T h e H i g h l i g h ts
This month was crazy insane. SO much writing, blog, and life stuff went down, so here goes the highlights:
This month was crazy insane. SO much writing, blog, and life stuff went down, so here goes the highlights:
My daddy's birthday was this month! He's amazingly awesome and I'm so blessed to have him as a dad. <3
VACATIONINGGG.
We (we as in my family.) traveled to the west and visited Arches in Utah and some mountains in Colorado. The whole trip my sister and I had this "thing" with taking pictures of statues, so some of those are below:
BLOGGING THINGS!
I made a whole lot of tiny blog changes, including a new header, submit email button, rearranging the sidebar, new comment button, and revamped my about page.
Convo between my mom and I:
While she was trying to get me to kill a bug.
Mom: "Katie, you're old enough to start killing people."
Me: ...
Mom: "--I mean bugs."
I found two new songs from the leader of my favoritest favorite band ever (Twenty One Pilots). Take time to listen and think about the lyrics and try not to feel unaccomplished that he wrote these when he was seventeen.
Drown
+
Blasphemy
This below made me laugh until I felt bad that I was laughing so hard over such a lame joke:
We all had a mouse.
In our house.
And for living close to the city and not usually seeing mice in our house, it was rather unsettling. It totally didn't take 45 minutes to get rid of it.
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B o o k T h i n g s
There was a Half Price Books Clearance sale about a half an hour away from our house. Thousands of books (and movies) were lined up in hundreds of boxes, and all were under two dollars each. So that was super awesome. :D
New for the shelves:
- Incarceron.
- Senteniel.
- Dragonspell.
- Frency.
- House of Dark Shadows.
- The Rithmatist.
Reading was kind of pitiful this month. With a crazy writing schedule, school, and blogging, I really didn't have time to read. So here's the embarrassing total:
books read: 3.
Yeah. Three. *winces*
I read The Book Thief for school. (alllll the tears and feels.)
And for non-school books, Jackaby(five stars.) and Legend(four stars).
bookish things on the internet:
- Jaye L. Knight has a cover for Samara's Peril! :D
- Walk on Earth a Stranger released. Isn't it just the prettiest cover everrr? *dies* I need to get this book soon.
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O t h e r A w e s o m e P o s t s
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T h e W o r l d o f W r i t i n g
Christine at Musing of an Elf posted about why she believes in happily ever afters.
Cait at Paper Fury summed up my thoughts EXACTLY on how Goodreads can improve. (She says she's improving it when she becomes ruler of the world, but I just like the idea of passing it on to Goodreads' staff.)
I hate to admit, but I'm not a huge fan of classics, but I might actually read them for a change because Aimee at To the Barricade! listed some classic books that aren't boring.
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T h e W o r l d o f W r i t i n g
I tried something new this month.
I started a handwritten novel.
*ahhhh*
I'm focusing on my current novel, Song of the Desert, but for times when I don't have my computer and am in the car or something, out comes the notebook. It's titled A Twisted Star, and I'm quite excited about the idea.
AND ALSO, I REWROTE ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF Song of the Desert IN ONE MONTH.
I'm exhausted so please let me collapse and complain about the excessive amounts of editing I have been doing. It's alllll I'm doing anymore. *cries softly*
But, the second draft is COMPLETE (at least I'm hoping it'll be by the time this post is published... Heh.) and I'm ASSUMING that it feels amazing. :p Rewriting is my least favorite thing ever so to devote a month of just rewriting was kinda hideous. But it's over and I'm so happy. xD
I also entered in Speculative Faith's Autumn Writing Conference. Even though you can't enter anymore, voting is still open! *wink*
I also entered in Speculative Faith's Autumn Writing Conference. Even though you can't enter anymore, voting is still open! *wink*
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R a m b l i n g s o f t h e M o n t h
So even though edits nearly choked me with all the work this month, I did do some blogging. I'm still not sure how I found time, but oh well. :p
- BETA READERS. No, I'm not looking for beta readers . Sorry. That comes in January.
But I did post about beta readers and how you can help the process be made a bit easier for them.
I shared what goes on behind the scenes with my writing.
In October you shall see:
- POSTS BY ME. (Ha, ha. No, really.) (Actually if someone is ever interested in guest posting you should contact meeee!)
- A list of some end of the year goals inspired by the lovely Ava Jae.
- The first post in the blogspot design for bloggers series!
And, I want to start a schedule. Once a week on a certain date, and then sometimes I'll put an extra post in there. So, what day of the week do you like bloggers posting? Will you be more likely to read on a certain day? Do vote! (And you are actually able to vote in this poll unlike the other poll in my last post that failed.)
what day of the week do you like bloggers posting?
