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Meri's Corner

~ A Writer's Thoughts and Reviews

Meri's Corner

Tag Archives: balancing

Oh Hai

11 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amblogging, amediting, amreading, amwriting, balancing, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, online presence, original fiction, original work, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, what do, WIP, writing

I didn’t disappear for a freezing cold month, you did!

No seriously, I hope everyone in the path of that polar vortex stayed warm and inside. The weather has gotten to me the last few weeks and coupled with some super stress at work I haven’t been doing too much besides my 9-5 job. Things at work are slowly calming down, just too many things hit the fan at the same time and it left me feeling like I was sinking a little. So  I’m super grateful that that’s coming to an end.

It also means writing hasn’t gone very far this last month, and neither has reading. Most of my reading in January has been in audiobook form, which still counts but even those have been a little slower. I’m hoping to work through all this and get back into writing. I have a couple stories that are close to completion I want to finish, and one story I need to finish editing so I can release it end of this month, early next month. I have goals! I swear!

I’m also going to a Science Fiction Convention this weekend. Currently taking a gander at the programming schedule so I can get an idea of what I want to go to, where I’ll wander, and when I’ll just curl up in a chair somewhere and see about writing either in my room or out in the open. Apparently, there’s a big enough writing community that attends that they have a ‘Writer’s Room’ which hosts writing sprints in the morning both Friday and Saturday.  So I might head that way if there aren’t any other panels I want to attend and both meet new people and get some writing in.

I’m excited to get a break from work and head somewhere fun. Also always curious what fun treasures I’ll find in the dealer’s room for sale. So I’ll definitely make sure to report on that next week after I’ve returned home.

Hope you’re staying warm!

Hello 2019

08 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, reading, Writing

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amblogging, amediting, amreading, amwriting, balancing, books, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, online presence, original fiction, original work, possible wip, published work, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, what do, WIP, word count, writing

Can you believe it’s 2019. Not just 2019, but we’re already eight days in! Is the new year treating you well? Are you well on your way to exactly how you want to work, what you want to work on, and what all you’re doing?

I hope so.

I have a few things on my personal list to accomplish for this year, but also a good bit of wants for my blog, writing, & reading portions of my life.

For My Blog

Updates: 2018 saw me increase my posting much more than in the past. I want to stick with that momentum and continue doing better until this blog is getting a post a minimum of once a week – on Mondays for updates. (You’ll note that today is Tuesday…)

Reviews: I did some reviews in 2018, but I’ll be honest – especially for the amount I read last year – not enough. I want to be sure this year that if I liked a book, that I’m writing a review for it – and then leaving it on Goodreads and Amazon where I can too. Far too many of my Goodreads stuff right now has a star rating but no actual review – which while better than nothing is still not where I want to leave it for the future. For my blog, reviews are posted on Wednesdays – not in lue of an update post.

For My Writing

In general, I wrote more and published more last year (and mostly in the last six months of 2018) than I did in the past. In this I don’t just want to stick with the momentum, but increase it. I want to write more often, plot when I’m not writing, and get more of a catalog up on Amazon.

I also want to see my first draft edited so I can decide if I want to shop it around to publishers or really give it the push it needs marketing wise to indie publish it. It’s my baby, and I want to do right by it.

For My Reading

Last year I read 50 books. Which considering in 2016 & 2017 I read less than that combined, is a great accomplishment for me. My original goal for 2018 was 24 books, and I was pushing to read five to six books a month overall.

This year, however, because I want to focus a little more on writing. I’ve left the my Reading Challenge at 50 books. I’ve also decided to stop focusing so much on having a long TBR pile. I may decide at the beginning of the month to definitely read one or two titles, but the rest for the month will be titles that just hit my fancy and call to me to read.

I’m not really doing resolutions this year, but more goals to keep myself to month to month, to gradually improve myself and my life. I think goals will do me better this year. We shall see if I’m right.

Are you doing resolutions this year? If so, what are they?

