Category: writing

A Hole in One or Too Much In One?

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

This is yet another blog post as a homework assignment. This one is a study on the Chinese social media app Weixin (Way-Shin). 

Weixin is an all-in-one platform where users can do anything and everything it seems. It’s compared to What’sApp in the United States. I don’t use either, so I can’t compare personally, besides a few days using What’sApp (because it’s more secure…sure) and hating it. 

Based on the case study in the textbook, Weixin allows users to “send messages, share news and pictures via their mobile phone”. Very similar to any other social media site. However, where the difference comes is how much users can actually do on Weixin. 

There are a wide range of functions on Weixin, from messaging friends, to getting news, to even finding a cab on the streets. Weixin is a combination of multiple social media sites, where users don’t have to leave the app to go from messaging to reading the news to finding a cab or even paying for goods and services. 

This can be very good, and can help users to avoid “search costs” by flipping through different apps. Weixin continues to add more functions to their app, including campaigns around upcoming holidays like Chinese New Year. 

But then the question becomes: How much can one app do before it becomes too much? 

We’ve all been there. Using an app that tries to be like a website, but is slow and full of bugs? That would be a main worry for me, as tech saavy as I can be. 

Another concern I have besides speed is dependence. The case study talks about the app “train[ing users] to pay via Weixin” in the case of calling a taxi, or buying items or services through the app. 

Coming out of the app to pay for something on another platform can be jarring, almost like when I get used to paying with ApplePay almost everywhere and find somewhere that only takes cash. 

However, there are some good things about Weixin, such as the amount of users. Between its launch in 2011 and three years later in 2014, the app had more than 300 million active users. The app gained so many users because it used a thorough approach to understand its audience and their needs. The platform is appealing to young and urban smartphone users, especially as smartphone use only seems to increase and the users seem to be getting younger and younger. The ease of use for the app is another win for the platform such as the ease of sending a message with the touch of a button instead of typing Chinese characters and the ease of reading news within the app instead of being sent out of the app and to the news platform instead. 

Weixin does whatever it can to keep the user in the app, even going so far as to let users begin shopping in the app and even able to build their own shops. Gradually, because of all of these bonuses, Weixin has become the norm for media use in China. 

But no matter how good it appears to be in China, I’m not sure it would be as big of a hit in the United States. Where China is a big county with bustling cities and people, the United States has a massively diverse group of cities and towns that some apps won’t even add to their locations. 

I thought I lived in a relatively large town, but a lot of the apps in the United States don’t populate any results in my town. So perhaps in larger cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando or New York the app would be helpful for things like Taxis, Ubers or Lyfts and other things related to the offline world. However, it could be a successful app for the the overall messages and news and media and other features.

Social media highly depends on the right time and place. The social app BlueSky managed to boom after X started to become Right Wing and AI central. Facebook has remained popular since the beginning, even with some of their more interesting changes. Myspace only lasted a few years. Since we already have What’sApp in the United States (and other countries), Weixin would have to have some features catered to the every day American to really take off here. 

However, I prefer to keep my apps separate for now, despite the “search costs”. Anything to get me off my phone for a little bit here and there is helpful. 

How about you? What do you think about an All-in-One app?

34 Writing Tips (In no Particular order)

  1. Writing never has to be perfect.
  2. It does have to be understandable.
  3. A writing session can be anything from 1 word and beyond.
  4. If you wrote on your phone, you’re still a writer.
  5. Reading is inhaling, writing is exhaling.
  6. Not all days have to be writing days. Some days you can just live.
  7. Art inspires art.
  8. Pain inspires art.
  9. Too much pain and grief does not feed art.
  10. Music holds a lot of secrets.
  11. The best ideas come amen you can’t write them down (the shower, driving, a staff meeting).
  12. Anyone who uses that tone when taking about your writing doesn’t deserve to hear about it.
  13. First drafts should always be fast.
  14. If an idea is not cooperating and let it sit for a while
  15. Sometimes characters need weird names. Other times characters with normal names will do.
  16. No words are ever wasted.
  17. Fertilizer (AKA shit) makes the best foundation for a great work.
  18. Play around with what works. Favorite novel? Examine why.
  19. Try something new whenever you can. New genre, new technique? Try it at least once.
  20. Finish something. Whether it’s long or short.
  21. Write something as often as you can.
  22. Play
  23. Experiment
  24. Sometimes drafts take a long time.
  25. Sometimes you stop and you start over and over again.
  26. Sometimes a draft is a draft after draft after draft.
  27. Rewrites are writing.
  28. Editing is writing.
  29. Thinking about your works is writing.
  30. Staring at the wall is writing too.
  31. Outlining is writing.
  32. Sometimes, ideas don’t play nice.
  33. Sometimes, they’re too kind and keep coming faster than you can write them down.
  34. No matter what you do, never stop creating.

 

On Writing By Hand

Some affiliate links listed here, gotta pay the bills somehow, right?

When I first began to write seriously (Ok fine, semi-seriously) at around 14, I had no smart devices or even a computer. I started writing my first novel in a spiral bound notebook with a pencil.

Image created by chatGPT— imagine this is the notebook before the project started.

I highly caution against that as I have in the past: Pencil can and will rub away leaving a graphite mess.

Image created by ChatGPT. This was pretty close to what the pages looked like with a few words legible here and there.

My next project, in high school, was written yet again in a spiral notebook, but this time in pen. Better, but spiral notebooks tend to get trashed in backpacks and lose their spiral, their cover, their pages or all of the above. That project took up a notebook and a half, and then I still tried to write the sequel in a spiral bound notebook. You think I would have learned by then, but no.

Is it a universal thing that this is the first pen everyone uses in high school?

The next few projects after that, I wised up a little and put them all in a binder, but still in spiral notebooks. Somehow that made sense to me. Teenage logic, I guess.

Then, I moved to binder paper in a binder, each project separated by a divider (Go me for being organized!) But at that time I was working on like 8-10 different projects and never getting anything done (Boo!). Most of those projects are still not done— I had new project-itis for most of my Sophomore year, too busy crushing on boys (Darn you teenage hormones!).

The fun of going through the dozens of binders in my closet and going through”What’s This?”

Junior year, I finished a project— yet again in a spiral notebook. Yay more teenage logic.

Senior year, I went back to binders and paper, which was more effective because I finished that project just after I turned 18 (Yay being an adult). However, I wrote it in erasable pen, so just like pencil, it’s smudged and nearly unreadable now.

The first NaNoWriMo I did I was freshly 18 with loose pages in a loose folder that was overstuffed after like a week. I don’t really know, that year was weird AF, adjusting to college, getting my heart broken, hating the hard left from art to sciences.

After that, I wised up a little bit and finally switched to composition notebooks and RSVP pens (My favorite!). I would write in the notebook and color in the cover, it was like double the stress relief. I even had two point of views with 4 different colors. I had it all organized and figured out, but the novel/series was never finished.

The best combination for writing by hand.

The first series I finished in a composition notebook (yes, with different colored RSVP pens) was in 2011. I can’t remember exactly how long it was, but I know I used two composition notebooks (with funny patterns, thanks Walmart!) and ran out a few of the pens in the process.

I wrote the rest of that series (or at least parts of it) in different composition notebooks until 2015 when I finally got my first iPhone.

