End

Merry Christmas, dearest readers!!!
   How are you all doing? I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a marvelous week! I certainly did. We got all of our Christmas decorations up and ready to go, and our house just looks so purty. :) I've got lights up in my room, and stockings, and a big red bow and a little Christmas tree. Agh. I'm just so happy!!!! Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year. :D
   But hark! I bring good news, good news indeed! Something that I am most excited about.

   Nearly one year ago, in January 2015, I finally started writing my book. You might even remember the blog post I had dedicated to it. On Thursday of this last week, I reached an even more monumental point in my journey as a writer.
   I finished the first draft of my book.
   The finished page count is 253. There are 34 chapters. And, minus chapter titles and the like, it has 167,488 words.
   Guys. I looked it up. The average maximum acceptable length of a first time fantasy novel is 115,000 words. Yeah, editing is going to be soooooo much fun, I can hardly wait! *Insert sarcasm here*
   I have a lot of work ahead of me still. I will, however, be taking the month of December off. This way I can get my mind to cool down a little, focus on this crochet order that I am desperately trying to finish before Christmas, write some short stories and enjoy the season in general! So starting January 2016, I'll get to work on editing.
   But until then....
   I don't want to stop writing entirely. There are at least 2 fanfics that I'd like to write during this time, and maybe a short story. So hopefully next week I'll have a fic for you. (Sneak peek: it'll either be one for Winnie the Pooh or one for BH6. What a shocker)
   Yeah, I'm excited about a lot of things at the moment, hehheh! One of which is the fact that I'll be turning 16 this month, which I actually find more than a little scary...
   Anywho. I'm not going to be ignoring Christmas in my blog posts, though. My fanfics might be Christmas themed, we'll see. Either way, there will be Christmas-y things included. For starters, I'll be including a Christmas song or two I like. Maybe a Christmas verse, or a Christmas memory of mine. And maybe, maybe, there might be a few bonus blog posts having to do with the season...
   So keep your eyes open for those. And I'd love to hear some of your guys' favorite parts of Christmas! So yeah, it'll be fun! :D
   Before I stop rambling and leave you all alone, I wanted to quickly share some of the things I've learned the last year in my writing adventure that really helped me to get through and write as much as I did. Hopefully, it might be able to help some of you all who are doing the same. :)

1. Write persistently and as much as you can stand. Then write a little more.
   This was an incredible game-changer for me. For about the first 9 months, I was writing nearly everyday, but only about 500 words. Now don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. I was getting stuff done, but I wasn't really feeling what I was doing. I wasn't getting involved with my story. But for about the last 3 months, I started pushing myself to write 1,000, 2,000, sometimes even 3,000 words a day. And that helped me so much. Not to mention that I would have gotten my book done a lot sooner if I had done that from the beginning...

2. Find the time of day where you're most inspired.
    I feel most writerly in the evenings. Or late at night. Or in the wee hours of the morning. Obviously, this can be a bit of a problem, but it helped me get more done and to enjoy what I was doing a little more. And if you feel inspired at some other point in the day besides the time you set aside to write, you stop what you're doing and go write. 'Cause if you're feeling it, you gotta get it down or it's gonna be gone.

3. Stuck on what you're writing? Get up and move!
   Sometimes when something wasn't working out for me, I wold grab my outline and pace back and forth in my room. I'd quietly talk to myself about what I was doing, what wasn't working, what I wanted to happen in my story. And nearly every time, if not every time, I would figure something out. I got past some huge plot holes, added some huge things to my story. It helped me. A lot. 


Wow guys. I have so much more I feel like I could share. Not that I am BY ANY MEANS an expert, or even have the slightest clue of what I'm doing, but I feel like I've learned a lot by doing this. And man, it feels so good to be done! Wahoo!
   So yeah, I hope these few things could help someone out a bit. On one last note, I want to remind you to never give up. You might need to re-write that last 1,000 words you just slaved over for the last hour and a half or you might have to rethink some things. Whatever you do, don't. Give. Up. And that's an order.
   To start the Christmas season off, I'm going to share this song with you all. It's "Christmas Is" by Francesca Battestelli, and it is a great one to get you in the Christmas spirit! Hope you enjoy, and have a wonderful week!