Goodbye 2018

31 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amediting, amreading, amwriting, balancing, books, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, online presence, original fiction, original work, ramblings, real life, review, reviews, thoughts, time, update, what do, WIP, word count, writing

Can you believe we say goodbye to 2018 tonight? I’m not always sure where the year has gone, how it’s already going to be January again, a new start, a fresh year with millions of possibilities.

I think part of my problem right now is that it doesn’t FEEL like it’s the end of the year outside. I live in the Midwest, where we normally have snow from December to March. But this winter has been so weird, very off because we’ve had a lot of rain and almost no snow. I keep waiting for it to feel like it should be winter, like it’s ready to be a new year or the Holidays, but it just hasn’t happened.

Overall, I still feel like I’m not ready for the year to be over. There are a few things I’d wanted to have finished before 2018 ended and a new year had taken its place, but sometimes life just happens that way, right?

This year has seen my health and Mom’s health get a little better. I’ve been part of a writer’s group for a little over a year and I’m loving the connection it’s given me. I published three shorts this year as well, and have finished writing two others that need to be edited. I’ve also made some headway on editing a finished manuscript, and editing one that still needs the last couple chapters added to it to be considered finished.

I’m hoping I can keep the momentum up for 2019, keep the writing up, and keep up the editing. I’d love to be finished editing the manuscript by the end of next year.

I also read 50 books this year. My original goal for 2018 was 24 books. So 2019’s goal will be 75, I think. It takes into account how much I have read, and pushes me to read a little more. I didn’t always keep to my reading TBRs that were set for the month, and there were some months I didn’t read at all which is why I’m looking to add to my goal for 2019 as well. Because I know where I can improve already.  I do think I’ll keep my monthly TBR lists to three books a month, and that way I leave some space for some non-list books that fall my way as well.

I did better this year with my blog as well, posting more than I did in 2017, but again there’s still some room for improvement. I mean, I can just look at this month to see that. I missed the Mondays between the first and last of the month. I don’t spend a lot of time on the computer when I’m not at work, but because I’m pushing to work more on my writing that’s changing and it’s a good thing overall. Leads me to be more productive when I’m at home, or on vacation from work.

So yes, lots of hopeful plans this year. If you’re interested in the shorts I published, please check out the My Books section here.

I hope you have a Safe New Year’s Eve, and that 2019 brings great things for all of us!

Hello December – When Did You Arrive?

05 Wednesday Dec 2018

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amblogging, amediting, amreading, amwriting, balancing, books, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, NaNo, nanowrimo, online presence, original fiction, original work, ramblings, real life, reviews, thoughts, time, update, Urban Fantasy, what do, WIP, word count, writing

So November is over. We saw it off with a fond farewell, a glass of Strongbow (my drink of choice), and a yippe!

Why?

Because National Novel Writing Month is over! And whether you achieved 50 words or 50,000 words, pat yourself on the back. Because you wrote, or you plotted and planned and honed your craft or business another way. There are many reasons for you to pat yourself on the back for what you did in November I’m sure.

I had good intentions of posting my stats throughout November as I went, weekly check-ins, but that kind of went down the tube.

With the year wrapping up, and finals arriving, a Holiday Party to plan, decorate and orchestrate mostly on my own for my department, things tend to ramp up here at work. Not only that, but applications for Fall are in full incoming mode as well, and I work closely with the DGS for ensuring materials are in, applications are reviewed, and questions are answered during this season – something that won’t officially end until February.

For me, my NaNo was kind of all over the place. I went through slumps, I wrote on several different stories to get my words, but I did achieve my word count.

And now December is here! With ice, snow, and darker mornings that make it difficult to want to get up for work. And I have two weeks before I am off for the Christmas Holiday. I get a little under two weeks of paid vacation off between Christmas and New Years – in which I’m hoping to both get a lot of writing done, reading done, and cleaning done.

Mom and I are hoping to move in a couple years. Somewhere maybe a little smaller, with a smaller yard that won’t take too much to manage. Ideally, I’m hoping for a three bedroom, two bath house. So we can have a guest room/library/office room, which we don’t really have now. We have a studio/office now but I guess part of the problem is it’s where everything from the living room goes when we have company – and the stuff from their last visit is still sitting in there being piled upon. So one of the goals this break is to get the living room and office cleaned out.

