuck on one section, moving on to a completely different section can get the writing flowing again, and it's handy to have an outline of what I'm doing.