Sometimes, I wish I controlled my characters.

I'm participating in NaNoWriMo once again. I love the community of writers that get together and how supportive it is.
However...

I'm behind. 

Like... REALLY behind. 

Like 26,625 words behind.

I do have a good reason. Well, a decent reason. Okay, it's just a reason. 

Every day I sit down to write. I take a deep breath, put my fingers on the keys and begin typing. As I write, I notice that all my character does at the moment is whine. Seriously, all she does is cry and whine and complain about how hard her life is. 

I try and put her in situations where she has to interact with people-- she goes in a corner and sulks.

I introduce her to a new character-- she just imagines their life is better than hers and she sulks.

I leave her at home to wallow-- and she sulks

I've even tried writing from different parts of the story-- as still she sulks. 

she sulks like this....

It has gotten to the point that I am not enjoying this character. I was never raised to be a girl who whines about her life, I don't like characters like that. I like female characters who can hold their own and stand up to bullies. I like female characters that can take as good as they can give. That can be damsels but also heroines. 

It's not that I'm blocked, I know what I want to happen. I know how I want to get there and roughly the steps to take. But my character is just not cooperating at all.

I mentioned this dilemma to a few of my friends at work and both responded with "You know you control the story right...?"

You would think that is the case. Logic tells you that a writer controls the characters, not the other way around. 

In my situation, you'd be wrong.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I want to win this year, but I don't think I can do it with this story, and the idea that I can write a whole NaNo in a week is, frankly, out of the question. 

Sweeping Declaration.

Wow... I really suck at this whole blogging thing don't I?

*blows dust off poor neglected blog*

(this is a pointless gif of Zachary Levi hugging a pillow. Just because.)

Hmmm.... so what's new with me? Well I got a promotion at my job a few months back. Which has been exciting and stressful (but not in a bad way). It's been really great. The Husband and I have been staying in our nice cool house as much as humanly possible (due to the temperature being in the 100s here), and I've been forcing the books that I love onto my younger cousins and bringing about a new generation who is addicted to Marissa Meyer, Meg Cabot and John Green. I also recently beat Kingdom Hearts for the first time in my life, which for me is an awesome accomplishment. Now I'm working my way through Kingdom Hearts II.

In other nerdy news, The Husband and I bought 6 lightsabers... So each of us could have one of each color (Red for Vader, Green for Luke, Blue for Anakin). Fighting is so much more fun with lightsabers, and the seriousness of whatever we're fighting about wears off quickly when you're battling with lightsabers.

Now onto the reason for this post (other than making it seem like I'm much better at this than I really am), I miss writing. It's been far too long since I wrote anything. It makes me incredibly sad to think about all the time I spent on NaNoWriMo and how I haven't done anything since. Sure, my job has been eating up a lot of my time and energy, but I have to stop making excuses. So the other day I made a sweeping declaration on Facebook. I've decided to write a short story once a month for the rest of year. Weather the story is only 500 words or 5,000 I just want to get back in the habit of writing. The more I write, the better I'll get. I just have to force myself to do it.

So keep an eye on this blog, I'm hoping to post some of my short stories here. Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Currently : Nerd Alert Edition.

You're all tired of my apologies, right? Me too.
So lets just skip that and get on with this episode of Currently.

Book:

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
If there is ever a book that was made for me, its this one. A compilation of stories of all geek varieties. It's so very entertaining.

Music:
See below.

Movie:

Pitch Perfect
I can't even begin to explain my love for this movie. I've watched it 5 times since last Friday. It could be the catchy a cappella mash-ups of some really great songs. It could be the hilarity that ensues when Rebel Wilson is in a movie (Fat Amy is my favorite). Though, it's probably the adorableness that is Skylar Astin's character Jesse.

The soundtrack is amazing, I highly recommend it.
You can read my full review on my TV blog.

TV Show:

Big Bang Theory
I started rewatching this amazing series just because I can. I forgot how much I love the first few seasons. Silly pre-Amy Sheldon. I'm also realizing I miss Amy already.

Video Game:

Lego: Lord of the Rings
The Lego games are incredibly entertaining. Usually the best part about them is the fact the characters don't speak, they just grunt and "ooh" and "ahh". It's really funny that way. But in this game, they actually used the actors voices from the movies. While that saddens me, personally, a little bit, it didn't make the game any less enjoyable.


Wallpaper:


Wishlist:
The new season of Doctor Who. I need it in my life now. After the Christmas episode, I need to know how they're going to do all this. It's hurting my brain just to think about.

