NaNo Summary

Hey ya'll...so, this is just going to be my post all about my NaNoWriMo experience. If, somehow, you missed all of my random updates on it throughout the month and have no idea what I'm even talking about, here is the original post, and you can see all of my updates on past posts from this month.

So. I ended with 53,544 words, two days early.
I honestly never thought in a million years that I would even finish at all, let alone finish early. On November 16th, the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, I was at fifteen thousand words. If you do the math, that is almost thirty thousand words in less than two weeks. Which is why I never thought I would finish.
And yet, I did. And I must say that I was pretty dang proud of myself. It's actually the first time I've fully finished a novel, and the greatest thing was that the story was ready to end exactly around when I reached 50,000.
This was by far one of the most back and forth experiences ever. There were a lot of good things, such as the fact that I really pushed myself and saw what I was capable of and that I was forced to kind of "throw caution to the wind" and just write. Usually, I'm stopping every few paragraphs and revising, which is probably why I've never finished anything else!
There were, however, a few downsides, including the fact that all month I was unable to focus any creative energy into anything else, and I am now way behind on Christmas presents...and that due to the time constraint, etc, I'm pretty sure the story is utter crap. But that was part of the fun...I was able to justify writing a cliche romance novel, soooo....
Oh, another thing that is kind of negative is that I really learned how to stretch my sentences out to use up a lot of words. And now I can't seem to stop doing it... (Like that sentence could have been "Another negative thing is that I learned how to stretch sentences out and now I can't stop").
Anyways! Another plus side to participating in NaNo was & is access to the forums. There are a lot of weird people on there, don't get me wrong, but there are also tons of people who think just like I do. One of the best threads on there was "Literary Pick Up Lines" and by far, my two favorite were:

"If you were a novel, you’d be Fahrenheit 451 because you’re so hot" 

and 

"My MC needs a love interest and I think you fit the description. Did I mention it's an autobiography?"


Hahahha. So.Great. 

Umm...I don't think there is really much else. Except that my characters ended up taking over the entire story...I'm pretty sure they were just using me to type for them. Such as, Judd was supposed to be a cynical jerk and he ended up being a total sweetheart. And Maddie was supposed to be girly and named "Madeline", but she wanted to be a bit more relaxed and be named "Madison". They were really bossy characters to work with....
Do you think I'm crazy yet? ;)

I'm currently working on editing it right now, because some parts are really rough (such as the parts that I wrote at four in the morning, half asleep, and the next day when I saw them I didn't remember writing them...) but after I'm finished, I'm thinking about putting it online, so keep your eyes out for that! Obviously, I'll post the link here if I do end up putting it online.

One other thing, I finally got my nail blog up! If you're interested, follow it, share it, etc....I'm thinking that there is going to be a new tutorial every Thursday :)

And lastly, be on the lookout for a new Christmas layout! I finally broke out the Christmas music and I'm starting to get in the spirit! Beware, because I will spread Christmas cheer to anyone who reads this blog.

I'm Baaaack! (Victory Post!)

So I know I said that I wouldn't be back until December.
But.
I'm back now.
Because.
I finished my novel!
WHOOOOOOOOOO.
Look at that pretty widget over there -->
And look at this pitcha!

BUAHAHAHA.
Sorry. I'm a little bit insane right now because I've been writing for like five hours straight...but yeah. Just thought I would...share my victory.

And I will be posting again maybe...Wednesday evening. I've been taking little notes here and there of things I need to post, but if I tried to post right now it would be like:

Lancelot eats oatmeal in the breaking dawn.

Yerp.

Brain =fried.

Goodnight.

Hiatus, etc.

Hello, my dear blog (and followers)...I have peace, quiet, and about a half an hour of time to dedicate to you.

I figure that I'm way overdue for a "What makes me smile" post, so that's what this will be. But first, a short update on NaNo. For those of you who care. For everyone who doesn't (everybody...) defer below for things that may or may not be more interesting.

