Kate Scott's Blog, page 18
September 30, 2013
Adam's Story
What's Your Story?
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to Adam Groves. Adam and I work together at my day job. In addition to being one of my favorite co-workers, he's also one of my beta readers. That is what happens to people with MFA's in creative writing who work in IT--they get to beta read for random engineers they work with. And they get to do blog interviews too.
Let's get started, Adam, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
Acquaintances call me peaceful because i'm reserved, but i'm always tired. Even my writing only shows a fraction of what races around my brain. in my youth i tried to love and be loved by everyone but didn't get far. more recently i've sought internal reconciliation hoping to rejuvenate my life.
I think to think of myself as more than just an acquaintance, but I'd probably describe you as pensive, so maybe that means we need to get to know each other better. What do you love most in the world?
i love when people show genuine, non-strategic, compassionate interest in one another. i think that there are few things as magnificent and lovable as people who want to share and learn about one another, unspoiled by either desperation or cynical motives
Yay, genuine interaction with other people is my favorite thing in the world, no wonder we're friends. So what do you fear most?when i was younger i feared stagnation - i never wanted to become stuck in a place where i would stop growing. over the years, having repeatedly changed situations and started fresh (sometimes by choice, sometimes not), my hunger for knowledge and faith in my resilience and charisma have faded. i realize more and more how difficult it is for me to connect with people or feel a sense of belonging. what good is experience without people to share it with? as i struggle to connect with people, it becomes harder to identify things in my life that feel worth knowing or sharing. sometimes i miss past opportunities to "stagnate." i am no longer afraid of an end to learning so much as i am of being alone.
I think fear of isolation is hard, especially for introverts who are slower to develop close friendships. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
i am a bit shocked to watch myself write this, but i think my largest unfulfilled dream is to find a kindred romantic spirit to share my life with. i am not doing anything to achieve that goal because i am hopelessly bewildered by all the complicated, overlapping and conflicting rules and requirements of modern courtship. i feel like human connection is ruined by all the gender socioeconomics. i feel like there are a million intentional booby traps involved in earning the right to just spend time with someone.
I hope that you find someone to share your life with, because I think you are very worthy of love. But I also admire your independence. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
most everything feels like a triumph of will in some way. other than math, very few things have come easily to me in life. i should pick one thing, though. it sounds kind of silly, but i think that the hardest thing i've ever done is to stay in one place. i have lived in one city for 7 years and had one job for 5, which beats all records since i was a teenager.
I'm glad you've stuck in one place this long, because it's enabled us to become friends. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
once upon a time, i decided to fulfill a dream and go to school for creative writing. because i overthink everything and thus overwhelm myself before getting started, i forced myself to focus on one step at a time. it was like a grocery list:sign up for the gre - checkstudy for the gre and english subject gre- checktake the gres - check.choose where to go to school: how about somewhere in a coastal state? okay, gather applications - checklet's write some portfolio stories - donenow send out the completed applications and recommendation letters - okaywait...and wait...and waitonly accepted to one in twelve schools - ouch, that hurts a bit. but hey, at least i don't have to worry about overthinking it!time to look for an apartment - hop on craigslist - this isn't working so well, i'll deal with that laterrent a carpack everything that fits into the car (give everything else away)drive cross-country to a totally new cityno job, nowhere to live, no problem. get a hotel roomwalk around town with a AAA road map, looking for an apartmenta few days later, sign a lease on a pretty nifty place full of friendly strangers, make about half a dozen friends right awaywalk into a random student center at a random college (not where i was going), ask for help moving in, and get it!week two of new life in new city: walk around town some more, looking for a job. walk in and apply at the local newspaper - a few days later walk back in for my first day of work and make a half-dozen more friends. now we're cooking!a month later, start living the dream - lit classes, writing workshops, hanging out in pubs with fictioneers and poets every other night
eventually i stopped running around pumping my fists while eye of the tiger followed me everywhere i went, but i will always remember how exhilarating that season of life was. i seemed to trip over serendipity everywhere i turned. it is nice to know that once in a while life really does help you get to where you want to be.
That sounds like such a magical time. Don't you wish we could stay 22 forever? Thank you for sharing your story, Adam.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to Adam Groves. Adam and I work together at my day job. In addition to being one of my favorite co-workers, he's also one of my beta readers. That is what happens to people with MFA's in creative writing who work in IT--they get to beta read for random engineers they work with. And they get to do blog interviews too.
Let's get started, Adam, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
Acquaintances call me peaceful because i'm reserved, but i'm always tired. Even my writing only shows a fraction of what races around my brain. in my youth i tried to love and be loved by everyone but didn't get far. more recently i've sought internal reconciliation hoping to rejuvenate my life.