Excitement:
A bunch of my shows are coming back.

Do It Anyway.

I was reading over one of my drabbles a little while ago, and ran across this paragraph I had written.

For the most part, I blame my lack of ambition on fear. Fear of failing, fear of succeeding and not know what the hell I'm doing, fear of things that are new. I'm very comfortable in my little box. I look out on the other members of my graduating class who are married or have high end jobs. It just seems kind of stressful. Stress is something I avoid whenever possible. I'm content with my life, my friends and my itty bitty living space. Why would I need more?

If I were ever to be asked to write a paragraph describing me, this would pretty much be it. It's no secret that I'm a bit of a scaredy cat. I often create excuses not to do something and convince myself that I shouldn't even try. My self confidence in a few things is pretty solid, but on those things where I actually have to put it out there where people might not actually like it, I'd rather just leave it on my desktop to collect dust.

NaNoWriMo has been one of those things where I have to constantly tell myself that I can do this. Maybe it's just that I'm still finding my footing and my voice in writing, maybe it's just that I'm editing too much as I write. But I really think that I might be onto something this year.

Last year, I finished because I wanted to prove to myself that I could. It was the first year that I had ever finished. And now this year, I found a story that I'm actually pretty passionate about (the plot will remain a secret to the blog, for now). As I write it, I have to keep reminding myself that this is just a first draft, I can make all the mistakes, cliches and plot missteps I want, because they'll all get polished in editing. The whole point this year, is for me to get from point A to point B while making things make a fair amount of sense in between. Then when I'm done, I'm just going to have to dive in, and see what I can make out of this brain child.

Then, when it reaches that point where I'm just too terrified to finish, I'll look back on this entry, and this post, and say to myself "Do It Anyway."

Did you ever want to write a novel? A lot of people want to write a book.

In addition to my last post, I realized I was forgetting one key thing that helps me during NaNoWriMo.

An awesome wallpaper.
Last year, I made a wallpaper, it was a pretty big hit with most people. Not only that, but I was really proud of it. It was simple but nice and got the point across.



Now, for this year, I'm trying to find another quote to use. I really love the John Green quote because during NaNo, it's something I have beat in my brain. But I'm wondering if any of my lovely readers have other favorite quotes pertaining to writing.

Is there a saying that you live by while you write?
Or one that has just kind of stuck with you?

Let me know, I may use it in a wallpaper (or two). The only thing is that it has to be a fairly short quote. So leave a comment and let me know what your favorite quotes about writing are.

It Starts... again.

It's that time again.

With November quickly approaching, I'm starting to brainstorm as to what I want to try writing about this year. Last year I was surprised to actually finish, surprised but proud of myself. Looking at it from a distance, it's easy to say "It's ONLY 50,000 words." or "I have a full 30 days to write it." But what I learned last year is that it takes some incredible focus to actually be able to finish.
Also, a lot of chocolate and chai tea.

Here is what I discovered helped me a lot, after finishing my NaNo last year.

1: Write Every. Single. Day.
Even if I only wrote 100 words, I made sure to write something. More than anything, it kept the story fresh in my mind, and helped me maintain focus on the story.

2: Find Good Music to Write to.
For me, I would listen to upbeat, and silly music on my way to wherever I was writing at the time (I highly suggest ALL CAPS for this part). Then when it came to the actual writing, it was movie and TV scores all the way. For me, it was the Stardust, Warehouse 13 and P.S. I Love You Soundtracks.

3: Surround Yourself With People Who Are Doing the Same Thing.
I wrote more during my write-ins with my region, than I ever did by myself. It wasn't just that we had a few writing sprints, but just being surrounded by all those people who just gathered to write and do nothing (or mostly nothing) else. It was a supportive community, and really helps.

4: Good Food.
One of the worst things about going down to write-ins is that you can't really bring food with you. I mean, you can, but they frown upon it. So it forces you either to live (almost literally during NaNo) on cafe food, or bring small snacks that can be concealed and eaten quickly. I became a big fan of dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. Also, chai. I drank so much chai during last November, I'm pretty sure it was my main sustainer.

5: Have a Theme for the Month.
Last year, since it was the first year I was putting forth a real solid effort to finish NaNo, I made myself a wallpaper with a quote from John Green on it. This quote, pushed me through NaNo like nothing else.

