Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday dear Anne! Happy Birthday to me!
This birthday is a milestone, and a mood stabilizer for sure. 51. Yup. 51. I really can't believe it myself. How did I ever get to be this old? My only consolation is that the 50's are supposed to be the new 30's. Which is nice. I liked being in my 30's. Well, my early 30's anyway. I was hot!
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change anything in my life, because I wouldn't be where I am today. And the Monster is the prize at the end of my rainbow. So, in retrospect, I would never change it anyway.
However, there are several things I would have done differently if I could. I would have THOUGHT about the consequences of my actions BEFORE jumping blindly in with both feet. I would have been kinder. I would have looked at the future instead of only being in the moment. Be that as it may, there is no magic wand, no fairy god-mother to "poof" my mistakes away. And besides, mistakes are what make you who you are. And in my case, great fodder for my books.
During my writing break, I've been thinking about my new main character Kate, a lot. (Romantic women's fiction) Who she is, who her family is, what she wants, what's she's going to do about the predicament I've placed her in. If I'd lived a more boring and sedate life, lived by societal rules and been the person my parents wanted me to be, Kate wouldn't have the plot line she does now.
But because of my "wild life" (oh, yes, I was a wild child. Remember I grew up in the late 70's early 80's) I've had my share of oh-my-God-that-episode-was-something-you-could-only-read-about-in-a-novel moments. If I wrote a memoir, people would think it was fiction. They would say "She couldn't have done THAT!" But yes, yes I could have and did. (Did I ever tell you about the gun-fight I walked into the middle of at the Silver Dollar Casino in Nevada? True story.)
And now Kate gets to live some of those episodes. (Not the gun-fight, I'm saving that for someone else.) The same way that Genna lived some of my episodes in Remembering You. Watered-down versions from those I've experienced. I mean, I can't have people suing me can I? (My sister-n-law for one.)
Tell me -- How much of your "real life" do you put in your stories? Would people believe you if you told them some of your "episodes" from your "wild child" days? Were you a "wild child"? When's your birthday?
Anne Gallagher (c) 2013
20 comments:
Happy Birthday! May your day be full of fun. :)
As for how much of my life winds up in my books...I'll never tell. *grin*
Happy Birthday!!!
Just a little scrapings of my life show up in my books. LOL
"Wild" was NEVER a word that would have described a younger me (not an older me, either and I'm 5 years older than you). I was always the cautious one. The one who was sure would get in trouble if I even tried. Probably why I have so much fun with my characters. They do the stuff I never could!
Linda -- Thanks. My day is going to consist of nursing a sick child. Again. Oh well. And I'm sure I could pinpoint a few of your "episodes" in your books. lol
Jennifer -- Thanks. Sometimes little scrapings are all that's needed to make the plot work.
Stacey -- Ha! Sometimes I wish I could have lived a more sedate life. Taken a few precautionary measures. But then I wouldn't have the life I have now.
Happy birthday!
I'm a bit older than you and my youth was always about testing my boundaries. LOL.
Compared to my siblings, I've traveled farther, tried more new things, and live a far more unique lifestyle. I wouldn't have it any other way. :)
May your next 51 years be just as 'wild'.
Happy Birthday Anne. Hope you have a great one!
I used to be a cutter and I have a character planned for an upcoming book that also used to be a cutter. Like they say, write what you know.
Maria -- Thanks. I think I've done far more than my brothers as well. Okay, maybe not, but I have published a few books, so that's something.
Stina -- Thanks. Oh yes, write what you know. I think all of us have that tendency.
It's impossible not to put some of what we've experienced in our novels. Though I've never had anything as exciting to draw upon as a gunfight. I'd like to hear more about Kate. Why don't we meet for a drink?:)Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday, Anne. Mine was last Thursday.
I haven't lived a wild life but many things I have done, seen or heard go into my writing - and of course, I filch ideas from others' lives!!
Happy Birthday, Anne!
I've been wild, I've been subdued. I write fantasy, so who knows what's real or not? :D
Happy birthday!
Hmm... my life in stories... I think I put a lot of the emotions in, but never quite the actual events...
Happy birthday!!!! I hope you love your 50's, and yes, I do think they are the new thirties!
Yvonne -- I'd love to meet for a drink and discuss Kate. Or not. I'd just love to meet for a drink.
Janice -- Happy Birthday to you! How's the new grandbaby? And yes, I filch other's lives as well. Even though I've lived on the edge, someone always has a better story than mine.
Tricia -- Thank you. Ah, fantasy, now there's a genre that would be fun to write. I could incorporate so many things...lol
Deniz -- Thank you. I think that most people do find they use their emotional lives in the stories they write. I mean how else would we get it right?
Karen -- Thanks so much. Ha! I hadn't even thought I would be living a decade of them. Wow, I guess I do need a drink.
Happy Birthday, Anne!
Was I a 'wild child'? Indeed :)
My mad sense of humour ends up in my book - hard not to.
And I'm a Capricorn.
Hope you have a lovely day!
Happy Happy Birthday!! My wild days didn't last long enough in my opinion...but they still made it into my writing! :)
Sorry I missed this yesterday, Happy Birthday! I hope the next year is filled with health, peace, and wonderful surprises.
xoxo
bru
i don't think i've ever really put any of my real life in my stories. My life is and was just kind of normal. Also i write fantasy so i can make up crazy stuff!
oh, derp, also HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have a had a wonderful life so far, it sounds like! And wonderful to celebrate it all with a birthday! Sorry I'm late to the party. I get so behind these days. I hope it was wonderful!
(the wildest I ever got was piercing my belly button)
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