Maps!

Not sure about you, but when I read a novel and it has a map in the front, that book just got ten times better. Small details like that make the entire adventure more fun.

Making those maps on the other hand, is a royal pain. I'm still going to have one in the front of the Lionheart Abyss series, but maps aren't my cup of tea.

After all, I am more of a coffee drinker.

Give me your thoughts on fantasy maps in novels below and be sure to check back soon for more news about the upcoming Lionheart Abyss saga.

Progress made; progress lost

I've been silently brooding the past few days because I'm an artist. I had saved often, made sure to keep my life work saved. It still didn't save me. Over a thousand words gone because of a corrupt file. It could have been worse, but it's always heartbreaking to loose progress. This isn't the first time I have either. Some of my best scenes are lost to the harsh attunement of my temperamental laptop. Perhaps once I have Wi-Fi again I can return to backing things up on google.

Weekly goals

Oddly watching YouTube videos has inspired me. Time to start getting some habits made.

For the next 10 days (until the end of next week) I want to spend 5 min a day writing. It will take longer to get my laptop warmed up and open but I'm hoping small goals will make this easy.

I also want to add to that, reading 1 book every month. In high school I used to take out Stephan King novels in a week, I think I can make this work.

Now, this goal isn't about my blog, but about my novel. Posting these regularly have been a massive help and I look forward to keeping up with them this time.

Hopeful plans

By this point I'm as tired of saying it as you all are of reading it, but over the next year I actually want to focus on my writing.

I want to get some books out, set up some daily habits. Really let myself have at the work that I love doing. Maybe even find a few rejection letters.

I have a lot of stuff from over the years all piled up. Some of it I believe is pretty decent. Some other things, not so much. The more I think about it, the more I feel drawn to write select stories and when I ask myself why. The answer is simple.

Because gay.

Told you, simple. It the world of stories you're told to wrote what you know. Well, I know a little about a lot. Doesn't mean I need to write a cookbook about 100 ways to use ramen noodles. Useful, I'm sure, but it wouldn't satisfy me. I need hope. I need struggle. I need the world to see a side of life that not everyone gets to experience.

I need to show someone that it gets better in a way that only I know. So stick with me friends. I'm working on some pretty intense lesbian stories. I can't wait to share them with you.

Little details matter

I figure that I'll give you all a break from me going on about my first child, I mean short. I actually have been mulling over some things the past few days, and in my massively sleep deprived state of mind, details just so happen to be what I would like to bore you with today.

Not just any details though! The little ones. Sure we might care about how her eyes sparkle in the moonlight, but will they shimmer under a half moon the same way?

Small things like that matter to our human brain. When we are out living our lives all these things assault us.

For example, I was watching a show called Skin Wars. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it's a body painting competition. The challenge was to make your human model look 2D. How does this apply to writing you ask. Let me explain a bit more so please just hold tight. When the winner of the challenge was announced the model walked out. My brain pooped itself. The person moved like a 3D figure (Cuz it is) and yet looked 2D. My brain couldn't mesh the two because something is either one or the other. Not both.

Little details can make all the difference in your world. They can mean the difference between someone brain flipping a table, making them reread something a few times, hence pulling them out of the story.

For the next few days, I challenge you to observe one thing around you, that you normally don't pay attention to. A few quick examples, the cigarette butt can at your local grocery store.

Let me know how that challenge goes with a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

What I've been doing

This is really gonna be a repeat of most posts with similar titles. Life happened is the short version. Last September I had taken a step up with the company I was with. Honestly, I loved my day job. However, it added 20 hours a week driving alone. Full time and toss in some overtime. The weeks were long. The days blended together. I finally sadly had to leave because it had become a toll on my health. Only now am I starting to feel myself again.

But have I wrote anything more in this time?

Kinda?

I did push out a few shorts. Links and more info of all my novles will be posted here over the next few weeks. Otherwise, not a lot was done. So again, I feel like I'm starting all over again, and it oddly feels good.

Back in the saddle

We all know this by now. I can't keep myself on track to save my life. But again, I'm gonna keep trying. A little update about my personal life. I still work full time but am no longer driving 20 hours a week. That alone gas been crazy cool. It's also given me some stability to be able to write more. So I can honestly say that I'm excited to start working on a novel again. This time things will be different. I'm going to be working on whatever I feel like writing. Wherever my heart is. And it's got me super hyped.

So fingers crossed .

Also, ps, still no internet. So phone posts all the way!

Late night character building

Yup, I work my normal job tomorrow too, but I'm not about to let that slow down. My NaNoWriMo prep!

Working on new covers.

Yup, it will be a process, and one that will take a few rounds, but I am updating my novel covers and soon I will also be starting on Blurbs. So that's super exciting.

Driving is my jam.

Some people get great ideas in the shower, I was never one of those people. My brain seems to work best when I'm sitting in the car driving, or on a bus or train. The up side of this, I drive about 2 hours everyday to and from work. (Round trip thank the gods.) The down side, it's pretty dangerous to write while trying to drive. Normally when I get to work and park, I scribble down notes like crazy. I feel like this is how all of November is going to go. I'm perfectly okay with that.

NaNoWriMo prep!

It's that time of year again when a ton of us make the bad decision to give up our entire month of November to write a novel. For some it's a challenge, others breeze right through it.

For me, it's always been a struggle. This will be my 4th year doing it, and I have no real hope to win. However, you can bet that I'm still going to do it.

Any excuse to write is a good one. -looks over at the pile of dishes-

Anyway! This year I really want to document my work to you all. I have a few ideas for some stories, all (cept one that I don't think I really want to do for this anyway) of these ideas will be public. I don't always post my actual work online for free, but I feel like this could be fun.

I'll for sure have more details of where it will be posted within the next week or two. For now, I must ready myself.

What's your favorite way to prep for national novel writing month?

I hate not having internet.

The title sums it all up. Yeah, sure, I can type on my phone. But it's not the same. At least not here. It also eats my limited data because this cat it too broke to get the unlimited plan. Maybe one day I can return to my love of writing.

Busy Little Kitty

     Radio silence has returned to your dash due to the crazy fact that my new job has been working the heck out of me. I'm on week three and already pulling over time and working 8 days in a row. Tomorrow I have some class that I have to go to and I'm kinda excited.

     The up side of all this, is my brain is always working and I cannot wait to get myself into a better writing habit. I just need to wait until our new location is open.

Two Weeks!

     While I did miss a few days, today is day 14 of my daily writing. As in I have for 14 day's, wrote 1,000 words. I can't even believe it myself. Odd considering I've done NaNoWriMo for a few years now. I always come close (around 30,000 or so) I've never actually won. This little project however, is showing me what I can actually do. It's also been a wonderful help for brainstorming.

Almost 10,000 Words

     While I haven't been as focused on my blog as much. To be honest, I haven't really had a lot to say. At least not about any of this kinda thing. Plenty of other ranting but I don't think you all want to hear about that. Anyway! I have been happily writing at least 1,000 words a day. I just passed day nine today and it feels so good to see those numbers. I mean about 90% of them are just trash and ramblings. Heck one day I even counted down the last ten words by just writing out said words. Sad, but I at least did it. I refused to shortchange myself.

   

Snow is Help

     This is what happens when I try to have a productive writing day. It's nice to have company while I write some days. 

     Also you see something very odd, recently I have dug up an old tower computer and started to use it while I'm at home. (I work in the city and stay up there for days in a row, and then come back to my house on my days off.) I've found that I get a lot more done like this. At a desk, with a chair, instead of on my laptop. So maybe I will reach my writing goals this year.