Monday, December 4, 2017

NaNoWriMo ‘17 Wrap-Up: In Which “The End” Happens



I don’t know if you’re aware or not but…NOVEMBER IS OVER!!!


It’s December!


NANOWRIMO IS FINISHED!


Oh, and guess what? MY BOOK IS FINISHED TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wrote “The End” on November 30th!



And I’ve been dancing and squealing ever since! I was just…shocked I managed to get it done. I really thought I’d have to continue writing through the first few days of December to wrap it up. BUT IT IS DONNNNEEEE!!!!!


I honestly think this is the fastest NaNo I’ve ever experienced. It zipped by me so quick, I’m pretty sure it gave me whiplash. Like…what is this??? November is gone? December is here? I NO COMPREHEND. But also? IT WAS GREAT.


Usually my NaNos are frantic and exhausting and full of days where I’d rather chew on glass rather than write. I mean, yes, NaNo is like my favorite thing ever. But writing like a rabid octopus filled up on five cups of coffee for 30 full days can wear a person out!



But this NaNo? It was one of the most smooth sailing, pleasant ones I’ve ever experienced. Sure, I basically didn’t sleep for 30 days, ignored about a thousand and two other things that needed to be done (you guys should see the state of my inbox…), and probably almost killed myself from a sugar overdose. But otherwise, it was a pretty smooth month of writing. (And let’s be real, those things are basically NaNo staples.)


Today I’ve decided to do a sort of monthly wrap-up post (I feel like I’m the only blogger who basically never does those awesome things…oops?), but it’s going to really be a NANO wrap-up. Because, like, what else happened in November besides writing, amIright?

 


NANOWRIMO 2017 WRAP-UP

 


THE LIFE-Y THINGS


(Wait. Why is this section here? I mean, life? That doesn’t exist during NaNo, does it???)


Life was pretty great this NaNo. As I said, the month went at a shockingly pleasant rate. There were certainly some frantic and stressful days. And I’m pretty sure I need a 12 year nap now after the lack of sleep of NaNo. BUT. It still felt way less hectic this year than some NaNos?


Honestly, I don’t think it was so much my life as my mentality. This NaNo I’m at a much better mental place than I have been for the past few years. I’ve been working hard this year to find contentment, to be a little more laidback about things and not always so uptight. To just enjoy the moments and go with the flow. I tend to get prettyyy stressed when even the slightest thing rocks my perfectly laid out plans. I still have a long, long way to go, but I have seen improvement. On top of that, there have been a lot of changes that took place in life in general this year that added to me being far more content and happier.


AND then there’s the fact that I basically took all this year off from writing. Which is something I haven’t done it like…8 or 9 years? I usually consistently have a writing project of some kind going. But this year I think I needed a rest, I needed to soak up life and work on my own mental state instead of frantically focusing on a thousand writing projects. Buuut after going for months without writing, well, I was about to explode with STORY. I needed to wriiiiite!


Thus, between my better mental state and long break from writing, I was SO ready for NaNo. So, so, so ready! It was such a pleasure to dive into a story again, and I could feel the good affects my break and growth had taken. I was a much calmer, happier writer this go round. In fact, there was only one day this whole month I desperately didn’t want to write. ONE! Usually those days happen pretty frequently, and yes, there were plenty of days where I really wanted to go read or binge on Netflix rather than write. But still only one particularly day the whole month where writing felt like scraping my face across a brick wall. I THINK THIS IS A RECORD.


In general, I was content and happy and just had a lovely month all around!


