November 12th, 2015
1400 hrs
Wordcount: ??
So. Um. Hi.
I, uh.
I may have just restarted. Like, with an entirely new novel.
I'm not actually sure what just happened here. All I know is that it really, really, really isn't good.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
NaNoWriMo Log 003
November 9th, 2015
1357 hrs
Wordcount: 2,889
I don't think I really understood how far behind I was until this moment. I mean, I knew I was behind, and falling more so by the day...but the par for today is 15,000 words.
Fifteen THOUSAND.
I am more than ten thousand words behind. I should have been past this point on DAY FREAKING TWO.
There is a lesson to be learned in this: do not, under ANY circumstances, get drunk the night before NaNoWriMo. Being hungover on Day 1 is the writer's equivalent of being hungover on the day of your calculus final that you never studied for.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
NaNoWriMo Log 002
November 8th, 2015
1715 hrs
Wordcount: 2,079
I know nothing. Literally nothing. I didn't realize how little I knew until I wrote 1,457 words and realized that I was trying to write my main character into a career that I had yet to decide on.
I've never written my way to my own discovery before. I let a story simmer in my mind for months before I write it--in fact, I haven't written a first draft of anything outside of November for a very, very long time. Eleven months for thinking, one for writing--it seemed to work. I didn't have everything figured out, of course; there were aspects I wasn't sure of, plot points I didn't know how to connect.
Currently, my main character is running down an endless array of stairs. His mind is a jumble of beginnings, of words, of arguments, of...well, everything. His life is about to change (in a way he's not quite expecting...hehehehe), and he has no idea what's about to happen--or how he even feels about it. He doesn't know what he'll be faced with at the bottom of the stairs, he just knows he needs to get there.
Currently, that is me. I have no idea what's happening right now. 0 idea. -5 idea, even! I have never held so little understanding or knowledge of my characters ever in my life. It is strange and disorienting and, if I'm being honest, kind of stressful.
We'll see how this turns out.
1715 hrs
Wordcount: 2,079
I know nothing. Literally nothing. I didn't realize how little I knew until I wrote 1,457 words and realized that I was trying to write my main character into a career that I had yet to decide on.
I've never written my way to my own discovery before. I let a story simmer in my mind for months before I write it--in fact, I haven't written a first draft of anything outside of November for a very, very long time. Eleven months for thinking, one for writing--it seemed to work. I didn't have everything figured out, of course; there were aspects I wasn't sure of, plot points I didn't know how to connect.
Currently, my main character is running down an endless array of stairs. His mind is a jumble of beginnings, of words, of arguments, of...well, everything. His life is about to change (in a way he's not quite expecting...hehehehe), and he has no idea what's about to happen--or how he even feels about it. He doesn't know what he'll be faced with at the bottom of the stairs, he just knows he needs to get there.
Currently, that is me. I have no idea what's happening right now. 0 idea. -5 idea, even! I have never held so little understanding or knowledge of my characters ever in my life. It is strange and disorienting and, if I'm being honest, kind of stressful.
We'll see how this turns out.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
NaNoWriMo Log 001
November 4th, 2015
0741 hrs
Day 4 has begun
and I
haven't
even
started
yet.
Lord help me.
0741 hrs
Day 4 has begun
and I
haven't
even
started
yet.
Lord help me.
Friday, July 24, 2015
External Motivation, Part III: The Role Model
Part 1: The Playlist
Part II: The Workspace
~~
My childhood hero was Sailor Moon. She was an irresponsible, clutzy crybaby on the outside, but on the inside she had a huge heart. She cared for her friends and family deeply, held more self confidence than I could ever hope to have, and believed that everyone was worth saving--everyone, even the bad guys. Her grades sucked--there's no delicate way of putting it--but every night she saved the world from whatever evil made itself known. She didn't win every time, but didn't let it stop her; she held an incredible amount of hope and faith in her heart. I wanted to both be her and be friends with her at the same time.
