The Life of Me

Hey, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

Well, I won NaNoWriMo. (Like I told you all I would. 😀 )

And I’m still writing.

Currently, my word count is at 59,603 words, and I’m just about to finish Act II of my story, which is super exciting.

But I digress.

What I want to talk to you about today is creative burnout (as you can probably tell from the title of this post).

Why do you want to discuss creative burnout? I’m sure you’re asking. Well, dear reader, I want to talk to you about this because, up until a few days ago, that’s what I had been experiencing.

Basically, I wrote fifty thousand words in thirty days, and then my magical inner well of creativity was completely drained.

At first, I didn’t even realize what had happened. I just thought I had gotten bored of my story, because I didn’t want to work on it. But I forced myself to, because I was – and still am, for that matter – determined to finish it.

But, no matter how much I wrote, I still couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it. I had to force myself to go sit at the keyboard every day, and every word I wrote was painful.

Eventually, I decided that this couldn’t just be boredom, and so I did what any sane person would do- I Googled it.

And then, after doing some research on the Interweb, I figured out that I was suffering from what is known as creative burnout.

Creative burnout is, essentially, when you’ve created a lot of stuff without stopping, and then it drains your creativity and leaves you exhausted. Like, in my case, I wrote a massive amount of words in thirty days, which thus gave me creative burnout.

And so, once I realized my problem, I did some more research, this time about how to refill your creative well, and I eventually decided to follow some of the advice I found, and take a break.

So I took a step back from my novel, and didn’t work on it for a while. I still wrote a bit – just a couple poems – but I didn’t stress about it.

And then, after a little while, I felt so much better.

In fact, just yesterday I easily made my daily word quota – 1,429 words – and I had fun doing it. I’m back to enjoying writing, and it feels amazing.

So, the moral of the story is, if you’re ever suffering from creative burnout, take a break from whatever it is that’s exhausting you. Do some other things – read, hang out with friends, watch TV, marathon all eight of the Harry Potter movies – and don’t stress about it.

After doing that, you’ll feel so much better. I promise.

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Talk to you all later!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

So, we’re about two weeks into NaNoWriMo, and I’m way behind.

About eight thousand words behind, to be specific.

I know what you’re thinking: How could you let yourself get so behind? Now you’re going to lose!

Well, actually, I have something to tell you: I’m not going to lose.

Um, yeah you are, you’re eight thousand words behind! you think.

Yes, I do happen to be very far behind, but no, I am not going to lose. Do you want to know how I know that? I know that because I want to win, and I am willing to work hard to achieve that goal.

I am going to write as much as possible for the next few days until I catch up, and then I will continue write 1,667 words a day until I reach 50,000. I will work hard, and I will win.

So, if anyone else is doing NaNo, and is behind and feeling down, and maybe even considering giving up all together, I’ll tell you this: Don’t give up. I know you’re behind – you and me both – but, if you work hard, you will manage to win. Trust me on this. Work hard, and you will succeed.

Well, sorry if this post seems a little random, but I just wanted to share both my plan of attack for the rest of NaNo, and a bit of encouragement for anyone else who’s behind.

That’s it for now, everyone! Talk to you all soon!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

Wow, NaNoWriMo sure did sneak up on me this year. I can’t believe it’s going to start next week!

And, in case you didn’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place in November, and, basically, thousands of people around the world decide to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days.

Pretty insane, right?

I’ve done it one time before – last year, in 2015 – which I lost, and I’ve also done Camp NaNo before – it’s the same thing as normal NaNo, but you can decide what your word count goal is, and it takes place in both April and July – which I won.

And, this year, I’m going to do it again.

I’m going to be writing the first book in a new trilogy. This new trilogy is going to take place in a world where King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table actually existed, and now it’s the twenty-first century, and (most of) their bloodlines live on.

The main characters are the descendants of the Knights and others from the legends.

Unfortunately, that’s all I’m going to tell you, because I would prefer it if no one stole my characters or plot or anything. (But feel free to steal the concept! No two writers could write the same book, even if they were both based on the same concept.)

But that’s all for now, I guess, so I’ll talk to you all later!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

I finished my book.

And I’m sort of freaking out right now.