Other lifely highlights of the month:
(Many of which I already mentioned in other posts, but it’ll be nice to have a full overview of the month for myself so…sowwyyyy. *smile, smile*)

  • SAW THOR: RAGNAROK. Which I adored with all my being! Although, the more I ponder over it, the more I realize I do wish there had been more emotion. I looooved the comedy, but they kind of covered up any good emotional scenes with it. There were some…pretty tragic things in that movie, but it made such light of it all, the effect wasn’t as powerful as it should have been. I want a good balance of humor and emotion. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies proved you can have both. Those movies make me split my sides with laughter, but they also make me SOB. (I mean, will any of us ever recover from “We are Groot”???) But Ragnarok breezed over pretty much all the emotion in favor of comedy. BUT STILL. I loved it and it’s honestly one of my top favorite Marvel movies. Speaking of which…

 

 

  • GOT TO DO NANO WITH MY SIS. My very firstest time to do NaNo with a person IN PERSON. And it was fabulous! Though she did finish up within the first two weeks, leaving me to do the last half of NaNo allll on my lonesome. *stares off in the distance dramatically*

 

  • I DIDN’T READ A SINGLE BOOK ALL MONTH. I knoooooow!!!! I MAY BE DYING. I always write better when I’m reading a lot. But every NaNo I abandon reading and then wonder why my words are so dry and messy???? I NEVER LEARN. Needless to say, I am dying to now go read allllll the books!

 

  • WENT TO SEE A LIVE BALLET OF THE NUTCRACKER. And drooled over all the pretty dances and costumes.

 

  • ENJOYED THANKSGIVING. Turkeeeey.

 

  • SURVIVED NANO AND DIDN’T DIE. I call that a success!

 

  • I WROTE WORDS, MAN. Who am I kidding? I basically just ignored life for the whole month and wrote like a crazed octopus.

 

THE NOVEL THING


The question is, how did I actually enjoy writing The Nether Isle itself? (Okay, you’re probably not asking that, but I’MA TELL YOU ANYWAY.)


To sum up it up:



NOW. That does nooooootttttttt mean the story turned out epic. I’m pretty sure over half of my wordcount consisted of “he smiled” and “she laughed”. And I think I said “Karis’ heart flipped” about 2394 times because I was too focused on getting the story down to come up with clever ways to described she was shocked.


BUT.


That’s how first drafts go for me. Now that the whole story is down, I can focus on prettying it up come revision time. And despite the bland writing style, I STILL LOVED WRITING THIS THING.


It was such a different experience. Which may have added yet another reason as to why this NaNo was so fun and less stressful. I had been working on my Colors of a Dragon Scale series for SEVEN NANOWRIMOS. And I loved it but…I was kind of getting ready to move on, try something new and unique that didn’t involve a gadrillion swordfight scenes that I have no earthly clue how to write.



The 1920s, steampunk, creepy isle setting was a brand new one for me! I thought it would be somewhat familiar, because the Isle is full of dark forest areas, which I write about…quite a bit. (I LOVE EERIE WOODS OKAY?!) But, in the end, the story mostly took place in the ruins of a magic town, which I had too much fun exploring!


The overall feel of the story is also something I totally enjoyed…even though I kind of confused myself with it. Because, like, what is the feel of this book??? On the one hand, it had a ton of lighthearted scenes and was just a fun, rollicking adventure. But on the other hand, one section of the story was getting so creepy even *I* was feeling a little uncomfortable and freaked out. (Oops?) So there’s that. There were also FEELS. Because I’m incapable of writing stories without ‘em! #NoRegrets So…was this a lighthearted adventure tale or a creepy, feelsy novel? I DON’T KNOW. And…I think that’s a good thing. The original point of this novel was to mashup ALL THE THINGS. To just throw in a bunch of story elements I love and see what happened. And, well, I love stories that have a mix of everything. Not just lighthearted and not all feelsy, but a good balance. And I think (hope) I accomplished that with this one. So yay?


Then of course there was the magic camera that takes pictures of the past. I can’t even begin to describe how much fun I had with that concept. There was a few sections in the story where Karis wasn’t able to use it and I was just like, “I MISS THE CAMERA!” Of course, Karis was feeling the same. Her over-excitable nature maaaay have been a smidge relatable for me. *griiins* Speaking of Karis…


KARIS AND JONAH. Let’s be real. They’re the actual reason I enjoyed writing this thing so much. Really, I had a blast with ALL the characters. But, just…KARIS AND JONAH!!!!!!!

 

Forever shamefully fangirls over my own characters.


Ugh. These bbys.