Ooh, I love your finalised design! Definitely very you :D Wish your dad a happy birthday from the blogosphere! Looks like you had a fabulous vacation, I wish I had half your photography talent :P And well, to be honest all authors are serial killers ... of their characters. I do quite enjoy Twenty One Pilots, although I have yet to decide whether to call them my favoritest. (It's totally a word. I'm a writer. Trust me.)
ReplyDeleteI'm also doing a post for year-end goals inspired by Ava! Looking forward to seeing your post :)
Thank youuu! And thank you for putting in your input about the design; it was helpful. :)
DeleteWill do! :D
Heh. I've gotten better at taking pictures as the years have gone by... Most of the time I take 250579 pictures and not liking any of them, but I'm trying. :P
Yes. We could start a club with people who think "favoritest" is a word. xD
Ooh, really? I'll be looking out for that!
I love your blog design! It's simple, elegant, and very easy to navigate! :D I lovessss it! I love your vacation pictures! So adorable!!! :D Hmm...I must listen to those Twenty One Pilots songs. I have been hearing about them but haven't actually listened to their music. *Readies headphones*
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alea!
DeleteOh, yes. You MUST. They are all sooo awesome and deep and fantastical and if you listen please let me know so we can talk about them. :p
JACKABY. Book two is out and I'm impatiently waiting for my library to actually get it so I can read it. I'm listening to the audiobook now (this is the third time this year I've read/otherwise enjoyed the story) and loving it.
ReplyDeleteLove the new blog design.
Glad you had fun on your trip!
I was able to vote in the poll. For the record, though, I like any day for blog postings, but I said Wednesday because I don't think there are other bloggers who regularly post on Wednesday. Most people do Monday, Tuesday, or Friday.
WAIT WAHT BOOK TWO IS OUT!? *goes to raid library to search for it* *finds it* *puts on hold a million times* :p
DeleteOoh, three times in one year? That's actually impressive.
*nods* Okay. Thanks for your vote!
Oh my, sounds like you've had quite the exciting month! CONGRATS on the rewrites--that's huge!! I hate rewriting too, kind of dreading it as I near completion of the draft I'm working on. And that's awesome about your handwritten novel--so much respect, girl, so much respect. I hand-wrote everything up until about age eleven, and I'd love to get back to those days a little bit. I hope that October is every bit as gratifying as September! Looking forward to all of the creativeness that you pump out next month.
ReplyDeleteAlso, for the record, I laughed out loud reading the conversation between you and your mother.
EEEP THANK YOU! Yeah, rewriting is quite horrid. xD
DeleteWhoah. Now I must hand you MY respect. Did you write a lot when you were younger?
Haha. I couldn't stop laughing either. :p
AH SEPTEMBER'S ALMOST OVER WHAT TREACHERY IS THIS. .-. I feels like we were celebrating New Year's just last week.
ReplyDeleteAnd this month I managed to do some editing on that fairytale retelling. But school has been in the way more recently. *sighs* And I read a lot this month. Something like six books, which is actually pretty amazing for me. xD Oh, and I read Jackaby as well, and I liked it pretty well, but it didn't really resonate in me. *shrugs* Not sure why, because classical mystery, especially with a twist, should've been totally my thing.
I DON'T KNOW BUT I DON'T LIKE IT. Right!? Each year passes a little faster than the last, and I'm convinced that time speeds up while we're sleeping or something.
DeleteHuzzah for editing! (Actually, I'm not sure if I want to be encouraging editing by cheering it on. So, boo for editing? :p)
Jackaby was... weird. Interesting. I think that was why I liked it so much? Especially because of Jackaby the main character, because I've never read a book with someone as crazy as him. xD
Six books. o.o H-howw?
First off, the card that you made is adorable! My card-making skills are not up to that level.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, "You're old enough to start killing people." XD I'm laughing so, so, SO hard right now!!
Ugh, a mouse. I would die.
Wow, a hand-written novel! I've tried doing that before, but it's SO hard to edit. I may have to try again, I love writing novels by hand..
xoxo
Grace Anne // http://totallygraced.blogspot.com
Aww, thank you! I've been doing it for awhile, so when I started making cards they looked like scribbles. xD
DeleteHehe. It was so hilarious. xD
I think I almost did die. I saw the mouse out of the corner of my eye, and then my dad looked under the couch and there was a mouse. We all freaked out so much. :p
Yeah, I think I'll have to transfer it to the computer and THEN edit it. It'll be more work, but I like typing and I type pretty fast, so I don't think it will be too hard.
You had a MOUSE in your house?! Ugh. I know how you feel. We had a shrew in the basement once.
ReplyDeleteBIG congrats on the re-write!!! They're hard.
Ooo, I'm hoping to read A Time To Die soon ... but so far, I haven't been able to get my hands on it. Hopefully I will before the second comes out :). And I LOVE the cover for Samara's Peril, love it! And I agree, the cover for Walk On Earth A Stranger is gorgeous!
I just finished reading Golden Daughter, and I'm in the middle of Draven's light. Don't get me started on how awesomely amazing Anne Elisabeth Stengl's books are :D.