Anyways. NaNoWriMo. I don't think I've even said on here what the book is about. I will in this post, I promise. At the very end. And it will be awesome because only one other person on the face of this earth knows what this book is about! But anyway, I'm writing every other chapter from the FMC (female main character...I've picked up on some writer's slang...how official I feel. Not really. I am so gifted at rambling though...) and the MMC (can you guess what that is?!?! I couldn't...) and I'm getting sick of writing from the guy's perspective because honestly, that's not where all of the turmoil is. So I sort of have to figure out a way to give him a story. And I'm so behind. But that's to be expected. And like I said in my last post, ya'll  can keep track by looking at that word counter over there on the sidebar! :)

Alright! Now onto things that actually make me happy. And don't make me want to pull all of my hair out.

1) I saw my two best friends within the span of three days. I don't think that's happened for like...four years. And one of them I haven't seen in eight months!

2) Breaking Dawn. I just...loved it. A lot.
I'm pausing here so that you can roll your eyes like I know you will.
But get ready to do a double eye roll for the next one....

3) Seeing Breaking Dawn three times in the span of five days...super fan right here. Or I'm just the only person that anybody could think of to see the movie with....

4) Remember a few weeks ago I posted about Landon Austin? Welp, I got a letter in the mail from him. Yep. That actually pretty much made my month, so....

5) I've decided to start a nail blog/tumblr! I'm pretty excited for that because I have tons and tons of ideas for it. I probably won't get it up until after NaNo, but it's comin'!

6) Smash Books. They're pretty much the coolest thing ever.

7) THIS SONG. Yes, capitals were necessary. So necessary. I don't even want to be listening to Christmas music yet, but...but. Yeah. Just. No words. If only I could see his face...(ha, don't you guys just love it when I go fangirl on here?)

8) It's a Monday. And I didn't have school. And I don't have school Wednesday. Woop Woop!

9) Candy Cane Lane tea. It's soooo good. I've gone through like half a box so far this month. Get some. You seriously won't  regret it!

10) A quiet house. Oh my gosh. Everyone is leaving right now. I can blast music. And sing. And do whatever the heck I want. Ah Ah Ah! It's been so long since I was home alone...

11) And you get a bonus one! So, I was really depressed about all of the Borders closing. But! Where one of them used to be is now a huge Books a Million and it's like...even better than Borders was. I was so happy. I can't even talk about it...

12) Another bonus!!! The Hunger Games full trailer!!! I just had to refrain so badly from using capitals, italics, bold, and underline. My gosh. I literally cried during the trailer (speaking of which, I want to see The Vow) and it looks so true to the books! Oh, AND my friend Jesse is reading the books, so I will have somebody else to talk to about them!

Okay, so there's my list. It was pretty long because I haven't posted in a while, but...If you can tell, besides the fact that NaNoWriMo is eating me alive, I'm a pretty happy person right now. Oh, also except for the fact that I haven't been able to read at all. Blech. Been too busy writing! And seeing Breaking Dawn three times because Edward's face is so daggone gorgeous.

So, now the sad part. I won't be on again until December (which in reality isn't that far away). I just really need to focus on finishing this novel and, believe it or not, this blog distracts the crap out of me!

To tide you over until then, here is the synopsis for my book. And excerpts...because I feel bad that I'm going MIA for a while. Enjoy!

Title: Along the Way (tentatively)

Maddie "Mads" Samuels is in love with her best friend. She's planning on telling him before high school graduation.
Judd Westerlee is coasting through college life with no worries. His best friend is his roommate and he's only one year away from graduation.
Then tragedy strikes.
Both Maddie and Judd take to the open road, one searching for answers, the other embarking for home, both looking for closure.
Can hardship bring these two very different people together? And could they possibly teach each other how to regain a sense of hope, love, and even life?

Excerpt: (Maddie, then Judd)

