Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Goals 2019
Reading
- 25 books overall
- 2 from Wheel of Time series
- 10 nonfiction
Powerlifting/Lifting
- compete in 2 meets
- deadlift 315+
- squat 230+
- bench 135+
- push press 100+
- snatch/clean 85+
Other Fitness
- run half marathon
- try other activities/classes
Writing/Editing
- rewrite/edit 3 novels
- finish 3 first drafts
- only start 2 new novels
- write 6 short stories
- submit to agents/publishers on 2 novels
- submit 2 short stories a month
- enter writers of future contest
- blog and post on youtube 3 times a month
Other Goals
- use some PTO
- do courses to maintain tech certification
- go out once a month
- perform as a drag king
Friday, August 25, 2017
Online Presence Priorities
We all know that we have to prioritize in order to get things done. While some say they don't have time, others of us see it as knowing what things they find more of a priority than others. This also goes for what time we spend online and to which sites we give the most attention to over the weeks.
Clearly, blogging hasn't had my priority thus far this year. Was not my initial intention but it is something I can't deny the fact either. I'm still making fiction and fitness my priority, after work, of course but where I spend online is limited and that's okay.
Question time:
Which website(s) do you use the most?
For me, it has been mostly bodybuilding.com and some with myfitnesspal or sparkpeople. I post in the forums on bodybuilding.com including having my own journal where I put up my lifting sessions and some every day babble. I often read other posts and do comment on occasion as I've made online friends on the site, and the other ones too.
Then there is Youtube. Had a slight setback with the laptop struggles. I have a power cord issue as in, I don't have a working one right now. Have to use someone else's until get my own again. Makes it hard since editing takes time and power. I have videos, just need to put the priority in getting them polished and posted.
Diet is a struggled priority as well, but that's a different topic. ;-)
We all have priorities and that goes for our online presence as well as the every day life elements. It is up to us to decide what needs to come first. Now get to it!
Clearly, blogging hasn't had my priority thus far this year. Was not my initial intention but it is something I can't deny the fact either. I'm still making fiction and fitness my priority, after work, of course but where I spend online is limited and that's okay.
Question time:
Which website(s) do you use the most?
For me, it has been mostly bodybuilding.com and some with myfitnesspal or sparkpeople. I post in the forums on bodybuilding.com including having my own journal where I put up my lifting sessions and some every day babble. I often read other posts and do comment on occasion as I've made online friends on the site, and the other ones too.
Then there is Youtube. Had a slight setback with the laptop struggles. I have a power cord issue as in, I don't have a working one right now. Have to use someone else's until get my own again. Makes it hard since editing takes time and power. I have videos, just need to put the priority in getting them polished and posted.
Diet is a struggled priority as well, but that's a different topic. ;-)
We all have priorities and that goes for our online presence as well as the every day life elements. It is up to us to decide what needs to come first. Now get to it!
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
List 13 Challenge
I am getting ready for a 13 week self challenge and have decided within that amount of time I want to accomplish at least 13 things. I am also a fan of lists so having the 13 things and setting goals sounded like a good idea. Plus, I have a novel that is called list 13 that I would like to get a first draft one this year, thus picking the number 13 along with a few other reasons.
My goals vary with a couple relating to work, some being super easy tasks and others are more challenging and might need some revision over the time period. And I don't have all 13 figured out just yet.
The thirteen week challenge is also a good number of weeks for the particular time of year. I say this because starting from March 1st means the end date is May 31. Start of a month as the beginning and an end of a month as the finish line. And can consider it as a pre-summer challenge due to the timing as well.
First on the list is the 13 week cut. I took a break from the lower calorie eating since I'd been trying to lose weight for a couple of years and had stalled. It was good to take a break and maintain for a while. Now, I'm ready to eat in a deficit again to try and get to that "healthy" weight range for my height. I'm 132-136 depending on the day, so the goal of 124 is reasonable. I will admit that I still will be happy even if it's 127 but for now, the ideal is to get under 125 as that's the top for my very short height. During that, for weight lifting, I am going to do another peak cycle. The loss of everything on my computer when it decided to play the phoenix means I don't have the excel with the previous program. I have to try something new and I'm looking forward to that. If things go well even with eating in a deficit, I should hit some new personal bests on bench, squat and deadlift.
For work, I am studying to get certified and that requires passing an exam. There is a program through work that involves going to classes but that is once a week and there are only 5. The bulk of the studying is at home. Not sure how long I have after the classes end to take the test but I'm guessing it will be some time in the next 13 weeks. Very important goal.
Here is the list of goals I have so far, aka my "list 13" with some that may be amended or changed depending on how the weeks go.
1. 13 week cut (end goal weight 124)
2. 10 week weight training peak cycle
3. Study for PTCE
4. Read 1-2 books
5. Write first draft for List 13
6. Get hair cut much shorter
7. Create new intro for youtube channel
8. Find location to run outside safely
9. Make 3 items pinned on pinterest
10. Sew one item
What goals are you working on? Do you have a list?
My goals vary with a couple relating to work, some being super easy tasks and others are more challenging and might need some revision over the time period. And I don't have all 13 figured out just yet.
The thirteen week challenge is also a good number of weeks for the particular time of year. I say this because starting from March 1st means the end date is May 31. Start of a month as the beginning and an end of a month as the finish line. And can consider it as a pre-summer challenge due to the timing as well.
First on the list is the 13 week cut. I took a break from the lower calorie eating since I'd been trying to lose weight for a couple of years and had stalled. It was good to take a break and maintain for a while. Now, I'm ready to eat in a deficit again to try and get to that "healthy" weight range for my height. I'm 132-136 depending on the day, so the goal of 124 is reasonable. I will admit that I still will be happy even if it's 127 but for now, the ideal is to get under 125 as that's the top for my very short height. During that, for weight lifting, I am going to do another peak cycle. The loss of everything on my computer when it decided to play the phoenix means I don't have the excel with the previous program. I have to try something new and I'm looking forward to that. If things go well even with eating in a deficit, I should hit some new personal bests on bench, squat and deadlift.
For work, I am studying to get certified and that requires passing an exam. There is a program through work that involves going to classes but that is once a week and there are only 5. The bulk of the studying is at home. Not sure how long I have after the classes end to take the test but I'm guessing it will be some time in the next 13 weeks. Very important goal.
Here is the list of goals I have so far, aka my "list 13" with some that may be amended or changed depending on how the weeks go.
1. 13 week cut (end goal weight 124)
2. 10 week weight training peak cycle
3. Study for PTCE
4. Read 1-2 books
5. Write first draft for List 13
6. Get hair cut much shorter
7. Create new intro for youtube channel
8. Find location to run outside safely
9. Make 3 items pinned on pinterest
10. Sew one item
What goals are you working on? Do you have a list?
Monday, February 27, 2017
The Food Challenge Plan
While I'm still new to youtube and the main focus of my channel is similar to this blog (fiction and fitness) at times I want to also focus on food. I have fun with eating different foods and enjoy a good splurge every now and then.
First, I will admit that I don't really consider any meals or days to be "cheats". Or foods for that matter. However, might end up using the term at times since it might not be my method but I know other people do use them and search for them, so the goal is in part to get traffic and be able to communicate with people who read the blogs or watch the videos.
While it seems a bit un-fitness or fiction related, I do have an idea in order to combine everything together and still keep the channel/blog/platform focused. Take it as my spin on the food challenge, if you will.
The Plan:
Every food challenge I will also do something writing related to post here on the blog.
Option one is to write a story using elements of the particular challenge. That means I will write a flash fiction piece or scene that include something from what I was eating. For example, the 3x3 king size Reese's challenge is for getting 9 followers. The writing plan is a flash fiction story that uses PB, sticks, fastbreak and something from the king size cups with the pieces on the inside and not as the actual food in the story. I'm thinking of a character whose name/ranking is PB9 but haven't quite decided yet.
Option two is for some of the number based challenges, more like the 10k calorie challenge, where the goal would be to write that many words in the same day or a separate day. I would probably put the item in my portfolio on writing.com and post a link in the blog post for those that are interested, though have to decide on the access limitations since the whole "free online equates to published" aspect.
That is the plan and hoping it helps get me more active in posting on here too. Plus want to have fun videos for youtube though will also have some on writing topics as well. Hopefully I can even get over 20 followers on the channel some day. To see the videos, don't forget to check out and subscribe: my youtube channel.
Upcoming challenges and their stories are:
3x3 king size Reese's
Dozen Dunkin Donuts
Burger King Dollar Menu
Then a break for my 13 week cut, which hopefully will go well and I can do some fun food challenges over summer. Plus, more writing. In fact, I should do that. And study, I definitely need to study.
First, I will admit that I don't really consider any meals or days to be "cheats". Or foods for that matter. However, might end up using the term at times since it might not be my method but I know other people do use them and search for them, so the goal is in part to get traffic and be able to communicate with people who read the blogs or watch the videos.
While it seems a bit un-fitness or fiction related, I do have an idea in order to combine everything together and still keep the channel/blog/platform focused. Take it as my spin on the food challenge, if you will.
The Plan:
Every food challenge I will also do something writing related to post here on the blog.
Option one is to write a story using elements of the particular challenge. That means I will write a flash fiction piece or scene that include something from what I was eating. For example, the 3x3 king size Reese's challenge is for getting 9 followers. The writing plan is a flash fiction story that uses PB, sticks, fastbreak and something from the king size cups with the pieces on the inside and not as the actual food in the story. I'm thinking of a character whose name/ranking is PB9 but haven't quite decided yet.
Option two is for some of the number based challenges, more like the 10k calorie challenge, where the goal would be to write that many words in the same day or a separate day. I would probably put the item in my portfolio on writing.com and post a link in the blog post for those that are interested, though have to decide on the access limitations since the whole "free online equates to published" aspect.
