I Forgot to Sleep

Okay, so this is only half true. I slept. I just forgot to go to bed until, like, 4 am. (Which is why I ended up not blogging yesterday.) In truth, this has been happening a lot lately.

I did have a pretty good sleep schedule, at one point. Go to bed at 12:30. Get up at 8:30. Slyly refuse questions as to why I get up so early when I never work until 4 in the afternoon. Watch Live! with Kelly and Michael (and get frustrated when I can't answer the trivia question for Holiday Escape Travel Trivia, despite the fact that I am not actually in the running to win the trip to Florida or whatever the wheel happened to land on). Pretend to write when I'm actually not (but shh don't tell anyone). Work. Come home and try to decide what slightly useless but incredibly fun activity I should do before bed, only to spend 2-3 hours bumming around on my phone, thus wasting the opportunity to do something slightly useless and incredibly fun and get slightly frustrated at myself for that.

And that in a nutshell is my life. Woo hoo.

What was I talking about? Right, sleeping. Sleeping is great. Too bad I forget to do it.

My dad left the front door open because he has clearly forgotten that this is Manitoba in the dead of winter and we as a species cannot survive if we leave the door open all willy nilly. (He claims that he was taking out the garbage but I think he could have at least tried to close the door.)

This was going to be a more informative blog post but it just sort of turned into me rambling. Such is my life. (I blame the sleep deprivation from last night.)


Until later,

- Justyne

Spreading the Christmas Cheer

4 more days! My annual Christmas Countdown is nearing it's end. My most favourite holiday will soon be upon us, and you know what that means...

PRESENTS!!!

Earlier this year I made a goal; to give as many presents to as many people as possible. The outcome is the picture above: 60+ Christmas-themed goodie bags, containing chocolate and lollipops and minty candies. I also wrote out 60+ Christmas cards, which have almost all been either passed out or stuffed in the mailbox. I've finished my shopping, almost finished my wrapping, and with Christmas carols blaring out of my speakers 24/7, I'm more than ready for Christmas.

I started bringing those goodie bags to work last week. I made more than enough to give to each and every one of my coworkers, and their reactions were fantastic. There were smiles and hugs and it just put me in the absolute GREATEST of moods!

I truly do love every little bit of this holiday. The music, the television, the magic. It's a time of year that brings incredibly joy, that makes it feel like anything can happen. Most importantly, I love the feeling when you have absolutely hit the nail on the head with your choice in Christmas gifts; when your colourfully wrapped box brings absolute joy to its recipient. It's beautiful, wonderful, and absolutely amazing.

If I could pass along these goodie bags to all of you reading this, I would. However, since that would involve the use of a private investigator, quite a bit of stalking, and an extreme amount of shipping costs, I will settle for this:

I wish all of you a wonderful, amazing, and truly Merry Christmas. Spend it with your family. Spend it with your friends. And have an incredibly happy holiday season. :)

Until later,

- Justyne

Self Discipline

If there's one thing I've learned from NaNoWriMo, it's that forcing yourself to write every day is hard. How I did it last year, I'll never know--this year, November was filled with 4-5 day writeless stretches. (Which was good for my mental sanity, but not so much for my poor word count.) Blogging every week is hard enough--which is kinda-sorta why I'm posting this at 3 am. This whole experience that I began last March just makes me wonder how the hell I've managed to win NaNoWriMo two years in a row.

It also makes me wonder why, if I can do it for a month, am I so terrible at doing it for the other 11?

I'll tell you why. Because I'm weak.

"Oh hey, I haven't played Sims in a while. Just for an hour, no big deal, then I'll write."

"Oh wow, this music is from the Tangled soundtrack! Sure haven't seen that in a while. Maybe I'll watch it."

"Frozen is only going to be in theatres for so long; I better watch it as many times as humanly possible before it leaves!"

So you see my dilemma.

It's not so much a case of procrastination, as it is of just not having any self control to sit myself down and write, with no distractions. I find quiet boring; I like to be upstairs, where everyone is talking and watching TV. I like to have background noise, like music, but it distracts me to the point that I don't get a whole lot done. I would rather write out in the open, where people can pass me by and I don't feel quite so lonely and cooped up in my bedroom.

But I have the attention span of a...thing that has a short attention span. (Shush, it's late.) I get distracted easily. And I relish in those distractions--I love noise, I love chaos. (Why do you think I work in a restaurant?) I love being flexible, and hate having to structure my writing in a strict fashion.

But if I don't, it doesn't get done.

The real problem with this is that I have absolutely no self control, at all. If something tempts me, I go for it. (Exhibit A: I watched two movies on Netflix tonight, instead of starting this blog post earlier.) (Exhibit B: I am an extremely impulsive buyer.) (Exhibit C: I'll walk to Tims in half snow / half rain because gosh darn it I want my cappuccino.)

So, if I see my Sims icon calling to me on my desktop, I will most likely click it.

If I see or hear something that reminds me of how much I love Tangled, I will most likely sit down and watch it.

If I discover that both me and a friend are free on the same night and they're willing to go see Frozen with me for the fourth time, you can bet that I will be at that movie theatre faster than you can give me the showtime. (Not that that's really necessary; I have seen it three times, after all.) (Side note: I absolutely adore this movie. A+ Disney.)

This little part of me does have its pros. It means that if I'm inspired to write, then gosh darn it, I will sit my little butt down and write. It just also means that if someone were to call me up and ask me to go out for supper, well, I would probably drop everything and go.

Such is my life.


Until later,

- Justyne


(P.S. If you're wondering what happened to Snippet Sunday...well, it's turning into less of an every-week thing, and more into a whenever-I-decide-to-do-it thing. The reason being that, after a certain point, I found I was running out of snippets to share, without spoiling too much of the story. So every now and then, I'll throw out a snippet for you guys--a larger snippet, with more content and quite possibly higher quality. You'll still get them--just not as often.)

Post-NaNo

YES! It may have taken 12k on the final day, I may have just squeaked by at 11 pm, and I may not be entirely done the story (even after using two NaNo's to write it...shh), but I did it! As you can clearly see from my little stats bar on the right, I (somehow) managed to pull through with a grand total of 50,568 words, thus winning my second year in a row.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

The thing I love most about NaNoWriMo is that it's almost like a school year. At the beginning, you're inspired and motivated. You sit down every day and you write those 1,667 words like nobody's business because gosh darn it, this year will be different! But then, as the month goes on, you fall out of the groove a little bit. Those 1,667 daily words turn into 1,600, then 1,000, then less and less until you're lucky if you get any words down at all.

The end of the month is the best--or the best, depending on how you look at it. The clock is ticking and there's all this pressure and while you're not necessarily scared of failing you just don't want to because you committed to this, gosh darn it, and if you don't follow through you will never live it down. Be the circumstances good or bad, though, some people--myself included--against all odds, manage to pull through and write thousands of words in a day.

I think I can safely say that November 30th will always be my most productive writing day.

The only problem is that after all is said and done, I'm left feeling exhausted. Say what you will, but writing 50,000 words in a month is hard--especially when over 1/5 of it is written on the final day. (I never was too good at pacing myself.) The post-NaNo period is always spent by me doing nothing except playing Sims. (And catching up on all of the TV shows I missed during November.) Seems pretty counter-productive, when you think about it; spending such a long period of time working hard, then spending a couple weeks doing nothing.

But you know what? I think I deserve it. As do all of you other wrimos; whether you wrote 50,000, or only managed 100, consider yourself a winner. You dedicated a month to writing; now dedicate three hours to playing Sims.


Until later,

- Justyne

Because I'm Awake, That's Why (NaNoWriMo, the Final Days)

Yes, it's after one in the morning. Yes, I'm still up. (No, I wasn't writing. Because clearly that would make a lot of sense, wouldn't it.)

I've spent the past few days obsessively updating my word count on NaNoWriMo.org (but really, when am I not doing that?) and obsessively comparing my current word count with my word count for past novels, on the same date.

What can I say? I'm curious!

Anyway, I am happy to say that, while my writing may have been completely and totally sporadic this past month, I have somehow managed to pull ahead of my 2012 self. I am currently farther in my novel than I was at this time a year ago.

