RoW80 Check In

So it’s another week down and yet more failures on my part. Except... I’m not classing them as failures. I may not have done as much editing or writing as I planned to but I’ve been doing things related, however distantly, to my goals.

I didn’t write any new entries for The Feral Diaries but I did do the long promised blog post about it yesterday. And I received some positive feedback about it. I also did some planning about the storylines and figured out a rough idea of what happens when. So although I didn’t meet the specific goal of writing and editing I made progress, even if it was in a different direction than I planned.

The same is true of Darkling Watch. I’ve done very little editing of it. Barely any of my read-through in fact but the stuff I did do on Monday led to three whole chapters being separated. That’s quite a lot for only three hours work. And I had Jeremy Kyle on in the background, which surprisingly helped with the arguements. Not to mention that I started roughly planning the novel about one of my favourite characters in the book. I plan on plotting that one out properly next year in fact and may share something about it at a later date.

I didn’t do anything related to o.S.a.M this week but I’m not actually bothered by that fact. It’s a series of short story web-comics connected by one long theme. I’m still trying to think of a new name for it as Of Swords And Magic does, as a friend told me, sound like a dissertation title for fantasy literature. I’m thinking something to do with curses. It still needs work. Anywho, the reason I’m not too bothered is that with the new storylines roughly plotted out for the most part I’ve got to let them settle. I need them to come together in my head, not just on the paper. For a good three or four months the story was one direction, not a direction I was really happy with, but it was a certain way. Now that I’ve started again from scratch with a bunch of different genres I’m happier with it. I’ve still got to get used to it in my head.

As for NaNoWriMo... well. It’s going splendidly. I’ve got a rough idea of my characters, the events and a couple of the subplots. The subplots aren’t as clear as the primary plotline but they’re getting there. I’ve also stepped a bit away from the Young Adult genre and into the realms of the completely ridiculous. I spent too much time in the Dares thread of the NaNoWriMo forums and so I’ve got a bunch of small events that I’m planning to put in to the story somewhere. The outlines right now are so rough that I can. For instance I’ve got a very basic scene of someone telling my MCs what’s happening. I don’t know how, I don’t know what’s said or what the characters are all doing. Thanks to the dares though I can expand on it a little, make it funnier. Maybe it won’t work and I’ll have to take those weird sections out but who cares! I’ll have fun doing it. Last year I took NaNoWriMo very seriously, not including any dares or experiencing much of the fun of NaNo that people talk about. Now though, with one whole novel under my belt and another one well on its way to reaching the editing stage I feel happy enough in my abilities to put weird events in and make them work. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a hit on my hands.

And finally, the last goal of blogging more than once a week about topics other than RoW...I nailed it. Not only did I write the promised posts about The Darkling Watch and The Feral Diaries but I also did one more than intended, specifically the Liebster Award entry. I’m still trying to figure out how to get that badge on the site incidentally. I want to put it in one of my sidebars, along with a NaNoWriMo badge/link and a RoW80 badge/link but I don’t have a clue. If you know how let me know.

So it’s been a successful week for me. Not as productive on the writing front as I’d hoped and I didn’t exactly reach my specific goals but I did work around each other them and that makes me happy. Now though I return to my NaNo planning and trawling the NaNo Dare thread for more insanity to put in my novels.

Keep writing!

Liebster Award

I was originally going to do an entry about The Feral Diaries today and tell you all about those. But I got some interesting news today and thought I better follow through on sharing it. The amazing J. E. Blackworth from J.E. Blackworth’s Shifting Thoughts, the inspiration behind my A to Z post last week, informed me on my last entry that she’d nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award.