Like I said, Karis’ excitement about every little thing was basically me. (Though she’s much nicer and way less sassy than I am. XD) While Jonah’s calm nature was a nice balance to her constant hyper-ness. I still can’t say I favor one over the other. Which is weird for me because I’m a despicable person and always choose favorites amongst my children but NOPE. I LOVE THEM BOTH!


And I’m kind of having a hard time saying goodbye! After spending 30 consecutive days solely focused on them (not to mention all the plotting I did in October), I almost feel…empty not writing anymore. On the one hand, I’m ECSTATIC to be finished. On the other…I MISS MEH BABIES!!!


I JUST REALLY LOVED WRITING THIS NOVEL, GUYS.


I feel like it was a stepping stone for me. It really gave me more and more of an insight on the types of stories I love to tell. It was both familiar—fantasy, creepy forest, feels with some humor mixed in—but also brand new at the same time.


I’m pretty sure once I read back through it I’m gonna think, “DID A 5 YEAR OLD WRITE THIS???” But I love the plot, I love the concept, and I love the characters, and, as with every novel, it helped me grow as a writer. It accomplished exactly what it was supposed to.

 

THE STATS & OTHER THINGS


Because everybody likes stats, right??? (No seriously. Right? Because…I do. A lot. *cough*)


First, some fun facts!


I wrote every single day in November. I didn’t start out planning on doing that. There have been a few NaNos where I did make that goal, but this year was not going to be one of them. But as the month got closer to the end, and I realized I had successfully written everyday thus far, I thought, “WHY NOT???”  (Because who needs their sanity anyway? Obviously not meeeeee!)


I, erm, did not take this NaNo easier like I had every intention to. IN MY DEFENSE, my story turned out waaaay longer than I thought it would. I originally suspected it’d be around the 80k range, allowing me to not do a double NaNo like I usually do. I thought I’d just be more chill this go round now that my CoaDS series was done. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Ahem. That didn’t happen. With each week my Crazed NaNo Self came out more and more and…yeah.


BUT HEY. It’s not my fault this book turned out to be a monster and I was determined to finish it as soon as possible. Well…okay, it may be sort of my fault. BUT STILL.


This was my first year to finish the book right on the 30th! I had a few years where I finished before the 30th, but the majority of my NaNos I had to finish up my book in December. This time it took me exactly 30 days to write the entire thing and my perfectionist self is ridiculously happy. I’m also still shocked I did finish it up in November. I was just sure I wouldn’t make it but I did and I AM JUST ALL THE HAPPY.

 

My final NaNo ‘17 stats

Stats:


Total Words Written: 117,755 (x___x Yeah, definitely not the 80k I’d hope it’d be. *pretends to laugh but is actually crying*)

Largest Wordcount Day: 7,026

Lowest Wordcount Day: 743

Number of Chapters: 25 (Except that’ll probably double come editing time because these chapters turned out HUGE. *collapses*)

Number of Character Deaths: HA! Like I’m telling. *smile, smile*

Total Hours of Sleep: 3 (Juuuust kidding! Though some days it felt like it. z_z)

 

WHAT’S NEXT?



A glorious amount of nothiiiiing!


Okay, that’s not true at all. Because I spent all November simply focused on writing, I mostly ignored everything else and have about 29348 things to catch up on. So I will be steadily working through emails and things. BUT. I will not be doing any writing related projects for all of December. I shall be taking a BREAK.


I have an enormous list of TV shows, movies, and books I want to tackle. (I haven’t even watched season 2 of Stranger Things yet, guys!!!) It’s so great to be freeee! Plus there’s also CHRISTMAS THINGS to plan and do. So my December will basically consist of fun busyness and glorious laziness and I am excited!


Then come January I will…not be editing The Nether Isle. Because I will finally, finally, FINALLY start the second round of edits for Burning Thorns! I know all year I said that’s what I was going to do and then…didn’t. BUT THIS TIME I MEAN IT. I think I needed this year to step back and reevaluate my life. But now I’m BACK in the writing world and SO PUMPED!