After that, the world was my oyster. I could write anywhere, I could work through projects at the speed of light and not have to worry about typing them up from a notebook later (This was before I learned how to touch type— that was rough!). The first novel I typed was on a Samsung phone back in 2012, which I do not recommend, that was awful.

That experience in 2012 turned me off of technology for a while, hence why I didn’t upgrade until 2015.

Technology is great. I really enjoy typing at the speed of light and getting my ideas out as fast as I can think them and my fingers can type them. I love how connected the internet has made us, and how quick we can share ideas with each other.

However, there are times when I miss writing by hand.

I miss writing notes in the margins and writing initials from where I used to read my work out loud to my best friend (I cringe now, re-reading those works and sometimes even laugh).

I miss writing song titles at the top of the page whenever I heard a song I liked from the music channels on cable.

Just writing down whatever came to mind
This was how I decided to keep track on paper. AWFUL IDEA!

I miss writing down ideas as soon as they would come to me. Notes about later in the story, ideas for another spin-off.

I miss writing notes about life in the margins like “essay due 3/11” and “get milk”.

Handwriting has always felt just a touch more personal than typing on a screen. There was something so magical about starting a notebook on the first page and reaching the last page, or running a pen out of ink at the worst possible time, but loving the feel of the full pen once it was back on the page.

I recently picked up handwriting again last year when I was in the throws of the year from hell. I had wanted to get back into writing, away from a screen that I’d been stuck to for years between writing and school. The screen that I only wanted to use for distractions because that was all I had the bandwidth for at the time. I managed to write for 11 days in a row in August, and it went well, until it didn’t. I stopped, then let doubt come in and then by the time I picked up the notebook again, it was September. Still, I tried to get back into it, then I realized I hadn’t outlined enough.

Still, it was great to write in the margins, great to write by hand and get the ink on my fingers, great to be able to see my accomplishments and hold them in my hands.

I still want to finish that project. I still want to hand write at least parts of it. It’s a massive project and will take me a lot of time, but finally that excites me again rather than frightens me. The difference now is I’m older and I don’t mind using the “fancy” notebooks.

The notebooks for the big project. It was nice to choose themes to go along with the characters.

When it comes down to it, it doesn’t always matter how you write a story, whether online, spoken aloud or in any manner of notebooks with any kinds of pens.

All that matters is that you’re telling the story and moving forward toward the finish line.

I still remember every story I’ve written, no matter how much actually got onto the page. There are a few of them that are lost to time (or in storage), but the ones I do have I have scanned into my computer.

Who knows, I might pick one up and continue it someday.

No effort is ever wasted if you enjoyed doing it.

 

Top Three Writing Tips

I can’t believe we’re in April. April, despite being the start of Spring and warmer weather, is always a horrible month for me. Not only do I have two birthdays followed by death days (yeah, those suck hardcore!), but there are several anniversaries of deaths over the last few years, birthdays of those who have passed on. April is just an awful month.

But! I am still here posting and doing what I can to make it better.

Today, it’s my top three writing tips.

1. Write “This is the shitty draft” or something similar on a blank page to get started.

A blank page is terrifying, especially compared to the perfectly curated image in your head. I used to panic and freeze and not be able to write because “it would never be as good as in my head.” Hence, this tip. It turns off the expectation for the work to be “the best ever” and lets it just be what it is: a first draft.

2. Let the first draft be as bad as it needs to be.

Similar to the tip above, let the first draft be bad. My first drafts are full of notes that make me laugh, notes that make me cringe, way too many parentheses with stupid remarks like this:

Not only does it keep the writing from being too serious, but it makes me laugh when I read it back later and helps me remember how much fun I had writing in the first place.

  1. Have fun with it and play!
    This tip is a little difficult if you’re hard on yourself like me. I’ve always been an anxious kid, and an even more anxious adult so play has never been easy. Writing was where I could feel free and play. I could ask the “What if?” questions and really find the fun in the story.

Overall, there are so many writing tips that might or might not work for you. Do what works and discard the rest. We’re all ultimately on our own writing journeys.

I’m sharing what works best for me. But I hope everyone finds what works for them.

What’s your favorite writing tip?

 

Goodbye and Good Riddance NaNoWriMo

Well, it’s happened.

I woke up to the news this morning that NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) will be no more. They’re shutting down.

Part of me hopes this is an April Fools’ prank. Part of me feels like a weight is lifted from my shoulders.

After the controversy in 2023, and so many more issues (which you can read about here), and the mess that was early 2024, I denounced them entirely.

Ironically, 2023 was my best writing year where I finished my draft in December.

Perhaps that proved that I’m past needing external validation to write a full-length novel. Perhaps that was the first sign it was time to move on. Still, I held out hope. I hoped the admin would clean up the mess that was 2023 and give the long time users and volunteers and supporters a reason to come back and support the cause.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. After the events of 2023, I was on the fence. I’d been an ML for 8 years, NaNoWriMo was something I supported fully and at one time defended through any vitriol, but 2024 was a rough year. I wasn’t in the right headspace for any volunteering, any creative writing or creation at all. Then, before I could make the decision, all the MLs and volunteers were let go with little mention. Some of us didn’t even get an email.

I grieved NaNoWriMo just as I grieved the other handful of deaths I had in 2024. I went through all the stages of grief:

Denial (No, NaNoWriMo wouldn’t…)

Anger (How could I have not known?!)

Bargaining (Ok, NaNo is sucking right now, but they’re making positive changes. I’ll return when they’re better)

Depression (Great, another thing that’s fucked up in the world and triggering my anxiety through the roof)

and

Acceptance (Fuck ‘em).

That’s about where I am right now. Does it absolutely suck that NaNoWriMo as an organization is over? Yes.

But, at the same time, the program has done what it set out to do when it started in 1999. It had a hand in building writing communities all over the world, it helped writers find the drive to tell their stories. It proved to writers that yes you CAN write that novel.

Several writers have taken up the challenge and have amazing work to show for it. I wrote an entire series over a decade out of the 15 years I participated. I have a lot more finished novels because of NaNoWriMo.

I have a million words thanks to NaNoWriMo.

I’m thankful, but at the same time, good riddance. I hate to be blunt, but they dug their own grave with everything that happened in 2023/2024 and even way before that.

The website change in 2018/19- awful.

The increase of donation reminders over writing pep talks to help fund the website- awful.

The allegations in 2023 and the fall out into 2024- awful.

How they treated users and volunteers who only wanted answers- awful.

That being said, I hope the positives of NaNoWriMo live on. The writing community, the steadfast belief that anyone can tell a story, and the frenzied writing of a lot of crap to fertilize a beautiful future novel that the story could be.

All this toxic BS of blaming users and volunteers, ableism, and gaslighting can go.

So what do we do now?

Thankfully, from the fallout of NaNoWriMo in 2023/2024, a lot of other organizations and programs have stepped up. Plotterati, Royal Road’s Writathon, Writetrack, among several others.

Here’s a decent list. Maybe give the internet a few days to catch up. When I did my search, NaNoWriMo was still listed in most of them.

As a writer, join or make a local writing group. Keep the idea of “writing dangerously” and “by the seat of your pants” alive and well.

Donate to other writing projects, or charity.

As for me, I’m still writing. I still have a writing community.

That’s what matters most.

Keep writing. That’s all we can do.

Programs and organizations may come and go, but the writing will always be there.

 

2025 First Quarter Goals

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Here we are in 2025! This year already feels like a breath of fresh air. A new book with 365 pages to make something with.

