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Cream Ale, True Blood, and Writing in the Car…

by Corinne on August 18, 2009

August-18

I need to start out by saying that the Genny Cream Ale pictured above was not mine. Steve has a lot of hometown pride, thus the chance to drink Cream Ale from a can is not often passed up when we’re in Charm City. While we’re on the subject of my super cool husband, I’d also like to point out that he went out of his way after his short trip to NYC to meet me in Rhinecliff on Friday after my week in Woodstock.

I met up him with him in town, we had dinner, stopped at an amazing bookstore and then he took the wheel. It’s moments like these that make me realize how darn lucky I got when I snagged him. He was actually happy to see me after sitting on a park bench all day waiting for me to get out of work! He drove us all the way home and let me use the time to work on my novel.

We spent the weekend wandering around Baltimore and checking out our favorite places to get grub (Rocket to Venus, Liquid Earth, One World Cafe). I also got a lot more writing done. I’m pretty happy with the progress I’ve made on my second draft. I’m about 1/4 through. For the first time, I’ve given it to a couple of people to read (other than Steve). It’s a relief to know he isn’t the only person that likes where it’s going, which gives me the boost of confidence I need to push forward! I hope to make some decent progress while writing in the car this weekend, since we’re driving to Michigan for a wedding. This marks the first of four weddings we’ll be attending over the next two months. Lotta love.

On a completely different note, I met up with some friends on Sunday to watch True Blood, then watched it again last night with Steve (not that I minded). It just keeps getting better! I can’t get those characters out of my head! I’ll say it again, Alan Ball is a genius. Can’t wait til this Sunday! Only three episodes left…hopefully Charlaine will have another book out by then. She’s got three more to go!

Tagged as: Alan Ball, baltimore, charlaine harris, editing, love, marriage, novel, sookie stackhouse, Steve, traveling, True Blood, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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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!

Tagged as: baltimore, Crazy Sexy Life, dessert, marriage, novel, reading, Sark, Steve, traveling, vegan, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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If You Don’t Know Jack, You Don’t Know Jack

by Corinne on August 8, 2009

August

It’s true. If you don’t know Jack, you don’t know jack, at least in Hampden. You can’t see it clearly in this picture, but this guy wears a plastic nose pin on his hat with rubbery tentacle-like appendages that have a life of their own every time he makes the slightest movement. He sports a plethora of other amusing pins and buttons as well, the nose just happens to be my favorite. I see him on an almost daily basis while in Baltimore. The guy is everywhere and knows every true local (which I’m not because I was not born and bred here). You can tell a native Hampdenite from five blocks away.

This week seems lost in a black hole. I reverted to a lot of pesky habits like coffee, wine, beer, and bars (see photo above taken by Steve). I can’t help it if I do my best brainstorming in these establishments! Actually, I can help it and by Friday it was glaringly apparent that I cannot keep up this lifestyle any longer. I kind of felt the way my Secretary, Thomas, is acting in the snapshot above. But, with the help of Steve, I built a foundation sturdy enough to plunge forward with the novel. I think it’s time to get back into a writing routine. I’m not going to feel guilty for putting down The Writer’s Way for the past month, leaving my morning pages blank, and writing only when I felt like it, because maybe I just needed a break from that structure.

Luckily, I’m craving that structure again. So, I’m going to pull out my calculator tonight and do the pointless (but critical) words-per-night math. We’re back in business! I’m off to Woodstock tomorrow and I’ll be listening to The Time Traveler’s Wife the entire way:)

ps- Steve’s band, The Sweatshop Boys, are going on tour in October! Details coming soon…

pps- Steve’s other band, Freeminer Birds, are playing at Boulder in Rochester, NY on 9/12!

Tagged as: baltimore, editing, Freeminer Birds, Steve, Sweatshop Boys, Thomas, traveling, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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Tuesday in Woodstock

by Corinne on July 28, 2009

Woodstock-Tuesday

I visited a few new Woodstock haunts today and one oldie but goodie. There’s nothing like a trip to the laundry mat to get the true local experience. As I fiddled with levers, clumsily figured out how to use the machines and bought laundry detergent out of the ancient vending machine, I was humored rather than irritated. There was one cranky woman that made me want to stomp on her foot, but other than her, everyone was very friendly.

The library is across the street from the laundry mat, so I decided to take a gander. It’s a tiny place, but it buzzed with activity. I felt like I was stepping back into my elementary school library, circa 1990. Peeking into the room behind the checkout counter I spied some librarians, some old, some young, and wondered what it would be like to work there everyday. I’m sure they know most patrons by first name or maybe this is just my naive perspective on small town life.