Not by much, but still.

I think, above everything else, that this is true inspiration. Why? Because now, with three (okay, two) days left of NaNoWriMo, I am further in my story than I was on the final day of NaNo last year.

WHICH MEANS, fellow wrimos (and non-wrimos, I'm not excluding you), that I have no excuse. I will win NaNoWriMo 2013.

I'm not saying that I had doubts...okay yeah, that is what I'm saying. But have you seen my stats? Last year, I wrote every single day--even if that day only brought about 100 words. This year, I would spend four days writing 3k+ words per day, and then refuse to write for another five.

What did I say? Sporadic.

Anyways, I should sleep. I managed to survive the rest of NaNo without becoming sleep deprived--I'm not about to start now.

Until later,

- Justyne

(P.S. I hear footsteps upstairs. Either my dad is still awake or I will go upstairs to find my entire family murdered.)

(P.P.S. Why do I get so hungry at 1 AM? It's not fair.)

(P.P.P.S. This entire blog post is why I'm not allowed to stay up late.)

Daytime update: Upon further investigation upstairs, no one was awake, and everyone was alive. So I guess my house is just haunted.

I think this about sums it up (NaNoWriMo, Week 4)

28,653 more words to go.

8 days left in NaNoWriMo.

I need to write 3,184 more words to finish on time.



CHALLENGE.

FREAKING.

ACCEPTED.



Until later,

- Justyne

In which I discover the SECRET to NaNoWriMo (NaNoWriMo, Week 3)

Up until this past week, my daily word count has been pitiful, if not non-existent. 100 words here, 200 words there, 0 words over there. I was quite ashamed of myself, to be honest. I wrote over 13k on the last day of NaNoWriMo to win last year, and now I can't even manage a measly thousand words a day? Pitiful.

And then, I discovered something. The very well-kept secret to succeeding in NaNoWriMo.

Word sprints.

Okay, so it's not really a secret. And I'm not sure what I've been doing technically follows the definition of a "word sprint", but still.

For you non-wrimos, a "word sprint" is a short period of time--fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, etc etc--in which you just sit down and write. Nonstop. You put your fingers to the keyboard and type as fast as you humanly can to get as many words as possible in the time provided.

I've participated in one word sprint this past week (in which I got 1,027 words in 30 minutes--not too shabby), but most of my extremely productive writing was done, not in sprints dictated by time, but by numbers.

What a concept.

Turns out, if I actually make myself sit down and write in quick intervals of 100 or 200 or 500 words, I get it done rather quickly, and by the end of the day I have over 2k words done, as has been the case for the last few days.

The question now is....why didn't I figure this out on November 1st?!


Until later,

- Justyne

Dead or Alive (Snippet Sunday, NaNo Edition)

Every Sunday, I share a snippet of one of my many writing projects here on the blog, for your enjoyment. In the spirit of NaNoWriMo, each snippet this month will be taken from this year's NaNoWriMo novel. (In other words, expect bad grammar and poor word choices.) Enjoy!

(Just a bit of extended information: my NaNo novel this year is told from two separate points of view. Last week's snippet was from Orlena--the main character's--point of view. This weeks is from another point of view--which one it is, though, I'm not quite ready to say yet. ;] )

~~

The dark figure was still there. Same distance. Same stance. Same position.

It may not have moved, but I sure had.

I’m not sure how much time had passed since I started walking; walking towards that…that person that stood there. It almost felt like they were waiting for me, ever patiently, to reach them.

It looked like they would be waiting for quite a while, though, as I had made little to no progress in reaching them…despite the seemingly long time I had spent trying. There had to be some trick, some other way to get to them. Otherwise I never would.

“Do you need help, child?”

I jumped at the sudden voice and spun around. An aged man, his face cloaked in wrinkles and his hair stained white, stood before me. His attire was white; pure, blinding white, that covered his frail and slouched body from his collar down to the tips of his feet.

“Who are you?” I asked. “How did you get here?”

He chuckled. His voice was deep. Deep and…familiar. “That, my dear, seems to be the least of your worries. Even if I told you who I was, I’m not sure you would remember.”

Remember? “So…do I know you?”

“You did, for a time.”

I paused for a minute, waiting for him to elaborate, but instead he remained silent.

“So, um…are you going to tell me who I am, then?”

“I’m afraid I can’t, you dear. The only way for you to figure that out is to remember for yourself.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “If I could do that, I wouldn’t be having this problem.”

“Remembering isn’t as simple as you think, my dear. Especially when the past holds as much pain as yours does.”

Pain? “So…are you saying that I don’t want to remember?”

“Not necessarily.” His silver grey eyes sparkled with kindness and sincerity. “There are many memories I’m sure you would like to retrieve; ones that are much kinder and sweeter than others. The painful memories form a block. Your heart and your mind have formed a blockage; a form of self defense, to avoid reliving the pain you once experienced in life.”

The way he said “in life” sent a chill down my spine. “Am I…am I dead?”

“I’m afraid there’s only one way to find out, my dear.” He extended a weathered hand towards me. “Would you like to remember?”

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

Falling Behind (NaNoWriMo, Week 2)

So. Week 1 has ended, and it seems that I have fallen behind already.

To be honest, though, I was kind of expecting that.

This is my 3rd year participating in NaNoWriMo, and I have yet to last past the first day without already falling a bit behind in my word count. Does that suck a little? Yes. Is it an accurate display of my procrastination habits? You bet it is.

But the month is still young, my friends. It's far too early to call it quits now.

The thing with falling behind in November is that it's really not that big of a deal. 8 days may have passed, but that still means that there are 22 days that you have to complete your 50k. It's not over until the West Coast says it is!

The most important thing to remember, through all of this, is that the true reason for NaNoWriMo is to write. Whether to get 50 words or 50,000 by November 30th, you will have succeeded. Because you won't succeed if you don't even try.

Wow that was super cheesy and cliched and I'm sorry. No time to dwell on that now--I have a bit of catching up to do.


Until later,

-  Justyne



P.S. I added a little word count badge on the right hand side of the page. It shows my current word count and the percentage of completion I have achieved. So if you're ever wondering how I'm doing, just check back here. :)

Crumbling Away (Snippet Sunday, NaNo Edition)

Every Sunday, I copy and paste a snippet of writing here, to give you a taste of what I'm working on. Since this month is NaNoWriMo, everything I post for the duration of November will be from my NaNoWriMo project. As a result, the quality will be much, much lower than normal. I hope you enjoy it, anyway!

~~

I stood in the middle of the school auditorium. My hand fit perfectly into Drake’s, my dance partner, and my silver gown swooshed easily around my legs as we glided across the dance floor. The lights sparkled and reflected off of his dark eyes, smiling down at me. I caught the gaze, for a split second, of my best friend Lia. She smiled at me; she was happy for me. My gaze quickly switched back to Drake’s eyes. I smiled, grateful for my high heels as I leaned in to kiss him.

That’s when my world shattered. Literally.

The lights, the auditorium, everything disintegrated around me. Lia stared at me in panic, her arm outstretched as she, too, crumbled into dust. All I could do was watch in horror as everything fell apart around me.

I tried to lean into Drake; to seek protection in his warmth. But instead, I stumbled forward into nothing, almost losing my balance and tumbling to the ground. I spun around frantically.

He was gone.

Instead, Lord Borna loomed over me. His wicked grin struck fear into my heart; his eyes drove panic into my mind. The floor around me continued to crumble, leaving nothing but white all around me.

I fell helplessly to the ground, Borna’s laughter shocking my eardrums and rattling my brain. My platform of safety continued to crumble away until, finally, it was nothing. And I fell.

That’s when I woke up.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

Aaaaaand here we go! (NaNoWriMo, Week 1)

First things first: Halloween. Uneventful, but fun. At the last minute I discovered an old Snow White costume and dressed up for the entire evening, even though I didn't actually go anywhere. I don't think I've ever had so much fun dressing up for Halloween before. (Next year, I'm gonna be Belle.)

Now, moving on.

