If You Say Pumpkin Spice Three Times...

Ah, the first day of fall. (Or Autumn, whichever word you prefer to use.)

While the pumpkin spice latte has been here for a couple of weeks now, today is the official start of fall. 

And I'll admit it, I'm your basic white girl when it comes to fall. 

Yes, I love pumpkin spice lattes (and the salted caramel mocha! Seriously, you could argue it's even better then the PSL), scarves, boots, hoodies, warm leggings, and crunchy leaves. This has become a bit of a trope in the blog world, and on the Internet in general. We white girls in the suburbs love fall. 

Poke fun at it all you want, but all things fall are my guilty/not guilty pleasure. And why shouldn't they be? 

This is all of the awesome fall brings to the world:

- The extreme heat is gone. I HATE long summers and extreme heat. Having a bit of summer is fine where the temperatures get really high and you can wear tank tops and hit the pool/lake/beach a couple of times. But after that, I'm done. Heat is uncomfortable, sticky, gross, and you can only take off so many pieces of clothing to make yourself feel relief. In the fall? Just throw on a sweater and you're good. It's awesome being able to step outside and feel a crisp breeze instead of choking on humidity. 

- The clothes. I always love the idea of spring and summer clothing. The light colors and flowy tank tops and such. But in reality? I just look better in fall clothing. Bring on the rich dark colors, blue jeans, and scarves. I can rock those. And don't even get me started on how much I love my boots. 

- Fall means all of the best holidays and seasons are coming! (At least here... sorry Australia and the rest of the southern hemisphere. Spring brings the best holidays and seasons for you!) You got Halloween, NaNoWriMo, Thanksgiving, NaNoWriMo, Christmas is just around the corner, NaNoWriMo...

- Food. Along with the awesome holidays and such, you get great food. (Other than the drinks at Starbucks.) Also, soup! I love me some soup. Yeah, I know, I can eat soup whenever I want. But, I always feel weird going to Panera Bread and ordering a hot soup when it's sunny and 95 degrees out in the middle of July. I just do. Maybe it's just me. IDK IDK. Besides, now all of the Halloween candy is out. Who doesn't love Halloween candy? And since I'm an adult, I can go and buy some bags and Mom can't tell me I have to save it for Halloween. 

- Fall TV shows! Need I say more?

So, yeah. I love me some fall, and I don't even feel bad about it. Tease me, call me basic, and make all of the memes you want. (Because they're true.) I don't mind! I'll just be over here, drinking my Starbucks, searching for Halloween/vampire themed things, wearing a scarf, pretending this is me:

7 Lessons I Learned During NaNoWriMo

In case you haven't been keeping up via my blog, Facebook, or Twitter, I had a rough go of it this time around for NaNoWriMo.

This was the hardest year I've had yet. That's including the years where I had randomly stopped writing for a week or two at a time. Which means it was ridiculously hard. It frustrated me to no end. I loved this story idea! There was so much potential! But by the last half of the month I felt like I was pulling teeth to try and get words onto the page. Granted, I had a lot of adjustments I had to make for NaNoWriMo this year.

- Instead of living in Missouri in my own apartment, I was living at home. This definitely changed up the dynamic of my writing process!
- I didn't have a whole lot of writing buddies. I fully intended to go to write ups, but nothing ever worked with my schedule. Then my other writing buddies lived far away. We were able to do some chatting about our stories, but it wasn't the same as being in the same room.
- I started a new job in the middle of the month. This took up a lot of my writing time I had at the beginning of the month and put on some extra stress that distracted me from writing.

However, in spite of all of this, I still ended November with 50,115 words. Not my best number by any means. But I still got 50,000 words and that's what counts!

I still learned a lot about myself and my writing though through this process - even if it was painful at times.

1) All authors go through times when they hate their writing. The pep talks from the NaNoWriMo site by published authors just confirmed that. It's totally normal to sit there and think "This story is awful. My writing is awful. Everything is awful. I should just quit right now." But they get through it and keep going.

2) You can't edit what's not written. That really is part of the point of NaNoWriMo. Yes, your story might be terrible - but you can't edit it and make it better unless you have something written down. I had several friends via text and Twitter tell me to keep going and that it's okay to have an awful rough draft. That's what a rough draft is.

3) The vision I had for my story wasn't a novel - it was a stage production. If I decide to keep going with this story, it's going to need to be in a stage format. This is completely terrifying and some major adjusting will have to be done. But I really do think it would be better on stage than in a novel.

4) Planning is my friend. Part of my issue was that I hadn't thought it out well enough. I knew this going into November but decided to push through anyway. Some people are amazing at being able to "pants" their way through a story. I can to an extent - but I love my outlines! I need my outlines to at least give me a guideline of where I need to go.

5) Write with the ending in mind. This kind of goes with what I said before about planning. I really didn't know much about how my story was going to end. Sometimes this is okay, but I usually need an idea so I know where I'm going. I didn't know where my story was going so it floundered.

