Wednesday Writing Tip: Finish Your First Draft

If you’re a writer first starting out, writing tips can be overwhelming. So many writers overthink the writing tips all over the internet.

I was fortunate to write my first few novels without the overwhelming “help” of the internet. I was fortunate to be able to find my own way of writing and creating.

I’m not saying writing advice on the internet doesn’t have its place, I’m sure it does, but not in the first draft. The first draft is for the writer to tell themselves the story. That story, that voice becomes muddled in between the “you should do blah” and “you shouldn’t do blah.” It can be overwhelming while working on a first draft

The first writing tip I have for anyone, brand new or experienced is Finish Your First Draft without writing advice.

Finish your first draft however you want to finish it. Finish your first draft and let the story tell you how it goes. Finish your first draft and find the way without anyone telling you how or why you should do it. Finish your first draft and then let the internet in when it’s time for subsequent drafts.

Happy Writing!

 

May Results and June Goals

May has definitely been a month of highs and lows in several areas. For the first few weeks, writing and editing were not my priority. But I picked it up toward the end of the month and managed to be rather successful in my goals.

May Results

Writing

Edit One Short Story

Unfortunately, during the month of May, I did not edit a short story. This month was a strange month, with very little motivation until nearly halfway though the month. Time got a way from me this month with all the other projects I had to complete, such as homework and work. While it wasn’t a short story, I did manage to edit a few poems for a school project.

Edit An Arc of Book 1

This month, I was not able to edit a whole arc in the novel, but I did get two chapters done. I made some decent progress and now I have a plan for June. Not every month has to be an entire arc, and I am pleased I’m getting back into it and making positive changes again. Even if the editing is going a little slower than usual.

Finish A Project (of any kind)

This goal was easier than I expected. I finished a short story rather unexpectedly in the first few days of May. With the completion of the short story from December 2022, my monthly short stories for 2022 are now completed. Thankfully, I didn’t finish just one project this month, but multiple. I finished a few shorter pieces as well.

2023 is the year of finishing things and edits.

Personal

Exercise

Exercise over the past few months has been hit or miss, mostly miss. This month was no exception. This month, it was easy to feel like time got away from me. The first thing to go when time gets away from me is exercise. This wasn’t the best month for exercise. With any luck, June will be better, or at least I can start a better routine.

Journal

Journaling in May was a little different than the past few months. I managed to journal every single day, per my goal. I also added reading a few pages of my older journals to the mix as well. I got some news regarding work that put me into a foul mood and I had a similar situation in the past, so I made it through most of my previous journals from 2019/2020 and compiled some data that might come in handy later.

Other

In May, on the weekends I wasn’t working, I did a lot of traveling. It’s always nice to take mini vacations when I can get them.

I also have several new ideas. I’m itching to work on them, but I want to give them the time they deserve. Instead of jumping right in like I usually do, I am letting them sit in my idea folder for now. Hopefully soon, I’ll be able to work on a few new projects. For now, it’s edits and finishing the projects I have.

Speaking of finishing things, I am a class and a half away from graduating with my Bachelor’s degree. I honestly never thought I would get here. I attempted 2017-2019, but it was a program I detested. Now I love it.

I am excited for what comes next!

Word Count: 37,134

June Goals

Writing

Edit One Arc of Book 1

Now that I am back into the swing of edits, I would like to get some chapters completed in June. With any luck, I will be able to get an arc done or at least 4 chapters, but June will be quite a busy month, so we’ll see how far I get in edits.

1000 Words of Summer

1000 Words of Summer is returning for 2023. Jami Attenburg of Craft Talk started the project 6 years ago. For two weeks, I attempt to get 1000 words with a ton of other writers. In a way, it’s like a shortened version of NaNoWriMo in June. I’m stoked for another challenge and a deadline.

NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge

The NYC Midnight Challenge that started my patronage of NYC Midnight has returned. This is the third year I am participating. I could not be more excited! As an added bonus, it takes place during 1000 words of Summer, so I have at least one project to work on during that time. This is my favorite challenge of theirs so far, 1000 words is the perfect amount of words to get a story down, but not make it too verbose. I am excited for more challenges.

Personal

Exercise

I have been working to find why exercising has become so challenging. Mainly it’s been time and weather. Hopefully with the changing weather as we get closer to Summer and maybe a bit more time management, I’ll be able to get more exercise. Walking outside is my favorite form and I would love to get more of it when I can.

Journal

Journaling has been one of my most consistent habits of 2023 and I feel so much better for it. It’s been fantastic to get my thoughts down on the page and not have them floating around in my head wreaking havoc. I have found I’m excited to journal every morning and I look forward to it instead of dreading it like I did a year or two ago. I’m steadily making it through notebooks. The goal is the same, I would like to journal every day in June.

Bre Writes Book Reviews: The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

This is the third book by Charlie N. Holmberg that I’ve read. She is slowly becoming my favorite author, and not just from her books, but from her podcast Your Mom Writes Books and her instagram.

That being said, I struggled to get into this book for the first few chapters. There was something in the writing that felt stilted to me, felt like it was trying too hard to be written in an older dialect of English. But thankfully, as the novel went on, the language relaxed and I could enjoy it more.

There were so many small things in this novel that I absolutely loved. But one aspect that really stood out that I had to really think about how awesome it was was the different point of views. For Enna, the main character with a soul, the POV was in close first, whereas for Maekallus, his few chapters, are in distant third that gets increasingly closer as he gains more of a soul.

The relationship that grows between the two characters is perfect in so many ways. There’s an old bit of writing advice that says “If your characters have to kiss to show us they’re in love, you’re doing it wrong.” This book takes that idea and turns it on its head. The characters kiss, but the romance takes a while to develop and it gives it a fresh perspective. There’s a bigger aspect than just a hinted at romance.

I really enjoyed the character of Enna and her struggles to do the right thing all while dealing with Maekallus and his shenanigans. Their relationship was so beautiful, so moving, that it was impossible not to root for them in the end. The ending was decent as far as the action went, but as a reader of romance, I was there for the romance.

