And the Game Begins

It's the end of October. Pumpkins and skeletons and goblins and witches are everywhere, it's just a few days until Halloween, and the week many dub "NaNo Countdown Week" has begun.

I'm no stranger to NaNoWriMo. I've participated every year since 2008, and this year is no exception. My current plan is to write the second part of my current WiP, since I know it's going to be one of the most difficult sections of the story. Since NaNoWriMo is all about pushing yourself to write something, whether it's good or utter tripe, I'm using it as the push I need.

Every year since 2010, when asked for advice about NaNoWriMo, I've offered up the same anecdote. At the end of October in 2010, I was sick. Nothing life-threatening or even all that remarkable...until NaNoWriMo hit. I got so caught up in the competitive spirit that I pushed myself to write as fast as humanly possible. I hit the 50K goal in four days, and kept going. I slept the minimum hours I could get away with, snacked instead of getting up to eat, and hardly left my desk.

Remember, I was also sick at the time. That cold developed into full-blown walking pneumonia through my horrid lack of self-care, and a week into the month I landed my ass in the hospital with a temperature of 107.3.

Which, if you didn't know, is right about the temperature where you start losing brain cells.

So yeah. That sucked, it was dangerous, and if my mom hadn't taken my temperature and rushed me to the hospital when she did, it could have been a lot worse.

That story being told, my advice regarding NaNoWriMo is as follows (lifted from my Twitter):

As we get closer to #NaNoWriMo, this is my advice: pace yourself. It's not a contest. Don't beat yourself up if you write slow. 

I wrote 50k in 4 days one year while sick. It put me in the hospital. Remember to sleep and eat and exercise. #NaNoWriMo 

Writing is good. Writing can even be fun. But don't hurt yourself just to say you were the first of your friends to reach 50k. #NaNoWriMo 

Likewise, don't try to shame those who write slow or see #NaNoWriMo as casual fun. It's not life or death. Don't make it such. 

Also remember that what you write during #NaNoWriMo won't be perfect. It probably won't even be good. That's okay. It's not supposed to be. 

The important thing is that you're writing. Even if you don't finish, you got something done. Even if you only wrote a sentence. #NaNoWriMo 

Be good to yourself. Feel free to treat yourself. Enjoy the ride. #NaNoWriMo  

This has been a series of inspiration and advice #NaNoWriMo tweets. Back to your regularly scheduled shenannigans.

Remember, folks, it's not a contest. Have fun, and be safe.

'Til next time,

J.

Review: THE WATCHERS: KNIGHT OF LIGHT, by Deirdra Eden

Been a little while, hasn't it? I haven't been up to much. Catching up on TV shows on Netflix, taking care of the man and the apartment, just the normal stuff. We got a new puppy, but between that adorable chaos I read a new book: Knight of Light, book one in The Watchers series, by Deirdra Eden.

I received an ARC for review, and since it's release day I would like to wish Deirdra Eden a very happy book birthday by saying Knight of Light was a fun, entertaining read. I feel fortunate to have been offered a place in the blog tour.

The story focuses on a girl called Auriella, who holds great power that she doesn't quite understand. Through the course of the book she befriends many people of many kinds, and experiences things the rest of us could only dream about. The story is fast-paced but fun, with characters both enchanting and terrifying. It has all the charm of a lighthearted adventure, and all the suspense of a harrowing adventure.

I look forward to the rest of the series, as I was sad to see the characters go. The worldbuilding is intriguing and unique, and Deirdra Eden has crafted a story enjoyable by anyone who enjoys fantasy, magic, adventure, and action--especially middle grade and young adult readers. My only wish is that the book had been just a little bit longer. So much happens and there are so many ideas introduced that I can't help but wish for more. I'll definitely be interested in following this series.

If you're a fan of a good adventure and characters who are tough, determined, and witty, be sure to give Knight of Light a read. 

Until next time,J.

Always Crashing in the Same Laptop

So I've been taking a bit of a hiatus, if you hadn't noticed. About halfway through last month I started feeling extremely worn down, and so I took a couple of weeks to myself. During those couple of weeks, I sat down and did a lot of editing on my WiP. I managed to get seven chapters spit-shined and polished. I had plans to finish the next eight and send the document to my crit group, as well as my husband and parents, who haven't read much of my work but would like to.

But then my laptop crashed.

I didn't lose much, when I take a step back and look at it. The main file with my WiP got corrupted, but that was the only thing. I lost no other documents, no pictures, no programs. I had a backup of everything up to when I started those seven chapters of edits, so there's nothing I have to rewrite.

But damned if it didn't suck to lose all of those perfect shiny edits.

For the rest of my little hiatus, I barely touched my document. I was--and still kind of am--pissed at losing something that took a lot of effort and that I was proud of. I got a bit burned out at the thought of doing it all over again, especially since I don't exactly remember all the little tweaks I made.

This week, though, I'm picking it back up. I had a sulk, made some notes, and it's back to edits. My plan is to edit the entirety of Part One, send it to my crit pals, and then start writing Part Two while working on the outline for Part Three. Because of how lengthy this project really is, and because I took that hiatus, I'm giving myself until my birthday in February to get this thing finished and spit-shined.

No penalty if I don't have it finished by then, of course, but it's something to shoot for.

'Til next time,
J.