So this NaNo season, the thing I recommend the most is to surround yourself with people who are also trying to do NaNo. If for no other reason than when you get to those bang your head against the desk repeatedly moments (and there will be many), you'll have someone who understands and someone who may even be able to help you out of a plot corner that you've painted yourself into.

And for those participating and in Salt Lake County, check out our NaNo Forum for updates on the kick-off party and soon, a list of where and when write-ins should be. Also, be sure to add me as a writing buddy!

Long Time, No Blog

*blows dust off blog*
*puts flower in vase to spruce things up*

Sooo, hey guys!
I just realized it's been over two months since I last posted here.

Oops.


I blame the fact of trying to find a new job.
And buying and moving into my new house.


Also, I've been incredibly uninspired lately. Not for lack of trying. I've been forcing myself to stare at my screen (sans internet) for a few hours a weekend hoping something will come out. But nothing. Still, at least I'm trying.

Even my tv blog has fallen a bit. I don't know if its a lack of focus or writers block... or maybe a mixture of both. 

Today, Helen and I went to Beans and Brews to write. Only to result in me creating a new header and the internet dying a million+ times in our two hour stay there.

*le sigh*

(an accurate representation of me vs. my writing)

Achievement Unlocked! [A Short Story]

This story has been rattling around in my head for a while. I finally got it all written down (major thanks to Helen for proofing it for me). I got this idea as I watched Felicia Day's new webseries "The Flog". I thought, what would happen if someone measured their life in experience points?

Achievement Unlocked

Race: Human
Gender: Female
Level: 23
Job: Tavern Wench (Barista)
Skill Set: +6 Sarcasm, +5 Intelligence, +3 Charisma, -2 Timeliness.

Life is so much easier to judge in experience points.
Get a new job: +4 maturity.
Break up with boyfriend: -4 relationship, +6 depression.
Spend $60 on a statue of your favorite character from a sci-fi show: +8 nerdiness, -12 social acceptance.

People think I’m crazy for ranking my life as if I live in a video game. But it helps me keep track of where I am in my life. There are skills I know I need to level up and ones that I know are almost to their cap.

Keeping a running tally of how my life is currently rating makes me realize what exactly I need to be doing next in my life.

For example, I’m currently lacking a bit of experience in the social aspect of my skill set.
Which would explain why I’m volunteering at the art festival.
And by volunteering, I mean standing in the middle of the library amphitheater and handing out maps of what is going on where.

Did I mention that I made let an art student paint a Sailor Moon tiara on my forehead? People look at me like I’m crazy, but it gives me a bit of joy every time someone asks what it is and I explain that they need to watch this amazing show.

I’ve only been out here for two hours, and I already feel like I’ve gained at least four points in my social interaction skill set. I also feel this overwhelming urge to walk inside the library, jump on a computer and troll tumblr like the nerd I am. But I committed to a five hour shift at the festival and I will complete it (+3 integrity).

“Do you know where I can find the Comic Book Workshop?” I spin on a heel and face the voice.
A boy. Some would classify him based on first glance as a plain human with limited skills and not worth teaming up with to grind (levels, of course).
I, however, immediately notice the Choose Your Weapon t-shirt with various Dungeons and Dragons dice and recognize him as a kindred spirit.

“Great shirt!” I say before I can contain myself. The Plain Human smiles. Ding! Level gained in flirting. I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. Luckily, it’s warm outside, so hopefully he’ll think it’s just the sun. “Yeah, it’s in the literary arts section.”

The boy stares at me blankly. I blink back at him. Only then realizing that he is staring at my forehead.
My blush deepens.

“Sailor Jupiter was always my favorite. Though, I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.” He mentions before looking down at the maps in my hand. “Can I have one of those?”

No words. A boy that knows Sailor Moon? This doesn’t happen.
Ever.
I hand him a map and just stare.
“Thanks.” He smiles and turns, making his way over to the Literary Arts section of the festival.

“Sailor Jupiter is my favorite too. You watch Sailor Moon? Your smile is adorable.” I mutter a dozen possible things I could have said as he walks away. I mentally kick myself for my lack of brain-to-mouth connectedness. I take a deep breath and face the library again. Admitting my defeat to the boss known as, Nerd Boy Adorable-ness. This boss seems to be one that I just can’t take down. “-8 Self Confidence.” I say to my reflection in the mirrored windows of the library.