The beauty of their struggles was so well written, and so well explored from both sides.

Without many spoilers, I have to say during one of their meetings, I literally said out loud: “Get you a man that flings snakes!” And then died of laughter.

I really enjoyed the book, but there are a few things that didn’t sit quite right with me. I’m going to try and write a review where I don’t give a ton of spoilers away, but I have to talk about the missteps and the beauty of the ending.

Holmberg sets up this big problem for our two protagonists, or what seems to be this big problem and mainly the reasons why these mistings (evil beings) are called to the human realm, and then it’s solved in a way that simultaneously feels right, and yet doesn’t feel right. I know the story is supposed to be a romance, but a little more than a subtle fix with the big bad would have been nice. More of a struggle for Enna and what she had to do would have been nice too. On the other hand, I love the ending for our two protagonists, so I can’t be too mad about it.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

I would have liked a little more explanation of the lore of the worlds. For a good part of the book, we hear about Enna’s grandmother’s notes. I thought they would be more essential to the plot, or Enna’s father’s role in the previous war, but that wasn’t that essential either. It was a great story, but I wanted more lore, more to anchor me in the world.

I would even take a sequel that explores those things more. The world was so rich it’s practically begging for it.

What should I read next?

Thoughts on The Writing Process: Fun

Writing can be a strange hobby to have sometimes. With all the talk of “publishing” and “editing” and “making money from your hobby”, it can easily become like a job.

Over the past year or so, writing felt like a chore. I got wrapped up in the expectation that I need to be making money from my writing. I got wrapped up in school and figuring out what to do with my degree. I got wrapped up in the perfection bubble and it paralyzed me for a while.

I used to be able to put out first drafts in months, but for a long time my writing has been stagnant. I even posted on TikTok a few months ago when I finished a project that it didn’t feel the same, that it felt hollow. Still, I’ve been chugging along, hoping the inspiration will come back.

In the last few months I’ve made writing a daily habit and it no longer feels like as much of a chore. But that’s not what this post is about. Habits are important, but there’s something more important than habits.

A few days ago, something clicked. Most of the pieces I’m working on are still first drafts. First drafts are supposed to be fun, they’re supposed to be quick and ugly and hastily written garbage, but most of all FUN!

Even the edits I’m currently working on can still be fun. So far, I’ve added a few songs, and a few more prophecies. It’s been an enjoyable process, because I finally realized I’m making it fun.

I can’t believe it took me that long to realize I wasn’t having fun, or letting fun in. Writing is a hobby before it’s a business. Writing is something I do for fun, and if it makes me money eventually, that’s fantastic.

I will be an author some day, but I am still allowed to have fun with my hobby. I’m allowed to not take myself seriously sometimes.

Here’s to more fun and more silliness.

Stay tuned!

April Results and May Goals

This year, April wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. Usually April is my worst writing and creating month, but not this year.

This year, I decided to embrace the mantra of “Fun!”. I often stress too much about little things and things that don’t matter. Thinking like that has made me regret a lot of things and miss out on opportunities, so now I have decided to change my outlook and find the fun in what I can.

Here’s how I did in April.

April Results

Writing

Edit Another Arc of Book 1

April simply wasn’t the month for editing. Not because of the usual reasons of April being filled with grief, but because other projects demanded my attention and seemed more fun. I did as much as I could, but I needed a break from editing. With any luck, in May I’ll return to it with more gusto.

Camp NaNoWriMo/35K in book 3.

While I didn’t do really any work in the book I was supposed to be working on for Camp NaNoWriMo, I did manage to get more than 35K in all the projects I’ve been working on. I’m still counting it as a goal reached, because 35K+ spread through everything I’ve been working through this month has been spectacular.

Poetry

Poetry as a goal was hit and miss. I did finish my poetry class for my bachelor’s program and did write/edit a good grip of poems. I did work on a few poems at the beginning of the month and make decent progress, but in no way did I work on Poetry every day like I had planned. Still, some progress is better than none.

NYC Midnight

This goal is a double add on goal. I had the NYC Midnight 100 word Micro-fiction contest planned, but forgot to put it as a goal. That went well, with only 24 hours to write and edit 100 words and tell a story. Another competition that came back as a surprise was the NYC Midnight Short Story Competition. My submission from January got 5th place which meant I got to go onto Round Two. I submitted that story and had so much fun with it. Things are starting to get exciting in the writing world for me.

Personal

Exercise

Exercise was a little better in April. I started making a conscious effort to go out for a walk when I could and get some kind of exercise in. It was nowhere perfect and nowhere where I wanted to be, especially as the month wound down. When I did exercise, I did pick up the pace more and added a little jogging to my usual walks. It makes me feel a little better and so far it has seemed to help me reach my goals quicker. I used to hate running, and I still do, but not as much.

Journal

As much as I wanted to make this a perfect month, it didn’t happen. There were days where it was impossible to make it to the page for one reason or another. A few were travel related, another was work related. Overall, in April I missed 4 days. Hopefully, in May I won’t miss any.

OTHER NEWS

In other news, as I mentioned, I finished another class for my bachelor’s program. This effectively means I have two left. I’m getting closer to my dream and I couldn’t be more excited. I am looking forward to what the next few classes hold and possibly what might be coming after that.

I have a creative project in the works that is getting closer and closer to being done and being out in the world. I can’t say much right now, but once I can I will be shouting it from the rooftops and blasting it all over wherever I can.

My dental work is finally done, with the permanent implant in, so no more horrible plastic whole mouth fake tooth retainer. I could not be happier, even though my mouth still feels “naked” after weeks without the retainer. I’ll eventually get used to it.

I have picked up another creative hobby in singing and while I’m not as good as I was in high school with daily practice in the choir room, I do feel like I’m finally finding my voice and not trying to imitate others. That’s a big milestone for me. While no one may hear me for a while, I do enjoy singing in the car as I drive to and from work.

Word Count: 45,696

May Goals

Writing

Edit One Short Story

I have a massive list of short stories to be edited, even though I have done more than I thought with the last few NYC Midnight competitions. I would like to work through another one this month and add it to my list of completed works for the year. 2023 is the year of editing, even if I didn’t do much of it in April.

