THE MUSIC OF ONCE UPON (meet my wip's playlist)

What happens when you forget that you switched posting days? 

You also forget to write a post, and realize you're going to have to post it last minute. THEN you don't post it at all because you've spent hours working on your blog design (*coughcough*) and are sick of looking at a screen. THEN the next week you forget AGAIN that you need to post, and end up still posting late.

Me. I did all that. xD Bear with me, folks, I don't do change well.

BUT ANYWAY. That is not the topic of this post- it's actually much more fun. (At least, I think so.)

I recently read through my current WIP, Once Upon, and wrote down pages and pages of revision notes. It was SUCH  fun time going through it and reliving the story and falling in absolute LOVE with these characters again because did I mention that I LOVE THEM?? (I don't know what it is, y'all. but these characters are my babies and I can't get over how much I love them.)

If you know me, you know that I LOVE making music playlists to go along with each of my stories. And since I'm working on Once Upon right now and this music has been on my mind, I thought I'd share a few of the songs from my playlist- as well as their meaning to the story and some of my favorite lyrics! 

"Happily Ever After" by Jordan Fisher and Angie Keilhauer

Okay, first of all, this song is seriously awesome and you need to listen to it ASAP. 

It fits this story SO well, because Once Upon (as well as the whole series it's the beginning of) is all about rediscovering the magic of fairy tales, embracing the reality that they exist, and- of course- happily ever afters. One of my favorite lines of the song just about gives me chills: "The battles, the stories, the losses and all the glories..." Because that's what Trentley and Jynnia are experiencing. They're learning firsthand about all the wonderful things that happened years ago in fairy tales. They're seeing history come to life.

This song could be the theme to this entire series. 

"Ever Ever After" by Carrie Underwood

I mean, of course. "Storybook endings, fairy tales coming true..." Again, that could be the theme song of the whole story. And then "Deep down inside, we want to believe they still do." That's Jynnia. She hears the stories of how magic may have existed in the past, how fairy tales may have actually happened, and she hopes and believes with all her heart that they actually did, because what a wonder that would be.

"Never Gonna Let You Down" by Colbie Caillat

The great thing about this story is that I can include love songs in the playlist! Most of my books don't have a romance at the forefront, so I never really need any love songs. It's been really fun putting them into this one.

While this particular song doesn't strictly have to be a love song, it works so well for Trentley and Jynnia. They're always there for each other; they complement each other and build each other up. This is such a sweet song of putting your all into a relationship and it makes me smile when I think Trentley and Jynnia. 

"Today Was A Fairytale" by Taylor Swift

Again... of COURSE this had to be on the list. Because not only is it fairy tale-themed, but it's a sweet love song that just makes me want to write allll the Trentley and Jynnia scenes. 

"Speechless" by Naomi Scott

You guys know how much I love this song from THIS post, so I was happy to be able to include it in this playlist. It works because this book is the springboard to a whole series where Trentley and Jynnia are trying to show the injustice of magic being outlawed, and doing what they can to bring it back to life. Jynnia is quite spunky and outspoken, so it's safe to say that she doesn't often go speechless; this song was a perfect addition to represent her passion for what she's fighting for and her determination to make a change. If Jynnia has a theme song, this is it.

1000 Years by KT Tunstall and Bleu

This one just about gives me chills. Again, it's a love song, so of course it's for Trentley and Jynnia. But what makes it so perfect for this story is the theme of a thousand years. No, that particular number isn't a theme in the story... but it's about fairy tales resurfacing after many years of being hidden in the past. It's about not letting their legends die because people are afraid of magic. And it's about Trentley and Jynnia's love lasting through trials and tribulations. 

So, this song is a beautiful promise that Trentley and Jynnia's love will last forever, and in 1000 years, perhaps people will be telling their story just as they do the fairy tale romances of old. 

Remember Me by Ivan Torrent

I've mentioned this song before. It's super beautiful, first of all, and I've come to love Ivan Torrent's music because it's so dreamy and epic and magical all at the same time- and it's great to write to. 

This song in particular is so perfect because the lyrics are a plea to remember the past. "Once upon a time there was a charming prince..." "Please remember it..." I mean, come on. How could this not be on this playlist? 