“My name is Zach, by the way.” The cute boy returns, the map crumpled in his hand. I spin around so quickly, my glasses nearly slip off my face.
“Holy frak! I didn’t even see you!” Again, my mouth and brain stop communicating.
“The correct response is ‘Hi, Zach, you’re adorable. My name is…’” he holds out his hand to me. I raise an eyebrow at it and slip my palm into his. His thumb is calloused on the edges, a sure sign of a video game geek.
“Aggie. Though I never said you were adorable.”
“You said my smile was adorable.”
“Not the same thing.”

Our hands were still held in a cordial handshake. I stare down at my hand and laugh. “Can I have my hand back please?”
“Depends, want to grab a cup of coffee?”
Coffee + cute nerd boy = excellent idea.
“I guess.” I say, trying to hide my giddiness behind nonchalance. “But I still have three hours to go of volunteer work.”

He released my hand.
“Then I shall see you in a few hours. You know where to find me.” He winks and hands me back the map I gave him. On it is a circle. A circle on the very spot I was standing earlier. An arrow points to it with words written around it saying, “Find her again.”

Date with Cute Nerdy Boy. Achievement Unlocked!

How I Write

I know that everyone writes a little bit differently. I decided to explain how I get in the mindset to write. I wrote about my writing habits a little over a year ago, and feel like they've changed a bit. Though some things have remained the same.


You're Wearing That?!?
The thing about what I wear when I write is that it has to be comfortable. I'm less likely to write well, if I'm dressed up in my work clothes or wearing painful shoes. It's a matter of trying to fine the most comfortable thing that's clean and making it work. One thing that is a constant, is the bracelet I got from Helen for my birthday last year. It reminds me that I have friends who are supporting me and wanting me to succeed.



Om Nom Nom
If I'm at Beans and Brews, it a chai. Really, anywhere I write I get a chai, but Beans and Brews is the best. As I'm trying to cut down my soda intake, I've also become addicted to Snapple drinks and I've been forcing myself to drink more water.

I can't write on an empty stomach. Even if I'm just munching on banana chips or something, I need something in my stomach.


Where Are You?
(I very nearly titled this part "Where You At?" but it made me flinch when I read it.)
I usually write better when I'm not at home. Though I have gotten better at remaining focused while I am at home, I prefer to write somewhere else. During NaNoWriMo, I realized how much I love writing at the library. Specifically the one downtown. First it was just convenient (I worked just around the corner), then I liked seeing all the different people that came in and out of the library. Lastly, this library is the perfect place to write because it's not eerily quiet, but no incredibly loud either.

If not the library, then Beans and Brews. I've talked a lot about Beans and Brews, I just really love writing there.


Hey Mr. DJ...
I've never ever been so grateful for a music program. Spotify has been my saving grace for writing. I can search for movie scores and add them all to a writing playlist and just play it while I write. Recently this playlist has consisted of:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Score
Warehouse 13 Season 2 Score
Under The Tuscan Sun Score
P.S. I Love You Score
The Avengers Score
and
Stardust Score

It's all just so pretty.



What are some of your writing habits?

Camp NaNoWriMo

Here's the thing.
I write pretty slowly. I was lucky to finish NaNoWriMo last year.

Then today, I got an e-mail from the NaNoWriMo team, about Camp NaNoWriMo. For June and/or August. The idea isn't completely repulsing me, it also doesn't make me think that it would be too much to handle. It's more curiosity.

As exhausted as I was after Novembers NaNo, I still find myself a bit curious as to whether or not I could do it in a month again. With a new job, new hours, and virtually no TV, could I make it again through another 50,000 word novel?

So as of right now, I'm going to do it. If I fail, then I fail. It wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last. If anyone is planning on doing it too, let me know. Find me on the Camp NaNoWriMo site.

Monthly Writing Group

Recently I've become addicted to a podcast called "Making It with Riki Lindhome". While this podcast is mostly about how actors and other people have made it in the entertainment industry, I find it fascinating to find out how people get their start. We always hear how certain actors go to LA/New York, meet their agent and become big movie stars. That usually (re. almost always) takes a few years to happen. This podcast is all about those forgotten years between arrival in the city and arrival in entertainment.

Recently, Riki interviewed nerd queen extraordinaire, Felicia Day. If you don't know who this person is, you need to discover her immediately. As I listened to the podcast, Felicia talked about how when she was having a really hard time in her life and career, the thing that helped keep her on track was a monthly meeting with a handful of her friends. They made goals to each other, kept each other on track and understood when things didn't quite pan out.