I think to think of myself as more than just an acquaintance, but I'd probably describe you as pensive, so maybe that means we need to get to know each other better. What do you love most in the world?
i love when people show genuine, non-strategic, compassionate interest in one another. i think that there are few things as magnificent and lovable as people who want to share and learn about one another, unspoiled by either desperation or cynical motives
Yay, genuine interaction with other people is my favorite thing in the world, no wonder we're friends. So what do you fear most?when i was younger i feared stagnation - i never wanted to become stuck in a place where i would stop growing. over the years, having repeatedly changed situations and started fresh (sometimes by choice, sometimes not), my hunger for knowledge and faith in my resilience and charisma have faded. i realize more and more how difficult it is for me to connect with people or feel a sense of belonging. what good is experience without people to share it with? as i struggle to connect with people, it becomes harder to identify things in my life that feel worth knowing or sharing. sometimes i miss past opportunities to "stagnate." i am no longer afraid of an end to learning so much as i am of being alone.
I think fear of isolation is hard, especially for introverts who are slower to develop close friendships. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
i am a bit shocked to watch myself write this, but i think my largest unfulfilled dream is to find a kindred romantic spirit to share my life with. i am not doing anything to achieve that goal because i am hopelessly bewildered by all the complicated, overlapping and conflicting rules and requirements of modern courtship. i feel like human connection is ruined by all the gender socioeconomics. i feel like there are a million intentional booby traps involved in earning the right to just spend time with someone.
I hope that you find someone to share your life with, because I think you are very worthy of love. But I also admire your independence. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
most everything feels like a triumph of will in some way. other than math, very few things have come easily to me in life. i should pick one thing, though. it sounds kind of silly, but i think that the hardest thing i've ever done is to stay in one place. i have lived in one city for 7 years and had one job for 5, which beats all records since i was a teenager.
I'm glad you've stuck in one place this long, because it's enabled us to become friends. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
once upon a time, i decided to fulfill a dream and go to school for creative writing. because i overthink everything and thus overwhelm myself before getting started, i forced myself to focus on one step at a time. it was like a grocery list:sign up for the gre - checkstudy for the gre and english subject gre- checktake the gres - check.choose where to go to school: how about somewhere in a coastal state? okay, gather applications - checklet's write some portfolio stories - donenow send out the completed applications and recommendation letters - okaywait...and wait...and waitonly accepted to one in twelve schools - ouch, that hurts a bit. but hey, at least i don't have to worry about overthinking it!time to look for an apartment - hop on craigslist - this isn't working so well, i'll deal with that laterrent a carpack everything that fits into the car (give everything else away)drive cross-country to a totally new cityno job, nowhere to live, no problem. get a hotel roomwalk around town with a AAA road map, looking for an apartmenta few days later, sign a lease on a pretty nifty place full of friendly strangers, make about half a dozen friends right awaywalk into a random student center at a random college (not where i was going), ask for help moving in, and get it!week two of new life in new city: walk around town some more, looking for a job. walk in and apply at the local newspaper - a few days later walk back in for my first day of work and make a half-dozen more friends. now we're cooking!a month later, start living the dream - lit classes, writing workshops, hanging out in pubs with fictioneers and poets every other night
eventually i stopped running around pumping my fists while eye of the tiger followed me everywhere i went, but i will always remember how exhilarating that season of life was. i seemed to trip over serendipity everywhere i turned. it is nice to know that once in a while life really does help you get to where you want to be.
That sounds like such a magical time. Don't you wish we could stay 22 forever? Thank you for sharing your story, Adam.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
September 27, 2013
Listen Up
It’s Friday, so it’s time for another dyslexia related post. I’m severely dyslexic and learning how to read was a very long process for me. Even after I technically knew my ABCs, reading was still painfully difficult. Literally, reading was so challenging for me when I was a kid that it was physically painful. So it kind of feels like a miracle that I ever figured it out. But I did. If I told you every single thing I did to teach myself how to read, and eventually write, this would be an especially long blog post. But there is one thing that stands out above everything else. I fell in love with stories.
My parents read to me a lot when I was little. And when I got older and failed to learn how to read on my own, they kept on reading me stories. When I got even older, they showed me the audiobook section in our local public library. I didn’t know how to read the descriptions on the backs of the cases, so I had no way to figure out which stories I’d like. My solution was simple, I listened to them all.
Between the ages of nine and fifteen, I systematically listened to every single audiobook available at my local public library in alphabetical order by author’s last name. Some of the stories were fabulous, some not so much. I listened to them all. Then I moved beyond my local library and started ordering books directly from the library of congress through Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic.
RFB&D has gone totally digital, and expanded to include even more types of literary disabilities. So now, with a simple prescription, you can get any book with an ISBN number on your MP3 player, including textbooks. This service is now offered under the name Literary Ally. Don’t you just love the American Disabilities Act? If the print publisher of a book doesn’t have an audio version, the library of congress will hire someone to record it for you.
Thanks to the glorious world of audiobooks, by the time I graduated from high school, I’d listened to more than a thousand books. I remember getting to college and being shocked at how poorly read my literate classmates were. I couldn’t understand how anyone capable of read would ever want to do anything else.
I loved stories so much, they were practically an addiction for me. So what if I read about as well as the average second grader. Okay, below-average second grader. I knew how great books could be. I knew that learning how to read was the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person, and I was desperate to do it myself, no matter how impossible it seemed.
The last time I explained to one of my friends everything I did to teach myself how to read (which took about a half hour) she stared at me mouth agape and said, “I can’t believe you did ALL THAT. I would have given up way earlier than you did.” But I couldn’t give up. Because I’d listened to all those books as a kid. I knew what I was missing. I knew what I had to gain, and I knew nothing could stop me from getting there.
