once things look up

I'm in a better mood today than I've been all week - possibly because I made measurable progress in writing over the weekend. In fact, right now I'm just letting chapter one cool off a bit before I go back and check that it all makes sense. Then I can finally send it to the people who are supposed to be my alpha readers. I'm almost there, alpha readers! Thank you for being so patient!

Anyway, writing does a lot to give me a boost, even though I still kind of feel cut off from everybody. The strangest part about this blog is that it feels more like talking to myself than to other people, which doesn't help much. It also doesn't help that my phone has been giving me some trouble. I think I figured out today how to give the signal a boost, so it shouldn't drop calls while I'm working in the basement anymore. That theory hasn't been tested yet, though. I'll give you an update when I successfully have a conversation on my phone in the basement.

I had a good visit with Becca this weekend, which is the other reason I feel better today. Spending time with my sister is always a good thing, and I'm excited that I get to do it a lot more often now. :) We have plans to go dancing in a couple weeks - on Halloween, actually. We've been talking about going dancing for a couple years now, I think, and this is the first time we'll actually have a chance to do it. Very fun times. :) :)

Well, that's about all I have time and energy for right now. I hope all is well back there in the east, and I really hope I'll get a chance to talk with some of you soon.

when a book addict is unemployed...

Yesterday, The Hero of Ages (the final book in the Mistborn trilogy) was released. I finished it around 3 am.

Totally worth it.

I've only got a few friends who read the same stuff I do - which, when I think about it, is actually kind of strange. It's also frustrating at the moment, because I don't know even one other person who's read the previous two Mistborn books, let alone this very new one. That makes it very difficult to gloat about having correctly predicted some key plot points. I mean, I can't even explain to anybody what they were! Still, the triumph is extremely satisfying. Theorizing is a lot of fun when you read something of epic length, and it's even more enjoyable when you turn out to be right. And even better than that is realizing, as you approach the end of the story, that there's so much more that you never even considered might be possible. I mean, where would the fun be if the story couldn't still surprise you? Besides, it's in keeping with one of the major themes of the whole trilogy: there's always another secret. In fact, there are still more secrets, even now that it's over, which is one of the best things about it. One of them.

I wonder how late I'll be up the day the last Wheel of Time book is released.

It's late here. Later, for most of you. That's going to take awhile to get used to. No more midnight calls to someone who's still only at 9 pm. I've always found it harder to call in the other direction. You have to remember much earlier in the day, especially if you're not sure how late someone will be awake. I'm not ready for sleep yet here, but I suppose I'll go soon anyway.

Tomorrow's Saturday. On the vacation this still half feels like, that would mean heading downtown to the Burnside Bridge and browsing through the Saturday Market. This isn't vacation, though, and the last thing I need is the market when I don't have any income. I already went to Powell's City of Books the day after I got here, and despite my resolve that I would only spend money if I found a good deal I went ahead and bought a copy of Watchmen at its regular retail price. I don't really regret that - a good half-dozen people at least have been telling me to read it for awhile now - but I don't want to make a habit of stuff like that either. Right now it looks like things could start moving fairly quickly on the job front, but more on that when I have concrete details to share.

There's not really much to tell about yet. There hasn't been time for anything to happen. It's late here, but maybe I can write a bit more before going to sleep. There are some people who have been expecting a chapter from me for quite awhile now. Sorry, guys. The beginning is the hardest part - there's no changing that, no matter how many times I remind myself that I can revise it later. I think I've got it figured out now, though. And after this, it's just a matter of keeping up momentum.

and so it begins

Well, here I am, in the Northwest and on Blogger. I was going to tag everyone in a note on Facebook to let you know the blog was up, but I can't figure out how to tag that many people, so if you've found your way here go ahead and send the link around.

Anyway, I arrived today, a day later than originally planned. We adjusted the travel schedule a bit so it would be easier to meet up with the Writing Excuses guys on Monday. For anyone who was waiting to hear about that, they are awesome. :) They were full of helpful advice and amusing anecdotes. Most importantly, the experience helped jump-start the creative side of my brain again, and I have some new ideas about how to proceed with my story. I'm looking forward to settling down into a routine that involves me writing a significant amount every day. Of course, there won't really be much of a routine to schedule until I have a job... but, everything in its own time. I did just get here today.

I went to dinner this evening with my mom, my sister, my grandparents, two aunts, and an uncle. My uncle said, "So, Ruthann... you're in the Pacific Northwest now. You know, they say the continent tilted and all the loose nuts ended up in the Northwest."

...yes. Probably very true.

Well, this post is really just to tell everyone that I'm here now. I'm very tired, but I'm sure I'll be posting stuff here whenever I'm avoiding doing something else... like unpacking...