And that's it! There are a bunch of other songs on this playlist, but I could talk about them forever so I won't go there. xD If you haven't heard any of these songs, go listen to them!! This playlist is so fun and magical, and really gets me excited about this story. Funny thing, though... I rarely actually listen to it while I'm writing. Every now and then I will, but lately I've been needing to listen to just music when I write, because lyrics distract me. xD So, usually I'll end up listening to it when I'm driving to and from work (which results in a long, miserable day of missing my characters). 

Speaking of the story... happy Camp NaNoWriMo! July's Camp sneaks up on me every. year, and I was completely unprepared. Hehe. This month I'll be working on... you guessed it... Once Upon! It's time for revisions, so me and my pages of notes are going to become real good friends these next few weeks. (or enemies. I mean, it could go either way.)

And one more thing... *casually points up* I redid my blog header! And renamed my blog! *confetti* 

I LOVED "The Ones That Really Matter". It came straight from of my favorite books, from the mouth of one of my absolute favorite fictional characters. 

But... it was time to let it go. (Sort of.) I wanted a tagline that was a little more original, and I wanted to make my name more prominent on my blog. (which sounds super narcissistic but you guys know what I mean. xD) I came up with "Words That Really Matter" as a way to keep my original tagline alive, while also putting my own spin on it. We're all writers and/or readers here- so I don't think I need to explain to you all what I mean by words mattering. And since this blog is like a big conglomeration of things that matter to me, I think it's fitting. I hope you guys like it too! < 3

I hope you all have a most lovely July! Let me know if you're doing Camp NaNoWriMo! *cheers you on anyway*

Do you make writing playlists? Do you listen to them when you write or at other times? Any recommendations for great writing music? And who's doing Camp NaNo? Tell me about your project!

APRIL 2020

Another month, come and gone, and a new month has arrived. It happens so fast, doesn't it?

I don't know about you guys, but April kind of went by in a blur for me. (I blame it on Camp NaNo xD) I can't believe it's already over and May is here. o.o Hopefully that means the ACTUAL end of gloomy weather and sunshine is here to stay! (except, y'know, not forever. I still love me some rain.)

BUT ANYWAY it is time to recap the month. READ ON, FRIENDS. 

I only read two books (or maybe two and a half??) in April. *sigh* They were amazing (I'm still on my reread of the Out of Time series), but I do wish I was reading a little faster! Granted, this month was consumed with writing (yay!) so I spent most of my waking moments doing that, but still. I remember when I could finish a book in two days. *cries* HOW DOES ONE HARNESS TIME.

I also got quite a few new books this month and I'm pretty happy about that. xD I got Unblemished by Sara Ella, Rising Shadows by Ashley Townsend, The Story Raider by Lindsay Franklin (I don't have The Story Peddler yet but this one was FOUR DOLLARS so I couldn't pass it up), The Book of Secrets by M.L. Little, Porch Swing Girl by Taylor Bennett, and Captives by Jill Williamson. I also won an ARC of Dust by Kara Swanson???!! I haven't received it yet, but I'm so excited!!

This isn't exactly a reading thing (maybe I should change the title of this segment to "Bookish"?? xD), but I got two candles from Pixie Dust and I am IN. LOVE. (I don't have a picture of both of them, but I got the Romanov one and the Wood Between the Worlds one and they smell SO. GOOD. And they're so prettyyyy.)

It was Camp NaNo month!! *cheers*

My goal this month was to finish the first draft of Once Upon. And guys: I DID IT!

I have no idea why Mark Ruffalo is dancing with a Muppet, but could I pass it up? No.

You know that feeling when you're soo close to finishing a book but it just keeps going on and on...?
That's what happened here. xD I knew the end was in sight, I knew what had to happen, but I got to a point where I just had to keep writing and writing and threading these important scenes together and IT GOT KIND OF EXHAUSTING. But I made it through and I finished!! Once Upon is officially drafted!

My final word count was 92, 585. 50,000-some odd words of that were written last November, and I wrote 42k in April. o.o I can't believe I wrote that much honestly?? Like that's almost a whole other NaNo. I don't really know how I'm still alive.

And can I just say that I was torturing myself by torturing my characters there toward the end? xD It got to the point where I was almost mad at myself (key word: almost) for the stuff they were going through. Especially my precious boy Trentley! *protects him at all costs* *except doesn't because I'm the writer and I will therefore torture him*

I'm going to miss Trentley and Jynnia, but I'm so excited to move on to my next big project! I plan to start rewrites/edits/whatever the heck needs to be done on Roots to Claim next and I AM SO EXCITED. I loved spending April fully immersed in Once Upon, but I joked a few weeks ago about lusting after other stories and, well, that's what's been happening. I can't stop thinking about Roots to Claim and I can't wait to get back into it and reunite with my boys Archlan and Quinard and make myself emotional all over again.

COLLEGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING, PEOPLE. And I'm not a fan. xD

I officially have my schedule for this fall, which doesn't even feel real? I keep forgetting, but the reality is that I start college in three months. o.o I'm not ready? Yet I'm also ready? It's weird. xD Please pray for me as I start this new venture!

The last weekend of the month was something I'd been very, very eagerly anticipating and counting down the days for... an event that got cancelled. -_- Well, not cancelled exactly, but postponed until July. I'm glad it's still happening (and I fully supported it being postponed), but WOW it was frustrating when the days I'd waited so long for arrived for nothing. xD BUT I still had an amazing weekend. I had taken off from work for the event, so I had four days straight at home. (That NEVER happens.) I did some reading, some cleaning, some baking, (okay this is sounding like Tangled?? 100% unintentional but I'm 200% okay with it xD) and SO MUCH WRITING. I honestly don't know if I would have finished Once Upon if it hadn't been for that weekend.

THE MOST EXCITING THING HAPPENED THIS MONTH WHICH I HAVE ALREADY FLAILED ABOUT BUT WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN. THE HAVOK: SEASON TWO ANTHOLOGY CONTAINING MY STORY RELEASED.

I'm so excited about this and I can't believe it's real! I can't wait to have a print copy in my hands. I've been published in a magazine before (yeaaaars ago) but this is different. It's a legit book. I'll be able to say that I have a story ON MY BOOKSHELF.  (Aaand the fact that I'm IN A BOOK WITH JILL WILLIAMSON is pretty darn cool, too. I haven't read any of her books yet but I've been following Go Teen Writers for years so this is just insane.)

*squee*

I went to the Facebook launch party for the anthology (literally created a FB account just for the occasion xD), and it was so much fun! I highly recommend going to the next one if they do it for the next anthology. It was a blast to hang out with the other authors and celebrate all the stories.

Also, the anthology release was the same day I finished writing my book. So that was a really good day. ;D

Have some laughs!

Okay but can I just say how much I am LOVING this channel?? XD Their videos are HILARIOUS and that DISNEY QUARANTINE SONG VIDEO. The whole thing's great, but the end had me DYING. Tangled fans, this one's for us. ;)

YOU ALSO NEED TO WATCH THESE BECAUSE THEY ARE HYSTERICAL:

What I've been listening to:

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship // this is one of my new favorite songs IT'S JUST SO GOOD GUYS
Separate Ways by Journey // I got on a bit of an 80s kick and I ain't done yet xD
Disney music // I know that's not very specific but I've been listening to a lot of Disney music xD I listened to the whole Tarzan soundtrack for the first time and IT'S SO GOOD
Brandon and Derek Fiechter // I discovered these fairy tale/fantasy instrumentals on YouTube and it was PERFECT to listen to while writing Once Upon! Definitely look them up, they have a ton of amazing music. (They're on Spotify too!)

I've also been listening to Nadine Brandes' playlist for A Time to Die because um YES I NEED MUSIC TO MATCH THIS BOOK. I haven't quite made it through the whole playlist, but it's perfect. (There are also playlists for the rest of the series! And Fawkes! And Romanov! *heart eyes to all of it)

Oh and on that note: I GOT SPOTIFY PREMIUM. And WOW I'm loving it already! It's so much easier to make playlists than it is on YouTube, and there are no ads. xD

Aand that was my April! It was a good month, with a fantastic finale. I'm so ready to move on to May and see what it holds! I'm excited to keep writing (because I'm totally in a writing mood right now and I just want to plow through and write ALL THE THINGS), reading, praying, and growing. LET'S ROCK THIS MAY, GUYS.

How was your April?? Wrimos, what's the verdict on the first Camp NaNo of 2020? What's some music you've been enjoying lately?

CAMP NANO 2020: THE FIRST TEN DAYS

Happy Easter weekend, everyone!

As you probably know, this month is Camp NaNoWriMo. I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was working on Once Upon this April, with plans to finish up the first draft.

If you didn't know, Once Upon is the fantasy novel I wrote the first 50k of last November. I hadn't TOUCHED it since November 21st, when I won NaNo and starting sleeping again. (lol I wish I was joking but NaNo '19 destroyed me) Today I thought I'd give you a little recap of my first ten days of
Camp NaNoWriMo!