I’m trying to hand make some of my Christmas stuff this year. Though, that’s partially dependant on the stores shipping me the items I need make them. I’m just sitting here watching the order tracking information, waiting for them to be out for delivery. After I’m sure people have opened their presents, I’ll see about posting a picture of the final products on here. Not before.

I only have three books on my TBR this month, partially because I’m still working on writing things and with the Holidays, I’m crafting Holiday presents, and the last week of December is pretty much all Family stuff.

What books would those be?

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince is a serious need for me to read with The Wicked King coming out in January. I have the Owl Crate covered edition of The Cruel Prince, and last month they released the sales for a special edition box for the release of The Wicked King – with a special cover to make their The Cruel Prince cover. So I’m kind of super excited to see what the cover will look like when I get the box. So that’s a hard must read before the month is over.

What are you planning to read this Month? Did you reach your reading goal for 2018? Let me know down in the comments!

Repeat After Me – A Lesson We All Need

30 Friday Nov 2018

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amediting, amreading, amwriting, authorlife, balancing, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, inspiration, life, musings, online presence, original fiction, original work, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, what do, WIP, word count, wordstoliveby, writerlife, writing

I’d originally planned on a NaNo Update because it’s the 30th and NaNo ends tonight. I’ve been kind of off social media because I’ve been working hard to keep my word count up, and keep on NaNo.

Checking in today I can’t help but sigh. I thought after everything with the whole #Cockygate getting massive attention that we were over this and done with it. But no. Apparently not.

Among the posts that I scrolled through to catch up what I’d missed, I come across yet another author complaining that someone ‘stole’ her title.

Can we all repeat after me?

Titles can NOT be copywritten.

Titles can occasionally be the same.

It happens in the publishing world.

Titles that are similar or the same do NOT mean that the books are the same, does NOT mean the plot is the same and DOES NOT mean that the title was stolen from someone else or that they’re trying to ride someone else’s coattails.

Books can share a title, and even a general concept and still be completely different because it’s not the title that should be selling the book. It should be the author – his or her self – and the morals, ethics, and reputation that they build with their community and the craft that’s under that title that sells the book, and not just sells the book but defines the book.

No title, unless it’s a 100% made up word, is going to be unique. While there are a LOT of words in the known languages, they are finite and that means that there will occasionally be similar or duplicate titles. This shouldn’t stop someone from publishing or feeling like they now have to change their title because of it.

If you search ‘Cocky Dragon Slayer’ on Amazon you’ll find five books written by five different authors, with five different covers. All five of us decided to use that same title because it was an experiment to prove to the world that while the titles may be the same, the story that existed behind that title would be vastly different from each other because we are different people and we each have our own unique stories to write.
And that’s exactly what happened. Each tale is unique not because of the cover or title, but because we all had different ideas on where to take the story, how the world our stories take place in worked, and how the mythos in that world unfurled.

So can we please all agree to stop trying to stake claim to words and titles?

We may build our lives out of them, but we don’t own them – unless you choose to create your own language in which case you do to a point own them.

Stop throwing mud at others because a title is similar.

Stop causing a fuss because you think you have the corner on a certain word – you don’t.

And stop thinking that if you do decide to publicly complain about that it will do great things for your community and career. It won’t. Most of us, the ones especially that have crawled out of the dust and debris from #cockygate? We’ll only judge you super hard for it, and potentially blacklist your books – current and future – from our TBR piles because we know a social ploy to grab attention a mile away now.

In the wake of what we’ve been through this year, the try for a public flaying for similar titles isn’t going to work much anymore. Especially not on Twitter. You can’t claim ‘well I didn’t know anymore’. At this point, it’s like stepping willfully in front of a bus, getting hit, and then turning around and claiming that the driver hit you on purpose. We can all see you gauging how fast that bus is coming. We can see you thinking about how much damage it might do versus getting your name out there in the public eye. And we can all see you taking that knowing step into the abyss.