Because 2024 was so terrible, I’ve decided I’m going to move to quarterly goals for 2025. That way, I have more time to focus on goals, more time to complete them (rather than month to month) and if one quarter sucks, I can regroup and try again in the next quarter.

That being said, here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish in the first 3 months of the year.

Overall

Publish more consistently online and build online presence.

Set up a newsletter

Finish setting up Etsy account and shop. Start selling.

Finish first MFA semester of 2025

January

Post daily on Music That Shaped Me.

Post weekly on the blog and Medium

Participate in NYC Midnight’s Short Story Challenge

February

Post daily on the blog

Post weekly on Music That Shaped Me and Medium.

March

Post daily on Medium

Post weekly on Music That Shaped Me and the blog.

For 2025, I’m keeping it really easy and light for the first quarter. There are some goals I want to reach and things I’ll have to work on, but it will be worth it.

Stay tuned to see how it all goes!

 

2024 Wrap up

Is it finally gone? Did we make it through that awful year?

Ok, good.

The me at the start of 2024 and the me now are two vastly different people. In 2024, before the chaos hit, I had a lot of goals I wanted to reach and projects I wanted to get done.

A quick reminder of what those goals were:

Writing Goals

Write 1.5K-2K (Or 1 hour of time) daily one project at a time until Completed

Finish 5-6 Writing Projects

Finish 2 Editing Projects

Read 15 Books

Publish Consistently Online

Publish a Long Work

Personal Goals

Exercise/Get in Better Shape

Hydrate

 

“Overall, I’m excited for 2024 and all the new opportunities it will bring!”

via GIPHY

Is it wrong to want to simultaneously punch your younger self in the face and give them a nice tight hug to prepare them for what’s to come?

2024 was a fucking doozy starting from 6 days in. The hits were numerous and kept coming, blow after blow. Looking back at it now, it feels like I went a dozen boxing rounds, each more difficult than the last. You can read all about it on medium.

Needless to say, I didn’t get any of my goals for 2024 nearly as close as I wanted. Writing and editing and posting online took a backseat. Nearly everything but the basics took a backseat for a long stretch.

2024 was not the year of writing I wanted, but it was definitely a year of pain and growth and self-development. Between the grief, loss and new experiences, I learned a lot more about myself than writing could ever teach me.

While it sucks my goals had to take a backseat due to circumstances I could not control, I did have some small wins this year mostly unrelated to my goals.

I wrote about 80K in the first few months, until I stopped writing in March.

I finished 10/15 books but started more than 15 (if we count textbooks!).

I started the MFA program and basically had to re-learn how to learn now that my ADHD was first fully out to play and then somewhat better controlled.

I started gardening and crafting and doing things away from a screen.

I worked a lot on myself and learned a lot that will help me in the long run.

I’m hesitantly excited to see how things go in 2025.

To Be a Better Writer, Do More Than Only Write

I’ve always called myself a writer, ever since I started writing little short stories I never finished at 7. I’ve always used writing as an escape, from life, from homework, from friends and family.

It’s taken me years (and an SSRI, and ADHD medication) to realize that wasn’t completely healthy. But when I was a teenager and in my early 20’s, writing was my therapy. Writing helped me get through the hard things in life even though I would always insist: “I’m fine.”

The SSRI (Lexapro and then Prozac) helped pull away the curtain of pretend. I could no longer tell myself I was fine, I could no longer lie to myself. That was a blessing and a curse.

I found myself needing to “Do More”. I needed to get out of my head and do something physical to keep the feeling of “not doing enough” at bay.

I started gardening. I started knitting and crocheting. I started reading more books and watching more Netflix and building up my internal well of creativity.

I was able to finally look outside of myself and be more present in the world. That feeling is fantastic! I wasn’t stuck in my head all the time, overthinking every little detail of my life. I wasn’t overthinking if I was too much of anything. Too loud, too slow, too dirty. I was just able to be in those moments and create something great.

I’ve loved the time away from the page. The time I allowed myself to do more and eventually be more. I took a break from being cooped inside in front of a screen, typing away like a maniac, and I’ve come back better for it.

I have a lot more knowledge on other aspects of life. I’ve learned and grown and become something more than I ever thought I could be.

Now that I’m returning to the page, returning to the blog and Medium and Substack, I feel much more prepared to be successful.

I hope you’ll join me.

 

November Update

Photo by Kelly Sikkema

This year has been the most difficult year I can remember. Emotionally, I’m drained. Physically, I’m tired. Mentally, I’m frazzled.

But I am on the mend.

All of 2024 has been one shit show after the other, starting 6 days into the new year! Tragedy after tragedy, death after death, loss after loss. But through it all, I’m still kicking and screaming. Sure, there were times when I thought this year would break me. Times where I felt like I was drowning and the usual mechanisms that could save me were broken and sinking.

After a difficult few months, and the literal feeling like I was drowning, I started taking anti-depressants. They helped me feel better, but for the first time in my life since I decided I wanted to be a writer: I couldn’t write.

I feared that writing had been my depressive addiction, that I used writing to avoid the difficult things in life. While I definitely used it as a distraction before medication, I worried I would not be as creative on the medication. That was a big roadblock.

Another roadblock to writing was the loss of trust in NaNoWriMo. I used to give them the benefit of the doubt on most things over the years as an ML (Municipal Liaison) for them, but after the allegations of child grooming in 2023 and then the increased vitriol and hatred, finally culminating in a series of “unimportant” emails that were actually important (shocking!) where all the MLs were nuked. I have moved on.

That transition was difficult. I had used the monthly writing model for years, ever since I found NaNoWriMo in 2009. I had built up monthly writing goals, editing goals, word count goals, but after that experience was tarnished, I felt like everything else was tarnished too. So I stopped writing.

November used to be NaNoWriMo. I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year, but I am planting seeds for 2025 and making plans.

This year did not go as I intended it to go in any of the ways I had planned. Wave after wave of grief and loss. The medication helped, but it brought out some focus issues. Which led me to be diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD.

Once I was diagnosed (and medicated), all the little quirks, little issues, big issues and avoidant tendencies suddenly made sense.

Looking back on basically my whole life with the new lens of “I have Depression and ADHD” was absolutely wild. I had to spend some time cataloguing my entire life and noticing both what I had missed out on thanks to the anxiety and fear from my depression and ADHD, but also the signs that I missed of both my depression and ADHD. That was definitely a mindfuck and a little pity party, but it was needed. Now I know how to move forward.

I took a break from writing this year and that’s OK. It was more like I was forced to take a break, but that’s a good thing. I needed to pause, evaluate and figure out how to move forward.

I’m currently in an MFA program for Creative Writing (timing is great, isn’t it?) and that has been rough. I’ve always been a good student, but these first few classes have been a creative struggle and a lesson in how to adapt. One of the classes is “The Business of Writing” and I’m seeing the places where I fall short.

I’ve had great intentions for putting myself out there, but I have always fallen short. But now that things are on the mend, I am going to do my best to improve.

Along with not writing this year, I picked up gardening, knitting (and some crochet- still learning), built a lot of furniture for the newly opened side of my house, and created a space that makes me truly feel happy and creative.

I’m making plans to be more present for 2025. I’m making plans to get back into writing and not make it feel like such a struggle. I’m working on putting myself more out there with my writing and my art despite my intense fear of heartbreaking rejection.