That is the plan and hoping it helps get me more active in posting on here too. Plus want to have fun videos for youtube though will also have some on writing topics as well. Hopefully I can even get over 20 followers on the channel some day. To see the videos, don't forget to check out and subscribe: my youtube channel.
Upcoming challenges and their stories are:
3x3 king size Reese's
Dozen Dunkin Donuts
Burger King Dollar Menu
Then a break for my 13 week cut, which hopefully will go well and I can do some fun food challenges over summer. Plus, more writing. In fact, I should do that. And study, I definitely need to study.
Monday, October 31, 2016
NaNoWriMo 2016
Another year and another novel. Or well, similar world of a previous attempt but still different novel. I am revisiting the world from the epic year of 2012. Then I managed to get 160,000 words in the month on a novel that ended up just under 180,000 for the first draft. The novel will be split into two when I finally get to the rewrite as it's too long without much worldbuilding or description. In order to develop some of the plot for the series and the world, I've decided this year to do a novel following a different character.
The series that I've written thus far focuses on Aeon. He is a young mage student who struggles in his studies because of a past attack that affected his memory. There are many things he doesn't remember or know, including his own full identity.
Yes, it's a little done before with the secret prince/princess but that's where the story went. And what brings in the new novel is that he has someone who protects him. That person went through intensive training and has to be fully dedicated to the point of putting his own life on the line if necessary.
That character is Xan and now he's getting his own novel.
While most of the time I don't care for when a novel comes out afterwards that actually goes before book 1 in the series but mine aren't published. So, we are going to find out what it takes to become Aeon's protector.
Hoping to get at least 100,000 words with the first 50k done within the first week. I will update on here for sure, along with a few other topics. End of the year, 2016 blog posting come back. Woot. Plus, it's almost midnight and I can't wait to write.
Are you writing for NaNoWriMo?
What is your novel about?
The series that I've written thus far focuses on Aeon. He is a young mage student who struggles in his studies because of a past attack that affected his memory. There are many things he doesn't remember or know, including his own full identity.
Yes, it's a little done before with the secret prince/princess but that's where the story went. And what brings in the new novel is that he has someone who protects him. That person went through intensive training and has to be fully dedicated to the point of putting his own life on the line if necessary.
That character is Xan and now he's getting his own novel.
While most of the time I don't care for when a novel comes out afterwards that actually goes before book 1 in the series but mine aren't published. So, we are going to find out what it takes to become Aeon's protector.
Hoping to get at least 100,000 words with the first 50k done within the first week. I will update on here for sure, along with a few other topics. End of the year, 2016 blog posting come back. Woot. Plus, it's almost midnight and I can't wait to write.
Are you writing for NaNoWriMo?
What is your novel about?
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Motivation and Priorities Q&A from WDC part 1
I posted an item on writing.com in order to get questions for a Q&A Youtube video with a focus in particular on writing. I'm also posting here in the blog to put those answers down in longhand form along with my video rambles. Granted, the questions were a while ago but hoping to play catch up and hey, this means I need to post more often. This first post deals more with motivation and connecting fitness with writing.
Question posted by jiminicritic: Keeping physically fit is obviously important, but at what point does it interfere with one's writing? How do you stop from overdoing it?
Answer: This will depend on the individual, like many other things in life. Honestly, it can interfere with writing in that one can't always do everything at the same time. When it comes to getting things done, some will get priority over others. At times, writing had more of a priority. I will admit that the year of focusing on weight loss and starting to lift did meant that I wrote much less. For NaNoWriMo 2015, I only got about 30,000 words. I finished the first draft recently, which is a plus considering sometimes it takes me years to finally get the draft done even if I hit the magic 50k number during NaNo. Plus, the novel was YA contemporary so the first draft wasn't going to get to any crazy numbers, unlike the fantasy one I have.
As for what point is it an interference? That I can't pinpoint. One of the good parts of being unpublished is it's not like I'm missing deadlines or anything. And to be honest, I feel in some ways the thing that interferes both my writing and fitness goals both is the thing I have to do: work. Having to make money to pay bills unfortunately takes priority over writing and lifting because those can't quite help with rent or student loans at this point in time.
Overdoing it can be a challenge for some people in any given venue. For me it's often a one thing gets big focus and others lay awaiting for a little then the tides shift. It's the same with novels. NaNoWriMo gives me a chance to focus on one single novel (or two) for a month and that is a big main focus in November, so a couple of other things go to the side. It can feel like overdoing it when doing things like writing over 100,000 in a month but then things shift again. Fitness was a big focus and I still have my cycles where it's more of a forefront and other times where it's on the side.
Though have to be careful not to go overdo it to the point of injury. Have to be cautious when doing things like training for powerlifting. I've done it mostly when trying to lose weight, which means a calorie deficit and that can sap some of the energy as food does equal energy.
Question posted by Octobersun: How do you motivate yourself to train regularly?
Answer: The main method of staying motivated to train on a regular basis was that I found something I enjoyed. If I tried to force myself to do something I'm not as fond of, like say I decided to do spinning as I didn't enjoy that when I tried it, then I'd struggle to keep going. Even with running where it's a challenge and not what I thought I'd like, it gives me the chance to create music playlists and was a good time for thinking of novels and other things. Weightlifting, I had enjoyed in the past. My first time was with bench press and a few machines back in high school when I competed in track where I was doing throwing, which involved lifting as part of the training. While I hadn't done deadlifts, it was interesting to try the other lifts and I quickly found I liked the challenge. And it gave me something to focus on besides the scale while trying to lose weight. Plus, I also have goals which helps with the focus. Getting ready for a meet or a long distance run, that helps push me to keep going even on the days when I might want to just stay home.
Question by Ruwth: How has your weightlifting experience impacted your writing?
Answer: I don't think that weightlifting has impacted my writing much except maybe it distracted me from writing. Now, when I'm not at work, a few hours a week are spent in the gym instead of at the computer. Health wise, it's probably for the better though. However, it does help at time with ideas and doing physical activities can help when writing more action type elements in a story. Granted I can't do magic or anything but I know how some things feel and can expand from there when I'm writing what a character is going through in certain scenes. I also have a romance story that is between a long distance runner and a body builder, which is inspired a little by the anti-cardio weightlifters and the runners who don't do weight training. So, it has both helped and hindered my writing a little but for the most part is a separate entity in my life.
Youtube link: https://youtu.be/zHONFtGbDP4
Question posted by jiminicritic: Keeping physically fit is obviously important, but at what point does it interfere with one's writing? How do you stop from overdoing it?
Answer: This will depend on the individual, like many other things in life. Honestly, it can interfere with writing in that one can't always do everything at the same time. When it comes to getting things done, some will get priority over others. At times, writing had more of a priority. I will admit that the year of focusing on weight loss and starting to lift did meant that I wrote much less. For NaNoWriMo 2015, I only got about 30,000 words. I finished the first draft recently, which is a plus considering sometimes it takes me years to finally get the draft done even if I hit the magic 50k number during NaNo. Plus, the novel was YA contemporary so the first draft wasn't going to get to any crazy numbers, unlike the fantasy one I have.
As for what point is it an interference? That I can't pinpoint. One of the good parts of being unpublished is it's not like I'm missing deadlines or anything. And to be honest, I feel in some ways the thing that interferes both my writing and fitness goals both is the thing I have to do: work. Having to make money to pay bills unfortunately takes priority over writing and lifting because those can't quite help with rent or student loans at this point in time.
Overdoing it can be a challenge for some people in any given venue. For me it's often a one thing gets big focus and others lay awaiting for a little then the tides shift. It's the same with novels. NaNoWriMo gives me a chance to focus on one single novel (or two) for a month and that is a big main focus in November, so a couple of other things go to the side. It can feel like overdoing it when doing things like writing over 100,000 in a month but then things shift again. Fitness was a big focus and I still have my cycles where it's more of a forefront and other times where it's on the side.
Though have to be careful not to go overdo it to the point of injury. Have to be cautious when doing things like training for powerlifting. I've done it mostly when trying to lose weight, which means a calorie deficit and that can sap some of the energy as food does equal energy.
Question posted by Octobersun: How do you motivate yourself to train regularly?
Answer: The main method of staying motivated to train on a regular basis was that I found something I enjoyed. If I tried to force myself to do something I'm not as fond of, like say I decided to do spinning as I didn't enjoy that when I tried it, then I'd struggle to keep going. Even with running where it's a challenge and not what I thought I'd like, it gives me the chance to create music playlists and was a good time for thinking of novels and other things. Weightlifting, I had enjoyed in the past. My first time was with bench press and a few machines back in high school when I competed in track where I was doing throwing, which involved lifting as part of the training. While I hadn't done deadlifts, it was interesting to try the other lifts and I quickly found I liked the challenge. And it gave me something to focus on besides the scale while trying to lose weight. Plus, I also have goals which helps with the focus. Getting ready for a meet or a long distance run, that helps push me to keep going even on the days when I might want to just stay home.
Question by Ruwth: How has your weightlifting experience impacted your writing?
Answer: I don't think that weightlifting has impacted my writing much except maybe it distracted me from writing. Now, when I'm not at work, a few hours a week are spent in the gym instead of at the computer. Health wise, it's probably for the better though. However, it does help at time with ideas and doing physical activities can help when writing more action type elements in a story. Granted I can't do magic or anything but I know how some things feel and can expand from there when I'm writing what a character is going through in certain scenes. I also have a romance story that is between a long distance runner and a body builder, which is inspired a little by the anti-cardio weightlifters and the runners who don't do weight training. So, it has both helped and hindered my writing a little but for the most part is a separate entity in my life.