It’s not amusing. It’s not cute. And you’re not the victim here. The person you’re trying to call out on social media, to hundreds of thousands of people? That person is the victim. And you should be ashamed of yourself for even trying this. You’re dragging them across coals for something that you don’t own. And your readers, the ones who will blindly believe you? It will be your fault, and your fire to manage and try to put out if they go after the other person. That’s all on you.

If you’re thinking of trying this? Don’t. You’ll only ruin your reputation with thousands of people who didn’t know you before, and will now for all the wrong reasons.

Trust in the work you do. Trust in your craft and your own creativity. Trust that readers know titles occasionally bump against each other in the night and it doesn’t reflect on the authors’ creativity when that happens, it just means that maybe they find two or three books they’ll enjoy instead of just one.

The author in question that caused me to write this blog post? I’ve heard nothing but good things from their debut novel. It’s been praised left and right on my social media.  I have planned to read it to see what all those great things were about, and now? Now I won’t. I have no interest in supporting someone that decides to be this petty and try to ruin another person. There was no need to do this, except that they apparently doubted themselves and their work enough to try to grab attention.

And no, I’m not listing the authors’ names and titles. I’m leaving them out of this blog post on purpose. Why? Because at the end of the day the social media post in question is just adding a log onto a fire that was starting to simmer down instead of a bucket of water that it needed. The who of it isn’t important. The actions are the problem, and so I’m choosing to focus on the actions instead of the person.

Also because this blog post is a call out to all authors out there, not just the one that recently screwed up. Think before you get huffy about someone else sharing your title. The amount of work that you put into that lovingly handpicked title? So did they. They didn’t pick it too to hurt you, steal from you, or use your sale numbers to get ahead. Odds are, even if it’s a best seller, they may not have heard about you – especially if you’re not in the same genre they are. Odds are? It was just a coincidence.

Just let it be that ship passing in the night. Stand on the bow of your ship, hold up your lantern, and wave at each other peacefully. There’s more than enough room in this ocean for everyone.

November Is Here! – Only a week late

08 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by MBenson in NaNoWriMo, Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amblogging, amreading, amwriting, balancing, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, NaNo, nanowrimo, NaNoWriMo 18, NaNoWriMo 2018, online presence, original fiction, original work, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, Urban Fantasy, what do, WIP, word count, writing

I can almost not fathom that it’s already the 8th of November. I wish I could say ‘where did the beginning of the month go?!’ but honestly, I know where it went. It went into my writing.

October’s TBR list didn’t get read. The hazard of NaNo Prep during that month. I ended up being more than a little ambitious considering just how much I really had on my plate. I’m ALMOST done with the werewolf short from October, however not completely. And of course, with the start of November, I’ve started my planned November WIP – also werewolf based but a completely different cast of characters. I haven’t fully decided if I wanted the two to exist in the same world or not.

NaNo specifically has been going fairly well for me, and I hope *knocks on wood* that it continues to go well for me. How well, I know you’re thinking. Well here’s a breakdown of the first seven days of my month:

November 1 – 526 words (I started out a little rough, not going to lie)
November 2 – 4,547 words (NaNo Total: 5,073)
November 3 – 1,949 words (NaNo Total: 7,022)
November 4 – 2,399 words (NaNo Total: 9,421)
November 5 – 2,655 words (NaNo Total: 12,076)
November 6 – 2,355 words (NaNo Total: 14,431)
November 7 – 1,771 words (NaNo Total: 16,202)

I know it’s the 8th as I write and post this, but I’m not including today because It’s only 10am. I still have most of the day to get more words in before I have to tally what I’ve written today, though I know that it’s around 800 already.

I always get into work a little early, so I’ve been trying to get words in before I officially start, and if I haven’t reached my word count for the day by the time I get home I make sure to sit down and get the words in after dinner before I get to read, watch tv or video game. It’s been a real motivator recently because I’ve started playing a new game that has daily stuff to do and I enjoy winding down and just getting those dailies done. Which gives me a great motivator for getting my word count in so I can do that.

