Dudes! Two Months Until NaNoWriMo! + Some Other, Less Mindblowing Stuff

I forget what I was doing and why it suddenly occurred to me, but, the other day, it struck me that NaNoWriMo starts in just a little over two months. Two months! Sixty-five days! I don't know whether I'm excited or terrified!

Really, I don't know why this is all so mind-blowing or why I'm flipping out.

I chose my main concept already. I think I've been planning on writing my untitled lucky genes story for NaNo 2013 for over a year. (I'm actually kind of worrying about not having an idea for next year yet.) My brain has even been contemplating and analyzing plot ideas for the past couple of weeks. I guess it realized and forgot to fill me in. -grumbles at brain-

Of course, with NaNoWriMo eminent, the next question is: What do I want to get done before then? My mind instantly starts throwing things at me. THINKING OF YOU revisions. THE TRUE PRINCESS read over. Short stories to write. Old poems to edit. Blogs and other social networks that require attention. Plan, too! Good thing I don't bruise easily.

However, though I dodged most of those goals, letting them fly past for a later time, I managed to catch one. OBJECTION. If I sat my ass in my chair and buckled down, I know I could finish that draft. It's far from impossible and it needs to be done. I mean, I was supposed to have this done before last NaNo!

Nothing has been finalized yet. I'm still thinking, still considering. But it's looking very likely that finishing the first draft of OBJECTION is going to be my pre-NaNo goal this year.

Now, that I've gotten my little freak out out of the way (ha!), I have some other things I'd like to share with you.

Firstly, I should be posting about my revised goal plan very soon. I'm almost finished finalizing the changes. After that, writing the post shouldn't be so hard. I know I've been promising this particular post for a while now, but my life has gotten busy again. In a good way. :)

I'm also proud to announce that I've begun to catch up on blogs. Like really catch up. Like months' worth of catching up. So far, I've finished four out of twenty-four. And I'm extremely happy about it! I'm not letting myself get stressed out over the workload. I'm pushing through. Better yet, I want to do it. I have the motivation to do it. And beyond that, I have the motivation to search out more blogs when I'm done (I know twenty-four is low and I want to remedy that).

I'm just in a really good place in my life right now.

I get to stay in my town with my friends, at least until Christmas. (We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.) I'm enjoying my classes a lot. They provide a broad, well-balanced spectrum of learning. By the end of the day I feel almost saturated with knowledge. I'm currently learning the French numbers and conquering my All Region choir music (which entails singing in both Latin and German). I have three AP classes and I'm steadily immersing myself in Trigonometry. Friday, there's a meeting to discuss this year's musical. Saturday, I'll be hanging out at a friend's house for half the day. Even the movies I've seen lately have seemed to add to the wholesome happiness I've been feeling. (I really recommend YOU'RE NEXT, if that's your sort of thing.) It's all just amazing!

P.S. Going with excited. ;)

Considering Other Options

Today is the last day to vote in the Ink Haiku contest. Go here to learn how. Thank you!

Do you ever feel like your novel ideas are just too weird? Like you love the book, but when you really sit down to think, you're not sure if anyone else will understand it the same way you do. You worry that if you try to explain it to someone, they'll give you a funny look and try to scoot away discretely.

Recently, while I was on the phone with one of my friends, he asked me what my novels are about. I always hate this question, but I attempted to answer. I told him that THE TRUE PRINCESS is about a princess who gets cloned...He thought it was strange. And while I firmly believe in my story, his opinion did not exactly boost my confidence.

As I've been working on THINKING OF YOU, rearranging the plot and trying to better build the story, this has been a concern that has crossed my mind a few times. What if I spend all this time on my story and then no one else thinks it's as amazing and creative as I do? What if everyone just thinks it's bizarre?

I've read many posts on self-publishing where people have explained that they self-publish for this very reason; their book is a bit too unique for the current market. However, self-publishing in its entirety is not for me. I do not have the skills nor the desire to produce an entire book by myself.

But I have thought of something else.

Many people my age who write don't see physical publication as an option, at least not at this point in their lives. However, they still want people to read their stories. So they go to what teenagers go to for everything: the Internet. They post their stories, their poems on sites like Wattpad, Fictionpress, Figment. The latter I use myself-very, very rarely posting shorter works there.

Perhaps you can see where this is going, but, if not, I am considering posting THINKING OF YOU on an online writing site. Even though I already have a Figment account, I'm leaning more toward Wattpad. Of course, I would research as many options as possible if this is what I decide to do.

Why am I considering this?

Well, there are a few reasons. It would let me know how people feel about my writing beyond my short poems and short stories. If I work at it, it might help me build a reader base so there are people who would buy an actual book from me. Also, being able to show an agent "see? people like me" could never hurt. It would give people something to read while I work on something I believe to be better for the market and publication. And you never know what feedback I might get; someone could point out a major flaw I need to fix or point me in a direction to make my story even better.

Obviously, there are also drawbacks to publishing an entire manuscript on the Internet. For one, the site I used would most likely get non-exclusive rights to my story. That is always my biggest concern and consideration before I post anything on the Internet and that would be no different here. I would also have to spend a fair amount of time reading others stories on the same site. As us bloggers know, you do not get without giving.

I have to take all of this into account while making my decision. In the meantime, I will continue to make my story as good as I can, to make it as good as it can be. Because no matter what decisions I make in the future, I will always want that.

What are your thoughts about "publishing" work on online writing sites?

My Writing Week

Visit this post to see how you can help me win the Ink Haiku contest. Thank you!

I spoke with my critique partner, Tania, recently, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, about which of my projects I should focus on next. I explained to her how I haven't had the chance to work on anything major in months and I wanted to get back on the horse.

She asked me the following question: If you had more time, what would you work on?

I considered it. OBJECTION, THINKING OF YOU, and THE TRUE PRINCESS all came to mind. Each of them is at a different stage. One is being drafted, one revised, and one is somewhere in between. However, each one gets me excited to sit in a chair until my butt becomes flat.

After listening to my answer, she asked me the next obvious question. So, what story will you start with first?

She wanted me to pick? I stared at the computer screen while one part of my brain tried to find an answer and another just screamed. Then, suddenly, a third, reasonable voice said, "Shut up and calm down. You can work on all three." And then it told me how.

So, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I present to you my writing week!