You’ll see more from me over the next few weeks of 2024 and in 2025!

 

March Results and April Goals

March was a month of ups and downs. There were a lot of successes this month, but also a lot of losses and hardships. There were several events that were more important than writing and creating and that was ok. My goals this month were hit and miss in several ways, but I did what I could and I’m pleased with that.

March Results

Writing

Finish Edits on MAC

I had a plan this month. A new chapter edited every 3 days to get through the 9 chapters (or so) I needed to get done. The first chapter was a breeze. The next few weren’t so easy, with chapters splitting and new chapters being written. I have reached the part of the book that need the most rewrites. This section is a lot more work than I had originally expected. I was able to keep up a pretty decent pace for most of the month, but the edits were more extensive than I realized.I still have about 4 chapters or so to go, but I’m going to work on them in April and pace myself to prevent burnout or worse.

Outline a Project (or Two)

Outlining has been quite fun this month. I’ve been pulling out older projects to repurpose them (possibly for publishing). I’m planning on expanding a few of my old short stories that need more plot, and so this month I’ve taken a few and worked them out to be longer pieces (or at least novellas). So far, one was easy and quick and the other requires more thought. Yet another is a novel that needs an extra 30-50K to be truly novel length. There are several short stories and projects that are pulling at my brain to be written and rewritten and created, which created a little bit of overwhelm, but I’m getting it under control. I’m excited to start planning and working on something new.

Attend a Writing Conference

Yet again, for the third year in a row, I missed attending the conference in person. Thankfully, this conference records the seminars and makes them available for quite a while after the conference is over. Now, I have an excuse to watch all the recordings and take what I need from them. I really enjoy writing in the digital era where I can access conferences from the comfort of my own home (or even on the go) anytime that works for me.

I’ve started to watch a few of the recordings and taking things from them I feel I need. Taking notes is a must, and so far, I have yet to be disappointed by a speaker.

Finish a Book

This month was not quite the reading month I had wanted. I had good intentions to finish reading a book, but edits, other projects, and my mental health took a higher priority. I did not get to read as much as I wanted. Hopefully in the next month or two I can get back on the reading train and start finishing more books.

Personal Goals

Yoga 2-3x a week

For the first few weeks of the month, there was no exercise. The construction is still going on on the sidewalk and street, I was helping my husband recover from surgery, and everything was just busy, busy, busy. Finally around mid month, I did get back into doing yoga at least once. It wasn’t as often as I would have liked, but I did put forth a solid attempt, so I’m happy with that. There have been a lot of changes this month, but hopefully next month will be better.

Drink more water

Drinking more water this month was a little bit easier. I often forgot to track my water intake, but I do know I did make a solid attempt to drink more and keep drinking water once I started. Thankfully, I’m becoming more mindful of it now and attempting to drink more water when I really feel I need it.

Other

The month of March was interesting. The first few weeks I was helping my husband recover from surgery and working and attempting all my creative goals.

I started exploring new places to publish and ways to increase traffic to the blog and other ways to hopefully start making money from my writing.

On the same day, I got accepted into an MFA Program and found out my grandfather passed away.

So far 2024 has been a brutal year of heartache and pain with several family members and family friends passing away.

On top of that, April has arrived, and April is a month of hard anniversaries for both my husband and me.

Word Count: 20,415

Still, here’s what I’m hoping to accomplish in April.

April Goals

Finish Edits on MAC

I have a goal and a plan to finish MAC this month. I’m hoping I can get it done by working on one chapter a week. Editing is quite different than writing, it’s more chaotic and wild, and yet structured in a way I don’t like. Still, I’m pushing through and improving my craft. Not all growth has to be comfortable. The edits will get done whether it’s this month or the next.

Gain Consistency with Online Posting

I’ve been really trying to find the consistency I had in November and December to work on posting in several places online. I’m attempting to make a schedule that would work best for me and work toward more consistency and then ultimately gaining readers. Writing and a full time job (and school starting soon) do not make a consistent schedule, but I am attempting to get myself organized to better create and distribute.

Outline More Projects and Make a plan for 2024

I had a lot of fun outlining the few projects I did in March. I’m excited to go through and outline more so I can eventually finish more projects and hopefully publish them.

So far, 2024 has been a horrible year for business growth and writing growth. I’m hoping the second quarter and beyond are better. I would like to make a plan of what I want to be working on, when I want to post it and how to have the most impact. To start, I’ll make a quarterly plan of things I want to have finished by the time July rolls around.

Finish reading a book

March was not good for reading. March was not good for much of anything active in the writing or reading hobbies I have. I would like to pick up reading again and start balancing the reading and writing and creating aspects of my life again. I have a book in mind I’d like to finish so I can move on to the rest of the series, so I plan to focus on that this month.

Personal Goals

Yoga or Exercise 2-3x a week

This is one of my yearly goals, to exercise and take better care of myself. March wasn’t the month to do that. Hopefully April will be with the weather getting warmer and the sun staying up longer. I hope the roadwork near my house on my normal walk also improves, but I have a plan in place if it doesn’t.

Drink more water

This month, I really have to focus on my water intake. With some recent health changes, I’ve noticed I have more dry mouth. I’ve also noticed if I keep my water bottle close by and filled with nice cold ice water it’s much easier to drink. Here’s hoping I can get more water intake in April.

Here’s to hoping April is a better month!

 

Bre’s Writing Process Part One: Pre-Writing Notes

Over the past few months, I’ve been playing around with my writing process and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. It’s a relatively slow process with a little bit of fine-tuning here and there between every day life. I’m doing a deep dive of my process and playing around with what works and throwing out what doesn’t.

So I figured why not blog the process from start to finished project.

(Is a project ever truly finished?)

Every project I’ve started, every spark of an idea that has gone anywhere, whether finished or not, started with notes. The idea would come, wherever I was at the time, or what I was doing doesn’t matter, but writing the idea down did matter. Writing the idea down ensures I will return to it later and with any luck flesh out the idea.

Sometimes, an idea starts as a simple question like: What if?

Other times, I’ll be listening to music in the car or the shower and an idea will simply spring forth and I’ll rush to find a safe and dry space to write it down.

The last novel I finished was an experiment to see what I could emulate from one of my favorite books/movies and a deep dive of taking elements I liked and putting my own spin on it. The project turned out much better than I had hoped and expanded way past the original work. It’s been one of my favorite projects yet.

No matter what the idea, big or small, novel or short story, it all starts with a notes page in my writing program. I currently use Ulysses, but have used Google Docs in the past. The idea is still the same. I take the page with the original idea and I put all of the ideas, little scenes I can see or hear, the ideas for the ending and anything else relevant to the story for as long as it takes to feel comfortable enough to start the story.

Everything ends up in one place, one spot where all the ideas live and work out on the page. Sometimes it becomes a super loose outline where I’ll have the beginning, the end and maybe some small parts of the middle. Most of the time it’s a jumbled mess of: “I like this name” and “THIS IS THE THEME!” Or some other wild notes.

One of these days, I’ll do a greatest hits of the weird things that end up in my notes (whether while writing the piece or before)

Here’s one of my favorite notes in one of my pieces.

I’ve only started doing this process in the last 6 months or so. Before, I would start novels and pieces with such high hopes and lose traction and once again find myself in the loop of the “shiny new project” syndrome.