As she was talking about this, all I could think of was NaNoWriMo. As bad as my NaNoWriMo is, the community I discovered during the crazy month was one of the best parts. We had word wars, talked about characters, helped each other out of writer's block, it was an amazing group of people.

This gave me an idea. I know that there is a group in the Salt Lake Valley called "Writers of the West" (that meet every Thursday at The Coffee Club on Redwood and 4800 S), but meeting every week can be a bit tiresome, and I feel like giving everyone a month to get their goals done is a good idea.

So here's what it comes down to.
If you'd like to join me (and most likely Helen), for a monthly writers group (I keep wanting to say support group... which it kind of is... I guess), leave me a comment here or e-mail me and let me know what days of the week are the best for you. I'll try and accommodate everyone I can. Chances are, we'll meet the last week of the month on whatever day works for everyone.

I really think this could be awesome, so if you're interested just let me know!

Amor Deliria Nervosa

Hey, look. I'm not dead! Just unemployed.

This weekend I've had a kind of emotional reboot. Yesterday, my best friend Helen kidnapped me from my imprisonment. Being unemployed and without a vehicle has seriously put a damper on my mood, and I was in much need of a day out.

Though the term "day out" may be a little misleading. She picked me up and we went to Beans and Brews for about 5 hours to write. Both of us at a booth just writing, researching, talking about characters. Since NaNoWriMo, I hadn't been to a coffee shop to write. I had forgotten how much  loved writing in coffee shops. Especially Beans and Brews (they have the best chai tea I've ever had). It was a great reboot for my system.

Today I decided to continue the emotional reboot by doing nothing today but reading. I had been slowly working through reading Lauren Oliver's Delirium for the past few weeks, and had decided I was just going to sit down and finish it. My soul sisters Angel and Helen have sung praises about it and I wanted to give it a try.

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love — the deliria — blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Confession time: I generally don't like dystopian novels. I usually stay in my (relatively) happy contemporary YA fiction world because I have a really hard time getting into the dystopian theme and usually end up giving up half way through. They just don't appeal to me as much as other books do. That being said, I'm really glad I gave this one a chance.

I liked that the disease that everyone is afraid of being infected by is (basically) love. They break it down in a very clinical manner that makes the disease, "amor deliria nervosa," seem equally dangerous and thrilling.

Once Alex was introduced, his story with Lena was pretty predictable... that is, up until the ending. The ending, was pure brilliance. It surprised me to the point that I just stared at the last page for a good few minutes before closing the book.

Delirium is the first book in the trilogy, and I'm looking forward to see what the rest of this story has to offer.

Next up....
The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

I wish I could say more...

Wow, that whole idea about blogging more often is NOT happening. *facepalm*

I've been unemployed for almost two weeks. When I got laid off I thought "Hey, maybe this will give me more time to write". Although, I have been keeping up pretty well on my TV blog, I keep thinking that I need to post here. I come into a new post page and just stare at the blinking cursor. Then after about 15 minutes of just staring, I turn on an episode of Psych/Charmed/TBBT or something else.

Why is it that when I was employed I had all these ideas and a treasure trove of characters, and now that I have the time to write... Nothing. Zilch. Nada.

It's been one month...

(I almost started singing "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies, then I realized that it was titled "One Week" not "One Month")

Almost exactly one month ago I finished my NaNoWriMo titled "Out of Tune".
It's been one month since closed it.
One month since I even looked at it.

With January 2012 quickly approaching, I'm realizing that it might be time for me to read my NaNo. Knowing full well that it will probably (read: most likely) be the worst piece of fiction that I've ever read. Mostly because, I ended it terribly. I knew that when I wrote it.

I'm sure every writer goes through this. Every writer has the moment when they've finished their first draft and think "Crap... now I have to read this." It's a bit like that moment in Tangled where Rapunzel finally escapes then has a major mood swing about leaving.

You know, this scene:

You go from that amazing feeling of finishing your book to that terrible nervous feeling of figuring out that you're kind of a terrible writer. While I realize that most writer's first drafts are crap (as most writers say, "A novel isn't a novel until the revision process."), this being my first novel I've ever finished (hell, this is my first novel I've ever spent this much time on), it's an incredibly scary task to take on.

It's also a task that can only be put off for so long before I need to bite the bullet and just go for it. After all, Walt Disney once said:

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

Curse you Walt Disney for having good advice that I can't deny! *shakes fist*
Time for me to quit talking about revising, and just start.

 

"Zoinks!"