So that’s it. That’s the big secret. If you or someone you know is super-duper dyslexic and learning how to read seems so impossible you should even try. Just listen. And if you’re lucky, you’ll here enough magic to slay your own dragon.
COUNTING TO D is coming out in February. I, Kate Scott, know how to read and write. I’m about to be a real live author. And how I got here, may have taken decades of hard work, but in the end it all comes down to a couple childhood bedtime stories. Because once upon a time, I fell in love with stories. I knew that I loved hearing them, and now I know I love telling them just as much.
My parents read to me a lot when I was little. And when I got older and failed to learn how to read on my own, they kept on reading me stories. When I got even older, they showed me the audiobook section in our local public library. I didn’t know how to read the descriptions on the backs of the cases, so I had no way to figure out which stories I’d like. My solution was simple, I listened to them all.
Between the ages of nine and fifteen, I systematically listened to every single audiobook available at my local public library in alphabetical order by author’s last name. Some of the stories were fabulous, some not so much. I listened to them all. Then I moved beyond my local library and started ordering books directly from the library of congress through Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic.
RFB&D has gone totally digital, and expanded to include even more types of literary disabilities. So now, with a simple prescription, you can get any book with an ISBN number on your MP3 player, including textbooks. This service is now offered under the name Literary Ally. Don’t you just love the American Disabilities Act? If the print publisher of a book doesn’t have an audio version, the library of congress will hire someone to record it for you.
Thanks to the glorious world of audiobooks, by the time I graduated from high school, I’d listened to more than a thousand books. I remember getting to college and being shocked at how poorly read my literate classmates were. I couldn’t understand how anyone capable of read would ever want to do anything else.
I loved stories so much, they were practically an addiction for me. So what if I read about as well as the average second grader. Okay, below-average second grader. I knew how great books could be. I knew that learning how to read was the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person, and I was desperate to do it myself, no matter how impossible it seemed.
The last time I explained to one of my friends everything I did to teach myself how to read (which took about a half hour) she stared at me mouth agape and said, “I can’t believe you did ALL THAT. I would have given up way earlier than you did.” But I couldn’t give up. Because I’d listened to all those books as a kid. I knew what I was missing. I knew what I had to gain, and I knew nothing could stop me from getting there.
So that’s it. That’s the big secret. If you or someone you know is super-duper dyslexic and learning how to read seems so impossible you should even try. Just listen. And if you’re lucky, you’ll here enough magic to slay your own dragon.
COUNTING TO D is coming out in February. I, Kate Scott, know how to read and write. I’m about to be a real live author. And how I got here, may have taken decades of hard work, but in the end it all comes down to a couple childhood bedtime stories. Because once upon a time, I fell in love with stories. I knew that I loved hearing them, and now I know I love telling them just as much.
September 24, 2013
What's Up Wednesday
What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Head over to Jaime's page for links to find out what's up with everyone else. Here's What's Up with me.
What I'm Reading
I'm currently reading The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. This series is seriously weird. I can't even begin to tell somebody what it's about. The Scorpio Races is my favorite of Stiefvater's books. It's based on a Celtic legend and is a far cry from the standard urban fantasy, but at least it's explainable. I guess this series might be based on Welsh mythology, the characters are searching for some hidden Arthurian type Welsh king. Even if this book is very weird and I'm still not entirely sure what it's supposed to be about (even though I'm half way through the second book in the series) I still love it. I love everything Maggie Stiefvater writes. She is my favorite urban fantasy writer and may possibly be my favorite writer period. I even love that her books are always a bit unusual. Even her werewolf books took the common mythical creature in a very new direction. Speaking of werewolves, did any of you catch the recent announcement that there is going to be a new companion book to the Shiver series told from Cole's POV. Super excited!What I'm Writing
I did a little bit of revising to The Evolution of Emily this week, but not much. It's not that I don't know what I need to write/revise. I just haven't been vary good about working on it. Hopefully this week I'll be more productive. Hopefully.
What Inspires Me Right Now
I have a cover! This is very exciting/inspiring/all around awesome! And isn't it a pretty cover! I seriously love it! I know that was a lot of explanation points, but hello. Look at that cover, with my name on it. I can't wait until February 11th when you guys can read the words behind that beautiful cover.
Oh and I have another super duper exciting thing to find inspiration in. Counting to D is now on goodreads. So head over there and add it to your to-read list. Knowing all of you want to read it will definitely inspire me. It may even inspire me enough to put in some serious revising time this week on my next book.
What Else I've Been Up To
This past weekend I went to a wedding. It was fun, but not nearly as exciting as having a cover and a book on goodreads. So I'll just go back to feeling inspired now.
So What's Up With You?
September 23, 2013
Julie's Story
What's Your Story?
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to Julie Israel. Julie is in my critique group and a fabulous writer. Each week I look forward to hearing what she's written, so I'm excited to have her here with us today.
Let's get started, Julie, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
Creative. Self-amusing. Eager learner. Word nerd in every respect.