Youtube link: https://youtu.be/zHONFtGbDP4
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Pre-Summer Novel Progress
At last, an update on my current novels. I have many projects going, as usual, and figured it would be a good time to state where I'm at in most of them now as I get ready to make goals for the rest of summer.
Current Novels in Progress:
North West
This is my current first draft that has taken most of my energy and focus for the past few months. I started the novel for NaNoWriMo 2015 but only got up to 30k during the month. The first draft is now over 50,000 words and I recently finished chapter 20. In fact, it's almost time to end the whole thing. I'm at the climatic part of the story where things are bad and we don't even know if the one main character will survive. Plan to write the last bit very soon.
The good part is that means I will have another first draft done. However, compared to the other first draft work in progress, this is not one that will be ready for submission sooner. In fact, I will have to do research before editing/rewriting. Boys Read Romance will be ready quicker as it doesn't require the accuracy that North West does. Between the travels and the fact that the whole story is based around the characters going on adventure to see the Northern Lights, it means getting things accurate. Hence, that will take longer.
Boys Read Romance
I started this novel before November, which is why I didn't use it for NaNo since I wanted to follow the "rule" of starting with word one of the story. Made it to chapter 7 before getting distracted by focusing on NW. I do like the novel and hope to get back to working on it this summer. I'm liking the contemporary YA novels right now. Might write a few along with the speculative fiction ones.
Aeon Fading
On standby but my plan is for this summer to start the rewrite. First draft came in just under 180,000 words, which is a little too long. I will be rewriting it into two novels with the first one keeping the title of Aeon Fading. Second book will involve Ixia or Basil, as those are part of his name and position in the world he lives within. Should be at least 3 books in total, maybe 4. Will have to see how the rewrite goes, etc.
Tattle Tell
I have worked the query letter a few times. I need to do a synopsis asap because most of the agents I want to submit queries to require one. However, I have officially submitted the novel to an agency. So, it is now in submission and will have a few more sent out once that pesky synopsis is crafted. *throws confetti*
Those are the main ones, though I have to admit there are at least three others on the side. Lots of work to do. In fact, I should go write and work on that synopsis.
What are you writing now?
Current Novels in Progress:
North West
This is my current first draft that has taken most of my energy and focus for the past few months. I started the novel for NaNoWriMo 2015 but only got up to 30k during the month. The first draft is now over 50,000 words and I recently finished chapter 20. In fact, it's almost time to end the whole thing. I'm at the climatic part of the story where things are bad and we don't even know if the one main character will survive. Plan to write the last bit very soon.
The good part is that means I will have another first draft done. However, compared to the other first draft work in progress, this is not one that will be ready for submission sooner. In fact, I will have to do research before editing/rewriting. Boys Read Romance will be ready quicker as it doesn't require the accuracy that North West does. Between the travels and the fact that the whole story is based around the characters going on adventure to see the Northern Lights, it means getting things accurate. Hence, that will take longer.
Boys Read Romance
I started this novel before November, which is why I didn't use it for NaNo since I wanted to follow the "rule" of starting with word one of the story. Made it to chapter 7 before getting distracted by focusing on NW. I do like the novel and hope to get back to working on it this summer. I'm liking the contemporary YA novels right now. Might write a few along with the speculative fiction ones.
Aeon Fading
On standby but my plan is for this summer to start the rewrite. First draft came in just under 180,000 words, which is a little too long. I will be rewriting it into two novels with the first one keeping the title of Aeon Fading. Second book will involve Ixia or Basil, as those are part of his name and position in the world he lives within. Should be at least 3 books in total, maybe 4. Will have to see how the rewrite goes, etc.
Tattle Tell
I have worked the query letter a few times. I need to do a synopsis asap because most of the agents I want to submit queries to require one. However, I have officially submitted the novel to an agency. So, it is now in submission and will have a few more sent out once that pesky synopsis is crafted. *throws confetti*
Those are the main ones, though I have to admit there are at least three others on the side. Lots of work to do. In fact, I should go write and work on that synopsis.
What are you writing now?
Friday, May 20, 2016
Fiction Writer's Experience at KROQ Weenie Roast Music Festival
I love music but have rarely had the chance to see any live performances. I have been to a few small country fair concerts and one bigger one that was held at Cheyenne Frontier Days, but other than that, no concerts or music festivals for me until I went to LA. My sister does some music blogging and was able to get us into a music festival where it was groups that I actually listen to, for the most part, and overall it was a cool experience.
I must admit that when it comes to bands and music, I tend to recognize the song more than the people performing it. Aside from listening to the radio, I am big on creating playlists. Many of the novels I have in progress or plan to write in the near future have a playlist with at least 10 songs. I also have different playlists for running as I go more by time than distance when I'm training. So, I love making playlists and listening to music even if I don't pay as much attention to the people involved.
Still, it was a great experience seeing groups perform live and I hope to see more in the future. For fun, this post is a little review of the festival that I attended along with details on who performed and some of the songs I have in my current novel playlists.
KROQ Weenie Roast @ Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
The event was a 24 year tradition in Orange County with this being the last year they would host in that particular venue. The station = http://kroq.cbslocal.com/
The lineup and my thoughts on the performances:
Budlight Party Stage
DJ Jeremiah Red
Bear Hands
Bishop Briggs
Nothing But Thieves
The Strumbellas
Lukas Graham
We didn't catch the first few since I didn't know some of them. The first ones we went over to the smaller stage to check out was Nothing But Thieves as the radio station up in Portland has played their song Trip Switch before (94.7 fm, Alternative Portland). I had also heard of the Strumbellas from listening to that station too. Had a good view of Nothing But Thieves with the exception of some tall people as it was standing room type of situation and well, I'm short. The Strumbellas were on the other stage, so I couldn't see them very well.
I really enjoyed Nothing But Thieves, who are from the UK. They had good energy and it was easy to see how much the members of the band put themselves into their performance. If you haven't heard them before, I recommend checking them out. Trip Switch is a great song but others are enjoyable too. I don't have many of their songs attached to novels yet, but the one is going with Renegade and Quarantine for sure.
From the Strumbellas, I do like Spirits. It's a good song in general. I don't have any of their songs on playlists at this time but suspect that will change in the future.
Had no idea who Lukas Graham was but the women standing near me were very excited to see him. Very excited. Made for an interesting experience in the topic of fangirl-dom.
Main Stage
DJ Jeremiah Red
Miike Snow
Fitz and the Tantrums
Cold War Kids
Garbage
The Lumineers
Panic! at the Disco
(not on playlist) Blink-182
Empire of the Sun
Weezer
(Did not perform, hospital situation) Red Hot Chili Peppers
I actually knew all of the bands, though had to hear a song or two in order to remember a couple because I pay more attention to songs than who plays them. Most are ones that get played on the radio station I listen to but I've also heard many of them for years. And yes, I have songs from some of them on novel playlists.
People were really disappointed at the end when RHCP couldn't perform. Okay, more mad than disappointed. I didn't put down a lot of money so that might have influenced my lack of caring, plus all of the other performers did an awesome job. I still would like to see them perform, some day, live and hope things go better for the band with the hospital situation that caused the cancellation.
I enjoyed every performance. Panic! had to be one of the most dynamic performers out of the bunch though a few gave them a run for that title. Empire of the Sun was the most costume orientated and showy. Loved Garbage and despite a fall, she powered through, which shows great on her part as it can be hard to recover in the moment let alone turn it around that quickly the way she handled the situation. Also, a number of the bands have new albums and/or songs coming out this summer and performed some of them for the crowd along with the more popular ones.
Overall, a great experience and while I don't have all on playlists there are more to come in the future as I keep writing. And I may have gotten a novel title for an adult story from the new Fitz and the Tantrums song, maybe. ;-)
Novel Playlists with songs from bands that performed at Weenie Roast:
North West - Weezer (My Best Friend)
Snow - Panic! at the Disco (Ready to Go)
Under the Selfsame Sky - The Lumineers (Ho Hey)
Three Days of Rain - Garbage (I'm Only Happy When It Rains)
More to come. Have several novels that still need playlists. It's on the very long to do list for summer along with the youtube videos. Which, clips of the music festival will be up once I combine everything from my LA trip. Stay tuned for that.
What music groups have you seen live?
What is one song on your current novels playlist you enjoy the most right now?
I must admit that when it comes to bands and music, I tend to recognize the song more than the people performing it. Aside from listening to the radio, I am big on creating playlists. Many of the novels I have in progress or plan to write in the near future have a playlist with at least 10 songs. I also have different playlists for running as I go more by time than distance when I'm training. So, I love making playlists and listening to music even if I don't pay as much attention to the people involved.
Still, it was a great experience seeing groups perform live and I hope to see more in the future. For fun, this post is a little review of the festival that I attended along with details on who performed and some of the songs I have in my current novel playlists.
KROQ Weenie Roast @ Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
The event was a 24 year tradition in Orange County with this being the last year they would host in that particular venue. The station = http://kroq.cbslocal.com/
The lineup and my thoughts on the performances:
Budlight Party Stage
DJ Jeremiah Red
Bear Hands
Bishop Briggs
Nothing But Thieves
The Strumbellas
Lukas Graham
We didn't catch the first few since I didn't know some of them. The first ones we went over to the smaller stage to check out was Nothing But Thieves as the radio station up in Portland has played their song Trip Switch before (94.7 fm, Alternative Portland). I had also heard of the Strumbellas from listening to that station too. Had a good view of Nothing But Thieves with the exception of some tall people as it was standing room type of situation and well, I'm short. The Strumbellas were on the other stage, so I couldn't see them very well.
I really enjoyed Nothing But Thieves, who are from the UK. They had good energy and it was easy to see how much the members of the band put themselves into their performance. If you haven't heard them before, I recommend checking them out. Trip Switch is a great song but others are enjoyable too. I don't have many of their songs attached to novels yet, but the one is going with Renegade and Quarantine for sure.
