Goals for Fall Quarter!

This is my favorite time of the year; the end of summer, beginning of autumn.  Cooler weather, colorful leaves, crisp air, apple cider, Halloween, and, of course, the start of a new school year.  

The start of my senior year of college is fast approaching and I'm half terrified, half excited.  I can't believe that I'm that much closer to getting my Bachelor's degree -- this is something I've been working my whole life for and it's intimidating knowing that it's nearing the end.  Doubts, questions, paralyzing fear, happiness, and excitement are all swirling around me in a slightly nauseating storm.  Adulthood is looming and I want to make sure my last year as an undergraduate is as exciting, fun, and successful as I can make it! 

I've made a list of the goals I want to accomplish this fall quarter so I'm sharing it here with you! 

1. Maintain a 4.0 GPA

I really want to keep on top of my work and studying this quarter; my goal is to keep my GPA at a 4.0 and make sure I'm staying focused!  This can be a little difficult, especially since social life and school activities can get in the way of that a bit.  But I'm determined! 

2. Go to a sports game

This might seem like a slightly weird goal but in the three years I've been in college, I have yet to attend a sports game for my school!  And I really want to.  To be fair, my school isn't very big on sports; the focus is generally more on academics and the arts.  But I'd love to attend a rugby or soccer game! 

3. Post on this blog at least five times a week

Whenever I start a new school year, I tend to get pretty caught up in the work and the excitement of being back with friends.  As a result, posting on this blog lags A LOT.  I hate it when that happens because this blog is such an important part of my life and I enjoy it so much.  So, this quarter I want to make sure I stay on top of posting! 

4. Be more social 

While I spend quite a lot of time with my established friend group, I generally don't break out of my comfort zone and make new friends.  I'm fairly reserved in person and pretty shy so this is sometimes a challenge for me.  This quarter, I want to make a new friend in each one of my classes!  

5. Continue working on my novel

The end of summer brought A LOT of hard times for me, unfortunately.  There were a few family emergencies, some personal issues, and a lot of emotional turmoil.  Because of this, my novel was kind of pushed to the wayside and I haven't had the chance (or the motivation) to work on it in a few weeks.  But I want to get make into my story and find the motivation and excitement I had for it before all this happened! 

6. Make more of my own meals

Living in an apartment, it's way too easy to get take out or just heat up frozen meals.  I really want to get into the habit of making good meals that hopefully don't include the microwave. 

These are goals I'm really excited for and that I think will be challenging but attainable.  I'm looking forward to my last year and I'm really looking forward to fall!  What are some of your goals for this season and school quarter/semester?

Writing Goals for the Second Half of 2017!

So, I know I don't talk about my writing very often on here but . . . it's a thing!  I'm a writer.  And while I haven't been the most consistent with my personal writing the past few years due to college, I'm still studying creative writing in college and have worked on short stories, nonfiction creative essays, and have recently started writing a new novel!

I'm really passionate about this project and am having a blast working on it.  It's still in the very early stages of writing it but I have a solid ending I'm working toward and have done some extensive world building.  However, I have a pattern of starting writing projects, getting pretty far in, and then getting distracted by a shiny new idea and leaving the other idea behind.  

I DO NOT want to do this with this project.  I'm determined this will be the writing project I stick with, no matter how many beautiful new ideas pop up.  So, I've been setting some goals for myself to hold myself accountable and finish this one!

Here are some of those goals: 

1. Finish the first draft by the end of the year!

Okay, so yes, that might seem like a long time for a first draft.  But I want to give myself plenty of time without making myself feel rushed.  I've never finished a first draft before (because of the problem listed above) so I'm a little nervous for it. 

2. Draw a rough draft map of the world!

This will probably be happening sooner rather than later.  The novel I'm working on is a fantasy novel so I want to have an idea of the shape and geography of the world before getting too deep.  While I know that can all be fixed during edits, I'd rather start with as solid a foundation as possible.

3.  Find a critique partner!  

While I don't plan on finishing the first draft before the end of the year, I'd really love to meet a critique partner soon and begin establishing a friendship so sharing our work together will be more comfortable.  This goal, while really exciting, also fills me with nerves because meeting new people, sharing my work, and just like . . . being vulnerable in general. 

4. Start compiling a list of agents that I may be interested in querying!

While a long way off, I feel like it will be good to start this step as soon as possible -- at least research and find agents that would be interested in the genre of my novel and who have worked on projects that I've liked in the past!

Those are the biggest goals I've set for the second half of the year.  Yeah, I'm totally intimidated looking at them right now but I'm determined to complete them and really excited for it!  I want to do this so badly and I need to keep at it.  

