further up & further in.: December 2015

I can't believe it's the end of another year, another chapter in my life. 2015 was so, so full. Full of tears, laughter, joy, adventures... and a whole lotta love. (Okay, I'll try to tone down the sap for this post.)

Here's a rundown of what went down. (See what I did there?)

January

I started watching The Walking Dead even though I swore I never would.
I detailed my writing process on the blog.
Sorry, I'm lame. I don't even remember what happened last January. Except it involved taking at least one selfie.

February

I grieved the death of Leonard Nimoy.
I saw Celtic Thunder's "best of" concert, which included my first time seeing Damian McGinty live. I've loved this band (and Damian) since I was thirteen or fourteen, so it was a big deal.
I reminisced about seeing Owl City live in concert.
Someone crashed their car through our fence. Everyone was okay, but it was eventful.

Mom & I at Celtic Thunder

March

I scouted locations for my graduation party.
I prepared for the relaunch of The Fangirl Initiative

April

We relaunched The Fangirl Initiative with a domain name, a new design, and a giveaway
I scouted more graduation party locations (and found one!)
I took my senior pictures in a giant field of grass (something that was an unspoken item on my bucket list).
I turned 19! I got an iPod to replace my slightly-broken one, and we watched Divergent.

May

I'm lame here, too. I don't remember what happened. But there was a lot of rain and graduation planning.

June

I graduated!
I got my permit (finally).
We had to hospitalize our cat, Tux, who was diagnosed with kidney failure. He was sent home to be on IV fluids, and we got a few more months with him.

July

Our desktop computer caught on fire. We were fine, but it was a wild day.
I tried to read more, with mixed results.
I did a glaze to turn my hair red, completing an item on my bucket list.
I finished Because I'm Irish's first rewrite
I finished Petrichor's first draft.

August

I bought my first flannel shirt, which was the best decision I ever made.
I began recapping Daredevil on The Fangirl Initiative.
I finally got Further Up and Further In a domain name after blogging since 2006

September

I got my second earlobe piercing.
I visited Oregon.
I saw the ocean for the first time.

October

I started recapping Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on The Fangirl Initiative.
I came up with the idea for Leo Andromedus
I met an old blogging friend, Gianna, who is lovely and amazing and truly a gift.
I got introduced to a whole new social atmosphere (aka I got a social life)
Started working with Libero Network
I said goodbye to my first pet and one of my best friends, Tuxedo Max.
I dressed up as Jemma Simmons for Halloween.

November

Began Leo Andromedus
Started to react to The Walking Dead on The Fangirl Initiative
Grieved the Paris attacks
I met up with Inna after knowing each other through blogging for years
I put a streak of temporary pink hair dye in my hair.
I saw the horrible Civil War trailer
I got a ridiculously bad crush on John Krasinski.
Finished my seventh NaNo and completed Leo Andromedus

December

My grandpa Bob passed away unexpectedly. I still don't know what to say about this. I'm so sad but also so happy that he's where he's supposed to be. Bittersweet.
I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens and IT WAS SO GOOD.
We had Christmas, which was sad but still really good.

Almost every month, I'd create a monthly playlist. This is the certain collection of songs that got me through 2015. Let it serve as a representation of what 2015 was like (and also how varied my music tastes are).

It's been a full year. One mostly full of firsts. I saw the ocean for the first time. I graduated high school. I drove a car for the first time. I lost my first pet. I lost my first grandfather. I tried rewriting a novel for the first time.

So many firsts. So many learning experiences. So much. Just... so much. That's how I'd describe 2015. (So much, such wow.)

How was your 2015?

8 comments

11 comments

2016 is just around the corner, and I can hardly believe it. Where did 2015 go?

As January approaches, I've been trying to get myself back into the swing of things, both with blogging and writing my novels. It can be easy for me to put things off (as you already know), but I'm starting off the new year with a fresh determination to stick to my goals. So without further ado, I wanted to share my writing goals for 2016.

I don't know why, but this post seems to want to use hobbit gifs. Can we just pretend I'm Bilbo Baggins for a bit? Okay, thanks.

Overall goals

Write more! (This one is kind of obvious.)

I want to get in the habit of making writing a daily routine, which involves using 750words.com as much as possible.

Edit more. Years ago, my problem was that I never finished anything. Currently, my problem is that I never revise anything. I need to fix that.

The view I'm trying to have about my first drafts.