I just wrote “END OF BOOK ONE” about five minutes ago, and I’m a mix of being frozen with shock and jumping off the walls with excitement and laughing hysterically like a madwoman.

I honestly have no idea what to do now. I mean, do I jump straight into editing? (I don’t think so…) Do I go read a book? (I don’t think I could, to be honest. I’m too excited.) Do I watch YouTube videos about writing? (I think I will, after I’m done with this blog post.)

But yeah, this whole thing is insane.

I mean, I’m fairly young, and I just finished writing the first draft of a young adult (YA) novel.

Oh, and do you want to know my total word count?

It’s 87,231.

I wrote 87,231 words of a novel.

In under a year.

And I am freaking out.

I think I’m gonna go and watch some YouTube videos about writing now, because I need to relax and just think. (And I think I’ve written enough words for a whole lifetime.) So talk to you all later!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

Camp NaNoWriMo ended yesterday (as I’m writing this), and I wrote ten thousand more words than I was planning to. Yay! Go me! I am super happy about that, but I’ll be even more happy once I actually finish this darn book.

I’m getting really close to the ending, which is definitely really exciting.

I have this awesome cliff-hanger in mind for it, too, and I really, really want to write it, so that’s good, because it’s giving me more motivation to write and finish my book!

Anyways, yesterday, on July 31st, I wrote a little bit more than two thousand words, and I made it to thirty thousand words. Like I said, it’s pretty exciting.

Also, yesterday was Harry Potter’s birthday, and the release date of The Cursed Child, and I went to the midnight release at my local book store, so that’s awesome.

And I obviously started reading it, and it’s great so far. Of course, I’m not done with it yet, but it’s still amazing.

But I do have something to say about it.

Okay, so, I read the spoilers a month or so ago, and I was outraged, like most of the Harry Potter fandom.

I thought that it was ridiculous, and that Harry was super OOC (out of character), and all that jazz.

But, now that I’ve actually read that part of the book, I get it.

So, if you’ve read the spoilers, and you aren’t going to buy the book because of them, I think you should still buy the book. Because it makes a lot more sense in context than it did out of context.

So, yeah, you should still buy the book.

On another note, HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY, HARRY!

But I digress.

Back to the midnight release.

Basically, I went to my local book store a little bit before midnight, got in line, bought The Cursed Child at midnight, then went home and stayed up until three a.m. reading it.

I know, I know, nothing special in the life of a booknerd.

But I still want to tell you guys about it.

It was super exciting, at least for me, because that was my first ever midnight release, and, although it could’ve been better, I loved it. I’m also super happy that my first midnight release was for a Harry Potter book (script, technically).

Anyways, there were floating candles hanging above the line, and there were two Golden Snitch mobiles hanging from the ceiling, too.

And then there were streamers wrapped around the pillars and on the bookshelf, too.

One section had red and yellow streamers, the other yellow and black, another blue and silver, and the last silver and green. Remind you of anything?

And then they had this pink banner-thing with “HAPPEE BIRTHDAE HARRY” written on it in green, which was super awesome.

And there was also a sign with “You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart. Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart. You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil. Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you’ve a ready mind. Where those of wit and learning will always find their kind. Or perhaps in Slythering you’ll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends” written on it.

And there was also a sign that said “The Leaky Cauldron” on it, and it was right by a table with cupcakes and a bean-bag toss game with Quidditch hoops that you throw the bean-bags through. I know, it was amazing!

And then, by the front of the store, they had a Harry Potter display, with all of the books put out and some plastic wands that light up and several stuffed owls (which I loved, naturally).

So it was pretty awesome.

But, before I go, I have one more thing to talk about. And no, it’s not anything Harry Potter related. (Cue cheers of joy.)

I’ve recently (as in, yesterday recently) discovered an amazing program for writers. It’s called OneNote, and I love it.

Basically, you can make these things called “Notebooks” and you can name them whatever you want, and, in them, you can make different sections, and in those sections, you can make different pages.

And you can write anywhere on the page. Just click somewhere, and a cursor will pop up, so you can type.

And you can also draw on the pages with your mouse, and put pictures into it, and I love it.

I’ve already made a Notebook for my novel, and I’ve given each of my MCs (main characters) their own section, and in those sections I’ve put my character profiles and things, and I just love it.