6) Being behind is a lot harder than I realized. So many times I try to encourage people even when they think they have no hope of winning. Or I cheer them on when they don't get the word count by the end of the month. When I got to points when I wasn't sure I was going to get to 50k, I realized that some of my encouragements in the past were really lame. Not doing well during NaNoWriMo sucks. Yes, you're still a "winner" just by getting words on the page. It's still awesome and an accomplishment, but it sucks to not know if you'll make it or not.

7) Fantasy and paranormal is my fiction "sweet spot." I can do realistic fiction, and that's great. But fantasy and paranormal is where I really get into it. It is my favorite genre and I missed it SO MUCH during November. I can't wait to get back to my project from last year and get that all polished and wonderful because I missed those characters and that story like WOAH.

How did you all do during NaNoWriMo? What did you learn this past month?

Also - here's my video for the day!

Letters to Advent

Today marks the first day of Advent.

In the liturgical church calendar, Advent is the beginning of the year and the start of our preparation for Christmas. It lasts the four weeks leading up to Christmas and the last day is Christmas Eve. Then Christmas day starts the season of Christmas which lasts twelve days. (Thus, the 12 Days of Christmas.) It's a season where we focus on waiting, preparation, and the arrival of Jesus. Remembering his birth, but also to remember he's coming again.

It's one of my favorite times of year and sometimes I wish we focused on it more instead of just jumping right to Christmas and then having the season end once Christmas Day is done.

This year, I'm participating in Vlogmas. It's hosted by We Blog We Vlog (who does Vlog Every Day August) and Kirstie and I have gotten everything set up so people can sign up and we have the topics calendar ready to go. Click here if you want to learn more and sign up.

I'm combining it with Advent though. Some of you might have heard of "Letters to July" on YouTube. I'm going to do letters to Advent as well as the Vlogmas topics. It'll be a cool hybrid of the two ideas. (Hopefully.) Today, I was able to put together my first video for Letters to Advent.

I've finally completed NaNoWriMo and I'll be honest - I'm a bit burned out on writing at the moment. (Expect a NaNoWriMo wrap up post later this week.) Which I'm not worried about- this never lasts. But I'm glad to be taking a break, and I think making videos everyday in December will help renew my creative juices. 

I'll be linking my videos on the blog everyday. So, even if I don't actually write a post, there will at least be a video to watch!

Target Needs to Step Up It's Thanksgiving Game

I think I'm burnt out on writing from NaNoWriMo. But there's only a few days left and I will reach 50k - I WILL!

But this morning, instead of writing like I should have been due to not having to work, I decided to catch up on YouTube videos. Lately I've been going through my subscriptions and adding all of the videos I want to watch into my "Watch Later" tab and the number has now reached over 50.

This made me in the mood to make a video. Yay!

Sign up for Vlogmas at http://weblogwevlog.com/!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

In the Home Stretch

Okay, seriously guys, where did November go? Didn't it JUST START? But here we are, it's November 20. Yet again, I've failed to post anything on the blog other than Music Monday and... yup... you guessed it, today I'm doing a NaNoWriMo check-in.

Don't worry friends who don't care about NaNoWriMo- there's only a week left! You can stop rolling your eyes at me and ignoring my posts after that. Just come back for Music Monday and December.

But here we are Wrimo friends. The end of week three. I'm not going to lie - it's been a rough road this week. I started my new job which is really exciting, but I've still been working my other two jobs and have had to do 40 hours of virtual training for the new one. All week I've been married to my laptop and not for NaNoWriMo reasons - for work reasons. It's been one crazy week.

Yet, somehow, I'm caught up. I've taken some time in the mornings to write and last night I was having issues (again) with different details of my training. So, while I was all "OMG" over How to Get Away With Murder, I also was able to pound out a few thousand words and get caught up with the days goal.

Taken from my Instagram.

Some of you though, are doing amazing! One of my friends who has done NaNoWriMo a few times in the past, but hasn't been able to get to the 50k has broken 30k! She's never been able to do that before and it's really exciting! Kirstie, it's her first year and and she's already broken 40k! Kirstina Horner, one of my favorite YouTubers, I'm pretty sure has already won. Then, Amber, a blogger I follow, I'm not sure what her word count is at the moment, but she's been doing some great NaNoWriMo posts on her blog and it's been so cool seeing her writing process. There are a ton of other people too, but I don't have time to mention all of them. But everyone is doing a great job! It's really fun to see people doing well in NaNoWriMo.

Even when I'm behind and slightly jealous.

But I'm sure I'm not alone! We can still do this! We can catch up (maybe get ahead if we're ambitious) and win! Here are some tips for the final week of NaNoWriMo:

- Don't give up. Even if you only have 1,000 words - don't give up! You only fail if you quit.

- Get some sprints in. It can be alone, on Twitter, with some writing buddies, etc. If the NaNoWriMo Word Sprints Twitter account isn't hosting any, make some yourself. Use #NaNoWordSprints and #NaNoWriMo and usually you'll find a couple people up for doing some sprints with you. Or, if you are doing it alone, set up a timer for yourself and get it done. Or, you can write out your times for a sprint. My friend Jess showed how she did it on Instagram.