Let myself follow my inspiration. Sometimes I get so caught up in finishing something that I make myself stay on one project, While this is good at times, I need to be able to let go and be a bit more free with regards to what I choose to work on. I'm hoping to find the balance between staying focused but also letting myself pursue plot bunnies. (Because I have to admit, I kind of thrive on plot bunnies. And adventures. I think I actually am Bilbo Baggins...)

Basically? Just write my heart out. This goal trumps all the others. I don't really care what I get done this year, as long as I'm writing... because that is what will really help me grow. (It also helps me feel fulfilled and happy, so that's all the more reason to do it.)

Specific projects I want to work on

Because I'm Irish. Every December or January, I get the itch to work on my baby, Because I'm Irish. (Okay, I know it sounds weird to say "baby" with regards to novels, but you know that novel you come back to time and time again? That's what I mean.) Whether it's working on the first draft, which I started in December 2011, or rewriting it, which I started last December, I'm almost always working on BCII during the winter. I've also worked on its sequel. The weird thing is, it takes me usually about 6 months to a year to finish working on all the various BCII things I've done. So I always finish by June or July of the following year. So, to keep on track this year, I need to start now and finish this next summer. I'm thinking of editing both BCII and its sequel, Because We Can. Once those are both finished, I can start writing the third and final book in the series (something that I'm admittedly not ready for, but I'm trying to be).

Lost Girls. This has so much potential, I just need to edit it.

Spaceboy. I started this randomly after NaNoWriMo. It involves space trips and space ships and cute people. It's going to be great.

(It's still Martin Freeman, so close enough.)

New things to try in 2016

Tentatively, I would like to try out having beta readers, or at least let more people read my work than I ever have before.

Working towards querying. Obviously, this was the goal all along, but I really want to make a point on polishing my writing so that I can get a move on.

Short stories. (Maybe?) Of course, every time I try to write a short story, it turns into a novel, so...

I want to write something where a girl spends the entire time pining over a guy and then absolutely nothing happens. Yes. It will suck. But it's quite realistic. (And perhaps a bit evil...)

These are by no means all of my writing goals, but these are some of them. I felt that writing them down might help me stay focused. Plus, it's always fun to share with you all. (And my third reason? I wanted to use all the Bilbo Baggins gifs.)

(What I will need while completing these goals.)

And now I want to hear from you! What are your writing goals for 2016?

8 comments

2 comments

NaNoWriMo 2015 is now over, and somehow I managed to make it to the finish line. In celebration of this, I'm here to participate in Beautiful Books, my blog link-up with Cait.

I'll be discussing Leo Andromedus Saves the World, the novel that took everything out of me.

1. On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best), how did the book turn out?

I'm going to say a 4. While I love my characters, this book needs some serious help. I did finish both NaNo and the novel, but it took a lot out of me to write it. I kind of rushed the ending and messed up some things. (*evil laughter*)

It needs heavy editing for sure, and writing it was nearly impossible. I got behind several times, and I didn't like my novel very much at all.

Writing Leo A was a last minute plan, as you know, and I do think I rushed writing it. I didn't know enough about it in order to write it with confidence. So, I learned a few things. This NaNo, I realized that while I do like to fly by the seat of my pants, I do need to have basic plot points that I'm writing towards (like I did last year with Lost Girls). I do have to plot out at least a little bit--at least during NaNo. If I don't have at least a little plotted, then I waste time trying to figure out what happens next when I should be writing. So, that was a nice little lesson learned.

Writing Leo Andromedus Saves the World was really super-duper hard. However, now that I'm done with it, I appreciate this book so much, and I am ultimately glad I wrote it.

...Did anything defy your expectations?

Haha, yeah. Like... all of it. A murder plot happened, several deaths occurred, and my characters' vibrant personalities were a total surprise. They totally switched around many of my plans, which, surprisingly is fine by me. It was all a really wild, difficult adventure.

2. Comparative title time: what published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men.)

This is absolutely Inkheart meets X-Men. Just kidding, I wish. (Cait and I still want someone to write Inkheart meets X-Men. Just saying.)

I would have to say this is like Once Upon a Time meets The Raven Boys meets NCIS. (I don't even know what I write anymore, guys.)

3. Do you enjoy working with deadlines and pressure (aka NaNoWriMo)? Or do you prefer to write-as-you’re-inspired?

Normally, NaNo gives me the much-needed boost to finish off my novels and to just write. However, this year, it was the direct opposite: writing was like pulling teeth. As soon as NaNo ended, I started a story (titled Spaceboy) where there was no pressure to make it good or to finish in a month. Writing this story is going so much better. Who knew?