So, yeah, go check it out! It’s amazing.

Well, that’s it for now. Talk to you later!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

This month I’ve been participating in Camp NaNoWriMo.

If you don’t know what that is, let me explain.

Basically, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it’s this thing where thousands of people around the world try to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days, in November.

But that’s the normal NaNoWriMo.

I’m doing Camp NaNo.

Camp NaNo is basically the same thing as normal NaNo, except it takes place in both April and July, and you get to decide your word count goal, and what you’re writing. So you don’t have to write a 50,000 word novel – you could write a 10,000 word poetry collection! Or a 25,000 word novella! (or a however-long-a-novella-is novella!) And so on. You could even write a fanfic! (For all of you non-fangirls out there, that means a fanfiction. A fanfiction is a story where you take someone else’s characters and/or world and use it however you like.)

So, my Camp NaNo project is the same project I was working on in NaNo 2015. Last November I was aiming for 50,000 words, and I failed miserably. I believe I only got to somewhere in between fifteen thousand and twenty thousand words.

And then I barely wrote anything in those months between November 2015 and this month, July 2016, so I still hadn’t finished my novel.

So I still needed to finish my story, when I realized it was June 30th, the day before July, the day before Camp NaNo.

And then I decided to do it.

So I did.

I made my goal for this month a bit more manageable by bringing it down to 20,000 words, which I’m very glad about. I’ll tell you why in a bit.

So I started Camp, and I’ve been super ahead for the whole month so far. On the first I kicked off with a little bit more than three thousand words, which is pretty amazing for me, and I continued like that, writing at least a couple hundred words each day, easily staying ahead.

And then, on the 22nd (two days ago, as I’m writing this) I finally made it to twenty thousand. Cue cheering!

So I finished a week early, which is pretty amazing, considering how badly I did last year. (But also isn’t so amazing, considering how low my word count goal is.)

But I still wasn’t done with my novel, so I kept writing.

I wrote about one thousand and six hundred words yesterday, which is more than I usually would. (My average daily word count is normally somewhere in between five hundred words and one thousand words.)

And today I’m going to write even more! And tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, until the month is over. And then, if I still haven’t finished the story, I’ll keep writing, until, finally, the first book is over. Then I’ll let it simmer for a bit, work on something else or just take a break from writing altogether, and then go back and revise.

And so on, until I have a publishable book. And then, I’ll publish it. And then, I’ll work on the sequel, until that one’s publishable, and then I’ll work on that one’s sequel (I’m pretty sure this is going to be a trilogy) until it’s publishable, and then I’ll publish that one, and then I’ll probably start something new, and so on and so on, until I have a real writing career.

And then, once I’ve done all of that, I’ll have completed one of my dreams, which would be pretty amazing.

So, this post isn’t really interesting, but I just wanted to update you all on what’s happening in my life right now, and also tell you to go check out NaNoWriMo! (It’s free, too, so that’s really amazing. All you need to participate in it is a computer, so you can update your word count, and a piece of paper and a pen, so you can write.)

So, yeah. That’s it for now, everyone!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

P.S. I didn’t go back and edit this post the way I normally would, so I’m sorry if it’s a little messy and there are more grammatical and spelling errors than normal. But yeah, for real now, bye!

Heya, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

Today I wanted to talk to you about inspiration. Or, rather, my own personal sources of inspiration. And who knows, right now you could have some serious artist’s block and one of these things will help you feel inspired again.

So, let’s just jump right in. Here goes!