Looking back on a few projects before notes, perhaps they lost traction and stalled because I didn’t have enough notes or direction of where I wanted to go, or it wasn’t my idea in the first place. Someday we’ll talk about my tendency to think I can write an entire novel based on an album (but not today).

Not every small idea has enough traction to become a successful or finished idea, but most of the good ones so far have started with a notes document or an entire notebook.

 

February Results and March Goals

February is over and gone (with an extra day even!). Thankfully, February was better than January as far as writing and creating and getting back into a routine, but not by much.

There were still family and friend health issues and the usual distractions and set backs, but overall, I think February went pretty well.

Here’s how I did in February:

February Results

Writing Goals

Choose and make progress on an editing project for the month

So I set this goal and in my brain that meant wanting to write a new aspect of the fantasy series I’d been working on for nearly 10 years, but finished a few years ago. I migrated everything from one writing platform to another and formatting was a pain in the butt, so I spent the first week of February doing admin stuff like reorganizing works and writing posts for the blog, Medium and Substack (I’m learning and trying new things!)

After that, I outlined edits for one of the projects where I’m about 10 or so chapters away from completing edits. I’ve started to work on that, and once I started that, the other book in the series (from 2022 that I still haven’t finished) decided it wanted to be picked back up again this year.

Even better, the novel I just finished in 2023 has a great scene I wanted to use for a writing sample into an MFA program, so I edited the living daylights out of that too.

The editing mojo has returned!

Get back to posting regularly on the blog, Medium and Subtack

As much as I wanted this goal to happen, I couldn’t get into the rhythm of posting regularly. However, I do have a lot of ideas brewing and a backlog of posts to work on, so hopefully, over the next few weeks of March and possibly into April I’ll find the mojo again. Or perhaps I’ll simply take a little break and see how far I can get into editing and getting a few projects to the next steps in the creative process.

Personal Goals

Exercise 4x/week

Once again, exercise did not happen. February has been busy with everything else but exercise. I want to get back to it, I’m itching to get back to it, but time has not been my friend this month. Soon enough I will return to exercise and my proper routine (and hopefully all the roadwork on my usual walking path will be done soon too!)

Drink Enough Water daily

I’ve definitely been attempting to drink more water, but it doesn’t always end up making it into the app. Some days, I drink a lot, and other days it’s an “Oops! Did I drink any water today?”

Other

February has been an interesting month with even more family and friend health issues, but there was writing and editing included.

I submitted a personal statement and writing sample for an MFA program and I’m working on getting things ready for that coming up in May. I also finished a piece of fan fiction in 10 days on the last day of the month.

Things are moving in the right direction and I couldn’t be more excited.

I also applied for a writing job (as a side gig to nursing) and I’m excited to see where that takes me.

Word Count: 25,408

Here’s what I hope to accomplish in March:

March Goals

Writing

Finish Edits on MAC

I’m on the last stretch of edits and so far through February, the edits are going well. I would like to finish them this month (and hopefully not get too much in my head that I freak myself out). Then, once again, it’s ready to sit and stew for a bit. If I finish the first round of edits, I plan on moving on to another project and start editing that.

It’s time to start working on the backlog.

Outline a Project (or Two)

Being a writer and having a full-time job (and life) means starting to plan projects more efficiently. I have several plans for upcoming projects, including editing, publishing, marketing and a lot of other things that will go into the publishing process. While I have several projects on the back burner for editing, I also have several half finished ideas and other plans for some finished works.

Attend a Writing Conference

Every year in March, the Women in Publishing Conference takes place online. This will be my third year attending, and hopefully I can actually attend a few live sessions rather than enjoying the recorded sessions later. I’m looking forward to spending more time doing events and conferences centered around writing and learning and enjoying all I can.

Finish a Book

I read two books in January and then promptly fell into a reading slump in February. I’m hoping to finish a book (possibly two) in March, depending on if I don’t get too distracted. I would like to finish the book I’m currently in the middle of and get back to the series and finish that over the next few months. Just like a backlog of writing projects, I also have a backlog of books to read.

Personal Goals

Yoga 2-3x a week

Part of the issue with exercise and not doing it was the construction on my usual walking path. To remedy that, I would like to do yoga (from apple fitness) 2-3 times a week. My husband will be recovering from surgery for the first part of the month, hence the 2-3x a week. Hopefully it will get me exercising more this month.

Drink more water

I’ve been starting to drink more water, which has been great and makes me feel so much better, but now it’s time to keep better track of it and make it more consistent. What worked really well back in October/November was some of the challenges from WaterMinder. So starting today, I’m going to do the 21 day hydration challenge once again.

March will be a busy month, but I’m looking forward to getting back into the routine of writing and editing and kicking butt on projects.

January Result and February Goals

Finally! January is over and gone. This January was simultaneously the longest month ever and gone in a flash. Between unexpected family health issues, a crazy busy month at the day job and being creatively spent, I’m so glad we’re heading into February. I’m ready for a new month and new goals.

Here’s how I did in January.

January Results

Writing Goals

FOREWARNING: I did not complete any of the goals I wanted to complete this month. Family obligations and creative burnout hit me like a train.

Outline Open Projects

I did not outline any open projects like I wanted this month. It wasn’t the month for it and I was creatively spent.

Update Blog and other Platforms

I did not update the blog or any other platforms. This month was BUSY and any extra time I had was put toward relaxing. Eventually I will update the blog and other platforms but this was not the month for that.

Publish consistently on the Blog, Medium and Substack

I did not publish consistently throughout the month like I had planned to do. Creative burnout and January simultaneously being very very short and so impossibly long feeling did not help with deadlines or due dates.

Submit a Short Story to a magazine

I did not submit a short story to a magazine like I wanted to do. I got in my own head and let imposter syndrome swallow me and chew me up.

Personal Goals

Exercise 4x/week

Exercise did not happen at all this month and I’m really not happy about it. Between cold weather, poor time management and a whole host of other things, it didn’t happen.

Drink Enough Water daily (with the help of Waterminder)

I don’t think I drank enough water at all, all month. This month was crazy busy and hectic and I was not the best at taking care of myself.

Other

I started my Invisalign treatment after having brace for 5 1/2 months. The transition was not the easiest, but nearly 3 weeks in I’m starting to get the hang of what I can and cannot eat.

I was supposed to submit a work for NYC Midnight’s Short Story Challenge this month, but I was just so creatively drained, I didn’t even make the effort.

January was definitely a “Refill the Creative Well” month. I hopped back on the fan fiction train and focused on writing some fan fiction while I wait for a few works to be ready for edits. I also read two books this month and watched a lot of Star Trek with my husband. Now that January is winding down, I’m starting to feel the threads of creativity again.

Word Count: 32,953

I hope February is a better creative month for me.

February Goals

Writing Goals

Choose and make progress on an editing project for the month

I have several editing projects I would like to get through this year, some in the middle of edits and others abandoned for years. I would like to start chipping away at my massive pile of works to be edited and start/finish one this month. I have one project needing only a few more chapters to get through the first round of edits, but I also have a whole mostly finished series begging to be drudged up again. We’ll see how it goes!

Get back to posting regularly on the blog, Medium and Subtack

When I was posting consistently in November and December, I really enjoyed it. I would like to pick up the momentum again and keep it up throughout the rest of the year as I’m able.

Personal Goals

Exercise 4x/week

I would like to exercise more this month (wouldn’t we all?). I hope between writing projects I can remind myself to get outside and go for a walk or at least get some yoga in. 

