What's Up Wednesday 10/29/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: Reading break to prepare for NaNo. I have to return my library books.  

What I'm Writing:  NaNoWriMo is only a couple days away and I have my plot drawn out and my character sheets done. I am so ready for this. Throughout the month of November I will be posting about my journey with small excerpts on Tuesdays.   


What Works For Me: Qlep.

What Else I've Been Up To: Little bit of this, little bit of that. I'm actually enduring a great Supernatural binge. So. Many. Season. I started almost two months ago and I am a third of a way through season 7.  I might have a problem. I know I have to slow down in November if I want to get any writing done.

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 10/22/14

What's Up Wednesday 10/15/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: I'm still reading House of Hades by Rick Riodan. It's a library book so I have to finish it soon because it's a due next week. I've been crazy busy at work so I've been reading on the bus mostly. I'm also tempted to start Heir of Fire. I bought it yesterday and I really want to crack it open. I need to make more time for reading.

What I'm Writing:  I finally plotted my NaNo novel. It's definitely going to be a challenge because it's contemporary. But isn't that the point of NaNoWriMo? I've proven to myself that I could write a novel in 30 days, now I need to step out of my comfort zone.


What Works For Me: Quite time. When I'm alone with no distractions and no internet I can get a lot of work done. Unfortunately I don't get that kind of time often because... the internet. I think I need to find time once or twice a week to get out of the house with pens and paper just to write. It's really refreshing to get away from the computer for a while.

What Else I've Been Up To: Work has been fantastic. I have another event this weekend and next week I have to give a seminar on stage management to local middle schoolers. We're basically teaching the kids about tech theatre so they can do the stage management, lighting and sound for an artist we're bringing to their school in January. My coworkers and I will supervise them, but they're basically running the show. It's actually pretty cool.

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 10/15/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: I'm reading House of Hades by Rick Riodan. Book 4 in the Heroes of Olympus series. Blood of Olympus just came out so I don't have to worry about waiting a year for the last book.

What I'm Writing:  Revision and outlines. Nothing special. I am going to write the contemporary next month. We'll see how that goes. I need to challenge myself. 


What Works For Me: Not stressing out, that seems to work. I'm failing hard right now, but that's life. Lately the process has been getting to me. Those doubts set in and it's becoming difficult to work on a new manuscript. You hear other peoples success stories and triumphs, and as happy as you are for them, it just eats away at your brain. I have to keep pushing forward and telling myself that my time will come. Maybe not today, or with this novel or even the next one, but someday. I can't give up and I can't let this get to me.

What Else I've Been Up To: Well my new job is awesome. I worked a festival last week and the first concert of the season is on Saturday. I've been itching to get backstage. I've been in the office too long.

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 10/1/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: I'm reading Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. I bought it the other day and I'm enjoying every bit of it. Hats off to any writer who can write high fantasy. I can never write such a complicated world with it's own history.
I also took a trip to the local library yesterday. Not the best selection of young adult fiction, I had to request Isla and the Happily Ever After. Grr, I needed to read that like a month ago.

Not pictured: Maze Runner, which I gave to my cousin

What I'm Writing:  Since it's officially I month before NaNoWriMo, I'm going to start outlining my next NaNo Novel. November is going to be a very busy month for me at work, but if I get enough enthusiasm for the project then I'm sure I can do it. I'm torn between the magical realism twin body swapping novel that I've been sitting on for years and the theatre contemporary I thought of last week. Both have their pros and cons. I feel like since I haven't had the momentum to write the body swapping novel, I won't complete it. But I also have no idea what the theatre contemporary will be about. Maybe it won't be contemporary. I just don't know. I have a whole month to think about it.  

What Works For Me: Knowing the ending. I say I'm half-planner/half-panster, but if there is one thing I know for sure is how I'm going to end the novel. It gives me somewhere to go when writing. Sometimes I stray from my original plan, but the essence is still the same. It works for me, so if I am going to write a theatre contemporary than, I should start thinking about the ending.

What Else I've Been Up To: This weekend, me and a couple of stage managers I knew on the internet launched a group blog on tumblr. The main focus of the blog was to brings stage managers and theatre technicians blogger together. We basically listed over 200 stage managers and theatre technicians on tumblr and created a master list of their blogs. It took a lot of work, but it was worth it.

