On Blogging

So I sort of abandoned this blog. I had so many plans for it, so many ideas for posts and things I wanted to discuss, but naturally that plan kind of fell through. Now here I am, blowing the dust that has collected on this blog away and rolling out my first post in months. I've decides again that I want to give blogging a try. I'm not going to continually force myself to post, nor am I going to ignore this blog. Posts are going to become more regular, especially in the coming months. I'm going to attempt to do daily (more maybe weekly) updates on my progress during NaNoWriMo this year, as well as posting book reviews and musings about writing or my life in general. I don't want this blog to stay dead anymore - I want to blog, really badly at that, so let's see what comes of this.

Bout of Books 10 Read-a-thon!

Hello, readers of my fair blog. I really keep meaning to get on a more regular blogging schedule, but life has been so hectic lately that I haven't been able to. So my brain today was like, "Gee, Meg, let's make your life even more hectic by joining the Bout of Books 10 Read-a-thon!" That is why I am here now, typing as quickly as I could possibly manage so I can get back to reading.

I am a wonderful decision maker.

So, what is Bout of Books 10, you may be asking yourself? See this blurb:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I have a lot of books that I have been meaning to read lately - most importantly my reread of the Mortal Instruments series in preparation for City of Heavenly Fire - so I hope this read-a-thon will get me back on track!

See you at the end of the week for an update about how my reading went.

Heading Off to Camp (NaNoWriMo)!

Today I made the crazy decision to jump into Camp NaNoWriMo.

I had not previously planned on doing so, but for some strange reason when day one of camp started yesterday I was feeling incredibly nostalgic. I missed the vibe I got around NaNo season in November, the feeling of actually wanting to write words and having fun doing so. Also, I missed the way my mind came alive after gulping down a large mug of coffee right before I'd write my words for the day. So today, I sit at my computer, starting the first chapter for my novel.

It's not even a new idea, either - it's a rewrite for the novel that won me my first ever NaNo back in 2012. This novel means a lot to me, plus I think it has a lot of potential to go places, and I guess my mind finally realized that I need to get back to work on it.

I don't know what's going to happen this time around. I've never done Camp before, and even though I lowered my word goal to 25k, will I be able to hit that goal? Will I ever finish the rewrite of this novel? Will I quit halfway through? 

I need to stop talking like that or I'll never get anything done.

I'm going to try to document my camp journey on this blog. Probably not daily, but maybe once or twice a week. I'm hoping I get some good writing out of this. 

Good luck to any fellow campers! GET THOSE WORDS WRITTEN!!

Book Review - Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

 

Hello there! So I'm working on getting back to blogging because I miss it terribly - I figured why not jump back into things with a book review!

 

So Obsidian is a book that has had a lot of buzz about it the past few months. Like seriously, every booktuber that I watch on YouTube had been reading/loving it. So naturally, for Christmas, I asked dear ol' Santa Claus to leave me this series under the tree, which he did - except for one of the books. If you've guessed it, it was this one. And now a quick story about my struggle to read this book.

 

My mother informed me that Santa "hadn't been able to get the first book in the Lux series because it was on back order". It wasn't like I was going to be able to read the rest of the series without this one, so I was willing to patiently wait. So I did. For, like, 3 months. So over the weekend I went to Barnes and Noble to ask about where the hell my book was, and they looked it up and told me PHYSICAL COPIES WERE NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE. AT ALL. And I even checked freaking Amazon at this point but the cheapest one I could buy was like $69, so I said no to that. Like I said in a previous post, I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately so I figured this would be the book to get me out of it. I wanted this book so badly that desire was practically burning through my veins. Cursing the universe for not having physical copies of Obsidian anywhere (which was odd because you can get the rest of the series???? Like what even???), I caved and bought it on my Kindle to read.

 

(Not that I don't love my Kindle - I just like having physical copies of books.)

 

Now for the actual review! This book was fun. I loved reading the dialogue between Daemon and Katy, Dee was adorable, and the whole concept of Luxen was fascinating. I knew this before I jumped into the book, but there were SO MANY Twilight parallels. So basically, this book is like Twilight's hotter, funnier, and more exciting sister. I thought the writing was clear and concise, if not a bit repetitive at times. The story was interesting and I was annoyed when it just ended. Like, I wanted more!

 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you're hesitant to pick this up because it's been compared to Twilight, please please PLEASE listen to me and read it! You'll enjoy yourself as you fall into the story and wish that Daemon was calling you Kitten instead of Katy. I'm picking up Onyx immediately and a review for that will probably come soon as well!!

 

Rating - 4.5/5 Stars

SLUMP

I am in both a reading and writing slump. This is not a fun time for me.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm working on getting back on track soon. Until then, let's hope that my mind will allow me to read and write normally again.