As for The Nether Isle, it’ll sit in its current state for a while. Although, for the first time like…EVER, I actually want to edit it??? Usually after I finish a novel, the idea of editing it makes me want to ship my laptop to Antarctica so I never have to see my story again. But this time I’m already thinking about editing and am actually looking forward to it! O_O Like…wut?! I’m calling that a good sign! It’ll have to wait though, because Burning Thorns has already had to wait an entire year. It is high time I return to it.


But The Nether Isle has treated me well and was a thrill to work on.


Basically…


My 8th NaNoWriMo was completely and utterly AWESOME!!!



Until next year! (And I won’t tell you guys I’m already thinking about next year’s novel… *COUGH* Ihaveananowrimoproblemokay?)

 

NANO IS OVER, GUYS. (I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.) I am dyyyying to know how everyone’s NaNo went, so TELL ME EVERYTHING. And I’m also dying to know how November went for you sane people who didn’t do NaNo. (Because I haven’t had a non-NaNo November in 8 years and I think I’ve forgotten what that feels like. o.O) So SPILL IT! How was your November? I feel like now that my novel is done I’m reentering society. And I want to hear about ALL THE THINGS! Let’s chat!

39 comments:

  1. Oy. December already?? Even though I reached 50K on the 18th, and took a break from writing for the rest of the month, time still flew by....and I only got halfway through the story. So I get to keep writing in December.

    Which, apparently, December started without me...

    But I still need to catch up on blogs and the like. *glares at messy tack room* Time to get cleaning...

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  2. And don't even get me started on the Infinity War trailer. I WANTED TO RUN AROUND AND SCREAM LIKE A MANIAC BUT PRAYER MEETING WAS ABOUT TO START AND I HAD TO SIT LIKE A DECENT HUMAN BEAN FOR AN HOUR AND WAIT TO FANGIRL WITH SIBLINGS UNTIL AFTERWARD

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    1. I KNOW? Howwww did December get here?

      You ROCKED NaNo! And I know what you mean. Even here now that NaNo is done, time is still just zipping by at a dizzying rate. It's crazy!

      And I feel ya! I'm sooo behind on things. o.o

      THE INFINITY WAR TRAILER!!! ACK. Sitting for a long while after watching that sounds impossible. Kudos to you for surviving! 'CAUSE DAT TRAILER! *screams*

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  3. Ahhh SO. MANY. WORDS. CHRISTINE O-O YOU'RE AN AMAZING SUPER-WRITER. <3

    NaNo went really fast for me actually. o-O I hit 50k on the 10th and then finished my novel the next day because it was shorter than I realised and then I was just "Wait...what do I do now??" so I dug up my Camp NaNo novella from July and started working out some edits for that, and I'm almost ready to start editing/rewriting that now! yayyy. *happy bounce* I'm excited about that.

    I'M STILL NOT SURE HOW IT'S DECEMBER YET. HELP. xD

    But also the Infinity War trailer. *endless screaming* All I can say is that IF THEY KILL PRECIOUS SMOL PETER PARKER, I WILL BE SOBBING. </3

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    1. I'm afraid they might kill Steve... in the comics he died in Civil War, so you could say he's kinda overdue. HOW ABOUT YOU DON'T KILL ANYONE, OKAY MARVEL. NO. BAD. NO.
      (Actually, I haven't read the Infinity War comics... but people have been muttering about how basically everyone dies?? so that would be fun...)

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    2. Yess, in the Infinity War comics all the heroes die so I'M VERY WORRIED OVER HERE, HELP.

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    3. THANK YOU, JANE! BUT YOOOOUUUU WERE A SUPER-WRITER. YOU DID SO AWESOME! That is so epic you won on the 10th and then finished your novel right up! It's always a happy surprise when the novel turns out shorter than you expected. At least it always makes me happy when mine end up shorter (not that it ever happens...). XD I sooo admire you for picking up ANOTHER project right after finishing a whole book! I always have to have a good break between projects. YOU ARE SO AWESOME!

      I KNOW!!! We're a week in and I'm still like, "IT'S DECEMBER?!"

      I'M SO SCARED FOR INFINITY WARS. AND EXCITED. AND SCARED. Surely they wouldn't kill Peter? He's such a baby bean! BUT I DON'T KNOW. I'M TERRIFIED FOR THEM ALLLL!