Edit An Arc of Book 1

May means it’s time to get back to the serious work of editing. I didn’t do much in April, for a lot of reasons, but now I’m ready to get back to it and keep the progress moving forward. With any luck I’ll be able to make it through a few chapters in May.

Finish A Project (of any kind)

I have a lot of open projects that I’ve had for a long time. I think the oldest project I’m working on right now I’ve been working on, on and off since 2015. I would like to get some of my older projects done and out of the way so I can start something new. Knowing my luck and the class I am currently in, the project I finish might be related to school, but I’m ok with that. It will be some kind of fiction. Perhaps I’ll even finish two or three projects.

Personal

Exercise

I feel like now almost halfway into the year, I am starting to build a better routine. While I haven’t been able to get out every day and exercise, I at least think about it and make a plan. I don’t always stick to the plan, but I’m hoping in May I’ll get out more and notice more positive changes in my body.

Journal

April was not the best month for journaling, but I hope May is better. I feel so much better when I get my thoughts out of my head and down on paper. There are several days when it gets repetitive, but the journaling still does help. I would like to not miss any days during May and then keep the trend going for the rest of the year.

Ten Years

Ten years ago, I doubt I would have thought of myself here now,

Where I am now and who I was in that moment are markedly different.

For that, I am proud.

The me of ten years ago never thought herself worthy of time or love, stuck in those last few moments for so long.

For that, I am saddened.

Now, I have so much love, so much potential, so much drive to move forward.

To gain all those things, it took growth, leaving so much behind and learning from life lessons,

Lessons that should have never been taught so young.

I had just become an adult, and just like that, felt like nothing but a kid again.

As a kid, I had never felt truly safe in your arms,

But I stayed there much longer after you left.

Not physically, but emotionally.

I think about you a lot,

Even more so over the last few months, when everything has changed for the better.

I dread becoming like you,

I beg for a better life than you had.

I hope I do it all better.

I hope I find a better ending.

Ten years, you’ve been gone.

Ten years of growth you never got to see.

Despite all the struggles,

I still miss you, Mom.

Camp NaNoWriMo Update: Days 5-9

Between a few days off, a roadtrip and a holiday, the writing still continued smoothly, even though we entered the dreaded week 2!

April 5th

Today was an interesting day. I didn’t start writing until the evening, after a wonderful massage and a nice long hot

bath. I finally had some self care after my long stretch of work days, and it helped. I now have a somewhat loose outline for the main project I want to work on for Camp NaNoWriMo. I wrote a little bit in everything and worked on some blog posts and an outline. Overall a decent writing day.

WC: 1571

April 6th

I woke up early, despite not having to work, and got my words in early in the morning. I did some homework, and worked on my main project in the evening. Overall, a productive day both writing wise and in everything else too.

WC: 1575

April 7th

Writing was split up quite a bit today. A few rushed words in the morning in a few projects, then the rest of it at work. I was hoping to get more words today, since I’m off for a weekend away tomorrow, but beggars can’t be choosers. I did get words in everything and some homework done before the weekend, so really I could it as a win.

WC: 1502

April 8th

Road trip! For most of the day, my fiancé and I drove up to Sacramento to see John Mayer in concert. I got a little writing in the car, but writing definitely was not my priority for the weekend. Still, I managed to get a few sentences in all that I could.

WC: 1135

April 9th

Happy Easter! Another day spent in the car, this time driving home from Sacramento. A very enjoyable roadtrip with the man I love, but once again writing wasn’t a priority. Homework was, and that gave me a pretty good buffer of words once I got home, but not the best writing day.

WC: 665

Yearly Goal Update!

On the first of January, I put out a few goals. I’ve been super productive so far, so I have to update one of the goals.

The original goal was to read 6 books during the year. As of March 31st, I hit that goal.

The new goal: read 6 more books for a total of 12 this year.

Who knows? I might hit that goal in 3 months again, which means I’ll update it then.

Reading for me tends to come in waves, but I always like to push myself, so there it is.

6 more books to read in 2023!

Camp NaNoWriMo Update Days 1-4

Here we are again in April during Camp NaNoWriMo. Usually I do pretty well in November, and April and July mostly suffer, but I’m hoping to blog every day (or if not every few days) to keep myself accountable for the month.

So far, the writing year has been good to me. I’m hoping to keep that momentum up in April. With any luck, it will be the best month yet.

Here’s the breakdown of the first few days of Camp NaNoWriMo April 2023

April 1st

Overall, a good day. A Saturday, and homework is always due on the weekends, so that means words. Do I like counting words for homework? No, but it does give me a little buffer. It’s a work day too, so that means a decent amount of downtime to get a few words down. I made sure I got words in almost everything I’m tallying this month, which is, a lot. Except I didn’t get any words in the current editing project, nor in the project I am aiming to make the most progress in for Camp NaNo. There is always tomorrow!

WC: 1,445

April 2nd

Once again, homework is important to complete and means more words. Other than that, yet another work day (Day 3/5), which means a few sentences here and there in EVERYTHING this time, plus a little extra when I can. The writing bug has struck and I’m excited for the month!

WC: 2,282

April 3rd

The first Monday of April and oh man did it feel like it. No work done before I left for work (day 4/5!) which meant a lot of fumbling on my phone for words. Still managed to write a little in every project, thankfully, and that was it on the Most Monday feeling Monday.

WC: 1,006

April 4th

Tuesday, I managed to get a lot of words down before work (Day 5/5; I am ready for a few days off!), which means the undeniable tension to write has faded. Writing on a keyboard/laptop is so much nicer than pecking on a phone, though I have been known to do both. Due to some tech/syncing issues, the work I did at home did not sync to my work devices until after I got home. I could have done more work, but tech issues did not help.

WC: 1,440

Not too bad for the first few days of April. Better than I expected, quite honestly, with as disgusting as April has been in the past few years.

I hope I can keep it up over the rest of the month!

