National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) 2015 + I'm Going to OSAI!

Hello, everyone! I have a couple of things to share with you.

First, NaPoWriMo was a huge success. I wrote the usual 30 poems and loved almost all of them. I also did 31 "blackout" or "erasure" poems. If you would like to see any of these poems, you can go to my Wattpad or my Tumblr. The "blackout" poems can only be seen on Tumblr, however.

I think that part of the reason I'm so happy with this year's poems is the "theme" I chose. Every year, I tend to write quite a few love poems, whether fictional or autobiographical. This year, though, I decided I was tired of writing about boys. I wanted to write about me. For myself.

So I did. I've grown a lot this year, and I feel as if the poems I wrote really expressed what I've learned about myself and what makes me happy.

Second, I finally, finally, finally made it back into the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. It starts this Saturday and I am so excited. Also, a little nervous.

Most of the people I met in 2012 have aged out. I'm worried about making new friends. On top of that, I'm having doubts about my writing. What if I get there and have no ideas? I'm telling myself that these fears are silly. Everyone is so nice there and look at all the poems I just wrote in April!

Despite my jitters, I still can't wait to go. To meet new people and create new things. To appreciate what other people create. My supply list has me curious. It's a bit more than the usual "notebook and pencils." On top of that, there's going to be a costume party and I never miss a chance to dress up in my Rapunzel costume. I just got back from a trip to my parents' house so my suitcase is already mostly packed.

While I wait for Saturday to get here, I'm going to try and work on THINK OF ME. I've been attempting to straighten out the plot, but I've decided that the only way for me to really figure out what works is just to dive in.

[P.S. Remember, for more up-to-date news on my writing (and maybe some pictures at OSAI!), check out my Tumblr.]

My Presence on Social Media is Changing + An Update List

It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm not too worried.

At the end of last year, I decided that blogging isn't the best fit for me anymore.

As the years have passed, my post numbers have dwindled down to a few a month, if any. I no longer read others' blog posts every day or even every week. I don't look forward to blogging like I used to. I don't enjoy the stress being "behind" puts on me.

I also can't express myself the way I now want to. This is my senior year of high school. I graduate in May. After that, I'm going off to college. These are exciting times and I want to share them. I've established Paper Mountain as a writing blog. I can't do that here.

I'm not deleting my blog or never posting again. But I'm making some big changes.

First, I'm unfollowing all of the blogs I'm currently following through GFC. The ones I really enjoy I'm going to subscribe to through email, but that's only a handful.

Next, I'm going to post updates every few months, but other than that, you won't see me much here. Feel free to still leave comments. I'll respond to them. There are a couple posts in my drafts folder that I've been meaning to finish forever. I'm still deciding if I will.

Finally, instead of this blog, my focus will be on Tumblr and Youtube. These platforms are the ones I take pleasure in and feel help me fully express myself. If you want to keep up with me, those would be the places to go.

And while I'm here, I might as well catch you guys up on a few things.

1. Instead of my goal plan, I now have a "progress report." It's an Excel spreedsheet set up like a calendar. When I write, I record what I worked on in the day-appropriate square.
2. I'm currently taking an online writing course. "30 Days of Writing - Write Yourself Alive." It's almost over and, while its teachings weren't exactly for me, it's gotten me thinking about a few things. Maybe I'll share them later.
3. My audition for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute is this Saturday at four. I'm considering posting my portfolio on Wattpad. If I do, I'll put up a short post with the link for anyone who would like to check it out.
4. I know I've been saying this forever, but I still want to post THINK OF ME on Wattpad. I'm hoping to get some work done on that in March.
5. April is, of course, NaPoWriMo. I'm giving myself more of a challenge this year but more on that later. I'm not sure if I'll be posting my poems here as I usually do. They'll definitely be on my Tumblr and maybe Wattpad. I'll put up a short post about that as well closer to April.

That's everything that's going on with me right now. I hope all of you are well.

I'm Back! Well, Until Tuesday

Originally, I said I would be home the second week of July. That was when I thought my visit to my family would run straight into my trip to New York City. However, due to various factors, I'm home a few days before we go to New York.

I have yet to write anything for Camp NaNoWriMo, but I plan on adding that "big chunk of words" to OBJECTION during these few days while I'm home. I want to I will get caught up, but I'd really like to push further than that. Writing in NYC is not ideal, both because of time and a desire to fully enjoy my vacation. Having that extra padding would ease my mind while I'm gone and help alleviate stress levels when I return.

As for my other goals, I did start on the THINKING OF YOU revisions, though I'm far from significant progress. I began the rewrite for one scene. In total, I need to rewrite twenty scenes and write eight more. I've still got quite a way to go, but at least I'm on my way. Finally.

To top it all off, I finished my poem edits! There is one poem that I deemed unfinished because I want to add on to it. Excluding that poem, I now have another two hundred lines of poetry to my name. (And when I say two hundred, I mean exactly two hundred. Without trying. Because I have magical powers.)

There's a quick update for you and, also, Happy Fourth of July! Talk to y'all soon.

I'm Taking a Trip!