~Savannah Perran
WE DID. o.o Ew, really? How did you get rid of it?
DeleteYou HAVE to read it! It's totally worth buying, but otherwise my library got it once I requested. :)
Ooh. Anne is soooo awesome! What's your favorite Tales of Goldstone Woods book so far? I didn't like Draven's Light as much... so you'll have to tell me what you think of it. :)
We caught it and let it go ... well, actually it was our mom who caught it, and our dad let it go ... my sisters and I stayed up on stools and chairs, far out of the way :).
DeleteA favorite? Is it even POSSIBLE to pick a favorite?! I seriously doubt it, since I'm not sure I have one :D. You? And actually, the only thing I don't like about Draven's light so far is how SHORT it is! I'm almost done with it :). ~Savannah Perran
Hehe. My dad was the one that caught ours in a cardboard box while my mom and I stood on chairs and couches. ;)
DeleteYeah, it's hard to pick a favorite. :P I really like Shadowhand because of all the feels (I think you know what I'm talking about...), but Veiled Rose is just a lovely story of friendship. And Dragonwitch. And Starflower. Oh, I don't know. xD
Yeah, I felt like it moved a bit quickly because of the size. *shrug*
Your design is so prettyyyyy. And it sounds like you had a great month! *hugs*
ReplyDeleteWell thank you so is yourssss.
DeleteIt was a fantastic month. *hugs* Sooo excited that I could war you a lot!
Wow it seems like you had a fun month. ^ ^ Congrats with progress on your book! And I love the new look of your blog. I took a break from writing for this month and I've mostly been planning. I talked about it more detail in my own monthly summary: http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/09/monthly-summary-september-2015.html Happy writing and reading to you! ^ ^
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI read your post! Relaxing months are nice and very much needed sometimes, I think. :p
Oh sorry. XD I've been reading so many monthly summary posts I got confused who commented on what and who commented on mine such. XD
DeleteNo, that's fine! I didn't actually comment on yours... Just read it, so that's my fault. :p
DeleteLOL, your statue pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteI see some Dreamhouse Kings books in that list! :D :D :D Have you read any of them yet? They. Are. Fabulous.
Writing by hand... One of these days I might try that again. My thoughts just tend to run faster than my hand, and I can't write for hours at a time that way. Someday when I have a story idea with no time constraints, it might be a nice throwback to the early writing days. :) How's "A Twisted Star" coming along?
As for the poll... Ack, again I'm very little help, because I honestly don't KNOW. Maybe the weekend? Or Wednesday, smack dab in the middle of the week? My personal schedule varies all the time, so there's really not one day that's consistently better than the other for reading people's blogs...
YES! I read the first book of The Dreamhouse Kings and loved it, but wasn't able to read the second one fast enough before I had to return it back to the library. *tear* Which one is your favorite?
DeleteGAH writing by hand is SO much slower than I expected it to be! It takes foreverrrr to write out one page (probably 10-15 min?) which is only 270 words. (Averaged) So, I'm not working on A Twisted Star as much until December... After NaNoWriMo. I'm just too busy! :p
Yeah, I don't really have a preference to blog's schedules, so I was surprised that Friday is in the lead. I dunno -- thought Saturday might be more popular. It's interesting. :)
Wow sounds like you had fun! Awesome! And that card you made for your dad is so good! Did you like the legend series? I read them last month! I really liked them. I really want to read the Book Thief.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks!
DeleteI haven't read Champion yet, and am not sure if I will or not yet. I liked Prodigy fine, but there was quite a bit of language, and a friend of mine on Goodreads warned me about the content, so I'll probably end up skipping that one. Or wait until I'm older. *shrug*
THE BOOK THIEF IS SO GOOD. And the movie. You MUST watch the movie. (I actually liked it better than the book...!!?)
I have been woefully behind on blog posts and was trying to catch up today. So I came over here and saw you linked to my latest post. And I'm just now seeing it! Absolutely the highlight of my day. THANK YOU!!! That seriously thrilled me! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI love your blog design, by the way! The simplistic elegance is gorgeous.
And I have to say I'm in awe at your endeavors of handwriting a novel. I fear I'm much too lazy to do that anymore. It's a sad fact.
Congrats on all your awesome writing accomplishments! ^_^
Looks like you had quite a September. I hope October is a wonderful month for you!
Oh, I feel you. My Bloglovin' feed is FILLED with unread posts. I hate having to choose between which ones I read, but I sometimes don't have time to get through all of them especially if I want to comment. *sigh* And you are so very welcome!
DeleteAwwww, THANK YOU! *hugs*
Oh, I am soooo lazy, so I'm taking the very slow approach to writing this handwritten novel. Just writing it when I have time so I don't get too stressed over it. Just a side project that usually gets pushed to the side... :/
Thanks for commenting!