This post doesn't have an interesting title. But it is interesting.

After finishing NaNo, the only thing on my mind was laying bed and watching copious amounts of television (as if this was different from every other day). For the first few days of December that's exactly what I did.

Then, a few days ago, Helen sent me her manuscript to critique. Last time she did this, I failed epically. I think mostly because I was so nervous that I wasn't going to be a good crit partner.

Since Helen is one of my best friends, I was determined to put her book at a higher priority than I had last time (sorry, Helen). This is definitely an interesting experience for me. Mostly because, as of right now (this being the first time I've read through it), with every chapter my only thoughts are:

• OMG! This is amazing.
• I can't believe Helen wrote a book... and it makes sense!
• 
• Can I just steal this main boy away from from her MC and keep him forever?
• I can't be friends with Helen anymore. It's just not fair.
•  

While those are not particularly critical (at all), they are a nessecary step for me in this critique partner process. Chances are, I'll finish it tonight, then take a few days to process, then re-read for a better and slightly more critical look.

I'll also probably still be watching copious amounts of television (I mean, did you SEE that Psych finale? I'm still freaking out about it, I think a Psych rewatch is in order), but mostly, I'm going to attempting to be a better crit partner. After all, what are best friends for if not to be brutally honest with each other.

(Starkid gifs are always appropriate)

NaNoWriMo: Week One

(I am far too lazy to edit this and make sure it makes sense. Forgive me.)

In this first week of NaNoWriMo, I've actually discovered a lot of things about my book, and about how I write.

One: I can't write at home.
Don't get me wrong, I love my house. But when I'm home, I just want to watch tv, or play a video game, or something. I don't want to write. I can, I just don't like to. Lately, I've take to walking over to the library after work, and writing for a few hours before heading home. This seems to be helping a lot. As do the write-ins that my region has scheduled fairly frequently. Which brings me to the next thing I've learned.

Two: Write-ins + Anna = SUCCESS!!!
I had decided to try and get more involved with the NaNoWriMo community this year, in hopes that it'd help me stay on track a bit more. We have some pretty amazing Municipal Liaisons, who have scheduled a lot of Write-Ins. I had never been to one, so I was a little weary, thinking that they might not be the best for my word count. After going to one, I'm hooked. The first one I went too was pretty relaxed. Even the ML's said that it was one of the most productive and low key Write-Ins they had ever been too. Though part of the reason for that might have been because we were not only at library, but a church library. *shrug*

Three: Traditions
There are a few things that I have to do or have when I write.

I. I have to listen to the NaNoWriMo song before I write. It reminds me of what I'm doing.

 II. I have to wear my clover bracelet that my best friend gave me for two reasons, one because my best friend gave it to me and it reminds me that I have support in doing my NaNo. Two, because as of a few weeks ago, I added a new charm to the bracelet that is a snowflake. This snowflake is on this bracelet because of all the things that Helen and I bonded over, Meg Cabot was the first thing that brought us together. In one of the Princess Diaries books, Michael gives Mia a snowflake necklace. This snowflake also reminds me of an author that I aspire to be.
III. I have to document my progress on as many social networking sites as possible. Mostly it's Facebook and Twitter.

Four: When in doubt, use Write Or Die
Write or Die is a web application where you can set a goal of how many words you want to get written in a time limit. My standard is 500 words in 10-15 minutes. The thing with Write or Die is that I set it to
Consequences: Kamikaze
Grace Period: Strict
What this does is when I stop writing it sets a time. If I stop writing for more than a few seconds, it starts killing off my word count and then I have to make it up with less time. It sounds a little evil, and it sort of is, but when you're down by 2,000 and can't think of what else to write, you'd be amazed at how the words flow when you know they're going to commit suicide if you stop.

Now that I've found things that I know help me. I'm feeling pretty good about this year's NaNo...even if as of this moment, I'm like 3200 words behind.

Allowing Yourself to Suck

Q. How do you deal with writers’ block?
A. I just give myself permission to suck. I delete about 90% of my first drafts (the only exception to this rule so far has been Will Grayson, Will Grayson) so it doesn’t really matter much if on a particular day I write beautiful and brilliant prose that will stick in the minds of my readers forever, because there’s a 90% chance I’m just gonna delete whatever I write anyway. I find this hugely liberating.

