What’s Up Wednesday
It’s time for me to post a weekly What’s Up Wednesday life update. If you’d like to join in with this blog meme, check out Jaime Morrow‘s blog for details.
What I’m Reading
THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey. I’m still reading it, so I’m not sure how to sum up the premise. For now, let’s just say it involves an attack upon earth that comes in waves, and appears to destroy the entire population. At least, that’s how Cassie Sullivan feels: like she’s the only survivor of the human race. I figured, given my current reading pace, it would take me the rest of the month to get through this book. Then I got sucked in, and stayed up way past my bedtime reading the first 100 pages. What’s drawing me in right now isn’t so much character, description, or anything like that. It’s the story, and the way it’s told. The premise is full of interesting possibilities, and Yancey is not squandering a good idea. He’s telling the story well, in a way that keeps me turning pages.
What I’m Writing
Still working on the revisions, gradually moving along, sometimes reading ahead and enjoying it, which is a good sign. I also wrote my Walk the Plank challenge for the YA Buccaneers. I usually don’t get to this until the very end of the month, but I decided to get on and do it early this month. I also posted it late last night, which I don’t normally do. Strange behavior for me. Was it a full moon? Anyway, if you want to read my spooky piece of flash fiction, visit yesterday’s post.
What Inspires Me Right Now
Not really writing-related, but as a Doctor Who fan, I am both inspired and excited by the recent discovery of nine previously lost episodes of the classic series. Until last week, there were 106 episodes of Doctor Who from the 1960s missing from the BBC archive. Over the years, episodes have turned up, but it was beginning to look like the well of opportunities was running dry. A find like this stirs the hope that there may still be more out there, and one day we’ll be able to enjoy again some of these long-lost stories. What is particularly gratifying is the fact that, thanks to this find, the story “The Enemy of the World” is back in the archive. That was one of my top five missing Who stories I’d like to see recovered.
What Else I’ve Been Up To
Not so much what I’ve been doing, but my kids have been cleaning the house in preparation for my Mum coming in a few weeks. FirstBorn has a to-do checklist, and even Fourth- and FifthBorn have cleaned and vacuumed their room! Makes me wish my Mum came more often…
What have you been up to this week?
I’ve heard so many great things about The 5th Wave – if I didn’t have so many books in my shelf and on my kindle waiting to be read, I would totally buy it.
Confession time: I never watched Doctor Who? *hides*
I haven’t finished THE 5TH WAVE yet, but I think it’ll be on my recommended reading list.
There are still some people out there who have never watched Doctor Who, Juliana, so even with a worldwide audience of 77 million, you are not alone. You ought to give it a try. But I warn you–people have been hooked by just one episode… 😉
I bought the 5th Wave for my kindle. ^^ After Cole raved about it on her blog I had to buy it. It sounded so interesting!
I’m enjoying it so far. I think you’ll like it, Robin.
I really enjoyed THE 5TH WAVE and totally got sucked into the story. Yancey definitely did a great job with this premise, which was a huge relief. As always, good to hear that you’re making progress on your WIP. I think as long as you’re loving what you’ve written, you’re on the right track! That’s cool about the missing Doctor Who episodes. When you love something that fiercely, more is always better. I still haven’t gotten around to watching any. I feel like TV is gobbling up all of my time these days. Time that could be spent reading or writing. That said, I’m definitely curious what all the fuss is about. 😉
Thanks, Jaime! I’m glad things are moving along editing-wise.
Give in to your curiosity… Doctor Who is calling you… 😉
I read your flash fiction earlier, spooky!
I’ve heard a lot of good things about The 5th Wave, I think I’m going to have to invest in a copy.
I’m glad you found my ff spooky, Laura–that was what I was going for! Yay! 🙂 And yes, THE 5TH WAVE is worth the investment.
I’ve heard of 5th Wave and it sounds fascinating. Glad you’re enjoying reading ahead on revisions. That’s always a good thing. 🙂 I’m so excited about the discovery of the missing episodes! I haven’t seen very much Classic Who but it’s cool that we’re that much closer to having a complete collection again. It’s sad to think that so many of the stories are still lost.
