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NaNo ’19 – Day 1

01 Friday Nov 2019

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Happy November, Everyone!

I hope that your November is starting out a little better than mine. You might be asking yourself, well why say that, and thinking that you’re sure my November has started off fine too. Weeeeelllllll, I’m not so sure about that.

For starters, I’m in the Midwest portion of the country that received snow. LOTS of SNOW.

Enough that I had to clear off my car before I could drive home last night. Enough that we really didn’t get any trick or treaters last night.

The snow actually started on Wednesday. I woke up and looked out my window at my neighbor’s roof and even half asleep was whispering, “no, No, NO!” to myself. In prepping to go to work, I cleared a BRANCH out of the street and pulled something in my back. On walking back to the house to email work I would be tending to my back I heard a super loud SNAP and looked to my backyard where a thick branch had broken off the tree. It took down whatever cable was attached from my house to the pole in the alley (not my landline – still have wifi, and not my electric, so we still don’t know what it is. We’re calling the phone company tomorrow to see if they can come out and at least determine if it’s theirs or not). It also took out my neighbor’s landline to the pole, which took out their wifi too.

Thursday night, on the eve of NaNo, my throat got a tickle.

I’m now coughing and queasy, but I’m at work because bills to pay and all that.

Despite being under the weather, I’m looking to do some NaNo Work after I get home from actual work. I might try to con my mother – we car pool to work because we work across the street from each other if I haven’t mentioned before – into leaving a little early today. I got the sick from her, I can state this confidently because she stayed home Tuesday and Wednesday sick with it. I’m hoping having it hit today, I can spend the weekend tending to it, drowning it in tea and honey, and writing, and just get over this before Monday or it settles too much in my body.

Maybe I’ll use a hot shower as my word count reward today, hit word count, take hot shower to let the steam help break up the sick in my throat. It’s definitely a good motivator. Though I’m also super ready to nap right now – which may be the meds I took so I’m not dying at work.

Wish me luck killing the sick before it becomes a monster.
I’m determined to not let it disrupt my NaNo and my November goals.

Also, since I’m not too into the vlogs and on camera, but more the writer behind the blog, I’m hoping to do a blog a day for NaNo. Even if it’s just a quick snippet of how my word count went the day before. High goals for me, but here’s hoping that by the end of November I’ve updated this blog thirty days in a row. =)

Happy writing, for those that are participating in NaNo!
Happy November for those that are not!

Stay warm, readers. And stay healthy!

NaNo Just Around the Corner

28 Monday Oct 2019

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Design by Georgia Lange, Poster in the NaNoWriMo shop.

So, NaNoWriMo is right around the corner. Literally 4 days away. I’ve been so busy getting ready for it that everything else has kind of fallen by the wayside. It’s not a great quality in me, but at the same time, I admit that that’s how I am and while I try to change there’s no sense in getting mad at myself about it either.

I didn’t get nearly as much writing done as I’d hoped with the prepping and getting everything as ready as I can make it be successful for November. I did try to do that GrimsList prompting that I mentioned in my last post, and while I did get about two thousand words overall, none of the shorts that I started are finished. So for now, it will sit and wait and I’ll try to work on them in December. Maybe I can have enough to do a small anthology of horror for next Halloween.

My biggest shift is I’ve decided to rewrite a novel from four years ago for my NaNo Project, officially. The current WIP stands at forty-seven thousand words with two to three chapters missing to close up the story. It’s basically in a zero draft stage where everything can change and nothing is safe. I’ve been editing what I have this month, being really hard on it, so that starting Friday my goal is to rewrite a chapter a day to catch up, leaving me a few days to finish the missing chapters and hit 50k. If for some reason it shortens in the rewrite and I don’t hit 50k for it, I have a sequel novella prepped and outlined and ready for me to start writing on to get me past that NaNo finish line.

November is always interesting because we have Thanksgiving near the end and as such we aren’t allowed to be writer hermits because our families demand our attention and to put down our pen, phone, or keyboard at least long enough to smile, chit chat, and pretend that while we’re eating our turkey we’re not also trying to continue writing in our heads so once we get back to our writing implement of choice we’ll be able to hastily continue our words.

On top of that, I’ll be at a Science Fiction convention for three days, though I’m not looking for that to stop me or slow me down. I have goals and they will be successful and I’ll get that NaNo Win!

If you’re participating in NaNo and are looking for a writing buddy, be sure to add me. My user name on NaNo is MerisCorner

Cover Reveal: Twisted Desire by Jessi Elliott

19 Tuesday Mar 2019

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Title: Twisted Desire
Series: Twisted #2.5
Author: Jessi Elliott
Genre: Urban Fantasy (New Adult)
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Cover Credit: Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs

 

 

 
Being left to lead the fae alongside an annoyingly charming partner really screws with your life.
 
Skylar Chen just received the promotion of an eternity. After Tristan and Aurora trade their esteemed status for mundane life, it’s now her responsibility to lead the fae.
 
The catch? She has to work with Nikolai Sterling. With his constant smirks and dangerous good looks, he has a way of getting under Skylar’s skin like no one else. Even still, she’d much rather be getting under him.
 
Sexual tension aside, they have a bigger issue to deal with. The Experiment, a human organization built on hatred toward the fae, threatens to wipe them from existence. It’s time for Skylar and Nikolai to recruit allies, bring the fae together, and prepare for battle.
 
Fighting to protect her people is something Skylar can manage. It’s the skeletons in her designer closet that make opening up to Nikolai where she’s suddenly out of her element.
 
In this finale novella, the beloved side characters from Twisted Fate and Twisted Gift take center stage to bring down the organization set on destroying them.

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Jessi Elliott is a law clerk and author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.
She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her adorable cat, Phoebe. Yes, named after the Friends character.
When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.
You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can join her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

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March – Thanks for the -3 this morning

04 Monday Mar 2019

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So Feb wasn’t a good month. I had too much going on at work and it kind of killed my brain a lot. That and with the weather shift, my mood has kind of tanked. And with my mood tanking, my will to write, read, or really do anything productive goes with it. weekends have been some cleaning, some crocheting but not much else.

We had cold in Feb, like in the negatives cold, and we had warm in Feb, like 50’s and all the snow and ice are melted and flooding any rivers and houses near the rivers (mine). I had flooding in the basement again due to the spike in temperature to deal with.

It’s been a month.

I think my mood is also toeing the depression line, so I’m trying to keep myself at least moving forward to not fall to that completely. (No one particular thing in my life, no real rhythm or reason, just that way) And there’s not anything particular I’ve found that helps in the grand scheme, just time and keeping myself moving forward. But it means that most of my focus and forced motivation goes to the job that is currently paying the bills and there’s limited left over for the creativity and authorly of me. It means my authorly stuff is falling behind my hopes and plans right now, but I’m trying not to let that weigh too hard on me, or I’ll fall over with it. Right now, I’m taking it day by day and not punishing myself for the things that have to be left on the cart, as it were.

March’s goals are pretty much what Feb’s goals were: there’s a short that needs editing, there’s a short that needs finishing, and there’s a cover reveal that I signed up to be a part of for another author. All good things, all good goals. And all currently in my hopeful list. Here’s hoping March is kind to me.

Also, the one time I felt up to writing, I had to wrangle a cat (picture above). He decided I needed more rest, less work apparently. Because that’s my laptop he decided to sit on.

Oh Hai

11 Monday Feb 2019

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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

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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

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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

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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!

November Is Here! – Only a week late

08 Thursday Nov 2018

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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

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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.