And here lies the vast importance of the novel, properly handled. It can inform and lead into new places the flow of our sympathetic consciousness, and it can lead our sympathy away in recoil from things gone dead. Therefore, the novel, properly handled, can reveal the most secret places of life: for it is in the passional secret places of life, above all, that the tide of sensitive awareness needs to ebb and flow, cleansing and freshening.

from Ch. 9 of Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H. Lawrence.

Got a bit of a bombshell today when my roommate informed me that she won't be renewing her part of the lease. There's only a month left on the current one. I've been looking at condos, even have a realtor and a banker guy, but I don't know how this is going to work out in a month. Do I sign the lease and find a subletter when I find a new place? Not sign the lease and hope something works out? Sigh.

Posted by Jen at 7:20 PM | Permalink |

vote for ATTS: ER | Wishlist: {Amazon} |

AttS is SEVEN today!

My parents celebrate their anniversary and my friend Kate and my coworker Gordon (sorry I can't be there for drinks) can tally up another year on this day.

Huzzah to all of you.

If you're in town looking for something to do (other than the book fair, that is), head on over to the St. Charles Spring Artwalk. My mom will be displaying her artwork at 222 N Main Street, and there is plenty of parking behind the building. We'll be there all weekend, so why don't you stop by and say hi, and pick up a gift for Mother's Day?

Happy weekend, all

Posted by Jen at 1:24 AM | Permalink

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From zen_habits on Twitter, who said, Complete this sentence: I wish my life were more ...

Writerly. (Yeah, not a word. But I wish I acted more like an author. This is a wish I can and should make true.)

Exciting. (Though that whole proverb of living in interesting times...perhaps I better stick with the steady job, even though it's not quite paying me enough)

Clean. (I at least have a path between my bedroom door and my bed, but there's plenty of room in there for shelves, if I ever stopped buying books enough to have money for some.)

Arty. (I used to draw on everything. Even now, my twitter feed is full of Photoshop and Illustrator resources, and my delicious account has hundreds of links to tutorials on graphic design. One day I will be creative many ways.)

Outdoorsy. (I miss camping. I miss horseback riding. I will go whitewater rafting again someday. I will hike the Rockies again and visit Canada. Maybe.)

Financially secure. (I have money enough, right now, but not quite enough to do what I want to. Hopefully that will change, someday. Until then, I must write.)

I think I can change these things. I'm lazy, as you might have noticed me mention in this blog before, so I'd have to get over the fear and anxiousness of change, but perhaps someday I will.

Posted by Jen at 5:00 PM | Permalink

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  Lady Chatterley's Lover, DH Lawrence
file under: dreams , reallife

Want to know how an author's royalty check breaks down? Read Lynn Viehl's post on "The Reality of a Times Bestseller" and be either shocked or vindicated, depending on what your viewpoint is...

It took her the better part of a year to get royalty payments on her top-20 bestseller. Sigh.

So no, I don't write for the money. Shoot, if I did, I'd actually have something polished and finished and ready to send off for submission. I really, really don't. I write because I love it, because it makes me happy to find that perfect word or find that magic plot point twist that I somehow worked into the beginning of the story without even knowing it. I'm practical (maybe too practical) and I know that even if I was one of the lucky ones I wouldn't be able to quit my job if I sold a book. But that's okay.

I am one of the lucky ones who has a good job (even if it doesn't pay that well) and I have relative freedom to do whatever I want in my free time as long as I get my work done. It's something that's unlikely *crossed fingers* to fall to a recession, and I work with some really quality people.

Perhaps I'll never write a bestseller (even though the Publishing Game my parents made for my gifted class in 5th grade said I would!). Perhaps I'll have to rethink my stance on self-publishing (especially since I have such wonderful artistic parents). But I can't shake the dream of someday standing in the company of my favorite authors, holding a copy of my own book. And I don't want to.

Dream big.

(Guess I ought to write some more on that NaNovel, eh? )

Posted by Jen at 2:58 PM | Permalink

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  King of Pride Rock, Lion King sdtk
  Living with Ghosts, Kari Sperring
file under: dreams , writings

Wow. Just wow.

I'm gonna have to search out my Les Miserables soundtrack now.

Posted by Jen at 10:44 AM | Permalink

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  The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks
file under: music

I love the silly little things, and I really envy the people who had the time to make this. It's Mousetrap for Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Happy release day for Jim Butcher's new Dresden Files book, Turn Coat! And yes, I have it already, and I shall read it...now!

Posted by Jen at 11:32 AM | Permalink

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  American Pie, Don McLean

file under: books