Finally, I ended up at the second floor cafe of Joshua’s. I set up camp at a table near the window, enjoyed a glass of wine and settled in for a couple hours of writing. I’m realizing that I probably won’t give the draft of my novel to anyone until it has reached its third incarnation. This second draft is like writing a first draft all over again. I’m doing more cutting and writing from scratch than tweaking and rearranging the words and sentences. I need to stop thinking about someone reading it in order to move forward and write freely. I still send everything to Steve. Even when I’m in Woodstock I email him with the edited sections. It’s more like our book than mine alone since he has talked through so much of the plot with me and read every word. Speaking of which, I need to email him what I worked on today. Until tomorrow!

Tagged as: editing, library, Steve, wine, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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Small Notes on Little Things that Matter

by Corinne on July 27, 2009

Baltimore-to-Woodstock

It’s quiet in Woodstock this week, at least around the office. The town is packed with tourists though. I took a couple of walks tonight and shot some of the pictures above along the way. Every chance I get, I’m listening to Sookie Stackhouse on my iPhone. She came with me on my walks today, to the post office, and the grocery store. I’m envious of Charlaine Harris’ ability to entertain me for hours at a time. I’m completely consumed by that world. I’ve been speaking in a southern accent in my head. This happened during my last True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse craze. Even as I type these words, each one echoes in my mind in a deep southern drawl.

It’s cooled down now and the tourists are gone. That’s the thing about Woodstock, everything closes at 7 or 8pm at the latest except for a few restaurants. I still hear high schoolers roaming the street late at night though. They sit in packs on the sidewalks and I have to admit that I favor the other side of the street to avoid them. It’s just a leftover habit I have from when I was a kid. Even though I’m probably ten years older than them, I still have a teensy fear that they’ll pick on me. It seems ridiculous now that I’m writing it down, but I’ll resist the urge to erase it.

Although I miss Baltimore, my house, my husband, my cats, I feel at home here too. It’s an easy town to get used to because there is only one main street and you see the same people all the time. I often wonder what it would have been like to grow up here. You probably would take the beauty of the place for granted. I’m sure most kids are bored. I’m glad I get to enjoy it now, when I look forward to being nestled in the mountains and left to my own devices. Of course I still find ways to procrastinate editing my first draft. It pains me to cut thousands of words at a time, but I know it has to be done. Time to get to it. But tonight, I will not stay up until 1:00am listening to Sookie’s adventures. I was beat today. It’s time for a good night’s sleep.

I guess these are just a series of little thoughts on the small things that matter in my life. They come together to make something that I feel simply joyful and thankful for right now. There is nothing better than sitting in a place of gratitude (much better than a place of fear). I am content sinking into my desk chair, listening to the occasional car pass by in my right ear and crickets singing in my left and typing away. I’m happy to record these moments here, even if it’s just for me. Because it helps me remember later, when I’m in the middle of a not so nice place, that I need to remember that things never stay just one way and I’ll always make it back to this peaceful space.

Just for fun, I’m posting a picture I just found on Facebook of Steve and me at his (junior?) prom. This was ten years ago…

Steve and Corinne Prom

Tagged as: baltimore, cats, charlaine harris, editing, sookie stackhouse, Steve, Thomas, traveling, True Blood, walking, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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Treasure Walks

by Corinne on July 26, 2009

Our-Walk

Every time I take a walk with Steve, we find unique nooks and crannies in our little neighborhood. Above are some of the gems we came across this afternoon. I love recording them here, so that I’ll never forget them, but I don’t have to clutter my brain (or home) with every charming memory. The image I created above too small to do it justice, but I’m too tuckered out to re-size it. Maybe later…

The mural is painted under someone’s porch on a quiet, hidden street that we hadn’t yet discovered in our three years living in Hampden. It’s creepy and fascinating and totally unexpected. Seeing this art amongst plastic pink flamingos, dead flattened rats on the asphalt, and foul-mouthed kindergartners was refreshing. The peace sign is something that Steve insisted I snap a picture of and include here. At this point of our walk I was sweaty, crabby, and ready to crank our A/C window unit. He was relentless though and as always I’m happy he forced me to take the damn picture.

I’m back in Woodstock for the week! The drive here was very enjoyable because I had the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead and Gone on audiobook. I barely noticed the time go by and now I’m speaking in a southern accent in my head. This always happens when I watch True Blood or listen to one of Charlaine Harris’ audiobooks. I also watched the True Blood panel from Comic-con 2009. I hope someday to be in Charlaine Harris’ shoes, sitting amongst the actors that have brought my characters to life. I have Alan Ball on my vision board because frankly he is a genius and who wouldn’t want him to adapt your writing into television series? If you haven’t seen Six Feet Under, run, buy, watch, now.

It’s always revitalizing to be in Woodstock. I’m surrounded with two of the most creative people I know and I live in the middle of the Catskills. Fresh air, green everywhere, and mountains in every direction. This town has very little in common with Baltimore, but it is bustling with it’s own flavor of quirkiness and charm. I’ll be sure to snap lots of photos.

Tagged as: Alan Ball, baltimore, Catskill Mountains, charlaine harris, Comic-con, Hampden, neighborhood, Six Feet Under, sookie stackhouse, True Blood, walks, woodstock

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