I wasn't originally planning on doing one of these posts, so I don't have updates for each day past the word count. Go, un-preparedness. So... enjoy said daily word count.

Day One: 72 words
Day Two: 370 words
Day Three: 12 words
Day Four: 85 words
Day Five: 1244 words
Day Six: 1519 words
Day Seven: 1213 words
Day Eight: 14 words
Day Nine: 1676 words
Day Ten: 176 words

Total: 6351 words

And overall, the whole book is currently at 56,545 words.

It's obvious that some days I'm only writing so I can say I wrote that day. Not that that's a bad thing-- writing a few words means you wrote SOMETHING and that's better than nothing. (And that's how you make a habit!) But I've been putting off writing until the last minute and then realizing I don't have time to reach my ideal word count for the day. And that, my friends, is how you end up writing 12 words. xD

I've been a LITTLE disappointed with how the story is (or isn't) flowing. I expected to roll back into it pretty well, but there HAVE been a few times when I've just sat there staring at the screen for a good while. If you didn't know, more often than not I'm a hardcore pantser, and this go-round is no exception. We going into each writing session with less knowledge of what's going to happen than the neighbor's dog.

It's unpredictable but it makes for an entertaining time. xD

I DO realize that on those days when I wrote 1k+ words, said words flowed a little better. When I allow myself extra time, I can get deeper into the story and it'll tend to tell itself more easily, rather than me trying to force out words to meet a quota.

Also, remember how I said I hadn't touched my story since November? Yeah, it really showed when I started trying to write. xD I opened up my story, went to where I had left off, and immediately realized I was in big trouble.

Fortunately, I was able to stumble my way back to the present and get back into the mindset for the story. xD I had to skim back over what I'd written last year, which I definitely should have BEFORE April 1 (lol look at me always prepared), buuut I survived.

However, while I was SUPPOSED to hyper-focused on finishing Once Upon, the unthinkable happened: I started thinking about another story.

Yeah. I know.

See, when I finish the first draft of Once Upon, I was already planning to either go back and edit it, or edit Roots to Claim. And after I made those plans I started daydreaming about Roots to Claim, and realized how much I missed it and how it would definitely be the story I work on after Camp. And then I started thinking about its playlist. And then I started thinking about the characters and started getting emotional.

BASICALLY I JUST GOT MYSELF IN A BIG OL' MESS.

No, I'm not abandoning Once Upon. But I do feel like I'm cheating on it by lusting after another story. xD

So, yeah. That's a thing that's happening. I'm still enjoying working on Once Upon (have I mentioned before that I love Trentley and Jynnia with all my heart???), but, well, I'm kind of ridiculously excited about getting back to Roots to Claim when I'm done. but you didn't hear that from me please don't tell my wip

Aaand that's how the first third of my Camp NaNo has gone. xD In general, I feel it's going pretty well. BUT I also think I'm really going to have to kick it into high gear in order to finish this draft this month. Because I have my goal set at 20k for the month, my brain keeps telling me I just need to make that goal in order to win Camp. But I sort of just set that goal as a placeholder, when in reality my goal is to finish the story, and who knows who far past 20k that could take me? I really don't expect it to be very long (Roots to Claim came out around 80k, I believe), but we'll see.

So, if you need me I'll be wildly typing away trying to finish this story without tearing my hair out.

(Also, if you're interested in checking them out, here are this story's Pinterest and playlist!)

On a final note, I hope everyone has a lovely Easter! It's going to be quite different this year, and it's going to be WEIRD not being in church OR with my whole family this year. But in reality, Easter's not about dinner or family or even church, right? It's about Jesus, and HE hasn't changed a bit.

How has Camp been going for all you Wrimos? Anybody else struggle with thinking about your other stories instead of the one you're working on? And how will YOUR Easter be different this year? 

ONCE UPON: Know the Novel Part 3!!

Hey guys! Remember when I said I only had one post planned for December? Well, this is it, because of course I had to do the final part of Christine's Know the Novel linkup. I'm sure you all know all about it, so I'll save the details. (And if you don't know, you can hop on over to Christine's post, where she'll explain it much better than me.)

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, NaNoWriMo 2019 has ended. And honestly? It already feels like FOREVER since I won. I finished on the 21st, and didn't write anything else in my story for the rest of the month. So at the beginning of December, it was really strange to think that some people had finished NaNo only a few days ago.