-Meg

So Many Ideas

Let me just start this post by saying I originally wanted to make a post every day. Obviously, I did not stick to that. I'm going to try to update frequently, however, whether it be every day or every other day or once a week. I haven't decided yet. Anyway.

I'll just come out and say it - work on LE NOVEL has basically completely stopped since like Thursday. No matter how much I want to bring myself to even write a single page in that word document, I just end up staring at it until I suddenly find myself watching YouTube videos. How did I even get to YouTube in these circumstances? I'm not positively sure. But what I am sure of is that I have a new idea for a story.

This new story idea, while I won't go into much detail, is adventure-y with romance and action aspects and I seriously love it. It's only in developing/outlining stages right now, but it's consumed so much precious time that I could be using to work on LE NOVEL. It's funny, really. Whenever I first get an idea, I'm completely enamored by it until another new, shiny idea comes along. Then I want nothing to do with the first idea and everything to do with the second.

I feel like a lot of writers deal with this. Our minds are always bursting with ideas and it's hard to focus on just one. I've heard people refer to this before as "Story ADD", which I think can be an accurate way of describing it. It's why I get nothing done, because I can't focus on one idea. This both frustrates me and pleases me, because while I can't follow through with one idea my mind is always developing more.

So I've figured out that the only way to deal with this Story ADD is to push through the current work-in-progress, which right now is LE NOVEL. And at the end of the perilous journey that is writing LE NOVEL is the ultimate pot of gold, the chance to work on the new ideas that I have set aside to focus on one. It's a form of motivation and bribery that it looks like I'm going to need to continue writing. Not saying that I hate LE NOVEL - I actually really like it and think it has quite a bit of potential, but I don't have everything figured out and when I don't know where to go in a story I tend to just shove it aside and ignore it like a stubborn child. I am working on dealing with this, however. My goal is to have LE NOVEL done within the next few months, maybe (hopefully! But no promises) by April. Then I can work on revision and things and start on one of my shiny new ideas.

So many ideas! Not enough time!

That's it for today's post. It's terribly late, I should probably get to bed. Sweet dreams, anyone who reads this post.

- Meg

Word Vomit is A Good Thing

I've been working on my current writing project (which I will refer to as LE NOVEL for the time being) for about three or four days now. Well, I've technically been developing the idea since November and have tried writing the first chapter so many times it hurt, but for some reason on like Sunday everything clicked in my brain. I'm about 6,500 words in which actually amazes me because usually when I start new projects I'm completely unmotivated and really hate every word I write. This time is different.

There's something about this story where I feel like there's potential and I can really work with it. I'm always super thrilled to discover this while writing. Like, FINALLY! AN IDEA I CAN REALLY TRULY WORK WITH!! ALL THE EXCITEMENT! And there's something about this project that's really showing to me that I've improved a lot as a writer over the past three years or so because I'm accepting the fact that what I'm writing is most likely crap.

Yes, I said it. Hello, my name is Meg, and my writing is crap.

It's not easy for a lot of writers to come to terms with this fact, mainly because they expect everything they write to be super perfect on the first try. Ha. I've participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those of you who don't know) for the past three years and realized very quickly that a flawless novel is not just going to pour out of my fingertips as they zoom around my keyboard. No, a flawless novel is one that has many, many hours spent upon it, pampering it like a client at a spa. A novel must go through many stages before it is anywhere near ready for publication, but to start you need a rough draft.

Hint: They're called rough drafts for a reason.

So yes, I'm aware that what I'm writing right now is crappy and not my best. The world my story takes place in still needs a lot of developing, and I'm just adding concepts to it as they come to me. The long and tedious flashbacks need to be broken up and dispersed so I don't give too much away at once, and my characters. Oh man, my characters. There's only one character I've got a good solid hold on, while the rest are floundering in the palm of my hand. Most of what I've written so far is useless and unnecessary, but the word vomit is good. So good. Very good. Much good, very writing, perfect for Doge.

Sorry. I've been seeing waaaaay too much of that Doge meme on Tumblr.

Anyway, it's better that I get a hell of a lot of words out in the beginning so that I have more to work with when revising and editing and all that wonderful stuff that will eventually help me produce a shiny novel. I'm very excited.

Okay. I'm going to go write some more of LE NOVEL. Word vomit, here I come.

Sleepy

my eyes
simply cannot
stay open
any longer
my mind
simply cannot
process thoughts
any longer
my mouth
simply cannot
form words
any longer
my being
is now
consumed
by
sleep

Book Review - This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl

This book, man. You simply have to read it. It's really hard to put into words how inspirational I found this book. I was so moved and it's really making me reevaluate my life and my faith.

