2012 Highlights

The year in which a lot of things happened.

*Warning: This is somewhat stream-of-consciousness. Rambling ahead.*

Well... this year:

I tried to stop hiding quite so much... and found out that my atomic number really is 83.

*NERD JOKES NERD JOKES NERD JOKES*

I learned that I'm likely genderqueer/agender and really don't care about clothes/pronouns/whatever.

And I learned that my grandfather, while he might not understand, really won't stop loving me. (He's also 80 and has taken a liking to telling us to have a 'super sparkly day'. It's awesome XD)

I watched a lot of new anime and got into Six Feet Under (and realised that the DVDs aren't censored. 0.o)

I got obsessed with Tiger and Bunny (again). And Sherlock. And started the Millennium Trilogy.

And I found out that someone on the internet actually likes me and thinks I'm a 'voice of reason' (and she's cool, too!):

(I'm on her 'Homies' list.)

And that I'm interesting enough to have 48 Followers on tumblr. And to have had, at one point, 100 on Twitter. Two of the people I was so amazed by at first on tumblr have wound up in a mutual follow-thing with me.

And that being bored when you have manga caps and Paint leads to stupid things like 'Texts from the 27th':

And that if I talk to new people, they usually won't tell me to go away and I can actually make a few friends that way. I'm grateful for all of them.

It was my first year being in the writing community for longer than about a month. It was my second NaNoWriMo, which, by the way:

Yeah.

I wrote a lot and figured out a new system that works a lot better for keeping track of things. All my ideas are now in a spreadsheet containing, from left to right:

Title
Genre
Starting WC
Ending WC
Length (Novel/Novella/etc.)
Stage (First Draft/Editing/etc.)
Body Count
Pen Name
(Project) Blog (Does it have one?)
Cover (Does it have one?)
Series (if it's part of one)
Soundtrack (Does it have one?)

(Actually, I'll type 'Blog', 'Cover', and 'Soundtrack' in if those are done.)

I discovered The Hectic Glow:

And got my heart ripped out by a fan story.

And then again by an original book.

I rediscovered fandoms and found several new ones. I connected and reconnected, cluttered up and simplified. I talked with new people and found some common ground. I figured my life out, scrapped the plan and figured it all out again. And then started reworking the plan one more time.

I discovered that I'm a writer, an artist and a hobbyist deathling. I wound up obsessed with shows, movies, books - new and old.

I dug up all kinds of amazing music. And all kinds of ideas. And all kinds of new interesting things other people have done, including Salad Fingers and the Creepy Puppet Project.

I also rekindled a love of Creepypastas (good ones, at least).

It was a year of:

and:

And the funny thing is that I can't wait to feel like this again.

It was also full of stupid autocorrect that has now found its way into our normal vocabulary. (Such as 'The world is full of ass waffles. Much llamas to you, my friend.')

So, now, 2013 is out ahead.

I think I'm ready for it.

It was roller-coaster of a year and, while it was a fun ride, I'm glad it's winding down. Here's to an awesome 2013 and I'll see you on the boards.

Knights and Dragons and War

Oh, my!

Anyway, it's the 30th which means Alice in Writerland will be in FantNo the day after tomorrow. We'll be staying for the whole month so be sure to swing by.

I've never written fantasy before and it's just... really freakin' fun, you know? It's one in the morning and I am cold and I have a stitch in my side from the way I'm sitting and I feel like I'm just the greatest thing on two legs right now.

(Even though one of the stories I'm planning this year has an ending planned that is going to warrant this image:

So, yeah.)

(And yes, it does say 'my house' and 'the nearest cliff'. It's that painful. I am sorry to any future readers.)

I don't want to give anything away about that plot (well, I do, but I kind of can't) so this is going to be a shorter 'ZOMG I figured it out and this year is going the be FULL OF FEELS!' update post.

Tomorrow should (should, mind) see a 'year in review' kind of post and then we'll be jumping into writing and life updates from the new year. W00t?

Stay safe on New Years, everyone. There a lot of idiots out this time of year and it pays to stay off the roads late at night if you can.

So... see you once more this year~

Happy Christmas!

Or whatever you celebrate/if you celebrate.

Quick update because I am freezing!

- My grandma got two new video games and spent a decent amount of time playing them today.
- My grandpa asked if my mum and I were having a 'super sparkly day'. (Keep in mind that the man is 80.)
- I received:
-- The box set of the entire series 'Six Feet Under'
-- A Casket Ring (you can hide things in it)
-- A small hearse necklace
-- A casket key-chain
-- And a DVD called 'The Undertaking' (It's about funeral science, in case that wasn't readily apparent.)