Now that the goals are out of the way, I figured I could share a little bit about my project! 

So, it's a fantasy novel and young adult (though more mature YA)!  It deals with magic and gods and worlds ending and life-and-death competitions and I love it.  It's (tentatively) called Love & War right now but I know that title just won't stick but I needed something to name the word document.  The main character is nineteen years old and super badass and I love her.  

I HAVE A LOT OF LOVE FOR THIS PROJECT, OKAY?!

Here's a short excerpt for the first draft (this is unedited so please be gentle with it):

Calla could feel his eyes on her, like a heavy quilt laid over her at night.  Her back to him, she felt the weight of his gaze between her shoulder blades, on her wide stance, on the dagger that hung loose but firm in her hand.  She didn’t allow her body to tense, ignored the instincts that whispered at her to turn around, to fling her shining blade at his heart rather than the heart of the dummy in front of her. 
Faster than human eyes could track, Calla flung the dagger from her grip and watched it fly end over end before striking its mark with a resounding thud.  The dummy fell backwards from the impact.  
With all of her daggers stuck in the dummies and nothing else to distract herself with, Calla sighed.  “Is there something I can help you with, Lennan?” she said, voice dry.  She walked toward the dummies and looked over her shoulder at the man standing in the doorway. 

AHH okay so there it is!  I really hope you guys like it.  I'm super excited about this project (like I've said 5,023,018,244 times in the post already) and I'm looking forward to working on it more.  I'd love to hear your thought or about any writing project you're working on! Leave me some tips in the comments about this if you feel so inclined!  

Goals for Spring Quarter!

Spring break is almost over for me.  Cue the water works.  Honestly, I'm so sad that this little vacation free of the stress from professors and homework and generally having to take care of myself so I don't waste away is nearly at an end.  After months of nothing but freezing temperatures, rain, snow, and stress crying, it's been lovely to be back in warm and (mostly) sunny California.  

I've spent most of my days this week swimming and soaking up sun by the pool.  And, of course, reading.  My only goal this break was to read ALL THE BOOKS to make up for the lack of choice reading I can do while school is in session.  I brought four books thinking it would be enough. 

I still have three days left and I've already finished those four books I brought with me!  So, of course, this led to an emergency Barnes & Noble visit where I bought two more books (whoops) to hopefully finish before the week is over.  

But that's besides the point!  All of this reading and meeting the goals I made for this break has given me an extra boost of motivation.  With Spring quarter only a few days away, I've decided to keep up this goals trend and make some goals I can work to accomplish once break is over and I'm back in school.  There's a lot of things I'd like to work toward and improve this quarter and I figured I could share those things with you!  

1. Apply for Editor Position!

This is a goal I'm really excited and nervous about.  My school had a creative literature magazine that is taking applications for a few editor positions in April!  As someone who wants to work with and edit books, I feel like this position would be absolutely perfect for me and give me some more experience.  I'm working on a resume for it and hope that I get a chance to work on the magazine!

2. Read at least Two Books a Week

This is going to be difficult but it's a goal I'm really determined to meet.  After this week full of amazing books and tons of awesome worlds and words and characters, I've realized how much I miss (choice) reading.  I still do it but not nearly as much as I used to (which is also why the posts on this blog haven't been as frequent).  So this is one I'm definitely going to have to work hard at but it'll be so rewarding. 

3. Write Daily

My writing isn't something I discuss very often on this blog but I'm really passionate about it and wish I worked on it more.  I currently have three novel ideas that have been bouncing around inside my head for ages, just begging to get out.  But with all the school work and regular life stressors, it's been difficult for me to find the time and energy to write.  Because it's such an important part of my life, I want to start working on it daily.  Even if that just means getting one sentence down, just as long as I do something!

4. Go to the Gym 4-5 Times a Week

This is one that I'm also really excited about, but also kinda dreading because, you know, working out.  For the past year or so, a friend and I have been going to the gym three times a week *most of the time*.  Now, that friend has graduated but I'm still really wanting to be healthier and more athletic.  I'm going to up the number of times I go to the gym and push myself to work harder at it.  This means no more just going on the bike for fifteen minutes and then stretching.  

5. Drink More Water

This one kind of goes along with the whole gym goal.  I don't drink enough water and I've found that my body doesn't have enough energy because of it.  I've been getting head aches and just overall been feeling worn out and sluggish because of it.  Water plays such a vital role in making sure our bodies are doing what they need to do.  So, in order to be healthier and feel better, I'm going to be adding a lot more water to my days.  

