Sunday Salon: April 3, 2016

It's a new month... a new quarter... and for me, a new lease on life.

I am about 90% healed and cleared to do everything I would normally do. Now that the weather is warmer and the skies sunnier, I hope to return to a walking routine. I'm sure it will take a while to get back to my 5k-a-day, but I plan to start small and work my way up.

Reading:

April will be a big writing month (Blogging A-Z Challenge - Camp NaNoWriMo - 4 week journaling workshop) so reading will have to take a backseat for the next few weeks. However, I hope to continue reading a bit before bedtime, and listening to an audiobook in the car.

I'm about half way through Gone Girl. Still liking the story - sort of; still loving the narrators. Oh my... I never realized how entertaining a dramatic reading can be.

The one issue I have is the pace: it's slow. I know I could read the book much faster, and I get frustrated that I can't move the story along. However in chatting with another online blogger this week, she made a good point. Sometimes it is nice to be forced to slow down and savor the writing. She's right. And I do savor the author's fresh descriptions (although I wish the cussing were kept to a minimum).

I also managed to read another MG novel, The Painting that Wasn't There, the first in Steve Brezenoff's Field Trip Mysteries (I reviewed a later book in the series here.) I must say, I enjoyed this one better. The "strange" character names were explained in this first book and they make perfect sense.

The mystery is clever and while easily solved by this adult, I think young students would enjoy the red herring and the satisfying resolution.

I still think the series is geared towards reluctant middle grade readers, as the color illustrations tell as much of the story as the words.


Writing:

Last week I outlined the twelve chapters of the new novel, which I hope to draft this month during Camp NaNoWriMo. This week I focused on developing conflict within each chapter.

Interestingly, I did not have too much trouble coming up with a conflict idea. What I did find troubling was making sure they weren't too similar, and that each chapter was more suspenseful than the last. The goal is to "raise the stakes" as the story continues towards the climax.

I solicited the help of a few writing partners, and I think I have a good road map to follow. There is, of course, more details to flesh out, but I think it is time to start writing and see where it takes me.

Today I hope to draft the first chapter.

Blogging:

As I mentioned above, it will be a big blogging month...

• How to Journal: Prompts from Life is a Verb
• Totoro Family Recipes: Snickerdoodle Muffins
• Paris Impressions: A is for Artistes; B is for Boulangerie

I will spend most of this Sunday afternoon visiting other blogs, either from the Sunday Salon (where I hope to add a few books to the TBR list), Weekend Cooking (where I might find a recipe or two), or the A-Z Challenge (where I hope to learn something new about unfamiliar but fascinating topics).

Of course, tonight we will watch the season's opening game of our beloved Royals as they celebrate last year's World Series win. Should be an interesting game as they face the NY Mets again; both teams have a lot to prove.

What do you have planned?