January is practically over. Waht?! It's scary how fast it went, but lots has happened this month, so let's get on with it.
So far, this year has been off to a great start. I mean, I started off the year with eating pizza. Seven. Days. In. A. Row. (It probably won't happen again for a long time, but it was quite awesome. xD)
New Years! I always bring in the new years by screaming at the top of my lungs. Like, literally. I scream as loud as I can and it leaves my voice feeling hoarse afterwards. But it's really fun. :P Do you have any New Years traditions?
On January 1st, I invited my wonderful cousins, Summer and Anna, over to watch the Twenty One Pilots concert on TV. We ate pizza beforehand (of course), and then proceeded to rock out to our favorite songs.
(To really get into the concert spirit we each dressed up from one of their music videos.)
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| Left to right: Summer (Lane Boy), Anna (Fairly Local), and me (Stressed Out.) |
So. Much. Cocoa. I never used to drink much hot cocoa, but all of a sudden I've discovered an extreme love for it and it's become my new editing fuel. :D
I also got to 100 GFC followers this month, and now I'm at 113. Um, wow. Thank you all; you're awesome. <3
It was my sister's birthday on the 20th! She's thirteen now, which is kinda terrifying, but also really exciting because she's awesome. Love you, Laura!
More LOST watching, mwahaha. I'm on the fifth season now. Things are getting weird and I love it. (And the feels are still coming strong.)
This song is one of my new favorites. It's so calming and peaceful and pretty. <3
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Reading kinda... exploded this month. Somehow (?!) between all the editing + blogging, I read a bunch of books this month. My average rating is 3.1 stars. I read more contemporary than I usually do. But most of them were "mehhh."
Favorite: Winter or Samara's Peril.
Best Cover: (I love most of them. o.o) But probably Raven or Passenger.
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Posting schedules are really awesome, people. If you don't have a schedule yet, I'd highly recommend one.
// GOALS FOR 2016 //
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// GUEST POST BY RACHEL ALISON: creative faith //
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// IN TWO YEARS OF WRITING //
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// A (semi-serious) EDITING SURVIVAL GUIDE //
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(You also may have noticed that I created a new header for my blog. If not, surprise! :P)
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This happened when I was editing and it made me laugh and sigh:
...I just got shivers while editing. The scene was /that/ good.
... Or... or... I'm just really cold. #wishfulthinking #amediting
— Katie Grace (@KatieGraceWrite) January 26, 2016
I... signed up for a writing conference?!? So, that's ah-maz-ing and makes me all squeal-y thinking about it. It's specifically for young writers (ages 13-19), which is awesome, because I can never meet enough teen writers. :P It's in Minnesota from June 14-16, and it'd be reaaally awesome if any of you were to come. Just dropping this link out there if you want to run it by your parents and find out more information. // Minneapolis Young Writer's Workshop //
So, I basically just edited all this month. I wanted to finish the fourth draft of Song of the Desert this month, but that's not happening because it's a mess. xD So instead I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the first week of February. *flops* I WILL FINISH THIS.
On the 23rd, Aimee and I did an insane writing day where she wrote 12,000 (!!) words, and I edited/rewrote 10,000 words. It was exhausting, but extremely satisfying. :P
I FINISHED.
I'M DONE.
I WROTE/EDITED 10k AND I'VE NEVER BEEN QUITE SO TIRED.
*collapses into bed*
— Katie Grace (@KatieGraceWrite) January 24, 2016
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The amazing and wonderful Aimee is posting her equally wonderful story, We Killed a Vampire, to Wattpad! It's hilarious and you should all go read it.
Zac, a Twitter writing buddy of mine, got a blog! It's called Of Bleeding Pens and Pages. (epic name, yes?)
Go Teen Writers is holding a writing challenge in which you think of a new book idea every day for the whole month of February. I signed up, but I think I'll try to think of a concept/idea every couple days instead of every day because that gets excessive. But, still. As somehow who struggles with thinking of ideas, this will be a nice incentive.
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FEBRUARY 5th // I'm participating in Rachelle's flash fiction challenge!
FEBRUARY 6th // I've heard rumors that my novel may take over the blog that Saturday. Hopefully whatever it writes will come out coherent, but I'm not promising anything. ;)
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- Katie Grace
How many books did you read this month? What are you looking forward to in February?
