Tag: fanfiction

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: September Edition

Emily

I’m not even gonna bother saying this is late. Ya’ll already know. Let’s get right to it!

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • I’ve changed my writing goals again. I’ve decided not to worry about how much time is spent on editing for now, and instead focus on chapters posted. Once I start editing my Loki fic, this might change, but for now it’s working for me. My word count goal has also shifted, to 2000 words a week, rather than focusing on writing every day. That’s just not feasible right now, with everything I have going on, and I get a lot done on my Monday writing nights. I mostly focus on my editing during the week and it’s been working so far.
  • I’ve been trying to decide between working on my original fiction in November or doing another finishing WriMo, like I did last year. I’m edging toward the finishing WriMo, especially if I manage to finish the editing process for Second Chances in October. But I will probably pull out the original fiction and prep it just in case. We’ll see what October brings 🙂

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

I actually forgot to screen cap my reading challenge this month, but I can safely say that I am on target! Mostly because I lowered my goal for the year 😛 Honestly, I just got tired of being so constantly behind on everything, so I lowered my challenge from 60 to 50 books. 50 books is a very reasonable goal, in my opinion, even if it is less than I read last year. I’m taking my writing a bit more seriously this year, and I’ve been spending more of my time on my yarn work as well, so I think it’s okay for me to lower my expectations just a tad, for the sake of my own sanity.

However I did read quite a few books this month, most of them comic books. One of my book clubs decided to read one comic collection a week rather than a full length book, so I got a great deal of reading done in not a lot of time 🙂 Let’s get started!

Here’s the link to my star rating breakdown if anyone needs a refresher. It’s also up in the header 🙂

  • What I’m currently reading (In order of Date Started):
    1. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield– I’m still slogging through this one. I haven’t been going to the gym very regularly, so it’s kind of taken a back burner. I may try to read it more while I’m knitting, if I can get caught up on the new fall TV line up 😛
    2. A Walk In The Woods: Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson– This is one of those book club reads I’ve been trying to catch up on. It started out strong, but I’ve sort of stalled about halfway through. Hopefully it will pick back up again.
    • Book to Screen:
      1. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
        • I’m not gonna lie, I cried. A lot. Pretty much every time Cedric Diggory came on screen I teared up a little. He’s even nicer in the movie than book!Cedric and that just made it worse. RIP Cedric Diggory.
        • Anyway, on to the movie itself. I noticed that this one seemed a little more… disjointed than the others. I definitely think there had to be a better starting point than Harry waking up somewhere, with no mention of where he is or how he got there, and then suddenly they’re all traipsing through the woods to god knows where. Granted if you read the book you knew what was going on, but I think that those who were only watching the movie had to be thoroughly confused. There were several inconsistencies like that and it made it feel rushed and squashed together, like you’re missing chunks (which you are). Second disappointment was the lack of mention of Snape’s mission at the end. It was one of my favorite parts of the book so I was disappointed that it was missing.
        • The good: Both of the Crouches. Bartimaeous Sr. was delightfully ambiguous and I felt a great deal more sympathy for him than I did book!Crouch. The addition of his nervous quirks was endearing. And of course I’m never going to complain about the addition of evil!David Tennant. The man is a genius and I’m actually glad the movie gave him more screen time than the book. Snape himself was also a delight to watch in this movie, as he has been in every movie. Ten stars for Alan Rickman 🙂
        • Overall, I enjoyed the movie as I have enjoyed all of them, but it felt a little less connected than the previous movies. We’ll have to see if Order of the Phoenix continues the trend. Oh god, I have to endure Umbridge… again… ugh.

#Hashtags and other minutia

  • My Favorite Tumblr Reblog: I am so excited about AKA Jessica Jones. I knew nothing about her before I found out about this show and now I want to read all of her comics! Her origin is in something called Alias, btw 😉
    http://fogisbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/128808379928

  • My Favorite Tumblr Post: I shared the playlist I’ve been listening to while working on my Loki fanfiction! Feel free to speculate!
    http://fogisbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/129611433695/clarity

  • Instagram: I am making a Tom Baker Doctor Who scarf! Here’s one of the progress photos (though I have made quite a bit more progress than this 🙂

    View this post on Instagram

    Scarf progress: Week Two! 🙂 #hpkchc #knittersofinstagram

    A post shared by Emily (@fogisbeautiful) on

  • Twitter: I did manage to make a few posts this month! Yay me! 🙂 Also, DOCTOR WHO IS BACK!!!