So. I'm probably going to do one or several of the following:

- Finish reading a fan story that I still haven't gotten to the end of.
- Start reading 'The Girl Who Played With Fire'
- Watch a DVD/Watch a creepy YouTube video/Watch anime
- Reorganise my Excel spreadsheet for the new year
- Play around in ZenWriter
- Try to complete a soundtrack for a story
- Plan a war (It's for a book, I swear!)
- Plan an emotionally scarring crime/drama novel
- Sleep

Actually sleep is probably going to win. All of this just became by 'To Do' list for tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be fun.

Okay. I hope you all had a wonderful, wonderful day and I will see you all later on.

Bye for now, everyone~

I don't have a title.

And, apparently, my entire life up to this point has been a sham. I can't write. I can't produce a simple story.

Now, to distract from this troubling revelation, here are some other things:

Section One: Reading

I finished 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' yesterday. Actually, a very good read. It's painted in very broad strokes most of the time and that took some getting used to but all in all, it was very good.

I'm a bit bothered by Lisbeth's portrayal and can generally take or leave Blomkvist but overall, it's a rather good story. I'm working my way through the trilogy.

Section Two: Writing

Things are happening. I'm not sure what things but they're happening. I have ideas and a more concrete idea about said ideas.

Also, I think that my characters work best if they're fundamentally screwed up. Aside from that, not much going on.

Section Two-A: WriYe and Arrow of Eloquence

As you may or may not know, Arrow of Eloquence has an amazing person by the name of Siana Blackwood handling the forum when I'm too lazy too - which is, let's face it, most of the time. The 2013 year has been dubbed 'Rise of the YeSpiMad'* and has a suitably awesome forum skin.

We're a small community but we're supportive and everybody knows everybody so, you know, go ahead and stop by when you feel like it. It's a little bit chaotic right now since we're starting to change things over for 2013.

WriYe is still a go for me since the word goal is actually fairly reasonable. It's a nice board. The people seem friendly enough and they have a blogging circle - which, by the way, can be found on the 'Other Inmates' page.

*WriMo shorthand meaning 'Year of Spiralling into Madness'

Section Two-B: Let's Play: WriMo World Tour

Really. It's like:

NaNoWriMo is the Big City. It's the one that everyone wants to go to and everyone dreams about and all that. It's like New York (or possibly Hollywood).

Places like AugNoWriMo and JulNoWriMo are larger towns, places that people have heard about but that don't make the Inkslinger Daily as often.

JanNoWriMo, FebNoWriMo, and similar ones are smaller towns. Slower traffic and not many people.

Places like Arrow of Eloquence are like the residential sections of small towns. Everybody knows their neighbours and most people get along wonderfully.


Section Three: Fandom

Multi-fandom fan site thing.

That's what I'm thinking of. I'm still screwing around with ideas but it might work. Mainly I just want a little project that I can work on without ever thinking 'How can I make money off of this?'


Section Four: The Zombie Apocalypse

Not much to report. Saw my neighbour shambling around her garden but she didn't bother me. One good thing about being so isolated, I guess. No one's too murderous. I think I'll stay inside for today and go on a scouting mission sometime tomorrow or the next day. We have enough food to last a while, even if we lose power eventually.

Stay safe, guys. Look for early warning signs and protect yourselves. It's in your hands now. I'll see you soon.

Popular Posts

I have them, apparently.

Here:

Anatomy of a May WriMo
JulNoWriMo Part 1 - Jezzy Sucks at Writing
Let's Play 'Writers Life' - Part 1 - HIP-HOP ZOMBIES!
. . .
Literal Blog Post
I support Non-Human and Trans-Human Rights (it was like a 'creative writing post' - how did this happen?)
Entry the Seventh: Now I have to memorise a math book.
Fourteen: I just keep finding ways to clutter up that sidebar
Nineteen: Strange Facts and Useless Information
Rambly headcanon/questions post

And I've noticed something:

All of these posts are either short or longer but interesting because the topic changes, like I'm talking naturally.

So, basically, I seem to have moments where, periodically, I forget to just be me.

For example:

It's like, raining and it is hella dark outside. I love it. It's also freezing. I put my hand against the glass in my window this morning. Horrible idea - will never do it again.

Also, my right calf is scratched up something awful. No idea why. My nails have all broken back so far I can't scratch anything with them. Also, my hair is weird. Like, pieces keep separating out and getting in my face. I never noticed this back home; it's just down here.