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CONNECT WITH ME!
Ahhhh I feel so bad, I only read two books this January! Definitely not what I was expecting, but anyway I'm prioritizing my writing goals more this year.
ReplyDeleteI have Magonia in my shelf right now and I'm wondering if I should read it! And is that The Future of Us I see? I LOVED that book so much, you don't even know. If anyone asks for a contemporary that will blow their minds I ALWAYS recommend it. As for Thirteen Reasons Why, I quite liked it but don't remember much since I read it in 5th grade.
Would you recommend the Write A Novel in A Month book? And I bet that 10k in one day was crazy! I wish I could do that!
Nooo, don't feel bad at all! I had a BUNCH of time at the beginning of the month. Who knows if I'll be able to keep up this pace for the rest of the year. xD
DeleteMagonia. Ahh, well... I rated it three stars. The writing was absolutely GORGEOUS. Soo pretty. But... it was really weird? And it didn't make much sense? I liked it for the writing the plot I was just lost. :P
I would totally recommend it! I've heard of a lot of the information before (just because I read sooo many writing articles), but it's really nice to have everything in one place. And it provided some nice publishing information.
You edited 10K in one day. You are amazing. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteHot cocoa is wonderful but we just save it for desserts in my family so I have to stick with tea for editing fuel. *sigh*
Also . . . looking forward to this thing that might happen on the sixth. :D
It was exhausting. I'm not quite sure if I'm still alive. o.o
DeleteI LOVE HOT COCOA. SO MUCH. *flailing* I'm not the hugest fan of tea... Maybe that's just because I haven't found the right kind yet. :P
Eep. o.o I'm kinda excited but mostly nervous. Actually I'm all nervous, really. xD
I read a total of nine books :D Hope to read more next month, but we're super busy so we'll see! My favorite was either Winter or Ties that Bind by CJ Darlington!
ReplyDeleteDo you like the Raven boys? I was kind of interested in reading it...
Ooh, nine books is great! Is your goal 100 books for this year?
DeleteWinterrr. <3 I'm super sad that the series has ended. :'( Though Stars Above is coming out soon! :D
Ehhh, I mean, I like parts of it. The concept is cool and I occasionally like the characters. I rated the first book four stars and the second one three. (still have to read the third) There's quite a bit of language which isn't great. So I probably won't read these again and recommend them much. :P
Great job on editing 10k! That is a big accomplishment. I only read three books this month, but I really enjoyed all of them so I'm not too disappointed. This February I am hoping to really get on a writing schedule and stick to it. We'll see how it goes!
ReplyDeleteThank you! <3
DeleteOoh, what books did you read?
You can do this! :D *offers chocolate motivation*
I LOVE I AM MOUNTAIN.
ReplyDeleteI discovered that song via Pandora or Spotify a year or so ago, and I saw that Aimee over at "To the Barricade!" loves it too! The piano and guitar in the song are definitely soothing and very beautiful. And my sister just turned 13 today ^^
How did you read 16 books?? I managed a good 5 or 6. Geez, I need to step up my A-game.
One final note, I love your new header. Fall's my favorite season, (and those pictures are GORGEOUS) so though it may be winter right now (and psh since when does Winter exist in South Florida), may it be forever fall online! LOL
ME TOOOOO.
DeleteI saw that in her post! I think I actually might've discovered it off of one of her playlists. I'm not exactly sure.
Aww, how awesome! Do you have any other siblings? (And happy birthday to her! <3)
I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW??? I had a bunch of time earlier this month. When our family road-tripped to Chicago all I basically did was read that weekend. So I think I might've read five books there?
Thank youuu! <3 I like it a lot better than my old header. *nod* Fall's my favorite season tooo. I love the colors.
YOU ARE MY EDITING QUEEN. how. do. you. do it. AHHH
ReplyDelete16 books? Girl you are on a ROLL xD Keep it up wow, that's awesome.
~Noor
*bows* I DON'T KNOW?! SOMETIMES I SLAM MY HEAD AGAINST THE KEYBOARD AND HOPE WHAT COMES OUT IS BETTER THAN THE FIRST DRAFT.
Delete*SHRIEKS LOUDLY* I CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT YOUR NOVEL. LIKE, I AM HONESTLY SO EXCITED THAT I CAN'T WORDS. *flailing*
ReplyDeleteAgghhh I want to go to that writer's workshop SO BADLY. However, it's too far away and I wouldn't be able to come up with enough money for it anyway. *sadness* I've been wanting to go to a workshop for months now, but it never works out, which is sad.