WC Total: 6,173

March Results and April Goals

As I head into the hardest month of every year, I’m thankful March was so productive. It flew by in a blur of homework, work, and writing, but I’m glad I was able to accomplish as much as I did.

March Results

Writing

Edit One Short Story

I didn’t quite edit a short story in the way I wanted to. Another project landed in my lap to edit, and I couldn’t help it. I actually had a deadline for this project and the edits involved with it. I can’t say much about it at the moment, but stay tuned for more updates!

Edit 4 chapters or finish the current Story Arc

This goal took up my whole month. March was definitely the month for editing the novel and the story arc and it did not disappoint. The arc took me the whole month, and five chapters instead of four, but that means I have edited half of the proposed chapters for the current project I’m editing.

NYC Midnight Screenplay Challenge

This challenge goes into April too so I’ll talk about it then. So far, working on other projects has taken precedence, but tune in next month for a better update.

Finish a Short Story from 2022

This month, writing didn’t really come as easy as reading or editing. As much as I wanted to finish this short story, it will have to be at another time. I have a direction now at least, which is always better than no direction.

Personal

Exercise

Exercising wasn’t really my top priority this month. With the rain and the strange weather throughout March, I spent more time wishing I could exercise, rather than actually doing the work and exercising. Next month, I am really hoping to get back to a decent routine and stick to it.

Journal

I journaled every day but two in March. Things have started to move forward with certain aspects of my life and my health. A few days I got too swept up in it and completely forgot to journal. I’m hoping to keep up my streak next month and do a full month and full pages for my mental health.

Other

Reading a book series, or I suppose re-reading, sucked up a lot of my time in March. I can’t help it, I get sucked into a good book and it’s hard to claw my way out and write original things. I managed to read three books in the main series this month, which means once again, I will reach my reading goal waaaayyy before the end of the year. Now it’s time to read another trilogy I’ve been trying to read for a long time, but have always been distracted. That also means I need to update my reading goal for the year. Nothing too crazy, but I do like to have goals.

I also have good news coming, with any luck sooner rather than later now that the momentum is moving in the right direction.

Word Count: 34,786

April Goals

Writing

Edit Another Arc of Book 1

I’ve started to like the idea of editing my novel in arcs. It’s nice to work on a few chapters at a time, make them as strong as they can be, rather than slogging through the whole novel from front to back over and over again. I’m hoping to keep editing through a few arcs and hopefully have the novel fully edited by June or July.

Camp NaNoWriMo/35K in book 3.

I’ve been itching to finish book 3 of the series for months, especially since November and NaNoWriMo when I started book three was absolute trash. Slowly, I’ve been chipping away, but I’m excited to focus on it in April during Camp NaNoWriMo.

Poetry

I’m looking forward to working on some poetry in the upcoming month. The idea struck me toward the end of March, and with it being National Poetry month, why not?

Personal

Exercise

With any luck, the weather in April will be better than the stormy stuff we had in March. I am hoping to make exercise more of a habit and less of a chore, so we’ll see how that goes.

Journal

Journaling has been getting more difficult, more dragging, so I’m hoping I find more joy in it again this month. Or if not joy, at least a place to pour out my grief as we approach the month that sucks every year.

Hopefully the month of April won’t be too rough and I can actually get some decent work done.

What are your goals for the month of April?

February Results and March Goals

Another month down, 10 more to go!

For being such a short month, February sure was busy. Between schoolwork, actual work, and writing and creating, the month was the most successful month yet.

Here’s how I did in February:

February Results

Writing

Edit One Short Story

This month, I did manage to edit a short story, but still have yet to type it out by the time I’m writing this. The short story I chose, as with a lot of the short stories I’ve written over the years, needed more work and more attention than I could give it in one month. Mainly, it needs a lot of rewrites. Thankfully, I have a direction and I know what I need to work on to make it shine. I’m counting this as a success.

Edit 4 chapters

Four chapters were edited this month, right down to the last minute. I am now 4 chapters closer to being done with the first novel I’m hoping to edit in 2023. I’m really enjoying the good bits I get to add, and some I’ve been surprised to find. I’m learning so much as I go.

Finish a short story from 2022

I’m super happy with my progress this month. I was able to finish the short story from 2022 pretty early in the month. There is nothing as awesome as finishing a project that is either slow moving or gives me trouble. The short story from November 2022 definitely dragged, but now I can say the first draft is done.

Personal

Exercise

This month, exercise was not my top priority, nor was it easy to come by. With the rainy weather, an illness and training for work, I didn’t exercise more than I exercised. I’m hoping I can improve over the next few months, maybe when the weather gets warmer and stays nice.

Journal

In February, I managed to write in my journal every single day. Some days were easier than others. Some days I’m sure I wrote complete garbage, but journaling at least lets me get it out of my head and on paper. After writing for the last 2 months, I’m three quarters of the way through the first journal of the year.

Other

In other news, I finished another class for my Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and started another. As much as I thought I would enjoy playwriting, I’m glad it’s done. I learned all I could from the subject, but there were a few factors that did not make the class as enjoyable as I would have liked. Now I’m off to Poetry.

I also finished reading another book, so keep your eyes out for another book review.

This month, I finished a project I’ve been working on since 2016. 2023 is the year of editing and finishing things and I couldn’t be happier. The first novel of 2023 is finished.

Here’s to so many more!

Word Count: 32,297

March Goals

Writing

Edit One Short Story

Editing one short story a month seems like a decent pace for what I want to get done this year. Especially since I’m more focused on editing my novels. I’m interested to see how much I can get done this year.

Edit 4 chapters or finish the current Story Arc

Over the last few weeks of edits, I came to the realization that instead of editing in order, it was really nice to edit as far as story arcs go. So far, each arc is a few chapters and editing in those snippets make the editing go faster and the story smoother. This month, I’m hoping to get through the funeral arc.

NYC Midnight Screenplay Challenge

I signed up for the NYC Midnight Screenplay challenge even though I didn’t really enjoy playwriting. This is a challenge from NYC Midnight that I haven’t done yet, but I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’m interested to try something new and see how I do.