NaNo feels like a dream. I wrote so hard for those 21 days, and then just stopped cold turkey. Now I can't believe it actually happened. Is that weird? xD

Well, anyway, I'm excited to be answering these questions! Onto the linkup! (wow, Emily. seamless transition as usual.) Also, I'm going to sprinkle some aesthetics throughout for your viewing pleasure! (photos are from Pinterest!)

1. Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around? 

PRETTY WELL. There was minimal I-don't-even-know-what-to-write (although it was still there, BELIEVE me). The pantsing was real, though, and we had our struggles. HOWEVER, it all worked out! (So far. The thing's not done yet, so I can't say too much. xD) The writing went pretty smoothly, even if I did make everything up as I went.

2. Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome? 

Well, I wasn't expecting anything, because like I said, I made it up as I went along. xD But as far as the atmosphere, the feel of it, I think it was pretty close to how I expected it. And I'm loving what I have so far.

3. What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? (Characters, plot, setting, prose, etc.) 

I think I keep saying this over and over... But I loved the characters and the setting. I've already
flailed a good deal enough about Trentley and Jynnia and how I love them so much, so I'll spare you that today. But I love the setting because of the simple magic, the fairy tale-ness of it, and the
FAIRIES, guys.

4. How about your least favorite part?

Umm... none of it? Except maybe the fact that I'm not a hundred percent sure how everything's going to wrap up, so writing certain scenes was kind of like unlocking a black hole.

5. What do you feel like needs the most work? 

What I just mentioned. A lot of this story is still a big mystery to me, so that planning I probably should have done before I started is going to turn into lots of rewriting and rethinking.

6. How do you feel about your characters now that the novel is done? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details!

Well, like I said, it's not quite done yet. But it's mostly done (hopefully). And I love everyone!! Of course you know I feel about Trentley and Jynnia. But then there are the fairy sisters, who have attitudes bigger than they are, so they've been kind of a blast to write.

My favorite is for sure my precious Trentley. He's so sweet and adorable and I would like to marry him, please.

Least favorite? Probably one of the aforementioned fairy sisters. Not that I don't like her, but she's super bitter about something that happened involving one of her sisters, and she really just needs to get over it because said sister is a sweetheart and doesn't deserve this treatment.

Who surprised me? HOW ABOUT EVERY ONE OF THESE SEVEN FAIRY SISTERS I KEEP TALKING ABOUT. (the ones I've introduced so far, anyway) I didn't even know they were going to exist until I wrote their first scene, and I DEFINITELY didn't expect their personalities to be what they are.

7. What’s your next plan of action with this novel?

FINISH IT. I don't really know how much I have left, but I think I'll be able to finish it pretty quickly if I really crack down on it when I start writing again. I'm not sure when that will be... either the week between Christmas and New Year's, or in January. I'll probably try to finish it the last week of the year, because I really wanted to finish it this year, and there's another project I really want to work on the new year. BUT we'll see how it goes. xD

8. If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be? 

Of course, step one would be to have it published. (And, y'know, a bestseller would be great.) It will be the first book of a series (although I don't know how many books there will be), and eventually, of course, it will be made into a movie. Or maybe a series? I don't know, since it's the first book of a series it might be better as a Once Upon A Time-esque TV show. One season per book. ;)

9. Share some of your favorite snippets! 

THIS IS SO HARD GUYS. Partly because I feel like I've already shared so many, and partly because most of this draft is so bad that I don't WANT to share most of it. xD But I'll try. (And yes, there will probably be some snippets I've already posted. Shh.)

Covered up a mild spoiler xD

So, I realized as I was collecting these that there are some typos. Whoops. Sorry. And also that I have no idea why their bodies don't get tired but their wings can?? That makes literally no sense and is a perfect example of my first drafts. xD But I hope you enjoyed Trentley and Jynnia's adorableness and the fairy sisters' sassiness. Basically the whole book.

10. Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel?
One-- I can write 50k in a month!! Which I already learned last year, but this year I learned that I can do it AGAIN.

I also learned that I can indeed make time to sit down and write even when I might not think I can. November was no less busy (or more organized xD) than any other month, but with the pressure (in a good way) of NaNo, I made time for my story. I hope to take those responsible writerly habits into the new year. ;)

And that's it for Know the Novel this year! It's weird to think that NaNo was so long ago now. xD I haven't touched my story since November 21st, even though I'd kind of hoped to finish it this year.
But I'm kind of glad I decided to just take a break this month. I've mentioned not a few times that this NaNo left me pretty exhausted. So I'm thoroughly enjoying this rest!