I love that you described yourself as self-amusing. That is such a valuable and entertaining quality to have. What do you love most in the world?
How can I choose only one thing? Seriously. I can’t do it. Unless it’s something very abstract and all-encompassing like “learning” or “creation” or “exploration.” As much as I love writing, for me that love has long competed with a love of art (drawing to photography to gluing nonsensical things together to paint pens to Photoshop) and language. Sometimes the simple beauty of a foreign word (maquillage, ojalá, humuhumunukunukuapua'a) will knock me off my feet.
Also, accents and chocolate.
Yum, chocolate. And learning, creation, and exploration are good too. So what do you fear most?Being inadequate.
I think that is a very real fear for a lot of people, especially writers. The few times I've met you, I've found you very easy to connect with, so I don't think you need to spend much time cowering in fear. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
I think my greatest dream is to one day walk into a bookstore (better yet, a library) and be able to pull my work off the shelf. Better still—to see a stranger reading it on the train.
I am working every day to make such things realities: reading, writing, educating myself, connecting with other readers and writers and building awareness for the projects I’m at work on. My first book, Shifters, is complete and currently seeking representation!
I think seeing a stranger reading something I wrote would be amazing! Great dream. And good luck on your search for representation. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
This I can pinpoint to an exact moment. It was when, preparing to board a plane to go teach English in Japan, the Portland coordinator said goodbye to us at the gate and I realized he wasn’t coming with us: that that was where the map, and certain English, and everything I knew stopped. The hardest thing I have ever done was continuing to walk forward and actually get on that plane. But it is also without a doubt the best thing I have ever done.
That does sound hard, but also like a great experience/opportunity. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
In fourth grade, the teacher sat the class down and showed us how to paint a graduated sky: darkest at the top, gradually becoming lighter as it moved down the page, and fading into white at the bottom. Then we were each given a small tray of watercolors and paper and brushes and went to work.
When the activity was done and our pages had dried, the teacher tacked every student’s sky to the wall. We had written our names on the back of our paintings, so there was really very little to distinguish one student’s from another’s. But I knew mine right away.
Because, in a wall of twenty-six skies, mine was the only red one.
I love it! You've been an original from the beginning, and your still painting interesting pictures, you're just now doing it with words.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to Julie Israel. Julie is in my critique group and a fabulous writer. Each week I look forward to hearing what she's written, so I'm excited to have her here with us today.
Let's get started, Julie, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
Creative. Self-amusing. Eager learner. Word nerd in every respect.
I love that you described yourself as self-amusing. That is such a valuable and entertaining quality to have. What do you love most in the world?
How can I choose only one thing? Seriously. I can’t do it. Unless it’s something very abstract and all-encompassing like “learning” or “creation” or “exploration.” As much as I love writing, for me that love has long competed with a love of art (drawing to photography to gluing nonsensical things together to paint pens to Photoshop) and language. Sometimes the simple beauty of a foreign word (maquillage, ojalá, humuhumunukunukuapua'a) will knock me off my feet.
Also, accents and chocolate.
Yum, chocolate. And learning, creation, and exploration are good too. So what do you fear most?Being inadequate.
I think that is a very real fear for a lot of people, especially writers. The few times I've met you, I've found you very easy to connect with, so I don't think you need to spend much time cowering in fear. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
I think my greatest dream is to one day walk into a bookstore (better yet, a library) and be able to pull my work off the shelf. Better still—to see a stranger reading it on the train.
I am working every day to make such things realities: reading, writing, educating myself, connecting with other readers and writers and building awareness for the projects I’m at work on. My first book, Shifters, is complete and currently seeking representation!
I think seeing a stranger reading something I wrote would be amazing! Great dream. And good luck on your search for representation. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
This I can pinpoint to an exact moment. It was when, preparing to board a plane to go teach English in Japan, the Portland coordinator said goodbye to us at the gate and I realized he wasn’t coming with us: that that was where the map, and certain English, and everything I knew stopped. The hardest thing I have ever done was continuing to walk forward and actually get on that plane. But it is also without a doubt the best thing I have ever done.
That does sound hard, but also like a great experience/opportunity. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
In fourth grade, the teacher sat the class down and showed us how to paint a graduated sky: darkest at the top, gradually becoming lighter as it moved down the page, and fading into white at the bottom. Then we were each given a small tray of watercolors and paper and brushes and went to work.
When the activity was done and our pages had dried, the teacher tacked every student’s sky to the wall. We had written our names on the back of our paintings, so there was really very little to distinguish one student’s from another’s. But I knew mine right away.
Because, in a wall of twenty-six skies, mine was the only red one.
I love it! You've been an original from the beginning, and your still painting interesting pictures, you're just now doing it with words.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
September 20, 2013
Cover Reveal
I have a cover! Counting to D is set to hit a bookstore near you on February 11, 2014. But today, I have a cover.
Isn't that pretty! I totally love it. The wood outline of the chalkboard goes around to the back cover too, which is why it isn't on the left side in this image, but today I'm only showing you the front cover. I'm super happy with how this turned out and hope you like it too.
And if that cover isn't exciting enough, COUNTING TO D is now on goodreads. So head over and add it to your to-read list!
