Merry Christmas

Hey all. Merry Christmas, I have returned from Hawaii just in time to join in the festivities. I hope your holidays are great and awesome. In fact I'd love for you to leave a comment about them. I will be checking in from time to time but there will be no blog updates till after the feast of Epiphany, (I am pretty sure that is January 7th) so have a great 12 days of Christmas.
till next time Merry Christmas and God speed

Writing in Hawaii

well For some reason I thought out would get more writing done then I have. I Have not yet touched the editing of my Nano project, and I wrote maybe 300 words on my short story. but really who can write when you are surrounded by this?

and the blogger app is still very crazy. one of these days I will figure it out.

anyway back to writing. the cool thing is this vacation has given me a lot of inspiration. So much that if i was filing as a professional writer I could say this trip was a research trip.

I Spent some time on a beach covered with volcanic rock that was very easy to climb. in fact latterly was jumping from rock to rock not having to worry if my feet would
slip. this will go in my short story and actually might help it to get going somewhere.

second I spent some time on a sail boat. it has opened my mind to what the ship can be like in my nano novel.

So my little piece of writing advice today is find inspiration everywhere. it will come to you when you least expect it.

that is all for now God Speed and Open Roads.

Fave Five! Dec 17 20012

So I am on vacation, don't be surprised if this weeks fave five is a bit Hawaiian themed.

1. The Dole Pineapple plantation! we went Through the maze and had a great time. it would have been more fun with my friend Lisa but it was still supper fun.

2. Picking a pearl. my Hawaiian trinket is a pearl that I chose from an ouster. it was cool. and well I love pearls.

3. quiet mornings. I am still on some strange time schedule where I have been waking up at 6 in the morning which is great because it means I have been taking nice walks on the beach in almost complete solitude, which if you know the loud and craziness of my family you can imagine how valuable these few moments alone in the morning are.

4. Turtles! Yes I went to see sea turtles in the wild. so fun. (also did some rock climbing at that beach.)

5. did I mention how great Deadline by Mira Grant is? No? oh right that was the same week I read Red Seas Under Red Skies. well Deadlines was a great sequel to Feed. it looks into the parts of the Zombie out break that no one really looked into after the world realized that they were going to survive. here are 3 reasons that you should read Deadline: a) full of more zombie goodness b) We follow Shawn as he pulls himself out of the slump he has been in since George... wait I don't want to spoil book one so let's just say that Shawn is our narrator and he may or may not be going crazy. c) SCIENCE!!! Of you know fun science

Alright that's all for today till next time Godspeed and Open roads

On the needles: Long Over Due

Now because of November Writer Craziness I didn't knit that much but now with Christmas just around the corner my needles are clicking  at the speed of that little Mexican mouse (or was he a Kangaroo Rat? I don't remember someone help me out here.) any way so I have a ton to talk about on my little needles, even a finished projects.

First I'm still working on the Velvet Morning Cardigan, I just am not going to take an individual picture because it hasn't actually changed very much. soon I will be don't with the body and starting on the sleeves. I'm thinking of trying to do the sleeves at the same time, I just don't know about it because of the color work. any way.

In the spirit of Advent I got a visit from the advent fairy. to help me get my Christmas gifts done this year the Advent fairy gave me money to by the yarn that i needed to finish. In this picture you can see the three pairs of socks I have to finish for Christmas, the two hanks of yarn are the gifts I was only able to get because of the advent fairy:

Still on the subject of these socks I finished one pair I'm a little worried about how the received of these socks will like the strange stripes but I like them I think they are pretty cool.

Pair number two is almost done, I'm a little worried, the die lot of the yarn is different and one of the colors in the color way is a little brighter then in the other yarn. but the knitters at knit night assure me that no one but me will ever really notice.

And pair number three the one that has the most work ahead of it, this is the only sock that I have started:

Now I did buy some new yarn that was my reward for writing 50,000 words was Spun and died by my friend Stephanie. Her Yarn is called Lunabudknits. The yarn is called Little Bear (100% Alpaca) in the color way Euryale. I love it. it is going into making my very first shawl. The shawl I'm knitting with it is the Japanese Waves Rectangle Shawl, it's available for free at Ravelry.

Now this is the last thing I want to show you is the elefante I knitted for the daughter of the UsualFool. For fun I thought I would take pictures as I put the toy together so you could see some of the work that goes into making a hand knit toy.