BUT I'm also looking forward to next month (next YEAR!!), because I'm hoping to really get back into writing and accomplish big things in 2020! (Like finishing at least one first draft. Because I'm tired of being stuck in the first draft stage of so many projects.) I'll definitely have a post up sometime soon with my 2020 goals, so stay tuned for that if you're interested!

I hope you guys are having a lovely December!

Soo how's everyone's December going? Can you believe Christmas is NEXT WEEK?? And there are only less than two weeks left of 2019?? EXCUSE ME WHILE I PANIC. Also, are you guys doing any writing this month? Or maybe taking a break? Let's just chat all the things!!

ONCE UPON: Know the Novel Part 2!

HELLO EVERYONE. I come to you on this very random day like I said I would, because NaNoWriMo has kept me Very Distracted and I didn't get this post up earlier. BUT I wanted to make sure to do it, because today I bring youuuu: part 2 of Know the Novel!!

I just love this linkup by Christine, and I loved answering these questions for Once Upon! I love this story so much, even though it's a mess and has made my life a mess this month. xD I do want to say that while the book's not finished, I'm not writing at the moment. (I decided to take a break after winning NaNo to relax and focus on Thanksgiving and other things.) So these questions are in present tense, but I answered them while I was still writing. Mmkay. Probably not necessary to point that out, but there you go. xD

I'll spare you any more rambling, and lead you right into: Know the Novel: Part 2!

1. How’s the writing going overall?

So much better than I expected! I went into this with NO PLANS, guys. And at 20k I still hadn't gotten stuck. That's amazing for me. It's pathetic but it's true. xD

2. What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far? 

Trentley and Jynnia's relationship!! I keep bringing this up, and it's probably starting to get really old, but SERIOUSLY. I just LOVE them. Also just all the fairy tale aspects. It's seriously so much fun playing around with all that.

3. What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I absolutely love Trentley and Jynnia. They're the sweetest little babies. Jynnia gets on my nerves a teensy bit at times (I mean, girl. Don't break the law. You've been warned. Stop it.), but I still love her. And my side characters are SO MUCH FUN too. I didn't think this story was going to be sassy but there's sass. Lots of sass. In the form of fairy sisters. A whole slew of them.

4. Has your novel surprised you in any way?
Um, yeah, only every time I sit down to write. XD When you don't do any planning whatsoever, your story basically tells you what to do. My writing is pretty much the equivalent of when you're running too quickly down a hill and your feet start going too fast for you to keep up with. Things are happening and you're not sure how they're going to end but there's no going back now!!

5. Have you come across any problem areas?
Not really. :o The only "problem" I would say (besides the awful writing lololol) is just that I'm hardcore pantsing (like, more than EVER before) and I don't know if I'm going to keep ANYTHING I'm writing. But I'm okay with that, because I've adopted the term "discovery writer" for myself, and I think it describes me really well. The first draft is just like an experimentation, if you will. A meet-and-greet where I get to know my characters and the setting.

6. What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?
In story terms, being able to keep writing without stopping, and pushing through to the next scene even when I don't know what's really going on! In NaNo terms, staying ahead of my word count and breaking my records from previous years.

(For the record, I just want to clarify that crushing a ridiculous word count and breaking records does
NOT determine whether you're having a good NaNo. It's just my goal for this year.)

7. If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?
Well, HOPEFULLY I'd be Jynnia, so that I could have Trentley all to myself. *pathetic fangirl giggling* *over my own story* *wow what a mess I am*

But in reality, I'd probably be Trentley. He's awkward and unsure and doesn't talk a lot when he's around people he's not comfortable with.

I think I'd pretty much take the same actions he has... he's quiet until he has something to say, then he gets out of his comfort zone and says what he has to say when it matters. (Except let's be honest, I don't say everything I should. So, I guess Trentley's doing better than me. xD)

8. Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets! 

The first paragraph/lines!

I'm not going to lie, I adore sharing snippets that make absolutely no sense out of context and hopefully confusing you guys. xD

9. Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far! (For example: Have you made any hilarious typos? Derailed from your outline? Killed off a character? Changed projects entirely? Anything you want to share!) 
Lol.

