Catching up

So much for writing every day... or even every other day... I do have a good excuse, however, as I traveled in and out of a day and across an ocean (but not in a boat with Max and his wolf suit) to visit my family for the Thanksgiving holiday. My wonderful husband took the kids for the week, so that I could spend some quality time with the people who are most important in my life (outside of my husband and kids, of course). I must admit, it was a strange experience to discuss something non-child related with other adults... and to finish the conversation without interruption. I had completely forgotten what that can be like! Now I'm back to the world of barely-controlled chaos, and I must say that I'm glad to be home.

Unfortunately, I wrote next to nothing the whole time I was away. I guess I can chalk it up to a true vacation, although I had envisioned walking around in the mountains where my parents live, mind alive with new ideas for my current story. Maybe the fox that haunted the driveway kept the creative spark at bay.

But I have been reading. Voraciously so! Quite unintentionally, I ended up with all four volumes of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series in my carry-on luggage (yes, the books took up almost the whole bag). I began reading the first novel as I waited for my plane in Chicago. I managed to sleep for a couple of hours on the way to Brussels, but found I couldn't put the book down, even while eating my meal (it was a good distraction from the airplane food). I finished it before landing in Berlin. And I've already finished New Moon (that one took three days).

I find myself completely drawn in to the story. I must confess, I'm a sucker for fantasy. My favorites include Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, and now the Twilight series (although not truly fantasy, I am also a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series). I love the way the authors create a world (or worlds) that differ from our own, even if only in small ways. Those changes result in unexpected events, rife with conflict, that allow the characters to discover themselves. I find that when I read a novel from one of these authors, my mind begins to create worlds on its own. And I love nothing more than to get lost in those worlds.

Twilight and New Moon have jump-started my creativity, getting me writing again, with a clearer idea of who is in my story, what is happening to them, and why.  Now I just hope that I can portray the events as well as the aforementioned authors do, to create for others the same excitement, anticipation, even fear, that I see in my head. And for that, I'd better get back to writing... before I get sucked into Eclipse.