I’m also being a NaNo Rebel this year. I’m not working on one full-length novel, but instead my goal is to get three 20,000 word shorts done – which does mean that keeping ahead of the word count isn’t a bad thing but it’s almost mandatory because I have to be able to squeeze an extra 10,000 words into my NaNo Goal personally this month.

And on top of working on NaNo, if I’ve reached my word count for the day and I’m feeling it, I’ve been adding to my October WIP to continue to try and get it finished. I’ve currently got about 1,300 words that I’ve written on it during the month of November that I haven’t counted toward my NaNo word count. I haven’t decided if I’m going to add them in at the end or not. Technically they are words written, toward a body of fiction, during the month of November so they should count. But part of me wants to be stubborn and only count my dedicated November WIP because it will push me to ensure I get those words on that work.

How is your NaNo going so far? Not participating, how is your November going so far? Let me know down in the comments.

Where oh where did October go?

22 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amwriting, balancing, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, life, musings, NaNo, nanowrimo, NaNoWriMo 18, NaNoWriMo18, online presence, original fiction, original work, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, Urban Fantasy, what do, WIP, word count, writing

I do not know where my month has gone. I’ve been elbow deep in a werewolf story all month, pushing to get it written before November arrives. It’s one less story that’s off my mind while I strive for 50,000 words in 30 days.

The weeknights have been what have caused me to lag a bit, and it’s something I need to work out before November gets here because there are no excuses for my November daily word count and it must be achieved.

I’m close to the end, so I am pretty confident I can get it done before November. And I’m slowly working on planning out my November story so it’s ready to go on the 1st.

Reading is going slow but is going. I’ll get that updated soon. Mostly I’m just super focused on my current WIP and the planning for my November WIP. I have faith for getting November done and getting a win!

And this is going to be a super quick update because I need to get back to writing. Plus, aside from being elbow deep in words, I nothing else is happening. Like literally, my last two weekends I’ve been locked in my room writing.

When not writing, I binged Haunted and The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix, and caught up on all but the final two episodes Wynonna Earp. And to be fair, I wrote while watching Wynonna Earp, so multitasking for the win there.

Are you ready for NaNo? Are you a pantser or a planner? Let me know in the comments!

Also, if you want to be my writing buddy on NaNo’s website, my name is MerisCorner.

September Wrap-Up / October TBR

02 Tuesday Oct 2018

Posted by MBenson in reading, TBR, Writing

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amediting, amreading, amwriting, balancing, books, creativity, discoveries, dragon stories, dragons, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, NaNo, nanowrimo, NaNoWriMo 18, NaNoWriMo 2018, online presence, original fiction, original work, possible wip, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, Urban Fantasy, werewolf stories, werewolves, what do, WIP, word count, writing

So, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I went through a stage where I hadn’t been reading as much, and when I was it tended to be absolutely nothing off my TBR list. And so doing the lists fell by the wayside for a while.

But.

and I do mean BUT!

I’m picking them back up again. Dusting them off gently. And refreshing them so they are 100% doing well again.

Now, not to date my poor TBR list, but back in May *coughs softly* I had set myself a list to read. And SOME of it ended up being read. About 50% of it if we’re being honest.

The books I finished in August and September are:

  • Twisted gifts by Jessi Elliott
  • The Elite by Kiera Cass
  • Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau
  • Doppelganger by Alyssa Drake
  • Daughter of Persephone by Helen Scott
  • Vicious by VE Schwab
  • Tasting Gretel by Lidiya Foxglove
  • Prisoner of Silk by Lidiya Foxglove

Three of those books were on my May TBR list. But overall seven books is nothing to shake a stick at for reading purposes and all. And to be fair to me, Stalking Jack the Ripper would have been read if I could have found the book. I remember finding it when I was cleaning, but I was reading something else so I put it aside for later. After finishing the book, I went back to grab Stalking and it was gone. -_-

So, the May TBR that was not complete was:

  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
  • Chosen by Harlow Thomas & Anastasia Jones

For An Ember in the Ashes, it was less I didn’t want to read it and more, my Mother has a kindle that’s attached to my library and she’s currently reading it (63% done with it) so I’m going to wait until she’s done before I try and read it. If that happens in October and I am doing good on my TBR list I may dive into it. Otherwise, it will be back on my list in November.