Typos.

I think I already mentioned this in one of my NaNo updates, but if you somehow missed it: I was writing late one night, on I think the second day of NaNo. (lol didn't take me long did it?) And apparently I was a lot more tired than I thought. I didn't THINK I'd done anything out of the ordinary.

But then the next day when I went back to my story to write... I saw this sentence.

"She continued to mutter indecipherable words as she smoothed her napkin in her lapkin and went about her dinner."

Her napkin.

In her lapkin.

I just... I can't. There's no hope for me.

Anyway. Enough about that. I suppose an interesting tidbit would be that I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. I don't know why I do this to myself. "Derailed from my outline"? LOL WHAT'S AN OUTLINE. I literally started this story knowing the main characters and the inciting event. THAT'S IT. I have pantsed literally EVERY scene since then.

But you know the weird thing? I've gotten farther in my NaNos since I've started doing that. When I try to outline and plan (which I never do that much of, anyway) I've tended to drop off around 30-35k words. But this pantsing thing seems to be working out pretty good for me. *shrugs*

10. Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

Well, since I work most days, my writing doesn't usually start happening until around 5-6 in the evening. I sit at my desk, light my candle (I got the idea from Nadine Brandes to choose a special candle for my story, and I'm loving it!), and usually have a cup of coffee with me. Sometimes I play music, sometimes I don't. Earlier in the month I listened to my playlist for this story quite a lot, but as the month went on I just abandoned that and started listening to Christmas music. xD I actually searched "fairy tale christmas music" on YouTube and found some festive yet fitting music to listen to while I write this story.

I actually haven't been getting all that distracted when I'm writing! Usually the distractions happen BEFORE I start writing. Which is why it often takes me so long to sit and start. xD

And that's it! I'm having fun writing Once Upon, even if it is being totally annoying and sassy and not wanting to tell me where to go next until we're RIGHT there on it. I think this is one of my favorite stories of mine just for the classic fairy tale-ness of it. I am LOVING writing fairies and magic and all that jazz.

Thanks again, Christine, for the linkup, and I hope you all are having a fantastic NaNo! (It's almost over. :o)

CAN YOU BELIEVE NANO'S SO CLOSE TO BEING OVER?? And have you done this linkup? Because if not, you totally should. 

NaNoWriMo Weekly Update #3 (I WON?!!)

Aaand thus commences the third week of NaNoWriMo. WHAT. HOW IS NANO ALREADY

ALMOST OVER. I literally feel like it JUST started, yet... here we are, more than halfway through November.

And that means Thanksgiving is soo close, too!! WHAT IS TIME. HOW DOES ONE HARNESS IT AND BEND IT TO ONE'S WILL.

Alas, I haven't figured that out yet. But this week of NaNo was still a very, very good week. Maybe even my best ever. ;D Aaand onto the weekly update!

(no snippets this week because they're all terrible and I don't feel like trying to find something worth reading xD)

I didn't start writing until 11:00 at night. Hehe.

BUT when I did start, it was flowing pretty good. I was really hoping to hit 30k before midnight, but, well, that didn't happen. My little fingers were flying over the keyboard as fast as I could make them go, but I was about 300 words too short.

I did some exciting writing, though; magical things are starting to happen!! Trentley and Jynnia are kinda sorta hanging out with a fairy (who definitely didn't ask permission to be put into the story... she just kinda showed up and stayed there), and I'm having a blast. I'm still getting a bit stuck here and there, but eventually I unstick myself and get through.

That's what I think I've learned to do better since last NaNo. I try not to jump all around in the book anymore when I'm writing the first draft-- especially for something like NaNo. It's so easy for me to get lost in all the out-of-order scenes and forget what's supposed to be going on when I write that way. But when I start on page one and resolve to write straight-through until the last page, even when it's messy, I think it's really beneficial. Maybe I'll do a post on how that's helped me in the future.
(We'll wait and see how this NaNo turns out. xD)

Word count: 1639

I started writing literally THE first second of the day! Because, well... as you know, I was up at midnight trying to hit 30k. xD

And I did! A few minutes past midnight, but I was still so happy I got there!