  • Just For Fun: You may recall a few months ago, I mentioned the epic Dubsmash War between Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. Well, it’s BACK, baby! Be sure to click the links and vote for your faves! All the Charity! 😀 

Do I Actually Have a Life?

  • C25k- My knee has not improved. For those of you who may not know, my knees have been bothering me a little bit since the beginning of this month, causing me to temporarily give up running. Using my extensive knowledge of le Google and WebMD, I have determined that my symptoms most closely resemble the symptoms of what is called “Runner’s Knee”. This is baffling to me. I do not run enough to have Runner’s Knee! Anyway, I am in the process of finding new shoes and I have bought a knee support sleeve that I have been wearing regularly the las couple of weeks. I have also, in the meantime, been trying out the exercise bikes at the gym. So far, they’re uncomfortable and I feel like a goofball. I miss running. Never thought I would type those three words in the same sentence ;P But my knee is feeling better every day, so hopefully I will be able to take up my running again next month.

“And In Conclusion…”

  • Writing- As of last night, I FINALLY finished the first draft of my Loki fanfiction! Hurray!  Now I can focus on what I want to do for NaNoWriMo. My goal is to actually open up the original fiction I planned to work on. *cringe* I know, but it has to be done. I’ve decided that I’ll at least open it and if it’s just too painful, I’ll close it again, no harm no foul. My friend Elissa and I have decided that I’m going through the five stages of mourning concerning this book and the Disaster that befell it about a month ago. I think I’m in the bargaining stages right now. Wish me luck.
  • Reading- Pretty simple, keep up the good work! I would like to catch up on some of my book club reads, but if that doesn’t happen, I’m okay for now 🙂
  • Social Media- I’m actually doing pretty well. I know, I’m surprised too. Keep it up, future!me 🙂
  • My Personal Life- Go to the gym more. Even if you have to ride the stupid bike. Just do it. Stop being such a whiny baby 😛

One last thing (and if you’ve made it this far into this post, congratulations!), I’ve entered Worth Living For (my Bruce Banner/OC fanfiction) into a contest on Inkitt!

http://fogisbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/130347646839/worth-living-for-by-fogisbeautiful

If you guys have a moment, please drop by and give it a vote! I get nothing but bragging rights, but I’m really proud of this story and I would love for it to get some more recognition. Thanks!

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: August Edition

Emily

No getting around it, this one is late. Sorry guys, I was having trouble getting motivated and finding my words. Onward!

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • The Great Writing Plan!
    1. Words written- 7619
    2. Time edited- 8 hours
    3. Chapters posted- 4

Averaging out the three working weeks I had this past month (I’m not counting the last week of August, because everyone deserves to take a break on their vacation ;P) and evaluating the data I have available, I have decided to cut my goals by half. That will make them more achievable and keep me from losing my mojo trying to reach unattainable expectations. Look at all those big words! I’m on a roll ;P

  • Loki Fanfiction
    • I’m losing momentum on my Loki fic! 😦 This is weird because I have finally reached the point in the story that I thought was going to be easiest. I’m a little disappointed in myself, but I’m determined to power through! I’m hoping to have this fic finished by October so I can focus on preparing for NaNoWriMo.
  • Changing History
    • I’m behind here too 😦 I promise I’m gonna try harder!
  • Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I had a huge setback regarding the original novel I was planning to work on in November. I mean, huge. Like, I lost half my work and my boyfriend was afraid to talk to me because I was so upset and then took me to get ice cream and I was still upset after that, kind of huge. It’s still upsetting to me. I mean, it was all going to have to be rewritten anyway… but now I don’t even have it for reference! So my plans for NaNo might change back to finishing up fanfiction again. I know I did that last year, but I still have a lot of work to do finishing up Changing History, and I would like to get my Hobbit fanfic posted sometime in the next century, and there’s that Supernatural fic that I’ve written a few chapters on… Fanfic is my security blanket. It makes me feel better. We’ll see how it goes.

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

ReadingChallengeAugust

I didn’t make my goal again. Big surprise. But I did make some progress so there’s that 🙂

Here’s the link to my star rating breakdown from last month, in case anyone would like a refresher. It’s also up in the header 🙂

