Friday Five: Treat. Yo. Self.

When you're deep in the query trenches, it's important to find ways to treat yo self whenever the process get you down.

1) New dress?

2) Fresh new lipstick?

3) Breakfast at a nice restaurant?

4) Want to see the Avengers? And buy popcorn? Extra butter?

5) New books?

I've been reading like crazy lately. I finally finished Heir of Fire a couple weeks ago. Now I'm reading Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard. Next up Miss Mayhem and then Wicked Will Rise. Call me butter cuz I'm on a roll.

Be warned, Treat Yo Self days should be used sporadically. You don't want to break the bank. Find ways to treat yo self without spending money.

Happy Reading!

In Tech

So I missed last week's blog for various reasons i.e. Leslie's never ending tale of technology woes. But here is a quick post about

What I'm Working On: I'm very very behind on my Camp NaNo project. because of stress I lowered my word count to 30,000 words, but I still haven't been able to write much.

Goal for the Week: Just write at this point I don't care if I finish or not, I just want to keep the momentum going for this story. I like it and I really do want to finish, but it just won't be this month.

Other News: In tech week at work right now. Super busy, but it's a good busy. It keeps my mind off other things in my life. I have a dance show this week and then four more concerts all next week. YAY!

Friday Five: Looking Forward to the Weekend

Yes, that was a Rebecca Black reference. So sue me. Why am I looking forward to the weekend? Well I have a lot to do and it's

1) Today I will be seeing Hamlet at a local theatre and I am so excited. I've seen Hamlet a couple times, this one however has a female Hamlet. A black female Hamlet. It's going to be good. Representation matters.

2) In addition to seeing Hamlet today, there is a reception before the show for young professionals. I really need to network if I want to break into the theatre scene here. I've done a little here and there, but this is my first "event." It's going to be fun.

3) Saturday will be my catch up day for NaNoWriMo. Because of work, and other things, I decided to cut back my word count to 30,000 word this month. I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. More details on Monday.

4) On Sunday I'll be ushering for A Midsummer Night's Dream at another theatre company. Midsummer is my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies.This is stuff I should have been doing when I moved here. It was just a matter of time and money. I still don't have much free time or money for that matter, but when you usher you see the show for free and I'm doing a matinee so I was able to fit it in.

5) In between all of this I'm going to attempt to finish Heir of Fire I've been reading chapters here and there, but I've never took the time to really get into it. I know when I do, I'll get sucked in and finish in no time.

Bonus:

 

Falling Behind

What I'm Working On: I'm a day behind on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. It was the holiday honestly, I didn't have time to get a word in and by the end of the day I was too tired to write. That means I have to kick it into overdrive.

Story-wise, I'm loving the story and I'm slowly creating two distinct voices for each narrator. I might need to go back and add more to the beginning, because I need more background before the inciting incident. I don't know, I'm just going to keep moving forward with this. If I decide to revise it I will defiantly add a chapter or two towards the beginning.

Goal for the Week: Write, Write Write. Since I'm slightly behind, I'm going to try to write 2000 words a day to catch up. That way I won't stress out about writing 3333 words all in one day. I can do it. I just need to get into the right mind set.

Other News: I need to read more. Sometimes I feel like it's been reading or writing. Why not both? I just need to prioritize more.

Well, that's it for my writing for this week. How is everyone else doing?

Happy Reading!

PS Half priced Easter Candy. Oh boy. Have you tried speckled robin's eggs? So good.

Friday Five: Random Thoughts

So for my first Friday Five I honestly can't think of anything to post. So I'm just going to list five random thoughts and things that have been happening lately.

1) Pitching contests are happening this week. After Sun Vs. Snow I told myself no contests, (except #Pitmad last month.). It's just too much stress and pressure. Granted querying is too, but it's less public than pitching contest. Sometimes I worry that I'm missing the opportunity. Oh well.

2) Camp NaNoWriMo: The first session of camp officially began, and I'm off to a good start. It's so easy to fall behind with these things, but with a good support group and the right motivation, I can do it.

3) The Weather. It's finally warming up in my area. I want to start wearing my dresses, but I don't have the appropriate shoes. It's too cold for flip flops!

4) Cadbury Mini Eggs = So good. I was at the grocery store the other day and I saw this tiny little bag, my first thought was "who is this going to feed?" I then looked behind me and low and behold there were the normal sized bags. It was a good day.

5) I miss reading, I've been half finishing books lately and it's kind of a bummer. When you go go long without reading, it's difficult to pick up in the middle. There's a heap of books on my dresser waiting to be read, and I plan on buying the sequels to Rebel Belle and Dorothy Must Die next week. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME.

Welp, those are my five random thoughts. Maybe next week they'll be less random.

Happy Reading!

New Beginnings

Recently, Jaime and Erin closed up shop on What's Up Wednesday. It was sad to see it go, but I completely understand  their decision. WUW was my only motivation to keep blogging regularly over the past couple years. Now that it's over, I have to wonder, where do I go from here? I'm not going anywhere, obviously, I still have a lot to accomplish.

That being said, new game plan. I'm going to try to post twice a week for the month a April to test the waters.  

Monday-Weekly Writing Update. No cute name yet. I'll basically give an update on what I'm working on and my goals for the week. (Kind of like WUW, but only for writing) Hopefully as time goes by, it becomes less formulaic and more natural. I'm just testing the waters.

Friday- Friday Five: I did this in the past where I list five good things that happened during the week or new favorite things. Now seems like a good time to bring this back.

At this point, we'll see how it goes and if I can keep up with it.

What I'm Working On: I have several things on my plate. But more importantly the April Session of Camp NaNoWriMo starts on Wednesday. I have the basic plot of my MS and my two main characters mapped out. It's those little plot details and minor characters I haven't really gotten to yet.

I'm really excited to this project because I have a personal connection to it. I've been avoiding working on this for a while, but it's time for this story to come out. I'm really excited. I like to describe it as Freaky Friday meets Sister, Sister. But that's all I'm going to say for now. ;)

Goal for the Week: Starting Wednesday, my goal is to write more than the 1667 word minimum every day in April. I try to stay two days ahead to prevent falling behind, but sometimes it doesn't work out. If I start out strong an push trough I know I can do it. I'm going to get crazy busy at work by the end of the month, so staying ahead will help.

Other News: I joined a cabin created by Natasha Raulerson, one fabulous lady I follow on Twitter. She co-hosts the webshow Whiskey, Wine and Writing on Youtube. She's been getting us pumped about this session of Camp. Hopefully with word wars and the support from my cabin, I can get through this in one piece.

Well, that's it for my writing for this week, How is everyone else doing? Who's doing camp or trying to finish a manuscript in April?

Happy Reading!

What's Up Wednesday 3/18/15

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: Blargh, I need to actually read.

What I'm Writing:  I finally decided what I'm going to write for the April session of Camp NaNoWriMo. The story idea has been stuck in my head for years, but I never had the drive to start it. Now I've got a spark and I'm just going to roll with it. The challenge with this novel is that it's in duel first person POV.  It's new, but I'm up for it.

My goal this week is start a basic outline and character sheets.

What Works For Me:  Learning about my characters. Before I start writing, I fill up pages in notebooks with physical descriptions, personality, objective, like and dislikes. It helps me get the voice down pact for when it's time to actually start writing. Doing two POVs means two distinct voices so that's going to be fun.  


What Else I've Been Up To: MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 2 DAYS!!!