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I threw snowballs, donned fake lashes, and opened my door to a complete stranger bearing flowers. I climbed towers, paddled rough waters, and watched my daughter run to school for the first time like nothing was changing. I swung from monkey bars, visited old haunts, and came face to face with a frog.
And in the midst of it all, I took pictures. Lots of pictures.
[Click here if you would like to see the photo slideshow of 2010 highlights.]
I documented everything
Whether it happened in 2010 or when I was 10, I wrote about it.
- January- Moshing to the Beat of Her Own Drummer
- February- Better than any Balloon
- March- Girls Who Wear Dresses
- April- Lost Rivers & College Friends: Part I
- May- Summer of ’85
- June- On a Sting and a Prayer
- July- Carolina in My Mind
- August- On Top of (and Beneath) Old Smoky
- September- Model for a Day
- October- The Spirit Makes the Master
- November- How to Interpret Yearbook Signatures
- December- The Best Christmas Program Ever
I read good stuff
And in the process, I learned I’ve been using too many adjectives and adverbs. I’ll work on that in 2011, along with giving up People magazine and drastically reducing my caffeine consumption.
- A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
- Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
- The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells
- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
- On Writing Well by William Zinsser
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
- Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
- Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
- The Last Single Woman in America by Cindy Guidry
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
**********
May 2011 bring more books, more stories, and more camera-worthy moments. And may writer’s block stay where it belongs– far from me, along with People magazines and wolf spiders.
Sorry to inform you, but OUR People subscription doesn’t expire until July 2011!!!
Oh, snap!
That was a lovely little photo album Allison, thank you. You make contentedness look easy.
Thank you!
Really? Too many adjectives and adverbs? I hadn’t noticed. Perhaps I too am guilty of that very same thing. Crap!
Yeah. Can you believe it? Apparently I’ve been letting adjectives and adverbs do the work, when I should really just be looking for a noun or verb that fits so perfectly it doesn’t need any help. So much for my yellow daffodils.
2011 here we come!
Mmmmm Hmmmm.
I can’t imagine giving up the occasional People. Would love to hear more about the motivation behind this. Guilty pleasure. Cannot fly on an airplane without Ativan and a People mag. I am so intrigued by your decision, A! Your writing has gotten amazing over the past couple of years and I love, love LOVE that you are writing articles. Keep up the good life, girl!
Reasons I feel I need to give up ‘People’ magazine:
1. They keep me from reading more substantial literature.
2. It wouldn’t take much to be more substantial than ‘People’.
3. They use sensationalistic headlines to lure me into mediocre stories.
4. Over time I recognize fewer of the people featured…a combination of not watching much tv anymore…not watching any reality tv…and not being 20 years old.
5. I loathe articles about celebrity kids. Their kids are no more important than mine. Just better dressed.
6. I loathe articles about how celebrities “make their love work”…especially after 6 months of marriage.
7. Jon & Kate.
8. Did I mention the stack of books I should be reading instead?
That being said, I’m completely addicted to the picture section at the beginning of the magazine. And if you gave one to me on a plane, I’d read it from cover to cover and then gossip with my boss about what I read later.
On a completely different topic, thank you very much for your kind words about my writing!
Welcome back
I’m so in love with your pictures Allison! you are truly gifted at capturing moments both with a camera and with a pen (or keyboard).
Thank you! I’m lucky to have a willing photographer accompanying me on so many outings (and parents who gave me a really nice camera.)
Funny you should say that about the pen and keyboard. I actually write things by hand before typing them. It’s horribly inefficient, but I seem to think better with a (paper) notebook in hand. How do you write? Paper first, or straight to computer?
And speaking of paper, I don’t know if I would ever be a good candidate for an e-reader, because it’s much easier for me to read lengthy material on paper than on the screen. Which is the main reason I’m so behind on your book. Are there any plans to put it to paper?
I write better when I write my first drafts by hand. I always have a notebook with me, though lately I haven’t been using it very much. I wrote the entire first draft of Twenty-Five (the book I’ve been posting on my blog) with pen on paper. When I try to write on the computer, it just doesn’t work as well. That’s why I named my blog “I Picked Up A Pen One Day.”
As far as putting the book to paper, well, I can’t afford self-publication and I’m too chicken to submit to agents, so it will probably be a while! But no worries if you can’t read it on the computer- it’s not good enough really for me to even post it but I thought it would give me motivation to work on some other pieces.
First and foremost, it is absolutely good enough to post. Quit that.