• Books. For example, Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. This is an amazing book, and whenever I flip through it, I feel super inspired and have to go write.
• Music. Like, if I’m trying to write a fight scene in my novel, I’ll listen to some action-y soundtrack (or something like that). Also, try listening to the lyrics of your favorite songs. Actually listen. You might be surprised. (Tip: Fall Out Boy songs are especially good for this. So much meaning.)
• People. Go people-watching. Grab a table in your local Starbucks and take notes on the people around you. Try speculating about what their life is like. Is that business man an undercover FBI agent? Does that sweet-looking old lady have a portal to another realm in her closet? Does that 19-year-old girl have a talking dog? Who knows? Maybe you’ll come up with a cool idea that you’ll just have to go into more detail about. (Note – This idea is mostly for writers and other artists.)
• Other blogs. Try browsing around on the blogosphere – find blogs about your hobbies and interests, and they might be able to give you some new ideas.
• Overheard dialogue. Go back to that Starbucks I mentioned. But, this time, instead of writing down what you think their lives are like and coming up with histories for them, try eavesdropping and writing down what you hear. You never know what interesting conversations are happening all around you.
• Magazines. Find magazines about your interests and flip through them. You might see an inspiring photo, or read an inspiring article.
• Movies and TV. Epic fantasies are super inspiring for me. You know – movies like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter. Stuff like that.
• Art. Go to an art museum. Look at all of the paintings. Hopefully, when you come back home, you’ll be inspired.
• Friends. Ask your friends to tell you some stories. Or just try talking to them. You’d be surprised at how many brilliant ideas and stories they have.
• Quotes. Quotes are always good.
• Nature. Take a walk through the woods. Or, if you don’t live near any wilderness, try the nearest park.
• Travel. Go someplace new, even if it’s just that little Chinese place downtown that you’ve never been to before. Inspiration isn’t always on the other side of the country.
• Religion and Mythology. I, personally, love Greek mythology. Everything about it interests me. I draw inspiration from it all the time. Try to find something like that – it’s always great to get ideas from different beliefs.
• The News. Check out the latest stories. Maybe someone was arrested. Maybe someone was killed. Maybe someone ran away from home. You never know how many interesting things are happening in this world, and any one of them could give you a brilliant idea.
• Dreams. Dreams can get pretty weird, but they’re filled with tons of inspiration, if you know to look for it.
• Journals. I like to keep a small pocket journal on me at all times. Whenever I have an idea, I can easily jot it down, and whenever I’m bored, I can fill the pages with doodles. And, whenever my well of inspiration is running dry, I can flip back through it to fill it up again.
• Poetry. Read some Walt Whitman. Or Edgar Allan Poe. Someone. Poetry can be both uplifting and inspiring, which is perfect, if your in an inspiration rut. Which I’m assuming you are, because you’re reading this.
• Freewriting. Just write whatever comes to mind. I don’t care if it’s basically gibberish. You never know if you’ll get a brilliant idea because of it.
• Brainstorms. Write down every idea you can think of, even if it’s stupid. You can just cross it out when you read through the list. Hopefully, you’ll have a brilliant idea when you’re done.
• Success Stories. Personally, J.K. Rowling’s story inspires me to no end. I love reading biographies and watching documentaries on how she became who she is today. So try reading some success stories. They can help a lot.
• Doodles and Sketches. Just start doodling, and see where it takes you. Hopefully towards inspiration.

Well, that’s it, folks. Talk to you next week! 🙂

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

I’ve become obsessed with a new show. By the title of this blog post, I think you already know which show, but I’ll wait for a bit before confirming or denying your suspicions.

But I’m not kidding about being obsessed. I’m not joking, and that’s not a hyperbole. I’m almost positive that I’m literally obsessed.

Why do I think that? you’re probably wondering. Well, Mister or Miss Reader, pretty much everything reminds me of some aspect of the show, and I’ve had roughly 14 dreams that featured the characters. (And, sadly, no, I am not kidding about that last sentence.) (And, yes, I did count them.)

Now, I’m sure you’ve all guessed which show I’m talking about, but I’ll tell you anyways.

The show I’m obsessed with is . . .

Supernatural.

This show has basically become my life. Sam and Dean’s problems have become just as important as – if not more than – my own. At this point, they almost seem like friends. (Friends that aren’t real and have no idea I exist, I mean.) (Okay, this wasn’t really a good analogy, was it?)

Anyways, I now watch it religiously every Wednesday night at nine when a new episode comes out. Normally I would spend those nights reading or on the computer, but nope. Not anymore. And don’t even try to help me – I’m too far gone. But, my dear Reader, there is hope for you. And I will give you this piece of advice: If you have an at least decent social life, and you don’t want to lose it, stay far, far, far away from Sam and Dean and their (honestly terrible) life.

Well, that’s it for now, everyone. Adios, and talk to you soon!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

 

 

 

Hey, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!!!