Sunday: reading
Monday: OBJECTION
Tuesday: blogs/others writing
Wednesday: short works
Thursday: THINKING OF YOU
Friday: blogs/others writing
Saturday: THE TRUE PRINCESS

My first week is halfway through, and Mr. Reasonable is kicking back with a smug expression on his face, going "See? Nothing to worry about." I've already added a little over 1k to OBJECTION, something I haven't done in so long I was genuinely concerned that I had forgotten what my planning notes meant. Afterward, at three in the morning, I danced down my hallway. I haven't been that happy in ages. And I didn't fret over reading blogs every day. I knew I'd have all day Tuesday to do that and now they can wait for Friday.

It's also a flexible, non-strict schedule. If I get the itch to work on OBJECTION on, say, Wednesday, I'm going to do it. Or if my life eats me for a day, well there's always the next week. It acts as a guide and motivator. When my brain starts up with its "You could do this. Or this. Or, oooh, this!" I can say, "You know, I really don't need that. It's Saturday. And Zoie has waited patiently for her turn." When my mind starts whining that it's tired or itdoesn'twanna, I can say, "Come on now. It's Wednesday. You can at least edit half this story."

Everything will get done. One day at a time. :)

How do you divvy up your time between projects? Do you work on one or more WIPs at a time?

The Powerpuff Girls and I Currently Share a Color Scheme

Visit this post to see how you can help me win the Ink Haiku contest. Thank you!

When I was little, my favorite show was THE POWERPUFF GIRLS. I had nightgowns. I had dolls. I had a sleeping bag, a bedspread. I had the movie. I had it all.

I don't have those things anymore, but I still love the cartoon. Lizzie and I catch it on Boomerang as often as we can. (We also recently discovered it on Netflix!) We, along with our friend Jessica, even dressed up as them last Halloween (and sadly got no good photos -.-).

Only last Thursday night, however, did I notice a certain color-themed connection between myself and my three favorite superheros.

You see, I assign each of my WIPs a color. Then I buy notebooks, binders, folders, index cards, whatever supplies I need to write the project, to match. And guess which colors the three novels I'm focusing on at the moment have been delegated?

Isn't it awesome? I didn't even plan it! In fact, I don't know when or if I would have noticed it, if Tania (by the way, did you see her cover reveal?) and I hadn't been discussing what story I should work on next (which brought me to another revelation I will be sharing with you soon). My subconscious just knew those colors were right.

And in case you aren't convinced the Powerpuff Girls and I have a deep chromatic relationship, here's a picture of three shirts I recently bought:

My One Year Goal Plan - 2013 Edition

Every year I make New Year's resolutions and post them on my blog. Every year so far I've gone about keeping up with them in a different way. In 2011, I posted "report cards" a couple of times. In 2012, I posted updates on the first day of each month for most of the year (last update at the bottom of this post).

In 2013, starting tomorrow, I have an entirely different plan.

I have eight goals to accomplish by December 31, 2013.

1. Finish THINKING OF YOU revisions.
2. Draft all CITY IN THE SKY stories.
3. Finish THE TRUE PRINCESS revisions and edits.
4. Finish drafting and rewrite OBJECTION.
5. Replan and start rewriting THE LULLABY.
6. Draft untitled lucky genes story.
7. Finish 26 short works.
8. Reduce percentage of unread books to 10%.

To make sure I actually work toward all of these goals throughout the year, I have developed a plan with the help of Microsoft Excel: The One Year Goal Plan - 2013 Edition.

When I look at those big goals and think about trying to finish them, my heart sinks a little bit. They're not goals that can be completed quickly or easily. Hence, they're hard to keep my sights on. These feelings are what my whole plan revolves around.

Each "Year Goal" will be broken done into twelve "Month Goals." Looking at that smaller goal is better, but a month still leaves plenty of time to get distracted. So each month is split in half and each half is given its own goal. Both "Half-Month Goals" are then split into various amounts of "Mini-Goals" that are easy and far less stressful to reach.

I feel this method will keep me focused on and excited about accomplishing my goals. I've completed January's breakdowns, but will be waiting to do the other months until they roll around. This way I will be most up-to-date on each goal's progress and know for certain what might decrease or increase my writing time each month.

And, in case you were wondering how Excel helped me:

January Goals for THINKING OF YOU (drag to URL bar to embiggen)

I will be updating all of you on my progress in the style of my usual posts and with occasional snapshots of my spreadsheet.

2013 is going to be a great year!

---

2012 NYR Last Update - 1 Year

1. I will have complete THINKING OF YOU's ready for query first round of revisions. I finished small revisions on the first six chapters and conquered my fear of revising.
2. I will have two new first drafts. I finished one first draft of THE TRUE PRINCESS and got to 32,393 words on OBJECTION.
3. I will win National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).
4. I will submit at least two short stories to two anthologies, journals, ezines, and/or contests.
5. I will read at least one hundred books. I read 57 books and made it over half-way with two others.
6. I will post at least one vlog a month. I posted one vlog in January, March, April, July, September, October, and December. I posted five in November.
7. I will exercise in some way once a week. Since the beginning of September, according to the My Fitness Pal app on my phone, I did a round of jumping jacks on six different days.

Birth of a Novel 2012 - Objection Completion #3

Most of my goals I work on steadily throughout the week, but some how I never seem to quite reach the end in time. I usually scurry around to finish things up on the last day. It's one of the reasons these posts go up so late.

However, today I did not do that. Today I went to my best friend's choir concert instead. And I do not regret it. Lizzie is always supportive of my writing and it's good of me to return the favor.

It's also good of me to live. The writing can wait. My youth will not.

Last week's goals:
1. Reach 35k on OBJECTION. My total word count for OBJECTION is 31,661. I wrote 1,637 words this week and fell 3,339 words short. I'm disappointed that I didn't meet my goal, but at the same time, 1,637 words in a week is good for any month besides November.
2. Finish CALL OF THE WILD by the time I go to bed on December 1st. I finished reading the novel on the fifth, four days late, but hey, I still finished. It was a pretty good read.
3. Continue planning THE SMILE FIXER. Didn't get to at all.
4. Write first draft summaries for THE TRUE PRINCESS and OBJECTION. I wrote half of one for THE TRUE PRINCESS, and I'm not sure if I like it.
5. Catch up on 34/43 blogs. I've managed to completely catch up on 32/43 blogs. I didn't finish one regular posting blog and have nine posts left on the big blog.
6. Attach labels to posts from January to March of 2011. Check. I also went ahead and did August of this year since it was only three posts. I've now relabeled 113 posts, putting me a little over a third of the way through.

This week I'm paring down. I want to focus on just one or two things. The reason I never get anything completely finished even though I work toward it, is because I'm working toward about a hundred other things. Even though I may still work on those other things, this week my sights are set squarely.