  • Books I finished this month:
    • Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett- Five Stars
    • Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller- Four Stars
    • Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling- Four Stars
    • Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm- Four Stars
    • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson- Four Stars
    • Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love- Four Stars
    • The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum- Five Stars
  • What I’m currently reading (In order of Date Started):
    • The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett–  I’m officially taking this one off the currently reading list. It’s been on this list for four months now and I haven’t made any progress on it in at least two, so I probably need to just go back and start from the beginning anyway. But I will come back to it!
    • Leviathan by Scott Westerfield– I’m reading this based on Nerd Girl recommendation, one of the groups I’m a part of on Ravelry. I trust the judgement of these girls nearly implicitly, they have yet to lead me astray. I’ve been listening to this as part of my C25k so hopefully I will make some more progress on it this month.
    • Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers– Battles! Intrigue! Spies! BOY BLUE!!! *sobbing forever*
    • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix– Ugh. Let the teen angst and cringe-worthy overreactions begin. I just have to get through this book and then I can read Half-Blood Prince… It’ll all be okay… Just get through this book…
  • Book to Screen– Nothing to report this month, but I plan to watch The Goblet of Fire in September, so that will be in my post next time.

#Hashtags and other minutia

Do I Actually Have a Life?

I’m skipping this section. I haven’t made any progress on anything in my real life. In fact, I’m feeling pretty discouraged at the moment. If anything changes, I’ll let ya’ll know 🙂

“And In Conclusion…”

  • Writing Goals
    • Words- 500 a day (2,000 a week)
    • Editing- 30 minutes a day (2 hours a week)
    • New Chapters Posted- 2 per week
  • Reading Goals

    • 45 books by the end of September (read 9 books this month, including catching up on two different book clubs)
  • Social Media- Twitter needs some love. I didn’t even retweet things this past month. I’m going to make it a goal to at least try to retweet a few things every once in a while ;P
  • My Personal Life- Just try to survive, mainly, and not fall apart or feel like a failure. That’s a good goal, right? 🙂

Sorry for the staccato nature of this post, and that it’s really late. I’ll try not to fail at life so horribly next month 🙂

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Singing, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: July Edition

Emily

Alright, I’m back! Only a week late, so I’m calling this a win ;P Let’s get started shall we?

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • Camp NaNoWriMo
    • The Goal- Write 50k words and finish the first draft of Clarity, my Loki/OC fanfiction.
    • The Results- 63,554 words written! Woohoo!

Camp-Winner-2015-Web-Banner

As for finishing the draft… well… That didn’t actually happen. I don’t know if you guys recall from last month, but I expressed some doubts as to whether this fanfic would actually make 50k as a story. I should never doubt things like that. As per usual for me, the story has well exceeded the 50k word mark in its (very rough) first draft stage. Most of this will probably be cut and modified in editing of course, but the plot and the characters have grown and evolved into something I never would have guessed when I started (and in the process I have learned more than I thought I would ever want to know about Norse mythology). Again, I really shouldn’t be surprised, as this has frequently happened to me in the past. I am apparently incapable of writing a short story 😛 But still, I am very pleased with what has been vomited onto my hard drive so far and I’m planning to work very hard to finish the first draft before I go on vacation at the end of August! It can be done!

  • Changing History
    • Well, if any of you are following this on Archive Of Our Own, you will already know that I did not post as many new chapters as I’d planned. I think I managed to post one. Sorry about that. Loki took over my mind and soul and I could not let him go, but never fear! Now that Camp has finished, I am planning on getting back into the swing of posting semi-regularly again! Stay tuned!
  • Speaking of plans, I have one! Or, at least I have the beginnings of a plan. I’ve decided I really need to start taking this writing thing seriously, so I’ve made up a couple of guidelines that I’m hoping to follow:
    • Write 1000 new words a day (Monday thru Thursday).
    • Work on editing for one hour every day (Monday thru Thursday).
    • If I don’t manage this, work weekends (hey, just like a real job! ;P)

It’s that simple really. I’ll be keeping up with my social media/comments/other writing related internet shenanigans as time allows, but I’m hoping that if I at least stick to these two things, I will be able to make more significant progress, not just in my fanfiction work, but in my dreams of publishing my original work as well.

  • To help with the planning and keeping myself accountable, I bought a new notebook!

Notebook1

Look at those gloriously blank pages… They’re already filled with my month to month plans, as well as thoughts about months previous and how to improve my productivity, and there’s a page devoted to ideas regarding my publishing model and costs.

  • One last very important note: This past month, I discovered Jenna Moreci. You should watch her videos. For reasons. Yes. Here, I’ll even get you started!

**Warning: Adult Language and Hilarity included!**

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

ReadingChallengeJuly

My reading challenge goal didn’t get met, but that’s okay, since I was writing. I did finish a few books in July so it wasn’t a complete waste, and I’m getting back into it for August. I’m also going to try a new format for this portion of the program. The links I’ve included will take you to my review for that book on Goodreads, rather than just repeating it all here and wasting precious internet bandwidth (Save The Bandwidth!). I am going to include my star review for each book so that you know what you’re getting into. For reference here is how I determine stars for my books:

Five Stars: This book changed my life. It was so profound and wonderful that I can think of no way that it could possibly be improved upon. All the old favorites get this rating. You should read my Five Star books immediately if not sooner. Why are you not reading them yet?