MR
 

 

Thanksgiving Thankfulness: Part 3

Good day, readers!
   I hope you all are doing well. :) And I hope you're ready for Christmas time, because it's almost heeeerrree!!!! :D
   Today is the last post in my little series on things I'm thankful for. This has probably been a bit boring for you all to read, and I'm really sorry guys. *Sheepish smile*

   But you know. I think that this has been really good for me these past few weeks. Sometimes I really just need to step back and think about all of the things I'm blessed with, and not just focus on the bad things in my life. Because I am so blessed. Even in just the thirty things I've mentioned/will be mentioning in my blog posts. There are so many other seemingly "little" things that I'm thankful for, so many things I just take for granted in everyday life. And it honestly feels really good to remember all of these things and and just realize...
   Life is really good. In spite of all of the ups and downs. And that's what these past few posts have helped me to remember.
   But enough is enough. Let's go ahead and wrap this little series up, shall we?
   Ah. Wait just a moment. I must give you all a little NaNoWriMo update, mustn't I? Hehheh, yes indeed. This week I have written 9,296 words. Not quite as good as last week, but get this.
   I have one more chapter left in my book before it's finished. One. More.
   And that's it.
   So yeah. Yeah.  I'm just a little excited.
   But gosh! I'd better get started on the real part of this post...

1. Salvation
   This is one of the things I am most thankful for in the entire world. I cried out in my darkest night and Jesus pulled me out of my guilt and set me free to live for and serve Him. Oh, yes I am so thankful for this!!!!!

2. Piano
   I've been playing the piano for, oh, about 8 years now. A little over 1 year ago, I kind of stopped playing. We couldn't afford the lessons I had been taking, some things weren't working out so I was no longer taking lessons at all, and I just... Stopped. But about 6 months ago, I started taking lessons again. I've started playing, and I've realized once again how thankful I am that I can do this. Playing the piano can be hard and frustrating, but man! I still love doing it, because it can also be a whole lot of fun. :)

3. Clothes
   Yes, I really am thankful for clothes, okay?! I love to dress up and make different outfits and find inspiration for them on Pinterest, I love to put on my dresses and my skirts and feel good. I just like them, and I am thankful for them. So there.

4. Growing Things
   I love flowers and plants and trees and grass and growing things in general!! Greenery and shrubbery and flowery... All of those things. I love going out in the summer and seeing everything green and alive. I love going out in fall and watching as they let go of that life with a blaze of fiery glory that takes your breath away. I love going out in winter and seeing the bare branches clothed in white snow, a still beautiful skeleton of their life and a promise for it to return soon. And then in spring when everything blooms again and takes a breath of the fresh, clean air and prepares to be alive. It's the circle of life and I love it. (Yes, you can go ahead and sing the song)

5. The Bible
   Just the very fact that I have a Bible is wonderful. So many people all over the world aren't allowed this, so many people in history weren't allowed it. It is such a blessing that I tend to so easily forget. Without it, how would I ever grow as a Christian? How would any of us? And yet we all just tend to take it for granted, even though people sacrificed their lives, shed their blood for this Book...

6. Solitude/People
   I am sure that this sounds very strange when you first read it. But let me explain. I love to be alone. Right now I'm sitting all by myself  in my room, wearing my Winnine the Pooh PJ's, writing this blog post with rather cold fingers and listening to "Multiplied" by NeedtoBreathe on my tablet. And I am perfectly happy. I love solitude. I could plug in some earbuds, grab a notebook and/or sketchbook, maybe a to read book and just chill all by myself. And I totally dig it, man. It's great. I'm an introvert and that's how we roll.
  But at the same time.
   I also do enjoy being around people. For example... Today I had church. This evening I had a really great time hanging out with my good friend Mikaylea before, after, and actually during services (that sounds a lot worse than it actually was. But it would take more time to explain at the moment than I am willing to give). And it was great. We didn't really do anything, just hung out. It was awesome.
   All this to say, I am thankful that I can be alone. But I'm also thankful that I'm surrounded by wonderful people who not only tolerate me, but actually want to hang out with me. At least, I think they do...
   But yeah. I'm am really grateful for that.

7. Nostalgia
   Ah yes. I love those feelings of nostalgia you get. Like when you pick up a book you haven't read in forever, or you listen to that one song, or you watch that one show. You get what I mean. It always feels like a reminder of how much you've lived your life, what you've done, how far you've come, how wonderful your life was and still is. It's a great feeling, in my opinion.