I punch in my voice mail password, not sure what to expect, and am met with several messages from Kierra, each telling me to call her ASAP and each sounding increasingly panicked. I finally get to the last message, when she can no longer withhold the information from me.
I listen to the entire message, letting the words pour into my ear, twist around my heart, then drop with a thud into the pit of my stomach. I feel my phone slip from my hand before I fall numbly to the floor and willingly allow the darkness to engulf me.  

~~~ 

Is this what a hangover feels like?
    Of course everyone warned me against drinking an excessive amount; the result most likely to be a killer headache, possibly accompanied by nausea and an extreme sensitivity to light and sound. I had thought two beers wouldn’t induce such a reaction, but as the bright lights shine in through my closed eyelids, I begin to reconsider.
    It isn’t until I hear the quiet sobs that I realize something isn’t right. I force my eyelids open, which feel like they weight a hundred pounds each. Everything I see when my eyes open confuses me. I take in the white washed, chart covered walls and the beeping monitors that surround me. Am I in the hospital?


So that is it! I sort of hate it! A lot! My hate even warrants an excessive amount of exclamation points! AH!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, spending time with family and eating to your heart's content!

See you next month! :)

You Don't Get A Title...

...because my creativity is shot.
NaNo is going to be the death of me.
See that word counter over there --> ?
Yeah, it's really short.
And I'm currently watching videos on YouTube of cute boys singing. And they're not even singing that well.
I need to write.
asldkfj;lajnc;oeuiaht;gij

Competent post coming tomorrow evening, I promise!

I Rock At:

Procrastinating. But you already knew that, right?

But this is like...a special edition procrastination session! Because this time I'm procrastinating writing my novel. Because I hate it. And I yeah...
The ways I can procrastinate are endless.
To name a few...

1) Checking and refreshing my twitter on my phone every five seconds. For no other reason than to hear the "click" it makes when it refreshes.

2) Pinterest on my phone. There's a reason I use it on my phone too. Because if I used it on the computer...I'd be on there for hours.

3) Looking up random songs that are in my head on YouTube.

4) Bunny trailing on YouTube.

5) Reading the posts on the forum on the NaNoWriMo site. There are lotsssss.

6) Reading every single reply in the post on Merlin on the NaNo forums.

7) Finding videos such as this one from the aforementioned forums. Ha, probably nobody else cares about that...oh welllll.

8) Checking Facebook. Always a viable excuse.

9) Searching for random things online and validating it as "research" for my book.

10) Staring at the ceiling. You'd be surprised how much time you can pass doing that. Like...4 seconds...

And that is all. From this session. Last night was another story. Tomorrow night will be another story. The summation of Thanksgiving break...eesh. We won't get into that yet. And I am off to bed. That's another way to procrastinate ;)

P.S.- Sorry for the Debbie Downer post last time, ha. But ya know. People make me crazy. Which leads to spiteful posts about them, hoping that somehow they'll see it. But really.

Done.

You're not who I thought you were.
In fact, you're the complete opposite of who you told me you were.
I believed every word you said to me.
I believed you completely when you told me this friendship was one that you would fight for.
I believed you when you told me the things you did to keep this friendship intact.
I believed you when you told me you were only befriending those people to keep an eye on them.
I believed that you were different.
Turns out, you're exactly like them.
You're everything I despise in a person.
And on top of that, you're a liar.
I contemplated for so long whether or not this friendship was even worth holding onto anymore.
A person can only try for so long.
And it's been three months.
Time's up.

Currently...

Currently, I am...

Painting my nails/waiting for them to dry (keyboards are the enemy of tacky nails. I be a pro.)

Listening to music on YouTube.

Hating NaNoWriMo.

Wishing I had never embarked on the journey  of NaNoWriMo.

Being determined to finish NaNoWriMo.

Contemplating whether or not I should fix my nails because they are now completely messed up due to the fact that my cat was meowing at me and I looked at him and he had blood on his face.

Trying not to kick the other cat who scratched my kitty's face.

Contesting my mother that we should get rid of said cat.

Feeding my cat an unimaginable amount of treats.

Realizing that ya'll now know how obsessed I am with my cat. Maybe you'll get that story one day.

Teetering in between not wanting to hear Christmas music yet and wanting to listen to nothing but Christmas music.

Trying to decide what I want to do next weekend.

Getting ready to drink some peppermint tea.

Contemplating whether or not I want to read a book, write, or watch A Walk to Remember whilst drinking my peppermint tea.

Looking back at my cat every ten seconds to make sure he's alright. He's staring at a bug that's crawling on my lamp.