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, IT’S HALLOWEEN!!! EEKKK!!!! 😀

I LOVE Halloween! It’s totally my favorite holiday!!! But I cannot believe that it’s here already! 😀

I can’t wait to go over to my friend’s house in a few hours so we can go trick-or-treating together, and it’ll be so fun! (Gods, I’m using a LOT of exclamation marks, aren’t I?)

I’m going to wear an Aphrodite costume, mostly for two reasons. For one, I love Greek mythology, and I couldn’t help myself when I saw it in the Halloween store, and two, I couldn’t have picked the Athena costume because it was too showy. I normally would’ve picked the Athena costume, though, because she’s definitely my favorite goddess.

My Aphrodite costume consists of:

1. A long, flowing blue gown with two slits up each of my legs,
2. Greek-style golden leg wraps (gold ribbons that wrap around my legs),
3. A gorgeous necklace with a golden charm that has a turquoise gemstone in the middle,
4. A golden headband with golden laurels (leaves),
5. Golden coin earrings,
6. And a golden cuff bracelet with swirl designs on it.

I’m also planning to wear normal sandals, because I wouldn’t want to go trick-or-treating barefoot, would I?

I really, really love my costume!

Anyways, the fun doesn’t even end after tonight! Tomorrow is the beginning of November, my favorite month, and it’s going to be awesome! For one, NaNoWriMo will be beginning, for another, my birthday is on November 6th, for yet another, my parents are going to take me to Tahoe for a whole week, and finally, we’re going to have a Thanksgiving party, of course.

Also, my BFF (the one who’s house I’m going to tonight) is coming over to my house tomorrow, which will be awesome! 🙂

Well, I guess that’s all that I have to talk about on the subject of Halloween (that’s a fun word) so I guess I’ll be signing off now.

Happy Halloween!

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛

Hey guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

How’ve you been? I, personally, have been great.

Today I went to Target, and I bought two awesome shirts, one of which I’m wearing right now.

The one I’m wearing is long-sleeved and lavender-colored, and it has white flowers embroidered all over it, as well as some shiny beads. There are also two tassels that are attached to the collar of the shirt. You’re supposed to tie them together so there is a little hole directly under the collar. (Sorry, I’m really bad as describing this shirt! 🙂 )

The other shirt I bought is dark purple and has leopard print on it. It’s long-sleeved and it seems very comfy, even though I haven’t tried it on yet.

I also bought three awesome books at Target, along with the shirts. One of them is The Amazing Book is Not On Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester, another is The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, and the other is Color Me Creative by Kristina Webb.

Oh, and my copy of The Rest of Us Just Live Here is, wait for it….. A SIGNED FIRST EDITION!!!!!

It is SOOO awesome!!! It’s literally my absolute FIRST signed book EVER, and even though it wasn’t signed for me personally, it’s still REALLY, REALLY AWESOME!!! 😀

I got really lucky today, I guess!

Also, before I went to Target, I ate lunch at Olive Garden with my mom. Well, actually, I spent the whole day with my mom, and it was amazing! 🙂

And after my mom and I went to Target we went to the local theatre and saw the new movie Pan. It was absolutely amazing! I loved it!

Basically, it’s about how Peter Pan got to Neverland in the first place. And, no, it’s not about how he left his parents the day he was born because he didn’t want to grow up, like in the original novel. It’s about how he was left on the front porch of an orphanage by his mom, and how he left the orphanage and got to Neverland. I won’t tell you any of the details because I don’t want to spoil it if you haven’t seen it, so you’re welcome. 🙂

My absolute favorite character in the movie was James Hook. He was absolutely amazing! Plus he sort of reminded me of the main character in the movie Cowboys and Aliens. Except Hook was funnier. Way funnier. (Oh, and yes, funnier is a word. Well, I believe it is, anyway.) And he’s a lot more talkative.

Anyways, my mom’s favorite character was, of course, Blackbeard. But only because Hugh Jackman played him, and my mom is a huge fan of Hugh Jackman, specifically him as Wolverine.

So, anyways, I had a really amazing day.

Well, that’s really all that I wanted to tell you, so I guess I’ll be signing off now.

-Alurea W. Over and Out 😛