“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…
What I’m Reading: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and and Siobhan Vivian, which I’m loving (no surprise — I’m a huge fan of both authors). I’m also beta reading for Jennifer Pickrell. Her contemporary YA has been delightful so far.
What I’m Writing: Now that my Where Poppies Bloom revision is complete, I’m back to working on my road trip manuscript, The Road So Far. Normally I much prefer revising to drafting, but after the challenges Poppies presented, I am more than happy to be pounding out new words. More about it all HERE.
What Else I’ve Been Up To: I’ve skipped the last few What’s Up Wednesdays because things have been crazy with family and revisions and life, but I’m happy to be back. Here’s what’s been keeping me busy…
We spent Independence Day at the (insanely crowded) beach with my parents, Nana and Poppy, and then we met up with my brother and his girlfriend for BBQ and chocolate cake.
We had tons of fun hanging with Nana and Poppy in humid Florida for a week. 🙂
I spent last week shuttling my girlie to and from Zoo Camp, which she loved. (Win-win for Mama, who had tons of extra revising time!)
And, we’ve been taking advantage of Destin’s shopping, restaurants, and beautiful sunsets.
What’s Inspiring Me Now: Author Sara Zarr‘s “This Creative Life” podcast. I’m new to podcasts (if you have any recs, please do leave them in the comments!), but I’ve been catching up with this one obsessively. It’s awesome because it’s about as close as I’ll ever get to having a National Book Award finalist as a personal mentor. Sara is so wise and gracious and real, and I’ve learned so much from her and her guests (Stephanie Perkins, Nina LaCour, Siobhan Vivian, Nova Ren Suma, Sarah Dessen and Bennet Madison, to name a few). The conversations she has about creativity and balance and why/how/when creative people do what they do make me feel so… normal. And inspired. And like part of a community. All of the anxiety and doubt and fear and joy that’ve bounced around in my head as I try (and try and try) to get published are pretty standard, it seems. If you’ve yet to give “This Creative Life” a listen, I highly recommend it.
Tell me… What’s up with you today?
katyupperman.com 
I can never decide whether I like drafting or revising better. I kind of waffle back and forth on that. It’s good to hear that you’re enjoying getting back into drafting now though. Sometimes a switch in gears is great for the creativity! Speaking of which, I’ll have to check out Sara Zarr’s podcast sometime. I haven’t read any of her books yet, but have been meaning to for ages. Happy writing this week!
Oh, I LOVE Sara Zarr’s books, Erin. She writes with such nuance and addresses some really big questions in beautiful, sensitive ways. My favorites are HOW TO SAVE A LIFE, SWEETHEARTS, and ONCE WAS LOST (which I believe is now called WHAT WE LOST). Anyway, highly recommend her novels and her podcast! Have a great week, lady!
Glad you’ve been having so much fun with family lately! And oooh, I’ve never really listened to podcasts before, but I’ll have to check out Sara’s. 🙂 Have a great week, Katy!
I just started listening to podcasts about two weeks ago, and they’ve been awesome for keeping my mind busy while I’m working out or folding laundry or whatever. Sara Zarr’s is by far my favorite. Hope you have a wonderful week, Kaitlin!
I’m actually looking forward to drafting again, too, after dealing with a bunch of tedious, little editing details. Of course, I’ll probably be singing a different tune after a few weeks of writing in circles 🙂
I’ll have to check out “This Creative Life,” sounds like a great resource.
Have a fantastic week!
Grass is always greener when it comes to drafting vs. revising. Hope you enjoy “This Creative Life,” Jennifer, and have a great week!
I have a copy of BURN FOR BURN on my shelf, so I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. I’ve been wanting to read it for some time now. I bookmarked “The Creative Life” to listen to when I have a bit more time. It sounds fascinating! So, the hotel we stayed in this weekend had a feature wall that was all poppies. It made me think of you and your WiP. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week and that the AC isn’t being a jerk again.
I’m liking BURN FOR BURN a lot so far. I’m a fan of both authors’ writing styles, and the story is all about revenge, so that’s fun. 🙂 Yay for poppies, and thankfully, our AC has been cooperating for the last few days. *sigh of relief*
Good luck with your current WiP. I hope you shake off those revision cobwebs. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Leslie! Have a great week!
I’ll have to check out that podcast!
I’m happy to be back into drafting again, even if it’s been hard to shut off the inner editor lately! Sometimes it’s nice to get a good number of words down without worrying about nitpicky stuff.
Hope you have a great week! 🙂
My inner editor is a beast as well. She’s hard to shut up! Best of luck with your drafting, lady!
As much as I love polishing and revising books, particularly my oldest (which need the most serious revisions and edits), I enjoy the active creative process of writing more. Writing involves the creative part of your brain, and revising involves a much different part of the brain.