From the Strumbellas, I do like Spirits. It's a good song in general. I don't have any of their songs on playlists at this time but suspect that will change in the future.
Had no idea who Lukas Graham was but the women standing near me were very excited to see him. Very excited. Made for an interesting experience in the topic of fangirl-dom.
Main Stage
DJ Jeremiah Red
Miike Snow
Fitz and the Tantrums
Cold War Kids
Garbage
The Lumineers
Panic! at the Disco
(not on playlist) Blink-182
Empire of the Sun
Weezer
(Did not perform, hospital situation) Red Hot Chili Peppers
I actually knew all of the bands, though had to hear a song or two in order to remember a couple because I pay more attention to songs than who plays them. Most are ones that get played on the radio station I listen to but I've also heard many of them for years. And yes, I have songs from some of them on novel playlists.
People were really disappointed at the end when RHCP couldn't perform. Okay, more mad than disappointed. I didn't put down a lot of money so that might have influenced my lack of caring, plus all of the other performers did an awesome job. I still would like to see them perform, some day, live and hope things go better for the band with the hospital situation that caused the cancellation.
I enjoyed every performance. Panic! had to be one of the most dynamic performers out of the bunch though a few gave them a run for that title. Empire of the Sun was the most costume orientated and showy. Loved Garbage and despite a fall, she powered through, which shows great on her part as it can be hard to recover in the moment let alone turn it around that quickly the way she handled the situation. Also, a number of the bands have new albums and/or songs coming out this summer and performed some of them for the crowd along with the more popular ones.
Overall, a great experience and while I don't have all on playlists there are more to come in the future as I keep writing. And I may have gotten a novel title for an adult story from the new Fitz and the Tantrums song, maybe. ;-)
Novel Playlists with songs from bands that performed at Weenie Roast:
North West - Weezer (My Best Friend)
Snow - Panic! at the Disco (Ready to Go)
Under the Selfsame Sky - The Lumineers (Ho Hey)
Three Days of Rain - Garbage (I'm Only Happy When It Rains)
More to come. Have several novels that still need playlists. It's on the very long to do list for summer along with the youtube videos. Which, clips of the music festival will be up once I combine everything from my LA trip. Stay tuned for that.
What music groups have you seen live?
What is one song on your current novels playlist you enjoy the most right now?
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Motivation from Pinterest
I have found Pinterest and its hold is strong, though I do forget about it for days or weeks at a time. However, I will say that when it comes to both writing and fitness, Pinterest does have some uses. Okay, for crafts, cleaning, cooking, art, decorating and many other areas too. In particular when looking at fitness and writing one can use the site to find motivation. I have two boards set up that I use in particular for this. I have one with words and sayings, many of which are for writing purposes, and the other one is fitness specific incorporating both motivation pins and some site links that caught my attention.
This helps in particular for people who appreciate visuals. Many of them incorporate both images and words to convey a message. Some are just text, in particular some writing ones, but most have imagery to a certain extent, even if it's just a very nice background.
Here are the links to my two boards and a couple samples of what I have pinned as part of the motivation for writing and fitness.
Writing Motivation
https://www.pinterest.com/dawnembers/sayings-and-phrases/
Fitness Motivation
https://www.pinterest.com/dawnembers/fitness-and-such/
Do you use pinterest?
What is your favorite motivating pin?
This helps in particular for people who appreciate visuals. Many of them incorporate both images and words to convey a message. Some are just text, in particular some writing ones, but most have imagery to a certain extent, even if it's just a very nice background.
Here are the links to my two boards and a couple samples of what I have pinned as part of the motivation for writing and fitness.
Writing Motivation
https://www.pinterest.com/dawnembers/sayings-and-phrases/
Fitness Motivation
https://www.pinterest.com/dawnembers/fitness-and-such/
Do you use pinterest?
What is your favorite motivating pin?
Thursday, December 10, 2015
End of NaNoWriMo 2015
The chaos has ended and we're now into December (okay, over a week now, pesky cold and work distracted me). How did writing go for you?
This year was different for me. The result was similar to last year, in that I didn't make it to 50,000 words and I was okay with that because the overall writing was still a success for me. I also did something I hadn't done before during NaNoWriMo: I took a vacation. Actually, it was my longest vacation in years and the most time I had ever taken off from work. Between travel with long hours of driving, work and gym, that made for a busy November with less priority put on writing compared to other years.
Result = Just over 33,000 words on North West.
So, almost 17k below goal, but around the halfway point in the novel based on a general estimate of how many words the story might take. Not bad for one month, really. I tend to be slower with YA when it's not fantasy and this one is just a contemporary story with a bit of a boy/boy romance. It also hits on slightly tougher subjects than my usual so I'm okay with it taking more than a month to get the first draft done.
And that's also why I like NaNo. Even if you don't make 50,000 words and "win" that is okay. I am 33,000 words further in the story than I was at the end of October.
2015 is almost over, the year goes by so quick, so I will do an overview soon of the goals I made for the year before looking into 2016. Have lots of fitness and writing goals, along with plans for blogging more. Plus, maybe a little vlog action. Some decisions are being considered. We will have to see what happens. ;-)
This year was different for me. The result was similar to last year, in that I didn't make it to 50,000 words and I was okay with that because the overall writing was still a success for me. I also did something I hadn't done before during NaNoWriMo: I took a vacation. Actually, it was my longest vacation in years and the most time I had ever taken off from work. Between travel with long hours of driving, work and gym, that made for a busy November with less priority put on writing compared to other years.
Result = Just over 33,000 words on North West.
So, almost 17k below goal, but around the halfway point in the novel based on a general estimate of how many words the story might take. Not bad for one month, really. I tend to be slower with YA when it's not fantasy and this one is just a contemporary story with a bit of a boy/boy romance. It also hits on slightly tougher subjects than my usual so I'm okay with it taking more than a month to get the first draft done.
And that's also why I like NaNo. Even if you don't make 50,000 words and "win" that is okay. I am 33,000 words further in the story than I was at the end of October.
2015 is almost over, the year goes by so quick, so I will do an overview soon of the goals I made for the year before looking into 2016. Have lots of fitness and writing goals, along with plans for blogging more. Plus, maybe a little vlog action. Some decisions are being considered. We will have to see what happens. ;-)
Monday, November 16, 2015
Travel, Snacks and NaNoWriMo
We are in the middle of National Novel Writing Month. Just over 15 days have passed, many people should be at 25,000 words or more (I'm not) and there is still a couple of weeks left to get that writing done. However, coming up in the US is the Thanksgiving holiday, which can mean some challenges for certain writers. Me, I had those challenges but at the beginning of the month instead of the end and those are: travel, food and family. So, I'm going to talk about two of them.
This year I had to do something I had never done before during NaNoWriMo and it was at the beginning of the month, when I usually push and try to get to 50k then slow down to meander the rest of the novel however many words I end up writing. I had to travel as I took a vacation to see family and attend my stepsister's wedding. This meant, I was driving (most of it by myself) for over 20 hours each way. Then there were family get togethers and other stuff, which made writing not happen very much.
If you struggle to get 50k with a whole month of writing, I don't recommend a driving vacation unless you change the writing goal to something lower because it is going to affect your word count. I had travel then 6 days of work, some of which were longer than normal hours, so right now I'm almost to 10,000 words when I should have over 25,000. However, if I push on my days off, I can get caught up in just a few days because I have enough NaNoWriMo practice that I can produce a decent result even in that short time. No word count tricks or cheats here, just whatever the first draft of the story needs.
Aside from word count woes, travel can be a challenge when focusing on losing weight. In fact, it can be a challenge for maintaining as well, since there is fast food, sodium, and less control over certain options depending on the situation. Here are a few things that can help.
1. Prepare ahead of time and find healthier snack options
Since I was driving, I didn't want to stop too often on the long days and I was alone anyways, so I found having some food from grocery stores made it easier so I only had to stop for bathroom, gas or some more water/drinks. This was easier at the start of vacation, in particular. Convenient snacks turned out to be sugar snap peas and pre-sliced apples. I also found a bag of pre-sliced apples that included some grapes. Those were great in the morning and easy to consume while driving so I could remain safe and not distracted. I did have a little candy but kept it minimal and on the first days, I only ate out once because we don't have Taco Johns in Oregon so once I made it to Wyoming, I was having Taco Johns (mmm).
2. Decide on goals for travel
If you want to keep with a calorie deficit, you can do that while travel. Just make sure you track and remember that a little increase in weight can be from a number of things so don't panic too much over the numbers. For this trip, I needed a break after being on a deficit for around a year, so it was the perfect time to rest both from gym and lower calories. I ate mostly at maintenance, tracked some but not everything, and didn't stress at all during the wedding stuff because there were more important things besides how many calories I ate those two days. However, if I ever had to do a work travel or something during this time of year, I'd probably keep the deficit and just do what I could to be flexible, which is why I like the flexible dieting (or if it fits your macros) type more than being restrictive or "clean."
3. Relax and have fun
It's vacation, don't get too focused on the little issues like a day of eating over your calorie goal or how much sodium is in fast food tacos. If you don't travel all of the time, then it's okay to have a little time on occasion that is higher calorie or relaxed in fitness. Don't forget to enjoy life and have some fun.
As for NaNoWriMo writing: What to do when you get behind? Keep writing. You can make up for a lot of lost time if you have some days where you can focus on writing most of the day. However, even if you don't have that and you can't make it to 50k, that doesn't mean you should just give up and stop writing. Keep going and work on that novel. Whatever count you get by the end of the month will still be more than you had on October 31st. And you can write more in December or whenever you put the time in to work on the novel. While the challenge of getting 50k done in a month is fun, it isn't the end all be all. What matters is just that you write if you want to finish a novel first draft.