I'm going to be on vacation, visiting my family, until the second week of July. I'm not telling you this because I'm going to be gone. Quite the opposite, I hope to have a lot to report to you in the coming weeks.

This trip means lots of free time. My parents work during the day and sleep at night, meaning I only get to spend time with them from five to ten. I figured that I should probably use the rest of my day (errr, night) to get some much needed writing done.

So I've set myself three tasks:

1. Make significant progress on THINKING OF YOU revisions.
2. Add a big chunk of words to OBJECTION during the first week of July/Camp NaNoWriMo.
3. Read through and edit the NaPoWriMo 2014 poems.

As you can see, I've decided to use Camp NaNoWriMo's July session to finish OBJECTION. I want to fulfill my original April 18k goal, meaning I'm aiming for 11,193 words for July. If I pass that, and I'm not finished with the draft, I plan to continue with OBJECTION. If I finish the draft, I plan to move on to the untitled lucky genes story draft.

I'll have more up about my plans for THINKING OF YOU soon. Keep your eyes open for something big. ;)

NaPoWriMo Went Great, Camp NaNo & OSAI So-So

The grand adventure of April is over. And we have some things to catch up on.

Let's be rebels and start with the good news. :P I won NaPoWriMo! Choir trips and the like kept me from posting some of my poems on time, but I did manage to write one every, single day. With as often as I've fallen short on my writing goals lately, this makes me really happy.

This NaPoWriMo differed from previous years'. Ideas were hard to come by and, for about the first week, so were the words. The latter became less of a problem when I abandoned the bitty notebook I employed last year in favor of the computer. I'm a mood writer when it comes to the utensils I use and I was not feeling pencil and paper.

On top of that, most of my poems were written at night when I just wanted to crawl into bed. Therefore, some of my ideas weren't as expanded or explored as they should have been. However, I like what I did write. Plus, I can always rewrite those poems later.

Camp NaNoWriMo wasn't quite as much of a success. I wrote 6,807 words toward my goal of 18,000, meaning I didn't finish the draft like I wanted. :/ However, I did pass 50k on OBJECTION! I feel like that's an achievement all in itself. I've finally reached OBJECTION's first Camp NaNoWriMo goal. It took me almost two years, but I did it. And that's something.

Of course, this sort of puts a kink in my plans and I'm going to have to rethink some things. The next Camp NaNoWriMo session is in July and I originally intended to finish last November's NaNoWriMo project during that time. Now, I might aim to finish OBJECTION instead and work something else out for my untitled lucky genes story. I'll let you know as soon as I've decided.

I also heard back from the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute last month. It wasn't entirely bad news. I'm an alternate. This means I only get to go if someone else can't or doesn't want to. They can contact me up to June 13th. My hopes aren't high, but at least I didn't completely fail. My writing was good. There were just a few too many people whose was better.

Aaaand, to end on a positive note, I am caught up on reading blog posts! I've been behind for so long, it feels incredible to have that weight lifted off my shoulders. This means I can follow new blogs again and start looking for other writer bloggers close to my age.

Overall, April turned out good. I hope you enjoyed my poems along with my general-writing-related posts. (I'll be posting more of the latter soon. See sidebar for details.)

How was your April?

unexpected turbulence

sometimes
I’m not sure
whether you’re
the heavy winds
or the eye
of my hurricane

swallowed up

doubts run through me
like little cracks

any minute
they could split wide

Storms

               You have your
own atmosphere. Dark
clouds swirl within it.
Lightning crackles too
close to your skin.

               Sometimes the
sparks burn me.

after dark

my body morphs with my bed
it is all I have left to hold on to
my mind falls
                          through
                                          nothing

trapped

within the medal
they gave him
were the ghosts
of a hundred men
who deserved it more

antiscenery

she looked out the car window
and watched the world pass by
beyond her reflection

and... him vii.

on the mornings
when we met
at the coffee shop
I didn’t come
for the caffeine
only the company

egotism

do you ever think
that maybe the roses
are taking time
out of their day
to let you smell them?

messenger

a shiver crawls up my back,
whispering your coming
to each of my vertebrae.

they brace themselves
to keep me from melting.

and... her vi.

during that week
when you were sick
I told you that
I’d already had
the chicken pox
but afterward
I went straight
to the doctor

striking back

the waves crashed against the rocks
the waves crashed against the rocks
the waves crashed against the rocks

          the rocks crashed against the waves
          and the waves flew to p i e c e s

and... him vi.

on our first Easter
when I hid
and you found
the eggs that
spelled out
I LOVE YOU
those eggs had been
ready in my fridge
for two weeks

aftereffects

he spent all his time wondering
if every breath he took
once carried the vibration of her voice
which molecules of oxygen
once graced her lungs, brushed across her lips
if the sweet taste in his mouth
contained particles of her last exhalation of hope

fresh start

she hired a divorce lawyer
and kicked out that person
she didn’t want to be

Pompeii

her blood burned through her veins
hidden beneath her skin and her smile
pressure building as her heart screamed
her bones bowing under the weight...

and
     they
          had
               no
                    idea