This week's goals:
1. Reach 37k on OBJECTION before I go to bed on Sunday. One of the problems with my non-NaNo writing goals is the whole week I have to fulfill them. This gives me the opportunity to tell myself I have plenty of time, until I don't anymore. I'm hoping this midpoint deadline will push me to write without stressing me out.
2. Reach 40k on OBJECTION by next week's BoaN post. This will put me back on track and make up for this week's indiscretion.
3. I will do jumping jacks for the duration of three minutes every day. As you may remember, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to exercise every week. For the past few months, I've been failing miserably. But I'm trying again. In fact, after I finish up this post, I will be doing my three minutes for the second day in a row!

Handing Out Awards With a Little Character "Help"

Usually I do something special for my award posts. Some little story that portrays the awards and passes them on in an entertaining way. This time I'm not doing that. I really want to get this post done, but I don't have any especially creative ideas for doing so-

"I wish that had been the case when she sent us into an orchard of possessed trees," Zoie says.

"Yes. Or perhaps when she almost killed me by nearly dropping me into a horde of soldiers," Lico agrees mildly.

...

Ahem. Now as I was saying, I'm jumping straight to the awards. Firstly, Ella generously gave me two awards. For them I have to share seven things about myself-

"I for one think she owes us," Zoie interrupts again.

Lico makes a faint noise of agreement.

"I would like to share seven facts about myself with the blogosphere. I think I deserve that." Zoie's hands are on her hips, her fingers drumming against her sword hilt. "Don't you think she should give us that, Lico?"

"If that's what you would like," he mutters.

"Lico! Quit looking around. There's nothing here for you to steal. Unless..." Zoie looks my way.

Fine. Just tell them your facts.

"Thank you very much, ymmis." She redoes her bun then addresses the masses.

1. I never wear baggy clothes. They're impractical and tend to hold water when you are thrown into a river.
2. Food is one of my most favorite things. In fact, that Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award is looking very good right now. Lico, would you please remind me to ask the drafu for a strawberry tart?
3. Speaking of, I have a drafu seed as a pet. I've been meaning to plant it, but I haven't found the right spot yet.
4. I have banned white flowers from being planted around the castle. I do not wish to see them when I gaze out my bedroom window.
5. I am not merely Zoie. I am Zoie the Fourteenth. It is a name of great expectations. All the previous Zoies have been memorable in their own right.
6. Lico and I are always together. Of course, that's because we are bonded. It's a land dryad thing.
7. You are not impressed, I see. Well, here's something that is certain to catch your interest. When I was four years old I started a war by refusing to kiss the air before saying a certain member of the Nouran royal family's name.

You've shared your facts now, Zoie. Please let me finish my post.

"We shall see," she says.

-sigh- I'm passing each of these awards on to one person. For the Versatile Blogger Award, my critique partner Steph Sinkhorn. For the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award, Angela Brown.

The next award was presented to me by Trisha. Really though it should have been the other way around as she has been a much better commenter than I have been of late. However, I am working to fix that.

"Notice how she is more focused on that than editing our story," Lico interjects. "My dialogue really should be more eloquent."

...

I am supposed to pass this on to other great commenters. Of course, Michael Offutt is the best. He comments on almost every single one of my posts which is why I'm giving him this award even though he has already received it. I am also giving this award to Laura W., a fellow teen writer.

"Oh! Didn't she think my story sounded interesting?" Zoie asks.

Yes, she did. Now if I may?

"Do you remember the days when she used to be happy to talk to us, Zoie?" Lico asks.

"Like it was a mere ten days ago."

...

Lastly, Michael Offutt gave me the Kreativ Blogger Award. To accept this award, I must:

• Thank and link back to the person who presented me with the award.
• Answer the ten questions below.
• Share ten random facts/thoughts about myself.
• Nominate seven worthy blogs for the Kreativ Blogger Award.

So, Michael, thank you kindly for this award.

Lico snorts. "Of course you're grateful. That's why it took you six months to get around to telling him."

...

And here are the questions:

1. What is your favourite song? I don't have one. I have many. On YouTube I have a whole playlist of videos that I listen to while I write. It contains over a hundred songs.
2. What is your favourite dessert? Again, don't really have one. But chocolate almond is my favorite ice cream.
3. What ticks you off? When people interrupt me while I'm reading a good book to tell me that the book is good. Also, when people talk to me like I'm an idiot.
4. When you're upset what do you do? It depends what I'm upset about and the degree of my upsetedness. Sometimes I squeeze something, like a pillow, sometimes I have to scream or hit something, sometimes I just have to sit somewhere until I calm myself down.
5. Which is/was your favourite pet? Well, cats are my favorite type of pet.
6. Which do you prefer black or white? It depends on what we're talking about. Cats? Black, definitely.
7. What is your biggest fear? Spiders in the shower with me. ;) Actually, it's the thought of what people can do.
8. What is your attitude mostly? I'm generally upbeat or kind of indifferent in a thoughtful sort of way.
9. What is perfection? Something that is undefinable because everyone views it differently.
10. What is your guilty pleasure? I don't have one. If I take pleasure it in, I don't feel guilty about watching or reading or eating or whatevering it.

"Now I know why you write," Zoie says.

And why is that?

"Your characters are quite a bit more interesting than you are."

Is that so? Then perhaps you would like to provide three more facts to give us a total of ten in this post.

"I would, but for your audience's sake, I think Lico should try."

Lico frowns. "And why would I want to share things about myself with a potentially quite large group of people?"

Because I can do it for you.

His lips move in an almost curl. "Very well."

1. Though I can walk and live on land, I must be close to running water at all times.
2. My previous profession and now part time hobby is the, ah, finding and trading or selling of valuable goods.
3. Most of the profit from those valuable goods goes toward tailored suits.

I have already mentioned four worthy blogs in this post. For a total of seven, I am giving this award to Kate Coursey at Weaving Colors, Trisha at W O R D + S T U F F, and Teralyn Pilgrim at A Writer's Journey.

This concludes my award post which means I'm finally caught up. There are no more obligations tucked into my draft folder. My blog will once again be in complete order as soon as I finish updating my labels!

"Does this mean you'll have more time for us? You know you're itching to return to our book. It's part of the reason we're bothering you so much," Zoie says.

I told you, next year! (Just between me and you, I think Zoie has gotten a little uppity since she- Damn. I've said too much.)

Birth of a Novel 2012 - Objection Completion #2

I was too ambitious. I worried about this before I posted my goals on Monday, but I told myself that I would be able to handle it. None of them were that big. Turns out my concerns were founded.

