This was a tag from Bella back in the beginning of January, which I'm not finally getting to. (Congratulate me, friend! Two blog posts in March!) It was supposed to be a New Year's Tag, but since I'm so late, it's going to be a "2015: A Summary" tag. So whatever.
1. What was the single best thing that happened last year?
Um, let's see. Honestly, probably going to Carmel and visiting a couple of the missions. That was such a wonderful and epic trip. My older sister and I went for three days and it was just really lovely. Plus, the ocean was gorgeous! (I think I might love the ocean.)
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
I had a two-day jury summons, waiting while the judge and attorneys tried to decide on jurors.
3. What was the most memorable thing?
Christmas. Christmas was definitely the most memorable thing about last year.
4. What did you get really, really excited about?
'Kay, I was able to go to this thing called WordWave, where I got to meet an agent from Fuse Literary. That was really cool and exciting and SO helpful for my query and synopsis.
I was also excited to hear that Prison Break is getting a new season. YAY! :-)
5. What song/album will always remind you of 2015?
Josh Groban's STAGES CD. Especially "What I Did For Love" and "Dulcinea."
6. How did you spend your Christmas?
Epicly! (Epically?) We had Midnight Mass privately up near where we live, and we got some pretty awesome snow Christmas Eve, so we had these huge soft drifts everywhere, and there was a full moon that night, so I wished on it.
Christmas is always glorious in our house. We light the Christ Candle first thing and sing Joy to the World, and put Baby Jesus in the manger. My dad always gets a fire going and makes sausage rolls and puts down a pot of coffee, and we open stockings and eat food and drink mimosa and/or orange juice and coffee and pass out gifts and get really, really loud. We had a lot of people over that day, too. We have a friend who moved to Tahoe from Wyoming, and her brothers came for dinner, which was our traditional gnocchi and ham. We also had a snowball fight later that night, and it was pretty freakishly cold out there, which probably wasn't good for all of us with our wicked chest colds. We were all:
7. What was a hardest thing you to face in 2015?
I don't even know. Maybe... That one time... Or perhaps... Nope, I got nuthin'.
8. What were the best movies you saw in 2015?
Antman, Age of Ultron, and The Scorch Trials, because Marvel, because AVENGERS, and obviously because Dylan O'Brien.
9.What were the best books you read in 2015?
What Came From The Stars by Gary Schmidt; The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski.
10. Was there any awesome/fun TV show you discovered in 2015?
I was briefly hooked on Person Of Interest, then a female character was introduced who sort of usurped my boys, Reese and Finch, and I later discovered she was having a relationship with another female and I lost interest. I restarted 24, though. (Still adore Jack.)
11. Did you discover any new musicals?
Yes! Finding Neverland, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.
12. Did you write any new books?
I am mostly revising books I've already written - namely, DragonFire and Fulcrum. I had been kicking around an idea concerning nightmares, and that one has really taken off this month. I've been actively writing it a few hours each night. I'm pretty excited about it. :-)
13. Did you make any new friends?
14. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
15. Is there some change you will have to go through in 2016?
Gosh, I hope not. Well, I'd like to move. But otherwise... Gosh, I hope not.
16. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Pinterest.
17. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
Life is hard, but trust in God. Worry gives you insomnia.
18. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"He will always hate me / No matter what I say / And there is no mistaking the love is gone."
(This is actually a man's song, so I had to change the "she" in the original lyrics to "he".)
19. What are five things you want to do in 2016?
a.) Land an agent. (That makes me sound like I'm hooking a fish. Sorry, agents!)
b.) Buy a piano and start composing music again.
c.) Go to one of the two SCBWI Annual Conferences in either LA or New York (though since I didn't get tax returns this year, that's probably not going to happen this year).
d.) Get a better job.
e.) Move.
20. Describe 2015 in your own words.
Truly, not the best year I've ever had. It had it's ups and downs, and I was mostly very worried and stressed during it. I concentrated on trying to be a bit more trusting and take it one day at a time. I sometimes felt like I was doing good with that, but then someone would say, "Are you okay? You seem sad," and I so I guess I wasn't being as brave as I'd thought I was being.