 

Here are the pieces. we have a body, a head with trunk, two ears and four legs

The first thing I did was give it eyes. Now because the eyes were going on the purple stripe I tried to give it white eyes. this looked too creepy to give to a two year old so he got googly eyes. 

Next I attacked the ears. Now latter I realized that according to the directions I put the eyes on the bottom of the head, so the head is actually upside-down. But this is something that only i see, everyone else thinks that it is perfect. hahaha little do they know all the little imperfections that I made. 

The next step was to put the legs or feet, each foot is put on separately. The first one is the hardest to put in the right location, the last is the hardest to put on because the other legs keep getting in the way of the needle.

Now we put on the head. This is the funnies part because the head is way bigger then the body. I don't know why it just is. In this picture you can see the strings that will become the tail. The purple thread is actually the thread that was used to attach the head. I figured this was a great way to reinforce it so that a toddler couldn't take it a part. this is also the only picture I have of the final product. 

The last step is the tail. I attached several threads and then braided them. with this done I proceed to test it's durability by swinging it around by it's tail and pulling on all of the parts because I gave it to a two year old. while my hope is that this is a toy she will cuddle with we all know that it will be a weapon to hit her daddy with.






well that was a long post but it had lots of pictures so I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time God Speed and Open Roads.

Insecure Writer's Support Group, Nano recap, Dec goals

So I have a lot of things to talk about today.
First and most importantly Insecure writer's Support Group:

We all need some support because we all have bad days as writer. and December can be quite a let down after NanoWriMo. If you completed it or if you didn't now matter what your final word Count was if it was more then 0 then you did good. Life happens, there is nothing we can do about it. I'm going to quote Howard from Writing excuses, 'if you didn't make it consider the date of November 30 as an editors date. now imagine that you and your editor get a chance to talk and you make a new finish date. how many words do you have left and guess how long it will take you to finish that number and make a new date.' sorry Howard that wasn't a perfect quote but it gets the idea across. so go out and write more words, because most writers don't make their dead lines. just ask anyone waiting for the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, or the next book in the gentlemen bastards series.  either way you are one step closer to going from a wantta be writer to a 'professional' writer. (Pisst, does anyone have an Idea when anyone can consider themselves a pro writer?)

Okay Now My Nano recap:

My ending word count was 54,000+. which is the first time I have made the word count, and not only that I am not finished with the story yet. I'm maybe about 4/5 of the way done. I just got to write the approach to the climax, the Climax and tie all the loose ends together. And that is exciting for me. I've never written anything this long and not ended with something that looked like it came out of the City of Old Emperors.

Three things that I would have been lost without during this endeavor: 1. #writeclub if you are getting ready to write on Friday nights get on twitter and join us. we have fun and keep each other on task. 2. WrittenKitten.com, I love this website. like I said on Monday I wrote all my words at this website. and there is nothing more fun then having a herd of kittens to cheer you own. 3. writer podcasts. Listening to The round table Podcast and Writing excuses for their special nanowrimo episodes were fun and encouraging. not to mention inspiring. any time i was stuck I got help from them.

Special thanks to:
Seanan McGuire, Brion Humphery, and Dave Robinson from the Round table Podcast. The novel that I wrote was connected to the novel I workshopped with them, its a different story line but the same characters and same world.

Chuck Windig and his blog post 25 ways to unstick your story, I would have gotten anywhere with out it.

Ink in the Book: her little blog workshop was increasingly helpful and got me over several important writing blocks.

My husband who has been increasingly encouraging, even when my computer died. he was able to get the first part of my novel so I could win.

Finally and most importantly my writing buddies, friends, family, thank  you for your encouragement and without you probably would have given up this dream of being a writer a long time.

Okay and my goal for writing in December:

This month I am planing to write a 7,000-10,000 word 'short' story. and Edit what I have written so far in my Nanowrimo novel, which is called Sunset heather.

well this has been a long post, so till next time God speed and Open roads.

Hunger games 2

First Katniss is growing on me. Not for her own sake, if it wasn't for Peeta, Cinna, and the Avox girl I probably still wouldn't like her. But it reminds me of something I thought about when I was somewhere between high school and college. I wondered what it would be like if I could step outside myself and see what other people see. I don't think Katnis likes herself very much. and because she doesn't like herself or think other people should like her as I read her story I see her the way she sees herself. It takes Peeta to let us know that she is someone who is worth liking, it is Cinna who sees beyond what everyone else sees. her for who she really is. and it is through their eyes that I see a Katniss that I can maybe like.