Last week's goals:
1. Reach 30k on OBJECTION. I'm at 30,024 words. I'm starting to feel a bit better about this story. The next few scenes that I need to move my plot forward have started to formulate in my mind and, even though I know I'm going to have to rewrite this novel next year, that gives me a bit more confidence in it.
2. Plan out THE SMILE FIXER. I now know basically how my most important plot points are going to be carried out. This was my major concern and my biggest decision. I've also started narrowing in on a particular setting. However, I still have quite a few things I want to know and kinks to iron out.
3. Read through The Chrysalis Experiment stories and pick one to rewrite for the PERFECT FLAW anthology or come up with a new idea. Didn't get to at all. Don't think I'm ever going to either. While I do want to reread my stories, I don't think the anthology entry is a good idea right now. I'd rather focus my smaller project time on the projects I have started and enjoy already. There's always literary magazines and e-zines that take submissions for any kind of fiction all or most of the time. Forcing myself to come up with an idea that falls into a very specific category is not worth it.
4. Write a summary for THE TRUE PRINCESS. Didn't get to at all.
5. Read CALL OF THE WILD. I've read the first two chapters and am four pages into the third. I have 43 pages left.
6. Catch up on 30/43 blogs. I've managed to catch up on 27/43 blogs. Obviously this means I didn't complete three of my intended blogs, two of which were, again, the high maintenance blogs. However, I'm still making steady progress so I'm not too worried or upset and I only have nine posts left on one of the big blogs so I should be able to knock that one off later tonight or tomorrow.
7. Attach labels to 2010 posts. Again, it didn't take that long. While it's a bit of a monotonous task, it was also nice to see how my blogging style has evolved since then.

I didn't do completely horrible. I worked steadily on most of my goals throughout the four days. I just bit off more than I could chew. This week, I'm making sure that doesn't happen again.

This week's goals:
1. Reach 35k on OBJECTION. If I'm aiming for 50k with this story, which is how it's set up since it was supposed to be finished during Camp NaNo, and I want to finish before New Year's, I have to write 625 words a day. This keeps right on track with that.
2. Finish CALL OF THE WILD by the time I go to bed on December 1st. I can do this, especially since those couple days are during the weekend. I would have added the next story in this anthology, but I'm reading another book I would also like to finish this week.
3. Continue planning THE SMILE FIXER. I don't want to rush planning. Things always turn out badly for me when I do. As long as I'm working on it, I'm happy.
4. Write first draft summaries for THE TRUE PRINCESS and OBJECTION. I added OBJECTION to the goal because I have an idea for the beginning of its summary. However, I just want to finish the rough drafts of these summaries. Perfecting them is usually what takes me so long.
5. Catch up on 34/43 blogs. The only reason it's 34/43 instead of 32/43 is because the last two blogs haven't posted in the time I've been absent from the blogosphere. So technically, it's like I already finished them. ;) This leaves me with a count of two high post blogs to finish, two regular posters, and one semi-regular.
6. Attach labels to posts from January to March of 2011. This isn't too much, 43 posts to be exact, and stops before the mass of posts published in April.

Birth of a Novel 2012 - NaNo #3 & Objection Completion #1

Today is not a Thursday, the day I usually post for Birth of a Novel. However, I didn't post last Thursday due to Thanksgiving and my being out of town. I'm back now though and ready to update you.

I didn't do as well with my goals as I did last time, but I still got a lot accomplished and am quite proud of these victories.

Last week's goals:
1. Write 3k for today. I wrote 3,019 words for a total of 53,448 words.
2. Write 1k on Friday. I wrote 1,023 words for a total of 54,471 words.
3. Write 6k on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I wrote 4,420 words, falling 1,580 words below my goal. However, on Sunday I wrote 6,112 words so I still partially met my goal. This gave me a total of 65,003 words.
4. Write 2k on Monday. I wrote 2,149 words for a total of 67,152 words.
5. Write at least 4k on Tuesday, continuing if close to the end. I wrote 6,014 words for a total of 73,166 words and completed the first draft of THE TRUE PRINCESS! The NaNoWriMo site's word count validator differs slightly with a count of 73,151 words. This disagreement has never happened to me before, but I still finished my story and still beat 50k so I'm not too worried about it. Word counters aren't all the same.
6. Make at least one vlog. Go here.
7. Catch up on 26/43 blogs. I managed to finish 24/43, only catching up on two of the four blogs I was aiming for. Neither of the two I finished were the "post everyday" blogs I talked about. However, I have made good progress with both of the remaining two.
8. Attach labels to posts from the past two months. This did not take as long as I expected. I finished up through September in probably twenty minutes. Just two years worth of blog posts to go. Also, I changed the widget appearance from a list to a cloud as well as retitled the widget to fit in with my sidebar's "mountain" theme.

Now that NaNoWriMo is over, it's time for me to move on to other things. My biggest concern right now is finishing my first draft of OBJECTION before New Year's. I also have a few other, smaller projects I want to work on.

This week's goals:
1. Reach 30k on OBJECTION. Right now, I'm at 27,334 words. This means I have to write 2,666 words in four days. I can do that. Hell, I could do that in one day. My only concern is that OBJECTION hasn't been as easy to write as most of my other projects and I might not have planned out this middle part as well as I should have, but I will not let that stop me!
2. Plan out THE SMILE FIXER. Essentially this is a rewrite of last year's The Chrysalis Experiment Prompt #2 story. At first I was playing around with this concept for the PERFECT FLAW anthology but ended up deciding it wasn't the one. I liked my ideas though so I'm still going to write it. I usually don't plan for short stories. However, this one is going to be a little longer and more detailed than my short stories generally are.
3. Read through The Chrysalis Experiment stories and pick one to rewrite for the PERFECT FLAW anthology or come up with a new idea. As I mentioned above, I scrapped my original idea for my submission to this anthology. So I need a new one and soon. The deadline is January 8th.
4. Write a summary for THE TRUE PRINCESS. These are always good to have and, even if it isn't perfect, it will help me with my pitch later. Summaries also usually drive home what my novels' main focuses are. Plus, it'll add to my Projects page. I already have a first line.
5. Read CALL OF THE WILD. If you're friends with me on Goodreads, you may know that I've been reading a book called MORE STORIES TO REMEMBER since February. It's an anthology that was published in 1958. I'm about halfway through it and I would like to finish reading it by New Year's. Right now I'm on THE CALL OF THE WILD. It has a total of 59 pages.
6. Catch up on 30/43 blogs. This means I will have a total of six blogs to read in four days. Three of them are pretty low key and, as I already said, I have made progress on the two higher maintenance blogs. I'm pretty sure I can do it.
7. Attach labels to 2010 posts. I published 46 posts in 2010. It shouldn't be so bad. I'm going to get started on them as soon as I get this post up.

