The Joys of Editing

Ah, the joys of editing! I've begun to edit my first book so I can start the process of getting it published, and it's going absolutely swimmingly.

Oh, who am I kidding? Editing is terrible. Terrible, I tell you. It makes me want to curl up in a corner and never look at a book again.

Seriously. And I'm only on chapter one.

I finished the cover some days ago, and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. So I thought to myself, "Wow, that went well! Maybe editing the book will go just as easily!"

Nope. Not at all. I think my characters are in a conspiracy to give me as much grief as possible. They are decidedly boring in the first chapter when they should be grabbing the reader's attention and positively shouting, "Hey! Read this book!".

But that's all changing, hopefully, as I edit out all those boring, thoughtless paragraphs and replace them with flowing words that are supposed to be full of action and interest. Slowly but surely, this book is going to be edited.

And once it is finished and beautiful, then I shall begin the process of getting it published. Which, from what I've heard, is a million times worse.

Doesn't that just make you want to become a writer? ;)

In truth, even though a lot of it is full of frustration and worry over how my writing will be received, most of the time writing is my most favorite thing to do. It's a part of me, and I don't think I'll give up just because one particular character has the personality of a slug.

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(EDIT: After I saved this post, an ad saying "Self-Publish Your Book!" appeared, and it was from the very site I am using to get published. How awesome is that?)

Bringing in the New Year

It seems like this past year has passed far too quickly. Wasn't it just yesterday I was applying for my job--which I have now been working at for nearly 9 months? Or didn't my sister have her second baby just a few weeks ago...? But he's already 14 months old.

Which makes me feel old. ;)

In a way, I see the new year as a fresh start, a beginning to what is becoming my new life. I am no longer just a child; I now have to think about which colleges I should look at, which subjects I want to study. I have to start thinking in a long-term way, because a lot of the decisions I make in the next year or so will greatly influence my life in the future. And that's sort of a scary thought, isn't it?

But this year, I have made some resolutions for the first time. Usually, I don't even worry about making them because, to me, I really already have everything I need and I don't feel like I should try to change my appearance or try to make more friends than I already have. But, as I said, the coming years are going to be very hard for me, and I know that I will need some help. A lot of help.

So who better to ask for this help than my Lord? I already depend on Him for so much and I talk to Him daily, but I still want to make my relationship with Him even stronger. You can never be too close to God.

My resolutions this year are simple: I will read my Bible daily; I will praise Him in everything; and I will use my gifts for Him. I actually wrote an article on these for the online magazine I write for. Check it out HERE. This year, I plan on showing God that I want only to get close to Him, and I want Him to be everywhere in my life. Because if I have that strong relationship with my Heavenly Father, then everything I do--every decision I make--will be made with Him.

And if I have Him in my life, then I shouldn't be afraid of what the future holds, because He is the One that is guiding me.

"I will fear no evil, for my God is with me.
And if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?"

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

Trees are decorated, lights are up, fires are lit...and everywhere in town is crowded with people. Where do they all come from?! Traffic is absolutely horrifying and nearly every store and restaurant is packed, and Christmas is still a week away!

Maybe all these people are like me and they only go shopping when they realize procrastination is no longer acceptable. I, for one, still have not done any shopping whatsoever, though I think I have an acceptable excuse. I don't think it's wise to go out by myself, especially near a holiday when there are tons of people about.

Also, I hate to drive. ;)

Thankfully, my sister and I are going to spend all day Monday getting our gifts for everyone. We'll see how that goes.

I've not had the opportunity to take many photos recently, though last week I helped out at a benefit concert by taking some pictures for my friend's family, which is a wonderful singing group. I thoroughly enjoyed being there, and I'm so glad I was asked to come! Thank you, Rachel, for having me!

Though I've not been taking pictures lately, I have been sketching quite a lot. I've decided that it's time I kick into gear and get my first book edited and published. And, silly me, I've even decided to make the cover for the book myself. What have I gotten myself into?! I can already tell this is going to be quite a chore.

The cover so far:

I actually figured out how to scan the drawing onto the computer, so at least that's one down! Now I just have to decide how to go about adding the color...which I have never before  tried to do. Wish me luck! :)

[Insert Post Title Here]

Not sure what to name this post, so it shall remain like it is.

Winter has finally descended upon us! It's absolutely freezing outside! Thankfully, winter weather is still beautiful in its own unique way.

As you can probably see by this video above, I...well, I guess I'll let the video explain for itself. I'm...not sure how to explain it, other than I was bored. And lonely. And those two combinations do weird things to my mind. Haha. Enjoy.

November Ends

...and I am still writing!

Both this year and last year, I participated in NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month. Never heard of it? Well, allow me to explain. Every November, thousands of people participate in NaNo by attempting to write a 50k novel. Sounds crazy, right??

Well, yeah. Most of us that participate are a bit crazy. Myself included.

This year, I decided to write a sequel to last year's NaNo, and it's going quite well. I'm loving my main character and the plot is revealing itself to me as I go, so it's pretty fun. I'm one of those writer's that just fly by the seat of her pants (also called "pantsing"). I've honestly tried several times over the past years to plan out my novels with notes, timelines, and character sheets, but it just doesn't work for me. For some reason, I go much better if I just let my characters do the talking.

That especially goes for this year, as my main character is somewhat a ham and can't help but get himself into some pretty strange--and often funny--situations. He's one of my favorite characters to write (shhh! Don't tell the others!).

Since my mother's out of town for the time being, she had to take my notebook computer with her...which just so happens to be my notebook in which I write. At first, I was at a loss of what to do when she left, as the smart drive I have all of my books saved on doesn't work on our main computer, but I finally came across this ancient, dinosaur computer that manages my drive nicely. It's sort of a pain to lug around (I don't like writing at the same spot for too long) but as long as I'm able to write, I'm happy.

Not sure if you noticed, but I changed my blog header! I thought the old one was, well, old and a bit too spring weather-y, so I tried to change the mood of the blog to a bit more autumn feel. Let me know what you think of it! I appreciate feedback.

Another thing I appreciate? Sleep. And I've been failing that class, I think. ;) Best get some shut eye. Goodnight, my friends.