Fill in the Blank, and a Promise

Fill in the blank. And here's a suggestion: whatever the thing is -- if it's possible -- make a plan to do it sometime soon.
My answer: I don't bake bread enough anymore, which makes me sad, because I love to bake bread from scratch, do all that kneading, and have the house smelling yummy all day. But I promise to try to make time for it sometime in the next few weeks.
You?
(A friendly reminder that I don't see comments on LiveJournal, Amazon, etc.... I only see comments made on my Blog Actual.)
Comments
Oh, and I love baking bread too. Yum.
And I'm getting my kindle soon.
I've never been too good at baking real bread. But I make good cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, muffins, cupcakes... etc.
This is some a function of being too old (and having friends who are too old) to go out on weeknights or start our Friday night at 11 p.m., and some a function of being single, and some a function of having other things take up my time.
But I will find some way to dance in the next month.
I'm outside all the time, but I never lay on the ground anymore. The last time I was down there was because I fell out of a tree...
Oh, and Kristin, the bread one is GREAT. My best friend and I used to get a bottle of wine and just make bread and drink wine, and eat fresh bed with herby olive oil all day long! And the dancing is great too Charlotte. I can't dance worth a lick, but it's so much fun anyway. My last good dancing was at Sirens... :D
* Play the viola I spent 20 years studying.
* Sleep--having a 3-year-old squealing and jumping on his bed all night kind of prevents that.
* Write. I swear the fact that I haven't made the time for it in a month is contributing to my insanity.
I did make time to bake bread last week...a delicious honey wheat bread. I was even in a generous enough mood to share it with some friends!
I have reams of excuses: instead of living in a house with six others with whom I shared cooking and cleaning duties, I live alone; I'm terrible at eating leftovers so I don't like to waste the money to cook a "real" meal instead of a handful of pasta or a can of soup; etc. etc.
But it is fall now, and time for chili and stews and other things I can make and freeze, and I am going to start cooking again.
There are many things that, at this time last year, I would have said I did not do frequently enough, like read, write, laugh, spend time outside.... And now I do those things so often that I start to take them for granted. Life seems to be an exercise in constantly shifting focuses and priorities. As soon as I decide to do more of one thing, I inadvertently drop something else.
I'm here at your blog for the first time Kristin, and AHHH!!!! Bitterblue!!!! YES!!!!! okay, sorry! You have no idea how much I love your books though... I don't do the whole fan thing. At all! But you, have risen to my favorite authors of all time. You're 2nd. Who's holding the place above you? Gail Carson Levine. (she wrote my first love- Ella Enchanted.) The world she created for Ella was so amazing. And you've done the same with your world for your characters. Which, is why I think I adore your writing so much!
And, I have to tell you, I am reading Fire right now (As slow as I can! I read about 100 pages a hour minimum.) and I had to stop and go do some things and AHHHH!!! I stopped right at part 3 and oh. my. I need to know what happens so terribly bad!! But, I don't want to go and read it because then it will be over and gone and that'd be so sad. I hate it when I don't have a book that I just can't put down. Which, I usually don't.
But, I am THRILLED to know that you will not be changing "worlds" and you will instead stay in the lands of your current books. That makes me VERY happy. Oh, and please don't ever feel you are writing about the same thing over and over again. Even if you were, that' d be okay. I love your strong, powerful, female characters. Fire, Kasta , Hopefully BitterBlue, They're very similar (but different enough!) but I think it works for you. So please don't go writing about some unsure, weak, maybe even ugly, female.
Wow. This turned out to be really long. Sorry about that! This is my first time writing in to an author though. So, hooray! So, in conclusion.... I would like you to write well quickly, write about the same slightly different things, and just continue on with your awesomeness!! Thanks for sharing your words with the world.
AND I have to finish Le Morte D'Arthur and Mists of Avalon for a lit class before tuesday...
Do you bake your bread with regular yeast, or sourdough?
But I can't start writing again soon because I have an essay due Monday, and another two that are "technically" due next Friday. ...*Panic*...
And THEN I have all my other homework. Blah. I can't wait till it's summer break again, or even better, I'm out of school....
I also, like some of the other parents here, don't sleep enough anymore. My children both end up in my bed every night, and they are like sleeping with two small, burrowing creatures.
I don't comment enough any more.
but im doing that now, and its because college prep schools give 15 billion pounds of homework each night.
i don't eat any more.
that's because i got my braces 2 days ago, so any one who has had braces understands my pain. i now look like ugly betty.
I think I'd need a few weeks off in a row to be able to get the kind of relaxation my body craves right now! Unfortunately, that won't be happening anytime soon. Poo.
In the meantime, reading in my big, squishy bed while my husband watches TV really loudly will have to suffice :)
Almost done w/Fire and I'm not ready for it to be over. Love it! You really are quite supurb, Miss Kristin!