- Sprints don't work for you? Sometimes they don't for me either. Most times, if I do a writing sprint I do it a little longer. Like a 30min1k. I sit down for a half hour and write. My goal is 1,000 words. Then I take a break. Sometimes you just need a little bit of a longer time to sit and write.

- Switch things up. Sometimes, your story just gets boring- and that's okay! Do something really ridiculous to make it fun again. You can always delete and edit it later. Or who knows, maybe it's just what your story needs.

- Use the weekend. If your schedule allows it, the weekend is a great time to catch up. Take advantage of it! It's still before any major holidays and you'll have next week to get ready for those. Use this weekend as a way to catch up and get ahead.

- Join in on 10k Tuesday! One of my other favorite YouTubers, KatyTastic, who has been doing NaNoWriMo for years now has been hosting 10k Tuesday the last week of NaNoWriMo the last few years. Yeah, 10,000 words is a lot for one day. But all day she hosts writing sprints and is cheering people on. It's a great motivator - even if you don't get all 10,000 words.  Katy's Twitter is here, and her channel where she's been doing NaNoWriMo videos is here.

Okay - are you ready? Because it's time to get back to writing.

Also- Vlogmas is coming up! Have you signed up yet? Click here.

Writers Block

Earlier today I found a fun link up for NaNoWriMo! One of my favorite bloggers, Amber Thomas of Mr. Thomas and Me, did a vlog for hers so I decided to just copy her and her questions and do the same. 

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?

This would have been posted sooner, but it took FOREVER for my video to upload to YouTube. But I was able to get it up before the link up closed. Hooray!

For those of you who don't care about NaNoWriMo, I'm sorry. Tomorrow I'm going to try and have a life update post up. I do think about things other than NaNoWriMo, I promise.

But not today.

To see Amber's video, click here. To link up click here or here. 

A NaNoWriMo Week One Pep Talk

It's day 8 of NaNoWriMo. We have officially been at this for an entire week!

Give yourselves a pat on the back. If you're not doing NaNoWriMo, go congratulate someone who is because if they're anything like me, they might need some encouragement right about now.

By the end of today (November 8) if you are keeping on schedule with writing 1,1667 words each day, you should be hitting 13,333 words. As of last night I was at 12,057.

If you're ahead of the curve - that's awesome! You keep going! Sometimes it can be easy to think "I can take a break, I'm ahead" but DON'T DO IT! At some point down the road this month, you'll probably not write as much and you're going to need that word count cushion. Also, you can't stop the momentum it gets going. There have been times I'll get crazy ahead and then I'll just randomly stop writing for a week or two. It'll start with one day where I get too confident in my word count, and soon it turns into two days, a week, two weeks. Yikes! I've been able to catch up every time I have done this, but it's stressful. Please learn from my mistakes and don't do this to yourself.

If you're behind on your word count goal - don't freak out! You can still catch up and keep going. It's only week one. You have three whole weeks to get your word count up. A ton of people are in the same boat as you and that's totally okay. In fact, I found out last night that Hank Green does NaNoWriMo. Yup, HANK GREEN. It kinda made my life.

Well.. other than that Pip Ballentine, a co-author of The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, one of my favorite Steampunk series, just followed me on Twitter. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! AN ACTUAL AUTHOR IS FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER. And not just any author- an author who writes one of my favorite book series!!!!!! Please celebrate with me my doing the Kermit Flail.

Wait... what was I talking about? Oh yeah. NaNoWriMo. Hank Green. I'm back on track now, I promise.

Anyways. Hank Green tweeted this last night:

Woo! 10k! Still behind where I should be, but good enough! http://t.co/H6aRITm8n9
— Hank Green (@hankgreen) November 8, 2014

He's behind. HANK GREEN is behind on NaNoWriMo. Is he freaking out? Nope. If that's not encouragement for you, I don't know what is.

We all work at our own pace and that's totally okay.

But if you're like me... you're still worried.

I know I'm not crazy behind. Not yet. But to be completely honest, I've never struggled so much with a novel this early in the game. When I first thought of this idea, I was so excited. There was so much potential! If done right, I could turn it into a stage production. It was going to be personal, unique, heartfelt, funny, all of the things a good novel should be. But whenever I start writing nothing turns out the way I thought it would. Maybe it's because I haven't gotten to the scenes I'm the most excited about. I'm not sure. But I spend so much time just staring at my computer screen instead of typing. I want to fix it but I don't know how.

That doesn't mean I'm going to quit though.

Here are a few things I've learned this week about struggling with a novel... all things other people have told me in my frustration.

Earlier this week I was texting one of my NaNoWriMo friends in Missouri. Last year we spent hours and hours together at Starbucks and on my living room couch drinking coffee (and other things...), watching Boy Meets World, and helping each other plot our stories. I texted her expressing how frustrated I was. I felt like my story was boring and cliche and awful. She told me this:

"The point is writing it. You can't edit what's not there."