You’re totally right, Carrie-Anne. I’m happy to be back to that place of creativity and freedom. 🙂
Hooray for completing the revision. Good luck with the rest of the drafting. Both have their pros and cons, but there’s nothing quite like the rush of a first draft ^_^
Looks like a great family time. Have a great week!
Thanks, Cole. The grass is always greener, but I am really happy to be back to stockpiling fresh words. Have a wonderful week!
Congrats on all the revising!! Go you!!
And that podcast sound amazing, I’m going to have to check that out. I always love seeing all your fantastic photos. It looks like you guys had an amazing 4th!
Hope your week is splendid! 🙂
Let me know what you think of Sara Zarr’s podcast, Kris. I am enamored! I hope you have a fantastic week as well!
Congrats on completing your revision! I’ve missed out on the past few WuW’s as well, for similar reasons, but sounds like you’ve been busy with a fun summer 🙂 Have a great week!
Thanks, Victoria! Hope you were busy having fun too. Looking forward to checking in on your post. 🙂
I love Sara Zarr’s books. I’ll have to check out her pod cast. Thanks for the recommendation.
It’s fabulous, Kate! Let me know what you think!
I have Burn for Burn but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. It’ll be my first book written by both of these authors, so I’m not familiar with their writing. I’m glad to hear that you’re loving it! Sounds like you’re having a wonderfully busy summer. I hope you have a great week. 🙂
Siobhan Vivian’s THE LIST is amazing, and I adore all of Jenny Han’s books. Highly recommend, and so far, BURN FOR BURN is living up! I hope you’re having a great summer as well, Raven!
Zoo Camp! Why didn’t they have that when I was a kid? 🙂
Right?! My girl had tons of fun. Every morning when I dropped her off, I wanted to stay and hang out. 🙂
Oh, that sunset is so gorgeous, and I love all your family pics. So cute. Also, zoo camp sounds like something I so would have *loved.* 🙂
I need to get on this podcast thing. Sara Zarr’s sounds brilliant, and of course, I still need to catch up on the podcasts Sarah Enni has been doing. I know a lot of people like Welcome to Nightvale!
Have a great week, Katy! [And thanks for all your Loki love. I think you’re his biggest fan. :)]
Happy to be Loki’s biggest fan! His photos always make me smile. 🙂 And yes, check out Sara Zarr’s podcasts ASAP. I’ve listed to two of Sarah Enni’s as well, and they’re fantastic! Thanks for the Welcome to Nightvale rec… I’ll definitely give it a listen. Have a great week, lady!
You’re really good at titles. I’m very jealous. Both of those rock. Good luck on drafting! I hear ya about it feeling less complicated after the mess that is revisions. But still somehow, I prefer revisions overall. I must be crazy.
Thanks, Kris! In all honesty, I’m horrible with titles. POPPIES and ROAD are the only two I’ve come up with myself that I really like. All the rest were either suggested by friends, or are just super lame. 😉 Hope you have a wonderful week, lady!
Yay for revisions being done! and I LOVE the title Where Poppies Bloom. I am so thrilled for you that it’s on it’s way out (hint hint) and can’t wait to hear all the good things 🙂 I also adore Sara Zarr’s podcast series. Have a great week!
Thanks, lady! I’m happy to get good feedback on the title WHERE POPPIES BLOOM. I’m always so unsure when it comes to titles! Hope you have a wonderful week as well. 🙂
I’ve never been into podcasts but that sounds awesome.
I hear ya about wanting to switch it up. I prefer first-drafts over revisions, but it’s nice to do something different after spending so long doing one thing.
And creeping on the comment above, I also love your title WHERE POPPIES BLOOM. It conjures up an instant image and feel. Love it.
Thanks for your kind words regarding the title of WHERE POPPIES BLOOM, Melanie! I’m always so unsure about titles, so it’s super encouraging to get positive feedback. Have a great week!
Ooh, podcasts! I love NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour–it’s a group of four people who sit around talking about different pop culture topics each week, and then at the end they do a feature called “What’s Making Us Happy This Week” where they each share things–anything from books and movies to Twitter feeds and Youtube videos–that they discovered in the past week, or that they’re looking forward to. I’m also a big fan of This American Life–I find myself constantly referencing the stories they do because the topics are so varied and always fascinating.
Thank you for these recs, Jessica! I will definitely check them all out. You’re not the first to mention This American Life — I’ve heard it’s excellent. And I love pop culture, so NPR’s Happy Hour sounds like lots of fun. Thanks again, lady, and have a great week!
Florida fun with family–sounds like you all had an awesome time, Katy! And thanks for the podcast tip. I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time. I’ll definitely check it out.
Have a wonderful week!
Let me know what you think of the podcast, Colin, and have a great week!