Keep writing.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
F is for Fun
So much fun to be had in the world, whether it's through activities, sleep (dreams can be fun) or writing other worlds, we have plenty of ways to incorporate fun into our lives. Also, have fun checking out some other blogs in the A to Z challenge.
Fitness
Fitness can be fun. While there are times where you just need to get something done and you'll feel better later even if you don't quite feel in the mood for the exercise at the start. There are also plenty of times and plenty of ways to have fun while working out. Often the best workout is the one you can see yourself doing on a regular basis, and having fun helps a lot of people be more consistent.
Types - There are many different options for fitness, which helps since not everyone finds the same thing fun. Don't like running? Try dance or taking long hikes on trails. Some people really like to swim while others cycle. Some like to lift lots of heavy weights while others use bodyweight programs or follow videos (some can be found online now too). There are many different ways to be fit and so many of them are going to be fun if you let them.
Music - For me, it's fun to listen to music while I workout. If walking/jogging outside near cars or needing to pay attention for bicycles, I only put in one earbud so that I can still be well aware of my surroundings. I make different playlists so that it's not the same music each time as well. Each week on couch to 5k has a new playlist, the runs will have a playlist, and there are gym ones, walking and for fun musicals and a Disney playlist just to keep things interesting. There are a couple good songs from musicals that work perfect when lifting weights, for example. Having that and getting stuff done helps keeps things fun for me.
Fiction
Writing is fun. It can also be work and torture at times, oh the multiple drafts, editing, waiting, submission, writing all the times and such. Anyways, for the most part it's fun and we also need to remember that it's okay for our characters to have fun once in a while. Putting in a couple of fun moments for the characters gives a better contrast for all of the conflict they have to endure in order to reach the end of the book.
I like to give my characters some happy moments, a little bit of fun, even when I'm working on building up the conflict. It can be something simple, like a snow day where he almost seems to fit in for just a day or spending time with a close friend to forget the stress of the day. Something a little fun even if there is some bits of conflict and other aspects involved to keep the story moving. While things need to happen, it does help to have a little balance. And I think the harder times will have a little more impact and depth if there are also some good aspects experienced by the characters as well.
What do you do for fitness that you find fun? How do your characters have fun?
Fitness
Fitness can be fun. While there are times where you just need to get something done and you'll feel better later even if you don't quite feel in the mood for the exercise at the start. There are also plenty of times and plenty of ways to have fun while working out. Often the best workout is the one you can see yourself doing on a regular basis, and having fun helps a lot of people be more consistent.
Types - There are many different options for fitness, which helps since not everyone finds the same thing fun. Don't like running? Try dance or taking long hikes on trails. Some people really like to swim while others cycle. Some like to lift lots of heavy weights while others use bodyweight programs or follow videos (some can be found online now too). There are many different ways to be fit and so many of them are going to be fun if you let them.
Music - For me, it's fun to listen to music while I workout. If walking/jogging outside near cars or needing to pay attention for bicycles, I only put in one earbud so that I can still be well aware of my surroundings. I make different playlists so that it's not the same music each time as well. Each week on couch to 5k has a new playlist, the runs will have a playlist, and there are gym ones, walking and for fun musicals and a Disney playlist just to keep things interesting. There are a couple good songs from musicals that work perfect when lifting weights, for example. Having that and getting stuff done helps keeps things fun for me.
Fiction
Writing is fun. It can also be work and torture at times, oh the multiple drafts, editing, waiting, submission, writing all the times and such. Anyways, for the most part it's fun and we also need to remember that it's okay for our characters to have fun once in a while. Putting in a couple of fun moments for the characters gives a better contrast for all of the conflict they have to endure in order to reach the end of the book.
I like to give my characters some happy moments, a little bit of fun, even when I'm working on building up the conflict. It can be something simple, like a snow day where he almost seems to fit in for just a day or spending time with a close friend to forget the stress of the day. Something a little fun even if there is some bits of conflict and other aspects involved to keep the story moving. While things need to happen, it does help to have a little balance. And I think the harder times will have a little more impact and depth if there are also some good aspects experienced by the characters as well.
What do you do for fitness that you find fun? How do your characters have fun?
Monday, April 6, 2015
E is for Ego
Bet you didn't expect that one. Don't worry, I'll do something obvious first. Here is the link for the blog challenge, A to Z blogs so make sure to check out some other blogs trying to make their way through the alphabet. Now, to my topic...
Ego
Yep, this works both for fiction and fitness plus is kind of fun. It also starts with E, though it's not one of the hard letters to find topics for in general. Don't ask me about X yet, lol. Anyways, there is a lot of ego involved in both fiction and fitness, for the good and the bad. Let's explore a little of it here.
Fiction
Writer - In order to be a writer you both need an ego and to not let the ego get in the way. It's a balance and the amount of ego varies but is still important. It does take a little ego to think one can write a story that others will enjoy reading, at least a smidgen. Ego helps with the courage needed in order to submit something to a magazine, editor, or agent and to keep sending out an item even when it gets rejected. On the other hand, one can't let their ego get in the way. A bruised ego along with a public reaction has led a few astray over the years.
Character - The amount of ego a character has and/or displays is part of what gives them a sense of self and the reader something to either like or dislike. The main character has varying degrees of ego that are displayed because well, the story is about them after all. First person it's all "I" and such so one does think of ego a little. Plus there are many options. The character who thinks they are super awesome, or the character who wallows in their awkwardness yet gets what they want in the end. Everything in between is available too so mix things up. Ego and character are part of their development.
Fitness
Have to admit, there is definitely some ego involved in fitness. Between the focus on the self as the whole reason (among other aspects to why one does fitness), the need to get self to do things and the draw some have to taking selfie pictures during or after activities, there is definitely some ego involved.
Keep ego in check. When doing certain activities, whether starting or having done them for a long time, there are situations where one has to keep their ego in check. Don't lift a really heavy weight just to look like you can handle it. If you have to just lift the bar, or even something that is less if it's an olympic one, then lift the lighter weight. Everyone has to start somewhere. And it goes for other activities. Just starting out jogging? It's okay if you are slower than a walk, or even as slow as turtles going through peanut butter. Don't let worrying about what others might think keep you from any activity. Most aren't paying attention and if they do judge/hate on you, that's all in their head and not something to put any amount of energy into on your end. Let them hate and you keep doing awesome.
Be aware of others. Selfies are fine and can be useful for showing progress at times as one can't always just find a photographer buddy to take pictures, especially not in the moment. But make note of others around you, in certain places in particular. Try to be careful in locker rooms at the very least, since people go there to change and such, not to end up hanging out in someone's self picture. Pick a good spot and have fun, let that ego fly.
It's okay to have ego, part of the human existence, but sometimes we need to draw some lines in the sand.
How is your ego? ;-)
Ego
Yep, this works both for fiction and fitness plus is kind of fun. It also starts with E, though it's not one of the hard letters to find topics for in general. Don't ask me about X yet, lol. Anyways, there is a lot of ego involved in both fiction and fitness, for the good and the bad. Let's explore a little of it here.
Fiction
Writer - In order to be a writer you both need an ego and to not let the ego get in the way. It's a balance and the amount of ego varies but is still important. It does take a little ego to think one can write a story that others will enjoy reading, at least a smidgen. Ego helps with the courage needed in order to submit something to a magazine, editor, or agent and to keep sending out an item even when it gets rejected. On the other hand, one can't let their ego get in the way. A bruised ego along with a public reaction has led a few astray over the years.
Character - The amount of ego a character has and/or displays is part of what gives them a sense of self and the reader something to either like or dislike. The main character has varying degrees of ego that are displayed because well, the story is about them after all. First person it's all "I" and such so one does think of ego a little. Plus there are many options. The character who thinks they are super awesome, or the character who wallows in their awkwardness yet gets what they want in the end. Everything in between is available too so mix things up. Ego and character are part of their development.
Fitness
Have to admit, there is definitely some ego involved in fitness. Between the focus on the self as the whole reason (among other aspects to why one does fitness), the need to get self to do things and the draw some have to taking selfie pictures during or after activities, there is definitely some ego involved.
Keep ego in check. When doing certain activities, whether starting or having done them for a long time, there are situations where one has to keep their ego in check. Don't lift a really heavy weight just to look like you can handle it. If you have to just lift the bar, or even something that is less if it's an olympic one, then lift the lighter weight. Everyone has to start somewhere. And it goes for other activities. Just starting out jogging? It's okay if you are slower than a walk, or even as slow as turtles going through peanut butter. Don't let worrying about what others might think keep you from any activity. Most aren't paying attention and if they do judge/hate on you, that's all in their head and not something to put any amount of energy into on your end. Let them hate and you keep doing awesome.
Be aware of others. Selfies are fine and can be useful for showing progress at times as one can't always just find a photographer buddy to take pictures, especially not in the moment. But make note of others around you, in certain places in particular. Try to be careful in locker rooms at the very least, since people go there to change and such, not to end up hanging out in someone's self picture. Pick a good spot and have fun, let that ego fly.
It's okay to have ego, part of the human existence, but sometimes we need to draw some lines in the sand.
How is your ego? ;-)
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
5 Years and A to Z
Holy Metal, Batman! I have had this blog (though in different name for over half of the time) for 5 whole years. I started It's in the Book DE back on March 17th, 2010. Wow did the years go by fast.
Here was the first post, back when the only focus for the blog was my writing: http://fictionandfitness.blogspot.com/2010/03/introduction.html
That first year was quite ambitious between random posts and blogfest entries (which I used to do all the time now I never know when any are being held) I managed to post over 100 times within the year. That number diminished a fair amount over the years as things have developed and changed. Progress wise, I haven't submitted any novels yet but I have one that I am going to submit to agents this year, so think things are going pretty well. Plus, now that the fitness side is added, there are plenty of options available for future posts.