8. Freedom
   Let's just think for a moment about all of the people who don't have this. The ones who are just fighting to survive, who can't own guns, who can't speak freely, who can't even go to church or own a Bible. I honestly have no idea what this is even like. I am so blessed to live in a free country, to live in America for goodness' sake!! Amen and hallelujah!

9. The Future
   This kind of ties in with my last point. I have the opportunity to have a wonderful future. A wonderful, hopeful, Christ-filled future that I can live with my whole heart. Now, I don't know what the future holds. Honestly, it scares me quite a bit to think about, but man! Am I ever thankful that I have one, long or short as it may be.

10. The Ocean
   (Laura Scimeca actually gave me the inspiration for this one!! :D) I LOVE THE OCEAN, GUYS!!!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!! If you've been following my blog, you'll know that back in June my family and I went on a trip to the Washington coast. It was absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best week of my entire life so far. It was so beautiful and inspiring. I can still hear the waves as they came clawing up onto shore, still hear the wind, still see the beach, still see the endless water stretching on forever. I could live there. I could move right now and live in a trailer by the ocean and be totally happy forever.


And will you lookie there. I survived another blog post series!! Yay!!! :D It's even more exciting that you all survived it too, haha. :)
   I hope you all kind of enjoyed this, and that you have a great Thanksgiving!!! Remember to count your blessings tell me some of them in the comments below.
   Have a great week and a great start to your holiday season!

MR

Thanksgiving Thankfulness: Part 2

I'm back once again!!! :D
   So yup, here's the second part in this wee little series type thing in which I talk about ten things I'm thankful for. But first off, a NaNoWriMo update. :) This week I've written... *Opens document**Checks wordcount* *Spews iced tea all over room*
   'Kay, so I didn't realize I'd written this much. Apparently I've gotten down 11,136 words this week. Which is like, by leaps and bounds, more than I've ever written in a week before. So yeah, NaNoWriMo has been pretty good to me. :P But on that note, I can finally say with confidence that I have no more than three chapters left in my book. Three chapters, guys. I'm almost done. 

   Yeah, I'm pretty excited!! I'm gonna take a break before editing, and I have some things I want to write during that time that I'll tell you all about when I officially announce my finished book. Hehheh. :D
  But yes! I hope you all are having a marvelous week. And if not, just remember that things are going to get better, and that Christmas is right around the corner. Even if it doesn't look like you're going to have the best holiday season, just relish the fact that is is Christmas, and remember the whole reason that we celebrate it is because God came down to earth as a baby to give himself on the cross for our sins. That should help to lift your holiday spirit a little. I know it's helped mine. :)
   Let us delve into this list! And I'd love to hear about some things you're thankful for, dearest reader, so be sure to leave them in the comments below. :D 

1. Food
   Amen and hallejulah. I love food. So. Much. It probably shows, but it is totally worth it. :P I mean, not only do I have plenty of food to eat, but I also have plenty of good food. And I do mean plenty of it.

2. Writing
   I have a confession to make. I'm really not that great at writing. There are so many people that are a far cry better than me, but you know what. I still love doing it. I really, really love to write. Sure, I get stuck and I get frustrated, and sometimes I just wanna give up on the whole darn thing. But the joy I get out of it is totally worth the struggle. And someday, all of this struggle might give me a real-life, published copy of my book. And maybe not. But no matter, because writing is something I love doing, and it's worth whatever disappointments I'll run into along the way. So yeah, I'm thankful for it. :)

3. Nights
   This is totally my favorite time of day. Or, I guess it's technically not the day anymore, but that's beside the point. I love the nighttime. I am such a total night owl, it's ridiculous. I come alive at night. Just ask my family, they know. It's the time of day I get the most work done. Or it can also be the time of day I do the most procrastinating because the internet is so pretty and shiny. But, I am thankful for this magical time of the day. :)

4. Fall/Winter
    *Sings* It's the mooost, wonderful tiiiiimmmeeee, ooff the yyyyeeeeeaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!
   (But seriously it is.)
   I can finally pull out my tights and my sweaters and my hoodies and my boots and my socks and ggggaaahh! I love it! And it's also Christmas/Thanksgiving time!!! SO YEAH!!!! :D

5. Yarn
   Ah yes. I do love me some yarn. :D Allow me to show you a picture of my stash that I've recently organized...

Pretty crummy picture, but whatever. It's also not very organized,
but I have no idea what organizing even means and this is way better than before.