Yes, it's entirely possible your NaNoWriMo draft is completely terrible and not worth reading. But at least it's written down. When it's done and written down, that's when you can look at it and say "Okay, this is bad. How can I make it better?" If you never write down the terrible stories, you'll never get the good ones either. Most great stories have had several drafts, not just one. You can't get to the good one until the bad one is written. 

I also got a lot of inspiration from the NaNoWriMo pep talk from Veronica Roth (she wrote the Divergent trilogy) and the web chat with Scott Westerfeld. (He wrote the Uglies series and I just finished his newest book, Afterworlds, which is about a girl who published her NaNoWriMo project. So awesome!) They both seemed to have the same mindset about writing:

If you don't know everything as you're writing, it's okay!

As in, if you don't know your ending right away - that's okay.

If you don't know your characters favorite color - that's okay.

If your usual writing plan and process isn't working- that's okay. Try something new.

Scott Westerfeld talked about how sometimes he doesn't know his ending until he's about 2/3 of the way through his novel. Or that his characters tend to develop themselves as he writes. 

Veronica Roth said in her pep talk: "What is important, far more than the definitions we cling to, is that we finish the stories we are burning to tell." 

She also said: "Don’t be a plotter or a pantser, a strict butt-in-chair person or an exercise-doer, a beginning-to-end-er or a time jumper—don’t be anything other than whatever you need to be to keep climbing."

You do what you need to do to keep writing. Keep telling your story. It will get there. Good or bad, your story will get there. Fast or slow, your story will get there.

Also, today (November 8) is "Double Up Your Novel Day." Which means you should double something. Double your word count or your daily writing goal. Double your donations. Double your characters. Double SOMETHING that has to do with NaNoWriMo. The weekend is a great day to catch up and to get a nice word count cushion for when you fall behind later.

Now get back to writing. 

A Final Pre-NaNoWriMo Pep Talk

In only two days November will be upon us. When midnight strikes Halloween will roll out as it always does. Maybe you'll still be out partying or at home wearing your costume as you pick through leftover trick-or-treat candy. (Or not leftover and just what you have... cause why would you give away your candy?) Or maybe you're in bed already because you're smart and want a good night's sleep. Good for you. No matter where you are, the clock will strike 12am on November 1.

NaNoWriMo has begun.

I, and I'm sure a lot of other people, have mixed emotions about the start of NaNoWriMo. On the one hand, I love being able to have an excuse to dedicate a whole month to writing. I love working on a new project and collaborating with thousands of other people doing the exact same thing and how we are all there for each other. I love talking with my friends about their novels and reading the pep talks and perusing the forums.

Then there's the other half of me. My schedule is wildly different from it has been for every other NaNoWriMo. Before, my work schedule was somewhat flexible and it was the calm before the storm of the Advent/Christmas season at the church. Now, my schedule is more rigid and I can't leave work an hour early if needed to meet someone at Starbucks for a writing date. Working two part time jobs, searching for freelance writing gigs, and searching for more work doesn't leave a ton of free time.

We've been having technology issues at home lately, so we are down to one laptop. Mine. Which is fine, I don't mind sharing and most of what I do can be done on my iPad. However - I hate writing on my iPad. My time using Scrivener, my writing program of choice, is going to be cut down a lot.

On top of it- I have barely a skeleton of an outline. Usually I'm all planned out. My characters have rich backstories, The novel has a semi-detailed outline and I have a basic idea of where it's going. This year... not so much. I don't know what it is this year, but I feel woefully unprepared. Doubts fill my mind.

My novel will be awful.

I won't have time.

There will be major plot holes.

The characters will be shallow.

I'll lose motivation.

Anyone else having the same doubts and thoughts?

Yeah... that's what I thought. So, here is my final pre-NaNoWriMo pep talk. Not just for you, but for me too.

My novel will be awful.

Yeah... maybe. That's life. Sometimes we create something that completely sucks. It happens. That's how we learn though.

But what if it's not? What if it's brilliant? What if it's the best thing you've ever written? Yeah... how awesome would that be? But you're never going to know until you sit down and write it.

I won't have time.

No one has time. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it. Yes, you might need to have later nights and/or earlier mornings for the next 30 days. You might need to cut back on Tumblr and bingle watching TV shows on Netflix. Worse things have happened. Get up, turn off Netflix and Tumblr, drink some coffee (or your caffeinated beverage of choice) and write your novel.

There will be major plot holes.

There usually are. Even in some of your best stories - there have been major plot holes. But you always work through it. You have friends who are fantastic writers who point them out and help you. Find your writing friends and brainstorm. Talk it out. Go to the NaNoWriMo forums. Then go write your novel. Sometimes just writing and letting it flow will surprise you with something fantastic. But those holes will never be filled until you write.

The characters will be shallow.

Get inspiration from people in real life. Have dates with your characters. Eventually they'll flesh themselves out. Keep writing and sometimes as you write they get better. When I say sometimes, I mean usually.

