The Writing Life in the Midst of Wedding Planning

Writing hasn't been going at all since I got engaged. However, I did manage to finish Alden's Story. I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out overall, but there is some issue with the age of Alden. He starts out coming across as a ten year old, and ends up like a seventeen year old. Amusing, to say the least. This most likely happened because my characters grow in my mind as I write them, so they come across as childish initially, then slowly grow as I write the draft. I find this very interesting, but it's only interesting to those who find that sort of authorly thing interesting, and just ruins the story for everyone else. Also the seasons went from end of summer to beginning of winter over the course of the story. I'm not sure if it's because I wrote it by hand in a notebook, and thus it took longer, or if it's something I naturally do.

At any rate. First draft done! Now to move on to illustrations.

~Penny

Four Weeks Until Forever

As I've announced other places on the interwebz, I'm engaged! Dana proposed to me in the rain under the awning of the picnic area in the forest we take walks through all the time. I said yes several times while he was trying to finish his question, and kissed him the moment the ring was on my finger. Been waiting a long time to be allowed to do that.

So now, for the past several weeks, I have been busy almost every single day with both work, and wedding planning. And I'm not even doing most of the planning. A friend of mine loves organizing, so she's come to stay until the wedding. She carries around the clipboard I got her for her birthday and has endless lists that she won't let me look at because she knows my mind will explode. I am not an organizer, and schedules make me coil up inside. There is a special list -- a very short one -- that she lets me see on an as needed basis.

But we have the dress, and the bridesmaids' dresses, and the invitations, and the venue! For planning a wedding in five weeks flat, we are doing a pretty good job. And by we, I mean Lynnae and my Mother. They're amazing. If it weren't for them, I totally would have eloped by now.

~Penny