Modern Retellings

We all know Jane Austen's stories have been redone with a modern twist (or a zombie twist) out the wazoo!  And how do we really feel about that?  

I'm not really an Austen purist... obviously, I mean, hello! I LOVE the movie Lost in Austen, which you've heard me go ON AND ON about, I love the book Austenland...  and I own Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (though I haven't read it yet).

While brainstorming the other day, I was hit with an idea to do a modern retelling of a classic novel... I don't know that it's been hit before (so I'm not going to spill it just yet!), so I'm even more interested in giving it a shot.  Lots of fairy tales have been redone, too.  I recently read Beastly, which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and while I didn't love love it, it was pretty well done, in my opinion.

How do you feel about modern retellings?  Do you soak them up as quickly as they are released? Pick one up out of curiosity now and again?  Or are you firmly against them in the belief that what's done right the first time should just be left alone?  Have you read a retelling that was BETTER than the original?

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

Yes... I've already watched The Nightmare Before Christmas this month, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. 

The Pumpkin King and I go way back... to childhood.  I listened to the movie soundtrack so much, my player ate the tape.  I don't have a Christmas village, but I surely do have the Nightmare before Christmas village.  They light up on the inside and everything.  I've seriously thought about being Sally for Halloween just about every year, and now that I have a husband that's 6'5" (a foot taller than me) and about the same build as Jack Skelington... well... I really have tried to talk him into it. hahaha. 

I wasn't expecting a costume party this year (usually I'm the one to throw it and I just haven't had time to think about it lately), but we got invited to one, so we're a bit too crunched for time to throw together a satisfactory Jack and Sally.  

I'm contemplating getting a fedora (like a cheap one from Target) and a cute top, wearing jeans and my converse (signed by Switchfoot, hello).  I'd wear lots of mismatched jewelry, make a "press pass" and strap my camera around my neck.  Instant photographer. (To tell you the truth, I just really want a fedora, and what a great excuse! I don't even look good in hats, but I. Don't. Care.)

Anyone else going to a costume party this year?  What will you be?

 

NaNoWriMo - Are you in... or out?

I'm out. 

But I'm interested to hear about you.  If you're in, what's your goal?  Do you already have a story idea lined up or are you going to be a TOTAL pantser?  How many hours/words a day do you plan to devote to it?

Last year when I heard about this for the first time, I was a bit smitten with the idea.  I looked into it some, but couldn't come up with anything so I forgot about it.  This year, I decided I'm definitely not that kind of writer.  It sounds like it should be fun to whip out a story that quickly... just write write write without any real corrections or edits along the way.  But that's just not my writing style.  I'd be so stressed with the time limit... and I know there would be SO much work to do afterward... all that revising and editing.  Ugh I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Anyone else a definite no? What are your reasons for not doing it?

Anyone on the fence?

Posessed by the Writing Fairy!!

So y'all have heard me sort of whine for a couple weeks (months) that I haven't written a darn thing.  Well, something totally took over last night and I was a writing machine!

I was up until 4AM typing, brainstorming, and typing some more--2,131 words!  And it's even more random that I chose to work on the story that I had finished, turned my nose up at, and shelved.  Serisously, the "last updated" date on the file was March of this year.  I had decided that it was just my first full length stretch of the writing legs, and I was going to be okay with that.  But yesterday, thanks to some back and forth brainstorming emails with the fabulous

Kristi Chestnutt!

Between the Letters is making a comeback... 

The characters are a bit younger now, and there's a SLIGHT paranormal twist, but nothing vampirey or immortal about it.  Another of my WIPs, Anemone, is completely YA, so I think since that's what I've been writing and reading lately, this story just felt better pulled back a few years.  I have two computer monitors (for photo editing mostly), so I pulled up the original file on one monitor, and a BLANK Word document on the other, and literally started from the beginning.  It's different...  it's got more personality... I think I'm actually going to like the story this time around.(Well, I liked the bones of the story... but I wasn't HAPPY with it... you know what I mean.)