Don't worry though. I'm going to post more than 18 times this year, that I can promise because other announcement time. I'm being crazy enough that I am doing the A to Z challenge with this blog and my first blog (DawnEmbers). So, next month there will be a surplus of posts.
Check out my blogs and all the others who have signed up, or you know at least a few cause there are over 1000 blogs that will be signed up to take part, here: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2015.html
I will be doing a post each required day with both something on fiction and on fitness. Yep, I'm using both topics every single post, somehow. Letters like Q and Z will be fun. I'm up for the challenge and hope you all enjoy the posts next month.
Here was the first post, back when the only focus for the blog was my writing: http://fictionandfitness.blogspot.com/2010/03/introduction.html
That first year was quite ambitious between random posts and blogfest entries (which I used to do all the time now I never know when any are being held) I managed to post over 100 times within the year. That number diminished a fair amount over the years as things have developed and changed. Progress wise, I haven't submitted any novels yet but I have one that I am going to submit to agents this year, so think things are going pretty well. Plus, now that the fitness side is added, there are plenty of options available for future posts.
Don't worry though. I'm going to post more than 18 times this year, that I can promise because other announcement time. I'm being crazy enough that I am doing the A to Z challenge with this blog and my first blog (DawnEmbers). So, next month there will be a surplus of posts.
Check out my blogs and all the others who have signed up, or you know at least a few cause there are over 1000 blogs that will be signed up to take part, here: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2015.html
I will be doing a post each required day with both something on fiction and on fitness. Yep, I'm using both topics every single post, somehow. Letters like Q and Z will be fun. I'm up for the challenge and hope you all enjoy the posts next month.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Novel Progress
So much progress and yet so much more to go.
Since I am still a writer and the purpose of this blog from the very beginning has been the novels, I must talk about how I'm doing from time to time, though the fitness has been a slight distraction from writing. That and I'm more tired now, so I go to bed earlier instead of writing late. I'll get it worked out by NaNoWriMo though. ;-)
For the summer, my plan was to focus on 1 novel and get it done. Well, I got distracted. (Yes, I see the pattern.) I worked on submitting a few stories over the 3 months. Most have been rejected but I'm still sending things out. I try to get at least a couple stories out a month. Other than submitting, I've also written a few new short stories. Many of them were for contests over on Writing.com but we'll see what happens. One was an expansion of a free write I posted online in a forum and a reviewer already wants there to be more to the story.
I did work on the novel though. I wrote 37,000 words during Camp NaNo and a decent amount in June as well. August, however, I got barely anything done in the novel. I'm near the end where everything goes wrong, the climax of the story, just need to actually write it. I still can get it done by the end of the year but it didn't get done in summer. However, I did write a lot, so that was good.
Novel edit stalled. I won't be submitting the novel to agents in 2014, but I've come to terms with that recently. Instead, I'm going to work on that final edit, get some things fixed up and make the query letter the best I can. My goal is to submit the YA novel in 2015.
World building is also something that was added this fall. Since I've decided for NaNoWriMo 2014 to re-attempt the epic fantasy novel from 2010, I already had my usual prep challenge done. So, instead I am taking the plunge and working on world building. I have notebooks and will spend October focused on that. Working on the different societies, types of characters, magic system and much more. I've added some elements of technology as well, so the novel should be interesting. And I'm going to make myself work on description during November, so it's going to be a super long novel but that's okay. I want to work on using the senses and getting descriptions done, so over the top is fine because I know I can develop it and cut later.
Novel wise, my plan for the rest of the year is: finish LtW, world build, write 100k+ in nanowrimo, work on edits and query letter, and blog.
Are you going to do NaNoWriMo?
What are your current writing plans?
Since I am still a writer and the purpose of this blog from the very beginning has been the novels, I must talk about how I'm doing from time to time, though the fitness has been a slight distraction from writing. That and I'm more tired now, so I go to bed earlier instead of writing late. I'll get it worked out by NaNoWriMo though. ;-)
For the summer, my plan was to focus on 1 novel and get it done. Well, I got distracted. (Yes, I see the pattern.) I worked on submitting a few stories over the 3 months. Most have been rejected but I'm still sending things out. I try to get at least a couple stories out a month. Other than submitting, I've also written a few new short stories. Many of them were for contests over on Writing.com but we'll see what happens. One was an expansion of a free write I posted online in a forum and a reviewer already wants there to be more to the story.
I did work on the novel though. I wrote 37,000 words during Camp NaNo and a decent amount in June as well. August, however, I got barely anything done in the novel. I'm near the end where everything goes wrong, the climax of the story, just need to actually write it. I still can get it done by the end of the year but it didn't get done in summer. However, I did write a lot, so that was good.
Novel edit stalled. I won't be submitting the novel to agents in 2014, but I've come to terms with that recently. Instead, I'm going to work on that final edit, get some things fixed up and make the query letter the best I can. My goal is to submit the YA novel in 2015.
World building is also something that was added this fall. Since I've decided for NaNoWriMo 2014 to re-attempt the epic fantasy novel from 2010, I already had my usual prep challenge done. So, instead I am taking the plunge and working on world building. I have notebooks and will spend October focused on that. Working on the different societies, types of characters, magic system and much more. I've added some elements of technology as well, so the novel should be interesting. And I'm going to make myself work on description during November, so it's going to be a super long novel but that's okay. I want to work on using the senses and getting descriptions done, so over the top is fine because I know I can develop it and cut later.
Novel wise, my plan for the rest of the year is: finish LtW, world build, write 100k+ in nanowrimo, work on edits and query letter, and blog.
Are you going to do NaNoWriMo?
What are your current writing plans?
Friday, September 5, 2014
Goals for Fall and Beyond
My goals for now and all the way up to summer 2015.
Summer is over here. Yep, it's now September and so much has happened over the past few months, yet I forgot to blog a good part of the time. Oops. Anyways, here is a quick run down and then fall goals type of blog post for you to enjoy.
I turned 30 recently, which ended up being tame and not as stress inducing as I thought it might be. My mom came to visit, so we went to the beach on my birthday. It was a very nice day too, so we managed to get to the ocean after struggled attempts finding a place that would actually be easy to get to from the parking spot. Also saw a light house, got some nice ocean pictures, looked around little shops, got salt water taffy and ate fresh sea food by the ocean. Very nice day overall. Didn't panic or anything even though I'm not where I'd thought I'd be at 30, but I'm at a good point to make some changes and work towards my life goals.
On that end, I have many fall and winter projects to work on and need to get to busy to accomplish them.
Organize:
Apartment and belongings - My mess is mostly just unorganized stuff. So need to get it all organized and put in appropriate locations: paperwork, clothes, etc. Get rid of some, donate some and put in better spots for the rest. Would make cleaning easier too.
Pictures - Cat ones need scanned and combined onto cds. I also need to write on the backs of all the other pictures I have that are mine for when I can't remember who and such anymore.
Write:
Finish novel draft
Write a couple stories
Query letter
Edit:
TT needs the final edit done
Standing Ground needs started with the edit
Adult novels need rewrite or edits, but those will wait for other decisions
Blog:
Post in blogs
I have adsense on one so that needs content posted at least a few times a month. I need to write several posts in advance, have like a blog day or two a month, then schedule them so other days I can comment on people's blogs.
World Build:
Need to prepare for NaNoWriMo by world building Epic Fantasy.
Exercise:
Walk 2 miles once a week, starting out, and increase activity from there.
Health:
Watch calories consumed and track on myfitnesspal
Lose 10 lbs by NaNoWriMo (aka November) this is starting at 211, which was what I had on the myfitnesspal
I weigh 209 now. So, my basic goal is to get to 200 soon. My overall goal for summer 2015 is to lose 30 lbs, which would equate to weighing almost 180. It's not an ending point, but a good reach that I can visualize and from there and I can visualize the next steps. Maybe even some day a swim suit. We'll see. ;-)
November will, of course, be NaNoWriMo, so I'll write at least 100,000 words that month. But I've also got work and trying to make more money, along with crafts I want to do, painting and sewing, etc. So much to do this fall/winter.
What about you? Are you ready for Fall/Spring?
Summer is over here. Yep, it's now September and so much has happened over the past few months, yet I forgot to blog a good part of the time. Oops. Anyways, here is a quick run down and then fall goals type of blog post for you to enjoy.
I turned 30 recently, which ended up being tame and not as stress inducing as I thought it might be. My mom came to visit, so we went to the beach on my birthday. It was a very nice day too, so we managed to get to the ocean after struggled attempts finding a place that would actually be easy to get to from the parking spot. Also saw a light house, got some nice ocean pictures, looked around little shops, got salt water taffy and ate fresh sea food by the ocean. Very nice day overall. Didn't panic or anything even though I'm not where I'd thought I'd be at 30, but I'm at a good point to make some changes and work towards my life goals.
On that end, I have many fall and winter projects to work on and need to get to busy to accomplish them.
Organize:
Apartment and belongings - My mess is mostly just unorganized stuff. So need to get it all organized and put in appropriate locations: paperwork, clothes, etc. Get rid of some, donate some and put in better spots for the rest. Would make cleaning easier too.
Pictures - Cat ones need scanned and combined onto cds. I also need to write on the backs of all the other pictures I have that are mine for when I can't remember who and such anymore.
Write:
Finish novel draft
Write a couple stories
Query letter
Edit:
TT needs the final edit done
Standing Ground needs started with the edit
Adult novels need rewrite or edits, but those will wait for other decisions
Blog:
Post in blogs
I have adsense on one so that needs content posted at least a few times a month. I need to write several posts in advance, have like a blog day or two a month, then schedule them so other days I can comment on people's blogs.