Birth of a Novel 2012 - NaNo #2

Today marks the beginning of my second week of Birth of a Novel in its new format. I'm happy to report that posting my goals here in a clear fashion definitely helped me achieve them. All of them!

Also, before we dive into the official progress report, I would like to thank Lizzie for letting me spend the night at her house, even if I wrote the whole time, and for making sure I did write the whole time.

Last week's goals:
1. Reach 26k before I go to bed on Friday. I finished Friday off with 26,036 words.
2. Write 7k on both Saturday and Sunday. I wrote 7,044 words on Saturday and 7,110 words on Sunday for a total of 40,190 words.
3. Write 5k on Monday. I wrote 5,027 words for a total of 45,217 words.
4. Write 2.5k on both Tuesday and Wednesday. I wrote 2,665 on Tuesday and 2,547 words on Wednesday for a total of 50,429 words!
5. Make at least one vlog. I actually made two! Well, more like one and a half. Go here and here.
6. Catch up on 20/43 blogs. I managed to completely catch up on 22/43 blogs, putting me halfway there.
7. Decide on new labels for blog. I wrote a whole post about the process of doing this yesterday.

I reached 50,000 words! However, THE TRUE PRINCESS is far from finished. As I mentioned last week, this means this week's goals will also be mostly made up of word counts. I'm thinking I probably have 20k left to write and I want to finish before I leave for my grandparents' on the 21st to celebrate Thanksgiving. As such, my goals are aimed toward that.

This week's goals:
1. Write 3k for today. I already have a little over 1k with four hours left until midnight. It should only take me about an hour and a half to get the rest.
2. Write 1k on Friday. My parents are going out of town for the night and I will probably not be anywhere near my computer after I leave for school in the morning. 1k isn't much, but I'll probably be lucky to reach even that.
3. Write 6k on both Saturday and Sunday. These are going to be the days that really decide whether or not I finish in time. This is the really essential goal.
4. Write 2k on Monday. This is a school night. However, it's also the first day of a two day week so I might not get a lot of homework. If that's the case, I may be able to write more.
5. Write at least 4k on Tuesday, continuing if close to the end. This is the last day before we leave, but I can stay up later because I don't have to get up as early as usual the next day.
6. Make at least one vlog. This continues my goal to make a vlog once a week during NaNoWriMo.
7. Catch up on 26/43 blogs. I know four blogs doesn't seem like a lot, but two of those blogs are "post every day" blogs which means I have about sixty posts to read for each. Plus, I have words to write!
8. Attach labels to posts from the past two months. After this, I'll start from the beginning of my blog posts, but this week I don't have a lot of time for labeling and these posts are freshest in my memory thus deeming them easiest to label.

I'm not going to be posting a Birth of the Novel post next Thursday since it's Thanksgiving. However, when I return home, I will write one for the days remaining in that week and update you on my (hopeful!) success with this week's goals.

Birth of a Novel 2012 - NaNo #1

Last year during NaNoWriMo, I participated in the Birth of a Novel Blog Chain hosted by Charity Bradford (here, here, here, here, and here). This year I'm doing it again, but in a slightly different format.

Birth of a Novel isn't just solely focused on NaNo anymore. It has widened its spectrum to include any kind of writerly project. Due to this, not only will I be updating you on my weekly hopes and goals for THE TRUE PRINCESS, but on all of my ambitions for that week.

I feel like this will be extremely beneficial to me as I have quite a few things I would like to accomplish by the end of the year and this system will keep me on track to complete them in time.

Last year, I told you what my goals were in narrative form, but as I said already, I'm mixing it up a bit. I'm laying everything out in a list as I've seen others do.

1. Reach 26k before I go to bed on Friday. That's a little under four thousand words from where I am now which is entirely plausible. I'm also hoping to catch the end of a virtual write-in which may help boost my word count.
2. Write 7k on both Saturday and Sunday. I can do it as long as I stay focused. This will leave me with 40k.
3. Write 5k on Monday. No school that day so again entirely plausible if I stay focused. This will put me at 45k.
4. Write 2.5k on both Tuesday and Wednesday. If I make this goal, I will win NaNo on Wednesday!
5. Make at least one vlog. One vlog a week is my goal for NaNo. So far I haven't failed. In fact, I've overachieved with two vlogs last week.
6. Catch up on 20/43 blogs. As you may have noticed, I haven't been visiting blogs a lot lately. I just haven't been motivated to. However, I'm working to get back on track now, one blog at a time. I have to read posts for the end of August, the end of September, and then all of October, as well as any new posts for November. So far I'm at 11/43.
7. Decide on new labels for blog. In an earlier post, I talked about the things I needed to do to clean up my blog. I've completed all of those things except for one award post and reorganizing my labels. I don't necessarily have to implement the labels, I just want to have them ready for when I can sit down and fix them.

As you can see, if everything goes according to plan, I should finish NaNo on Wednesday. If that happens, my goals for next week's Birth of a Novel will be of a much different nature. However, I have a feeling that THE TRUE PRINCESS might have more story in her than 50k. If that's the case, you'll be seeing more word count goals next week. We'll just have to wait and see!

Current NaNoWriMo Word Count: 16,204 Words

I love my novel.

That statement deserves its own line. It is a thought to be savored. I love my novel.

I don't know if it's a feeling I have ever felt so thoroughly. Of course, I adore all of my novels. Each of them brings me great joy and excitement, but I don't think any of them has ever brought me this much of those two things.

I have no idea what makes this story different. Maybe it's how the plot line formed so perfectly or how my characters developed into people so quickly, but I don't think either of those were lacking from my other stories. It's not even that I'm getting more words down. I'm not rushing to write anymore than I usually do though I do seem to always know what I'm going to put on the page when I sit my butt in this chair.

Still, I'm getting an itching feeling that this just might maybe possibly be the one.

To see if you agree with me, I'm going to leave you with a short excerpt of exactly 266 words. Keep in mind that it is a rough draft. Note also that the words "agts," "ymsir," and "geya" are gEyarian words, which means the second letter is pronounced first.

I have also included my latest NaNoWriMo vlog at the bottom of this post in case you were curious about the technicalities of my journey.

So Zoie looked over the banister down at the tree. She saw a most peculiar thing.