   I just love what I can make with it, and I love crocheting, and yesh. :)

6. The Outdoors
   So, I really love going outside. But for some reason, I don't really do it much. We live in the middle of town and we don't have much of a yard, so maybe that's why. And I'm not a major fan of camping, but when I do get in the woods I really enjoy it. I guess I just find sleeping in the same tiny trailer with my other three family members not the most appealing thing, especially when one of them snores like a lion and another one of them talks, haha! XD But yes, I am so grateful that we can get outside and we live in such a beautiful area to do so. Even though I don't do it enough...

7. Health
   Yes, I am so thankful for this! Of course, I get the occasional sickness, but I'm actually a very healthy person. I don't have any health problems or anything like that. And man, that is definitely something I am so thankful for! :D

8. Sight
    Do you ever stop and think about what you would do if you lost your sight? Yeah, I think about these kinds of things. I mean, really. What would I do? I could probably still write and I might (maybe) be able to crochet, and I could still read. But I couldn't draw anymore. I couldn't look at the sunset or the fields or the faces of the people I love as they get older and grow up. I could never look out at the beautiful ocean again, I could never have my breath taken away from a beautiful piece of artwork. What would I do without my sight? Yes, this is something I am so very grateful that I have.

9. My camera
   You know, I really am quite thankful for my little camera. My dad found it at the high school where he works and he brought it home after no one claimed it. I was wanting a camera, so it was passed down to me. And I use it all of the time. I'm not very good at it, but I love taking photographs and just capturing moments and being able to share things through it.

10. Hot Beverages
   Oh yeah. I love my hot coffee and my hot tea and my hot cocoa. Yes, I love my hot drinks. That's actually just another reason why I look forward to winter so much, is for all of the nummy warm things. And of course, I wouldn't be able to survive without my coffee. :D


WHEW!!! Man, this one was hard! But I made it through. :P
   I hope you all enjoyed this post and that you have a great week. Thanksgiving is almost here! I can nearly smell the pumpkin pie and the mashed potatoes and the turkey and all of that other good stuff. Yay!
   Until next week!!

MR

Thanksgiving Thankfulness: Part 1

Hello readers!!
   We are now 9 days into November! Geesh, we're almost halfway through the month! I'd better get cracking on my NaNoWriMo goals. How are yours coming along, if you happen to be participating this year? I've succeeded in writing about 8,000 words this last week, which isn't too bad over all. I'm going to shoot for 10,000 this week though, so wish me luck!

   So guys. Even though places like Walmart and everywhere else are trying their best to convince you that there's no such thing as Thanksgiving and it's time to just go ahead and move onto Christmas, they're wrong. Thanksgiving does still exist and it just so happens to be on the 26th of this very month. And since I am desperately trying to finish my book before the end of the month, and since Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, I have a few blog posts lined up that are in line with that.
   Every week for the next three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I am going to be listing ten things I'm thankful for. Along with my reasons behind that. I'd also like to challenge all of you to do the same in the comments! I'd love to see what you guys are thankful for. :)

Let's begin!

1. Jesus 
   Of course guys. Of course. How could the first thing on my list not be Jesus? He freed me from my sin, from the guilt tearing at my soul and gave me new life. OF COURSE I'M MORE THANKFUL FOR HIM THAN ANYTHING ELSE!! He meekly gave his life as an offering for the sins I had committed. He gave himself for me. So yes, Jesus is the first thing on my list.

2. Family
   I truly love my family. I love my mom, my dad, my brother, even though they all mess up and make mistakes. I do the same thing more than they do and they still love me. My family is just pretty amazing. :) I don't know what I'd do without them. Even my little brother, annoying though he can be. :P

3. Beagles!!
   I love my tiny beagle babies!!!! :D Buck and Beulah, who I've posted pictures of before. Buck is such a cute cuddly sweetie, even though he can be a little cranky at times. And Beulah is just this squishy ball of cuddliness who always wants to give you loves... She's just sweet, okay?! They both are!!

4. Home
   Man, I have a house to live in!! That is so awesome! Not only that, but I have a totally awesome room that holds some big ol' bookshelves, a bed, a yarn area, 2 small desks, all of my art junk, a dresser and a shoe rack, and it even has a book nook! My house is nice and cozy during the winter and nice and cool during the summer. I am truly blessed in this area.