World Build:
Need to prepare for NaNoWriMo by world building Epic Fantasy.
Exercise:
Walk 2 miles once a week, starting out, and increase activity from there.
Health:
Watch calories consumed and track on myfitnesspal
Lose 10 lbs by NaNoWriMo (aka November) this is starting at 211, which was what I had on the myfitnesspal
I weigh 209 now. So, my basic goal is to get to 200 soon. My overall goal for summer 2015 is to lose 30 lbs, which would equate to weighing almost 180. It's not an ending point, but a good reach that I can visualize and from there and I can visualize the next steps. Maybe even some day a swim suit. We'll see. ;-)
November will, of course, be NaNoWriMo, so I'll write at least 100,000 words that month. But I've also got work and trying to make more money, along with crafts I want to do, painting and sewing, etc. So much to do this fall/winter.
What about you? Are you ready for Fall/Spring?
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Camp NaNo
Another NaNoWriMo topic only this time, it's the summer addition. Also known as Camp NaNo, there are usually 2 challenges each summer. For 2014 there was a camp in April and July, same as last year but the year before the months were different.
I like the idea. November can be a tricky month with the holidays, family obligations, crazy work schedules and/or classes. So, having an option to write during summer is handy. And one month a year just isn't enough.
Camp NaNo also has an extra bonus, though. It doesn't require 50,000 words as the goal. People pick the number of words they want to write during the month. And it doesn't have to be a new novel, so someone could take their 50,000 words if it isn't done yet and add an extra 30,000 during Camp NaNo and that would be okay.
I haven't had much luck in the past with Camp, however. I tried back in 2012 but forgot about it each time. Or the one I did some writing in, I only got a few thousand words. This year, however, has proven different. I made a goal of 30,000 words for the month and I reached my goal a few days ago. The novel was over 30,000 words when July started, so I brought my YA novel up to over 60,000 words and I'm getting closer to finally having a finished first draft on the one I started back in like 2011. This year, it was Yay for Camp NaNo.
Though I will admit, while Camp is fun... it still can't compete with November. I can't wait for NaNoWriMo 2014 and for the first time, I already know what I'm working on. A redo of 2010 where I wrote 50k in 15 days but didn't finish the novel. I'm reattempting the Epic Fantasy with the multiple viewpoints and elves. Woot!
I like the idea. November can be a tricky month with the holidays, family obligations, crazy work schedules and/or classes. So, having an option to write during summer is handy. And one month a year just isn't enough.
Camp NaNo also has an extra bonus, though. It doesn't require 50,000 words as the goal. People pick the number of words they want to write during the month. And it doesn't have to be a new novel, so someone could take their 50,000 words if it isn't done yet and add an extra 30,000 during Camp NaNo and that would be okay.
I haven't had much luck in the past with Camp, however. I tried back in 2012 but forgot about it each time. Or the one I did some writing in, I only got a few thousand words. This year, however, has proven different. I made a goal of 30,000 words for the month and I reached my goal a few days ago. The novel was over 30,000 words when July started, so I brought my YA novel up to over 60,000 words and I'm getting closer to finally having a finished first draft on the one I started back in like 2011. This year, it was Yay for Camp NaNo.
Though I will admit, while Camp is fun... it still can't compete with November. I can't wait for NaNoWriMo 2014 and for the first time, I already know what I'm working on. A redo of 2010 where I wrote 50k in 15 days but didn't finish the novel. I'm reattempting the Epic Fantasy with the multiple viewpoints and elves. Woot!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Random Writings
Lately I've had a couple random bits of writing occur and figured it would make for an interesting blog post. I will do a fitness/health post in the near future though, so look forward to a green bean recipe or two. ;-)
But first, random writings!
What do I mean? Well, most of the time, even though I'm not an outliner, when I have a story idea I've thought it through. I watch the story and get to know the character in my head before I do much writing at all. This goes for both short stories and novels. Also is why I don't quite consider myself a true "pantser" because I don't quite discover the story as it goes along on the page most of the time.
And I guess that is what this is really about, attempting to discovery write.
With one story that I have finished in the last month, it all started with a title. I came up with a title that included Fire. From there I wrote a couple paragraphs, then the final sentence, added space between the start and finish, then went from there. Each day that I added bits, for a good portion of the writing, I didn't know where I was going even though I knew the last line.
Another story that got sent out this week has a similar conception. The story started with a prompt about "Mercury" as a name. I wasn't sure what to do at first so this time I started with the first line of the story, about the character being called Mercury. Each time I added a little more to the story (it took a couple weeks at least), I didn't know where I was headed, but now I have the story done and though it's odd, I kinda like it. I've sent it out already. Got an awesomely quick rejection from one place and that made me send it to another place. I'm all about keep trying and submitting and smiling at rejections (yay!). Oh, also since I had one vote on my "rejections" poll and a few people on facebook like my comment (mostly writers, not just family, lol), I am going to have a little place off to the right that shows the number of items I have out and the number of rejections I've received. And back to the story writing topic...
In some ways it's kind of fun to sit down each day with a goal of adding words to a story but not knowing where that will take things. Not having it planned out. Granted by the end, before I get there, I have something in my head, but it's still fun to discover so much along the way.
And in line with the random write, in a group on Sparkpeople.com we have someone who posts prompts and others will write little snippets based on the prompt in the forum. Since it's forum then it has to be short, more micro fiction style. I don't often post on those cause getting novelist to write short story is hard enough, getting me to write micro fiction is even worse (I try though). Well, today is a different story. I wrote an unplanned snippet from the prompt "In the distance..." And since it's posted on the forum there and thus "published" I figured why not share it here as well.
Untitled story by Me
In the distance existed hope.
Beyond the fence of trees, the forest overgrowth that stretched for unknown miles, lay endless possibilities. A real chance to start anew. No history dragging down in the depths of emotional seas. No pain, rejection or loss of concepts once held close to heart. Only the endless possibilities with the potential for a brighter future displayed out beyond the choking vines of the city.
Behind remained regret.
Mistakes made and promises shattered on the cold concrete simmered in the background along with broken memories of a distant childhood. Heart wrenched, shredded in cold indifference held no strength to stay in the cold place once called home. Crushed dreams and empty bedroom provided little reason to stay.
In the distance lay fear.
The unknown truth remained with no guarantee of brighter shores or better times. Hidden behind the serene tree-line existed a world unexplored with potential for both excitement and disaster. Surviving thus far didn't guarantee a future. Leaving held no promise of safety, kinship or comfort.
Behind existed a known trouble.
Comfort came in knowing despite all odds, survival continued in the cold alleys of the city. Having a past indicated ways to continue to a future, more possibilities with the risks already known. Even the empty arms of the friends that remained there had some warmth.
Standing on the brink of change, the past a beckoning hum of pain and regret at his back while the haunting danger of beautiful unknown lay ahead, he took a step forward.
But first, random writings!
What do I mean? Well, most of the time, even though I'm not an outliner, when I have a story idea I've thought it through. I watch the story and get to know the character in my head before I do much writing at all. This goes for both short stories and novels. Also is why I don't quite consider myself a true "pantser" because I don't quite discover the story as it goes along on the page most of the time.
And I guess that is what this is really about, attempting to discovery write.
With one story that I have finished in the last month, it all started with a title. I came up with a title that included Fire. From there I wrote a couple paragraphs, then the final sentence, added space between the start and finish, then went from there. Each day that I added bits, for a good portion of the writing, I didn't know where I was going even though I knew the last line.
Another story that got sent out this week has a similar conception. The story started with a prompt about "Mercury" as a name. I wasn't sure what to do at first so this time I started with the first line of the story, about the character being called Mercury. Each time I added a little more to the story (it took a couple weeks at least), I didn't know where I was headed, but now I have the story done and though it's odd, I kinda like it. I've sent it out already. Got an awesomely quick rejection from one place and that made me send it to another place. I'm all about keep trying and submitting and smiling at rejections (yay!). Oh, also since I had one vote on my "rejections" poll and a few people on facebook like my comment (mostly writers, not just family, lol), I am going to have a little place off to the right that shows the number of items I have out and the number of rejections I've received. And back to the story writing topic...
In some ways it's kind of fun to sit down each day with a goal of adding words to a story but not knowing where that will take things. Not having it planned out. Granted by the end, before I get there, I have something in my head, but it's still fun to discover so much along the way.
And in line with the random write, in a group on Sparkpeople.com we have someone who posts prompts and others will write little snippets based on the prompt in the forum. Since it's forum then it has to be short, more micro fiction style. I don't often post on those cause getting novelist to write short story is hard enough, getting me to write micro fiction is even worse (I try though). Well, today is a different story. I wrote an unplanned snippet from the prompt "In the distance..." And since it's posted on the forum there and thus "published" I figured why not share it here as well.
Untitled story by Me
In the distance existed hope.
Beyond the fence of trees, the forest overgrowth that stretched for unknown miles, lay endless possibilities. A real chance to start anew. No history dragging down in the depths of emotional seas. No pain, rejection or loss of concepts once held close to heart. Only the endless possibilities with the potential for a brighter future displayed out beyond the choking vines of the city.
Behind remained regret.
Mistakes made and promises shattered on the cold concrete simmered in the background along with broken memories of a distant childhood. Heart wrenched, shredded in cold indifference held no strength to stay in the cold place once called home. Crushed dreams and empty bedroom provided little reason to stay.
In the distance lay fear.
The unknown truth remained with no guarantee of brighter shores or better times. Hidden behind the serene tree-line existed a world unexplored with potential for both excitement and disaster. Surviving thus far didn't guarantee a future. Leaving held no promise of safety, kinship or comfort.
