writing

November 2020 Book Update & NaNoWriMo Recap

Oh yeah, and I finished my novel. Oh, you want me to say that again? I FINISHED MY NOVEL!

Yes, I do realize it’s January and this blog post is a bit late. However, I think I’m going to write a few blog posts in January, and I thought a book update was long overdue.

Honestly, since it’s been over a month since November ended, I don’t have a whole hell of a lot to say about it. NaNoWriMo was 100% virtual, and that was interesting. It was my last year co-ML-ing in my old region (I’ll miss you, Yolo County Wrimos!).

Oh yeah, and I finished my novel.

August 2020 Book Update

August was full of change (and no writing)!

Hoo boy, you guys! August was a bit of a whirlwind for me. I quit my job, packed up our apartment, drove a moving truck to a different state, put a bunch of boxes in my mom’s living room, and have been trying to get the cats and dogs to interact in a civil manner. Oh, and I’ve been taking Sarra Cannon‘s Publish & Thrive course and helping my husband find a job. Needless to say, I didn’t get any writing done in August.

July 2020 Book Update & Camp NaNoWriMo Review

Did I accomplish my goals? What’s in store for August?

The one goal I had for Camp NaNoWriMo this month was to finish my book. That… didn’t happen. In fact, I only wrote each week because of the write-ins I hosted.

Now that I have discovered how to add gif blocks, you’re all in trouble. Be prepared for a lot of Supernatural because we have a gif for everything.

July 2020 Camp NaNoWriMo Goals

What am I working on this Camp NaNoWriMo? Getting this damned book done!

It is July, and that means it’s Camp NaNoWriMo! It’s a bit more laid back than November, but it’s still a great time to get some words in. I’m so excited for this month!

Things will be a teensy bit different, though. I often try to get in an actual in-real-life camping trip during Camp (both in April and July), but April’s wasn’t even planned because of the pandemic and July’s is now cancelled due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases (so also the pandemic… yay for people who refuse to social distance and wear masks… ‘MURICA!). I might have to console myself by setting up my one-person tent on our patio.

June 2020 Book Update

“How’s the writing going?” Well… About that…

Guys. A lot has changed in the month and a half since I wrote my May update.

Something I first really noticed in November of 2016 is that current events have a significant impact on my ability to write. It takes me a great deal of time to contemplate and process everything that’s going on in the world. The most recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests has been no different.

Imposter syndrome (or the fraud police, to use Amanda Palmer’s fitting term) has been a friend to me these last few weeks. Who am I? Who am I to write a book? Who am I to follow my dreams and smash my goals when so many people in our country are unable to do the same because of systemic racism? Because they are dying?

A Peek at My Desk

Come take a peek at my “organized chaotic” desk!

I love seeing other people’s writing spaces, so I thought I would share mine with you this week! Forgive the horrendous pictures, for I live in a cave of an apartment and have no professional lighting.

I write and work my day job at my desk in our dining room. Until last August, I had a tiny desk that was just big enough to hold my laptop and maybe a small notebook, but while my husband and I were on our honeymoon, my mom got me this secretary desk! Yeah, it’s supposed to fold up to save space, but I always have my keyboard and mouse out.

Outdoor Play and Faceless Videos

I don’t know if you can tell, but I’ve been struggling recently with what to do with this blog.

One social media calendar says this week I should post a “day in the life of an author” blog or vlog. Another says that today I should share someone or something I’m grateful for. Could I write a blog post on either of these things? Of course. Those are actually pretty easy prompts to work with.

The problem is that it feels forced. It’s not like I would lie or anything. I wouldn’t say I’m grateful for the nice weather we’re having when it’s really reminding me that in a month or two it’ll be over 100ºF on a daily basis. I wouldn’t write that I had such a great day or week writing when really I struggled. I still doesn’t feel natural or like me, though.

May 2020 Book Update

The answer to “So how’s the book coming?”

Since stay-at-home orders were issued in my state, I have been both more and less productive in every aspect of life. I thought I’d take this opportunity to update you all on what I’m doing and planning for my writing life and career at this point.

Resilience

Recently, I finished a class on soft skills, put on by New World of Work and taught by the fantastic Natasha Palumbo. We covered ten skills that can help in the workplace, skills they don’t teach you when you’re majoring in English or pretty much anything else in school. One of the things we covered in the last class was resilience.

Historically, I’ve had a hard time with resilience. I think most people with depression do. One small failure can keep us from trying again or trying something new because it’s a glaring example of our perceived incompetence. That, paired with a poor view of my own self-worth, has been what’s kept me from finishing a novel and having a successful career doing what I truly love.

“Beautiful” Woman, “Ugly” Man

I have to admit, I’m a little apprehensive about the movie Long Shot. Don’t get me wrong. I have very high hopes for it. Based solely on the two trailers I’ve seen, it looks like it could be an enjoyable watch. (Please note that what follows is a discussion on a particular type of movie, which Long Shot may or may not be. I haven’t actually seen it yet. The movie’s trailer only sparked this discussion in me.)

Depending on how the actual movie plays out, it could be another in a long line of “unattractive”* guy meets “hot” woman and somehow woos/seduces/date rapes her movies (I’m thinking of Sixteen Candles and Hitch right now, but there are plenty of others). Who cares? What’s so bad about that? It’s cute and endearing and shows the power of love, right?