For October I only have five books on it officially, and then there are two that are on it, if I finish my list early and still have some October left.

  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
  • Hope in Paris by Donnalyn Vojta
  • Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
  • The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
  • Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

The two maybe’s are:

  • Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaar Tahir

For Stalking, I’m planning to borrow it from the library so I can read it if I can’t find my hard copy. I don’t want to have to buy it again if I don’t need to, and I already know that the moment – and I do mean the moment – that I purchase a new copy and get three chapters in the original copy will magically appear and be all ‘what, I was just chillin’ next to this chair you checked by seventy times’. Because that’s always how it goes. The dragons and/or the ghost of my dad – or both teaming up together – have a very twisted sense of humor.

Writing wise, I have two shorts that I’d like to get finished, one a dragon story and one a werewolf story. As well, I have my Prep’Tober work to do so I’m ready and Prepared for NaNoWrioMo in *checks calendar* 30 days.

Currently, my NaNo project has the main characters name, nickname, minor description, her two brothers have names, and the town has a name and the center of town has a layout. oh! and the series itself (it’s a collection of 12-13 shorts) has a name!

I have a vague idea of where I’m going to start for plot and the like for each short, but nothing concrete, nothing set in stone, and nothing that will make sure I can get myself through the month with actual words on the page. But, I have a few weeks to get it there. I have goals! And they shall nay be ignored! =)

What are you reading for this October season? Are you participating in NaNo next month? Are you ready for NaNo next month? Leave me an answer in the comments below!

New Fall, who dis?

06 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amreading, amwriting, balancing, books, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, online presence, original fiction, original work, PenTober, possible wip, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, what do, WIP, writing

Can you believe that it’s Fall?

I mean, ignore the fact that it’s been like 80/90 degrees – way too warm for the sweater weather it’s supposed to be. Though it’s started to rain a lot this week, so that may be slowly settling where it should be.

September means school is back in session. There are no Holidays from work until Thanksgiving in November. I have two months to finish planning for NaNoWriMo. And at some point, when the trees stop believing it’s summer, there will be pretty colors all around before they fall to the ground. Though, my poor Maple Trees already have that fungus that grows on them when it’s too wet in the season. Hopefully, it will clear up so I can get some good photos of the color change though.

With school back in session, I’m busier than ever at my job. Especially because the day I intended to write this blog post and get it up, the entire University had a power surge that took out the computers for a bit, took out the internet for a couple hours, and has left a string of issues in its wake. A brand new phone, it was legit installed last week new, is now dead because of it and needs to be replaced. One of my graduate student’s computers hard drive is now dead because of it – and this computer was bought in August. Thankfully because both are brand new, they’re both under warranty to have replaced.

It’s left a lot of running to fix problems the last couple days. I’m finally winding down enough to think straight and focus on a few things other than work.

I’m currently working out a series of shorts that I plan to get a jump start on during NaNo. That’s right, I’m going to be a rebel! I’m looking to do three 20K shorts during NaNo instead of one 50K novel. It does, though, mean that my goal for NaNo will be approximately 10K longer than the official goal though, so in a way I’m paying for being a rebel by having to work a little harder to get there. But I think, with a solid plan on what I’m doing and where I’m going, that it’s completely doable.

I’m also thinking of participating in PenTober.

What is PenTober? Well, if you’ve ever been on Instagram or Twitter, you’ll probably know of the InkTober event where artists are given a list of prompts, one for every day in October, and they draw something related to that prompt. PenTober is similar, except we’re not drawing – we’re writing.

The goal is to write 500 words or less, every day. Ideally incorporating the prompt for the day, but the organizer’s main goal is to just get everyone writing every day.