      @Jem - I'm worried about that too! I knew Steve was supposed to die in Civil War, so now just...MEEP. NOT MY STEVE BBY! D:

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  4. First things first, CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING NANO!!! You've got to let us know when you release this baby to the world, we're waiting anxiously!

    OH MY GOSH, my sis and I were having an ALL CAPS conversation when that trailer came out. HOLY COW, THAT TRAILER MADE ME SCARED AND EXCITED AT THE SAME TIME.

    Enjoy your December break, Christine!! You SO deserve it girl!!

    Catherine
    catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com

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    1. THANK YOU!!! And that's so nice of you to say! I...have no idea when/if it'll be released in the world though. o.o BUT STILL. Your enthusiasm makes me happy!

      IT IS AN ALL CAPS WORTHY TRAILER. I just...I don't even know what to do with myself. SO MUCH EXCITEMENT. SO MUCH FEAR. I CAN'T. *collapses*

      D'awww, thanks! <3

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  5. I've been waiting for this post! But where are the snippets? *hopeful look*

    Yay for getting back to Burning Thorns! I wonder if the Forest will seem tame now after the Nether Isle.

    https://ofdreamsandswords.wordpress.com

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    1. You didn't hear it from me but... *whispers*Snippets will be coming Monday*whispers*

      LOLZ! That is a thought. I don't think so. They both have their own dangers. Besides, the Nether Isle doesn't have Lark. Nothing feels tame with him around. XD

      Delete
  6. I'm... not talking about my NaNo. *dies* But yours was astounding - 117k! wow! Still, hearing that we aren't going to see more of The Nether Isle anytime soon is a bit sad.

    (That sword-fighting gif is the best xD)
    - Jem Jones

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    1. Awww! Did you not have a good NaNo?

      Oh goodness, thank you! I'm so crazy. XD

      Welllll...there may be snippets coming Monday but you didn't hear that from meeee. *cough*

      (I laughed quite hard when I found it myself. It felt accurate to me trying to write fight scenes. XD)

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  7. November was probably my most productive month this year. I didn't actually do NaNo but you guys encouraged me to write. A lot.

    Also, rescue that inbox. (I just cleared out a ton of emails from my promotions and social tabs and am seriously in shock of how I managed o.O)

    Good luck with editing!

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    1. THAT IS AWESOME! :D Those productive months are so satisfying!

      Unattended inboxes are nightmare inducing. o.O I've been slowly working through mine but wow, it's such a mess. *collapses*

      Thank you! I'll probably need all the luck I can get. XD

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  8. Congrats on finishing the first draft of your novel! That's super exciting!! :D

    I agree with you on Ragnarok. I saw it in the theaters two days ago (my first Marvel movie in theaters... squee!!) and I loved it, but I do wish - like you said - that the tragic parts hadn't been passed over so quickly. I feel like Certain Things that happened in the movie would've caused more emotion or bigger reactions from the characters, and when they didn't, it kinda took away some of the believability. (I know that superhero movies aren't ever exactly BELIEVABLE, but you know what I mean.) ;)

    But the Infinity War trailer looks so awesome and amazing and I'm TERRIFIED because WHO'S GOING TO DIE??? *wails* I'M SCARED HELP

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    1. Thank you so much! ^_^

      Yes, exactly! There were just some really, REALLY tragic things in that movie, and yet it didn't FEEL like it because it got brushed over. It was still an amazing movie though! And I feel like we're going to be wishing for the lightheartedness of Ragnarok after Infinity Wars because MEEP. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN??? *wails with you*

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  9. CONGRATULATIONS FOR FINISHING!! That is such an awesome accomplishment, especially since you were writing double the NaNo word count!!!

    "Chew on glass rather than write"...haha, I've been there before! *gives award for creative wording*

    Yay for a smooth NaNo! That's a real blessing from God! :-) Now just fill up on caffeine again to conquer that inbox!

    Oh, my, you and I are the same in that planner-perfectionist tendency! (Though I've learned to relax a little more this year too.) Isn't it funny how NOT writing for a while sometimes boosts your creativity? I'm so glad everything worked out so that you had such an awesome NaNo!