Finish a Short Story from 2022

I have one last short story to finish from 2022. December wasn’t a great month for writing a short story. Now that I have time (yeah, right!), I’m hoping to get the short story done and close out the projects from 2022. With any luck, I’ll finish it and be able to add it to the list of short stories I can edit throughout the year.

Personal

Exercise

Last month was not the best month for exercise. With any luck, this month will be better and I won’t be down with a cold for 10+ days. I’ll be happy if I get 3x a week for this month.

Journal

I’ve really enjoyed journaling over these last few months. It’s been helping to get thoughts on paper and not keep them bottled up in my head. I’ve noticed an increase in my creativity and in my joy. I hope to keep the trend up.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday Works: The Mirror

She had lived in the old house for as long as she could remember. Her parents had lived in it even longer, and so had their parents and so on and so forth. If she did the math right it was her great x7 grandfather who had built the house for his wife. She had died before it was finished, but he still built it exactly as she had wanted it.

Over the years, family members had added on and changed, but the one thing that remained unchanged was the foyer. The front door had been repainted too many times to count, one over the other, and each morning more multicolored paint chips fell onto the porch. The carpet had been torn up, tacked form, replaced with wood, back to carpet. The rugs needed to be replaced.

The one thing that didn’t change in the foyer was the furniture. A small table by the front door where the lot of the family placed their things when they came home. She still had the scar from where she had smacked into the corner of the table when she was 2 and a 1/2. She still placed her keys there when she came home.

A fancy China cabinet stood across from the front door, taking up space and showing off their fancy China from the civil war era. The China had long been a topic of discussion, from when it was new, to the last 50 years or so when they toppled over and no one could figure out how to open the cabinet and fix them without shattering them. They had simply stayed that way for years.

By far, her favorite was the ornate mirror that hung on the wall near the stairs. It had been there since the very beginning. All her ancestors had used it to catch their last looks before leaving the house.

She used it then to catch her last look before heading out on a date. He would be there any minute.

“You gonna go out looking like a painted up whore?” The reflection of her great great great grandfather’s ghost appeared in the mirror behind her.

In the next instant, her great great great grandmother appeared next to him in the reflection. “Give her a break, Clem,” she said with a reassuring hand on his ghostly shoulder. “That’s the style these days.”

“Thank you, Grammy Charlotte,” She said as the doorbell rang. “You all be good tonight and don’t let Louis argue too much about the china. Nothing can be done yet.”

Grammy Charlotte rolled her eyes. “That man and his damn china.”

Bre Writes Book Reviews: All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

I honestly didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. I rented it from my library via kindle and started reading it just to see how the library app worked. Within a few chapters, I was hooked, and I read the book in a matter of days.

I read a book like I used to read books before I got busy and distracted with other things. I can’t remember the last time I read a book in a matter of days. It makes me really excited when I find books like that.

All Your Twisted Secrets is like an escape room meets The Breakfast Club, but they’re all definitely more effed up than the kids in the 80’s movie. Each kid has something going for them, and each kid is connected to each other in ways not even I saw coming. Each twist and turn was so well foreshadowed and yet, a lot of them I didn’t see coming.

The book follows Amber, an ambitious student who wants to go to music school to score movies. Her boyfriend is desperate for a baseball scholarship and thinks she can go to college with him wherever he gets in. Her best friend, who helped her get into the popular clique, Sasha and her previous best friend Priya are in the room, along with the stoner Scott, and the kid who ruined her dad’s business. Amber is connected to everyone in the room and as the book is told exclusively though her eyes, we get good connections and revelations that as I was reading made me go “Oh Snap!”

Oh, and did I forget to mention they’re locked in a banquet room of a hotel with a bomb and a syringe filled with a deadly poison and have to choose someone to kill before the hour is up?

I can’t give too many spoilers away or it would ruin the book, but boy do I want to! This book was crazy at times. But overall a really great book.

A few things I would have liked to see would be how the kids reacted after the revelations they heard and some consequences for the person who orchestrated the whole thing. I would have liked to see how they all handled the dark things they did while in the room and how their relationships changed after the ordeal. The book just cuts off on a cliffhanger after the kids that survive are let out. After all the build up of these seniors wanting to get into college, and the cutthroat tactics, there was no real follow through on their college plans.

Review: 4.5/5

January Results and February Goals

If you are reading this, it means we have all made it through the first month of 2023. January has been my most productive month so far, and that’s not just in 2023, but for a long time. I’ve been able to set a routine and keep making progress little by little. I’ve never been happier.

Here’s how January went:

January Results

Writing

Participate in the NYC Midnight Short Story Competition

This month, The NYC Midnight Short Story Competition went well—Once I got my butt in gear. For the first few days, I took my time, then realized how soon the deadline was. I panicked a bit, then did a mad dash to the end and finally submitted it. At first, I wasn’t sure I would do well with the prompt, but now that it’s done and looking back, I did the best I could. Now I can’t wait for the results and of course, the next NYC Midnight challenge.

Edit One Short Story

This month, I did edit a short story. (Actually I edited two if you count the NYC Midnight submission). I have to say I quite enjoyed it. The short story I edited was one from January of 2015. So far, it has been amazing to see how far I’ve come in my writing. One down, several more to go. I’m starting to remember that editing isn’t as easy as writing, though it is quite informative.

Edit Three Chapters

For quite a bit of the month, I wasn’t sure I would make the three chapter goal. I had a few long chapters to work on and some days not a lot of time to work on them, especially with homework and other duties. I’m pleased to say, I did get three chapters done (with one day to spare). Sometimes, it’s better to let the editing process surprise me. A chapter ended sooner, which means I get to add another chapter and really lay on the romance (my favorite!)

Personal

Exercise

So far, exercising has been going well. I did a long streak of 8 days in a row, then there was a not so great streak of a few days I missed due to inclement weather. Now, I’ve been doing my best to make it out and at least walk every day, or at least three days a week, like I wanted, but some days it isn’t easy.

Journal

I had to work at it, and force myself to journal when there were tough days, but I managed to journal every day in January. I really enjoyed sitting down with myself and journaling through any thoughts or concerns I had. By the end of the month, I was actively excited for my journaling.