Four Stars: This book was really good! No, really! I liked it! I might even read it again! But there was just that One Thing, you know? That One Thing that bugged me. Maybe it was the writing. Maybe it was a particular character. Maybe it was some unquantifiable vibe that the book just exudes for no discernible reason. You should pick it up and see if you can figure it out for yourself. If you do, let me know.

Three Stars: Eh, *shrug*. This book was okay. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever read. But hey, I finished it! That should count for something, right? Probably not gonna read this one again. It might even end up in the free bin at Second and Charles. Probably not worth your time, but hey, what do I know?

Two Stars: Okay, this one was bad. No other word for it. It was bad. But there was at least one redeeming characteristic, just one glimmering thread of hope that brought it just a step above being a complete waste of my time. Maybe the writing was beautiful, but the plot sucked. Maybe there was just one stand-out character in a sea of insipid cardboard cutouts. Either way, this was not my cup of tea and I feel a little bit of regret about that. Because it could have been so much more…

One Star: Do I really have to spell this out for you? I feel like it should speak for itself. I don’t give out this review often, but when I do you can bet that the book deserves it.

Okay, now we’ve gotten all that out of the way, on to the books!

  • Books I finished this month:
  • Book to Screen (New Section! Devoted to movies and/or shows I’ve watched based on books I’ve read)
    • Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban: I rewatched Prisoner of Azkaban this month, and once again, I somehow felt a little cheated. It’s not as bad as I remember when I first watched it (I vividly remember being so disappointed the first time around that I didn’t watch the movie again for years), but still something felt a little… off. I still can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s probably the little details I miss, but whatever it is something about this movie just feels slightly off to me. I still love it, mostly because REMUS AND SIRIUS! They are, and always will be I think, my favorite Harry Potter characters, and they are nearly perfectly portrayed in this movie and in subsequent movies. I really want to know which member of the production team sold their soul for that perfecting casting. All in all, I was still a little disappointed, but not so much that I would not watch the movie again.
    • Daredevil: I FINALLY finished this show! 😀 It was amazing! Quite gory in spots, but all in all the story telling was amazing and I loved all the characters. I was actually upset when one of the villains was killed close to the end, that’s how invested I was in these characters. Amazing show, I’m looking forward to watching it all again in a marathon eventually, and I hope they come out with Season Two soon!
    • Also this just in, SHANNARA IS GOING TO BE A FREAKING TV SERIES OH MY GOD STILL NOT OVER IT NEVER GETTING OVER IT WATCH THIS TRAILER!!!

If you have not read the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, the link in the FREAK OUT above is a suggested reading list on Goodreads from the author himself. Read them! DO IT NOW! And then come back and freak out with me because THIS SHOW IS GONNA BE AMAZING!!!

#Hashtags and other minutia

I have really been putting forth some effort to stay out there and available on all my social media gizmos! Here are some highlights from the month.

Do I Actually Have a Life?

  • I joined a gym. I did this for several reasons, not the least of which is what might possibly be the worst case of social anxiety I have ever experienced. In June I started running at a park that is close to my place, and it was nice… but then people started talking to me. Now, I have no problem with a friendly “Hi, how you doing?” in passing. But I am not outside, sweating my butt off and jiggling my fat rolls around, to socialize. I actually would prefer it if no one noticed that I was existing in these particular moments of my life. There is a reason I wear bright pink headphones and prominently display my phone on my arm. I don’t want to talk to you. It’s nothing personal. I don’t want to talk to anyone. But if you speak, I have this weird Pavlovian instinct to respond, even if on the inside I’m thinking “WHY DID I DO THAT? ARGH!”

Plus, really, triple digit weather is just too dang hot. Even going in the evenings. Too dad-gum hot.

So, yeah, I joined a gym! I haven’t done much with it yet, I’ve been really busy writing, but I’m hoping to get back into my C25k again, hopefully regularly now.

  • Speaking of C25k, I made Week Two! Of course then I immediately backslid and the next time I went to the gym, I didn’t make it. I’ll have to keep trying until I can keep it up, but I made it once, I can do it again!
  • Under the heading of “Weirdly unrelated news that is apropos of absolutely nothing” I’ve started playing My Singing Monsters:
Friend Me! Code 30574047FH
Friend Me! Code 30574047FH

God help me, but I love their cute little stupid faces… Peggy Erickson, I blame you!