Isn't that pretty! I totally love it. The wood outline of the chalkboard goes around to the back cover too, which is why it isn't on the left side in this image, but today I'm only showing you the front cover. I'm super happy with how this turned out and hope you like it too.
And if that cover isn't exciting enough, COUNTING TO D is now on goodreads. So head over and add it to your to-read list!
September 18, 2013
What's Up Wednesday
What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Head over to Jaime's page for links to find out what's up with everyone else. Here's What's Up with me.What I'm Reading
I have a policy of never giving bad book reviews. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the last two books I read and can’t recommend either one. So I’m not even going to say what they were. I’ll just say that I have been reading, and I’m hoping the next book I read will be fabulous.
What I'm Writing
I’m supposed to be working on revising/finishing THE EVLOUTION OF EMILY but I’m not doing a very good job of it. I was sick last week which messed up my writing schedule. I have been doing quite a bit of non-writing book related work on COUNTING TO D. The ARCs are being printed this week! I’ve also now seen the final cover and it’s amazing! I’m doing the official cover reveal on Friday, so you’ll have to come back then to look at it.
What Inspires Me Right Now
Printing ARCs is pretty darn inspiring. I write because I want to share my words/ideas with other people and knowing that is actually going to happen is super exciting. Knowing how close COUNTING TO D is to reaching readers makes me want to finish all the other stories dancing around in my head.
On the topic of ARCs, I’m now working on trying to figure out who to send them to. If you are interested in reviewing COUNTING TO D let me know!
What Else I've Been Up To
I’m an aunt now. I have a three year old nephew, so I’ve technically been an aunt for a while. But last week my brother’s wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Evelyn is only a week old, but I already love her to death. I’m looking forward to spoiling her for many years to come.
So What's Up With You?
September 16, 2013
Amanda's Story
What's Your Story?
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I'll interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to Amanda Nguyen. Amanda is one of my closest friends in real life, and she has just recently decided to dive into the exciting world of blogging. So welcome, Amanda, both to today's installment of What's Your Story and to the web in general.
So let's get started, Amanda, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
I am madly in love with my husband. I am a stay at home mother of two under two and love every minute of it. I have a personality and heart of service; I love to host people, feed people, offer my time and energy wherever I can.
The fact that you are a "stay at home mother of two under two" sounds very overwhelming, but I'm met your children so I'm slightly less impressed. Or maybe I should be more impressed. Your son is the smartest best behaved toddler I've ever met, so you must be doing something right. Tell me more.What do you love most in the world?I strive to love my God above all other things, but I struggle with loving my family more.
I think God will forgive you for loving your kids. So what do you fear most?I fear being unloved, or maybe its fear that I am unworthy of love.
You are definitely worthy of love, but I think a lot of people share your fear. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?I want to own and run a retreat center for the Saint John Society, almost more than anything. My husband and I spend our free time perusing realty websites for good plots of land, sketching out designs and layouts, researching other well run retreat centers, and discussing how we could find the funding. I tell everyone about our dream and pray for God to put the right people in my life to help see it to fruition.
Wow, somehow you've never told me that. Starting a retreat center sounds like a wonderful way to connect with other people. I hope you find a way to make it happen. So, what is the hardest thing you've ever done?Get over my pride, admit my faults, make amends, and correct wrongs in my life.
That is hard, and sadly something that we need to do over and over again. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?I am an Oregonian. I hike, I bike, I swim, I ski, and climb with the best of them. This venture couldn't possibly be as daunting as all the locals here in Aspen, CO claim. The path does not look that steep and it is less than 7 miles round trip and that's nothing compared to the 20 something milers I have completed back home. I stare up at the mountain side from the trail head to Hanging Lake and wonder where exactly the "trail" is. All I see is ice, solid ice probably 4 feet thick on all sides with no sign of wear.
"Well, lets go" my friend Sarah calls back to me. I don't believe tennis shoes are appropriate for this hike. The path, if you can call it that, is smooth, slippery ice without texture or notches and I can not figure out how to get a good foot hold to make forward progress. Slip after slip after slip back down the hill.
"You have to make heavy foot falls, don't be so delicate and cautious about it," suggests Sarah.
Finally, still unsure and anxious of every tiny movement I make, I begin to travel the direction I intend to. I ease into the motion and look around at the beauty of the simplistic scenery; the pure clean landscape freckled with aspen trees and revel in the crisp air that just hangs there motionless. With the summit in view, my legs are shaky and my lungs burn from the below zero air. Then there it is, Hanging Lake. Stunning. The brightest blue I have ever seen, surrounded by small waterfalls and vastness of space at the drop off. Truly a place worthy of awe, slight fear, humbleness, and grandeur.
Sarah and I linger for what seems like moments to take it all in, but actually a few hours pass before we head back down the mountain side. I am more sure footed on the way back down. The cold seeps into my bones and I ache. Almost back to the bottom, I stop to look back at the hiking group I just passed heading up the mountain in confusion. The trek had been very difficult for me, a fairly experienced hiker, and I just saw a little girl no older than 8 pass me with her father having no problem at all. As I try to focus my glance, I loose my balance, my feet come up in front of me and my tail bone hits the ice, hard. The pain is so great, I know I am going to loose consciousness, but can not get words to come passed my lips for help. I fall asleep and dream.