Now I have to keep everything up through the rest of the year.

Bonus

This month, I also wrote a few plays for my current class. Once I got the format down, I didn’t absolutely hate it. I have had experience writing plays and screenplays in the past, so it was fun to be able to jump back into it in an educational setting. I got to adapt one of my previous short stories, so that was another version of editing and tweaking that I really enjoyed.

I also read two books this month. I’m working on another book review to post, but the first one is up already.

Word Count: 25,260

Here’s what I hope to accomplish in February:

February Goals

Writing

Edit One Short Story

Similar to last year, I want to edit a short story a month. It worked last year with writing them, so why not do a year of editing? Last month went so well, I can’t wait to get started! The hardest part will be choosing which story to edit!

Edit 4 chapters

After a trial run in January, I think I have this editing thing down. I want to see if I can get 4 chapters edited, which is about 1 a week. I am hoping that some chapters will be shorter and take less time to edit, so maybe I can add on a few extra, but I’ll have to wait and see how the month goes.

Finish a short story from 2022

I have two short stories I still need to finish from 2022. The story for November and December. I would like to finish at least one of them this month, and then perhaps the other one next month. With a few paragraphs a day throughout the month, it shouldn’t take me too long to make decent progress and get at least one of them finished.

Personal

Exercise

Even though I didn’t manage to exercise every day last month, I did manage to average at least 3 times a week. I have noticed I feel so much better when I exercise and more creative. I would like to get out and walk or do some form of exercise at least 5 days a week.

Journal

In January, I managed to write in my journal every day, and it definitely improved my mental health. I would like to keep that up and write every day with no excuses.

Bre Writes Book Reviews: Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson

This Review Contains Spoilers for The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. And most likely Sing Me Forgotten. You have been warned.

I have to start this review by saying: This is one of my favorite books I’ve read so far.

I have never revealed this, but I am a huge fan of musical theatre and literature. The Phantom of The Opera was the musical that gave me the drive and spark to explore more musicals. Once I read the book, my obsession only grew further.

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson is a gender-bent, magic based, steam-punk retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. At first, I was a little skeptical. Retellings aren’t always my cup of tea (especially with how overdone a lot of retellings have been lately). I am happy to say this book did not disappoint.

I love the character of Isda. Her determination, her drive, her obsession with Emeric, all the things, Erik from POTO had, but with a feminine flair. Her growth in the novel from disfigured girl willing to hide and do whatever she is told to choosing her own destiny was such a beautiful read. Her personal growth with Emeric was such a delight. Their quips were so good and their growing relationship captured everything in a romance that I really enjoy. The only problem is I didn’t know how to pronounce her name. I’m guessing Iz-Dah, since her nickname was Iz, but I kept reading it as I(s)da.

Emeric was a delight. From his quips with the statues to his love of caramel and his pure sunshine personality, I found myself craving more of him on the page. With the novel told from Isda’s point of view, I really could feel the love between Isda and Emeric.

The music and the aspect of music bringing the characters together was such a fun tidbit and a great nod to the original Phantom of the Opera. The subtle and not so subtle references to POTO were such a joy that I physically reacted to so many of them. There was a love and respect for the original work and I am so glad there were so many small hints to pick up on.

The mechanics of magic was a little confusing at first, with the Fendoirs and the Gravoirs, but the more I read, the more it made sense. I enjoyed the magic aspect and especially the backstory of Les Trois. I would have liked a bit more history, and more connection to the true villain, but it was so well done that I can’t really complain much.

SPOILERS HERE.

The biggest complaint I have is the ending. I know how POTO ends, both the musical and the book. Erik is a terrible being that has done terrible things, and there’s no way Christine would ever stay with him (except in Love Never Dies, but we’re not talking about that). Deep down, I knew what would have to happen between Isda and Emeric, but I wished it didn’t. I wanted Isda to get everything she had ever dreamed of. My heart ached for her and Emeric.

SPOILERS END

I would love to read a sequel. Such a sad but satisfying cliffhanger and I can’t help but want more.

Rating: 5/5

If you liked this review, leave me a comment and suggest what I should read next!

Wednesday Works: Nice Ring To It

The day had been perfect. Coffee in the morning while in bed. Packing for a trip with no little petty arguments, excitement for getting out of town for a few days. Everything had been perfect.

She had a feeling something was happening. Something in the air felt like change, charged with excitement. On their usual afternoon walk, they talked of the future, as they had before, but even then, their conversation was different.

Then, that night, it all began to make sense.

Waiting for their friends to arrive for dinner, preparing the potatoes and the steak, he came in and revealed the news they had been fighting again.

She sighed and kept stirring the potatoes. Then she asked if they were going to be like their friends, fighting all the time, never on the same page.

He promised they wouldn’t.

Once everyone was inside, shooting stars outside was brought up and he led her out onto the deck.

As soon as they were all out on the deck, the apprehension snuck in. Candles decorated the deck, arranged in perfect symmetry and protected from the night breeze. The stars shimmered up above, the bright spots of planets there too.

After a cute, but nervous speech, he got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

She, of course, said yes without a single doubt in her mind.

Once the ring was on, and they had toasted and sat down to dinner, the thought struck her.

“Fiancée has a nice ring to it.”

2023 Goals

A new year has started and I am so excited to have a whole new blank canvas of 365 days to accomplish some new goals. This year, I have decided to do something different as far as goals go, and I’ve added more than just writing goals.

Writing Goals

Write Every Day of 2023

Even though I have never been successful, I would really like to attempt to write every day. I would like to do my best to build a habit and stick with it.

Edit Three Novels

2023 will be the year of editing. I have several editing projects started, but have yet to finish them. I would like to start working through my catalogue of novels I’ve written over the last few years and hopefully get them ready for a publisher.

Edit Six short stories

Same as above, 2023 is the year of editing. I would like to do more than six short stories, but I don’t want to get too overwhelmed either. I’m keeping the bar low, especially since I know I’m not the best at editing.