My 2013 novelling adventure began at midnight, where, despite the fact that I already felt sleep deprived (I slept in, for God's sake, WHY was I so tired?), I managed to jot down around 500 words before heading to bed.

500 words and the day has barely even begun! I smell a successful month.

Alas, I must not dwell too much on the details of this blog entry. I have writing to do.


Until later,

- Justyne

Head Over Heels (Snippet Sunday)

Every Sunday I share a little snippet of writing from my vast collection with you, the people of the internet. This week's excerpt is taken from "That Damn Umbrella", the first in a collection of modern day fairy tales. Enjoy!

~~

It all started because I forgot my umbrella.

My car broke down on the side of the road, about a half a mile from my house, situated quite literally in the middle of nowhere. No neighbours, no convenience stores, not even a gas station. Just my old house, sitting amidst the trees and fields one would normally find while driving down an old dirt road in the country. My phone was dead, my car reduced to nothing but a hunk of junk, and my house was still a good fifteen or twenty minute walk down the old dirt road.

Oh, and it was raining. Just to put the icing on the cake that was my day.

It was just drizzling at first. I don`t need my umbrella, I thought. My jacket will do just fine, I thought.

You’d think I’d know better.

Lightning flashed across the night sky, and the thunder followed shortly after, rumbling through the dark emptiness around me. I shuddered as I tugged the hood of my jacket down farther over my head. Despite the fact that it was supposed to be a rain jacket, it sure as hell wasn’t doing much to protect me from the sharp droplets pelting against my body. The rain soaked through much too easily, chilling me to the bone. I ducked my head against the raging wind and trudged through the endless, muddy puddles, my feet squishing in my drenched shoes.

Why, oh why didn’t I bring my umbrella?

Another flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and I flinched at the thunder that followed. Storms have never really been my thing. Had it been this bad when I left my car, I would’ve locked myself in and stuck it out until I could walk home under sunshine the next day.

I guess Mother Nature had other plans for me.

Without the help of streetlights to guide me down the road, I was forced to use a flashlight to guide myself. My flashlight did the job well; it was the batteries, however, I was more worried about. The light emitting from my pocket-sized flashlight was beginning to flicker and waver, sending waves of uneasiness through my heart. I quickened my pace, which proved difficult along the muddy path in front of me. I prayed silently that someone would come driving by, but I held little hope.

Another flash of lightning brightened the road in front of me, and almost instantly, the beam of my flashlight went out entirely, leaving me in the darkness of the night. I cursed aloud, my voice lost in another rumble of thunder. Against my better judgement, I inched my way forward, taking a shaky breath to calm my nerves. 

I have made this trek countless times by car, but walking at night, alone, during a thunderstorm is an entirely different experience.

It happened in the blink of an eye. I stepped in a particularly muddy—and slippery—patch of road. My balance slipped slightly, and just when I thought I would steady myself and escape unscathed, a pair of hands pushed against my back. Next thing I knew, I was tumbling down the ditch at the side of the road and rolling into a patch of trees.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

The Final Countdown (NaNo Prep, Week 4)

One week left, guys. One week left until we all lose our sanity. (Or at least I will.)

As we count down the final days until November, I shall gather up every tiny, little, sometimes not quite helpful piece of advice I have and graciously pass it on to you.

1) Caffeine is your friend, so up-size that coffee!
2) Stock up on chocolate. You'll thank yourself later. (Don't forget that Halloween candy goes on sale on November 1st!)
3) Jeans are not a necessity. Wear sweatpants or pajama pants all week, no one will care. (Except maybe your boss.)
4) Nobody really expects you to pay attention in class. Write instead!
5) Be sure to crawl out of your room every now and then to let people know that you're alive.
6) If you start posting on Facebook halfway through the month, rabid chihuahuas will sneak into your house through the pipes in your bathroom and chew off your face during the night. Maybe.
7) Your sims cannot write your novel for you. Unfortunately.
8) November is not really over until the final time zone says so. If anyone asks, on November 30th you live on the West Coast.
9) Similarly, November begins when the Australians say so. If anyone asks, you're Australian on November 1st.
10) Bathing is optional.


Blog posts will continue as usual throughout November. The quality of them, however...well, don't expect any Pulitzer Prize-worthy blog posts for the next five weeks.


Until later,

- Justyne

Floating Amnesiac (Snippet Sunday)

Every Sunday, I grab a snippet of writing hidden somewhere on my computer and post it here, for your enjoyment. Today's passage is the new-and-improved (i.e. completely rewritten) prologue from The Neutral, a story I began during NaNoWriMo 2012. Enjoy!

~~

I have no memory. Or at least, none of my own.

For as long as I can remember, I have been floating. There has never been anything around me; nothing but hot, white light. I don’t remember anything about myself; my name, my past, even what I look like is all fuzzy, like it was all a part of one big dream.

Voices echo around me sometimes. Most often they are regal voices, speaking in monotone voices that would put me to sleep--if I could sleep, that is. Sometimes, though, there are female voices; gossiping, teasing, whispering, giggling. The words are never coherent. Just a shallow buzz, muffled conversations, and laughter to jokes I could never hear.

Until finally, a voice echoes around me, her words finally becoming clear.

“Orlena! Come on, Orlena, it’s not that bad.”

Orlena? Is that my name? No, it can’t be. It doesn’t sound right.

But if I’m not Orlena…who is?

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

Cramming (NaNo Prep, Week 3)

When I say that I'm cramming, I normally mean that I've put off studying for a test too long and am cramming all of the information needed into my head in a measly 24 hours. (Which is, well, the situation for just about every single test I've ever taken ever.) This time, though, I'm talking about NaNoWriMo, during which the word has an entirely different meaning. (Okay, more like same meaning, but sliiiightly different concept.)

Your goal? 50,000 words in 30 days. Not an easy task--I only made it to about 14k my first year. (Granted, I wrote more than that the final day of my second year to win, but I digress.) I mean, your life is crammed enough as it is--school, work, chores, relationships, and that pesky thing called sleep that we apparently need--so finding time to squeeze in 50,000 words is definitely a challenge. But that's part of the fun, right?

When it comes down to it, finding enough time to write your novel isn't nearly as hard as it seems. It helps when you realize that all 50,000 words don't have to be written in one day. (Shocker, I know.) If you keep on pace throughout the month, you only have to write approximately 1,667 words a day. I know, I know, it still seems like a lot...so break it up a little more.

This is where the cramming comes in. Whenever you find yourself with free time--be it a minute, or five, or sixty--use that time to write. Before your class or shift at work starts, during breaks, on the bus, just before you go to bed, whenever. If you have enough time to browse through your news feed on Facebook, you have enough time to write. You have to cram writing wherever you can, in whatever tiny little increments of time that you have. At the time, it may not seem like you're accomplishing much--100 words here, 200 there--but trust me, they add up. By the end of the day, you could even find yourself with more words than the daily goal calls for.

If your schedule is already stretched pretty thin and you still find yourself struggling to reach the word count, try getting rid of some things. Make a list of the tiny little things you can give up for the month--Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever--and try your very very hardest to stay away from them for the month. (I won't even try and fool you by saying that you'll never turn to them--procrastination runs abound during November, and odds are that you'll end up browsing through your various social media feeds at some point. But just try your best, that's all I'm asking.) If there's anything at all that you can leave until December--including recording your favourite television shows and binge watching them in celebration after you've typed your 50,000th word--leave it. It can wait. (Unless it's a bill payment, those can't wait. Please don't make those wait.)

Similarly, getting as much done as possible while it's still October is just as useful. Book any hair or dentist or doctor's appointments, catch up on your e-mails, get as much studying or homework done as you physically can before November 1st rears its ugly head. I would also suggest using the few days leading up to NaNoWriMo to sit back and relax. (Or play Sims furiously for hours, as you all know I will be doing.) Get those various books and video games and movies out of your system, so you won't be as likely to turn to them when you're suppose to be writing.

And last, but not least, remember that life happens. If, for whatever reason, you can't make your daily, or even the monthly goal, don't beat yourself up over it. If November is a busy month for you and you don't feel you have time to write a novel, alter the goal a little bit. Make it lower--or even higher, if you're an ambitious little jerk and think you can do better. The point of NaNoWriMo is to write your story, however much of it you can. Even if you only write 100 words, that's still 100 more words than you started off with.