I also like to remind myself of something my dad said to me once in re. writers’ block: “Coal miners don’t get coal miners’ block.”
-John Green

Oh John Green, Thank you for giving me a motto to live by through all of November and the craziness that is NaNoWriMo. This piece of advice struck me, since I firmly believe that my writing is the suckiest of all suck. It's the Suck Queen of the Suck Empire. But I've never thought about giving myself permission to be a sucky writer.

In the months since discovering the Vlogbrothers, John Green has intrigued me particularly. I've never found an author that communicates with their readers so much. While communicating with his brother through YouTube videos, he also lets his fans know him as a person. I know a lot more about him than I do about some of my all time favorite authors, and it's because of this relationship that he creates with his readers that these books are so amazing. Well that, and John Green is clearly a genius. Or insane.

John Green. Author. Nerdfighter. Youtuber. Person insane enough to sign all first edition copies of his new book The Fault in Our Stars (that you can buy here). Thank you for reminding me that it's okay to allow myself to suck.

(Another thing that is going to get me through NaNoWriMo? This song.)

That all being said, with NaNoWriMo just around the corner, I'm using this piece of advice as my personal motto for the month of November. I may not finish NaNoWriMo, but I'm definitely going to try, and going to give myself permission to suck at it. Which won't be too difficult.

If you want follow my progress, feel free to add me as a writing buddy here.

10 Day You Challenge: Day One` One picture of yourself

I've seen this on a couple blogs around, so I figured, why not? I'm normally pretty bad at memes like these when they're like 30 days. But 10 days I can handle.

DAY ONE: ONE PICTURE OF YOURSELF

This is a one hand self portrait of me as my friends and I were getting ready to go see Little Mermaid on Broadway down in St. George UT. (Excellent show!)

I'm super stoked guys! Finally, after months and months of a dry spell, I finally have a new idea for a story. Not only that, but when the characters came to me, the female main character came to me first. Which normally means that she's going to be the main voice. HECK YES!

I'm keeping the main idea to myself for now. If only so I have time to work out what I'm doing with it. Plus, normally when I tell people what I'm writing about, then the idea and characters decide to boycott. I can't have that right now.

Anyway, I'm super excited to get started. But before I do, there are a few things I have to get done.

1: Create Biographies for at least the MAIN character.
I'm one of those people who have to write down a whole bunch of biographical facts about my main characters before I get started. Blame it on the Role Playing. It's nice to have a little reference sheet to refer back to when my character does something and I wonder why, I can look back at that sheet and be like "Oh! THAT'S why." Of course the more I get to know my characters, the longer those biographies get.

2: Make a playlist
A lot of writers I know can write with almost any kind of music. I'm very specific. It has to be scores to movies or tv shows. Not only that, but they have to be scores to movies that I don't know by heart. I can't listen the the scores from Star Wars, Stargate, Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings, mostly because when I hear they, I start watching the movie in my head, which distracts me from writing. So, the scores I've been normally sticking with are ones from Stardust, and P.S. I Love You. Though I'm going to be adding some John Schmidt, and video game music to this next playlist.

3: Set aside time to write
I really wish I didn't have to schedule the time, but really, I think everyone does. Now that I don't have Fridays off, it's a little bit harder for me to schedule specific time to write. Not impossible by any means, but just takes a little juggling.

4: Clean my house
This may seem like something that doesn't need to be done to write, but if my house needs major cleaning (kind of like it does right now) I get too annoyed because I should be cleaning, that writing takes a back seat.

5: Create a Reward System
Yes, similar to how you reward a dog for good behavior. I'm setting up a reward system for milestones.  
6,250 words: lunch at my favorite restaurant, Zupas!
12,500 words: movie in Full price theater.
18,750 words: buy X-Men: First Class on Blu-Ray.
25,000 words: Nerdy photo-shoot with my husband.
 Okay, so my rewards are a little silly. I'm just easily pleased. (:

Really, Step 4 is what is going to take the longest. It is also, the one that may hinder my writing more than I would like. It has to be done. So feel free to bug me this weekend either by posting comments here or tweeting me (@luckiestclover) and asking me if I've started writing yet. Trust me, sometimes I need a kick in the pants.

(this gif is pretty much pointless, I just love it a lot)

NaNo Sized Problems

For the past few years, I've continued to try and participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Though I have yet to actually reach the goal of 50,000 words, last year I reached 20,000 and I'm still pretty proud of it.

But every year, that I don't finish I get a little discouraged. Deep down I know that, writing a book in 30 days, is a very impressive feat. And not being able to do it, doesn't mean I'm any less of a writer, it just means that I can't write that fast and make it at least a little bit quality.