2015 did have some epic moments - Carmel and WordWave and Christmas were three incredible highlights to the year and I want to go back to check out more of the missions in the very near future. That's a definite To-Do. I also got myself submitting to agents, which is an A+ for me in regards to my courage. (Submitting to agents is scary!)
However, I seem to have grown more antisocial. The best thing in my life is going to my little home and being alone, with no people other than my sisters. And Netflix. (Seriously, guys. NETFLIX.)
So that was my last year.
 |
| And this was my relationship with last year |
God bless.
The Cat Add a Comment
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Really interesting post, Gillian, and I am in awe of people who have soundtracks to their writing or to a specific book. I'm one of those writers (surely there must be more then me?) who don't have a sound track to any book, other than sound effects. Writing comes to me visually. For me, if there's any music, it messes up the rhythm of the words for me, tries to control the emotions and the pace, and furthermore I can't hear what my characters are saying. I do like music, and it annoys me that I can't manage the two together. Now, if I was an illustrator . . .
I don't have a theme tune and I can't write at all if there is music playing because I just concentrate on the music. Nor does writing come to me visually. I hear the words narrated in my head, as I am writing. I can't imagine doing it any other way.
Glad you posted early Gillian... my entire family is out golfing and I'm beginning to feel what a sad life I lead if I'm in front of my laptop on a Sunday afternoon writing!!!
Great post.Yes, wasn't Bill Bailey tremendous. I seem to write all my books to The Mission soundtrack - Gabriel's Oboe etc. But if you look at some of the other titles on the CD... Remorse, Penance, Refusal, Alone... I begin to wonder about myself! Maybe there's a reason why I'm closeted away!
So that's why you were singing that annoying Kaiser Chiefs song! But Kenny Rogers "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" is sooo wonderful and evocative...yes, and I'm not too cool to say that, either! But that song is like a novel in itself, so doesn't slot in easily with other themes.
As well as casting actors for my characters, I too have tunes in my head that go with my stories, but there's no one song, more a series of them...can give you playlist for Toonhead, after you've read it!
I don't have a soundtrack either but I do see scenes visually as I write, at least most of the time.
I have tried, once or twice, to listen to music but that was more to create a specific atmosphere, spooky or crashing waves type of music, but I can't write while listening to anything with words (or that I know the words to) otherwise the words to the music are in my head and I find it very distracting.
Really interesting to find how everybody else does it! I don't have the music playing as I write - yep, that would be distracting, and you're right Penny, it would interfere with the rhythm of the words. It really is more like a trailer that I play over and over in my head when I'm thinking about the book (and ignoring my poor kids) - little scenes cut together (I'm a frustrated movie director). I do play music while I'm editing, if it's quite straightforward editing. And if I'm out for a walk because I'm putting off writing, I'll play the playlist on my iPod and hope I get some inspiration.
Fiona, I would LOVE to know the playlist for Toonhead when I've read it! I was hoping it would come today but nae luck...
Yes, Gillian, I'm exactly that way too! I look for soundtrack fodder all the time - on many occasions, a song has even shown me the way in the plot. Perhaps I'll think: with a song like this, something tragic has to happen... what??
I even went to the extent of getting a guitarist friend of mine to compose music for my Cat Kin website. The result, with crashing chords, miaowing guitars and hissing hi-hats, definitely powered the writing of the second Cat Kin book, kicked it up the tail and made it more exciting.
I have to have silence when I write. Well. Maybe birdsong.
My tunes are ONLY in my head; like you, Kath, I must have silence.
Nick, you have a personally composed soundtrack? I am SOOOO jealous!!
Yes, I get hints from songs too - even when I don't know what they are. I have practically had shop assistants by the lapels, going, 'WHAT was that SONG? WHAT!'
I listen to loud music while writing fiction but need total silence for non-fiction. And the music has to be just right - when I get the right album I will play it over and over and OVER. So, The Passionflower Massacre was written almost entirely to REM's Around the Sun. Deathwatch was written to the Kaiser Chiefs (including quite a lot of Ruby ...). And what I'm writing now is mostly Cold Play's Vida le Vida.
We're a weird lot, aren't we?