We have two weeks left, guys. Get ready.

Until later,

- Justyne

Singin' in the Rain (Snippet Sunday)

Every Sunday, I grab a snippet of writing--new, old, or somewhere in between--and post it here, for all of you to read.  Today's passage is from "Gone", an in-progress short story I've been writing over the past few months. Enjoy!

~~

I wish I could say the sun shone brilliantly that day. I wish I could say that I knew something good was going to happen.

In reality, that was the last thing on my mind.

The wind whipped my hair around furiously, the rain stinging my skin as it pelted down onto my body. As much as I wanted to deny it, I could’ve sworn that I felt hail among the drops of water falling from the sky. With my car broken and my town lacking a much-needed bus service, I was forced to jog to school—a good twenty blocks away.

My umbrella proved useless as the wind simply pushed it, inverting it inside out and almost knocking it right out of my hands. I had long since given up on it, closing it and shoving it in the canvas bag slung over my shoulder. Wrestling with it was only slowing me down. I was already soaked and cranky—the last thing I needed was to be late, as well.

I was in such a rush to get to school and out of the rain that I almost didn’t see him. And I didn’t, not at first. It was faint, but it weaved through the sound of rain pounding against the pavement, floating gently up to my ears.

The cheerful, pleasant strumming of a guitar.

I slowed my brisk walk, temporarily forgetting about the droplets dripping from my wet clumps of hair, and looked around. Everyone was continuing on their way, seemingly oblivious of the young, good-looking man strumming his guitar; an acoustic version of the song Good Life by OneRepublic. My favourite song, I mentally noted.

His voice soon accompanied the instrument. It wavered in some bits, was totally off key in others. But you couldn’t deny that he was enjoying himself, his own dark wet locks flying around his head as he swayed and shook his head to the music. His bright blue eyes lit up the gloomy day as easily as the sun could have.

Before I really knew what I was doing, I was calling out to him, “Hey.”

He continued on, oblivious to my calls.

I approached him and stopped a couple feet away. “Hey!”

He stopped singing, but continued strumming, his smile never disappearing from his face. “Can I help you?”

“What are you doing?” I asked, raising my voice to be heard above the weather and the music.

“Playing guitar,” he said simply, his smile extending further across his face. “What are you doing?”

I shook my head. “I can see that. But why?”

He shrugged, his hand still smoothly and effortlessly flying across the strings of the guitar. “Why not?”

“It’s raining.”

“Exactly.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I like the rain. I like playing the guitar. I like singing. And I like this song.” He grinned, his eyes brightening. “So why not?”

He finished up his song, and I found myself whistling the final notes along with him. As he began to pack up his guitar, he pointed to the building behind me. “Can I buy you a coffee?”

I turned around to see a Tim Horton’s coffee shop sitting peacefully behind me. I turned back to face him. “I should be buying you a coffee; you’re soaked to the bone.”

He cocked an eyebrow and grinned. I was rather fond of that grin already. “So are you.”

I smiled in spite of myself. “How about I buy you a coffee, and you buy me a coffee.”

He snapped the buckle of his guitar case shut and lifted it off the ground as he stood up. “Deal.”

I was late for school for the first time that day.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

Eenie Meenie Minie Mo (NaNoWriMo Prep, Week 1)

With the start of October comes the beginning of The Most Stressful Time of the Year.

No, not Christmas. NaNoWriMo; or National Novel Writing Month.

I'm 99% sure that I've mentioned NaNoWriMo before, but in case I haven't (or there are still people reading this who aren't familiar with it), NaNoWriMo is a giant worldwide event which challenges writers to complete a 50,000+ word novel in 30 days. It takes place every November, which is coming up fast.

Which means, it's time to start prepping our novels.

So for the next four weeks, up until November actually starts, I'll be blogging about my adventures prepping my own novel, and hopefully pass on some tips to you, as well.

The first and most important step to prepping for NaNoWriMo is to come up with the actual story. If you're like me, you have a stash of ideas that build up throughout the year, just waiting for November to come along (or for you to finish your million other projects to allow adequate time for something new). I have one story in particular that I recently came up with, and I would love to dive into it for NaNoWriMo.

Problem is, I have one other idea that I would love to work on, as well.

Last November I wrote a story entitled The Neutral for NaNoWriMo. Due to the length of the story, I had to sort of cut it off half-way through (otherwise I wouldn't have finished by the end of November 30th). Since I have yet to write the second half, I figured NaNoWriMo would be as good a time as any. And that's been my plan, basically since I finished the first half of the story last November.

But then I thought of that new idea I mentioned earlier and, well, now I'm stumped.

Sometimes it is as easy as playing a quick little game of "Eenie Meenie Minie Mo". But no matter how many times I try it, I still find myself yearning to write the other story. I've been flip flopping between the two endlessly over the past few days.

So many stories, so little time.

For now, I think I've made my decision. I think I know which story I'm going to go with.

Which one? Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see.


Until later,

- Justyne

Looking Back (WFMAD Day 30)

Well, this is it. The final post for WFMAD.

Despite all of the days I was stumped, uninspired, and quite frankly just didn't want to write a blog post, I have to admit that I had fun over the past 30 days. If anything, this challenge has made blogging way easier. (Although it may seem as though the opposite is true, as a lot of my blog posts have been posted at midnight or later...but I digress.)

I also learned, though, that blogging everyday puts a real damper on my other writing. In between the blog, work, and Sims (shut up, it's a necessity), I didn't have a whole lot of time to devote to my other writing projects. I was having fun, yes, but I was neglecting pretty much everything else. So while I may have 30 blog posts, 1500+ (!!!!) page views, and greater comfort in my blogging skills, everything else is WAY behind.

I'm sure I'll do this challenge again. I'm just glad this isn't a year-round thing.

It is going to feel SO weird not having to blog tomorrow. But you'll hear from me again, as always, on Friday. (And again on Sunday!) So until then,

- Justyne

Introducing Snippet Sunday! (WFMAD Day 29)

Today I'm going to start something that I've been meaning to start all month, but kept forgetting about it until now. I call it "Snippet Sunday", because it's Sunday and they both start with S and it sounds cool.

Basically what will happen is every Sunday, I'll post a little snippet of writing--it will either be something taken from an ongoing project, or something completely new, inspired by a roll of my inspiration dice. This will continue after WFMAD is over, so every Sunday you'll get an extra blog post, in addition to the one on Fridays. :)

In spirit of WFMAD, I'll roll the inspiration dice this week, instead of posting an excerpt from an ongoing project.

Genre: Fantasy
Character: Female child
Action: Explore

~~

It was dusk. The sky glowed with varying hues of pink, orange, and black, as the sun dipped below the grassy fields surrounding my home. I lay on the ground, eyes open wide as I waited.

One single, lonely star appeared above me in the sky. Then another. And another.

The sun was completely gone soon; the sky littered with thousands of tiny, twinkling lights. I identified the dozens of constellations my father had shown me over the past few years, each star placement as familiar as the layout of my house.

Except for one; one little star, whose shine dimmed and brightened inconsistently, who seemed out of place among the others. It flew in quick circles, and it was then that I realized it wasn't a star at all; it was a firefly.

I giggled and sat up immediately. It buzzed around my hea excitedly, before flying away in a flash. I jumped up and chased after it, my hair whipping behind me as the distance between me and my home lengthened.

I was simply an innocent child back then. I couldn't have known what my fun little chase would lead to; nor could I have known that what I was following wasn't truly a firefly.

Before I knew it, I was traipsing through the forest, with only the light of the tiny creature to show me the way. I hopped around tree trunks and jumped over roots like it was a game, smiling and giggling all the way.

Before long, we arrived at a meadow. Thousands of fireflies lit up my surroundings, their lights twinkling and sparkling and shedding light on the beautiful flowers around them. Excited at my appearance, and quickly gathered around me, circling around my body so fast that their lights all blurred together in one massive tornado of light. I had never seen fireflies before that night, but as one flew past my face, I realized something.