By the segue... starting WriYe in the desert is gonna be fun. I'm thinking of having the main original project that I work on and having a small fan-story that I can jump back and forth to when I just can't focus. That way I'm still practising - still writing - but I'm getting a break too. Plus that would give me an excuse to keep working on the Weebly site I've been playing around with. I do want to do something with it - I'm just not ultimately sure what.

Of course, I can hardly do fan-stories anymore since I always write a few chapters and then change it into something original. I don't know why - it just always happens.

Having a blog is really very interesting.

I can look back and actually see my concept of 'normal' falling apart as I learn more about myself and the world.

I think it's the rain. The rain always makes me like this - rambly and talkative and wanting to write.

Another thing I've noticed about those popular posts is that I generally deliver something that people like or at least find interesting.

Like, for example, the movie V for Vendetta is a proponent of a very specific kind of heroism - namely that large, sweeping gestures are A) universally good when going up against a corrupt government and B) universally liked among the oppressed people.

In reality, neither of these are true. Now, I realise the fiction operates under neater laws than the real world does. Things have reasons in fiction. V for Vendetta was a wonderful movie.

And it got me thinking.

Why is it that we typically associate heroes with these large gestures that at times boarder on anarchism? I feel it's simply because, even in the real world, these large gestures serve an important purpose. They are not the be-all, end-all as is typically seen in most fiction but they do shock the public into paying attention.

That's all.

These violent, larger-that-life schemes, positive or negative, shock the public into paying attention.

I really think that's at least a large part of why our social construction often praises people who are violent for a 'good' cause (like soldiers) and condemns those who are violent for an 'unworthy' cause (like most assassins you'll ever hear about).

It's all really interesting.

But that's where my head's at today. I think I'm going to figure out exactly how to tackle the work I've got and then maybe go read some more. It's just one of those days, you know. Cosy.

I'm noticing something...

Several things, really:

1) I do better if I'm either encouraged or obnoxiously discouraged. If I'm encouraged and have people around me who are into the same kinds of things that I am, I feed off of that. If I'm obnoxiously discouraged, I feel the need to prove that I can do whatever I want and essentially one-up whoever was annoying me.

2) I need an outline. Not a full outline because I just cannot work from one of those but some semblance of an outline would probably be useful.

3) This place just drains me.

and 4) Some days I have way too many opinions to be on the internet.

But.

My writing is better organised, everything in its own folder. I'm slowly going though everything I can organize and basically just getting it as done as I can.

Really, I need to stop and plan that trilogy of mine out. I have a basic idea of each book (and I mean very basic) but I need a better map than that. And, randomly, I wonder if doing fan stories again would help at all or if I'd just wind up feeling like I should be working on my original stuff? I'm thinking it could be either way. But if I did, at least I'd have a use for my website.

...

I stayed up all night. And I actually feel pretty good, all in all. Basically, I'm channelling my NaNo MMC.

I feel like I should have a page here that defines all the stupid/weird terms I use. Of course there's a limit to how many pages that top bar can fit so I'd wind up linking it in the sidebar or something and we all know that there isn't a lot of room over there anymore. (I probably should do something else with that, I'm still not entirely happy with it.)

*sigh*

It's just not a good month, you know? Like, 'I'm once again considering getting my tongue/lip/eyebrow pierced' bad.

It's around three in the afternoon now. I'm gonna try to make it until about five and then crash. That should get my schedule back a little closer to normal.

Next year is WriYe. That should help. I hope.

Bye for now, everyone. I'm gonna wrap this up before I ramble any more than I already did. I'll check in again (at least once) before the end of the year.

Zydrate comes in a little glass vial.

A little glass vial?
A little glass vial!

(I'm on a Repo! kick. Again.)

I'm also having really bad ideas for books. Like, seriously my notes are a mess. I think I might take the rest of this month and clean things up and get them organised. My current system kind of sucks but I'm not sure what to do with it.

I'm thinking of doing WriYe in 2013. Yeah. (No one talked me off the ledge.) Maybe just a 300,000 word goal, though. I mean, it is for the whole year and that should give me time to go other things. Right? I think so but then again, I'm weird like that. Plus, it just looks like fun for some stupid reason. I probably won't do the whole validation thing for this, I just like the community. They keep me (relatively in)sane.

Too late. This is happening.

help.

