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Jan

Dreaming Big in ’09

I’ve heard that how you start the new year is a good indicator. I hope that’s true. Yesterday I watched some Miss Marple with my poor coughing husband, took a nap with the cat, read Let It Snow by John Green et al, ate leftover veggie chili and chocolate Kahlua cake, and wrote for about five hours. And…I finished my third draft! I cut 56 pages, 18000 words, and 2 characters from the last draft. It’s so much better. I don’t know if it’s the change in person/tense or what, but I loved working on this revision, especially once I hit the halfway point. I know that it is so much better. Not perfect, of course. I’ll still be terrified when I send it off to my critique group on Sunday. But. It is better. I want 2009 to be a year where I dream big and do everything in...

Dec

2009 Goals

Jessica

I have tentatively decided to become a pescetarian. My husband and sisters are all vegetarians. I picked Skinny Bitch up on a whim earlier this week. The authors very strongly advocate organic veganism, and while I have mixed feelings about the book (giving up sugar? ha!) I found parts of it quite convincing. I think being a pescetarian is a workable solution for me. So we’ll see how it goes. I am trying not to think about how I will miss bacon. I keep saying that I want to develop a more regular yoga practice. It would be awesome if 2009 is the year when I Actually Do It. I want to keep a book journal. I don’t always like to post the nitty-gritty of my thoughts online, especially critical thoughts. But I do miss thinking and writing more critically about what I read. My sister A gave me a beautiful...

Dec

2008 in Review

Jessica

2008 has, in some ways, been rough. I lost my beloved grandmother. I gave up–for now–on reconciling with my brother. I interviewed for a few jobs I really, really wanted and did not get. I felt bad about not using my dramaturgy degree and angsted over whether my master’s had been a mistake. But 2008 has, in most ways, been pretty awesome. I finished writing my first book. I shared it with eager friends, who were smart and generous with their feedback. I wrote a second draft and received more feedback. I decided to majorly overhaul the book, switching from third-person past-tense to first-person present. I am 3/4 of the way through that rewrite, hoping to finish in the next week. This process reminded me how much I love writing. Under the guise of "market research," I stumbled upon an amazing, smart, funny community of YA writers online. I’ve read...

Dec

Home

Jessica

I am home again. With my tree. And towering Christmassy goodness. And my thoroughly adorable monkey-cat. But I had some lovely Christmas moments. Including, but not limited to, Christmas parties with best friends and Christmas Eve with sisters. I also kitten-watched, won a game of Clue with my in-laws, played Ticket to Ride with my sisters, sang "Silent Night" by candlelight at church, made two successful vegetarian appetizers, discovered a new favorite holiday dessert (Oreo Truffles), helped throw a bridal shower, took several naps, rewrote ten pages of my big fight scene, visited my grandmother’s grave for the first time, ate more of my mom’s icebox cookies than I care to count, took one trip to Borders and one to Barnes & Noble, possibly consumed my last cheese-steak (am thinking seriously about becoming a pescetarian), watched Iron Man, hit my first home run in Wii baseball, spent about seven hours in the car,...

Dec

Question Friday: New Year’s Edition

Jessica

Oops, I totally forgot it’s Friday! Vacation gets confusing like that. I hope everyone’s Christmas and/or Hannukah was exceedingly merry! I’m at my in-laws’ until Sunday, but I hope to be able to post some pics and a longer post when we get home. But for now: New Year’s Eve: going out OR staying in? Watching the ball drop with Dick Clark OR someone else? Toasting with champagne OR not a fan of the bubbly? Resolutions: good in practice OR only in theory? OR just plain silly? And for my friend Chris: Watching fireworks OR not? How are you saying goodbye to 2008? And what are some things you’re looking forward to in 2009?

Dreaming Big in ’09

2009 Goals

2008 in Review

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Question Friday: New Year’s Edition

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