Read Six Books

Reading is a big part of being a writer. I enjoy reading, and I find it refills my creative tank when I need it most. I have a feeling I’ll read more than six books, especially if this year is anything like last year, but once again, I would rather set the bar low and overshoot it rather than fail it spectacularly.

Publish Something (Either Traditional or Indie)

I’m hoping with all the editing I’m planning on doing this year that I can get something published. I’m hoping for Traditionally published, but I have been doing more research into indie and hybrid publishing, so we shall see what the next year holds.

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

I really enjoy the contests/challenges that NYC Midnight puts on. I intended to compete in all of them last year, but timing wasn’t always the best, or school got in the way. I’m hoping to get a better handle on it this year, so I can be successful in all of the challenges.

Personal Goals:

Graduate With a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing

My tentative graduation date is October of 2023, so I’m looking forward to continuing my education in this next year. I’m not entirely sure what my plan is after I graduate (whether I do an MFA or not), but I’m excited to get my Bachelor’s degree.

Exercise at least 3x a week

2023 and beyond, I want to take better care of myself. I’m not getting any younger and with the amount of sitting I do for work, and writing, and school, I want to prevent any health issues down the road. I’m hoping for at least 5 days a week, but sometimes that isn’t possible. I want to build a routine that I can stick to and exercise (most likely walking/hiking) is a step in the right direction.

Journal Daily

Over the past few years, I’ve been journaling on and off. Putting words down on the page helps get the craziness out of my head. For the last few years I’ve been slacking due to crazy work schedules. Now I’m looking forward to getting back on track and taking care of my mental health as well.

How I Plan to Reach Those Goals in January

Writing

Participate in the NYC Midnight Short Story Competition

Luckily, the first NYC Midnight competition happens to take place in January. Last year, I couldn’t make it, due to homework being due, but I have a better plan for schoolwork and work, so I hope it doesn’t interfere with the competition this year.

Edit One Short Story

I enjoy editing short pieces like short stories. I’m hoping to get at least one edited this month, but hopefully I will be able to edit one or more. I have a feeling editing the short stories will be like writing them was last year, with maybe the editing not getting done in the 30/31 days of the month, but spanning a few months at a time.

Edit Three Chapters

Three chapters doesn’t always seem like a lot, but I think that is what I can accomplish in a month with school, adjusting to a new work schedule and everything else going on in January. As stated above, I’m hoping for more than three, since I do have a lot of editing this year, but we shall see how the first month goes.

Personal

Exercise

At least three times a week to start, and then see how it goes. I might change this goal based on how the month goes.

Journal

No excuses, I want to write a journal entry every day of January and hopefully beyond that.

How about you? What are your goals for 2023?

December Results and 2022 Year End Round Up

I cannot believe another year of writing has come and gone! This year has definitely had its ups and downs, but I’m happy I’ve been able to do what I love in writing and creating.

December Results

One Short Story

As much as I wanted to write a short story this month, writing was a bit of a chore. Between all the preparation of reducing my hours at my current job and all the preparation of getting everything settled for the new job, writing took a bit of a backseat. There were several days where I didn’t even write at all. So unfortunately, I still have one and a half short stories that I’m taking with me into the new year.

Continue Edits

December wasn’t really the month for edits. Between finishing up final papers for school, getting everything ready for a new job, and wrapping up things at my current job, things got quite a bit hectic. Though I did make a more solid plan to make sure edits do get done.

Poetry

It took me a little while to get into the groove with the poetry contest, but I finished at least 18 poems and submitted them to the contest just before Christmas. I really enjoyed writing and putting together something I haven’t done in a while. Returning to poetry was fun, and something I might continue into next year.

Non-Writing Related

In December, a lot happened. I worked my butt off at my job, plus filling out paperwork for the new job and eventually started that job right after Christmas. I wrote poetry and technically published said poetry. I wrote some flash fiction and published to Medium.

While this month wasn’t a spectacularly big word count month, it was a big month as far as preparing for the future. Besides publishing to Medium and signing a publishing contract for poetry, I also opened an Etsy store and truly looked in to publishing some of my previous works.

In personal news, I got engaged. I couldn’t be happier.

Word Count: 10,341

Year End Results

As far as the whole year goes, I feel pretty successful. I didn’t manage to reach all of my goals, but I put in a good effort and have a lot to show for it. I feel like I’ve made large leaps and bounds compared to where I was at this time last year, and I hope I’ll have even more to show for it when we reach this time next year.

Here’s how I did on my goals for 2022:

Write Every Day

As hard as I tried to write every single day of the year, it just simply wasn’t possible. Something would come up, or lack of motivation would strike. That being said, I feel like I did the best I could given the circumstances.

January: 100%

February: 100%

March: 83%, with 26/31 days

April: 86%, with 26/30 days

May: 93% with 29/31 days

June: 100%

July: 77% with 24/31 days

August: 80% with 25/31 days

September: 80% with 24/30 days

October: 87% with 27/31 days

November: 100%

December: 55%, with 17/31

Total/Average: 87%, with 317 days of writing.

Short Story a Month

For the short stories, I didn’t always finish them in one span of 30 days, but I did finish 11/12 I set out to do. I think that’s pretty impressive.

Violet

Angie

Sinead

The Red Flower

Trifecta

Fairytales

Inventors of Tomorrow-NYC FF contest round one

Mess is Easier-NYC FF contest round two

The Goodbye Girl – First piece of fiction written for my bachelor’s program

The Way Out

Two of a Kind

Write/Edit Six Novels in 2022

Writing and editing was my big goal for 2022. I figured I could get a lot more done than I did. Due to time constraints and other goals and projects (like school and a full-time job), I did not finish or edit as many projects as I had planned to. Still, I’m happy that I finished the projects I did finish.

Magic and Romance – Finished June 2022 (First Draft)

Ghost House Heart – Finished October 2022 (First Draft)

Speaking From the Soul: Poems of Places Yet Explored – Finished December 2022 (First Draft)

Read at least Four Books

Surprisingly, reading was easier than I expected it to be. I haven’t really kept a great reading schedule over the past few years, whether it was due to school or a hectic work/life balance, but I was quite pleased to get back into reading. Maybe I shouldn’t have spent more time reading than writing, but I have no regrets. I read a lot of great books this year.