Drink Enough Water daily (with the help of Waterminder)

I’ve been trying to be better with drinking water, but it’s not always the easiest. Hopefully this month I can make some positive steps in the right direction. 

What about you? What are your goals for the upcoming month?

 

Tools I’ve used to Write a Novel in 60 Days

I wrote a near 130K novel in 60 days from November 1st to December 30th. While it was a wild adventure and a wonderful flurry of words, I’m so happy I documented my progress day by day and took notice of what worked and what didn’t.

It was a great experience and I would definitely love to do it again (once the book hangover wears off!)

Timers

What Worked: When I started in November, I set out to find out why November is always such a good writing month and what makes it feel so magical to me. I started documenting my time, and for that, I used timers. Little bits of time, ranging from 5 to 30 minutes worked wonders. I could see how long it took me to write as many words as I needed for the day and could account for that time. I could easily tally up my writing minutes for the day and find out how long it took me to reach a goal.

What Didn’t Work: Stopwatch. The few times I used a stopwatch, usually for long periods of time during writing meeting groups, I did not like it. Something about the timer counting down pushed me to write faster. The stopwatch, I forgot about for 2 days (yes, the stopwatch on Apple Watch can run for quite a while in the background).

Verdict: I will definitely keep using timers while writing, but not a stopwatch.

Outline

What Worked: I wrote an outline before November started. The last time I wrote an outline was around 2012 or 2013 and I struggled to follow it. This is the first project I’ve outlined all the way through and didn’t go too far off the outline. The outline kept me accountable and helped me when I was interested in adding or changing things.

What didn’t Work: My outline was loose (It works better for me that way), but not written in the best order. I was pulling plot points from halfway through the outline into the first few chapters because it made sense to put it there. The plot points were not fleshed out enough in the outline, so when it got closer to the time to consult it at the end, I had to do a lot of fudgery to make sure the plot points worked and in my mind certain scenes were too long or too rushed. Easily fixable in the next drafts, but in some places the outline felt too rigid.

Verdict: I will keep using outlines, and will outline projects before I start them, especially since my next few projects (if timing works out) will be a bit more complicated.

Ulysses

What Worked: I’ve been using Ulysses for over 3 years now. I really enjoy the program (and the app) now that I’ve created a routine. I enjoy that I can create projects (a new feature I used for this novel which REALLY helped), I enjoy that I can organize a group and page however I want. I started using a page per day during NaNoWriMo 2020 and it worked really well to keep myself accountable and not get freaked out by such a large number and the WHOLE document in one place. I kept it up for the last few years and it’s nice to start with a blank page every day.

What Didn’t Work: I write a lot on my phone, and while this isn’t a bad thing, the new feature in Ulysses where it autocorrects to what it thinks you’re wanting to write was annoying as hell. The program struggles between to and so a lot, and it and to for some reason. Autocorrect would pick the stupidest replacements, even changing my main character’s name to Sandwich once. It did not help my word count, especially as I was speeding toward the end and yelling at my phone (and occasionally the computer) “NOT THAT ONE! UGH!” and going back to edit.

Verdict: Despite the obvious autocorrect issues, I like Ulysses. It’s been a great writing tool for quite a while. While I don’t agree with all the updates (looking at you predictive text), I will continue to use it for multiple projects and posts, and I am going to attempt to start a blank page every day in the next projects I’m working on this year.

Notebook with Daily Tally and Brief Summary of Writing Day

What Worked: I liked handwriting my tally down and breaking it down into minutes. It was nice to write about how writing went that day and what I wanted get done, did get done, or didn’t get done. It was nice to decompress after writing and assess patterns in my daily routine of where I could improve or where I could pull back.

What Didn’t Work: A lot of the days, I would finish my daily quota right before I fell asleep in bed and wouldn’t write in the notebook until a day or two (or 15) later. December was notorious for this, and so a lot of the little notes about how writing went weren’t entirely genuine, but the daily tallys were.

Verdict: I think I will continue this idea for big projects, like novels and maybe edits when I get there, but not for every project I write. It was fun to use a notebook and print out my cover to make the notebook fancy, but I doubt I’ll do it for every project.

60 days is the fastest I’ve ever written a first draft of a novel. I think the tools helped, but I also think if I had only had a pen and paper and the drive to tell a story, I would have still been able to write a successful story, it just would have taken me longer.

A writer’s tools can help or hinder, but I truly believe the best tool a writer can have is the determination and motivation to continue the work even when it gets hard and push through to the end.

 

2024 Goals

Here we are in 2024! A new year, with 366 (Leap Year!) new days to make things happen and reach some goals.

2023 was super productive and very successful. I hope to repeat the trend in 2024, only better because I’m taking what I learned in 2023 and refining it to better hit my goals.

Writing Goals

Write 1.5K-2K (Or 1 hour of time) daily one project at a time until Completed

Over the last few months of 2023, I changed my writing practices in an effort to be more efficient and not over do it. I overdid it, with massive word counts, but I did learn how to make my writing more efficient. I found I could consistently get anywhere between 1.5-2K words in about an hour, so I would like to make that a daily practice so I can finish some projects this year.

Finish 5-6 Writing Projects

This goal is a huge goal, but I have done that on purpose. If I continue at the pace I did at the end of last year (and with consistency rather than a crazy race to the finish), I can finish several projects. I’m leaving the projects open, not setting anything crazy, seeing what come along when it comes along.

Finish 2 Editing Projects

There are two projects I want to get through edits this year. The first is the edits from last year I didn’t quite get finished and the second is the novel I finished in December. I can’t quite edit as fast as I write (yet), but I’m hoping to improve this year.

Read 15 Books

Reading is one of the goals I definitely overshot last year. I started with 6 and then increased to 12, but read 19. This year, I want to split the difference and read 15 books. I have a few books left over from 2023, but I’ve been itching to get reading and improve my craft.

Publish Consistently Online

Over the last few months, I’ve upped my online publishing game and I’ve seen the results. I want to publish online consistently and get more exposure. I’ve got three places I publish and I want to stay as consistent as possible throughout this new year.

Publish a Long Work

This year, I would like to publish a novel. I’ve been saying that for years, but with years of practice behind me and the hope of more consistency this year, 2024 will be my year to publish. Whether indie published or traditional, I hope to have something published in the next 366 days.

Personal Goals

Exercise/Get in Better Shape

I make this goal every year, and every year I get fed up and give up somewhere in the first few months. I want to exercise (or at least walk) four times a week. I have a very important big party in September and I want to be my best physically for that and continue the habit for the rest of my life. I haven’t always been the healthiest, but now it’s time to change that.

Hydrate

In November, I started a water drinking challenge and it worked very well. I felt better, I wasn’t as fatigued and I didn’t have as many little aches and pains. I didn’t do the greatest in December (still drinking way too much coffee), but I want to continue tracking my water and hydration goals throughout the year.

January Goals

Writing Goals

Outline Open Projects

I have a lot of open projects from the last few years. I’ve learned I do better with an outline, so I want to outline the open projects I have and decide if they are worth continuing or if they should be put on hiatus so I can work on other things. From there, I will pick the project I want to work on for the next few months or so (depending on how long it takes to finish).

Update Blog and other Platforms

I’ve had the blog for a while and I’m branching out into other platforms. I want to create a cohesive experience where all my bios are inter-connected and easier to navigate. I want to update some things here on the blog and make the navigation more user friendly. Stay tuned for updates!