Also, the 'Hire Me' page is back up top. (Please to be noticing it now.) It might need some tweaking as I get things figured out but for now, well, there it is. I wish to help you hack up a manuscript and then put it back together. It's like a puzzle you made yourself. Or something.

I don't know - I feel like things are happening and I'm all excited!

I feel like my ideas are a little more vivid for this next year. I mean, don't get me wrong, this month kind of sucks  in terms of how I actually feel, but I kind of think I'm close to figuring things out. I just have to work a little bit at a time, something that I'm generally not very good at.

So yeah. That's where all this is. The last week in December, I think I'll post up my 2013 Challenge page and the one for my goal-list thing for the year. I'd just like to have them in the open so that I'm more willing to work on them because people can tell if I'm not.

I'm either going to A) go back to editing and try to get that scene figured out from this characters perspective, B) go and try to figure out a better system for keeping my writing organised, C) spend some time working on outlining techniques and getting a rough idea of what my first two stories of the year should be, D) eat seaweed and play around on forums, or E) effectively say 'screw it' and go watch TV.

It's probably going to wind up being a muddled mix of most of these, actually.

Oh, well.

Have an awesome day, everyone. I hope you're having a better overall month than I am. (2012 really needs to knock this crap off.)

Feeling better

See this?

Of course you do.

This is a small part of why I'm feeling a little better.

This was quickly kept in check by GIMP being an unremitting douche and me trying to edit. (One of the comments made to myself was, in fact, 'STOP SWITCHING POV MID-SCENE. FUCKING HELL.')

...

I'm not nice to myself. Also, I don't need to curse as much as I'd like to sometimes. Anyway.

Really, I cannot get the text boxes to actually display the text I've shoved into them in GIMP lately. I have no idea why. I just... can't get it to work. So, yeah, taking a break for a little while.

EDIT: I got it figured out. I was on the wrong layer. I hang my head in shame.

So, I need the blurb-thing for the back and whatever else he wants on there and then we're done. Yay.

...

I'm working on a book cover, in case that wasn't readily apparent.

But our Christmas tree is up! I might snag a picture or two to post in the next update. It's really cosy-looking. I got to put the angel up on top. I've done that for twenty years now. Wow. Oh, and we fought with the lights, like always. It was kind of fun in a very frustrating way.

So, while I'm waiting, I think I'll go scrounge up some food and then settle in and watch TV or schedule things or edit or... I don't know, do something.

(It's a weird moment for me. It's like DO ALL THE THINGS combined with This Is Never Getting Done. I also have to pee, which I'm pretty sure is unrelated.)

Bye for now, guys. Thanks so much for putting up with me this year ^^ I bat-love all of you.

In which watching TV shows online is preferable to working.

Really.

I have not been able to focus on anything. All I want to do for the next day or so is curl up and watch TV. Just shut my brain off for a little while.

I've been working on a cover for someone. That's going pretty well but we're kind of at a standstill because there's just not a lot more I can do without more information.

So there's that.

I think I just need a break.

- Finish the cover
- Edit/Combine with 'second draft' (The Book is getting there. Slowly.)
- Set up your 'Hire Me' page again. (I offer editing services)
- Get your list for 2013 finalised
- Set up your project blogs
- Get some semblance of an outline (one that actually works for you) for January.
- Do everything else you're forgetting about right now

Yeah.

I have a lot that I'd like to get done. And no motivation to actually do it. Well, that's not true. It's more like there's a kind of mental block or something. It's not just writer's block either - it's everything.

*sigh*

Screw this - I am now a pony:

I am purple. My name is (apparently) Flare and I am purple. I love me.

(Also, I kinda wanna do this to my hair. It looks awesome.)

For right now, I'm going to curl up and watch shows. Tomorrow (or maybe the day after) I'll jump back on writing, editing and general creativity. For right now, though, I just need to relax.

I hope you all have a nice, relaxing weekend and I will see you maybe on Monday? When I don't feel the need to be a pony anymore?

Yeah. Maybe Monday.

Bye for now, everyone. Have an awesome weekend.

Updates on the List

FantNoWriMo will be in January, June, August, and October.

Script Frenzy in April can still be done but will not be official as the program has been shut down.

Camp NaNoWriMo is in April and July.

But aside from that...

All of my blogs are locked down.
I have serious, life-changing world-domination goals.
I think I've figured out how to clean up the draft effectively.
Now I have to get back on track.

So.

I need an outline for next month. I'm not that worried about it but still, it'd be nice to be a little ahead of the game. Plus, I like that story.

Anyway.

This should probably be a short update so I don't ramble so much.

