Aah, Friday… How I ♥ you!
1. I’ve been doing lots of fall-inspired baking lately. Last week I whipped up the best apple cobbler EVER using Fiji apples my girlie and I picked at a local orchard. And yesterday I made pumpkin fudge, my first attempt at legit candy using a candy thermometer. I think Jillian would be proud!
2. I’m officially signed up for NaNo (my profile is HERE — let’s be writing buddies :)), and my story idea (read: PLOT — characters are easy!) is starting to take shape. Thank you, long morning runs! Next week I’m going to attend a meet-and-greet with locals who are also NaNo-ing. I’m very excited to meet some California-based writers, and to dive in to my new project. Yay for National Novel Writing Month!
3. We’ve been having a stretch of gorgeous weather here in Central California, and I am in heaven. I love sun and warmth and tan lines and afternoons at the beach. Last Sunday my family and I had one of those perfect Indian Summer days, one we spent kayaking and fishing and picnicking at a nearby lake. We capped it off with terrible-for-you pizza at a dive just off the highway. It was fantastic.
4. How to Plot a Novel in 27 Easy Steps… These videos by “Plot Whisperer” Martha Alderson are amazing. If you haven’t watched them, you should. Like, right now. Most are somewhere between five and ten minutes, and they’re like attending a free workshop on painless plotting right from the comfort of your couch. I took frantic notes and pondered my NaNo WiP while watching, and I learned SO MUCH. Thank you, Ghenet Merthil, for introducing me to the Plot Whisperer! (I’ve included the first video below, and the rest are on YouTube.)
5. Big things are happening here at the blog this Monday (as well as at the blogs of a few of my friends!). Be on the look-out for a post chock-full of information on something reading-related and awesome. (Don’t you love when people post enigmatic hints about wonderful things, then make you wait for the details? ;))
What are you up to this weekend, friends?
katyupperman.com 
Oooh chock full of awesome? Sign me up! Great pics Katy and happy Friday to you! Can’t wait to hear all of the wonderful things you’ve got going on come Monday (cue Jimmy Buffett lol).
Yes! Love the Jimmy Buffett reference, Lindsay… He’s one of my faves. See you back here on Monday, and have a great weekend! 🙂
Mmm, I can’t wait to start some fall baking myself!
I plan to do lots of writing this weekend and to finish The Raven Boys – although I may be done with TRB tonight b/c it’s hard to put down!
Looking forward to Monday’s news!
Fall is such a great time of year for baking. There are so many awesome recipes that call for apples and pumpkin! I loved THE RAVEN BOYS… Can’t wait to post about it for YA Book Club at the end of the month. Have a great weekend, Jennifer!
Yay for NaNo! I added you as a buddy. I’m Calimero over there. 🙂
I’d never heard of the Plot Whisperer. I’m excited to watch the videos.
Have a great weekend!
I hope you enjoy the Plot Whisper videos, Dana! I still have a few more to watch, but so far I think they’re AMAZING. Looking forward to NaNo-ing with you!
That b&w shot of your hubby and girlie is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Can’t wait for Monday’s reveal 🙂
Thanks, Erin! I asked them to do something sill, and that was the result. I love it too. ❤
Awesome post, Katy! Oooh!! Those deserts look so yummy – I did make some pumpkin bread last week but am inspired now to do more 🙂 Aw, love the picture of you and your girlie in the sunglasses. Kayaking and pizza sounds like such a perfect day! And I am also getting totally excited for you about NaNoWriMo! Can’t wait to hear about your experiences, and thanks for those great Plot Whisperer links! Definitely wondering what Monday will bring now 🙂 Big hugs!!
Mmm… pumpkin bread! I can’t make that because my husband and I love it too much and we can’t control ourselves when we have a fresh loaf in the house. 🙂 Hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend, Tem!
That fudge looks AMAZING! Also, I decided to go forward with NaNo, so thanks for sharing those videos! Have a great weekend and can’t wait until Monday!!
Yay for NaNo, Liz! I’m glad you decided to give it a go. And even if we don’t officially “win” with 50K, I say any new words we write are a win for our WiPs. Looking forward to experiencing the NaNo craziness with you!
I’m glad you liked the Plot Whisperer videos! I need to re-watch them before NaNo starts. I have my characters figured out but I’m still trying to figure out my plot. Less than 2 weeks to go!
I’m in a similar place, Ghenet. Characters are so easy for me, but giving them an actual plot is where I always seem to struggle. Why can’t I write about my awesome characters just going about their daily lives?! Thankfully, the Plot Whisperer is helping me along with it all. 🙂
NaNoWriMo! I’m doing it too, Katy. I’ll add you as a buddy. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the link to the “Plot Whisperer” videos. They are exactly what I need right now!! Ooh, and if you haven’t seen them already, Dan Wells’ videos on story structure are AMAZING. Sooo helpful.
I haven’t watched Dan Wells’ videos, Bridgid, so thanks so much for mentioning them. I’ll definitely check them out before NaNo begins. I’m looking forward to beginning a new project with you and all of my other NaNo-ing friends. 🙂
Cool! I hope the videos are helpful. Good luck with your NaNo prep! 🙂
I need to take a day and watch those videos. I keep meaning too. Super cute pic of your daughter and hubs.
Thanks, Jaye. I think they’re pretty cute myself. 😉 The Plot Whisperer videos are fantastic, so I hope you get a chance to watch them. Have a great weekend!
The fudge looks so good. I’ll have to check out the plot whisperer.
Hope it’s helpful, Kirsten!
Great pictures as usual, Katy! And now my interest is way beyond piqued over this Monday thing. 🙂
Oh, good… Looking forward to tomorrow’s post. 🙂
Oh yes! I forgot about those videos. I watched them all last year. Should re-visit those. 🙂 Fudge looks amazing!
Thanks, Nicole! It turned out to be a crowd-pleaser. 🙂 Hope revisiting the videos is as helpful to you as watching them has been for me.
I second Dan Wells’s videos…they’re great!
Oh, great! Thanks for weighing in, Rachel!
Ooh, good luck with NaNo! And yeah, still super jealous of your awesome Sunday of sun and kayaking and picnicking.
Thanks, Sophia… Are you NaNo-ing? I’m obviously trying to pressure as many people as possible into it. 😉
Beautiful pics. You all look so happy….
I’m thinking of NaNo, but not sure…I have a couple ideas in my head but not sure of the story yet. I was hoping to roughly outline something before doing NaNo in order to avoid the inevitable block of “going nowhere”.
I need to decide on which idea/story to pursue. I keep putting it off …because it is hard 🙂 (or because I’m making it harder than it needs to be!).
Oh, it’s definitely hard — for me at least! I’m going to spend some time this week working on my NaNo plot, and I’m going to try to lay the first several scenes so that I know where I’m going and can start strong. From there, though… We’ll see!
Such lovely, happy pics. Looking forward to Monday’s reveal!
Thanks, Rebecca. 🙂
Hmmmmm cobbler looks delicious!!! 😀 I think Jillian would be very proud 😀
The pic of your girlie and your hubby is priceless, love it! And you and your girlie look adorable together – as always.
Yay for NaNo, I´m excited, especially because it´s also pushing me to finish this next round of revision before November. So I´ll be querying *gasp* at the same time as NaNo-ing…
Hope you´re having a lovely weekend (despite waking up in the middle of the night :P)
Yay for querying, Elodie! I think NaNo will be a great distraction, and a great way to keep yourself busy during that crazy time of ups and downs. Best of luck to you… I’m keeping my fingers crossed for great success in your NaNo effort, AND your querying efforts!