Publish consistently on the Blog, Medium and Substack

Publishing online has been a positive experience for me so far, now that I have been able to make a consistent publishing schedule. I want to continue to publish and build a routine and challenge myself to improve.

Submit a Short Story to a magazine

This goal, I’ve been thinking about for a few months now. I want to attempt to publish something through a magazine and when I last looked submissions weren’t open yet. They open this month, so I’m going to do something scary and submit.

Personal Goals

Exercise 4x/week

I want to walk and get outside for at least 30 minutes a day four times a week. It shouldn’t be too difficult if I stick to a schedule and make it happen consistently. Part of the battle is motivating myself to get it done. I’m hoping with a decent audiobook, podcast or album to listen to, I’ll be able to be more consistent.

Drink Enough Water daily (with the help of Waterminder)

Drinking water and staying hydrated has helped me feel so much better in the long run. I want to keep it up and drink more water consistently and improve my body from the inside out. Waterminder, an app I’ve had since 2020, is very helpful in tracking my water, and it’s really nice to see the pretty colors of all the different liquids I drink.

Overall, I’m excited for 2024 and all the new opportunities it will bring!

 

December Results and 2023 Year End Wrap Up

December Results

Finish To Have A Heart

I finished the first draft of the novel in December! I finished a day early too!

Now, it’s time to figure out what my next project is!

Publish more online

I have published a lot online this month. I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished over the last few weeks. I took a week off between Christmas and New Years (to write the rest of my novel), but I am excited to get it going again.

Looking forward to more opportunities in 2024!

Publish something

This year, one of my goals was to publish something. Technically, I do have something published (a poetry book that never took off or ended up on Amazon). It’s been a year of learning and growing, but no true publishing yet.

Next year is my year to publish!

Year End Round Up

Write Every Day of 2023

I managed to write every single day of 2023! 365 days of some kind of writing (and a lot of days it was a lot of words!)

I could not be happier and more proud of myself. I thought 2023 was going to be the year of edits, but it was still the year of writing too. I wrote and edited a lot this year. This is the year I truly felt like a writer who had my life together. I can only hope it continues.

Edit Three Novels

2023 was supposed to be the year of edits, and I gave it a good shot, but didn’t quite get 3 novel edited.

-Book of Poetry (edited in March/April)

-MAC/Book 1 (About 10 chapters left to edit)

Thankfully, I got a taste for editing over the year and now I know how to improve my craft over the next year.

Edit Twelve short stories

  • Congratulations- Written Jan 2015; Edited Jan 2023
  • H-E- Double Hockey Sticks- Written and Edited Jan 2023
  • Samson- Written 2014; Edited Feb 2023
  • Thanks For the Hand- Written and Edited April 2023
  • Mad With The Moon-written Feb 2021; edited June 2023
  • Love Lines- written Jan 2014; edited June 2023
  • The Way Out-Written August 2022; Edited June 2023
  • Room 1134- Written and edited July 2023
  • Honeydew- Written June 2020; Edited August 2023 and September 2023

9/12 short stories edited this year. I made an effort, and made some progress. I have plans in 2024 to take the next step with a few of the stories. Stay tuned for exciting updates in 2024!

Read Twelve Books

  • Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olsen- finished January 2023
  • All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban- Finished January 2023
  • The Will and The Wild by Charlie N. Holmberg- Finished February 2023
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas- Finished March 2023
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas- Finished March 2023
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Mass- finished March 2023
  • Queen of Ruin by K.F. Breene- finished June 2023
  • Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid -finished June 2023
  • A Writer’s Guide to Persistence by Jordan Rosenfeld- finished July 2023
  • Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery- Finished August 2023
  • Soul of Smoke by Caitlyn McFarland-Finished August 2023
  • Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery-finished August 2023
  • Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery-Finished August 2023
  • Shadow of Flame by Caitlyn McFarland- finished August 2023
  • Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery- Finished September 2023
  • Truth of Embers by Caitlyn McFarland- Finished September 2023
  • Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine- Finished September 2023
  • Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery-Finished October 2023
  • Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones- Finished October 2023

19/12 books. I overshot this goal and I am so glad I did. I’ve read a lot of series this year and finished a few I started in 2022 or earlier. The joy of reading has returned after years. I feel such delight when I read a good plot twist or learn something new from reading. I only hope to produce the same in my readers some day.

Publish Something (Either Traditional or Indie)

When I created this goal, I wanted to publish a book, a novel, but that didn’t quite happen this year. Instead, I decided I would put out a short story on Amazon (self published) but I rushed it, so I ended up pulling it back down.

  • Love Lines- Short Story- Published June 2023 (And deleted October 2023)

While I didn’t publish a novel, and I pulled down the short story, I did start a substack (Music That Shaped Me) and I’ve been more consistent writing on Medium and here on the blog. While it isn’t exactly what I had planned for the publishing goal, it technically is publishing. I’m really proud of the consistency I’ve found in 2023.

Participate in Most (If not all) NYC Midnight Writing Contests.

  • Short Story Challenge
    This one was not that bad. 8 days was not enough time because I procrastinated and had to push to write and edit in the last few days to make sure it was submitted on time.
    RESULTS: 5th place. Moved to round 2.
    Round 2: I had so much fun in round 2, and I fully laughed at myself and was able to have fun despite the silliness surrounding it.
    RESULTS: Did not place in round 2.
  • Screenwriting Challenge
    This one, I skipped. I signed up for it with high hopes, but screenwriting and scripts aren’t really my thing under a deadline.
  • Microfiction (100 words)
    I’ve always really liked this one, and not only because it’s short. 100 words is extremely hard to tell a story in, but that’s what makes it fun. I really enjoyed having to write a suspense/thriller in 100 words or less.
    RESULTS: Placed 1st! 🎉 Moved on to second round.
    RESULTS: Did not place in round 2.
  • Flash Fiction
    This is the NYC Midnight challenge that started it all. I have such a fond enjoyment of this challenge and each and every prompt teaches me something new. This time was a genre I have never actually tried to write, so it was fantastic.
    RESULTS: Did not place in round 1
    RESULTS: Did not place in round 2
  • Microfiction (500 Word)
    This challenge I unfortunately did not take part in because I lost track of my days. There’s always next year (I hope)
  • Microfiction (250 word)
    Passed on this one. It was right after November and I was so excited about my novel still and didn’t want to break the excitement. I wanted to finish the novel and not start something new. I also forgot to sign up for it until it had passed, so oops!

    Finished Projects

  • Little Earthquakes- a novel based off of a Tori Amos album of the same name
  • Short Stories
    -Rocketman
    -Luka
  • Through the Walls- A short story and Poetry Collection (schoolwork)
  • Honeydew- A short play (Schoolwork)
  • Various Fanfictions of popular book and TV series.
    1. The Names That Bind- ACOTAR
    2. You Don’t Need to Love Me- ACOTAR
    3. Hidge Week 2018- Voltron Legendary Defender
    4. Shave and a Haircut and Two Bits of Advice- Anne of Green Gables
    5. Carried Away By Love- Miraculous Ladybug
    6. Futures- A Captain Planet Fanfiction
  • To Have a Heart- A 2023 NaNoWriMo Novel

Yearly Word Count: 483,720

2023 has been one of my best years yet. A lot of amazing things have happened, both writing and non-writing related and I am so happy with where I’m ending this year and starting the next.