Before I even think about responding to J.E’s questions I’ll give a bit of information about the Awards as I really wanted to know what it’s about. And you know, I’m weird like that. It’s essentially a chain letter but one of the fun ones. There’s no horrible threats of supernatural repercussions if you don’t follow through and it’s a great way to get some new readers. What it boils down to is that you get tagged by someone who admires or enjoys your blog who asks you 11 questions. You then make a post and answer those questions. At the end of your post you ask 11 new questions of 11 of your favourite bloggers who have less than 200 followers and tell them. It’s almost impossible to find out where the Liebster Blog Award began, some of the older entries that came up in my google search actually mention it’s 4 to 5 bloggers with less than 3000 followers that you ask and that you have to post 11 things about yourself. I’m not sure how it’s gotten so much smaller but I think it may have something to do with the expansion of the blogger-sphere and the fact it’s now quite easy for people to get 3000 followers. I wouldn’t know, I’m still stuck on 5 :P

Here’s what I found from this blog when I looked up the Leibster Award on Google.

The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

What is a Liebster? The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.Here are the rules for receiving this award: 1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.  2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer. 3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. 4. Go to their page and tell them. 5. No tag backs!

So I’ll start with the 11 things about myself;

1. I enjoy organising my work
2. I’ve got a thing about making lists, they’re the funnest thing I know how to do
3. I’ve never had a serious relationship.
4. I can climb up a tree branch with just my thighs supporting me.
5. I get on better with boys than girls
6. I have a thing for the delectable and dashing Henry Cavill.
7. I’m appallingly bad at HTML so I’m struggling to figure out how to put those buttony things on the sidebars of my blog.
8. I used to want to be a horse when I grew up.
9. I accidentally got my dad into zombie fiction when I threw World War Z at his head.
10. I have very poor willpower, hence why I’m still smoking despite wanting to quit.
11. I secretly worry I’m going to end up alone except for my 20 cats (I’ve only got one at the minute)

There’s a bit about me and now I’ll answer the questions from the delightful J. E.

1. What actor would you hire to play you in your TV movie biography, and why?

I would hire... Kate Beckinsale to play me. Not because I’m gorgeous (I’m only mildly pretty on a good day when I try) or slim as a rake. It’s because she’s got an incredible range of emotions and this beautiful elegance and grace that I wish I could have at least half of.

2. If you could take home any animal from the zoo, which would it be, and what would you do with it?

I would take home a snow leopard and I’d cuddle it. Or set it on people if they started bothering the house again. I love cats and big cats. They’re pretty.

3. What book setting would you like to visit, if you could?

I’d love to visit Discworld. Terry Pratchett makes his writing so vivid and the world so interesting and amazing that I’d just love to see it in reality.

4. What is your favorite thing to do outdoors? Why?

I like to walk outdoors, especially in autumn. I just love the colours in the trees and fields and I like to feel all the space around me and listen to the birds. I love to walk outdoors because I can go as fast or as slow as I like and there’s this incredible sense of freedom when I’m walking. I can get lost in my own thoughts and work out problems with my writing or my life.

5. Who was the best teacher you ever had, and why? Can be related to formal education, or not.

The best teacher I’ve ever had is my dad. He taught me how to cook and to love cooking. He taught me how to do DIY, or at least tried to as I’m not very good with a power drill. He’s just taught me how to care for myself and look after my own life. He’s taught me to be independent but the most wonderful thing he’s taught me is that even though I can look after myself and make something of my life he’s always there and will be there for me whenever I call him.

6. What makes your favourite song so special? How do you personally relate to it?

I don’t actually have a favourite song. It really depends on my mood and the place that my head is at when I’m listening to music. There are several that I like to listen to though. 

One in particular that I’m really into right now is Rita Ora’s R.I.P. featuring Tinie Tempah. It just resonates with me because I am so different to how I used to be at school. I have self-confidence, I don’t rely on other people to make me feel important, I am the person I am and I embrace my weirdness. The girl I used to be at school is gone and I’m me.

7. If you could learn any new language, which one would you choose and why?

I really don’t know. There are several I’d love to learn; Latin, French, German, Mandarin, Japanese. I just want to try to speak more than just English, learn more than just the English language structure. I think the first one I’d most like to learn would be Latin. It’s the root of so many different languages in our modern world and sounds a beautiful and fascinating language.