    My brother and I were talking about Ragnarok last night, and how it was pretty much a comedy...I feel like Marvel has kinda changed the whole character of Thor that we saw in the first movie--but then, I haven't seen Ragnarok yet.

    LIVE BALLET IS AWESOME!! I love going to see movies with my siblings, but I'll watch a theatre performance over a film any day!

    Oh, boy, sword fight scenes tripped me up too when I was writing my fantasy trilogy (which I have since put on the shelf, because it was way too big a project for my skill level at the time).

    YISS CHARACTERS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF STORIES! I feel the exact same way about my precious peeps. Even though I also put them through the shredder. For story purposes, y'know. :-)

    Honestly, loving the story/story concept is a really good sign! Because you're that much more likely to stick with the multiple revisions and frustrations and tearing your hair out, and all that. So I hope the re-reading and editing goes well!

    My NaNo...hehe...didn't pan out. But it was still good because I learned a lot about how I work, what times are best to work, that kind of thing--which I wouldn't have known for sure unless I tried. I'll probably blog about that soon. :-) OH and I finished some artwork for The Nether Isle and sent it to you! (Hopefully, the email made it into your inbox!) In fact, I think I sent it on the last day of November, which is the same day you finished up your story. Which is cool timing. :-)

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  10. Oh, and I nominated you for the Liebster Award, if you're interested in filling that out!

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    1. Aaaaahhhhh! Thank you, girl! You encouraged me all the way through this crazy venture and it boosted me so, so much! You're the sweetest! <3

      Lolz! Thanks! XD Isn't it crazy how we writers don't always love to write?

      It was such a blessing. A miracle really! And yes, much caffeine needs to be consumed to help my poor, bloated inbox. XD

      I'm beginning to think we are twins separated at birth! And yes, writing breaks are VITAL. They help me get back into writing so, so much!

      It was definitely more on the comedy side. It was HILARIOUS! Just lacking in emotion a little. And I've heard a lot of people say it changed Thor's character but...I don't know. I didn't see it that way. Thor, originally, was always supposed to be the fun-loving, carefree one. That's how he was in the comics as far as I know, so I felt like this movie portrayed him actually BETTER, more like his original self, than in the previous Thor movies. But that's just my two cents! (But also...YOU NEED TO SEE RAGNAROK!)

      YESSSS. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! Live shows in general are just magical!

      ACK. You too? Sword fight scenes are the bane of my existence. And yet...I wrote them ALL. THE. TIME. I think I hate myself...

      ABSOLUTELY YES ALWAYS. Characters are EVERYTHING! But yeah, we do like to torture our precious babies. Writers are so crazy. XD

      You make such a good point! That's a very encouraging thought. I do feel like this is a story I'll stick to for the long haul. It's become so dear to my heart. <3

      Awww, I'm sorry to hear that! But it sounds like you still got so much from it, and that's the purpose of NaNo to me. To learn, to form good writing habit, to grow as a writer. It's not about the wordcounts, but the growth and experience. So I think you did great! *hugs*

      Oh my goodness, YES! I did get your email and must reply! As I said, my inbox needs help but I'm steadily working through it. I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE PICTURES!!! :D And definitely perfect timing! It was like I got a present for finishing my novel! ^_^

      You are so nice to nominate me! You make me smile so very much! <3

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  11. Haha! Oh, Lauri. Your posts are the BESTEST. Congrats! I knew you had it in you, it's just so fun to see your recap and the adventure you make of it all. Well done, girlie!! I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to hear/read more of The Nether Isle when the time comes, and EEEEEEEPPPP Burning Thorns??? I. NEED. THAT. ONE. TOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

    *LE GASP* The INFINITY WARS. o__________________o My whole fam and I were FREAKING OUT. It can't come soon enough! And I agree, Thor: Ragnarok was hilarious! Although I was slightly disappointed in the Valkyrie girl... I suppose I was expecting this epic Amazon-like woman VERY similar to the warriors in Wonder Woman (Have you seen that one??). Still, it was awesome, funny, and I loved Thor's hair. xD

    NaNo is past, but I'm still planning on completing the first draft of my story by the end of December (hopefully). We'll see!