Trying to decide whether or not I should get up and kill said bug. Or wait for the cats to get it.

Noticing that I've probably written the word "cat" too many times in this post. Sorry.

Fixing my nails.

Ending this post because I lied at the beginning when I said I could type with wet nails.

10 Things I Hate About...

You 

Contemporary YA fiction, namely romance.

1) Two dimensional characters. OH my. An insecure girl who has hidden strength. A bad boy who is secretly a softie.


2) Countless pages of "He looked straight at me and I blushed crimson, ducking my head and letting my hair fall between us" and then the last twenty pages of the book containing the rise, climax, and fall.

3) Love triangles. These should be outlawed. Nevermind the fact that they're really fun to write...

4) Heroines. My gosh. People complain that chivalry is dead. Um, that would be because guys are never given the chance to offer chivalry anymore. Girls have to be the "strong, empowered" ones. Sorry, but I don't find a guy who needs to be rescued by a girl entertaining to read about.

5) Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Fallen Angels, Wizards, Warlocks, Witches, Shapes-shifters, and the like. Is it weird that I just really want to read about a human being?

6) Betrayal. Okay, so...I think writers should be able to find another way to put a twist in the book than making one of the characters betray the other. Or rather, the character thinks the other one betrayed them, which is usually the case. Come on now...

7) Substance abuse. Almost every teen book has this. Now I understand that it's common, but seriously? Not every single book has to have it.

8) Insecure girl characters. Okay, so I know this contradicts with #4...but it seems like it's always one extreme or the other, never a good balance. Either the girl is downtrodden with self hate and pity, or she's like this in-your-face I'm gonna save the day type.

9) Single parents. The last...3456754 YA books I read...the main character only had one parent...why?

10) Current media references. Dear authors, in two years, all these references will make your books way outdated. Plus, I don't really want to read about the Biebs.

So, there is my list. And for the record, I'm not calling out any particular authors- just the entire genre in general. I respect everyone's individual work...I mean, I wouldn't want to write a book, work my butt off on it, and get hate for it. So I avoid doing that. Unless the book is super horrible. Like this one I just read...

Also! Twilight hate will not be tolerated. Even though they hold many of the annoying cliches earlier mentioned, I love those books. And I teared up when I saw a promo for the movie today. And I'm counting down the days. And I kind of loathe the movies because I feel like they exploited the books, but that's beside the point.

I'm going to go read some more YA fiction now...(ha, kidding, I'm going to sleep. Plus, I'm #15 in line for the book I want to read at the library, so...)

Random...

Hi.
First off, I'm exhausted. To the max.
Also, I have no writing abilities right now.
Additionally, I don't want to write on here at all, but I'm going to be really busy and I don't know when I'm going to be able to post again. So I decided to take this time between my burst of energy and my crashing period to write you a short list.

1) Today was alotta fun. I love my family. I'll maybe post about it. Later. When I can write better sentences than "Today was alotta fun." I might have to take a grammar class first.

2) NaNoWriMo is rough, yo. I had a notebook full of ideas, but when I stare at the computer, nothing comes to mind. But I'm determined to finish it in time. So we'll see how that goes...

3) It's funny how that one person said we were best friends, then all the sudden disappeared from my life. That just makes me super happy.

4) My keyboard is being an idiot.

5) I wish I could have gone to the Tenth Avenue North concert.

6) This list is rather negative. Refer back to number one for a reminder that my life is not all doom and gloom.

Andddd...I will leave you with two things. First, a two sentence preview of my book.
And second, a picture from the concert that I forgot to post in the other entry- my favorite picture I've taken. Evar.


I listen to the entire message, letting the worlds pour into my ears, twist around my heart, then drop with a thud into the pit of my stomach. I feel my phone slip from my hands before I fall numbly to the floor and willingly allow the darkness to engulf me.

Too Many Titles...Couldn't Choose One. So You Get This Indecisive Junk of a Title.

Hi.
So.
I went to a concert last night.
It was the best concert ever.
I would post about it but I feel like nobody would really care.
Just because I don't really care to read about other people's concert experiences for bands that I've never heard of or listened to.
And I'm fairly sure that the majority of the people that read this blog haven't heard of or listened to Family Force 5 (unless it was through me...and this blog...)
But that's okay.
Enjoy these two pictures.
Taken with no zoom.
I touched the stage.

And please take note of the gold 3 wheeler.

Kbye...I'm off to drink coffee so that perhaps I can form  some coherent sentences.

12:00

November 1, 2011.

And so it begins.