A man was rapidly growing from one of the lowest branches. Squeezing through the tiny stems could not have been comfortable because he was squirming terribly, thrashing about and hitting the trunk, which had caused the groaning noise Zoie had heard.

Deciding he was no immediate threat, Zoie leaned one of her elbows across the railing, her sword hanging down at her side and watched. It took quite some time before he was completely out, but he was still attached to the tree. He was grasping at the top of his head madly, his face swelling with the pressure of not making any noise.

Zoie decided it was time for her to move. Making sure she could not be seen from below, she moved to the stairs that curved along the outside of the building. She passed through the middle two floors while the man was still trying to detach himself from the tree. Her foot had just touched the tile floor of the bottom level when the man finally fell to the ground.

He jumped straight back up again, straightening the very expensive suit he was wearing. His back was to her and he did not even bother to look over his shoulder.

“aGts,” he breathed.

She touched the very tip of her sword lightly to his back, right between the shoulder blades. “Watch your language in my house, ymsir.”

“aGts,” he said again, much louder this time. He glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Sorry, geya.”

(If you would like to see more, shorter excerpts, please remember to check out my Tumblr: brookerbusse.tumblr.com.)

11 x 4 Questions Finally Answered

Current NaNo Word Count: 8,509 words (full post on Monday)

Something we all know is that I always take forever at getting around to accepting awards and answering tags, that sort of thing. An example? I got two awards at the end of 2011. I got around to posting about them in May 2012. This procrastination is the reason I'm just now getting around to answering the questions I got tagged with during the Fourth Writers' Platform Building Campaign. And boy, are there a lot of them.

Carrie-Anne was the first to tag me. She left me with these eleven questions:

1. What is your dream car? It could be either a current car or a classic or antique car. I don't exactly have a specific dream car, but I would like a rather large vehicle with a bench seat.
2. Are you interested in illustrating your own books? Have you ever drawn pictures of your characters? I wish I could illustrate my own books, if just the chapter headers. While I can draw, I unfortunately lack the ability to visualize things. This makes it hard to draw things like my characters and settings.
3. What is your favorite flavor of jelly? Grape.
4. What animal would you most like to be? A brightly-colored poisonous butterfly.
5. What foreign country would you like to live in? Ireland. It's where the leprechauns live.
6. Do you prefer the countryside or the city? It depends. What am I doing there and who am I doing it with?
7. What is your favorite ice-cream flavor? Chocolate almond.
8. What character from mythology (any mythology) would you most like to meet? Pandora. Imagine her face when a 5'2" blonde girl comes up and slaps her.
9. Do you have a favorite or well-liked name you haven’t used on a character yet? Rhine. Mostly because it's the name of the main character in the Chemical Garden Trilogy. Also because I think it would be a nice name if I ever have a daughter.
10. What is your favorite amusement park ride? Any rollercoaster!
11. Would you prefer to live on the beach, in the forest, in the mountains, or in the desert? On the beach.

Susan then gave me the next eleven questions.

1. What is the name of the book you are currently reading? CLOCKWORK ANGEL.
2. What type of music do you prefer? Favourite song? Country is my top choice, though I've been getting into more indie YouTube artists lately. No favourite song. I'm usually pretty bad at having favourites.
3. If you could go anywhere in this world or a fictitious one, where would you go? I know it's clique, but who never wanted to go to Hogwarts?
4. Do you currently have any pets? Yes. One dog and one cat that is missing. :(
5. When do you usually set aside time to write? I'm definitely an evening/night writer though, if I have to, I will write anytime.
6. What is the most interesting way in which you (or some other author) has killed off a character? Crushed by an elevator.
7. Have you ever written a piece of fan fiction? If so, for which show/movie? No.
8. Do you have a specific place in which you do most of your writing? At my desk. I know, exciting, huh?
9. What is your favourite meal? What am I in the mood for?
10. Do you have any non-writing hobbies? Does reading count even though it's considered very important for a writer?
11. If you had a time machine, when would you go? To the library of Alexandria before it burned.

Ella made it a total of thirty-three questions.

1. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? The power to copy other people's superpowers. I can't be the only one who has one right?
2. You are walking in a forest and you come across two different paths. As the poem by Robert Frost goes, the first path is one that appears to be worn and familiar. The other path appears new and unused. Which path do you take? It depends. Where am I headed? And am I in the mood for people, no people, new discovery, or calming routine?
3. What is your opinion on love triangles? They don't bug me in stories like they do some people, but I dislike it when it's too predictable and you know who the person is going to pick. Love squares are more fun.
4. What is your opinion on vampires, faeries, and werewolves being used in YA fiction? Love faeries. And I don't dislike vampires and werewolves. But maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing if we all cut back a little bit on them.
5. What are some amazing books you have read this year (so far)? -pulls up Goodreads- THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, ENTWINED, THE HATING GAME, FEVER, CINDER, and KING OF THE SCREWUPS.
6. Which is more important in a novel: the plot or the characters? The plot with just a dash of character because while the plot entraps you and keeps you reading, those motions don't mean anything without the character's reactions to them.
7. If you went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which of the four houses do you think you would be sorted into? Probably Ravenclaw. Though I would hope Hufflepuff. Pottermore tells me I'm a Slytherin. -.-
8. What is one book and one movie you are looking forward to reading/seeing in 2012? Book: THE LAST GUARDIAN Movie: Gone.
9. One book you would most definitely read again, and one book you would never read again? Would: PRINCESS ACADEMY Wouldn't: LEFT BEHIND
10. What is your favorite comfort food? Cheddar pretzels. Maybe. Refer to set two's number two.
11. If you'd been on the Titanic, would you have been: a) one of the first people to jump into the ocean, b) a person who waited and ended up in a small lifeboat, or c) someone who sunk nobly along with the ship? B.

Finally, Kadie was kind enough to leave me with a total of forty-four questions.