6. Go Outside More

So, most of the hobbies and activities I really like all happen inside.  Reading, writing, video games, movie watching, etc.  Because of this, I've been feeling a distinct lack of fresh air and sunlight in my life.  While it's not entirely my fault, since I attend school in Washington where it rains 99.9999999% of the time, I could definitely add some more outdoor time to my days.  Even if it's just a little walk around campus or to the store, I want to enjoy the natural beauty and clean air that Washington provides.  

I'm really excited about these goals.  I've already started working toward some of them (like drinking more water) but I think the real work will start once I'm back in school and have more distractions and work to keep up with. Is anyone else on (or about to be on) spring break?  What are some of your goals that you're working toward?  I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment below!

Review: The Write Stuff

Title:  The Write Stuff
Series:  None
Author:  Tiffany King (Wesbite | Twitter)
Age Group:  New Adult
Publisher:  A.T. Publishing LLC
Publication Date:  August 25, 2014
Source:  Bought

Twenty-two-year-old historical romance writer Nicole Blake, or N.S. Blake to her readers, hasn't taken an official poll, mind you, but she is convinced she may be the only romance author on the planet who is still a card-carrying member of the virgin club.Not that she hasn't tried to end her membership. Life just keeps finding pesky ways to interfere. With no prospects on the horizon, Nicole begins to feel like the closest she will ever get to experiencing a man is within her own stories.
Opportunity presents itself in the form of hot-as-sin-on-a-lollipop-stick bartender/premed student Alec Petropoulos, who agrees to be the cover model for her upcoming book. Sparks fly instantly between them, and Nicole begins to entertain the possibility that she's finally found the right guy to hand over her tattered V-card. Alec has all the makings for a perfect one-night-stand candidate except, much to Nicole's surprise, he seems to be the only man in existence not interested in bagging a virgin.
Stuck between a rock and a stubborn male, what's a virgin to do? Seduce him, of course. How hard could it be? If it works for the characters in her stories, why wouldn't it work for her? After all, what happens under the cover…stays under the cover.

Find The Write Stuff online

Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

My Review:  Reading this book made me feel like I had a backstage pass to the world of an author.  As I hope to one day publish my own novels, that made this book doubly awesome.  While, yes, this book mainly focuses on the relationship forming between Nicole and Alec, there are a lot of scenes about her writing process, the publishing process as a self published author, and the time spent promoting her books.  So, all that was really an added bonus to a fun, hilarious, and light-hearted novel!  

I saw so much of myself in Nicole.  She was much more comfortable behind her computer screen than she was out in the world face-to-face with people.  I admired her hard work and how much time and effort she put into her books.  And I also really enjoyed seeing the way she learned to interact with fans as she came in contact with them more.  She was so nervous but she loved and appreciated them enough to make an effort.

Alec won me over, too, despite his less than wonderful second impression of him.  He was a really fun and caring guy and I appreciated that he was able to push aside differences and be mature when the situation needed it.  The way he supported and cheered on Nicole was sweet and would have made my eyes turn into hearts if they could do that.

The plot was okay.  It mainly focused on Nicole and Alec going on a tour for Nicole's newest release.  Because of that, some of it was a little repetitive.  There was a lot of setting up the booth scenes and talking to fans scenes and fan gushing over how hot a shirtless Alec was.  But in between those sections, things were fast and entertaining.  It was a lot of fun watching the way Alec and Nicole interacted.  

The Write Stuff was a fun, quick read and I would definitely recommend it, especially to those interested in writing themselves.  Like I said, it focuses a lot on the romance but also on the writing process as a whole.  

"Winking to me was like liquor to an alcoholic and he was getting me drunk."

Four Cards

P.S.: Wonderland's Reader recently reached 300 followers!  To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway in which you can win five AWESOME books!  Enter here.

   

Feature & Follow #36

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted over at Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

This week's question is...

Q:  Are you also a writer and, if so, what genre?  If not, have you ever considered writing?

Yes, this is such a fun question!  I am a writer, though I have yet to finish a project.  I always get ideas and then about halfway through I'm stuck with another idea and run off with that project.  However, I'm currently working on a mature YA urban fantasy.  It's an idea that has been playing around in my head for a while.  If involves faeries and cute boys.  

I'm rather excited about it :) 

Are you a writer?  What do you like to write?  Leave your links in the comments below and I'll be sure to check out your posts!

PS:  Wonderland's Reader recently reached 300 followers!  To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway in which you can win five awesome books!  Enter here.