“And In Conclusion…”

  • Writing Goals- Keep up with the new writing plan (which has already changed a few times since I decided on it). Post three chapters of Changing History a week. Finish the first draft of Clarity (Loki/OC fic).
  • Reading Goals- Since the end of August will officially mark the three-quarters mark of the year (HOLY CATS, WHAT?) I’m going to make a sincere effort to hit that mark on my reading challenge. This means I will be reading A LOT of comic books. Starting with the rest of the volumes of Fables that I own, plus whatever else I can get my hands on because I NEED IT. Be prepared for a Reading section like you’ve never seen before in next month’s Wrap-Up post ;P
  • Social Media- Twitter probably won’t see much action in the coming months, but I’m going to be trying to stay active on Tumblr and Instagram at least. Feel free to hit me up there with questions, comments, random pictures of furry animals (because YES PLEASE!), anything really, I love hearing from you guys!
  • My Personal Life- Keep up with the Couch25k. No, really. NO EXCUSES! Also, I will be going on VACATION the last week of August! WHOOPWHOOP! I will still be mostly available, but be prepared for an Epic Vacation Post of Epic upon my return!

And that’s it! This is still a huge post, but I’m working on that! I’ll get it whittled down, little by little until it’s manageable. Until then!

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month with Fog: June Edition

Emily

So, since I’m not doing much else with this blog thing, I’ve decided to try something new. I have no idea if it will work. I have no idea if I want it to work. But I figure, what do I have to lose by trying, right? ;P So, welcome to the first edition of Wrappin’ Up The Month with Fog! In these posts, I will attempt to recap what I’ve been doing for the past month and what I would like to do in the month(s) to come. Be warned, this post is long so let’s get to it, we don’t have a lot of time here.

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • So, the writing thing. Let’s start with fanfiction. I’ve been working diligently on Changing History rewrites, but not much else. I’ve also been trying to prepare for Camp NaNoWriMo July, but that hasn’t gone nearly as well as I’d hoped. I’ve been pretty distracted by rewrites and other not-so-important things. But yeah, I’ve made it most of the way through the rewrites now, and I’ve decided that once I’ve finished rewriting Second Chances, I’m just going to jump right into posting Part Four, Search For The Entwives, even though the first draft isn’t finished (which is irking me, by the way).
  • As far as original work goes, I have started formulating a plan for one of my stories, an Alice in Wonderland reimagining that I started as a NaNoWriMo project a few years back. I think this story is going to be my NaNo2015 project. I don’t want to get into too much detail, as it’s all pretty hazy at this point, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it, how I want to present it and market it, which is more progress than I’ve made in a very long time. I will keep everyone updated as this seed of a plan develops.

