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Crazy Sexy Life

Post-Thanksgiving Thanks

by Corinne on November 30, 2009

The holiday was quiet and uneventful, which was perfect. Family events can be filled with stress and drama and I’m very grateful to have survived without those ugly elements present. The long weekend was heaven. I camped out on the couch writing, watching movies and hulu (how cool is hulu?), and listening to more of Stephen King’s memoir. I have too much in my brain to craft clever paragraphs, so I’m opting for a list of thanks this evening.

Thanks for…

1. Four day weekends. Enough said on that one.

2. Teenage Dirtbag, the movie. This is one of the least cliche-ridden movies about teenagers that I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters afterward. I watched it again the next day with the commentary on and I’ve watched the trailer ten (ok, maybe twenty) times since. I can’t just like something, I have to be obsessed with it. Although my next book doesn’t relate to the subject matter, there is something about the mood of this film that I’m digging for my new work-in-progress.

3. Listening to the memoir portion of On Writing by Stephen King with Steve. He loved it too! King’s life story and the lessons he shares are universal. If you’re a writer or in a relationship with a writer, I can almost guarantee you’ll love the story of Stephen King and Tabitha Spruce.

4. Working through the beginning of a new novel. I’m researching the location, outlining the plot, talking it through with the hubs, and drawing maps of my new imaginary world. It’s not easy being on page one but I love the possibilities.

5. Creating the soundtrack for the new book. It’s dark and I heart it. Here’s a sneak peak…

Picture 2

6. It goes without saying that I’m thankful for my family, friends, and an amazing job.

7. Dreams. I’ve been blessed to have many dreams and also to have the opportunity (and courage) to chase them. Some of these hopes have become a reality (like my kick-ass job) and others are still just dreams, but that’s exciting too. It’s easy to forget the things you never thought were possible when they become a part of daily life. When Steve and I moved to Baltimore, I wanted to own a house in Hampden. We weren’t “ready” in many people’s eyes, but we set the intention and here we are, sitting in a Hampden rowhouse that we’ve owned for almost three years. If we’d listened to everyone’s advice, we would still be living in a tiny rented carriage house with a concrete front yard.

8. My first completed novel and many more in the future…

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Five Things of Note (that make me very happy)

by Corinne on October 27, 2009

1. My novel is almost complete and I’m going to start sending it to some trusty first time readers! Check out my novel’s Wordle.

Wordle

2. I’ve updated my novel’s soundtrack:

soundtrack

3. Stephanie Perkins answered my question at her blog, which turned into a post packed with fantastic editing advice!

blog

4. VegNews Magazine awarded Crazysexylife.com Best Website Launch of 2009! I’m so proud! It’s like Christmas every time I find a new issue in my mailbox. Check out VegNews.com.

vegnews

5. Sweatshop Boys are on tour. If you live in Rochester, NY or Cedar Rapids, IA and love punk rock…check them out! Wish I could be there…I guess this one makes me happy and sad.

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Feeling Pretty Lucky Right Now…

by Corinne on September 3, 2009

I’m feeling pretty lucky right now. Even though life isn’t tied up in a nice little bow (and that can seem enticing at times), I’m grateful. Mostly because I feel alive. This blog started when I decided to choose a path that I never thought I would take. I threw twenty five years of planning in the garbage and decided to follow my gut.

If you had asked me a year ago if I ever, ever, thought I would be where I am today, I would have flat out said N-O. In the moment, when you’re dealing with the day-to-day stuff, it’s easy to forget that you always dreamed of being exactly where you are. Dreams don’t usually include taking the garbage out. I’m so happy to be writing this because it really puts me in the moment. It makes me look around and think, wow, I’m really here. This is my life and I love it.

In other news (that is my own microcosm of news) I’m 100 pages into the second draft of my novel. Suddenly, a new character has popped up! I don’t know where he came from, but I am so glad to meet him. It’s funny how I set out to write something, it went in an entirely different direction, and now I’m discovering that some of the elements that I hoped for are finding their way into my story.

Tomorrow, it’s back to Charm City and I’m so happy and excited for this weekend. I’ll be reuniting with three of my most treasured ladies on the planet. It’s exactly what the doc ordered. Plus, it’s a long weekend! Hooray!

So much of my life has been filled with goodbyes and missing people. I’m not sorry that it’s been that way. It has made me value people more and created memories that are more permenant and vivid. I don’t think you can truly know how much you love someone until they’re far away from you.  It’s time to go back home and then move on to the next adventure. Can’t wait to see what it may be…

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Journals, Black-eyed Susans, and Shortcake

by Corinne on August 13, 2009

Woodstock-Week

My week in Woodstock has almost come to a close and this is the first time I’ve blogged! I was going to say, “that I’ve had a chance to blog”, but that’s not really true. I’ve just filled my free time with other things, like writing, practicing viola, reading, sleeping, and working on super cool projects with my boss-peeps at CSL. Lot’s of creativity! It makes me smile before I know I’m smiling. Those are the best moments.

I’ve set some big goals for my second draft and I don’t know if I’ll meet them, but I’ll certainly try. Plus, having high expectations gets me even more excited about the project. It’s almost bed time now and I probably won’t get any writing done, but I’ll have all night in the car tomorrow because my stand-up-guy of a husband is coming to Woodstock after his brief visit to NYC so that we can drive home together. Hooray!

My boss-peeps brought a few wildflowers to work on Monday and the little fella above has been keeping me company all week. He’s still hanging in there, reminding me how much the little things matter.

I managed to make it to Garden Cafe for dinner tonight and decided to have dessert instead. What could be better than vegan strawberry shortcake for dinner? I caught up on my favorite blogs while sitting at the counter and enjoying a cup of peppermint tea with the masterpiece pictured above.

I also started Sark‘s ejournal class tonight, in my brand spanking new Composition book. These books may become my new favorite writing tool. They’re super cheap, have a nice sturdy cover and I like the paper inside. Sark’s ejournal class comes to your inbox everyday and is packed with creative writing exercises. It’s perfect for switching your mind into the perfect pocket that unlocks your imagination and makes you excited to embark on whatever project you’re working on. I am so excited that Sark joined our blog posse over at Crazy Sexy Life too!

All this writing about writing is making a quick peak at my novel irresistible, so I’m going to dig into that for a bit and then get to bed. Back to Charm City tomorrow!

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