    Best wishes, dear Lauri!! <3

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    1. D'awww, girl! I'm so happy you like my crazy posts! Hehe. And THANK YOU!!! Your encouragement as I wrote this and enthusiasm for my stories keep me going! I JUST CAN'T WITH YOUR NICENESS. <333

      RIGHT?????? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF. Yeah, Valkyrie wasn't my favorite. She was all right, just maybe a little cliche? Sadly, I haven't seen Wonder Woman but I've heard only good things and really, REALLY want to. IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. (Thor's hair was fabulous, yes. XD)

      You totally have this, girl! You're making such wonderful progress. It's gonna be AWESOME! *sends motivational cookies*

      Thank you, m'dear! <3

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  12. WOW YOU ARE A WRITING SUPERHERO WHAT EVEN.


    Many many happy congratulations on your win!!!! :D

    PS. Also, Infinity War. *long, tearful scream*

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    1. AWK! YOU! <333 THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

      *screams with you*
      *screams forever*

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  13. You're such a fast writer!!!! O____O

    November was BUSY. My Mom's brother's family came to visit for Thanksgiving, and I got to see my cousins for the first time in THREE YEARS! My youngest cousin was a baby last time I saw him, and now he's already FOUR. AHHHHHH.

    My baby cousin Mila turned ONE yesterday! She's growing up so fast. TOO fast. This whole YEAR has just flown by. X3 Not to mention it will be CHRISTMAS in NINETEEN DAYS! WHAAAAAAAATTTTTT?????????? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?! (I'm so excited. Christmas is the best.)

    So, yeah, it's been crazy. Crazy AWESOME. Hope you have an awesome December!

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    1. I should probably take my time more because everything is such a mess. XD

      WOW. It definitely sounds like you've been busy for sure! O.O How fun you got to see so much family! That sounds wonderful. ^_^ And BABY. D'AWWWW! I love babies so much! <3

      HOOOOWWWW IS CHRISTMAS SO SOON???? It's just crazy! But I'm excited. Christmas is definitely the best! :D (Except I haven't even started Christmas shopping yet. Meep. o.o)

      So, sooo happy you're having such a good holiday season. I hope it continues to be! <333

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    2. It ha been busy but SO MUCH FUN. I love my family so much. <3 My other baby cousin, Natane, is two months old. She was a preemie, but she's getting so big and chubby! <3 <3 <3 Babies are the best!

      Christmas is my favorite!!! Hope you have a wonderful holiday season, my friend!

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  14. Gracious sakes alive! You had an AWESOME writing month! Congratulations on writing so many words!!!! Your Nano novel sounds so epic and fun! I love stories that have ALL THE THINGS (comedy, darkness, epicness, tragedy, action, even a hint of romance here and there... which is probably why I love movies like The Princess Bride, Serenity, Stardust, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl so much... they all have a little bit of everything)

    I hope you have a lovely, restful, and peace-filled December!

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    1. LOLZ. It was pretty crazy! XD But I'm excited. Thank you so much!

      I 100% agree! I don't see why stories only have to have one thing. Why not throw in ALL the things!!! And the Princess Bride and Curse of the Black Pearl are the BEST! (I haven't seen Serenity or Stardust, but I've always wanted to! Now I want to even MORE. Gotta do that. *nods*)

      Thanks, Jenelle! You too! <333

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  15. I'm so glad that you had such a good Nano, and that you enjoyed the writing process! Your book sounds fantastic! Also I completely agree with your thoughts on Thor Ragnarok. I loved it!

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    1. Thanks, Skye! It was a pretty great month! ^_^

      YESSS. Ragnarok was so fun!!! :D

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  16. *SHRIEKS INTO THE VOID ABOUT INFINITY WAR TRAILER*

    AND YAY FOR NANO!! OVER 117,000 WORDS? *dances and gives you cake*

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    1. *SHRIEKS WITH YOU*

      MEEP. THANK YOU SO MUUUCCCHHH!!! Caaaake! :D *happily noms*

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  17. *throws confetti* Congratulations on winning NaNo and finishing your novel! The Nether Isle sounds like so much fun. AND YOU WROTE ALMOST 118,000 WORDS IN 30 DAYS. Very awesome. Take those 12-hour naps—you definitely deserve 'em!