Second, The Avox. these fascinate me. Here is one of the hints that people even in Capital know there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. Not all is as it seems. the scene we are given which describe the way Katniss saw her is possibly more horrifying then the games themselves. and the touching scene between Katniss and this girl is touching. I like this girl. She has suffered in a way Katniss hasn't. (again not saying that Katniss's life doesn't suck.) and yet she shows Katniss compassion, even forgiveness. It is a small and touching scene that has moved me to like Katniss more then any other scene so far in this book.

Third, Cinna is my favorite character. He is an artist who is not interested in flashy showy world of  Capital. his appearance stands as a stark contrast to those around him who are decorated in ways that make them seem something other then human. Cinna sees who Katniss can be and will be if she has the chance. He knows he can help her get that chance.

I know how this book ends, I have read about it, I have seen the movie and I have heard people talk about what happens. I know how the trilogy ends. I know that eventually Katniss will become a major player in a rebellion against Capital. At this moment Cinna seems to me someone who wants to see the world change. He can't change it himself but maybe just maybe if he can help this girl who has given up everything to perfect her sister, he can do a small part towards that goal.
That's all my thoughts on this for now, I'll check back in after I have gotten to chapter 15

God Speed and Open Roads

Fave Five:History, Advent, Kittens, and Pirates!

Sad that it has been over a month since I did one of these posts. I was planing to have my posts through November to be filled with writery goodness to for inspiration and encouragement. but that didn't happen. oh well life goes on. So this week's favorite things:

1. History Chicks  Would you like to learn more about the great women of History? Beckett and Susan have got you covered. From Cinderella to Madame Pompadour. they have a love for history and a desire to share it all with you. I've been listening to these ladies pretty much from the beginning. they are informative and fun. at times it feels like you are sitting down and hanging out with them over a cup of coffee. each women of history is well researched and you never know what you might find out about them. Did Lizzy Bordon kill her father and step father? Was Marie Antoinette really just a party girl. and what are the Gilded Age Heiresses any way. these ladies are Hours of entertainment and like they say "any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidence." Seriously give them a listen, you will be glad you did. 

2. Advent with December upon us it means it is advent. as my priest said yesterday, it is the "deep breath" before Christmas. I love the season of advent. from the candles to the Christmas Preparations to the fasting. -yeah advent is a fast season in the Christian Calender. I hope everyone takes time this advent to think about what it really means to prepare for Christmas. (sorry to any of my non Christian readers) it is a really neat time of year, similar to Lent but different in so many ways. Speaking of which I have got to get my advent wreath up.




3. Lindsey Stirling-this girl is so talented and just a joy to watch. Here is one of my favorites:

 I don't know how much of her music she writes herself but the videos she makes are amazing. She calls herself a Hip hop violinist, and she is one of the funnest Violinists I've ever watched. From her cover of the Game of thrones theme to the Phantom of the Opera to elements, her creativity knows no bounds. Follow her on twitter @Lindseystirling.

4. written Kitten-Did you make your word count for nanowrimo? do you need a little encouragement to finish up that word count? have no fear here is a website where you can write and be rewarded for every 100 words you write with a picture of a kitten. this web site is where I wrote all of my words for nano. there are some really cute kitties there. 

5. Red Skies Under Red Seas- I've finished 4 books over the last two weeks. and this is the one that I really want to recommend. yes it is the second book of a series, (you can find my review of the first book here) but here are three reasons why you should either pick up this series, or read this book. a. if you read the lies of Lock Lamora this book is a wonderful sequel. an even bigger heist, an even more dangerous foe. b. Thieves prosper and the rich remember. that is the goal of the followers of the Crooked Warden. Lock and Jean must make a choice to play it safe or follow the mandate of their god to make sure that the thieves prosper and the rich remember that they are not as secure as they thought. c. Pirates!!!!! the thieves of the sea. (oh and kittens! i forgot about the kittens. for some reason the God of the sea in these books require that every ship that sails on his seas must have a women and cat on board.)


On another note watch for another hunger games post. I'm on chapter ten and think it may be time to say a little more about my thoughts on the book.

Also because this is my first 'official' post of December let me tell you a few things about what this month has in store. First I am taking a vacation with the family to Hawaii this month so during that time post will probably be scarce. Second I am going to take Christmas off. that means that there will be no posts between midnight the 24 to January 8.  That's right I recognize the 12 days of Christmas.

that is all for announcements. till next time God Speed and Open Roads.