I felt as though I had been asleep for hours and was waking from the best sleep of my life. I first see snow covered treetops lining the illuminated grey sky and then Sarah's face. I can't hear or tell what she is saying to me and my ears are ringing. She helps my to a tree stump to sit down and explains that I fell on my rear end, sat there for a dazed moment then passed out and hit my head on the ice. She runs a few cerebral tests, you know the usual, follow my finger with your eyes bit. I seem okay, but she is very worried. A young man comes barreling down the hill, out for a jog, with an ARMY t-shirt on.
He stops, looks at me, looks at Sarah, "Do you ladies need help, everything okay?".
I tell him I am fine and that I can walk, but Sarah argues with me on the matter. ARMY t-shirt suggests he find someone with a cell phone in the parking lot and call for Search and Rescue to come get me, gives a cheerful encouraging smile and continues his run down the hill. I wait there on the stump for what seems like forever and start to freeze from not moving. A group of ladies in bright colored skirts, warm jackets, hats, mittens, and scarves come down the hill and ask if we need help. To my surprise, even in the cold, they offer me their scarves and a vest jacket and I graciously accept making sure they realize I would have no way of returning the items to them. We wait.
Sarah continues to ask me questions about anything she can think of to make sure I am still staying awake and alert, but I find all the questioning irritating, I just want to go back to that amazing sleep I was in. Finally, the Search and Rescue team arrives and does their routine, yet completely unnecessary positioning of a neck brace and place me on a stretcher with boards to keep my back perfectly straight. The Search and Rescue stretcher is no ordinary one, it has just one giant, fat, all terrain tire right smack in the middle and ropes on all sides so the crew can loop the ropes over their shoulders to carry me down. They lurch forward and I wail in pain. Every tiny bump from the tire right in the middle of my back hurts and my sore tail bone makes me wrench.
I drift back into painless sleep, but am called back over and over again by the same crew member telling me to stay awake, to tell him about my family, my pets, where I am from and on and on and on and I just want to tell him to shut up so I can sleep. I think I may have at one point. By way of ambulance I reach the local hospital, am admitted, and hooked up to monitoring devices all in a blurr. Next thing I know I feel better and have Sarah for company. I am a little fuzzy on the details of how I arrived in this hospital room. Sarah tells me I have a fracture 5th and 6th lumbar and a concussion. I try to process the information by locating my back in my mind and observing any sensation and I bring to awareness that I am wearing a very uncomfortable back brace and that I do in fact ache.
I ask Sarah if she caught the name of the young man who called help for me as I wanted to thank him. Sarah stared back at me, concentrating hard on my face. "What guy? There was no jogger you weirdo. We were hiking Hanging Lake, covered in ice remember? You could barely take baby steps through there, what guy could have been jogging DOWN the hill Mandy?"
Logically I knew she was right, but he was so real I couldn't make my brain believe he was not there. I could give a full, detailed description of what he looked like. So, dumbly, I proceeded to ask her about the ladies who gave me their scarves and vest jacket and about the little girl I turned around to look at especially since I saw her before I fell. Nope, non of these people existed. "Well, fine, how did search and rescue know to come for me then?"
Sarah did not have a good answer. She told me there was in fact one man, who came up the hill, offered his assistance by going back to his car and pulling out his wife's scarf and vest jacket to give me. She assumed this same man called on our behalf, but she couldn't be sure. To this day I am still very fuzzy on the details of my fall and a few months after my back had healed and the ice had melted, I returned to Hanging Lake.
Nothing was as I had remembered, everything seemed to be flipped and backwards. The stump I sat on was on the wrong side of the path, the lake was positioned a little differently, the parking lot design was reversed, and there was certainly no way a young man had been jogging down that path in a t-shirt. Maybe he was my guardian angel, maybe I just dreamt him up in my concussion stupor, who knows. I do know that I have terrible facial recognition and I forget descriptions of people almost as soon as they leave my sight, but 6 years later I can still give full detail of this ARMY t-shirt jogger.
The attached picture was taken when I went back to visit Hanging Lake after the accident.
Wow, what an amazing story. Even if the people you encountered on that mountain weren't real, I'm glad "they" helped you get back down.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
September 13, 2013
"Special"
Last week, I posted a line of dialog from the middle of COUNTING TO D. Today, I'm going super crazy and posting two whole paragraphs. But I have a reason. These two paragraphs are about diversity, which is what I really want to write about today.
I'm white, and I grew up in a town with very little ethnic diversity. So I don't feel qualified to talk about serious issues like racism. I know race issues are very real and important, and there should be more honest accurate characters of color in fiction, especially kidlit. Even if I know that, I don't feel qualified to write about it. I'll read it and promote the hell out of it when other people write it. But I don't know how to write it myself.
Race isn't the only thing that sets people apart though. The main character in COUNTING TO D is dyslexic. And the two paragraphs I'm posting today imediately follow a scene where one of Sam's friends calls her a retard.