I have, though, figured out The Book. I think. I hope.

(I was watching a Let's Player named Cry and he just said 'I am adorably tiny! Hell yes!' So I'm sitting here laughing like an idiot. Good moment.)

...

Yeah. this was largely pointless.

I'm gonna go and actually write by book now. So, you know... bye for now, everyone. I shall return. With updates. And...maybe whatever else I can scrounge up that I think it interesting to talk about.

Timed Challenges List

Shamelessly stolen from NaNoFiMo.

I'll probably be posting a list of the ones I'm going to try to do for 2013 at the beginning of the year. Also, I'm an admin for Arrow of Eloquence. So that's cool

It's Sunday so I need to update LJ. I know no one cares about it but it bothers me if it just sits there and I don't want to close it down... So, yeah.

Here. Have a list.

All-year-round:
NaNoPlotMo- plan your next novel!
Genre Writers United- discuss all varieties of genre fiction
Arrow of Eloquence- a year-round hangout for the Pro-WriMo crowd. Also likely to be the home of the WIP-from-Hell challenge in 2013.
WriYe- choose your own writing goal for the whole year
Milwordy- write a million words in 12 months

January:
JanNoWriMo- writing challenge: 50k or your own goal
HistNoWriMo (Historic Novel Writing Month)- writing challenge (goal TBA)
FantNoWriMo- write a fantasy novel (your own goal)

February:
FebNoWriMo- writing challenge: your own goal

March:
MarNoWriMo- writing challenge: your own goal
NaNoEdMo- editing challenge: 50 hours of editing
MarNoReWriMo- rewriting challenge: write the second draft of a completed first draft (any length)

April:
April Fools- writing challenge: your own goal
Script Frenzy- scriptwriting challenge!
AprNoWriMo- writing challenge: your own goal

May:
NaMayWriMo- writing challenge: your own goal
Noveldom and Beyond- reading challenge: read 10,000 pages during May - August

June:
WriDaNoJu- writing challenge: 50k
Camp NaNoWriMo: 50k writing challenge

July:
JulNoWriMo- writing challenge: 50k

August:
AugNoWriMo- writing challenge: your own goal
Camp NaNoWriMo: 50k writing challenge

Setember:
SeptNoWriMo- editing and/or writing challenge: your own goal

October:
GothNoWriMoGothic novel writing challenge: 20k - 70k
SciFiWriMo- writing challenge for sci-fi/fantasy writers: your own goal
FantNoWriMo- write a fantasy novel (your own goal)
Octobernovelwritingmonth- write a novel in October: your own goal

November:
NaNoWriMo- writing challenge: 50k

December:
NaNoFiMo- writing challenge: add 30k to a WIP and/or finish it.

Happy Christmas/New Year.

I'm gonna go and actually write because I have a goal for this week. I know - weird, right?

Progress shall be noted here, along with any ramblings of a life-related nature that I deem interesting and/or space-filling enough to be included.

Bye for now, guys! Have fun planning your year XD

DO ALL THE THINGS!

Mum: 'Was she always this stubborn?'
Grandpa: 'Yep.'
Mum: 'So, you know what you were getting into.'
Grandpa: '...Well, I was young.'

(That exchange had nothing to do with anything - I just thought it was cute.)

So... yeah. I have project blogs to lock down. And I will probably be doing that in fits and starts for the day.

In other news, it's NaNoFiMo - National Novel Finishing Month - which means *throws black and silver confetti* I'll be diving back into the world of what I've so lovingly started referring to as 'The Book'.

This is mainly because 1) I feel  like I should be working on it and 2) that NaNo project needs a break while I untangle the plot threads.

'The Book' should wind up around 85k, I think.

So, yeah. That's the project. And I'm already riddled with self-doubt, which is a very unpleasant feeling, much like soul termites. Any other project and I swear I'd be fine but this one is just nagging at me. And nothing looks right. I think that's my main problem. Nothing I do looks right. It's like I know the story but I can't seem to get my fingers to believe me.

I have a better grasp on it now, I think. Maybe.

There's so much to do - it's just insane.

I'm a little panicky right now but... yeah. That'll fade out I'm pretty sure. I just need to work, right?

Right.

Yeah.

I'm gonna go... do that.

(This is an example of my anxiety-rambling. It doesn't have a point and just eats up space but I can't seem to knock it off.)

I'm actually going to go and work on something now, though. Bye for now, everyone. I will hopefully be back when I feel better.

... I need a list or something.

*collapse*

Ick.