    Ragnarok was a lot of fun! I have to agree though—it didn't have the balance with the humor and darker stuff that its predecessors had. I'm still not over Guardians 2! That was a level of sad I did not expect from those movies. O_O

    THAT TRAILER. I am so excited for this movie but not quite prepared for it either. It looks really awesome though. Which part of the trailer was your favorite?

    My NaNo novel turned out much differently than expected (and I realized it may want to be a short story???), but it all worked out so I am happy with that. Even if I do turn it into a short story, at least I have a lot of material to work with, right? ;D

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    1. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You are just so sweet! <333
      Haha! I'm definitely tempted to nap for 12-hours...or years. *grins*

      SO MUCH FUN! I do wish they had put more emotion though, yes. *nods*
      Oh man, Guardians 2 DESTROYED me. I agree, it was very unexpected! Suuuuch a good movie though! Just...*sobs*

      RIGHT??? SO MUCH EXCITEMENT. But I'm also terrifiiiiiied! WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO TO OUR BBYS? My favorite part was probably the "Get this man a shield" scene. CHILLS. ACTUAL CHILLS.

      I'm glad to hear your NaNo all worked out! Sometimes those unexpected ones are the most memorable. And that's interesting your story wants to be a short story! I've never experienced that before with my monstrous beasts. XD I WISH some of my stories would be shorter! But yes, now you have so many fun things to work with. :D I'm excited for you! You did so amazing! *throws confetti*

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  18. YOU NEED TO SEE STRANGER THINGS 2! IT'S FANTASTIC!!!! I FREAKING LOVE THAT SHOW SO MUCH! *clears throat * Congrats on NaNo! I'm glad it was such a great experience this year!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. OH MY GOODNESS YES I DO!!! I STILL haven't started it. ACK. I've just had so many things going. BUT I'M DYING TO WATCH IT. And even more so now hearing you loved it that much. IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

      Thanks so much, girl! It was definitely one for the books! (Pun totally intended. :P)

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  19. YOU FINISHED THE NETHER ISLE, AKJAFHASKLFJSAKFHJASKL!!!!! *shoots confetti cannons like a madwoman* I'm still so excited for you, girl! And it's good to hear that after taking almost a year off writing, NaNo was so fun for you. I'm sloooowly getting better at being more flexible with my plans and goals too.

    Must. See. Ragnarok. O.O I've heard so many good things! And while I will probably miss the emotional depth like you did, I have a feeling I'll absolutely love the humor aspect. :D

    I HAVE STILL NOT RECOVERED FROM THE INFINITY WAR TRAILER. Whatever will I do with myself between now and May 2018?

    Okay, everything you've been sharing about TNI, the way you love it despite #firstdraftprobs and the way you're discovering more about what you love to write...it's all making me so happy and eager to read it one day, even if it must be far into the future! ^__^ *huggles*

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    1. YESSSSS!!! THANK YOU! I'M JUST SO HAPPY! And your comments are bringing all my excitement over it rushing back! ^_^ That's awesome you're working on flexibility. One would think we wouldn't have to force ourselves to NOT work all the time, but here we are. XD But yes, being flexible is a very good thing!

      YES YOU MUST. I can't imagine anyone NOT liking it. Or the humor anyway. My word, it was hilarious. XDD

      ME EITHER. I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER RECOVER. To pass the time I'm personally on a Marvel movie watching craze. I've been watching through them in order and it's been marvelous! (Pun tooootally intended.) It's so fun watching them in order and back to back. I've never done this before and am catching a TON of stuff I've never noticed. So yes. That's the only way I'm surviving the wait. XD

      D'AWWWW!!! THANK YOU! I can't even express how happy and honored that makes me! One day I will share it with you! Just...one day when it's actually readable. ;D

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