I was angry when I headed toward Ms. Chatman’s room that afternoon. Graham and Lissa thought I was retarded. Graham had even said it. He called me a retard, right there in front of everyone. It was mean, but it was also kind of true. I had a learning disability, a very serious learning disability. And people with serious disabilities are disabled. I was disabled. Retard is a dirty word that nobody is supposed to say, but all it means is “disabled.” So it was true.
I tried to pretend it wasn’t. I tried to prove to everyone how smart I was. How special I was. Special. Yeah, I was that too. A special student on her way to special education. Special was a nicer word than retard—it was even nicer than disabled, but it meant the same thing. Special means “different.” Special means “not good enough.” That was me, not good enough.
So what makes you special? Is it the color of your skin? Or the thoughts in your head? Or the people that you love? Or something else?
I'm white, and I grew up in a town with very little ethnic diversity. So I don't feel qualified to talk about serious issues like racism. I know race issues are very real and important, and there should be more honest accurate characters of color in fiction, especially kidlit. Even if I know that, I don't feel qualified to write about it. I'll read it and promote the hell out of it when other people write it. But I don't know how to write it myself.
Race isn't the only thing that sets people apart though. The main character in COUNTING TO D is dyslexic. And the two paragraphs I'm posting today imediately follow a scene where one of Sam's friends calls her a retard.
I was angry when I headed toward Ms. Chatman’s room that afternoon. Graham and Lissa thought I was retarded. Graham had even said it. He called me a retard, right there in front of everyone. It was mean, but it was also kind of true. I had a learning disability, a very serious learning disability. And people with serious disabilities are disabled. I was disabled. Retard is a dirty word that nobody is supposed to say, but all it means is “disabled.” So it was true.
I tried to pretend it wasn’t. I tried to prove to everyone how smart I was. How special I was. Special. Yeah, I was that too. A special student on her way to special education. Special was a nicer word than retard—it was even nicer than disabled, but it meant the same thing. Special means “different.” Special means “not good enough.” That was me, not good enough.
So what makes you special? Is it the color of your skin? Or the thoughts in your head? Or the people that you love? Or something else?
September 9, 2013
LeeAnn's Story
What's Your Story?
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I'll interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to LeeAnn McLennan. LeeAnn is an aspiring scifi/fantasy writer who I met at a writing retreat last spring. I love both her fiction and her easy going disposition. I'm excited for this opportunity to get to know more about her.
So let's get started, LeeAnn, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
I am a computer engineer and scifi/fantasy writer. I am both introverted and extroverted – depending on time or day, mood, and how my writing is going. I live with three cats and a darling husband who is my best cheerleader. When I’m not working or writing I’m hiking or cooking or thinking about the fact that I’m not writing. I spend way too much time worrying about what others think. When I get over myself and stop worrying I find that life is pretty nice and fluid. So I’m trying to step outside my head more often.
Um, LeeAnn, aren't computer engineer's supposed to be good at math? That was 98 words, which last time I checked is more than 50. I'll try to forgive you if you keep your next answer concise. What do you love most in the world?
A good belly laugh.
Four words says it all. Laughter is wonderful. So what do you fear most?Not connecting with other people.
I think that is a very real fear for a lot of people, especially writers. The few times I've met you, I've found you very easy to connect with, so I don't think you need to spend much time cowering in fear. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
To be able to live comfortably as a scifi/fantasy writer who sometimes teaches. I’m working to get my first book published right now.
Good luck with that! I've only read the first chapter, but I loved it! I'm sure you will be able to find a place for it. And hopefully it will be a place that enables you to fulfill the rest of your dreams. Getting there won't be easy though. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
Facing my father after learning of his drug addiction. And ultimately, forgiving him for it.
That does sound hard. Your ability to forgive him shows what a strong person you are. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
A few weeks ago I had a hiking accident. I slipped down a steep slope, grasping for anything to arrest me but there was nothing to stop my fall. One after another I lost my new trekking poles, my hat, and most horribly my glasses. After about 30 feet I flew off a ledge into the air for another 30 feet, landed and slid for a final 30 feet.
I still don’t exactly know what stopped me, my backpack still on my back or the bark and rocks on the hillside, all I know is I did finally stop. As I sat there stunned and beginning to take inventory of my body I heard my husband shout my name in a strong voice. He says he didn’t know if I would answer. By then I could tell him I’d lost my glasses, was pretty banged up and had a lot of cuts but that in general I was okay.
The subsequent rescue by EMTs, ambulance ride to the hospital, examination and stitches have the quality of a movie of the week that happened to someone else. However I have two sprained ankles, bruises, and stitches to remind me it happened to me and not someone else.
One by one, almost like the items I lost while falling, I’ve shed the evidence of the fall; first the stitches came out, next the bruises began to fade (though they were sometimes replaced by new ones), then the swelling in my ankles went down so that I no longer have cankles. Three week later I can walk normally and most of the bruises have disappeared.
I’m still pondering if there is a lesson to be learned from my fall. Though I’m not sure if there really is one, here are a few observations; my husband is awesome under pressure, I am able to keep my sense of humor even when trapped in a ravine, I prefer to be well rather than laid up, and this won’t stop me from hiking.