I'll lose motivation.

We all have those moments - and it's okay. You're allowed to take breaks sometimes. But don't worry about that yet. Why are you worrying about the future? That's for future you to worry about later in November.

The moral of the story?

You just need to get to writing. Maybe it'll fall apart, maybe it won't. But either way, you won't know until you try.

Write your story.

What's my plan, you ask?

One, for now I'm just going to focus on my very first scene. MAYBE the first chapter. That's it. I want to picture it in my mind so when I sit down to write November first it can pour out of me. I'll worry about the rest later.

Also, I started reading Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld. It's about a girl who participated in NaNoWriMo (or at least that's the impression) and now her novel is going to be published. The book goes back and forth between her story and the one she wrote. So a book within a book. It's making me really excited for November to start.

Need more inspiration? Kristina Horner has a ton of NaNoWriMo videos and pep talks on her YouTube channel. This one is my favorite. She did it three years ago, but it's my favorite thus far. If you can't see the embeded video below you can click here. 

What are you doing to get ready to write in November? Do you have any advice for people like me who are having mixed emotions about NaNoWriMo?

Like what you read? Join my email list by clicking here!

NaNoWriMo Prep: I Have No Plot!

In only 15 days NaNoWriMo will be upon us. Thousands of people around the world will be typing away to create 50,000 word novels by the end of the month. Usually, this is one of my favorite times of the year. I love checking out the forums, brainstorming ideas, and writing in my little notebook all of the plans I have for my upcoming novel.

This year, I'm already stuck. It's only half way through October and I feel like I'm at a dead end. While, I know overall this isn't really a problem. A ton of people go into NaNoWriMo not having planned a single thing. In fact, I love the process of writing and seeing where my story goes and how it changes as I write. However, I like to at least have a rough outline and know generally where I'm going. As of right now, I feel like I don't have a plot. There are a few scenes in my head, but nothing which comes together to create a storyline.

Surely, I can't be the only one in this situation. Other people must be having issues with brainstorming their stories, right? So... Here is advice I give to you... And myself.

1) Find Brainstorming and Writing Buddies

This is always one of my biggest pieces of advice for those doing NaNoWriMo. The beauty of this month is that you have a built in writing community where everyone is in the same boat and know what you're going through. I'm so excited I live in a city because I'll have a lot of opportunities for write ins. (Declare a home region on the NaNoWriMo website and you can go to some in your area!) Or you can go to the forums and get ideas and buddies there.

You can also go to your "real life" friends. I was able to vent some of my frustrations to a close friend over the weekend, and while she's not a writer she helped ease my mind. I them texted a writing friend and we are going to hang out next week to brainstorm story ideas.

Other people are a valuable asset to your writing!

2) Develop Your Characters

Nearly every year during NaNoWriMo I have some sort of plot issue which is solved by developing my characters or switching one detail about them. The dynamics and the chemistry between the characters personalities can help drive your plot. I can't tell you how many times I've been on a long drive in October or November and start having "conversations" with my characters (I know I sound crazy right now) and suddenly new plot points and twists come to my head.

In fact, I wrote up a character development worksheet on Google Docs for you all to help you out. It gets pretty detailed and you can use what sections are most helpful to you, but I know sometimes thinking through those details can really help me flesh out my characters.

Click here for the worksheet.

3) Get Some Visuals

I've learned to LOVE Pinterest and Google Images for helping me do my novel planning. I don't know about you, but it helps me to have images of people I think would look like my characters, pictures of what I think would be in their apartment or where they live, etc. I have secret boards for my NaNoWriMo novels, and I started a public board for writing tips. You can find it by clicking here.

What other advice would you give people (aka: ME!) when they feel like they are stuck in their novel planning?

Yes, I Am Alive

What? What is this place? My blog?

::blows dust off of the keyboard::

::blinks into the light of the screen::

The only excuse I can think of is that I'm still recovering from a sever case of sister's wedding hangover. (Not a REAL hangover - you know what I mean. Besides, having a real hangover for a week and a half would be the worst thing ever.) I also have been pretty busy. So... today I'm just going to give you a quick update about my life and what I've been into and thinking about lately. Don't worry- a for real post will be coming up soon. I promise.

Work

Life at the preschool continues to be ridiculous, crazy, full of screaming children, but also still adorable. We have a couple of new two year olds this year who are adorable and have become my buddies. They're sweet but also a handful.

I also have been working at the extended care at an elementary school which is too is crazy, ridiculous, full of screaming children, and a few adorable moments. Especially when they are super bummed that it's my sister who got married and not me.

But beyond those two jobs (they're only part time and I got bills to pay yo!) I decided to try my hand at freelancing. I've only gotten a couple of small jobs so far which kind of make me feel like a sell out- but it's pretty awesome to know people are actually willing to pay me for writing. I'm hoping it can only go up from here.

Books

Naturally - there is a lot of reading going on in my life. I recently finished an eARC book called The Tone Poet whose review will be up soon!