5. Friends
   I've only got a couple friends, but those I do have mean a lot to me. You guys are all awesome, and I am so glad I have each of you in my life!!! :)

6. Church
   I am so grateful that I have an absolutely wonderful church! Not only that, but I have pretty much the best church family ever, but the fact that I can even go to church without any persecution is amazing. Amazing, guys. Sure, we have some issues with space and stuff, but man. My church is wonderful, and I love you all!! :D
 
7. Art
   Mmmmm, I love art!! Man, some of the things people create from a chunk of wood and led and some mushed up trees....

8. Boookkksss
   Yeah. OH yeah. I am so thankful to live in a place where I can get whatever kind of books whenever I want. Like, have you ever thought about the Dark Ages? I mean, thank about that, all of you book nerds. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO HORRIBLE!! You not only couldn't buy books if you were the everyday average citizen, and there weren't libraries like we have now. So yes, I am very thankful that I have books and that I have access to them.

9. HORSES!!!
   *Screams* Yesss!!!!!!!! I love these animals so much! So beautiful, so powerful, just... Horses!!! Even though I don't yet have a horse, I just love them so much and am very thankful for them!

10. Music
   What would I do without this? It inspires me when I write and draw, it comforts me when I'm upset, it speaks to me on a deeper level than most humans ever directly ever could, it fires me up, it cools me off. Music is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Yeah, there's some pretty crummy stuff out there, but there's a crummy part to everything. But there's also a whole lot of good stuff out there, and that's the part of it that I love. (By the way, does anyone listen to Andrew Peterson? 'Cause you should)

Ah!!! There! I did it. :P Now to just think of 20 more good things, which is surprisingly difficult when you actually have to make a list.
   So, what are you guys thankful for? Leave them in the comments below! See you all next week, and have a great 2nd week of November!

MR

Inktober/October in Review

'Ello dearies!
   So guys. I officially have finished Inktober. GUYS. I DID IT!!! I REALLY, TRULY DID!!! Which is even cooler for me, considering I have never been able to finish a 30-Day-Challenge-type-thing before. But I done did it this time dudes.
   In case you don't follow me on Pinterest, and also because I just really wanted to, I am now going to show you a collage of all of my inktober pictures. Hehheh. :)

I actually had to do 2 collages for formatting reasons...

   There we go!!! 

   I really enjoyed doing inktober this year. I mean, it was honestly a lot of fun! I did some experimenting with different things, got some good practice done... Yeah, I think it was pretty successful. 

   And now it's time to pick favorites. My favorite out of the month would probably be... em... my "Clockwork" picture? I don't know, I'm not good at picking favorites. 

   What about you guys? Anyone have a favorite or two? 

   October itself was a good month for me. My dad and brother had a successful hunting season. My brother got a nice doe, and my dad got a very nice mule deer buck. Whilst they were gallivanting in the woods, my mom and I got some time to hang out. Which is always fun! 

   And yeah. I feel like October was just a good month. Hope you guys feel the same about yours. :) 

   But now we are moving into the month of November. Which means Thanksgiving, which is then followed by December, which then leads into Christmas, which then leads into the New Year. 

   2015 is almost over guys. 

   That's insane. Where did the year go?? Regardless of where it went, it's almost over. So it's time for some of us to get finished with our resolutions of 2015. 'Some of us' being namely me. Which translates further to, I need to finish my blessed book. 

   Allow me to give you all an update. I now have 203 pages, 30 chapters, and 132, 949 words. And I am so close to being finished. 

   This is where NaNoWriMo comes into play. I'm not going to be really participating, meaning I won't be shooting for the 50,000 word goal. But I am going to try and do 2,000 words a day, and even more importantly, I will have my book done by the end of the month even if it kills me. 

   I just need to buckle down and get 'er done. So. I should have a finished book by the end of the month, boding some accident, the end of the world, or complete and utter failure on my part. 

   HUZZAH!!! 

   And otherwise...

   I have a bunch of art I wanna do, a bunch of Christmas and birthday projects to start/finish up, along with starting an Etsy for my crocheting and drawings. Hopefully November will be a pretty successful month. :) 

   And I've also been thinking about changing up my blog's appearance? And possible splitting my blog into different blogs? As in, having a writing/fanfic blog, and a main blog. Any thoughts on that? 

   And yeah. That's about it. Thanks for enduring this post of boringness. I'll have something better next week, I promise. :P 

    Have a great week everyone!

MR