I had hoped to have a high word count this day, especially with the little headstart I got before the day even technically began... but it didn't turn out that way. *sigh*

Word count: 707

This day was GREAT. Even though I didn't start writing until early evening, I wrote and wrote and actually avoided distractions and got into a flow. I did multiple word sprints (seriously the only way I got through NaNoWriMo last year). And I'm getting to know a new character and it's HILARIOUS. xD I'm writing fairy sisters, who happen to be sassy and really salty. I'm not sure why? But that's how it's going. xD

Anyway! So this day I not only hit 35k (my goal for the day), but I also wrote 5k-- making this my wordiest day so far! Whooo! :D

(also, lowkey freaking out that there are only thirteen days left of NaNo. WHAT. :o :o)

Word count: 5028

Another great day! I got started writing in the evening and wrote for a cumulative total of about 40-50 minutes. (All word sprints. Seriously, guys. They the bomb.)

I'm still hanging out with those fairy sisters, and honestly, I'm still not exactly sure why they're so sarcastic and salty to each other. It's pretty hilarious, though. (Also, their names... Winlie. Verie. Quinnie. Parcie. SUCH FAIRY NAMES AND I AM LOVING IT. XD)

Also... I'm realizing that I often write stories about people who are running from the law. And by often, I mean... I can really only think of one of my books that doesn't involve someone running from the law. It's... kind of ridiculous. (I promise I'm not writing these from experience!!)

Word count: 2562

Something very exciting happened on this day: I hit 40k!

Which is SUPER exciting, because that's farther than I've gotten in most of my NaNos, and also because I'M SOO CLOSE TO 50K!! I still really can't believe I've come this far. I'm on track to not only win NaNo, but win it EARLY! Considering last year was the first year I won it at all and I won it at pretty much the last minute, I'm ecstatic and pretty much in disbelief about this.

Word count: 2596 (I originally stopped at around 2550, but I wrote a few more sentences so I could say I'd written more than I did yesterday xD)

I didn't start writing until late at night. Which was dumb, because I was hoping to cover like 10k between this day and the next... but anyway. xD

Word count: 943

So.

When I started writing these updates, I thought there would be four. You know, one for each week of NaNoWriMo?

BUT BEHOLD: I WON NANOWRIMO ON DAY TWENTY-ONE.

*screaming*

*angelic choir*

YOU GUYS, I WON NANOWRIMO TODAY! On day 21! It only took me three weeks!! AHHH!! *feels like a superhuman*

I wrote SO much today. In fact, it became my wordiest day.

I was just so determined to hit 50k today, on my last Thursday off before Thanksgiving. And I did it. I still can't believe it. Please excuse me while I go scream some more.

I was sitting down, getting ready to write, and I opened up a Dove dark chocolate (my literal FUEL this November), and know the little sayings they have on the inside? Today the first one I opened said, "Today is your day." Yes. Yes, it was. ;)

Also, I just want to say that it RAINED today. As in, it was raining the night I won NaNo. WHICH IT WAS DOING LAST YEAR. I love that so much. xD

Word count: 8601

Total word count for the week: 22076

Total word count for NaNo: 50192

WAIT WHAT. I wrote 22k in one week?? :o I didn't even realize that until I was adding this up. But wow. That's a lot for me. You guys, my goal for this week was to hit 43k. That was it. And then I go and hit 50k before the week's even over.

I'm not trying to make myself sound awesome... and if you still think I am, lololol you should see this first draft I call a winner. It's HIDEOUS. As first drafts are. But I love it and I love you, Trentley and Jynnia, my dear children. *bursts into tears and hugs the babies*

So! That's it! My final week of NaNoWriMo! Well, sort of. I do hope to keep writing for the rest of the month. Originally I hoped to finish this book in November because I kind of saw it being pretty short... but now here we are and I honestly don't know how much longer this thing's going to go. I think my pacing is horrible and I'm probably drawing things out way longer than they need to be. Buuut we'll deal with that later.

(can't wait gif)

I hope you guys have enjoyed these NaNo updates! I personally love reading these kinds of posts. It's so fun following along with someone's progress and struggles with sanity. As always, thanks so much for reading, and KEEP WRITING!

Also, a couple more things: You're probably going to get a post like every day for the next days, because there were some posts I was wanting to do and I'm running out of time, so in order to do them I'm going to have to just throw them up whenever I can. xD Also, just a teensy-weensy reminder that this Thursday (Thanksgiving), my next Havok story will be published!! So stay tuned for that. And don't get yourself too crazy with all the Thanksgiving prep. ;D

So, how is your NaNo going? Are you feeling good about your story, or thinking you might have to do a looot of editing later? Tell me all your victories and struggles! :D