Hey, I’m early! 😀 You guys can thank NaNoWriMo for that. Onward, to glory!
Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach
- That’s right, folks, it’s that time again! National Novel Writing Month! The month when writers around the world lose their frikkin’ minds and try to write 50,000 words in a mere thirty days! AKA- my favorite time of year 🙂 I finally decided to work on Part Two of an original work of fiction this year, Wonderland Reborn (or Reclaimed. I haven’t quite decided on the title yet :P)- Into The Tulgey Wood. I think I have successfully navigated the Five Stages of Grief regarding this work (see references to The Great Disaster of 2015 here) and am ready to move on to new words, with the understand that next year I will have to buckle down and rewrite the parts of the work that were lost. But for now, all new, all the time! Unfortunately, due to writing conflicts (and the fact that I sort of lost my mind this month), I am going to be running with only half an outline and a vague idea of the characters in this part which, if previous NaNo’s are any indication, is usually a bad thing. But I’m going to write as much as I can with what I have and hope for the best!
- In other writing news, I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY LOKI FANFICTION!!!
It happened early in the month, and I am so very excited about it! Unfortunately because of NaNoWriMo, and upcoming holidays, and my mad dash to finish Changing History, I won’t be able to work on edits until sometime next year, but IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!!! CLARITY IS COMING TO A FANFIC SITE NEAR YOU, 2016! 😀
- Okay, now that’s out of the way, my new writing goals have really been working out pretty well for me. I had set myself the goal this month of posting at least one chapter a week on Changing History: Second Chances, and writing 2000 new words of whatever project was next on my list every week. After I finished the first draft of Clarity (YAY!!!), I started work on the fourth and final part of Changing History. It hasn’t been going as well as I would have hoped, but at least I’m making progress. I anticipate being finished with the first draft some time in January 2016, and posting new chapters in February or March.
Have You Hugged a Book Today?
I’m still a few books ahead of my reading schedule! I’m not failing at something, hooray! 😀
Here’s the link to my star rating breakdown if anyone needs a refresher. It’s also up in the header 🙂
- Books I finished this month:
- Saga: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan- Five Stars
- A Walk In The Woods: Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson- Three Stars
- The Cogsmith’s Daughter by Kate M. Colby- Four Stars
- Fun fact about this book: Kate is an independent author who writes an amazing blog about her experiences in self-publishing. She’s witty, informative, and just an all around nice person, and her book is stunning! You should support her, or at least check out her blog 🙂
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling- Five Stars
- Marvel Zombies by Robert Kirkman- Four Stars
- What I’m currently reading (In order of Date Started):
- Leviathan by Scott Westerfield– I’m not even really reading this anymore. I’m going to get back to it, but I’m just too deep into this other book that I’m reading right now. Sorry 😛
- You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day– Felicia herself narrates the audio version of her book, and I swear to god, it is literally like she is sitting across from you at a coffee shop, sipping a mocha and telling you her life story. It’s possibly the best thing I’ve ever read. She’s so geeky and fun, and I relate to her far more than I would have ever thought possible. Felicia Day gives me hope that someday I might actually be able to make something of myself. Because if she can, then why can’t I???
- Book to Screen: I’m gonna be honest, The Help has been sitting on top of my TV for over a month and I haven’t watched it yet. I have no excuse (unless you count catching up on Season 3 of the Arrow. In which case, I have an excellent excuse ;P). I also have not yet been able to work up to putting myself through watching Order of the Phoenix. Mostly because Umbridge. Ugh… Umbridge… I know I have to get through it to get the Half-Blood Prince, but… ugh… I’ll try to do better next month, but don’t hold your breath. NaNoWriMo, remember? 😉
#Hashtags and other minutia
I feel like social media is my nemesis in my quest to be a recognizable and successful author. Seriously, sometimes social interaction is just freaking hard, yo…
- My Favorite Tumblr Reblog: This is how I feel sometimes when I’m writing on Changing History Part Four…
- My Favorite Tumblr Post: The only post I made was having to do with finishing my Loki fic (which you’ve already seen), so here, have another hilarious reblog AKA bits from a book I plan to read sooner rather than later:
- Instagram: I have really great friends who get me. Seriously.
- Twitter: I love Neil Gaiman.
- Just For Fun: Every year, around the time NaNoWriMo rolls around, I inevitably get this song stuck in my head. I am sharing the ear worm love with all of you. You’re welcome.
Do I Actually Have a Life?
The answer to this is a resounding “No. No, I do not.” The gym has finally become what I knew it was always destined to be: a charity donation. You’re welcome, Planet Fitness. I don’t exactly hate the stationary bikes, but they are uncomfortable as all get out if I sit on one for more than twenty minutes at a stretch and my knees are still cracking and hurting like crazy. I have no idea what I’m doing in regards to buying new shoes, though I did put forth a least a little bit of effort and went to Academy, only to discover that if I found a shoe that fit my right foot perfectly, the left foot would inevitably feel weird and uncomfortable. Apparently I have odd feet. Because, of course I do.
Fortunately, I have been substituting the gym for park walks with my dog!
That’s Bear. And the only reason we are spending quality time at the park lately is because I’m preparing to drop mucho dinero on his goofball face to make him healthy. Poor baby has heartworms. Everybody say Awwwwwwww… 😦 I mean, he’s a cutie pie, and totally worth it, but still.
Anyway, that’s the news on… all of that. Hopefully gym will happen, but I’m not betting on it in November. Another charity donation to the gym! I should be able to deduct this from my taxes…
“And In Conclusion…”
- Writing- NaNoWriMo. That’s pretty much it. Also, I’ve spent the last few days looking back on what I’ve accomplished this year as a writer and… it’s not much. It’s something, and I’ve learned an awful lot this year about what it’s going to take to seriously pursue this dream and what I can reasonably accomplish without feeling like my world is falling apart and I’m failing at life. But as far as actual, quantifiable progress, I don’t have much to show: a complete rewrite of my Changing History trilogy, one new first draft and most of a first draft of Changing History Part Four, and almost no progress on anything original (not including what will be happening in November). And the truth is, I think I could have accomplished so much more if I’d had a more definite plan for the year, instead of floundering halfway through, trying to decide which project should get my attention. As a result of this introspection, I’ve started a very flexible list of goals for 2016, breaking down what I would like to accomplish by month for the next 12 months. I will be posting this list in it’s entirety sometime around the end of the year so you guys can keep me accountable. Sound good? Awesome. Let’s move on!
- Reading- Again, keep up the good work, Me! *pat on the back* Not much reading will probably get done during NaNo, but I will be listening to audiobooks and possibly reading a few more comics just to keep up.
- Social Media- The bane of my internet existence. Why do you hate me so? Why? At least I will probably be doing several word sprints with the NaNoWordSprints team again this year, so look for that!
- My Personal Life- Try not to feel like a failure at life. Write. Enjoy writing. Enjoy doing what you do and don’t send yourself on a guilt trip. Hold off until January.
And that’s pretty much it! If you guys are doing NaNo, feel free to buddy up with me on the NaNo site (fogisbeautiful, just like everywhere else ;P) and I’ll try to help you if you get stuck. Just shoot me a message! Good luck!
Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
FogIsBeautiful 
The Martian is SO GOOD!
It’s moving to the top of the to-read list for sure 🙂