I've been into the Maze Runner series lately as well. It's not the greatest series ever, but I'm invested now and I HAVE TO HAVE THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF THE QUESTIONS.

My newest favorite book series though is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. While I know they aren't really new, but they're new to me and WOW I can't believe I haven't discovered these books before now. I love how they take place in Chicago, Dresden is HILARIOUS, and it moves fast. It's really fun.

What's really exciting about my reading life right now though is my new book club on Facebook called The Book Worms. We just completed our first month and read Firestarter by Stephen King. For October we're reading Warm Bodies by Issac Marion and AH! it's so much fun! If you want to join the club click here.

The Internet

So... I have finally discovered Tyler Oakley. I've heard about him all over the Internet. But then - BUT THEN a friend of mine posted this video of him interviewing Darren Criss. TYLER OAKLEY IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL. I've become obsessed and trying to watch his videos and he has a new podcast called Psychobabble which I listen to every single week on the way to work. It's the best thing ever and all of you need to watch/listen so I can have people to talk to about them. Awesome. I'm glad we had this talk.

I also have been loving Carrie Hope Fletcher. She really is one of my favorite YouTubers. She's so sweet, has a fantastic voice, loves Disney, is playing Epoinine in London, and is the one who inspired me to play the ukulele.

As for blogs I've been loving lately...

http://www.princessburlap.com/

http://www.mrthomasandme.com/

http://eastandblog.com/

http://www.embergrey.com/

http://www.sailorjulyxo.com/

http://www.melbourneonmymind.com/

http://www.storiessongsandpraise.com/

http://www.thegirlwholovedtowrite.com/

TV and Movies

Like the rest of the world - I went and saw Gone Girl this weekend. It was good! It was a good adaptation of the novel. But that's not why I was excited to see it. I was excited because it was filmed WHERE I LIVED IN MISSOURI. That whole opening scene? Yeah, I walked those streets ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I even saw a couple of actors who played extras. It was pretty awesome.

For TV I'm catching up on The Originals and The Vampire Diaries  and Supernatural. But I love the new shows A to Z, Selfie, and Forever. 

Things I've Been Thinking About

It's October which means ... NaNoWriMo starts next month! This week I got many of my characters named and it's pretty exciting. Stay tuned for some NaNoWriMo prep posts coming up in the next few weeks. Now if only the official website would get it together and launch for the year...



One of my favorite bloggers, Love Addict NYC, a couple of months ago started a daily email. It's just a few paragraphs to help and encourage her readers and it's the best thing ever. I look forward to reading it every single day and I'm always thinking "I could totally do that." Then I remembered - I kind of tried to already. I have a box on the right side of my blog where you can sign up for an email - but I have never sent one out. Ever. How awful is that?

So... I've been wondering. Is that a thing you all would be interested in?



Already know you want to be on the email list? Sign up here!

   

Get Love Notes from Me!

   

   

   

   

Two Ideas

There were two stories in my mind. When I sat down to think about them, neither worked. I couldn't see how to flesh them out and make them full out novels. So I put them on the back burner. I focused on other ones which I fell in love with.

Every once in awhile they would pop up in my mind but I never gave them much thought. There were other things to think about and worry about.

Then, one day, I saw they could go together. I have no idea how I came up with it because individually it would seem, they would never fit and the story would be all over the place. But somehow I really think it'll work.

I'm so excited about this story and it'll be my NaNoWriMo project for 2014. Which is awesome because until I figured this out I had no clue what I would be writing about in November. With October coming this week I can't wait to dive into my NaNoWriMo planning and plotting. One of my favorite parts of NaNoWriMo is being able to dedicate so much to just plotting, planning, character development, research and world build building.

But I'm also nervous about this project. It'll be one of the most personal stories I've written and I've only told one person my ideas. So, no, I'm not telling the rest of you either. At least not yet. (Yes, that includes you mom!) But, the author Neil Gaiman says if you don't feel like you're standing in the street naked you aren't doing it right. So... This is a good thing then according to that.

But when you have a story to tell, you have to let it out, the world needs your story. 

Linking up with Sarah Anne Hayes: http://sarahannehayes.com/blog/the-story-you-need-to-share/

Dreams and Doubts

Today for The Broke and The Bookish's 10 on Tuesday link up, we're talking about our bookish bucket list.

There are several goals I have when it comes to anything that has to do with reading and books. I want to meet authors (especially JK Rowling!), actually finish Les Miserables one of these days, read Anna Karennina, have a huge library in my home someday, etc. However, there are only a couple which really matter to me.

One of them really isn't a secret. If you've been following my blog for awhile, you can probably guess it.

I want to publish one of my novels. Or more. And the "old fashioned" way too where a publisher picks it up and it goes to bookstores and there are legitimate reviews and such of it. Yes, if I can't get a publisher I'll go for the self-publishing route. But, the "traditional" route appeals to me more. I know it's still not a guarantee my book would be a best seller or anything, but that's okay. Maybe it's because I want the validation of someone else reading my story and saying "Yes, this needs to be out there." Or I'm just old fashioned. Who knows.