4. How do you go about editing? Give us an insight into your editing process.

How do I go about editing?

I... just... don't.

I've rewritten Because I'm Irish, so I think that counts. That was literally rewriting, though, and there wasn't as much actual editing involved. I'm hoping to work on that next year... but we'll talk about that during question #10.

5. What aspect of your story needs the most work?

The plot, as well as those teensy little details that end up being inconsistent. Leo and Emilie, one of the many friendships in the novel, ended up having like 5 different stories of how they met. So... yeah. Editing the plot, writing, and inconsistencies. AKA, fixing everything.

6. What aspect of your story did you love the most?

Okay, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I loved the friendships. The interpersonal dynamics were so perfect. I loved the titular character, Leo, so much. He's so full of life. I also really enjoyed Allan's ability to read minds, which led to some really creepy-awesome scenes.

7. Give us a brief run down on your main characters and how you think they turned out. Do you think they'll need changes in edits?

Maybe. I think the bare bones for my characters are in tact, but they can always be fleshed out more.

Leo turned out so much better than I had planned, actually. He's British, with a quick wit and a penchant for slightly off-kilter ideas. His best friend, Allan, started out super moody, but by the end was one of the best companions my characters could ask for. Emilie was my unexpected narrator, who viewed things rationally and logically (and mostly skeptically). She had a connection with each character, which was so fun to write. The only one I think needs more development is Raven. She seemed kind of flat and dry since I was busy giving the other characters screen time. I'd also like to develop my secondary characters, Brooke and Declan, a lot more in future drafts.

8. What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever?

WE'LL SEE HOW EDITS GO. IT COULD BE LEO A SPENDS SOME TIME IN A DARK HOLE. AKA, THE PIT.

Basically, though I love this novel, it burned me out so badly that it needs to take a time out for a little while. I know it has potential, but it needs to sit for a bit before we get there. So we shall see.

9. Share a favourite snippet!

This involved going into my document for the first time since NaNo, which was a terrifying prospect.

“You’ve been gifted with this thing called Magic. Again, congratulations. It’s quite an honor. Most people live their life in a vanilla sort of complacency, never knowing there’s wonder lurking around every corner.”

That's my darling Leo Andromedus speaking, and this quote kind of sums up what the entire novel is about: magic, with a touch of witty sarcasm and British wit.

10. What are your writing goals and plans for 2016?

I'm currently working on a random new project called Spaceboy, which stars Stanley Tucci and Chris Pratt, among others. I really love where it's going.

In 2016, I would like to make writing a routine that I work on every single day (or close to it!). I'd also like to revise at least one draft, so that I can work towards my goal of publication.

How did NaNo go for you? Did you enter Beautiful Books? Let me know below!

(P.S. New blog design. I felt like it was time for a change. Let me know what you think!)

No comments

The busyness of NaNoWriMo is finally over. In the aftermath, Cait and I have the third and final round of Beautiful Books! This time, we're discussing the editing process. How did your NaNo novel turn out? How do you edit an average novel? Tell us all!

How does it work? We've assembled 10 questions for you to answer about your novel (and yourself). Open a blog post, answer them, and come back to add your link to the linky. Please feel free to check out the other linkers, too! We want this to be one big party.

OH! One last thing. While Beautiful Books is somewhat themed around NaNoWriMo, you absolutely don't have to be doing NaNo to participate. Pick a work-in-progress, grab a hot beverage, and enjoy. Above all, these link-ups are supposed to be fun!

(Have further questions? Check out the FAQish thingy in this post.)

So that people can find the link-up, please link back to Cait and I, either via a text link or this fancy blog button.

And now for the questions!

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best), how did the book turn out? Did anything defy your expectations?
Comparative title time: what published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men.)
Do you enjoy working with deadlines and pressure (aka NaNoWriMo)? Or do you prefer to write-as-you’re-inspired?
How do you go about editing? Give us an insight into your editing process.
What aspect of your story needs the most work?
What aspect of your story did you love the most?
Give us a brief run down on your main characters and how you think they turned out. Do you think they'll need changes in edits?
What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever?
Share a favourite snippet!
What are your writing goals and plans for 2016?

How's your writing going? What are you indulging in now that NaNo is over? (I've been indulging in watching a ton of Jessica Jones.) Sound off in the comments!

No comments

1. Pinterest

2. Netflix

3. Tumblr (or your social media of choice)

4. Excuses

5. The elusive "tomorrow."

About me

Follow Me

Labels

recent posts

Blog Archive