They weren't fireflies at all. They were faeries.

~~

I hope you enjoyed it!

Until later,

- Justyne

Christmas (WFMAD Day 28)

I am in such a big Christmas mood right now that I can't even handle it.

As I've mentioned briefly before (and as a good 90% of you will already know), I love Christmas. So much. I love absolutely EVERYTHING about it; the movies and TV specials, the music, the whole general atmosphere that surrounds that special time of year. I love decorating the tree and just about every other square inch of the house, and I love watching as the multi-coloured lights outside twinkle and sparkle against the ten feet of pure white snow that falls over Manitoba every year.

It is FANTASTIC.

As you can see, I get into the Christmas spirit really really early. I start obsessively counting down the days, and annoyingly blaring assorted Christmas music out of my speakers and throughout the house, and I just get super excited. I'm basically like a kid on Christmas morning...three months before Christmas morning.

The only problem with getting into the spirit so early is that no one else is getting into it. Aside from a couple of my friends (TAYLOR AND WENDY YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING), everyone gets annoyed when I start talking about Christmas in September.

But I just can't help it! I love it that much! I mean, not even the gift shopping gets me stressed out, because I genuinely LOVE planning and buying and wrapping everyone's gifts.

I think I'll end this now, before I start annoying you guys, too. Instead, I'll sit in my room, overly excited for a date that's still 87 days away (87!) and listen to Christmas music like it's already December.

Hey, on the plus side, it gets me in a good mood. :)


Until later,

- Justyne

Marathons (WFMAD Day 26)

I love marathons. The television kind, not the running kind. (I'm not built for running.)

The best kind of marathons are the kind I make for myself. I mean, official marathons on TV stations are great--I did get a Phineas and Ferb marathon on my birthday, after all--but have you ever cnoticed that most of them play the same four episodes over and over and over again? If I'm going to watch an 8-hour marathon, I'm gonna want some variety, thank you very much.

My favourite way to watch any show is to marathon it--to spend hours to days to weeks doing almost nothing but watching the series. Go big or go home, as they say. (Although I guess in this case I'm normally already home...but you get the idea.) 

The only problem with this method is that when it does come time to pull myself away--to work, to bathe, to get that valuable sleep that I so desperately need--it's extremely difficult. Never mind the whole laziness factor--because come on, the last thing you want to do after sitting on the couch for so long is get up--but after immersing myself in the story for so long, I just can't bear to pull myself away. Plus, there's the fact that every time I decide to stop watching, the current episode ends in a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger! How am I supposed to stop watching when the next episode is so readily available?!

The thing I probably marathon the most is YouTube videos. They're so short and funny and well made; it's impossible to "just watch one", and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

I do a similar thing with reading, too. I don't read nearly as much as I used to, but when I do, I finish my entire book in a day (give or take). I'll go without reading for weeks, then pick up a book and have it done within the hour. (Please note the exaggeration.)

It all comes down to the story being told, basically. If I like the story, I'll go through it quickly. If I don't like it as much, it'll take me a million times longer (if I don't give up on it entirely).

I mean, why take your time with an amazing piece of work when you can speed through it in a day and cry when it's done? (That should be my motto.)

Until later,

- Justyne

Different Paths (WFMAD Day 25)

One of the many, many things I love about writing is that there are virtually no restrictions to what you can do. Wanna make it up? Awesome! How about a recount of a true story? Perfect! Wanna talk more about yourself? No problemo, that's what autobiographies and memoirs are for! You can write novels, short stories, poems, plays, movies, TV shows, memoirs, biographies, how-to books, newspaper and magazine articles, comics, video game storylines...there is absolutely no limit.

Something I often like to do, when I start reading a new author, is read their little "About the Author" blurb. I like learning a little about the authors I'm reading--where they grew up, what their family is like, what else they've written...and, more importantly, how they got to where they are.

Because that, you see, is the most important limitless thing there is about writing. There is no "one way" to get there; you cannot google a step-by-step process to getting published. There are different ways of getting your story to the public; getting an agent, self-publishing, putting it on Amazon as an ebook. There are no restrictions or qualifications--all you need is passion, imagination, and, well, a finished story.

Is it possible to learn something if you take some creative writing courses? Yes! Can majoring in English Literature help you? Totally! But it can go the opposite direction, too.

I struggled with my initial decision to take English in school. I used to like English, really I did. But as I got older--particularly when the course name changed from "ELA" to "English Lit"--my fondness of the subject diminished more and more, until it eventually fizzled out into nothing. I never enjoyed the analytical portion of English--the part where you seemingly over-analyze every little word in an old book that you couldn't ever possibly care less about. (Did you know that the last time I read something for English I enjoyed was in 10th grade? 10th grade! We read like a million other books in class after that.)

I know it's probably weird, the fact that I hate English so much (with every fiber of my being, in case you weren't already aware). I mean, I like writing. I like reading. But even though English is composed of those two things, it is completely different, at least for me. I'm reading stories that I, quite frankly, hate beyond belief, and writing analytical essays that are composed of nothing but beaucrap. Two semesters of taking English in university, and not once did I ever have any idea what I was talking about in any of my essays. I was just making it up as I went. (How I managed to pull off an 80 in that class, I'll never know.)

I've heard time and time again that taking English Literature courses are supposed to "help" my writing, but truthfully, I didn't learn anything. Not. A. Thing.

I've considered applying to another school. I've thought about searching for schools with bigger creative writing programs; that actually offer enough that I can take it for four years. I know I'd enjoy it, and it could very well lift my writing to levels I can't even imagine.

But when I really, really think about it...I'm not sure if I really want to. Not right now, anyway.

Right now, I have other plans. Plans that involve my friends; some of the people I care the most in the world for. If I were to travel across the country, to attend one of the few schools I've found that allow programs I'm genuinely interested in...I'd be leaving my friends behind. Right now, that's not what I want. I'm not ready for that.

I don't need to follow some special path to reach what I want; what I've dreamed of for so long. And that's the best part--I can reach it my own way, be it through university or something else entirely.


Until later,

- Justyne

Blogging from Tim Hortons (WFMAD Day 24)

I'm doing the cliched writer thing again, and writing in a Tim Hortons. I find I have an easier time concentrating here, as I'm not distracted by the television. (Curse you, Netflix!! *shakes fist*) It also gives me an excuse to purchase a large iced capp, so everybody wins! (Or maybe I just win twice? I don't know.)

I had a bit of a...mechanical difficulty (?) on the way over here. Since I can't drive, I opt to ride my bike most places (so long as there's not ten feet of snow on the ground, which I can guarantee will be the case within the next two months or so). My plan was to head down to the bank, then on the way back to my house stop at Tims for a little writing session. Before I even got the the bank, though, the brakes on my bike kind of....broke.

Luckily, I wasn't riding down the street at top speed when it happened. I was stopped at an intersection, then when I took off to cross the street, my brakes got stuck. (Side note: trying to ride your bike across the street when your brakes are stuck is the most annoying thing in the world, especially when you know there's a car waiting for you to cross so they can turn.) Once I reached the other side of the street, I tried to get them unstuck, and I succeeded. Kind of. Now my brakes just don't work at all.

Sooo now I have to walk my bike all the way back to my house, which is a huge pain in the butt and I'm trying to dawdle around here for as long as possible because I am not looking forward to it. I only have 12% battery remaining, though (that's what I get for not charging my computer before leaving the house, I guess), my sandwich is almost gone and so is my iced capp, so I don't think I'll be here for much longer.

So, uh, Dad....if you're reading this...can you fix my brakes? Pretty please?


Until later,

- Justyne

People (WFMAD Day 23)

I torture my characters a lot. I kill their parents, put their closest friends and loved ones in utter peril, and just put them through extreme emotional termoil in general. It may be cruel, but it's part of my job description.

Characters are the most important part of the story, I think. Part of it is because, without them, there wouldn't be a story to tell--it'd basically be a painting. (Except with, y'know, words.) 

The other part of it--the bigger part--is that the characters create a portal, through which we can access these stories. Crafting characters when writing is incredibly hard, because the characters are the ones we're supposed to relate to. We're supposed to sympathize with them, understand their situation, and root for them as they move through the plot. In order for there to be a plot, things have to happen. It just so happens that that most exciting things are also the most tragic.