Second, have you considered “slurping” it to Blurb so that friends and family, at the very least, could purchase a printed copy. I slurp my blog every now and then, and have been very happy with Blurb…though I’m sure there are other companies that do the same thing.
I’ve never heard of “slurping to Blurb”- is that a website? I would love an actual physical copy, but didn’t know if I could make just one
Ok, I have to say I’m now inspired to write more in the coming year and take many more pictures, just so I can have an end-of-year recap one-tenth as good as this one.
Excellent work, both on this post and on your blog in general. I look forward to next year!
You write better comments than most people– myself included– write posts. I look forward to reading more of both next year!
I’ve been trying to figure out how to lure you to Atlanta. Could I bribe you with Molasses Men? Feeding and/or sharing them with my ponies?
Now why would you give up “yellow daffodils”? After all, they come in white and salmon. What if your readers want to know what color the daffodils were? Perhaps they set the tone of your setting?
Personally, I like adjectives and adverbs. They make life more colorful. Unfortunately, they’ve been dancing in my head, like sheep to count, at night. Dude is having a hard time identifying them with his school work. We’ve been working on them for a couple weeks now.
Yes, I can be bribed with molasses men. I’m even willing to share with ponies
.
On the topic of adjectives, Strunk and White said: “The adjective hasn’t been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place. This is not to disparage adjectives and adverbs; they are indispensable parts of speech.” So, I’m not going to ditch them altogether. I just want to make sure I’m not using them to rescue a bad noun.
And I had no idea daffodils came in any color other than yellow. I am hopeless when it comes to gardening. (I kill cacti.)
Another thought…
You could always just play Mad Libs and get your fill of adjectives and adverbs too! I bet Abby would have a blast helping you fill the pages out.
I love that idea! I haven’t played Mad Libs in forever. Must find some!
And another thought…
Have you gone to Target or Borders and played with a Kindle? I was anti-reading device until I played with a Kindle. It looked like paper! I thought it was a sticker on the screen, but it wasn’t. The screen isn’t back-lit, which gives me headaches. Since I received one for my birthday, I can always tell you what I think after a couple months usage too.
I seem to have a lot of scattered and rambling thoughts recently! Sorry!
A friend just got a Nook, and I have to admit, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. My big thing is that I do most of my reading at the gym, so I’m not sure how well an electronic device would hold up to sweat and potential droppage. You’ll have to let me know what you think of yours.
I like rambling. Ramble away.
Great post! Love your photos and blog highlights of the year. I gave up People magazine this past summer and it’s the best thing I’ve done. I didn’t give it up because I wanted to be more literary. But because I was so appalled at the editorial content and how much it focused on body image. I actually wrote about it here: http://leahsthoughts.com/2010/07/29/farewell-people-magazine-hello-positive-body-images/
Good luck with the caffeine. That I can’t give up! Can’t wait to read your blog in 2011!
Thank you for stopping by. And especially thank you for passing along your link. I read that particular issue too, and thought the EXACT SAME THING about Jennifer Love Skinny. I remember when they featured her defending herself when people said she was “fat”, claiming she was a healthy weight, and happy just the way she was. Apparently she wasn’t happy just the way she was.
I quit reading beauty magazines years ago because they made me feel anything but beautiful.
I hope “The Help” movie adaptation is even half as good as the book!
Pingback: That was so 2010 — My Bad Pants
Wonderful photos! And set to Jack Johnson… one of my favorites! I hope your 2011 is as good as your 2010 …and I hope mine is too!
I’ve missed that avatar! BTW, I’ve always wanted to ask (but have been ashamed in case it was somebody famous I should know about), who is that?
I love that song. I heard it in yoga class, and became obsessed with finding it. I can’t believe it came from the Curious George soundtrack.
Thank you for the well wishes, and I hope the same for you!
The avatar is Buster Keaton… So exciting that you DON’T know about him! Go forth and learn! :^)
Jack Johnson is one of the best, though my favorite from the “Curious” soundtrack is “Talk of the Town”… Kind of a personal anthem of mine. :^D
Thanks for saying ‘exciting’ instead of ‘disappointing’.
That’s a good one too. The whole soundtrack is amazingly good, particularly considering it was for a kid movie. I liked “With My Own Two Hands” also.
May I add that I have also missed your presence in the blogosphere Adam? Well I have. Hope you’re well. Last we knew of you you were fighting shingles.
And yes, Allison. Buster Keaton is absolutely worthy of your attention.