 

Esther Earl passed away in August 2010 at the age of 16 because of her thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is rare in children, and Esther fought a brave and emotional battle with her cancer. This book is basically a memoir, filled with entries from Esther's journals to her artwork and photographs of her, as well as stories from friends and family, most notably author John Green. But to me, it didn't read like a memoir. It read like a novel, where our protagonist was funny and tragic and real and compassionate, and she dealt with everything life threw her way with grace (which is ironic, considering her middle name is Grace). Esther was such an intelligent person for someone so young, and she really made a difference with her short presence on Earth, whether she realized it or not.

 

Another thing that's evident when reading Esther's writings is that she was very close with God. She felt very strongly about her faith and was completely content with whatever His plan was for her. I find this so amazing because it's hard for young people to remain so influenced by their faith. I know this because a lot of the time, whether I realize it or not, my faith seems to come second to whatever else is going on with my life. One of the things that Esther has inspired me to do is to talk to God more and to listen to Him, because He will guide me to where I need to go in my life.

 

Esther was just a normal teenage girl who wanted normal teenage things, and in the end her life was anything but normal because of the extraordinary impact she made on everyone who heard her story. I'm really glad I read this book, because Esther's story is one that has touched me since I first heard about it, and her story is going to continue to stick with me for a very, very long time. I want to live like Esther, and I think that's the most important message this book sends out.

 

So what's my rating? Definitely 5/5 stars. Seriously, even if you know nothing about the nerdfighter community or Esther or any bit of her story, read this book. I think it's really one of the most influential books I've ever read and I'm really grateful to be one of many who get to experience her story through her eyes.

 

Rest in awesome, Esther. Thank you so much for being you. DFTBA. :)

 

-Meg

I Hate Algebra II (and Various Other Math Classes)

The titles says it all. I absolutely, positively despise Algebra II.

I should just come out and say it: I'm not really a math person. The thing is, I can be good at math. I've gotten really good math grades over the past few years, and didn't really mind math. Actually, at the beginning of the school year, a small part of me actually kind of liked my Algebra II class. I had decided to double up in math classes this year, which looking back on I somewhat regret because taking both Geometry and Algebra II isn't really ideal. But still, I like Algebra II more than Geometry, so the class was kind of just there, not really a complete annoyance, but a concrete being that I didn't realize would grow into a monster that would make me angry. Very, very angry.

So in October came the dreaded car project. Basically, my teacher - who can be mean and nice and unhelpful and sweet all at once - divided the class into groups and we were forced to construct a car out of wood that was powered by a mousetrap. I'm not going to go into all the logistics of it, but it was probably the most stressful project thus far of my high school career, and an unnecessary factor that made it even worse was that the group I was in was composed of four other teenagers whom I did not know and whom did not show any interest on doing a good job on the project. I spent months, months I tell you, stressing about this project. I'd be about to fall asleep, when suddenly, a wild thought appeared, taunting me with the fact that my car might explode or something on the day we were to race them and then I'd fail.

Obviously, I survived that project. I thought that Algebra II was going to be a breeze for the rest of the year. I was already gliding through the class with a low A - high B average, and recently got recommended to take Pre Calc next year, which was considered a great feat because apparently my teacher did not recommend many people to take it. But then came the chapter on exponents. Like, fraction exponents. And all the different types of roots. Cubed roots, fourth roots, you name it. This was probably my least favorite concept that we learned about all year. For some reason, the process on how to solve such problems was just not sticking in my head.

On Friday we took the test for this chapter. Where I live, a majority of last week had us snowed out of school, so we barely had class. My Algebra teacher resorted to giving us a crap load of homework on concepts that she hardly brushed over in class and announcing that we'd have the test on whenever we next saw her. So I studied for the test, and I'll admit - I did not study as hard as I probably should have. It was like ten o'clock at night and I want to go to bed more than anything, so I gave into temptation. But the next morning, when I sat in Algebra first period to take the test of doom, I completely forgot the information we learned.

I felt like crying right there in the middle of the classroom. I was going through every nook and cranny of my brain, trying to remember the rules for rationalizing denominators, and panicking because I knew that I was going to fail the test. Which I'm pretty sure I did, which sucks because that's going to be my first grade of the marking period.

Another thing that happened - my teacher gave us a review sheet to help us study for the test and told us multiple times "not to worry, this sheet's not homework". Oh really? THEN WHY DID YOU COLLECT IT AT THE END OF THE TEST AND REFER TO IT AS HOMEWORK???? I didn't finish said sheet for homework because I didn't have time, and I'm pretty sure that she won't accept late homework, and now I'm sitting in a pool of misery, cursing my stupidity and math skills.