1. What’s your favorite childhood memory? From the ages of about three to five, I lived in a trailer park in Alabama. My best friend lived one down from me. When we moved I had no way to keep in contact with her. We took a trip to Disneyworld when I was about eight or so. In order to get there, we had to pass through that Alabama town. We even stopped and ate dinner in it. And she was at that restaurant! That has always been so mind-blowing to me.
2. If you could teleport from any Wal-Mart in the country to another Wal-Mart in the country, where would you go and why? (My husband and I have a great idea to place teleporters in every Wal-Mart in America and then charge people to transfer to another one… Now we just have to invent a teleporter. One day…) To the Wal-Mart in Buffalo, Missouri because it's so small it probably will never install the teleporter and then I would be stuck in limbo where I would have eternity to write all the books I'm scared I'll never have time to write.
3. How many times do you brush your teeth in a day? One or two. Depending on how tired I am at night.
4. What’s your biggest fear? The horrible possibilities of what people can do.
5. How many times have you dyed your hair? Zero.
6. What’s the absolute WORST book you’ve ever read? I don't think I have one. I have books I really liked, books I just normal liked, and books I didn't really care for at all. But I don't have a worst book.
7. Where do you find inspiration? Various things. Usually, by chain reaction, thinking about one thing will lead me to an idea.
8. Have you ever broken a bone? Which one and how? No.
9. Chocolate or Caramel? I only like certain varieties of both. With caramel, it usually has to be hard. And with chocolate, it usually has to be paired with something else (like caramel). So I'll pretend this is a syrup question. Chocolate.
10. Guyliner? Hot or not? (Besides on Johnny Depp, that’s a given.) Neither.
11. What’s your birthstone? Amethyst.

Since this tag was created to get to know people during the Fourth Writer's Platform Building Campaign, I'm not going to be coming up with eleven more questions or tagging eleven more people. However, if you want to answer any of these questions in the comments, I would love to hear your answers!

Tomorrow

It all starts tomorrow. The great noveling adventure. National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo.

This will be my fourth year participating and I will again be implementing the strategy of going to bed early then waking up in time to start writing at midnight. After about an hour, I'll go back to sleep. I plan to wake up a little bit earlier than normal and get some words in before school. Then I will be carrying my writing notebook from class to class, writing as much as I can. After I get home, I've calculated that I will have about four free hours to write.

I hope to end tomorrow with 7k on THE TRUE PRINCESS, my newly entitled princess clone story.

I'm about to head off to bed, but I've prepared this vlog with a little more information about this year's NaNo experience.

NYR Update - 8 Months

1. I will have complete THINKING OF YOU's ready for query first round of revisions. NA
2. I will have two new first drafts. I reached 23,090 words on OBJECTION. I also came up with a first line for the untitled princess close fantasy/sci fi.
3. I will win National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).
4. I will submit at least two short stories to two anthologies, journals, ezines, and/or contests.
5. I will read at least one hundred books. I read one book this month and am currently reading three others. Goodreads says that I am nineteen books behind.
6. I will post at least one vlog a month. NA
7. I will exercise in some way once a week. In the second week (August 5-11), I played tag for about thirty minutes.

Camp NaNo Update, My Favourite Character, A First Line, and My Tumblr (AKA This is an Informal Post)

Hello, lovelies. :) Forgive me if this is a bit of an informal post. I miss writing those and I just wanted to give you all an update. Plus, I must admit I'm getting kind of used to Tumblr. (This is a hint for you to check it out.)

Camp NaNo Update

My current word count for my Camp NaNo novel, OBJECTION, is 21,587. Which is more than the last time I gave you all an update (it's also more than I wrote during Camp NaNo last year) so I'm making progress. That's what matters. Not that I'm about 10k behind.

Really, I'm not that worried about actually winning Camp NaNo. If I don't finish my novel this month, I'll just keep trucking right on into September. Now, if it goes on into October, I'll have to stop so I can plan my untitled princess clone fantasy/sci fi for NaNo, and then, of course, in November I'll be, you know, writing that novel. But, if it's necessary, I will start up again in December, continuing my steady progression.

Also, I've decided I won't be doing Camp NaNo next year. While it gets me started on something new, doing such a challenge during the summer isn't as productive as doing it during school. In the summer I want to laze around and not do much. It's my down time and writing feels more like work then. I mean to write, but I keep pushing it off until there's simply no more time. However, when school's going on, writing seems more freeing and I consciously make room in my schedule for it. Therefore, I get more done. Besides, I'll have plenty of other things to focus on.

My Favourite Character

I said in my last post that the next part of OBJECTION was going to be very exciting. Since then, I've written my favourite scene thus far and gotten to the good part. I mean, real good. Like I'm only at the beginning of the "real good" zone, and I've already had a bit of an empathy about one of my characters.

Her name is Armie. At the moment, she doesn't have a last name. But she's become my favourite character in OBJECTION.

You see, I know those little things about your characters like their first memories, past friendships, experiences in school, etc. are important. I use myself as a reminder of that. (My first memory is of a tornado. To hear the story, message me on my Tumblr and I'll post it. P.S. This is another hint that you should check it out.) But, unless it's essential to the plotline, I'm terrible at coming up with things like that. But with Armie, it's been easy. For instance, she has three scars on her face. I know the story behind each of them. Her personality shows through my writing as well, even in this early draft. I love it and her.

A First Line

I was lying in bed last night when it came to me. The first line for my untitled princess clone fantasy/sci fi. It's not perfect, and there are a few holes that will need to be filled when I start plotting, but I thought I'd share it with you. (NaNo Disclaimer: This does not count as "writing" because, as I said, there are some holes to fill in and I might tweak it a bit between now and November. Plus, we're allowed to plan and having the first line is part of some writer's outlining process.)

Zoie [insert last name(s) here] the Fourteenth, the true princess of [insert kingdom name here], gazed out her tower window and plotted her escape.

My Tumblr

Oh, and, in case you didn't know, my Tumblr blog can be located here: http://www.brookerbusse.tumblr.com. It's a personal blog, but I've also been posting shorter updates about Camp NaNo there. Just in case you missed that information. ;)

How do you like informal posts? Who is your favourite character in your current project? What do you think of my rough first line? Have you checked out my Tumblr?

NYR Update - 3 Months

I am no longer going to comment on how quickly the months go by (and no, I didn't just comment on it) because I have discovered it is not an unusual occurrence. Time is like a runner that never has to stop to eat, drink, or sleep. Only to catch its breathe once in a while. Right now it is running full speed ahead. I'm just hitching a piggy back ride while I stop to evaluate my progress.

1. I will have THINKING OF YOU ready for query. I made the first round of revision out of two for chapter four.
2. I will have two new first drafts. I decided on the MC's name for my untitled princess clone fantasy/sci fi: Zoie. I started the notes (aka my version of planning) for my untitled marriage dystopian. This includes making a list for possible MC names.
3. I will win National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). NA
4. I will submit at least two short stories to anthologies and/or contests. On March 15th, I submitted a story to the “Imagination begins with you…” - Annual High School Short Story Contest.
5. I will read at least one hundred books. I read ten books and started three others. Goodreads says I am one book behind.
6. I will post at least one vlog a month. I posted the vlog that was originally intended for February. I came up with a new idea for a vlog series.
7. I will exercise in some way once a week. The first week (March 4-10) I ran once for twenty minutes. The second week (March 11-17) I ran once for thirty minutes. The fourth week I ran twice for thirty minutes. For all of week one and half of week two I practiced my musical's choreography every week day. There were also three runs sometime before the 17th that I did not record exact dates and times for.