Think about it: a story about a character, whose life is nice and pleasant and enjoyable. Nothing bad ever happens; it always works out. Doesn't seem very interesting, does it?

Let's face it: if everything worked out all the time, if nothing actually conflicted with our characters to make them act out against it, our stories would be bland. Boring. Absolutely agonizing to sit through. We need our characters to experience the bad, the terrible, the heartbreaking. It's hard to sympathize with someone whose life is seemingly perfect; how many of us can actually say the same of our own lives?

(Put your hand down, you are full of crap and you know it.)

More often than not, the main character is forced to learn something; about themselves, and the world around them. If they learn nothing, or if there's nothing for them to learn, then their role as a character isn't given room for growth and change. Character development is key; it works with the conflict, with the everlasting tragedy that is the character's. The conflict challenges the character, paving the way for the story to take off. The development makes the story worthwhile; like something bigger than the original goal has been accomplished.

And without the characters, none of this is possible. It is those characters, with all of their quirks and traits, that truly makes a good story.

Until later,

- Justyne

Fangirling (WFMAD Day 22)

Okay so I wouldn't normally do this but it's late and I'm seriously low on ideas so here goes nothing.

I'm bringing my dorky fangirly-ness into this blog.

Tonight was the season premiere of Castle, aka the greatest and one of my (if not my absolute) favourite shows ever. I got home from work just in time to see it, and let me tell you, I went nuts.

I sometimes forget, over a summer or other extended hiatus, how much I love my television shows. This premiere literally had me squealing. Squealing, guys. (Okay, so that's not really new for me ever, but still. SQUEALING.) I could spend all night going on about the show; about how perfect it is, all of my favourite, itty-bitty little parts, and how excited I am for next week.

Without going into much detail, though, I will tell you this: it surprised me. Whatever I was expecting from the premiere, whatever spoilers I had read and whatever theories I had invented, were all tossed away, right from the beginning. I don't think I've ever been so surprised by an episode of anything ever before.

I think I'll end this here, before I start keysmashing. Keysmashing is more suited for Tumblr.


Until later,

- Justyne

Video Games (WFMAD Day 21)

As you may have already noticed, I am a huge nerd. (Or a geek. I've never been too sure on the difference, to be completely honest.) Part of my qualifications for being a nerd (/geek) is that I love video games.

I've never really been a hardcore gamer, per say. I never played first-person shooters like Halo or Call of Duty or God knows what else is out there. I never played online multiplayer games, or really any of the more popular video games. Most--if not all--of the games I got into playing were from the Nintendo franchise.

I love Nintendo. Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Mario...I grew up with these games, and playing any other system--like PlayStation or XBox--just feels weird. I had a PSP at one point--it lasted for all about two seconds because I quickly discovered that I couldn't play my favourite games.

My favourite video game series, I would say, is the Legend of Zelda series. (Okay, so maybe it's also tied with Sims, but I digress.) I have been in love with these games for years; ever since I used to play A Link to the Past on our Super Nintendo.

Ocarina of Time is especially a favourite of mine. Not only is its story one of my personal favourites, but it's also the first Zelda game I actually completed, entirely (okay, almost entirely) by myself; so it has a special place in my heart.

My favourite thing about video games is the way they tell their stories. They don't just tell you what's happening; you experience it. You're the one who rescues the princess, defeats the bad guy, saves the world. It's not just a story anymore; it's your story.

Until later,

- Justyne

Getting Lost (WFMAD Day 20)

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are a few things you can count on when my friend Kristen and I get into a car together:

1. She will be the one driving

2. I will be riding shotgun

3. We will probably get lost

And that is where we found ourselves tonight, at 9:30, after dropping off a friend at home. Lost.

We drove into the city today, to go shopping and visit a few friends. After hours and hours of fun, we decided to run through a McDonald's drive-thru before heading home.

That was our first mistake. McDonald's.

In our defense, neither of us had ever really been to that part of the city before. Our friend directed us as to how to get back on the main--and more familiar--road before we parted ways, but that didn't really help us when we came out the drive-thru into a massive parking lot with virtually no sense of direction whatsoever.

Leave it to us to get lost in a parking lot. 

Instead of panicking, though, or debating routes and looking up the directions to where we wanted to go, we started laughing. And by laughing, I mean tears-in-your-eyes, exploding-bladder-inducing, breathless-and-shaking laughing.

That is by far my favourite kind of laughter. It's the kind of laughter that lingers; that still has you giggling to yourself a good half hour later (as we were).

Moments like these are definitely embarrassing, but they make for good stories to tell.

They also give me something to blog about.

Until later,

- Justyne

Two Adventures with my Driving Buddy (WFMAD Day 19)

So earlier today, I asked my driving buddy (AKA my close friend Allison) what I should blog about. Her suggestions weren't exactly helpful, so instead I'm just going to share stories of a few of my favourite adventures with her.

1. Something you should really know about my driving buddy and I is that we go to Wal-Mart. A lot. Not quite sure why, to be honest; it's just our thing.

Anyway, last month we were on one of our many Wal-Mart adventures. We were sitting in her car, just down the street from the store, and there was this car driving in front of us. The car goes to turn left--a good meter or two before the actual curb. You'd think they'd stop, or swerve to avoid the curb (and the sign sitting on top of it), right?

Nope.

So the two of us watch, rattled, as whoever was driving the car honest-to-God MOWS OVER THE FREAKING CURB, driving over it AND the sign sitting on it like nobody's business, and calmly pulled to a stop in the parking lot across the street. The sign that had been placed legit bounced right back up after they passed over it. 

In retrospect, we probably should have stopped to check if the driver was okay--and God knows they wrecked their car doing that utterly pointless stunt--but we just kinda kept going and pulled into the parking lot, all the while laughing and freaking out over what we had just seen.

2. This next one dates back to our good 'ol middle school days, before we (read: her) could actually drive, therefore before we were actually driving buddies.

We were famous (read: not famous at all) for going on bike-and-scooter combo rides. Basically, she would ride her scooter, and I would ride my bike, because I was lame and didn't have a scooter.

For whatever reason, she had just recently developed an irrational fear of trains. Not exactly sure why, but either way she was terrified that some evil mastermind would drop a penny onto the train tracks and said penny would cause an incoming train to flip out and derail itself. Or something. \

So one day, we just happened to be down by the train tracks near our houses when we hear the whistle of an incoming train. Allison, freaking out, desperately tries to push her scooter away. Unfortunately, we were (for whatever reason) sitting in gravel / rocks, so her scooter would not push through them.

So instead, she lifts her scooter up over her head, and goes running down to the smooth pavement, screaming all the way.

Meanwhile, I am left standing in the dust, unable to get back on my almost-too-big bike and almost peeing myself because I was laughing so hard.

This remains my favourite story, like, in the history of stories.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these random stories of mine.

Until later,

- Justyne

10 Things You May or May Not Know About Me (WFMAD Day 18)

(I'm stumped and bored okay.)

If you know me in real life, you probably already know the majority--if not all--of the following facts. If you only know me through this blog, though, you might learn something.

1. I live off of chocolate milk. (If you are my friend and didn't already know this then I am severely judging you right now.) Seriously, though, if I ever became lactose intolerant, I would cry. And then get sick, because let's face it, lactose intolerance would never keep me from drinking it.
2. I am a nerdy, geeky, dorky fangirl. I watch anime and play Pokemon and get way too emotionally invested in television for my own good. (I think I already mentioned this but whatever.)
3. I love buying scratch tickets. Scratching scratch tickets is fun, okay? I promise that I don't have a gambling addiction.
4. The song Call Me Maybe is MAH JAM! One time I heard it start playing on the radio at the other end of the restaurant when I was working and literally ran down there to dance to it.
5. I have a slight addiction to painting my toenails. I'm actually about to paint them right now. I'd paint my fingernails, too, if I was ever allowed to have nail polish on at work. (The downside to working at a restaurant, I guess.)
6. I am not built for running. And by that, I mean that I'm lazy and hate anything that involves physical movement.
7. My favourite colour is purple. You can easily figure this out on your own when you see my bedroom.
8. My favourite food is macaroni and hot dog casserole. KD and hot dogs and sauce baked in the oven. IT IS A GIFT SENT FROM GOD.
9. I love Wal-Mart. Don't ask me why, I just do. I also have some fond memories of Wal-Mart adventures with a certain driving buddy of mine~
10. I built an office chair all by myself. Like last month. Or the month before or something. I consider it as my first real step to adulthood. (Aside from, y'know, graduation and all that.)