Behind existed a known trouble.
Comfort came in knowing despite all odds, survival continued in the cold alleys of the city. Having a past indicated ways to continue to a future, more possibilities with the risks already known. Even the empty arms of the friends that remained there had some warmth.
Standing on the brink of change, the past a beckoning hum of pain and regret at his back while the haunting danger of beautiful unknown lay ahead, he took a step forward.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Rejection Consideration
As it comes in hand with getting into that submission process, rejection is an important topic to consider. Rejection is part of life, but in particular it's a big part of the writer's life. Any time you put something out there, chance exists someone will reject it; but that's okay.
I have been on both sides. Having worked as an intern with a small publisher, I had to do the slush pile reading and thus decided which stories we took for consideration and which ones received rejection. It was a strange situation to be in at the time because I'd not sent much out over the years leading up to taking on this role. There isn't joy for many of us in sending a "this isn't for us" response but not everything can be accepted. Now I'm back on the other side and awaiting for the email rejections from items I have submitted.
Until this year, the only time I had submitted fiction wise was back in 2009, which was a 500 word alien thing that isn't quite a finished story... Yeah, reading it now I wonder why I sent it but that's okay, I thank the kind slush readers that skimmed the short short item. I sent it to 4 places and got 4 rejections before getting distracted by other things. (Yes, I'm an "oh shiny" type, so no adding glitter to comments please as they distract me.) Now that I'm submitting again, 4 submissions so far this year on 2 stories, it's time to look at rejections.
Note: I have a poll on the side over by the about me section that is going until the end of January, 2014. I am curious if keeping a tally of my rejections, submitting and acceptances would be helpful. I'm not going to post much about them at all and never going to list where I have sent. But I want to know if maybe having a counter type spot that shows how many times I've submitted fiction and queries would be interesting for a reader. Any votes are appreciated.
Types of Rejections (in my mind)
Form - This is standard. It's the often short, this is not for us, that is usually premade and just gets the story added in so that the author knows which is getting the rejection. Due to the nature of the business and the number of entries magazines, agents, publishers get, while this isn't the most helpful of rejections, it is common and necessary. The form isn't meant to say the writing is horrible or anything, but a quick way to get the message back to you that they aren't going to publish the item submitted. Simple as that. I've received a few of these, back in 2009 and so far this year too.
Nice Form - This might be a half made up by me thing because it's basically a form rejection though some might start getting into the short but personal realm. In essence, this has a little more than the "we have read (insert story here) but it doesn't meet our needs at this time, the end" type but not a lot added beyond it. To me, the nice form is the one who has the part with the insert story here but also wishes good luck in placing it elsewhere and/or asks you submit other work to them in the future. It's nice because it has that tone, that hey keep going type which sounds more than just "hey, read it but no". I did receive one of these nice ones in 2009 that looked quite formulaic but had send other sci-fi in the future (despite my not having any other sci-fi.... yeah, umm it was nice though).
Personal - This varies a bit but the general standard a friend recommended is if they mention anything about the story beyond the title, it counts as personal. Which means it can be very short, much like a form letter or it can be a full, no but there is why. A few places try to give a comment or two to every submission but those are rare because it takes so much time and effort pending the amount entries sent. One I sent to in 2009 gave feedback to every submission (they are no longer open) and the one I got basically said "make it longer". They recommended novelette length, which is a bit of a jump from 500 words but I totally see why it was suggested and appreciated the comments given. Don't let any reason pull you down if there is much to work on or a hard negative formatting. Like any, take time away and don't backlash but also consider it a success. A personal rejection is something to note, give yourself a tiny candy (or a non-food treat) or something to celebrate cause that marks reaching a point, especially for those that don't give personal to everyone. Then keep submitting (or take break and work on something else).
I could talk more on rejections but that's territory for my other blog (adds note to do a blog post on rejection there next month). Since this blog is focused on my path, let's just leave this here. I am submitting more. I have 2 stories sent out so far, one that I will be sending I hope next week and 4 more that I would like sent by February 14th due to a challenge I'm in. I'm taking the steps and that's what is great and why I like the rejections. They show me I'm on this part of the journey and not just stuck in the cycle of first drafting. Yay!
What are your thoughts on rejection?
Did you vote on the poll?
I have been on both sides. Having worked as an intern with a small publisher, I had to do the slush pile reading and thus decided which stories we took for consideration and which ones received rejection. It was a strange situation to be in at the time because I'd not sent much out over the years leading up to taking on this role. There isn't joy for many of us in sending a "this isn't for us" response but not everything can be accepted. Now I'm back on the other side and awaiting for the email rejections from items I have submitted.
Until this year, the only time I had submitted fiction wise was back in 2009, which was a 500 word alien thing that isn't quite a finished story... Yeah, reading it now I wonder why I sent it but that's okay, I thank the kind slush readers that skimmed the short short item. I sent it to 4 places and got 4 rejections before getting distracted by other things. (Yes, I'm an "oh shiny" type, so no adding glitter to comments please as they distract me.) Now that I'm submitting again, 4 submissions so far this year on 2 stories, it's time to look at rejections.
Note: I have a poll on the side over by the about me section that is going until the end of January, 2014. I am curious if keeping a tally of my rejections, submitting and acceptances would be helpful. I'm not going to post much about them at all and never going to list where I have sent. But I want to know if maybe having a counter type spot that shows how many times I've submitted fiction and queries would be interesting for a reader. Any votes are appreciated.
Types of Rejections (in my mind)
Form - This is standard. It's the often short, this is not for us, that is usually premade and just gets the story added in so that the author knows which is getting the rejection. Due to the nature of the business and the number of entries magazines, agents, publishers get, while this isn't the most helpful of rejections, it is common and necessary. The form isn't meant to say the writing is horrible or anything, but a quick way to get the message back to you that they aren't going to publish the item submitted. Simple as that. I've received a few of these, back in 2009 and so far this year too.
Nice Form - This might be a half made up by me thing because it's basically a form rejection though some might start getting into the short but personal realm. In essence, this has a little more than the "we have read (insert story here) but it doesn't meet our needs at this time, the end" type but not a lot added beyond it. To me, the nice form is the one who has the part with the insert story here but also wishes good luck in placing it elsewhere and/or asks you submit other work to them in the future. It's nice because it has that tone, that hey keep going type which sounds more than just "hey, read it but no". I did receive one of these nice ones in 2009 that looked quite formulaic but had send other sci-fi in the future (despite my not having any other sci-fi.... yeah, umm it was nice though).
Personal - This varies a bit but the general standard a friend recommended is if they mention anything about the story beyond the title, it counts as personal. Which means it can be very short, much like a form letter or it can be a full, no but there is why. A few places try to give a comment or two to every submission but those are rare because it takes so much time and effort pending the amount entries sent. One I sent to in 2009 gave feedback to every submission (they are no longer open) and the one I got basically said "make it longer". They recommended novelette length, which is a bit of a jump from 500 words but I totally see why it was suggested and appreciated the comments given. Don't let any reason pull you down if there is much to work on or a hard negative formatting. Like any, take time away and don't backlash but also consider it a success. A personal rejection is something to note, give yourself a tiny candy (or a non-food treat) or something to celebrate cause that marks reaching a point, especially for those that don't give personal to everyone. Then keep submitting (or take break and work on something else).
I could talk more on rejections but that's territory for my other blog (adds note to do a blog post on rejection there next month). Since this blog is focused on my path, let's just leave this here. I am submitting more. I have 2 stories sent out so far, one that I will be sending I hope next week and 4 more that I would like sent by February 14th due to a challenge I'm in. I'm taking the steps and that's what is great and why I like the rejections. They show me I'm on this part of the journey and not just stuck in the cycle of first drafting. Yay!
What are your thoughts on rejection?
Did you vote on the poll?
Thursday, January 9, 2014
The Submission Mission
I'm on a mission to submit stories for publication. Yep, after writing for years (I've been on writing.com since 2005 if that tells anything), I am making a big push to submit stories out into the world to publications. Yay!
Background: I have submitted very little in the past. 1 sci-fi flash fiction story to 4 places, one creative nonfiction because had to send it, and one set of poems. All rejected, which didn't bother me actually, and one rejection of the sci-fi was personal (as they gave comments to everyone).
Last time I submitted a story up to Jan 1, 2014, was back in 2009...
Yeah, the time has come. So, I did something fun. I made a poster! (Yay for discounts at a place that prints photos, hehe.)
With help of free vector images, gimp and inkscape to make circles, I created this. It has 100 circles and I have to mark a circle for a story submitted.
So far, I have one marked. Yay! Already got a rejection and submitted elsewhere but still, I am starting and it's great. I can't wait to get more rejections... and maybe some day acceptances too. There are more to come in the near future.
Do you submit your work?
I'm using The Grinder to keep track of where I submit. What about you?
And also... lookie, the veggie thing is live! ----->
Background: I have submitted very little in the past. 1 sci-fi flash fiction story to 4 places, one creative nonfiction because had to send it, and one set of poems. All rejected, which didn't bother me actually, and one rejection of the sci-fi was personal (as they gave comments to everyone).
Last time I submitted a story up to Jan 1, 2014, was back in 2009...
Yeah, the time has come. So, I did something fun. I made a poster! (Yay for discounts at a place that prints photos, hehe.)
With help of free vector images, gimp and inkscape to make circles, I created this. It has 100 circles and I have to mark a circle for a story submitted.
So far, I have one marked. Yay! Already got a rejection and submitted elsewhere but still, I am starting and it's great. I can't wait to get more rejections... and maybe some day acceptances too. There are more to come in the near future.
Do you submit your work?
I'm using The Grinder to keep track of where I submit. What about you?
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