Wow! What an ordeal. I'm so glad you're okay. Maybe sometime we can go hiking together, but only if you promise to stay on the trail.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I'll interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.
This week, I'm talking to LeeAnn McLennan. LeeAnn is an aspiring scifi/fantasy writer who I met at a writing retreat last spring. I love both her fiction and her easy going disposition. I'm excited for this opportunity to get to know more about her.
So let's get started, LeeAnn, describe yourself in 50 words or less.
I am a computer engineer and scifi/fantasy writer. I am both introverted and extroverted – depending on time or day, mood, and how my writing is going. I live with three cats and a darling husband who is my best cheerleader. When I’m not working or writing I’m hiking or cooking or thinking about the fact that I’m not writing. I spend way too much time worrying about what others think. When I get over myself and stop worrying I find that life is pretty nice and fluid. So I’m trying to step outside my head more often.
Um, LeeAnn, aren't computer engineer's supposed to be good at math? That was 98 words, which last time I checked is more than 50. I'll try to forgive you if you keep your next answer concise. What do you love most in the world?
A good belly laugh.
Four words says it all. Laughter is wonderful. So what do you fear most?Not connecting with other people.
I think that is a very real fear for a lot of people, especially writers. The few times I've met you, I've found you very easy to connect with, so I don't think you need to spend much time cowering in fear. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
To be able to live comfortably as a scifi/fantasy writer who sometimes teaches. I’m working to get my first book published right now.
Good luck with that! I've only read the first chapter, but I loved it! I'm sure you will be able to find a place for it. And hopefully it will be a place that enables you to fulfill the rest of your dreams. Getting there won't be easy though. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?
Facing my father after learning of his drug addiction. And ultimately, forgiving him for it.
That does sound hard. Your ability to forgive him shows what a strong person you are. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?
A few weeks ago I had a hiking accident. I slipped down a steep slope, grasping for anything to arrest me but there was nothing to stop my fall. One after another I lost my new trekking poles, my hat, and most horribly my glasses. After about 30 feet I flew off a ledge into the air for another 30 feet, landed and slid for a final 30 feet.
I still don’t exactly know what stopped me, my backpack still on my back or the bark and rocks on the hillside, all I know is I did finally stop. As I sat there stunned and beginning to take inventory of my body I heard my husband shout my name in a strong voice. He says he didn’t know if I would answer. By then I could tell him I’d lost my glasses, was pretty banged up and had a lot of cuts but that in general I was okay.
The subsequent rescue by EMTs, ambulance ride to the hospital, examination and stitches have the quality of a movie of the week that happened to someone else. However I have two sprained ankles, bruises, and stitches to remind me it happened to me and not someone else.
One by one, almost like the items I lost while falling, I’ve shed the evidence of the fall; first the stitches came out, next the bruises began to fade (though they were sometimes replaced by new ones), then the swelling in my ankles went down so that I no longer have cankles. Three week later I can walk normally and most of the bruises have disappeared.
I’m still pondering if there is a lesson to be learned from my fall. Though I’m not sure if there really is one, here are a few observations; my husband is awesome under pressure, I am able to keep my sense of humor even when trapped in a ravine, I prefer to be well rather than laid up, and this won’t stop me from hiking.
Wow! What an ordeal. I'm so glad you're okay. Maybe sometime we can go hiking together, but only if you promise to stay on the trail.
So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.
September 6, 2013
Life Outside The Box
I’ve never been a big fan of authors posting excerpts of their books on the internet, because most scenes don’t work all that well out of context. But today, I want to share a line from COUNTING TO D. Not a whole scene, just a single snippet of dialog. It's said about 150 pages into the book, but is kind of the whole point of the story. And it’s something we all need to remember. So here it is.
“Every advancement in human history, every scientific discovery, every artistic masterpiece, every new idea has come from an individual looking at the world in a new way. Thinking outside the box. So tell me, Samantha, why are you trying so hard to put yourself inside the box?”
Sam is a dyslexic teen desperate to be just like everyone else, but she’s note. And that's okay. She doesn’t learn to get by despite her differences; she learns to excel because of her differences. And at the end of the day, Sam’s uniqueness is what makes her just like everyone else. We all have things that set us apart. We can try to hide them in an endless battle for conformity. Or we can embrace them, and change the world in the process.
Wherever you live, and whoever you are. I hope you’ve found a box to stand on. ‘Cause the view is a lot better on the outside.
“Every advancement in human history, every scientific discovery, every artistic masterpiece, every new idea has come from an individual looking at the world in a new way. Thinking outside the box. So tell me, Samantha, why are you trying so hard to put yourself inside the box?”
Sam is a dyslexic teen desperate to be just like everyone else, but she’s note. And that's okay. She doesn’t learn to get by despite her differences; she learns to excel because of her differences. And at the end of the day, Sam’s uniqueness is what makes her just like everyone else. We all have things that set us apart. We can try to hide them in an endless battle for conformity. Or we can embrace them, and change the world in the process.
Wherever you live, and whoever you are. I hope you’ve found a box to stand on. ‘Cause the view is a lot better on the outside.