Can you tell that I was really running out of facts by the end?

Until later,

- Justyne

YouTube (WFMAD Day 17)

I have a slight addiction to YouTube. (And I think we all know just how "slight" my obsessions normally are.)

I've had an account on YouTube for quite a while now, but I've never been quite so hooked on it as I am now. I made a couple videos--really really bad videos that have since been deleted--back in middle school, but I haven't created anything for the website since. Instead, my addiction lies in watching videos.

This is a fairly normal addiction, really, as I'm sure everyone at some point has gotten hooked on watching viral videos for hours on end. But it's not necessarily just watching viral videos, though. I have found several different YouTubers--Jon Paula, Kristina Horner, Rooster Teeth, to name a few--that I have been following religiously for probably about a year now. They produce awesome material that I love to watch, and as of late I have found myself refreshing my YouTube news feed constantly, hoping that they've uploaded something new for me to watch.

I just love YouTube. Like, a lot. I love the ways that new stories emerge from it; how people are constantly discovering new ways to entertain everyone. Web series like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, personal vlogs from people like Kristina Horner, video game playthroughs from gamers like Jon Paula. Every time I log on to the website and see their videos, my heart soars; I love watching these videos, even if I probably spend way too much time doing it.

I'll be honest, a part of me has always wanted to make my own videos. I've had a blast making any videos I've produced in the past--no matter how cringe-worthy they may have been. I've never tried making a vlog--video blog, for those of you not up-to-date on your internet terminology--and it looks like fun. I mean, it's basically just taking a blog and turning it into a video, right? How hard can it be?

(Well, really hard, if you're trying to film with your crazy roommate in the room. Judging from my past experiences making school projects, anyway.)

I doubt I'll ever actually take the chance and film a vlog. I've got my hands full enough as it is; do I have time to spend painstaking hours editing weekly videos?

Well, that, and I look dumb on camera. I think I'll stick to my trusty old blog.


Until later,

- Justyne

Deadlines (WFMAD Day 16)

Let's face it: the only thing that could ever motivate me to finish my homework was the looming arrival of the test or assignment due date. (And if I'm being honest, even that didn't motivate me a whole lot this past year.) Deadlines, it seems, provide great external motivation.

The problem, I find, is that I suck at applying deadlines to my own personal projects. I tend to overestimate my abilities, and how much I can actually get done in a set amount of time. So when I do set deadlines, they pass easily without my project or goal being completed, which leaves me feeling frustrated and dejected and even more unmotivated than I was before.

The only exception to this, it seems, is this blog.

Aside from the brief period of time after the school year (in which I seemed to be unmotivated to do anything other than play Sims), I've been really good at updating this blog. I said I'd update every Friday, and for the most part, I've nailed it, every time. Even now, in the midst of a blog-a-day challenge, I have yet to fail. (Unless you count posting after midnight failing, which I don't. Cut me some slack!)

So what's the difference between this, and my other projects? Why can't my deadlines be as successful for everything else?

Maybe my other projects are simply too big. Maybe my deadlines are unrealistic; the work too big to complete in the given time. Maybe I need to develop a new routine, or a new method to working on my projects.

Or maybe, I just need to dive right back into it.

I'll be honest; now that I'm taking a break from school, and working mostly full time, the pressure is on. To make real progress on my writing, my art, and other creative projects. Before, with my focus always on school, this had always just seemed like a hobby.

It's not just a hobby anymore.

So maybe, despite all the times I failed before, it's time to give it another shot.


Until later,

- Justyne

Mornings (WFMAD Day 15)

(We have officially reached the halfway point for WFMAD! Woot!)

Mornings are the bane of my existence.

I'm not a fan of mornings. At all. I don't like getting up early, leaving the warm comfort of my bed and, you know, sleep, in exchange for having to stumble through a groggy state and actually be productive. Because let's face it: the only thing we ever want to do first thing in the morning is sleep, regardless of how many hours you've already gotten.

(Unless you're a hardcore morning person, in which case, you suck. No offense.)

The problem with mornings is that, without them, I get nothing done. During summer last year, and the year before (and probably the year before that), I developed a steady routine of sleeping in until noon every day, and staying up until 3 in the morning (normally watching anime or playing Sims). Aside from going to work and occasionally hanging out with friends, I got little to nothing done AT ALL, and it was the most frustrating thing ever.

I know what you're probably thinking. "Why, Justyne, if you wanted to get work done so badly, why didn't you start setting your alarm and going to bed earlier?" Well, smart guy, I tried. I set my alarm for 8. I set it for 9. I set it for 10. I had three alarms going off at one-hour intervals, hoping that at least one of them would get my sorry little ass out of bed.

Nope.

The thing you should realize is that there are two versions or sides to my personality. There is my normal, everyday, totally perky self, and my morning self.

The perky side of me is the one who is overly happy, always optimistic, who makes to-do lists and schedules and deadlines and who plans to go to bed by midnight and get up by 8:30 because hey, it's not so hard!

The morning side of me is the one who wrecks all of those plans by sleeping in three hours later than planned; whose first reaction when the alarm goes off is to hit the snooze and go back to sleep; who says, "Screw you, this is impossible" to the formerly optimistic plans made during the day.

It didn't matter what lengths I made to ensure that I wouldn't sleep in; I still would, without fail, until the day came when I had to start getting up at 6 am for school.

This year, though, things were different. I jumped into summer with the knowledge that I probably wouldn't be going back to school come September, and thus my one incentive to adapt a decent sleeping schedule would be null and void. I knew that this year, if I allowed myself to fall into my same old, messed up sleeping schedule, I would be stuck in that rut of unproductivity...forever.

(Okay, so maybe that's a bit dramatic. But we all know that I'd have a hard as hell time getting out of it again.)

So when I got home from PEI aaaaall the way back in April, I made a decision. A decision to get up at 8:30 am, every day. (Yes, even on Saturdays.)

I'll be the first to admit that I don't always follow through on this decision. Some days I sleep a little longer; some days a lot longer. Some days I wake up at 8:30, only to crawl back into bed and watch Netflix on my phone for a couple hours. (These days have been happening more and more frequently as of late.)

But for the most part, I've been pretty good about keeping my sleeping schedule intact. I've been good about not staying up too late (please ignore the fact that I posted this at one in the morning), and about starting my day BEFORE the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. I've been good about starting to get stuff done earlier, and as a result, have been getting more and more done during the day. My frustration is decreasing. And you know what?

I still hate mornings.


Until later,

- Justyne

Season Premieres (WFMAD Day 14)

It's that time of year again. School is up and running, the temperatures are cooling, and my favourite TV shows are starting to return at last.

The time for season premieres is upon us.

Last night was the first in the line of many returns and new arrivals on television this fall. Down in the States, the second season of The Legend of Korra premiered, and while I couldn't watch it live on television, some kind soul uploaded it online for us poor non-Americans to watch. I've been waiting over a year for the return of this show, and I REALLY enjoyed it!

Next up, this Monday, is the premiere of Dancing with the Stars is airing. I don't normally tune into this show, but Bill Nye the Science Guy is going to be dancing this season.

You heard me. Bill Nye the Science Guy. My childhood is screaming at me to watch this.

A week after that, on September 23rd, is the Castle season 6 premiere; which, after the finale back in May, I am absolutely FREAKING OUT about, you have absolutely no idea. (Unless you know me in real life, in which case yeah, you probably do have a pretty good idea.) I sincerely hope I don't work on this date because I'm 99% sure I will die in the prolonged wait a closing shift at the restaurant will cause.