She was not only someone to look up to, but a friend when I felt like I had none. She and I go way back; she taught me to dream without hesitation, love without consequence, and fight for what I want out of life. The influence the character and the show had on me as a kid was a big factor in making me the person I am today.
In this case, I didn't consciously choose my role model. It's something I didn't even realized had happened until later, after a significant amount of thought and reflection. But often, a role model is someone we purposefully pick out; someone we see and say, "Hey, I wanna be like you!"
A role model can be a great source of motivation. Sometimes it's hard to mentally picture the person we want to be, and seeing this person who is excelling at all of the things we want to do gives us something solid to shoot for. In some cases, they can even give us adivce on how to get there!
But there's a danger in idolizing someone, be them fictional or real. We don't often see their failures, making it that much easier to ignore their faults and the reality of the life we want to live. When we see someone with the skills, talents, and attitudes that we lack, it's easy to feel discouraged with our own progress. It's easy to think that we'll never be as successful as they are.
It's also easy to lose yourself; when you're trying so hard to be like this other person, it's all too easy to drop the "like" and focus on being their twin. Instead of shooting for our own accomplishments in our own way, we try to do it just like they did. We drop our own opinions and interests and pick up the ones that made this one particular person so successful. We try to follow in their footsteps instead of forging our own path.
It's great to have someone to look up to, and knowing that they beat the odds to get where they are not only motivates us but inspires us to do the same. But you have to be careful that you use this role model to fuel your motivation, instead of letting the idea of them hinder it.
Who's your role model? Tell me in the comments!
Until later,
- Justyne
Part II: The Workspace
~~
My childhood hero was Sailor Moon. She was an irresponsible, clutzy crybaby on the outside, but on the inside she had a huge heart. She cared for her friends and family deeply, held more self confidence than I could ever hope to have, and believed that everyone was worth saving--everyone, even the bad guys. Her grades sucked--there's no delicate way of putting it--but every night she saved the world from whatever evil made itself known. She didn't win every time, but didn't let it stop her; she held an incredible amount of hope and faith in her heart. I wanted to both be her and be friends with her at the same time.
She was not only someone to look up to, but a friend when I felt like I had none. She and I go way back; she taught me to dream without hesitation, love without consequence, and fight for what I want out of life. The influence the character and the show had on me as a kid was a big factor in making me the person I am today.
In this case, I didn't consciously choose my role model. It's something I didn't even realized had happened until later, after a significant amount of thought and reflection. But often, a role model is someone we purposefully pick out; someone we see and say, "Hey, I wanna be like you!"
A role model can be a great source of motivation. Sometimes it's hard to mentally picture the person we want to be, and seeing this person who is excelling at all of the things we want to do gives us something solid to shoot for. In some cases, they can even give us adivce on how to get there!
But there's a danger in idolizing someone, be them fictional or real. We don't often see their failures, making it that much easier to ignore their faults and the reality of the life we want to live. When we see someone with the skills, talents, and attitudes that we lack, it's easy to feel discouraged with our own progress. It's easy to think that we'll never be as successful as they are.
It's also easy to lose yourself; when you're trying so hard to be like this other person, it's all too easy to drop the "like" and focus on being their twin. Instead of shooting for our own accomplishments in our own way, we try to do it just like they did. We drop our own opinions and interests and pick up the ones that made this one particular person so successful. We try to follow in their footsteps instead of forging our own path.
It's great to have someone to look up to, and knowing that they beat the odds to get where they are not only motivates us but inspires us to do the same. But you have to be careful that you use this role model to fuel your motivation, instead of letting the idea of them hinder it.
Who's your role model? Tell me in the comments!
Until later,
- Justyne
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Review: The Selection
WARNING: The
following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from
mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike
being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.
If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.
But don't say I didn't warn you.
~~
HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again! Today we'll be talking about The Selection, by Kiera Cass!