8. Using all of your 5 senses, describe your favorite food.

My favourite food is a Mr Kipling’s Angel Cake. I could eat a whole box of 6 of those delicious things.

Sound- rustling scratching as the plastic wrapping is taken off, the crunch sound as the cake is pulled from the plastic tray. A moist, barely there squishing sound and sucking as the icing gets stuck to my fingers.

Sight - Two slices of light fluffy sponge, one pale yellow and the other the pastel pink of a sunset, with a shining layer of white glaze and swirling pattern of bright pink icing. Just the sight makes my mouth water.
Smell – almost too sweet, slight hints of vanilla and something indescribable that makes me know that it’s going to be delicious.

Touch – light and springy, barely any weight in my hand. My finger is moist on the bottom where it presses against the sponge, my other finger slides in the icing on the top, covered in the sticky sweetness. It’s so easy to get my teeth through.

Taste – the rush of vanilla and flour and sugar. The intense sweetness of the icing that momentarily overwhelms the taste of the cake. It’s just too delicious to describe.

9. If you found a suitcase full of money in the middle of the street, what would you do?

I’m not sure. I’d like to imagine that I’d report it to the police and hand it in but I’m more sure that I’d probably not mention it and keep the money for myself. It’s selfish and I’d love to be sure that I’d take the high road and be a good Samaritan but I know there would be the chance that I wouldn’t. A very good chance.

10. What are you most grateful for?

I’m most grateful for my family and home. I don’t have a job, I don’t own my own home. My parents are kind enough to let me live with them still, to provide me with heat and food and running water. They don’t have to do this, I’m 22, I have a degree, I should be living my life with my friends and a job according to society. They’ve chosen to let me stay with them, I think my mum loves the fact that I’m home still. They’ve made no mention of me moving out apart from the obvious bi-weekly ‘How’s the job hunt going?’. They just want me to be happy and make something of myself and they’ll help me until I can support myself. For this I’m grateful.

11. Tell about an article or book you read recently.

I recently finished reading Sun God seeks...Surrogate? by the amazing Mimi Jean Pamfiloff. Her writing is incredible. She draws on all kinds of ancient mythologys, supernatural mythology and the modern world. She deals and writes about the kinds of things that are similar to my Darkling series but she focuses on a bigger picture while weaving together all of these stories. She has an insane seer goddess that just keeps making pop culture references and is just plain hilarious to read. She manages to balance action, romance, drama and tension while still being able to find the way to make all the sex she writes seem natural and fun without seeming like it’s been forced in there to make the wordcount.

Right, time for my tagging of other bloggers. I don’t actually know many bloggers who have less than 200 followers but there’s a few. I don’t think I’ll be able to tag 11 though. If they’ve got over 200 followers my bad :s 

So, my tags are;

• Erin over on La Bella Ironia – an amazing artist and a funner blogger.
• Polly over on Polway – the woman is awesome and one of my best friends. We may not like all the same things but she’s been there at some of my worst moments.
• Emmy on Bittersweet Enmi – she seems such a strong woman, despite all that she’s been struggling with lately. I admire the strength she has and her bravery in talking about her problems and her thoughts.

Yeah, that’s right, I’ve only got 3 blogs I read that may or may not have less than 200 followers.

But... here’s the fun part, here are my questions;

1. What made you first get into blogging?

2. What’s the most embarrassing thing that you’ve ever had happen to you?

3. Who’s the most important person in your life?

4. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? And why?

5. What would you say is your number one flaw?

6. What’s your favourite genre of book to read? Why?

7. Tell us about the most interesting book you’ve read recently?

8. What would your dream job be and why?

9. What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

10. What language do you most wish you could speak? Why?

11. Describe your dream holiday and tell us why you want it.