Have You Hugged a Book Today?
ReadingChallengeJune

  • Books I finished this month
    1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban– I’ve been rereading the Harry Potter books on audio for the past couple months and I finally got to my favorite of the entire series. Book Three was my favorite book the first time through, and I am happy to report that it has held up to the high standards I had set for it. I’d also like to say that, even though I know all the major plot twists, it has been so much fun to reread the books again with a new perspective. I’m also watching the movies as I re-read the books and I’m enjoying comparing them to each other. I haven’t watched PoA yet, but I’m looking forward to it. This re-read has also inspired thoughts of a new fanfiction (big surprise, I know ;P) and I’m having fun imagining my new character in each of the books.
    2. Nation by Terry Pratchett– I started this book as a book club read in April. I managed to get about halfway through, but April was a pretty busy month for me, so I didn’t manage to finish it before the library required it back. I finally got it back from the library early this month… and finished it in one night. I couldn’t put it down. It was just so beautifully written. It’s hard to describe really. And the end took my breath away. It was really, really good and I highly recommend it, especially if you’ve never read Pratchett before, and are intimidated by all of the Discworld books. This is a separate book all on its own, so you can get a feel for how he writes, without committing to a whole series. Basically, it’s wonderful.
  • What I’m currently reading (in order of date started)
    1. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett– I started this back in April, but as I said before, April was a busy month for me. I’m planning to start it back up in July, if I can get a few of my book club reads out of the way first. What I read was good though, I’m excited to really dig into the Discworld books from the beginning!
    2. Inuyasha #2: Family Matters– I received a stack of these mangas as the result of a book swap on Ravelry. Inuyasha is a guilty pleasure from my failed community college days, when I would stay up until all hours of the night to watch repeats of the anime on Cartoon Network. I recently discovered that the entire series is on Hulu, which has renewed my love of the series. As I usually do with this kind of thing, I’m enjoying comparing the manga to the anime. So far, it is very similar, but there are some things in the translations that are much funnier in the book. It’s been very entertaining so far, and I’m looking forward to the rest of it.
    3. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie– This is also a Ravelry book club read, that I was actually supposed to finish this month, but didn’t have a chance. I’m planning to finish it up in the first week of July, so I can join the discussion. As far as the book itself, I’ve really been enjoying the mystery! I have no idea who the killer is, but I have several theories that change with every page I read. This is the first of the Hercule Poirot books and also my first Agatha Christie and I already can’t wait to read more! I also found it ironic that my first Christie novel, the murder victim is named Emily… Coincidence? I think not! ;P
    4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum– This is my “running” book. I have it on audio from Librivox on the Nook Audiobook app (free audiobooks, hurray!) and I’ve been listening to it as I try to run my Couch to 5k program. It’s just as lovely and magical as I always imagined it would be. I have laughed so much at the different characters and I’m enjoying watching the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion work through all these obstacles with traits that they all claim not to have. I think there might even be a message about self-confidence in there somewhere, but I’ll save that for a book review.
    5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett– This is an audiobook I got used for six dollars. And it is possibly the best six dollars I have ever spent. I’ve heard so much about this book, but somehow no one ever told me it’s a book about writing a book! How is it that no one ever told me this??? And I love the characters so much, every single one of them (okay, maybe not Hilly so much, but everyone else has at least a few redeeming qualities ;P). It’s written in different points of view, Abilene, Minnie, and Skeeter, and the actresses who read the different parts are perfect. I have laughed, I have cried, and I haven’t even finished the book yet! I can’t wait to watch the movie and compare!
    6. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson– This is a book I recently started on impulse while I was knitting. I wanted something to do that wasn’t watching television. I’m not terribly far into it, but I am intrigued by the differences I can already see between the original material and the interpretations that I’m familiar with. It’s definitely creepy and I can’t wait to find out more.

#Hashtags and other minutia

I admit, I have not been very active on social media lately. Frankly, it’s been a little overwhelming. But here are a few of the highlights from June:

  • My Favorite Tumblr ReblogReblogJune
  • My Favorite Tumblr PostTumblrPostJune
  • Two faves from Instagram:IG1June IG2June
  • And one more from Tumblr, just for fun ;PJFFJune

Do I Actually Have a Life? (real life stuff that happened)

Alright, as I mentioned briefly in the reading section (under The Wizard of Oz) I am trying out one of those Couch to 5k apps. The app I’m using is C25K Free for Android, just in case anyone is interested. It’s a pretty cool app, it runs simultaneously with my Nook Audiobook app, so I can listen to my book and the C25K app pauses my book to tell me when to run and when to walk, so I don’t miss anything.

I have managed to work my way up to Week One this month, which is an accomplishment for me. I found a little park not far from where I live that has a sidewalk for running/walking. It’s pretty and I get to spend about an hour listening to an audiobook and trying not to feel self-conscious. I keep telling myself that it’s good for me, not just my body but my mental state as well, but I’m not seeing any results yet. Basically all I’ve accomplished is discovering that my ankles hurt all the time and spending a ton of money trying to find ankle supports I can wear with my shoes. But I’m gonna try to stick with it, despite my tough schedule and the intense heat down here in Texas. It hasn’t been too bad where I live yet and I make sure to go just as the sun is setting so it’s cooler, but man, it is something else. I’ll try to remember to post my updates on my Twitter (and consequently Facebook) so you guys can keep up with this insanity. I have no idea what I’m doing.

“And In Conclusion…”

  • Writing: July is Camp NaNoWriMo! I plan to write the first draft of a brand new fanfiction, a Loki/OC set during the year of his imprisonment in Asgard (Thor: The Dark World). In the event that the first draft does not make 50k words (which, if I’m being honest, is pretty likely), I’m going to write up the first draft of a short continuation of my Bruce Banner/OC, Worth Living For. Basically, this is the month of Avengers writing! I am going to attempt to continue to post at least one rewritten chapter for Changing History, but that is not my priority this month.
  • Reading: Finish The Mysterious Affair at Styles and start up The Color of Magic again, for sure. I’m also going to try to get my book challenge down to the halfway mark. I have a stack of comics that need to be read, which should help with that 😉
  • Social Media: I am going to try to post more frequently. No really, I solemnly swear! Even just scrolling through Tumblr and reblogging things, or posting to Instagram with what I’m knitting and/or crocheting. I’m also going to try to add more of those posts to my Facebook and Twitter. Since I’m working on something new for Camp, keep an eye on the Twitter feed, I’ll probably be doing some word sprints with the NaNoWriMo Word Sprint peeps!
  • My personal life: Honestly, I just want to get through Week Four of my Couch to 5k. If I do that, I will feel like I’ve accomplished something. And I have Tour de Fleece coming up in July as well, which is a challenge to spin yarn while the champion bike racers spin the Tour de France. I’m looking forward to it, especially in light of the weird amount of attention this post got on my tumblr a few months ago 😛 Keep an eye on my Instagram and Tumblr for updates!