A week after that, on September 29th, is the Once Upon a Time season 3 premiere. While I didn't enjoy the second season as much as the first, I'm still SUPER excited for its return. They're going to have Ariel, guys. Ariel. She's, like, my favourite princess ever.

And finally, on October 10th is the series premiere of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a OUaT spin-off. This is a new show, and one that I hadn't originally intended on watching...until I saw the trailer.

I mean, come on. It's a love story. This is ME we're talking about. I'm tuning in if it's the last thing I do.

Of course, there are also going to be new episodes of Phineas and Ferb airing occasionally, which I will DEFINITELY not be missing, because I love that show to death. The season finale of The Amazing Race Canada also airs the same night as the DwtS premiere, which I am equally stoked for.

What shows are you looking forward to watching this year?

Until later,

- Justyne

Rollerskating and Smelly Feet (WFMAD Day 13)

These are the things my family instructs me to blog about.

(My sister also suggested "the joy of working at MacDonald's", but that's her job, not mine.)

Since the day is basically over and I have yet to come up with anything better, I think I'll just roll with it. (Hehe. Roll. Get it?)

I suck at rollerblading about as much as I suck at ice skating (which makes sense, since they're basically the same thing in different seasons). I'm not too bad, I guess, considering that I can at least stay upright. But God forbid I go rollerblading on pavement that isn't brand-new and 100% smooth. I hit the slightest bump or imperfection, and I go flying.

My dad and sister talked today about going to a rollerblading rink. I really hope I get to go to this because come on, how many bumps or imperfections are going to be on a rink?

(There will probably be a lot just because I'll be there.)

I don't have much to say about smelly feet, other than the fact that I tell my sister that her feet smell a lot when they really don't.

(Oh no, my biggest secret has been revealed! *darts into refrigerator filled with chocolate milk because why not*)

Another random thing to add before I go: I spilt chocolate milk all over myself today. Not even kidding, guys. That's what I get for not putting the lid back on my Milk To Go cup between sips.

(I also got it all over the table and all over my chair at Subway.)

Really, really random blog post tonight, I know.

Until later,

- Justyne

In Which I Blog About Blogging (WFMAD Day 11)

I've been wangin' this blogging thing for the past six months now. (Seriously, though, it has not been six months already. It hasn't. I refuse to believe that, just like I refuse to believe my younger sister just entered high school, and that I, myself, graduated over a year ago. WHAT.)

To be completely honest, I still have no idea if I'm doing this right.

I find that my blogging tends to be all over the place. Sometimes, I give writing tips. Sometimes, I blog about writing in general. Sometimes, I ramble on about my life--which, I admit, is pretty boring. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm doing a good 99% of the time. Sometimes it's nice, to be able to wang it so frequently. Most times it's a pain in the butt, because I still have no idea what I'm doing.

It has its ups and downs, I guess.

But, since you're still reading this after six months, I must be doing something right.

Now, considering that I have blogged about a wide variety of topics, let me ask you: why do you read my blog? For the tips? For my day-to-day life activities? Answer in the comments below; I'm curious. :)


Until later,

- Justyne

Holy Crap Why Did I Do This (WFMAD Day 10)

It's that time.

That time, during any challenge I commit myself to, that I ask myself a simple question:

"Why oh why oh WHY did I agree to this?!?"

It's always easy in the beginning.

"Hey, this looks like fun! I'll give it a shot."

I never really think about it too much.

"Wow, this is easy! I'll nail this challenge, no problem!"

But eventually, the time comes. The time when you start staring at a blank document for hours upon hours, every day. When your daily goal isn't accomplished quickly and painlessly, at the start of your day, but mere minutes before you go to bed at night; if you even complete it at all.

Just as I have these problems with NaNoWriMo--which eventually leads to me writing 13k words in a day, which isn't all bad--I also find myself having troubles with WFMAD, this month. Some days have been easier than others; some days I finished the post early, had a chance to read it over carefully, and was able to post it without any problems at all. Other days, however, are filled with struggle; I spend the greater part of the afternoon wrangling words into sentences, failing to succeed before heading to work. My supper break is then filled with more wrangling, as I type furiously into my phone, followed by more of the same once I get home. Finally, the blog is updated; late into the night, when I should really be asleep.

I always imagine writing as easier than it actually is. I picture myself typing away furiously, the words flowing quickly and painlessly onto the paper. I'm always harshly awoken from my little fantasy the second I sit down to write, the blinking cursor taunting and torturing me as it refuses to reveal any more words of the story. 

This is the hardest part of any challenge I commit myself to; tredging on, even when writer's block stands in my way, and I'd rather do just about anything else.

It takes perseverance, and determination.  And I think it provides a test, of some sort; can you commit to finishing what you start?

I sure hope so.

Until later,

- Justyne

Happily Ever After (WFMAD Day 9)

I love happy endings.

Maybe it's my love of Disney movies, my hopelessly romantic heart, or the fact that sad endings make me...well, sad. Either way, I have always loved happy endings; both in the stories I'm reading, and writing myself.

Developing the perfect happy ending, however, can be tricky sometimes. Obviously nothing is absolutely perfect; there will always be one person who doesn't like the way things turned out, or who finds holes to poke in your happily ever after. For some people, a happy ending is ideal; for others, they need a more realistic, real-world-esque finale.

I love reading about happy endings. I love when the guy gets the girl; when the hero saves the world. I just love it when everything works out. When it comes to writing, though, things are a little different.

Generally, when I come up with a new idea for a story, three things come to mind: the initial conflict or plot concept, the climax, and the ending. I generally know right from the get-go how a story is going to end, but honestly, that ending isn't always completely happy.

Normally it is, don't get me wrong. Most of my stories have fairly happy endings; even if everything doesn't work out perfectly, enough falls into place for it to be a satisfying finish (to me, anyway). But every now and then, the story takes a more depressing turn, and the ending isn't quite as happy as I'd like it to be. It's not my personal preference; it's my writer's intuition, so to speak.

Like any aspect of a story, the ending has to feel right. I could make an ending as perfect and as happy as I'd like it to be while reading it, and it wouldn't mean anything if I didn't feel in my heart that it was right.

But whenever I write a sad ending, you can bet that there's an alternate version stashed away somewhere; one where the girl gets the boy, the hero saves the world, and everything works out.

It's always nice to have.

Until later,

- Justyne

3 Reasons Why I Love My Job (WFMAD Day 8)

1. I get to have dance parties! While deboning chicken. But still, dance parties!

2. I have easy access to pie! I still have to pay for it. But still. Pie.

3. Most of the people there are awesome, even if some of aren't so awesome. They make me laugh and are fun to be with and totally don't mind that I whistle while I work.

Today was a good day. It's days like these that remind me why I chose to go back to my old high school job, despite all the times that I complain about it. (And those who know me know that I complain about it a lot.) 

Even though my job is not the most glamorous, and I sometimes find myself wondering why the hell I decided to return to it, the people I work with make it worth it.

To quote John Green, what you do is not nearly as important as who you do it with.

(Actually I think that might've been closer to a paraphrase, but you get the idea.)

Until later,

- Justyne

And now, your Feature Presentation (WFMAD Day 7)

I've always loved movie trailers.

Not sure exactly why, to be honest, but I'd always be secretly disappointed whenever someone skipped over the previews on a DVD or VHS. There was always something exciting about them; "Ooh! A new story to fall in love with!"

Trailers give a brief insight into the story, the characters, the world. They are produced to sell the movie, and as such, the movie is rarely what we expect it to be. (I can't begin to list the number of times a movie was completely different than what I thought it would be.)

In a sense, a movie trailer is its own story. The story contained within them can change, depending on who's watching it. Different interpretations or expectations lead to different tellings of the story.

Sometimes, when I get stuck on a story, I imagine what the movie trailer would be for it (because I'm lame like that). Every trailer needs to be filled with just enough information to get the audience intrigued, but leave out enough to make them actually go see it. Trying to imagine it as a trailer sometimes helps me think of really dramatic / plot-invoking scenes worthy of a movie that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.



Can you guys tell that I'm running out of things to blog about?

Until later,

- Justyne