I still have not tried the two techniques I have previously mentioned which were a) unplug for a week each month to focus on writing and b) use lists of short term goals to motivate myself. A, because I have not been able to. Nor will I be able to until May. B, simply because I forgot about it. I'm going to write myself a note and stick it somewhere I can see it.

Many of you are participating in the A to Z Challenge this month. I am not, but I'm still posting every day in April to complete one of my goals. Anyone else doing NaPoWriMo?

A More Specific Beginning

Beginnings are one of my favorite things. The beginning of a week (Sunday, people, Sunday), the beginning of a month, and especially the beginning of a year. And today happens to be all three of those. Why do I like beginnings so much? I'm explained it before so I won't waste words.

"...everything is suddenly fresh, like everything has been wiped clean and I can just start over. It also sort of feels like a jumping off point."

-A Hopeful Beginning (January 1, 2011)

Of course, beginnings lead to endings (right after middles) lead to beginnings. And seeing as the post quoted above was a beginning and this post is a beginning, an ending had to occur in there somewhere. The ending of 2011. With that ending comes the fact that the year to accomplish the resolutions I expressed last New Year's is over. Before I move on to 2012, I would like to wrap up all things 2011.

I will be using the same format I used at my Midway Point report.

1. I will write everyday. I didn't do this. I didn't even build up to doing this. However, I have greatly improved my writing habits. With The Chrysalis Experiment I have managed to write every week excluding a few in the summer. With NaPoWriMo and NaNoWriMo I wrote everyday in April and November. And with Camp NaNoWriMo I wrote the majority of days in August. B
2. I will write a blog post or in my journal every day. I'm just going to give up on the journal. I've never been able to keep a steady one going and I hate what comes out when I write in them. Journaling just isn't for me. Blogging is more my style and, while I haven't done it everyday, I have erected a schedule for every third day (even if I kind of fell of the wagon the last month or so). Also, I have 169 posts for this year, just shy of a post every two days. B-
3. I will learn to vlog. I made two videos the whole year. Two. And only one of them was a vlog. I tried to make another video, but I failed because I didn't have the right editing software or knowledge. Editing is very essential to making good videos, vlogs or otherwise. D
4. I will become more organized with when and what I write (or edit). I really don't know how to assess how I did for this one. At the beginning of the year, I was pretty persistent and organized about how I "edited" THINKING OF YOU. I knew when I was going to write poetry (NaPoWriMo) and when I wanted to focus on a solitary project (ie. Camp NaNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo). But, I don't think I really accomplished what I was going for. C
5. I will become better at critiquing others work. Not only am I still a part of the blog Unicorn Bell that I mentioned at my Midway Point report, I also have two new critique partners. Steph Sinkhorn and Christina Bejjani. A
6. I will not give in to peer pressure or do anything that I don't want to do (excusing homework assignments). Haven't experienced any serious peer pressure. N/A

I suppose I didn't do too terribly bad, but I won't dwell on it. Instead I'm going to take those mistakes and achievements and move on into 2012 by jumping straight into my goals with a vlog stating this year's New Year's Resolutions!

And for those that can't see the video:

1. I will have THINKING OF YOU ready for query. I need to get serious about my writing. I'm focusing on one project, part of that whole "organized" thing. This is the project I chose because I know what direction I want to go with it and I feel closest to it right now. As an add on to this goal, I also want to have a brief outline of the sequels.
2. I will have two new first drafts. One from Camp NaNoWriMo (probably doing August) and one from NaNoWriMo (November). One being my untitled princess close story (which I've mentioned once) and the other being a dystopian based around marriage. I wrote two new first drafts in 2011, I can do it again.
3. I will win National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). I haven't written much poetry since I did this last year, unless you count FOREVER, FROG. I really enjoy poetry and want to get back into it, plus this definitely helps with writing habits.
4. I will submit at least two short stories to anthologies and/or contests. Last year, I submitted my first Chrysalis story to an anthology. I rushed into it, forgot to put a title in my email and used a casual email address. I also entered a contest hosted by Seventeen magazine. This one I put a bit of thought into and I feel like it's turning out much better. It's still going on (my entry here and instructions on how to vote here). I want to continue to do these things and to put myself out there.
5. I will read at least one hundred books. I've talked before about how many unread books I have. That number hasn't gone down (quite the opposite in fact) and I would really like it to. I will be using GoodReads to keep track of this goal.
6. I will post at least one vlog a month. This is a more specific goal than last year's and, I feel, easier to keep track of. I've already started on this particular resolution. -pokes video above-
7. I will exercise. I talked about my lack of muscle in my summer's goals post and since then we have obtained a Kinect. Exercising while playing games is way funner. Those dancing games really burn after a while. This is my more personal goal.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Second Summer in the City

Summer is great. It's always hot (hence, never cold), I don't have to get up early, and even though Lizzie's gone (because she hates me!) my friends and I have plenty of fun. It's my favorite season.

Unfortunately, it's also my most unproductive one.

In the book No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty, he lists lessons he has learned through his many years of NaNoWriMo. Number Two on that list states: Being Busy is Good for Your Writing (pg. 16). I am woefully not busy during the summer and it flashes by before I can get anything done.

This summer, I pledge to get things done. I pledge that this summer will not be wasted. I pledge that the following goals; Will. Be. Met.

Writing Related

1. The Lullaby rewrite will be completed.  This is a big one because this was scheduled to happen last summer. Did I mention summers are very unproductive for me?
2. Thinking of You story line revisions will be completed. Previously, I had this put off until July but I may start work on it sooner.
3. Royally Burned and the untitled princess clone story will be plotted out accordingly. I attempted to start Royally Burned this month and it just wasn't grasping me. This happened with Forever, Frog as well. All due to lack of planning. I am not going to let this happen again.

Reading Related

1. All unread books will have their status reversed. I have over one hundred books that I have yet to read. Good thing I'm a fast reader.
2. I will host two more Wonderful Weeks. For sure I will be doing one on the Left Behind series. The other is undecided, though I have a few ideas.

Nerd Related (you so saw that coming)

1. Pokemon versions FireRed, Emerald, and Platinum will be completed so I can start HeartGold. Google is your friend.
2. The Wii Fit Plus will be used as a tool to gain muscle. Simply explained, because I have none. XD