THE PLOT-Y BIT
Prince Maxon has just come of age, which means that it's time for the Selection--a competition between 35 girls to win his heart and, subsequently, the crown. It's the chance of a lifetime; one that America Singer wants nothing to do with. She knows what she wants--a future with Aspen, the love of her life, even if it means spending it in poverty.
Against all odds, she's chosen as the representative of her province, and is whisked into a world of ball gowns, fancy jewels, and life in a glittering palace. Nothing is what she imagined it to be--not even Maxon, who isn't nearly as stiff as he appears on TV. Slowly, she finds herself falling for him, realizing as she does that her ideals for the future are shifting, as well.
THE REVIEW-Y BIT
Do we have a tally going for the amount of books read in one sitting this year? No? Well, we should.
This year is quickly being filled with these kinds of reading experiences, and I am in no way complaining! Stories like these are the reason reading is so exciting! They're never intentional, of course--more of an oops-I-accidentally-read-300-pages-in-one-day-might-as-well-finish kind of experience. But that's also what makes them fun!
To be honest, I was a little iffy about this book going into it. Judging from the premise--a girl who competes against others for the prince's affections--it sounded a lot like The Bachelor on steroids. Still, I had heard good things about it, so I picked it up nonetheless.
Do you ever buy a book, intending to read it right away, only to leave it on your shelf for months, collections dust? And then, when you finally DO get around to reading it, the only thought going through your mind was, "Holy crap this book is amazing WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG??"
That. This book was that.
As cheesy as America's name is (Singer? Really?), I really liked her as a character. She knows what she wants out of life and is more than willing to fight for it. While stubborn at times, she's able to admit when she was wrong. And she's so full of compassion, I just know she would make a great queen. (She and Maxon have to get together. They must.)
Speaking of Maxon--God, how adorable is he? He's so socially awkward, yet at the same time so caring and kind and such a gentleman. He obviously cares about his people, too, judging from his quick actions to enforce a food bank type of system for lower caste families. He and America would / will make an amazing team--talk about a power couple!
I think Illéa's scoiety structure is super interesting. A lot of those dystopian-esque books take place way in the future, and even though this one techincally did (it takes place after WWIV), it didn't seem like it. Their technology was about the same as ours; not too advanced, but not described as a post-apocalyptic wasteland, either. It's just like ours, except...well, slightly different.
But that's what makes it so interesting! It parallels our society in a way that's so simliar that we can easily picture it and relate to it as easily as we can our own lives. It takes the things that are already wrong with our society--we're talking wealth distribution, homelessness, poverty--and emphasises them. It places further rules and restrictions, turning it into a bigger and more obvious problem.
Yes, there's something wrong in this imaginary world. But there's something wrong with our world, as well--all this book does is reflect on it and bring attention to it, in an interesting and compelling way.
STAR-Y BIT
This book earned a 5 star rating from me very quickly. Although it could have used some distance from the traditional topes we're used to in YA dystopians, it was still a great read!
What were your thoughts on this week's read? Be sure to discuss down in the comments!
Until later,
- Justyne
Monday, July 20, 2015
Micro Fiction Monday: Envy
Jealousy
can ruin a lot of things. It can destroy a friendship, or tear up a romance
from the inside out. If the jealousy is strong enough, it can even rip a hole
in a marriage, like a shard of glass slicing through your finger when you try
to clean it up.
But if
jealousy is a shard, envy is a sharpened knife, poised and ready for attack.
It was
the poor man who was envious of the prince—the man who was both rich and
handsome, loved and admired by al. The prince knew no hardships, not like the
poor man.
So the
poor man, who dabbled in magic, cast a spell on him. His beautiful features
turned green and slimy, his life destined to be spent in a swamp. He would be
unknown. He would be ugly. He would be miserable.
Mere days
later, the prince returned, a beautiful princess bride on his arm. The curse
was broken, his life now better than ever before.
The
poor man, meanwhile, remained poor and alone. Envy may be sharp, but a knife
slips easily. More often than not, it only injures the user.
~~
Until later,
- Justyne
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