I'M GLAD YOU'RE EXCITING. I'M ALSO KINDA TERRIFIED. MOSTLY TERRIFIED. BUT, OH WELL. XD
DeleteArgghhh I want YOU to go to that writer's workshop SO BADLY. Like, how awesome would it be to meet YOU?! *sigh* Oh well. Maybe there'll be another one next year.
If it was closer to MO then I would definitely come. It would be so awesome to meet you in-person!
Deleteoh goodness so much happened idek what to say!!
ReplyDeleteRight? Thank you again for guest posting on my blog. :D
DeleteSounds like you had an awesome first month to start off 2016! :-) My family and are are currently watching LOST, too! We only have 8 more episodes though. I can't get enough of Michael Giacchino's music for that show! I love it! <3
ReplyDeleteAAHHH, you are watching Lost, too? Aww, that's so sad that you only have eight episodes left. I don't want to think about finishing it. That would just be so sad. o.o
DeleteThe music is amazinggg. I should look it up; I bet it would be good writing music.
Hot cocoa is the best. It's so unhealthy, but eh, I'm still young so it's okay. :D I drink it so much during the wintertime. The Minnesota writing conference sounds like so much fun. I probably won't be able to go because I have a feeling that might be during finals week for me, but I might go to a writer's conference later in the summer. Great job editing 10k in one day and somehow managing to also read 16 books!
ReplyDeleteEhhh oh well. xD I drink it with milk so I can at least have my calcium for the day. :P
DeleteI REALLY WISH YOU COULD COMEEE. It's going to be so much fun and I'd freak out if I'd be able to meet you. :P Is the other writer's conference you're thinking about Realm Makers? I'm going to that one as well. ^.^
Love your guys outfits, I think Tyler would approve. Hot cocoa is the perfect writing drink.
ReplyDeleteThank youuu! I'm glad. xD
DeleteThank youuu! I'm glad. xD
DeletePizza for SEVEN days in a row?! Wow. The most days I've got in a row is three or four :D. OOO, hot chocolate is the absolute best. *nod*
ReplyDeleteSixteen books. SIXTEEN BOOKS. How even. I only read eleven books this month, and since five of them were novellas its kinda cheating to say eleven :D. What did you think of 'Book Of A Thousand Days' and 'Among The Hidden'? I remember reading those. Wait, is that ... Samara's Peril?! Were you one of the beta readers? And I agree, 'Raven' and 'Passenger' have awesome covers.
Oh my, I want to go to that conference SO bad, you have no idea, but something tells it wouldn't work out :(. Oh well. Someday, I WILL go to a writer's conference.
Ooo, you signed up for the GTW challenge too? That's so cool! I don't think I'll have a problem coming up with a new idea every day, that's kinda normal for me. Sometimes I like all the pretty new story concepts bombarding me and then ... sometimes I really can't stand it.
I very much hope that the rumors are true and that your blog will be taken over by your novel on February 6th. *nodnod*
I KNOW. It probably wasn't the healthiest thing ever, but oh well. xD
DeleteWell, eleven (even if they were novellas) is still goood! I stopped reading two books half way because I got bored. :P
I rated both of those books 3.5 stars, I think. I liked the first half of "Book Of A Thousand Days" a LOT better than the second half. It was still good. And "Among the Hidden" was just a book to relive my past since I read through the whole series when I was nine or ten. (I think.) I don't remember how the series ended, though. :P
Aww. It would be soooo awesome to meet each other there! Really. o.o I think I would scream. xD
YES! Yeah, it's simultaneously a blessing and a curse with not having many story ideas. This way I'm not distracted, but then I'm always nervous that I won't be able to think of anymore ideas. :/
We'll see... ;)
We can forget about eating healthy now and then :D. Especially if it's pizza. *nod*
DeleteOH, yes! That would be SO incredibly awesome. I most definitely would scream, I'm good at screaming XD.
Lol I love the Twenty One Pilots part. XD
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm glad. xD
DeleteI like looked up the music video's again and I was like, "Wooooahhh, I want to dress up with a red beanie!" xD
DeleteI'm ever so glad you found a love for cocoa. *hugs* TOTALLY. :D Cocoa is AWESOME.