For more information, you can check out their website here.

Labor day weekend I wandered around and hit two used bookstores. The books I scored copies of are in the photo above. Overall, I think it’s a pretty awesome haul of new things. And, I’m sure you’re going, but you haven’t updated your TBR list since May, but have no fear. I’m slowly working on that list now. I’m halfway through The Elite as I type this. So while the current May TBR stands for September, there WILL be a new TBR for October.

Speaking of October and TBRs. If you have any creepy horror novel suggestions for me to give a try during the spooky month, please be sure to drop them in the comments! I’d love some more haunting reads for the upcoming month.

Clinging to Health

14 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by MBenson in Personal Thoughts, Writing

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amreading, amwriting, balancing, creativity, discoveries, enjoy, fantasy, goals, inspiration, life, musings, online presence, original fiction, original work, possible wip, ramblings, real life, thoughts, time, update, what do, WIP, word count, writing

So my immune system pretty much handed my ass to me a day after I got back from my vacation. There’s nothing a boss loves more than having someone come back from vacation for a day before being out for two more due to sick, believe me.

So first, my vacation. I went camping. A week, Sunday – Sunday, of camping. Tents, air mattresses, limited to no cell service, camping. The first couple days weather wise were good. Then it rained. Then it got ungodly hot. And I was able to come home.

This trip has fully made me realize that while I used to love camping, I can’t do it anymore. I have hip and back problems – and I paid a pretty penny for a mattress at home to help with these problems. So sleeping on an air mattress just doesn’t cut it for my body anymore. I also have problems with the heat – I tend to get heat stroke super easily and so I can’t take prolonged exposure to heavy heat. The last two days of the trip the weather was close to 100 in the shade and I felt like I was going to die. And! And. The chigger bites. I looked like I had chicken pox from the knees down on both my legs. It wasn’t fun. And while I love the people I saw on this vacation, I feel like there’s a better way to see them that won’t leave me in itchy hell after.

Last week I was pretty quiet because after coming back and spending two days in my bed, I got sick. Not sure what it was but it had me going home Wednesday with a half day from work and home Thursday to try and sleep it away. I’m still not a 100% right now, mostly phlem in my throat and fatigue that I’m trying to shake. So trying to be productive has been difficult.

I’m drinking lots of fluids, I’m taking some over the counter meds that help to clear up the issues, and mostly I’m getting to bed at a reasonable time to try and get as much rest as I can so my body will get better faster. However, a couple nights ago I couldn’t get my body tired enough to sleep, but my brain was shot so I spent until Midnight on a video game because I just couldn’t get to sleep. It’s up and down, overall. I’m working on it though.

While I was camping, I brought a WIP that needs to be finished. My plan, because it’s been in progress for a while, had been to read and edit it and then be in the right headspace to finish it. It’s literally only a couple chapters from being done. That worked until I got to about chapter 5.

Then, I woke up at 4am one day and my brain refused to let me go back to sleep until I wrote what it wanted. An hour later I had about half a chapter of a brand new WIP. The rest of the week was spent writing on the new WIP. I finished two chapters before I got in the car to come home. My game plan this week is to get it typed up into a document (because with 100-degree weather this was all written in a notebook) and then continue to finish it. I know it’s going to be a short. And thanks to my friend that I discussed it with while I was writing it, I already know that it will have a sequel. I’m not sure if I’ll try to lengthen it past a mini duology set or not. Depends on how I feel after I get the second short done, I think. But yay! I’m hoping to get that short finished by the end of the month and get it out early September, with the second one to follow shortly after.

My WIP list grows every steady as I go. But I’m excited about this short and it’s sequel.

I’m also currently reading an ARC that will have a review posted soon! Super squeeing about that too. So excited to both read it and share my thoughts!

For now, back to the grind of getting everything set up. I can’t believe summer is almost over, the school year is almost back, and everything is zomg.

Are you ready for the school year? Are you ready for Fall? What’s your favorite Fall activity? Leave your answers in the comments below.

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