What Makes A Story Worth Writing? by Daevone Molyneux

If you're a reader like me, you can't help but wonder how, exactly, your favorite authors figure out which story is the one to write.  How do they pick a story out of all the possibilities and sit down to write it?

Well, fear not!  We have somewhere here today to shed some light on this question!  The wonderful Daevone Molyneux, writer extraordinaire, has graciously accepted my invitation to visit the blog today and share his thoughts!  Daevone is a reader as well as a writer, like myself, and has been jotting down stories for as long as he can remember!  He loves all things monstrous and magical and he writes some seriously amazing stories, some of which you can find at his blog here.  You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter! 

So, without further ado, here is Daevone!

*****

What Makes A Story Worth Writing?

As a writer, one is constantly assaulted by little idea bullets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each is a screaming child, desperate to be heard, seeking your full attention. With so many possibilities, how does one know which ideas are worth exploring and which aren't? Well each writer is different, and since I'm not a NSA spy, I have no idea what other writers think about this topic. But I can most certainly tell you what I look for, so here's how I know a story is worth telling.

Is The Story Interesting? - This might seem like a weird question with an obvious answer, but you'd be surprised at how many bogus ideas writers have to bulldoze their way through. An immense amount of time goes into writing a novel, so we have to make sure the story can hold our attention, before it can hold a reader's. That same euphoric rush that comes when we read is exactly what I look for. A story feels right when I know it will take me somewhere I've never been before. Fiction is supposed to make us feel and wonder about worlds we can't physically visit, so an idea that opens new doors will always be a joy to write, and hopefully to read.

Is The Story Interesting To Anyone Else? - Raise your hand if you would like to read a boring book... *crickets* By the way, if you say that you want to read a boring book, then you're a liar liar pants on fire. Everybody wants to read something that enchants and changes the way they view the world. I like to view a story from a neutral standpoint and ask myself if anybody else would read it. There's really no sure-fire way of knowing if anyone else would be interested, so I trust my gut. If the answer is no, then the idea is sent to frolic in my mind for personal enjoyment. If it's a yes, then I write it.

Emotion - A story has to be a part of us. Ideas should make us more excited than a toddler on Christmas morning. You know how little kids turn into ravenous bloodthirsty monsters the moment they step inside a toy store? Well, that's the exact same feeling I look for when acting on an idea. I have to feel like the concept is more amazing than a laser gun *pyoo-pyoo*. All in all, fiction should make us feel. Without emotion then what's the point of writing? You would just have a soulless Frankenstein created behind closed doors in the middle of nowhere. If a story idea can make me laugh like a drugged hyena or drench my paper in a downpour of tears, then I know it must be written.

Why Is This Idea Important? - I'm the kind of person who looks for a deep-rooted meaning in everything - songs, body language, emotions, my morning bowl of cereal... *coughs* Ahem, disregard that last one. Anyway, a story should have a message other than purely entertainment purposes. Each story should be about something other than just fiction. I simply ask myself why do I want to write this story? What makes it more important the other gazillions of ideas banging on my door?

Once the criteria is met, ask one last question: How real is this thing? Stories shouldn't feel like a manufactured science project. They are portals to new worlds above and beyond our comprehension, just waiting to be discovered. The last thing we need is a boring run of the mill concept, right? Right. After that question is answered, the writing commences. New worlds are created and new people exist with unique situations. Everybody has a different opinion, but that is what I feel makes a story worth writing.

I hope I was able to shed a little light on the writing process. Thank you Ashtyn for allowing me to invade your blog with my army of nonsensical chicken scratch. And thanks to you dear reader for well, you know - reading. *spreads wings and flies off into the sunset*

*****

That was awesome!  Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!  I completely agree with all of your points, especially the first one: if you can't stay interested, there's no way your reader will, either.  

So, what do you think makes a story worth writing?  Have you ever wondered about this? 

 Leave your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to head over to Daevone's blog!

 

 

NaNoWriMo

Hello all!  I'm happy (and frankly a little terrified) to say that it is finally November!  Why am I terrified?  Well, this year I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo!  

This is my first year participating and as excited as I am, I'm also extremely nervous.  This is going to be a lot of work.  It's only day two and I'm already stressing out about it.  I've been writing like the wind!  I'm at about 3,000 words and planning on writing all night!  

That being said, I just wanted to write a little reminder here on my blog that because of the added pressure of writing this month, reviews may be a little slow.  I normally post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but I may have to cut back to two posts a week or even one post.  If the posts are cut back while NaNo is going, they will be back to normal once December begins!  

Thanks for understanding!  And to those who are also participating in NaNoWriMo, good luck and happy writing!