But I keep getting in the way of myself. I see my writer friends online finishing novel after novel and I become envious (for no reason at all, really) and I think I'll never be as good as they are so why bother? Or I start an idea and I'm so excited for it, but after awhile I doubt myself, my writing, and my creativity, and want to give up. Then other times I let other things (like moving and quitting my job) get in the way of writing and my shiny, new, awesome, idea from November for NaNoWriMo gets thrown to the back burner.

Yet, the dream is still there. It's always been there. When I was a kid I thought I wanted to be a full-time writer. I toss the idea around sometimes, thinking maybe I could be an awesome freelance writer like Carrie Bradshaw and strut around the city like I own it. However, I'm not sure if I have the self-discipline to do so. The flexibility of schedule would be fantastic, but realistically, I don't think this is what I want.

Unless I become like JK Rowling where I write one book series and I'm set for life. In that case, being only a writer would be fantastic.

However... I need some more realistic expectations.

Besides, I don't want to write only because it helps me to make money. I want to write because I have a story to share.

Then, there's another goal. It's more of a daydream though, and I still go back and forth debating if it's something I actually want to go after.

It came up in conversation yesterday with my sister and a friend of hers. We were sitting in the friend's living room watching Disney movies and I mentioned how I applied for a position at a local library. Several people have told me I would do well in libraries because of my love of books. I agree, but I admitted I'm not sure if I can see it in the long term. I think the quiet would bother me too much.

Instead, I could see myself running a coffee shop/bookstore. A cozy little place where there's more noise, cushy chairs and lamps, books scattered all over the place, and open mic nights. There could even be discounts to writers during NaNoWriMo. A few of my friends and I sometimes daydream about doing something like this. I have one friend who is a barista and she could handle the coffee. Another friend is a fantastic baker and would do the food. Another works with PR and communications and could be in charge of that. Another friend does graphic design and would make all of the menus and signs and such. I even have another friend who knows business and accounting. Where I would fit in the picture, I'm not quite sure since I know nothing about running a business or anything. Maybe I would handle the books or something.

http://wonderfullybookish.tumblr.com/

The friend I was talking to yesterday said I should go for it. I told her how I know nothing about business, have never worked at a bookstore or a coffee shop, and I have no money to do this anyways. She didn't care. She still said I should go for it someday.

But I'm still not sure. I love the romanticized dream of this, but the reality? I'm not so sure. In the world where we wonder if even the big stores like Barnes and Noble will survive, would it be smart to open an independent book store? Then what about other things I want to do like traveling, being part of a theatre group, living in NYC for a year or two, and everything else - would I still be able to do those things?

Yet, it's still fun to dream and think about. Who knows what will happen in the future, right?

Humpday Confessions

One of my new favorite blogs, Vodka and Soda, hosts this link-up every week. I've been meaning to join her for awhile now, and I think it's about time I did!

Here are some Humpday Confessions!

- I had to call into work today because of the snow. I feel like such a Missourian right now, but our road and driveway had so much snow and it took forever to get it cleared and the interstate I take to get to work I heard was awful. By the time I would get to work it would be time for me to go back home. So... there's that.

- It's world Nutella Day. This means I am celebrating accordingly with a jar of Nutella. It's glorious.

- I've been marathoning Sex and the City for the last several weeks now. It's been perfect for when I want to read/work on the blog/read other blogs because I can have noise without having to pay much attention. I'm almost done with the final season. She's dating the Russian and will be going to Paris soon.

- Tonight is girls night! My friend Julie and I decided to make Wednesdays our "girls night" because her hubby has a class, and our sisters have an open invitation for whenever they're free. The roads and weather conditions are supposed to be MUCH MUCH better tonight, so hopefully we'll make it out! (Our favorite place has 1/2 price cosmos and appetizers on Wednesday!)

- I think Bandit is holding a grudge against me. My mom's dog Indy likes to cuddle with me more than he does and it makes me sad.

- My poor NaNoWriMo novel has been terribly neglected since I moved. I've worked on some character profiles and I've been brainstorming problem areas and plot holes, but hardly any actual writing has been accomplished.

- For the past month I binged on Sherlock.  I watched the first two seasons and then watched the new epsiodes like it was my religion. Now that series 3 is over I'm going through withdrawls. How long-time fans survived that 2 year hitatus I'l never know.

- As much as I'm trying to ignore the fact JK Rowling supposedly regrets Ron and Hermionie getting together... it's still there in the back of my mind and when I look at my Harry Potter books I want to cry a bit. BUT my friend Kirsti wrote this TOTALLY AWESOME post about it which I agree with 100%: http://www.melbourneonmymind.com/2014/02/the-great-jk-rowling-debacle.html?spref=fb (Also, PLEASE read the Muggle Net post about this topic because the writers and the commenters actually know what they're talking about.)