ReplyDelete*hugs* It really is. IT'S THE BEST. <3
DeleteYou already read 16 books? =/ I only read 10...but I'm on schedule! =)
ReplyDeleteI really want to see more about your WIP! I don't even know what it's about yet!! You need to edit faster so we can read it! =) hehe
I am hoping to re-publish my novel (with a different cover) in February and write more on my WIP...which needs a lot of work. =)
I know. o.o I secretly want to keep up at this pace, but I'm doubting it. :P Oh well.
DeleteI'm editing as fast as I can! :D I'm STILL hoping for the end of March to get it out to beta readers. No promises, but I'm going to do everything I can to make that work.
Ooh, you published a novel? Self-published, I assume? That's cool. :D What's it called?
Cool, Katie!! Do you have a synopsis available yet?? =)
DeleteThe novel (more of a novella) that I wrote is called Emily Kessler & The Mystery of the Midnight Trespasser. It is on Amazon right now, but I'm going to take it off to fix a few things and re-publish it with a different, more professional cover. =) And yes, it is self published! =)
Synopsis... Er... *glances away* xD SOON, I PROMISE! Soon. :P
DeleteOoh, how awesome! That's cool to be an author so young. :)
Looks like you had a great month! I loved reading all of this! I read 6 books this month. I would comment on more but i don't have time right now :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a great month. :D Six books is still great. :)
DeleteHa, I understand. Thanks for commenting anyways!
Ooh, Among the Hidden. That book is intense. I read the whole book in one day when I was younger and I loved it. I'm reading the third book in the series now, and I think my library has the rest of the series so I'm looking forward to reading all those too. :D
ReplyDeleteAck, isn't it? I remember a lot of sneaking around in the later books and it made me so stressed out. xD
DeleteYOUR TWENTY-ONE PILOTS OUTFITS ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST. :P You did so good with editing this month!
ReplyDeleteWELL THANK YOU! :P
DeleteHow did you get to read Samara's Peril ?!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I'm one of those super blessed beta readers. ^.^
DeleteI LOVE YOUR TWENTY ONE PILOTS OUTFITS.
ReplyDeleteI haven't started watching LOST yet, because my sister and I are working on finishing up some other shows first, but I am super excited. I've heard so many good things about it over the past few months. *nods*
I had a bad reading slump and went without reading for an entire week, so I only read 14 books in January. But I'm hoping to do way more in February. *nods* *faints*
I also need to eat more pizza.
THANK YOU I LOVE TOP SO MUCH. <3
DeleteOhmygoodness you absolutely need to watch it. It's so amazing. o.o
Ahaha. "Only." That's still more than I read most months last year. :P *faints with you at the thought of everything to do*
Um, always.
It sounds like you had a lot of fun and you got some good progress in! I'm on the fifth season of lost as well. Almost on the sixth! :D Happy February!
ReplyDeletestoritorigrace.blogspot.com
Eep, sounds like we're about at the same place. I don't want it to enddd. :/
DeleteKatie, for some reason I wasn't able to contact you through your contact form. I don't know if it was just my computer or something is wrong with it. But I was going to ask you if you would be willing to do a guest post for Ravens and Writing Desk?
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in doing this, please email us back at ravensandwriting(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks,
Mary B, at Ravens and Writing Desk
Hmm, weird. When I first installed it, it worked fine, but I'm not sure what's happening now. Thanks for telling me so I can get it fixed. :)
DeleteUnfortunately, I just said yes to a guest post so I'm going to have to say no for now. Life is so crazy sometimes. :P
Thanks for asking, though! <3
Oh, no problem! I totally understand how busy life can be. :)
DeleteWow you had a crazy reading month! I can barely get two books done in a month, so I'm bowing at your feet:P
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you did a recap, because you seem like you have some really good content that I haven't read yet!
Congrats on the 100 GFC followers!
Thank you so much, Sunny! <3
DeleteEeeep, you're so sweet. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you! OH MY GOSH YOU DID!? That's a reason to celebrate. You need to eat pizza or something. :P
I knowww. *pout* I didn't hate TRB, but didn't love it, either? I'm hoping that the next one is better. I'm still excited about it because it's an awesome concept. :P
You're welcome! Thanks for YOUR lovely comment! <3