All of my time is taken up by school and trying to forget about school. Oh, were that I could graduate early - but alas.
--candelion
Maybe I'll make time for that tonight.
I'm loving the responses -- thanks, everyone -- what cool readers I have!
Dear Kristin
I was thrilled to get FIRE. I've just finished it and it is wonderful! I forced myself to stop reading last night when I got to the big gala party scene. I wanted to savor that and what followed, so I waited until today.
It is a thoroughly satisfying read. Many thanks.
I look forward to all your coming books.
Seriously, I don't dance, knit, play my violin, write, sing, meditate, exercise enough anymore. What do I do? Work. 50 billion 12-14 hr shifts in a row.
I have a plan of action, though, that will hopefully make time for all those grounding/sanity restoring activities. I'm quitting my jobs and sequestering myself in a cabin in the woods.
Alright, alright, you don't need to flip into panic mode wondering how this crazy person is going to avoid becoming another drain on society. I'm not quitting, and sadly not running away, yet.
I have jump started a couple of projects that I hope will lead to some form of monetary return. I'd like to be able to scale down the hours worked outside of my house asap. I have also started teaching my neices how to play the violin and thereby forcing myself to play again as well. So far so good!
Thanks for your posts, Kristin! They always help me stay focused on things I need to be doing. Good luck with Bitterblue and thanks for reading my rambles.
Which depresses me. Since I moved from Chicago to a small town in the state of Washington is not the same anymore, I'm sad more often and I really miss the company and my lessons, but I'm thinking of moving to Seattle soon and get on with it, because where I live there's no places to go dance to. Well hope my circumstances change.
Love ya!
Now that I have real contracts and real book deadlines I thought it might be time to stay at the home office and just do. BUT . . . I miss the beach and the spontaneity that it brought to my books.
I hereby swear, if it's not really freezing this weekend, I will walk and plot.
Love your books, btw:]
Kat Black
The Book of Tormod Series:
A Templar's Apprentice
I love making bread from scratch, I did that every week when my daughters were little...maybe I'll do that this weekend inbetween grading papers and laundry.
Kristen, thank you for the reminder today, I really needed someone to remind me to slow down and enjoy life more than I have been lately.
Perhaps because I feel very content these days. Still, there is nothing like a good cry sometimes...
On another note, I am reading Fire. Simply fascinating! Thank you, Kristin, for writing such strong and interesting female characters.
Is this something to do more of though? Or should I just accept that my life is different now and what I'm doing now is good enough?
I used to read all the time. Like, pick up a book and finish it that day. Im completely ashamed that I haven't read Fire yet. I've been waiting all this time for it but school has kept me completely busy.
T-T
I also don't read your blog as much anymore. I dont get on the computer much. =[ Your blog is always filled with interesting comments and new information. *sigh* Im sorry.
I will have to do something about this.
have read both of your books and lived them with great pleasure. Love is never wasted nor is it perfect.It is such a wonder to find writing that conveys so much in so little time. Thank you very much. I hope that you share in the joy of your stories as much as we do.Live long and prosper, young one. The world needs your kind of magic stories.
Congrats and blessings,
Lilly Doyle
Just wanted to say congrats for getting voted in the top 10 teen books for 2009: http://www.examiner.com/x-15378-San-Jose-Young-Adult-Literature-Examiner~y2009m10d24-Teen-Read-Week-2009-comes-to-a-close
Barbara
mmmm. bread.....
And this has nothing to do with this particular bloggish comment, but I am really liking you so far xD I saw your books in the bookstore yesterday while birthday-present shopping for a friend, and ended up buying Graceling for her. I was soooo upset I didn't have enough money to buy one for me to, so now I've begged my grandma to get it for me for my birthday (which just happens to be tomorrow). Anyway so I looked you up out of curiosity and found this, and read your bio and writing process, and I've decided I really really have to read your books! In your writing proccess thingy, "When I go for walks in the neighborhood I carry a pen and post-its and can often be seen exclaiming in triumph or scowling or laughing maniacally." was when I started laughing and said out loud to myself, "I really like this woman." ^_^ You have another fan.
From a fourteen-in-one-day-year-old writer/roleplayer who literally -just- got a $30 Barnes and Noble gift card from her dad's friend like 3 seconds ago, while she was in the middle of writing this, and is spazzing out and planning to go to the bookstore and buy Graceling and Fire at the nearest opportunity.
please dont think im crazy but to all you stressed out people take a day off. dont say you cant, ive heard that one before, and trust me you can. if you take one day off to unwind and do whatever you miss doing, and get some rest, the wourld will smile at you again
Isis
Might i add that I adored it? Thank you so much for being an author and writing the books you do.