Happy New Year!

See you in 2024! 

 

 

 

December Writing Update: Race to the Finish

Writing in December usually goes one of two ways for me. I either continue on the productivity train from November, or I peter out and don’t write much at all. I’m very glad to say this year, I am still writing my project from November and making EXCELLENT progress.

I want to finish this novel by December 31st and write THE END. I’m getting quite close, and I have almost 90,000 words total (nearly 30K added so far in December), which is almost a novel, but there’s so much plot left to go!

post it note outlines

Thankfully, writing is going well and I’ve been able to get some fantastic writing days in. I hope the trend continues over the few weeks we have left. To reach my goal of 110K, I’ll need to do 2100 words a day, but I’m hoping to double that as many days as I can, especially since I’m thinking the novel will finish somewhere around 120-125K with as far as I am now.

Still, I push forward and hope I can finish another project this year!

 

Writing Update: Change the Plan, Not the Goal

This past week, writing has been hard. It’s after November, so the post November writing slump surprised me yet again this year.

The goal was and still is to write “The End” in the novel I started in November by December 31st. The plan was to write 1.5K-2K a day until finished.

But last week was rough. The joy of writing toward a goal with friends in November was gone (the competition always seems to dry up in December). I reached the approximate middle of the novel (the muddy middle). Writing began to feel like a chore.

“I’ll do it later” was the excuse I told myself almost daily. “I’ll slog through it after work between 11pm and Midnight.”

I missed the goal on the 3rd of December and that set me off on a spiral of “Ugh’s”. But, despite missing the 1.5-2K goal, I did make just over 1000 words.

So rather than giving up and slogging through a larger goal, I gave myself a boon. I allowed myself to write 1000 words or approximately 30 minutes instead of my 40-45 minutes per day. I was gentle with myself, allowed a small break for a week, and the results were staggering.

After that week, a new inspiration came. A new drive to get to the end of the novel and make December the best writing month in years. I made it through several middle scenes that were intimidating, I added in a new plot I was playing with but uncertain about, and I made it through a few chapters at a more leisurely pace.

But, in order to make my goal of 50-60K for the month, that means I’ll have to write a little more in the next upcoming weeks and push myself a little further.

The new plan is 2K a day, or 60 minutes of writing broken up in 15 minute chunks throughout the day.

Thankfully, the little break motivated me to keep pushing forward and helped me find more joy in the project again.

It looks like this year, I will make my goal of writing 365 days a year. The excitement is palpable as we all reach the finish line.

See you next week!

 

What I’ve Learned: Creating a Character Sketch

For the longest time, I have been a discovery writer. I’ll have a vague idea of a plot and a vague idea of a character, sometimes a name and sometimes not, and then I will discovery write. At least that’s how I used to write.

For several years, my writing process was that way. It has been that way for several projects as well, where the characters show me who they are as I write their story.

Back when I was in school for my Bachelor’s, I was asked to create a character sketch before I even wrote the work the character was going to be in. I’ve tried it a few more times since then, for a few new projects.

Here’s a few things I’ve learned from that experience:

A Character Sketch can show you a character’s past.

Part of the character sketch I had to make for the class I was in involved making up a past for the character. While the story was loosely based off an idea I had, I didn’t have a main character for a while, so I had no idea what her past would be. It was interesting to figure out the MC’s motives of why she became who she was and what led her down the path to being the main character.

A Character Sketch can help map out the plot.

Originally, the plot was way different for the short story. The main character was meaner, bribing people to make herself feel better, a little sweet and sour action. In the character sketch, I realized the turning point in the story would be when the main character faced something she had never faced before. That helped me both build the character and build the plot.

A Character Sketch can make a character feel more real

Usually about half of the sketch doesn’t really end up in the written work explicitly.

While most of the sketch doesn’t appear, it does help to know what makes your character tick and by extension, how they would react to the world around them. An example is in the piece I wrote for my short story class. My main character is in the job she’s in because her grandmother passed away and it affected her.

The whole character sketch may not be helpful for the reader, but it does help the writer get a more concrete feel for the people they create.

I’m not sure if I’ll keep the process of creating a character sketch first. I like to write my first drafts by discovery, with loose enough outlines so my characters can surprise me. Maybe in second drafts, or on a deadline for shorter works, I might, but we shall see.

Every project is different, but I do enjoy trying new things.

 

Week Four Updates and Monthly Insights

Here we are in the last week (and last few days!) of November. This month has been quite the creative and productive month with writing and posting on the blog (and other places). I’ve made it through approximately 25% of my novel (I started the plot a little early- more on that later) and I technically won NaNoWriMo with 50,000 words on the 26th.

In these last few days of November, filled with attempting to continue writing my novel, finishing up some blog posts and coming up with plans for December and beyond, I’ve been fortunate to have time and drive to create.

Here’s how I did in the last week:

Day 22: 2055 in 55 minutes

Day 23: 1688 in 42 minutes

Day 24: 1676 in 45 minutes

Day 25:1720 in 40 minutes

Day 26: 1940 in 50 minutes

Day 27: 1774 in 45 minutes

Day 28:1747 in 45 minutes

Monthly Total: 55,281

Here’s what the last week (and the whole month) has taught me:

Focusing on one big project (and one smaller one) boosts word count

In previous months, I’ve attempted to focus on multiple projects at the same time and attempt to get them finished in a timely manner. When I started documenting my time this month, attempting to find the magic, I focused on one project and a few little smaller projects (such as this blog, substack and medium posts). I’ve realized focusing on one big project (like a novel) and one non-creative project, like blogging really is the key to getting things done. In the past Novembers, I’ve mainly focused on one project and done really well on that project. As November comes to a close, I hope I can continue through this novel until the first draft is complete (and of course keep posting updates and other noteworthy items on the blog!)

The first 1000 words of the day is always the hardest

I’ve come to this realization several times over my tenure as a NaNoWriMo participant. From the years that I struggled to make word counts, to the years I doubled my word count and overshot the 50K by double, one thing has stayed the same: The first 1000 words of the day are the most difficult. I’m not sure exactly why, maybe because it’s a big number to attempt to reach, or perhaps it’s all in my head, but to write for a while and only see three digits is frustrating. Everything after the 1K mark for the day comes easy.

Small sprints make big leaps

This month, I’ve tried something new and tracked my writing time religiously. I’ve only written when I have a timer going (usually 5, 10 or 15 minutes) and I don’t let anything distract me during that stretch of time (unless I’m at work and something comes up). I’ve been tracking how long it takes me to get the required word count for the day and I’ve noticed even the smallest amount of time (between 2 and 5 minutes) can make a big difference in word count. 5 minutes for me is around 250 words, which is a decent dent in the day’s count. Even when I feel like I don’t have a full 45 minutes to an hour to sit down and write, several 5 minute sprints can help reach the goal.

Writing takes a community

This realization has come to me once again post-pandemic after it was “safe” to go out in public again. I feel like growing up writing I was always doing it by myself, in the dark of my room after I was supposed to go to bed, or between classes, or on breaks at work. While there is some controversy with NaNoWriMo currently, they do have one aspect right: Writing takes a community. I’m very fortunate to have found my community in my area. I’ve been able to attend write-ins every week and find inspiration with my fellow writers, even if it’s not always in person.

See you in December for more writing updates!