And that’s it! I promise, not all of these posts will be this long, but I am going to try to make one at the end of every month, just to keep everyone abreast of my activities. We’ll try this out for a few months and then reassess the situation, so let me know what you think! And now, I’m off to prepare for Camp NaNo! 😀

Writing

It’s That Time Of Year Again!

Emily

Camp-Participant-2015-Web-BannerI love Camp NaNoWriMo! Adjustable word count goals, flexible formats, s’mores? What’s not to love? I especially love Camp now that I have a group of writer friends to work with! I’m thinking writerly camp-outs, star-gazing, singing the Camp NaNo theme song around the campfire…

And s’mores. Lots and lots of s’mores. S’mores…

I might have a problem.

Ahem. Anyway, hanging out with this great group has been a blast and it’s really such an encouragement to be surrounded by people that really seem to get me. And, let’s be honest, at this point I need all the encouragement I can get.

Let’s do a writing recap, shall we?

In November, I vowed to finish my “Changing History IV: Search for the Entwives” first draft. If you’ve been playing along at home, you know that (despite reaching 50K words) I did not accomplish that goal. I’m close. But I’m not quite there. And the words I did write… Well, saying that it “needs work” might qualify for Understatement Of The Year. But that’s okay! That’s what revision is for!

Speaking of revision, during January/February (NaNo’s “Now What?” months) I set the goal of finishing the first draft in January and finishing the rewrites of Parts I thru III of Changing History in February. This seemed like a reasonable goal to me. It was not. I did not accomplish either one of these things. Instead, I got stuck. I got so stuck on Part IV that I couldn’t wade my way out to work on the edits for Part I. I got discouraged. Depressed even. I didn’t want to look at the stupid thing, much less write. It was a slog. I actually gave up and did not write a single thing for the first two weeks of March. I was grouchy and guilt-ridden and frustrated. I was beginning to question my sanity. And I started looking forward to April.

This might sound counter-intuitive. Let me explain.

I usually write out a plan in December for the year ahead. Just a bare-bones sort of month-by-month outline of what I would like to accomplish. And for April, I had set a fun goal of rewriting my 2010 NaNo project as a stage play. I was excited about it. I was going to try something new! It was going to be original! I was going to keep the spirit of Script Frenzy alive! Go me!

And then, as is typical when I have a plan that I’m trying to stick to, my muse struck. With a vengeance. Suddenly my brain was all Melomir, all the time. I found a way out of the hole I had dug myself in Part IV. I got two chapters of Part I rewritten in the span of a few days. And all I could think was, “WHERE WERE YOU A MONTH AGO, YOU FLIGHTY LITTLE #@&%$???”

And then she laughed at me. And gave me a plot twist. I hate her.

So as of right now, Script Frenzy is tabled. I’m setting myself the goal of at least finishing my revisions of Parts I thru III for April. I swear, if I can just get through the first fifteen chapters of Part I, the rest will be smooth sailing, but… we’ll see. Meanwhile, I’m going to continue working on Part IV as the spirit moves me. I’m furiously typing my way through the action-packed plot twist the muse threw at me earlier this week, but when that runs out I’m not sure if I’ll still have enough steam to finish. It would be awesome if I could get this done before April, but I’m not holding my breath. Apparently when I plan, everything falls to pieces. My new motto of the year? No Plans, No Problems! I should get that as a banner to hang over my writing space at home… or a throw pillow…

Maybe I’ll just make myself some s’mores.

Writing

NaNoWriMo “Now What?” Update!

Emily

Entwives Banner

  • Week One Progress:  800 words written
  • Week Two Progress:  2000 words written
  • Week Three Progress: *headdesk*
  • Week Four Progress:  See Week Three.