- Speaking of Harry Potter. Yesterday morning I had this dream right before I woke up that I met Darren Criss and we were on a date and he was totally falling for me. However, the only thing I could think about was if he was going to find my Tumblr and this blog and freak out because I'm a crazy fangirl.

What are some of your Humpday Confessions? Hop on over to Vodka and Soda to link up!

http://www.lifeinprogress.ca/lifeinprogress/2014/02/humpday-confessions-2.html

2013 In Review

And here we are. It's New Year's Eve and everyone is getting ready to celebrate. We're looking back at the last 12 months and looking forward to the next. Some are ready to party with friends, while others, like myself, will be with family when midnight rolls in. In case you need a refresher- here are the highlights of 2013 for me. It was a year of changes, theatre, and a lot of endings, goodbyes, and lasts.

Warning- there are A LOT of photos. If you just want a quick Instagram video, you can watch this:

January

This is the month I mainly remember for meeting Kirstie, Lor, and Alice in Orlando! We went to Hogwarts and Disney and it was fabulous.

Back in Cape, was also the Abbott Awards for the local community theatre. The play I was in (Smell of the Kill) won for best show!

February

The first memorable part of February was when I taught my last session of Peer Ministry Training and brought along these three amazing teenagers. (I'm going to miss these guys so much!)

Then, later that month I went up to St. Louis and visited the Fabulous Fox Theatre for the first time to see The Book of Mormon!

March

I was in another play! River City Players put together a vintage style radio show and I was one of the singers!

Then, with Easter being so early, I saw the 7th graders get confirmed on Palm Sunday.

April

I don't have photos- but the first thing I did in April was go wedding dress shopping with my sister! While, it ended up being a long day of white fluffy dresses, it was still an important day to remember. You only help your sister pick out her wedding dress once! (Hopefully.)

I also went on some outdoor adventures once spring came into full bloom with my friend Ginny.

April was also the month of the Boston bombing - and while we were reminded of how awful people can be, we also were reminded how great they can be as well. This video was one of my favorite reactions:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91a19xnXNvo

Then.... I got cast as the Nanny in Romeo and Juliet, the first play for the new theatre company Acting Out!

But, I also stuck in there my last confirmation retreat. (So many lasts!)

May

This means the month of May was basically consumed with rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. 

However, one of my friends also got married in May! My sister, and her sister were both bridesmaids in the wedding. They all looked beautiful!

However, what I'll always remember the most from May is that at the beginning of the month is when I told my senior pastor I would no longer be a youth minister. It was probably the biggest moment of the year for me because it meant all of the thoughts and feelings I was having about ministry became real and I was finally doing something about it. It was terrifying and exciting, and it paved the way for the rest of 2013.

June

Finally- Romeo and Juliet! Even though we got rained out our last day. It was outrageously depressing. Which also happened to be the same week as Vacation Bible School. Basically, both dress rehearsal week for a play is insanity, and VBS week at a church is insanity. Put both together? Basically I must have had a death wish.

It's a good thing both were fantastic.

I also began watching Supernatural and began a love affair with the Winchester brothers. Hello there boys.

July

Generally, July is the month when I'm never in town. It was the month of my last big trips with St. Andrew. National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, Camp SonRise, and a mission trip to Alabama. All three were wonderful- but also bitter sweet because these were always highlights of my year for youth ministry and they were my last ones. Yet, I couldn't share what I was thinking because no one knew my plans yet. As enjoyable as they were, it was rough.

 August

Compared to July - August was downright boring! But, I did attend a leadership simulcast via Willow Creek was is always awesome, I participated in VEDA for the second year in a row, and my friend Kelli got married!

September

This month, I wrapped up my second show with Acting Out!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, began working on a River City Players show which I was the assistant director, Nuts, Bolts, and Carnations,  and was cast in Acting Out!'s final show, Night of the Living Dead. When I look back - it's amazing how 2013 was focused on theatre. Which I LOVE! I worked with such wonderful casts and directors, and I made some amazing friendships through these shows. It made my last year in Cape Girardeau totally worth it.

October

I was the Tardis for Halloween, Night of the Living Dead opened and closed, my friends Michael and Katrina welcomed their second child into the world, and I led my final Jr. High Retreat. But personally, the biggest moment was finally announcing to the congregation I was leaving ministry. Between that and the saddest episode of Glee that week, I was an emotional wreck. But at least everything was out in the open. You can read all about it here.

November

Or as I know it... NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH! AKA- one of my favorite times of year. I won for the 6th year in a row and I am so excited about this novel still. If I can get the drafts done, I'm going to be seriously considering sending out query letters for this project.

Beyond that though, there was also Thanksgiving with my family and the closing night of my last play in Cape Girardeau.

December

And now here we are. December. A month of goodbyes, getting snowed in, job searching, packing, and preparing for Christmas.

...
...
...
...
...

Oh yeah... and I got two tattoos which my friend Michael has named my "quarter life crisis."

My right forearm

My left calf/ankle

Surprise!