Writerlust

So much for blogging my process as I attempted National Novel Writing Month 2019... I forgot completely about this blog as all of my writing efforts poured into my 50,000 word goal for November. And I am most happy to report... with three whole days to spare, I WON NANOWRIMO 2019! With a story I wasn't sure had enough meat to make a sandwich out of, let alone a 50,000 word rough draft, I clawed my way across the finish line with time to spare. And the story surprised me! A romance was born that I didn't see coming. I created one of my most favorite comic relief (but also douchey) characters ever... I went dark and scary when I had fully intended to go completely comic and satirical. It was a fun little ride through my imagination and my love of horror films and paranormal investigation style television shows. It was also my first foray into young adult writing. I tend to write older characters, often even older than myself, but this time around I stuck to 18 to 19 year olds

So, Nanowrimo.org relaunched today with a beautiful, eye-catching design and updated features. It has me jazzed up all over again for November and this year's 50,000 word writing challenge! I can not wait! The best part about the website being up and ready to go is that Wrimos can publicly announce their 2019 projects. This makes everything feel official and I immediately logged on and announced my 2019 project, tentatively titled: Just Another Ghost Story. Here is the synopsis as it stands right now: When Janelle Carmen starts as an intern on the ironically popular paranormal investigation television show Paranormal Pace, she thought she was getting a fun taste of her future career in television. Instead, Janelle finds herself surrounded by a cast and crew who fake their paranormal findings for ratings and are not at all who they seem. So what happens when this group of frauds comes up against an actual paranormal entity, one hellbent on destruction and pain? Can they b

As a fiction novel enthusiast, when I'm inevitably asked who my favorite author is, I can quickly descend into a guilt-filled frenzy of trying to work out which authors have stuck with me over the years, which authors have written characters that changed my outlook on life, which authors have the most affecting prose... and so on. But in taking a deep breath and examining my home book shelf I notice that five authors stand out and have stuck with me over the years. So here are my Top Five Favorite Authors OF ALL TIME, in order:

At the beginning of 2018, I resolved to read more books because my usually voracious reading habit had waned severely in recent years. I longed to start writing again and what better way to fuel the desire to write than to read? I'm happy to say, I stuck to my resolution and finished a whopping 33 books (at least, that's how many I remembered to document in my Read in 2018 Pinterest board), which are broken down into the following categories: 21 fiction novels 6 graphic novels (3 of which were compendium volumes) 6 non-fiction/research books I've decided to briefly review and reflect on the books I read this year because I discovered some authors that I'm now a huge fan of while also revisiting some tried and true favorites that are always comforting and nostalgic to read through again. I will try to go in chronological order, but no guarantee. I kept track of the books I read through pinning their covers on a Pinterest board. I intend to do the same thing for

Last year was my first successful year completing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days to become an official winner of Nanowrimo 2018. If you've never heard of Nanowrimo, definitely check out their website: click here . Essentially, it's an online challenge to write 50,000 words starting on November 1 and ending November 30th. They also host "camps" twice a year to revise and edit existing works or to embark on writing challenges of your own. You may find yourself wondering, "But what's the value in completing a challenge where only you know you've won?" For me, I found value in Nanowrimo by taking part in the camaraderie and the community, commiserating with the other writers sweating and struggling and cheering you on. Turns out that in my hometown, Nanowrimo has a thriving following with write-ins going on all over the city and it's an exciting thing to be a part of. And so, I am already looking forward to 2019! I know it's now only July