SpellMaker by Charlie N. Holmberg- Feb 2022

The Phantom of the Bathtub by Eugenia Riley – Feb 2022

A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene- March 2022

A Throne of Ruin by K.F. Breene- March 2022

A Kingdom of Ruin by K.F. Breene- March 2022

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter- April 2022

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy-September 2022

Dis-Harmony: A Jigsaw Collection of Misguided Dating by Rachel R. Kovach- September 2022

Love and Lexapro by Emma Alexis Woodard- September 2022

Creative Challenges

For 2022, I had planned on competing in every NYC Midnight competition. As hard as I tried, once again with a busy schedule and hectic life, it simply wasn’t possible to compete in all of them. I did very much enjoy the ones I did compete in though.

NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge: Did Not Compete

This challenge, I signed up for, but had to drop out at the last minute due to procrastination and homework. Unfortunately for the time being, homework and school has to come first.

NYC Midnight Microfiction Challenge (100 Word):

This year, the microfiction challenge was quite fun. I started out with a genre I don’t usually write and had fun with it, even if it was a bit crass. In the first round, I scored 13th place, which meant I got to go on to round 2 and write another 100-word story. I didn’t place in round two, but I had fun writing it and getting feedback.

NYC Midnight Microficiton Challenge (250 Word):

This is the first time I’ve competed in this challenge, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I’m not used to 250 words, but it does give a lot more to play with than 100 words. I’m looking forward to the challenge that round two brings in the upcoming year.

NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge:

This year, I got to write in a genre I’ve never written in before for round one. I enjoyed it and got to play around with some fun futuristic elements. In round two, I got to experiment with some really dark themes and actually scare myself with the piece I wrote.

NYC Midnight Screenwriting Challenge: Did Not Compete

NYC Midnight Short Screenplay Challenge:Did Not Compete

NYC Midnight Rhyming Story Challenge: Did Not Compete

I signed up for this one, but due to several other obligations (mainly homework) I was not able to actually write and submit anything. Instead, I have the prompts saved up for some future plans.

Year End Word Count: 216,988

Monday Microfiction: Count Your Blessings

The day the mine collapsed, her new husband came home unscathed, covered in dirt and dust from head to toe. She counted each and every blessing as she inspected him and scrubbed him clean. Wrapped up in the desperation of newlyweds, she counted her blessings as her hands explored his body. Once they were finished, and he lay sleeping, she turned to his uniform.

She scrubbed the dark stains from his clothes, counted each one as a blessing that he came home alive, then took it out to the line to hang. Halfway through hanging his uniform, her husband came out.

“Lover of mine, the laundry can wait.” He kissed her cheek gently, the intoxication of him enough to pull her away from the chores. “Come back to bed.”

There were still more blessings to come.

November Results and December Goals

Thank Goodness November is finally over. I usually love November for the intense joy of writing, but this November has kicked my butt in too many ways. I’m excited we’re now in December, a brand new month, with brand new goals, but that also means the year is wrapping up. Time to get my butt in gear and finish the year strong.

Here’s how I did in my goals.

November Results

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo could have gone better this year. With oral surgery, a wedding to attend, antibiotics, cough medicine and everything else that went on this month, it was a struggle to find the time and the energy to sit down and write words. At one point, I was even close to 10K behind, but I slowly started to crawl my way back and try to make a dent in the actual novel I should be working on and not all my side projects. Thankfully, the last day of the month, I crossed the finish line on multiple projects and reached the 50K mark.

Continue Edits

This month, edits were stop and go. There were a few days where I was consistent in editing, and then there were more days where I wasn’t consistent at all. Unfortunately there were a lot of zeros on my spreadsheet for editing, but I expected that with it being NaNoWriMo and all. Drafting is definitely quicker than editing and usually gives me more words. But I did learn a decent trick over the last few weeks of editing backwards and keeping the story fresh in my head. Hopefully it helps me edit more words as we roll into December.

One Short Story/Finish a Short Story

This month, I worked a little bit on everything. I started a new short story and added that to my ever-growing list of short stories for the year. I finished two short stories this month and nearly caught up in my short story per month quota. By the end of the year, I hope to have 12 short stories that I can edit next year and see where they end up.

NYC Midnight’s 250 Microfiction Competition

The NYC Midnight Microfiction challenge went well. I was able to throw it together in a few hours, right in the heat of COVID and more than enough cough medicine to kill a horse. The genre was romantic comedy and I hope I caught enough romance and comedy to make it shine in only 250 words. Now I wait for the results.

Word Count: 50,721

Toward the end of October, I fell down my stairs and had to nurse that back to health with a metric ton of Ibuprofen and Tylenol. Then the first week of November I had oral surgery and had a tooth removed and had to take antibiotics and narcotics (which always make me queasy), then finally the week after that, COVID finally caught up with me and kicked my ass. Toward the end of the month, when I finally started to feel like myself again after a few days off, I managed to catch up on all my projects for the month. I really found the community of writers in my local area which helped me find the final push I needed to get some things done.

For the first time, I published some of my microfiction to Medium. You can read it and follow me here.

December Goals

One Short Story

I already have my idea for the short story in December. I already have a good portion of the short story from November mapped out. I’m hoping to work on both in the next month and finish my goal of 12 short stories this year strong. It’s been a really good year for short stories and I’m looking forward to adding another story to my ever-growing list.

Continue Edits

Edits are picking up again after NaNoWriMo and now that I have a direction, I’m ready to get moving and make as much progress as I can before the end of the year. I’m thinking if I spend at least thirty minutes a day doing some kind of editing, I’ll have more than I started with at the beginning of the month.

Poetry

On a whim, I signed up for a poetry competition. I’ve been looking for more publishing opportunities, and that will hopefully include poetry one of these days. The goal for the competition is one poem a day for 21 days. Either way, if I manage to get a few poems down, it’s more than what I started with at the end of the month.

What goal are you trying to wrap up by the end of the year?