I knew I missed writing regularly, but I just felt so ON FIRE last night that it actually took me by surprise to realize how MUCH I missed it.  Here's hoping I can keep on keepin on.  

Thank you to my critique girls, Kristi Chestnutt and Kim Franklin, for rocking so much with the encouragement and direction help.  I couldn't do it without y'all. :)

So enough about ME!  Tell me about your writing progress!!

Have I Been Speeding??

I'll say!  It's a freaking miracle I haven't gotten a ticket over the last couple months.  My spedometer peetered out on me quite a while ago now, and we discovered that since my Tahoe was still under 70k miles (which is a miracle in and of itself that I'm not at 70k yet... it's an '05!), the cluster panel replacement would be covered under some extended warranty.  So I got me a new freebie this morning, and driving home admiring the way the needle moves (I'd been going about 120mph constantly lately), I noticed how SLOW I was driving.  The speed limit, yes, but SLOW.  My motto over the broken needle time has always been "Make sure someone is always going faster than you, and drive slower than you want to."  Well, crap... apparently I want to drive FAST.

Anyway... I got a new lens this weekend and found a couple of beauties to let me practice on them. Take a gander:

I love the lens... starting to hate my camera though. I KNEW this going in, but I have to manually focus the new lens on my camera.  And kids, well, they don't sit still. 

Thankfully though, adults do!

 

Love engagement sessions... young love. :)

Happy Tuesday.

Busy Little Bee... and Inspired by JK Rowling (again)....

Well I thought I'd be a better blogger now that I'm working from home, but as you all can see.... that hasn't happened yet.  I'm busy busy busy and still haven't caught up.  Which, I'm thankful I have business coming in, but apparently I'm the type that gets this little stress layer under the skin if I can't catch up, like, EVER.  As soon as I get close to catching up, I add two or three more sessions into the mix.  I know, I know, I should only be THANKFUL and just keep pluggin away.. and I am.  I just hope this stress layer doesn't catch on fire and burn me out.  I guess it's up to me not to let it. 

On a very cool and happy side note, I scored a booth for Kristin Rae Photography at a Christmas market a school is hosting this December! Two days!!!  I won't actually be TAKING photos here... I'm just promoting my services to get my name out there. 
I'm already figuring out the set up of my first booth ever and all the fun things I want to offer--Gift certificates, email sign up sheet, maybe a drawing???  And my mind has been going crazy with booth decoration ideas.  I am so excited! I just need two customers out of it to make up for what I'm putting into the booth. :)

So... anyone catch the JK Rowling interview on Oprah?  There's just something about her story, you know?  It's so one of a kind, probably never to be repeated however we all may dream about making that happen.  The Harry Potter series did everything a writer aspires to--books that get people reading (children and adults!), turned into a series of hit movies that are so well done they stay true to the essence of the books, a theme park bringing the words from the pages to life..... it's just incredible. I haven't been able to write much the past couple of months, but since watching her interview, I'm definitely inspired to make time for it (somewhere...).  Though my writing aspirations are focused on just getting PUBLISHED!

One Week Down

And I'm still playing catch up.

Something I've notcied about working at home again... I'm very very easily distracted.  So many things to look up, so many rooms in this house to clean, so many meals to eat.

I have managed to get quite a bit of photo editing done, but I still feel like I'm swamped. And I haven't been able to write in who knows how long.  I miss it.  I really do.  Maybe this weekend I'll spread out on a blanket in the backyard and write some in a notebook.  

One disappointing thing... the Austin Comic Con... apparently you have to PAY per AUTOGRAPH... like, between $30 and $60 depending on who it is.  I'm still mulling it over.... hard to imagine spending money I don't have on a signature (let alone driving 6 hours round trip to get it).  I really just want to meet Spike and Xander.  That's all.  Sigh.  The good things in life apparently aren't free.

Anyway... on to season two of Angel.  I like it.