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 9/24/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: I'm still reading Underworld by Meg Cabot. But my mind is one so many new releases, that I don't own yet. (I'm talking to you Unmade)

What I'm Writing:  I just finished up the revisions. I'm going to give it one last look. This time for real. (although, it's never the last revision.) I got hit with a SNI (shiny new idea) the other day. I'm setting it aside for NaNo, but that doesn't mean I can't outline. The best part is, it's going to be a contemporary about theatre- tech theatre. I don't write much contemporary, but I know a lot about theatre. I don't know much right now, I just need a plot, conflict and some characters and I am good to go.

What Works For Me: Actually writing during the revision process. Sometimes I can't just take a draft take it a part physically with note cards and post-it's. That just drives me crazy. I just have to write and write one the same document (obviously re-saved and numbered) until I finish the draft. I know it's unorthodox, but it works for me. At least for now. I'm trying to change so maybe by draft 3 it will be good enough for CPs and Betas vs draft 5. I get stuck in my ways often and I'm working on it.

What Else I've Been Up To: Working, the real job. This week is all about meeting and learning the ropes. Other than that, nothing's new.

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 9/17/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: I started Underworld by Meg Cabot (book 2 in the Abandoned Trilogy). Funny story, I won a signed copy of the third book Awaken last year, so for about a year I had book 1 and book 3. I just never got around to purchasing it. I did a couple months ago and I'm finally reading it. I'm trying to finish all the trilogies I own.

What I'm Writing:  I've been plucking at those beta reader notes. She's sending them in sections so I can work on them while she reads. There aren't many because I've been through so many drafts and she read an earlier draft before. I like this revision much better, I'm learning so much more about my characters. Hopefully this will be the one.

What Works For Me: Still figuring it out.

What Else I've Been Up To: Just started the new job a couple days ago. It's going well. This week is just paperwork and figuring out more about the job. Hopefully, I can get in a grove and get some writing in after work.

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 9/10/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme for readers and writers to give updates on what's happening in their lives. If you want to find out to find out more check out Jaime Morrow's blog and Erin Funk's blog to sign up.

What I'm Reading: I finished Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard a couple days ago. And I picked up my new signed copy of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I read that sucker in 2 days. I'm not the biggest fan of High Fantasy, but this book hooked me. Now I'm dying for the sequel to both books, but my wallet is crying.

What I'm Writing:  While I wait on feedback from my beta reader, I decided it was time to finally dig into my Camp NaNoWriMo novel for revisions. I read through the whole thing and I want to cry. God, it's terrible.
But, I have to constantly remind myself that writing is rewriting. There are characters, lines and plot lines that I really love. But there's a lot of junk in there and it's super short. I wrapped it up at 50k, and I want to get it to around 65k. There's more to the story and characters, I just need to dive in there to find it.

What Works For Me: This is a new question that threw me completely off guard. While I'm glad I won't be haunted by the the inspiration section from now on, I am kind of peeved because I actually had something inspiring to share. Don't worry, I put it under What Else I've Been Up To.
Honestly, I don't know what works for me. I wrote more in the summer months because school consumed my life. Now that I'm out of school and I start my job next week, I have to figure out how this is going to work. I want to have a career in theatre, while still continuing my publishing journey. Hopefully with this new section added to the blogs I can get some ideas and finally set a writing pattern. :D

What Else I've Been Up To: 

Me w/Sarah J Mass

Last week I went to a book signing with Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, Liz Norris and Tiffany Schmidt. Wow, I was in awe, listening these writers talk about their book and publishing journey was really inspiring. I think what gets me the most was that these writers were where I am today. They all faced the same doubts and the fears entering the business. And look where they are today. It gave me that final push I needed to finish the revisions.
Two years ago, Susan and Sarah hosted a NaNoWriMo word battle on Twitter. I participated, and honestly, without them I wouldn't have completed NaNo, which meant no Suspension of Disbelief. I let them know how much that meant to me and Sarah gave me a hug.
Hopefully we'll meet again. Who knows maybe things will be different.

Tiffany Schmidt, Susan Dennard, Me, Liz Norris 

What's up with you? How is your week going?

Happy Reading!