So, no noticeable progress to report.  I’m sorry everyone.  I was telling Elissa, one of my friends in writing group (check out her blog by the way, she’s super awesome!) that I have been bogged down in Chapter Thirty-Two for two weeks now… and there weren’t even supposed to be thirty-two chapters in this thing!  Seriously, this was supposed to be a feels-fest.  A fluffy, fluffy feels-fest, with minimal action and some cool epilogue type things and that was it!  This was supposed to be easy!  I was supposed to fly through this thing in a month!  Two, tops!

And then suddenly… A WILD PLOT APPEARS!

(…)

I mean…

Seriously?  I’m supposed to be the writer, and I have NO IDEA where this even came from.  I’m trying you guys, but my characters don’t want to cooperate.  They can’t even decide where they’re going half the time.  Do I stay?  Do I go?  For the love of… Come on Gandalf, MAKE A DECISION!

However, it is now February, which means I’m back to revising Parts One through Three!  Hopefully this will give my addled brain a break and allow me to unstick whatever is stuck up there so I can get back to writing!  Crossing fingers and toes this will work, wish me luck!

Writing

NaNoWriMo “Now What?” Update!

Emily


  • Week One Progress:  800 words written
  • Week Two Progress:  2000 words written
  • Week Three Progress: …

head_desk

So… yeah… This has not been going as well as I’d hoped.

I don’t know why I’m having such a terrible time! I can’t even honestly tell you how many words I’ve written this past week, but I can tell you, it’s not enough. I’m going to desperately try to put my nose to the grindstone and get the rest of this first draft finished this week. I can tell you one thing for certain, I WILL be restarting my editing process for Parts One-Three on February 1st, hell or high water, even if I have to continue the writing of Part Four at the same time. I’m hoping it won’t come to that, but realistically, I’m thinking it probably will.

Ugh.

Why, writing muses? Why hast thou all forsaken me?

writersblock1

Writing

NaNoWriMo “Now What?” Update!

Emily


  • Week One Progress:  800 words written
  • Week Two Progress:  2000 words written

So, I meant to do an update on my progress at least once a week, but… yeah… apparently my Week One progress was so lousy that I couldn’t actually make myself face up to it 😛  Week Two was better, but certainly not the kind of progress I was hoping to be making this month.  At this rate, 30k words is looking less and less likely (barring a miracle, which is not to say that it can’t happen, only that it is highly improbable).

I still have hopes of putting a wrap on the first draft of Changing History IV: Search For The Entwives by the end of January, which means that I’ll have February freed up to continue my rewrite of Parts One thru Three, and then be able to really focus on learning the ins and outs of script writing in March to prepare for my very first Script Frenzy in April.  Maybe if I keep reciting the plan over and over, it will make it a reality?  Mind over matter?  The power of positive thinking?  Maybe? 😛

I will be attempting to continue to keep everyone posted.  I know there are several of you who are anxiously awaiting the fruits of this particular labor.  So, I say unto you, do not lose heart!  I promise, I’m still working on it!

Writing

January is Officially Here, folks!

Emily


And with it comes unrealistic expectations and goals for the New Year, (followed by inevitable disappointment a few months later :P) and NaNoWriMo’s “Now What?” Months!  January and February are the months to commit to editing your NaNo project from the previous year… or to finish your project, if you’re anything like me 😛

So in that spirit, I have committed to finishing the first draft of Changing History: Search for the Entwives in January (I’ve set a goal of 30k words, but I’m hoping it won’t take that many :P) and then finishing my editing of Changing History 1-3 in February.

Here is my Google Calendar I’ve created (using Pacemaker) for word counts and chapter counts in the coming months.

I’m hoping this goes well, and I’ll be able to begin posting the new (and final!) installment of Changing History in June or July.  I know that seems like a long time, but I need to give myself some space from the story before I start editing and I also have some other projects in the works (not to mention I’m trying out Script Frenzy in April, and I’m auditioning for a play this week 😛

Everyone has been so patient with me through this, I cannot tell you how much it means to me.  Hopefully I can make this final installment of the Melomir saga something worth waiting for 🙂

Writing

Guess What I Did!!!

Emily

image

That’s right!  50,000 words… and not one story completed.

Well… that just puts a damper on things doesn’t it?

Never fear, I am going to try to finish Search for the Entwives in December!  I will also be resuming my editing of the chapters in the first three parts of the Changing History series.  Not today (it’s my birthday so I’m taking the day off :P), but soon!  And I am just that much closer to completing this series and being able to work on something else!  Like that Hobbit series that I wrote 50K words by accident this summer… or, you know, one of my five or six original novels that I’ve never finished… 😛

But, yay for 50K words in a month!  And sassy trees!  And mushy love stories!  Yay!