Recently Trevor (an aspiring novelist that you should go follow) wrote about how writers depression is worse than writers block. I couldn't agree more. All writers experience writers block, it may not be a one that last for months or even weeks, it may only last a few hours, but every writer has had some form of writers block at some point. Writer's Depression, however, is worse, its when you're stuck in a rut, that seems like there will never be a way out.

I've been stuck at that point for about a year. I've been pretty good at keeping up with my TV blog, posting at least weekly, but when it comes to actually writing the stuff that I like to read, my ideas seem to have jumped on board the Destiny and are now traveling the universe with Eli Wallace. And unfortunately, I don't have any communication stones to talk to it and convince them to come back to me. (Sorry if this reference goes over your heads, I've been in a Stargate mood lately...)

All that being said, I'm going to challenge myself, but tweak the rules a little bit.

This year, my goal is half the amount of NaNo. My goal is going to be to write 25,000 word story in 30 days. It's about 850 words a day. Which seems a bit more achievable than the 1,700 words a day required for a 50,000 word story in 30 days. Especially since I'm bound to miss at least one day.

The one part that I'm really going to challenge myself with, is that I'm determined to write from a girls perspective. I know what you're thinking, "Anna, you ARE a girl, that should be easy!". WRONG! Writing from a female perspective is very difficult for me. In one of my first blog posts I kind of go into the reasons why, but what it comes down to, writing from the male perspective, just comes more naturally.

Another thing I need to do, is read more. Working 10 hours a day and then coming home only to eat then go to bed was exhausting. Now that I work 8 hours a day, things will (hopefully) be a bit more manageable. Add all that to the fact that I now have a half hour commute via train that I can read on, this will mean great books for me to be inspired by. First up: The rest of John Green's books followed by a marathon read of Meg Cabot books. w00tw00t!

Another thing that I think would help tremendously, is watching the Vlogbrothers videos where John talks about his writing and how he accomplished what he has.
Like this one:




I realize that NaNoWriMo is a little ways away, but, I'm preparing myself now in hopes that I won't be stunted in the ideas department.

Who else is participating in NaNoWriMo?

I blame May Sweeps....

It's been a while.

Not much has been up in my life. With the small exception that I'm pretty sure all my tv shows that are ending for the season are going to kill me.

I blame my lack of updates on May Sweeps.

For those who don't know, I watch a lot of TV. When I say a lot, I mean... A LOT! Blame the fact that my husband works nights, or that some TV shows are just too addictive, one way or another, this is the time that all of the shows pull out their big guns. Some shows are very upfront with how they're going to end their season, the show Chuck for example, entitled their season finale "Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger". Hmmm... I wonder how that's going to end. Whereas others are a little more vague in their titles like Bones' "The Change in the Game".

This got me thinking about how people come up with titles for things. Books, TV shows, Movies (that aren't already based on something), and so on. Most TV shows for instance have a theme with their episode titles. Shonda Rhimes' shows have the titles of songs, Friends episodes always start with "The One With/Where...", The Big Bang Theory episodes sound super scientific like "The Lizard-Spock Expansion", I could go on. I think that would be a really fun job. Just coming up with names for episodes of TV shows.

Authors and those who come up with Movie titles have it a little bit harder. The title has to be somewhat descriptive, but it also has to draw people into to read or see it. Take the (amazing!) book by Meg Cabot entitled "Every Boy's Got One". That's right, IMMEDIATELY your mind goes there. No matter how hard you try and fight it, it goes there. But turn it over and the first words are "Every Boy's Got One... A Heart". To me, that was enough for me to pick up the book and read it in just a few hours (the fact that I love Meg Cabot has nothing to do with that). As for movies, have you ever sat through a movie then thought "Why did they call it THAT?" It doesn't happen very often, but when it does I'm one of those people who have a hard time looking past the title to the movie.

I hate to say it, but I'm actually fairly judgmental of titles and covers for books. If the title doesn't grab me, or the cover art is rubbish, I have a hard time convincing myself to pick it up. I'm also one of those people who get frustrated really easily if I can't pronounce a name or something in a book. When I first tried reading Harry Potter in 6th grade, I remember getting so mad that I couldn't figure out how to pronounce Hermione's name that I didn't pick it up again until after the movie came out. At which point I've became obsessed, but that one name and frustration was enough to put me off the series originally.

Just one of the oddities that make up the dazzling person typing this while on break at work.