What’s sadder is that most of the missing episodes are from the Troughton era, and he’s my favorite Doctor. Which makes it all the more gratifying that the recent discoveries were all Troughton episodes! 🙂
I can’t imagine what it’s like not having grown up on Classic Who. But it’s so cool Who is attracting a whole new generation of fans. 🙂
I *LOVED* The 5th Wave. If you enjoy it, you must read Justin Cronin’s The Passage. It’s a similar concept but even better and also not YA so heavier and just even more epic.
I heard about the Doctor Who episodes. I love the idea of someone uncovering these things. It’s not quite uncovering a long lost civilisation, but it’s still quite exciting!
Similar but better? Wow–that’s setting the bar high. I’ll have to check it out! 🙂
It’s only exciting that the detective work involved uncovered these episodes, but to think there may be more out there waiting to be discovered… 🙂
I was just talking to a friend about those recovered Dr. Who episodes (in Nigeria, wasn’t it?). I don’t watch the show, but I still think it’s fascinating that bits of the series are being recovered decades after being lost. I hope you continue to enjoy THE 5TH WAVE. Like you, I thought it was an incredibly well-told story. I’m really looking forward to its follow-up! Best of luck with your revisions, Colin, and have a great week!
Thanks, Katy! Yes, the episodes were found in a store room in Nigeria. The guy who found them was tracking them down, but it’s still incredible that after all this time, episodes are still turning up. Incredible, and exciting. 🙂
I’ve heard the 5th Wave is good but it just hasn’t jumped onto my I MUST READ THIS list yet.
So far, I’ve watched one season of Doctor Who (the one with Christopher Eccelston). I’m not completely sold on it yet but I’m hooked enough that I’ll try season two. I definitely liked the episode where they went into the past better than the ones where they went to the future.
There are some books that get a lot of hype, and after reading them I don’t get what all the fuss was about. THE 5TH WAVE is *not* one of them! The adoration it has received seems, so far at least, to be well-deserved. Let me encourage you to put it on your IMRT list. And hang in there with Doctor Who–you may like the 10th Doctor! 🙂 If you enjoyed “The Empty Child” (“Are you my mummy?”), you’ve got some great episodes to come… 🙂
I haven’t read THE FIFTH WAVE, but I really like the premise, so I might have to add it to the pile. Good for you on plugging away diligently on those edits. You are an inspiration to the rest of us slackers. 🙂 And oooh, and new Walk the Plank Flash Fiction post…Yay! Going to have to go check it out.
Thanks, Kris! I feel like a slacker myself so often compared to all my industrious blog friends, so I’m just happy to be making progress! 🙂
If you *think* you’ll like THE 5TH WAVE, you probably will–add it to the pile! 😀
I vaguely remember my dad watching Dr. Who when I was a kid (sometime around early to mid 80s) and me watching by extension. No clue what happened, except I was completely freaked out by the episode and refused to watch again. I’m still more freaked out by sci-fi speculative stuff than full on horror.
Doctor Who is one of those shows that’s sometimes very sci-fi, and sometimes hardly sci-fi. Sometimes borderline horror, and sometimes more comedic than scary. I think part of the show’s appeal is that it is supposed to be family entertainment, and so it has something for everyone. If you love historicals, there are some great stories set in various times. If you like sci-fi, there are some quite other-worldly stories. If all you’ve seen is Classic Who, and it didn’t grab you, try some of the new series (post-2005). 🙂
Good luck with your revisions – I’m just starting on revisions of an ms I set aside for the summer. It feels good to be back at it again. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Thanks, Sara! I hope your revisions go well. 🙂
Wow, they freely vacuumed their rooms? That is amazing.
Glad they found those Doctor Whos. The old ones are my favorite too. Hope that doesn’t show the age 😉
Vacuumed their rooms, washed walls and doors–I was surprised!
I grew up on Classic Doctor Who, so I’m definitely old. But that’s not a bad thing at all. 🙂
Good luck with revisions, Colin! And sounds like you have some great kids there! My parents had to bribe us to even come near a vacuum 😉
Thanks, Julie. My kids are great, though this vacuuming and cleaning voluntarily is not typical behavior. It’s nice when they surprise us like this. 🙂
That book sounds interesting. I quite like the post-apocalyptic genre. I seem to have collected a fair few on my bookshelves! I am also excited about Doctor Who, although I still can’t believe that there are people in the world who don’t care whether they’ve found new episodes or not (ridiculous!). Can I just point out, I have been cleaning my room since the age of thirteen. I only complain about it once a week, too!