It's funny how much of life is based on success. If you do well and succeed, you're basically guaranteed a happy life. Failure, on the other hand, rewards you by making you feel worse about yourself and not placing you on the same pedestal of those who fall under the "success" category. Failure is such a driving force in the lives of human beings, especially those of us who are still in school, and it's ironic because in the end all those tests you failed won't even matter. In the end, it's the kind of person that you are that matters, and what you do with the talents you were given and the thoughts that you think.

...And that's how to turn and angry rant about how you hate math classes into a philosophical way of reminding yourself that bombing one test isn't the end.

-Meg

On Writing...Or Not

I like to write. A lot. I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember, and I don't think I'll ever stop writing any time soon.

Like most aspiring writers, it's my dream to maybe someday get a book published. How cool would it be to walk into a bookstore and see your book, an actual, physical book printed on paper and everything, with your name on the cover? I would probably explode from all the awesome.

But I don't just write because I want to get something published. I write because I need it to live, like oxygen. It's hard to explain if you don't know where I'm coming from, but writing has become my escape.

The writing advice that most authors give to fans of theirs on how to become a better writer or how to hone the craft is simple: just write. Write everyday. Write on the bus. Write during class. The more you write, the better you get.

I've tried to follow this advice. I can't seem to bring myself to write every day, no matter how much I want to. It's like my subconscious mind urges me to instead spend three hours on YouTube or read Harry Potter for the hundredth time. The wandering mind of a write is dangerous, because when it wanders for even just a little while you are plunged into the land of daydreams and the prospects of returning before you watch Mean Girls three times don't look good.

Writing is hard. It gets even harder when you realize that what you are writing could very well be crap. Like, the crappiest of crap. And even though you're fully aware of the fact that first drafts aren't supposed to be perfect, you can't help but think yourself doomed and never want to write a word again.

I know this feeling. I've experienced it many times. But the thing is, no matter how many times I curse the words I've written or mope around because I can't write a scene the way I want to, I always eventually find myself back into my element, writing words so fast that it looks like my fingers are doing the foxtrot across my keyboard.

That's what makes me a writer,  I think. I don't give up. I'm persistent, and stubborn. I'm a perfectionist, and always want to top what I've previously done. And overall, I have vision of the things I'd like to get done, and will work hard until I see them through.

-Meg

In Which I Want to Live a Happier and Healthier Life

So I'm sixteen. The age may seem old to me right now, but I'm aware of the fact that I have a long life to live ahead of me. At sixteen, things like fitness and eating right are laughable. Why munch on carrot sticks or do some cardio when there are parties to attend, fast food places to visit, and the internet to surf? That last sentence pretty much describes me from....well, up until now. I've been acting carelessly with how I behave and I'm only now coming to realize that my health isn't exactly the best.

I'm not saying that I have an illness or something - in fact, on the outside, I look perfectly fine. But on the inside, I don't feel fine. I feel self-conscious about the way I look and I can almost feel the vat of unhealthy and excessive snacks growing within my stomach. Another thing to point out is that all this extra food I'm putting into my body isn't even visible from the outside. I'm actually of average build, not over- or underweight. It may be weird for me to feel insecure about my body when it looks somewhat okay, but I am becoming more and more aware that I am not living healthily. I snack way too much, I sit around and do nothing...the list goes on and on. I'm making this blog post to clear my head about this a little bit because it's something that has really been bothering me these past few weeks. I don't want to become super unhealthy or get diagnosed with something like diabetes, which I am at risk to get because it runs in my family. The question I'm asking myself is if I don't want those health risk, than why do I behave the way I do?

This is the start of a new beginning. I'm going to be more conscious about things like this, because I'm sick of being unhealthy and really want to improve my wellbeing. Like I said, I have a long life to live ahead of me, and I don't want it cut short because I get so many Oreos that I explode or something. I want to be the best me I can be, and that starts with me treating my body the way it deserves to be treated.

So...Hi There!

Starting a blog is like the most awkward thing in the world. What does one say? How does one make themselves seem interesting? How does one do the writing thing?

Anyway.

So I'm Meg, if you haven't guessed that already. This blog is going to be a sort of outlet for me whenever I feel like writing things down or letting things out when reality isn't being too kind. That sounded kind of morbid. My life is pretty great actually, but sometimes I feel like my real life friends don't get me, and therefore I turned to the internet. Huzzah, the internet!

If you end up finding me amusing or want to follow my adventures on the rollercoaster that is my life, stick around. I can't promise that everything will be fun and games but I think that's sort of the way life is anyway.

- Meg