Update: November Plans

Hello! This is just a personal update.

The weather here has been up and down for the past few weeks. Chilly one day and warm the next day - like Tennessee weather! I do love all the rain though.

Also, I'm hosting some workshops at the Studio this month. I volunteer at the LivingRoom Community Art Studio and these workshops are a fun way to learn and make art. I'm so glad I have a place to volunteer at -- since I've graduated I've had no work or school! Too much free time isn't a good thing, in my opinion.

This is the first event: Watercolor Paint Party (The fee is for Studio supplies and refreshments and such, as it's during off hours.)

I'm participating in NaNoWriMo to complete my hero project. :) You can track my progress on Twitter, plus I added a little word count widget to this blog's right side menu.

I've been spring cleaning in the fall. I like to get things organized before winter comes...which I'm not looking forward to...I need to buy some proper winter boots.

My other plans include:

1. Finishing up my permanent residence application
2. Making some organizers for the games and Xbox controllers 
3. Finishing my book list (I'm way behind on my reading list.)
4. Making some art videos (I have a funny idea for xmas ornaments that are Canadian and American themed.)
5. Update my bullet journal (which has become more of a mess journal...an organized mess journal...)
6. Search for archery classes
7. Complete a portfolio
8. Finish my commissions before year's end and contact post office about shipping (these are very old commissions I got in the States, so I'll need to mail them or something.)
9. Put up new art prints on Etsy and Society6 (I've been having problems with my camera, but I think my Photoshop skills might help fix it.)
10. Vote overseas for the first time (This is due by next week and it's been quite the learning experience!)
11. Pre-writing a lot of blog posts 
12. Re-vamp old art pieces (Stay tuned on that one...it's an idea I had...)

And...that's it for now.

Oh, and waiting to hear back from CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) about my visitor visa extension request. I hope it's approved, as being apart from "Thor" and our Lily Cat will be...I don't even want to think about it. If it doesn't get approved, I'll be blogging from the States in December...

Photo of deer from my trip to Ireland in 2011

How to Write a Novel in 30 Days : How I Deal with NaNoWriMo

Also known as self torture...just joking! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which has been claimed in in the virtual world by NaNoWriMo .Org and I'm participating again this year!

This yearly event has helped me go from "Maybe one day I'll be a writer..." to "I'm actually writing a novel." The community this event has created continues to teach me new techniques, show the process of  how writing actually happens, introduce me to the publishing side of writing, and encourage me by revealing that I'm not alone.

Most of all, it's taught me how to write a novel. Please, join us and make your novel happen! This event has helped me and others write a novel in 30 days. Maybe it'll work for you, too.

Keys to Unlocking Your Novel

Silence the inner editor, set a goal, and then schedule a daily routine to reach that goal. A novel doesn't write itself. You don't have to be prefect at grammar or spelling. The process of correcting mistakes happens after you write the thing. You can't fix mistakes until you make them!

> Put away your inner critic

> Set a goal

> Set mini-goals

> Schedule time in your life to reach that goal

> Prepare for this goal
> Celebrate when you reach mini-goals and the ultimate goal

The point is: there's no secret to writing a novel. Everyone does it differently. I use NaNoWriMo as learning source and community. You won't know what you need or what habits or challenges are blocking your novel until you try to write one.

How I am preparing for writing a novel in 30 days:

1. I have all the food and snacks ready when I'm able to grab said food.

2. I purchase new coffees and teas to keep it interesting.

3. I put my inner editor/critic in the closet and don't let it out until December (the editing phase).

4. I set a schedule. You can't complete something you never set time for.

5. Plan chores. Something about setting a goal to write 50,000 words in 30 days suddenly makes cleaning out every closet sound like a good idea.

6. Create a writing playlist! <<<< super important. If you don't do this, you'll end up browsing through 1000s of songs hunting for "the right song" to avoid writing.

7. Plan. I'm a bit a planner when it comes to writing - especially my big stories. I jot down a plot outline, a few key notes, and last minute ideas.

8. Pick out a name list. I create a huge list of names ahead of time to draw from for those characters I didn't (or could not) plan for. I've learned (thanks to this event) that I get hung up on names during the writing process. It helps to have a pre-made list of story appropriate names. Last year I got so frustrated that I just used random names like "Sea", "Angry Guy", and "Dirt" as names...

Write with me

I tend to be on Twitter during my writing times, so that's the best place to track my progress. :) Me on Twitter