Hunger Games

So I am reading the hunger games for the first time. Considering my general dislike of Young Adult fiction it shouldn't surprise anyone. Some people are sighing with relief because they have been trying to get me to read these books for a long time. Any ways so I'm on chapter 5 and here are some thoughts.

1. Katness is kind of a bitch. they say that when bad things happen to people they turn out to be one of three things: a carrot, an egg, or a tea bag. each of these change when dropped into hot water. the carrot turn to mush, the egg gets hard boiled, and the tea bag changes it's surroundings. Katniss is an egg. hard times have made her hard. her mother is a carrot. hard times hit and she turned to mush. Prim was the tea bag. I don't like Katniss very  much. She is mean to most everyone, her mother, Peta, and other random people she comes in contact with. and Look before you go defending her I understand why she is the way she is. I'm just saying this, if I lived in seam, while seeing her sacrifice as something beyond honorable, she is not someone I would be friends with. Mostly because yeah she is kind of a bitch.

2. I want to hear her mother's point of view. see I am not a big fan of first person point of view. i can't bring myself to write it and after a while I can't stand reading it. I find myself narrating my own day in my head when reading a book in first person. as a reader I'm kinda bored with Katness, she is an angry teen. I get that, and yeah her life kinda sucks. but I'd really like to hear what is going on in her mother's head. of course the general YA audience doesn't care about such things, but that isn't who I am. I'd also like to hear what is going on from Peta's point of view. again this is just showing my preferences, I mean my preferred point of view to write in is Omniscient.

3. Lastly while I can see why teenagers love these books and I think they are good books for teenagers to read, before the reaping Katness is pretty whiny-again yes her life sucks I'm not saying I don't get it- it's just the reason I don't really read YA and why I don't relish the idea of writing YA.

So those are my thoughts on what I've read so far. maybe do to the hype and how much people have said oh you'll love it i'm more critical but that is the way it is.

God speed

Six Sentence Sunday: NaNoWriMo

Today I'm going to once again share an excerpt from my nanowrimo project. Today You get to meet my second favorite characters of this project Kirena.

Sweat beaded on Kirena's skin. She tried to forget about everything, let the world around her and the punching bag fade away. Almost an hour latter, wet with sweat and panting she stopped. She drank some water and wiped her face on her shirt. She sat in on her bed, "Just do the job.' She repeated.

What do you think?

NaNoWriMo: An Excerpt

If you follow me on social media you know that I had a massive word count day yesterday, well today here is an excerpt:

Leo turned back to Thea, 'Do you know what their agenda is?"

Thea shrugged, "Take over the cosmos?"

"You are correct."

she snorted.

"No that is their plan, they have been orchestrating everything to have each of the rulers of the cosmos in their hands. Then they will of course do what they need to to keep the Nephs happy, most likely in a way that means that they really are also controlled by the quad. of course the nephs are attempting to do something similar but they are going about it in a much different way, I believe Bildad would say that they lack the subtleties of The Quad. Either way that is it. "

"So what if they are?" said Thea, "What does the voice intend to do about it?"

"He has a plan, and you are part of it."

She shrugged, "What is in it for me?"

"Freedom form The Quad."

"Really? How does he plan to do that?"

Leo shrugged, "I really don't know but that was the promise he made to me and I believe him. so it may take time but the Voice is confident."

"I don't know."

Leo shrugged, "It is your choice. but even if he doesn't, think about it this way, by doing a job for the Voice you are working in opposition to The Quad, in that sense you are defying them. does that intrigue you?"

She nodded slowly, "Actually it kinda does." she took a drink from her coffee cup, "what is the job?"

Thankful Thursday 11/15

1. I am thankful for all the people on Facebook who are counting their blessings! It is awesome and encouraging to hear how everyone is being blessed by different things in their lives
2. I'm thankful for the group of encouraging friends and family that I am surrounded by as I try to write a novel in one month.
3. I am thankful for my little god daughter who has turned two. I love her so much!
4. I thankful hat my Husband believes in me.
5. I'm thankful that i have a job that lets me peruse my dreams.
6. I'm thankful for my gamer groups! yes even the on which is on hiatus.
7. I'm thankful that nano is officially half way over! (hows the word count going?)
8. I'm thankful that the holidays are coming!!!!!

What are you thankful for today?

till next time Godspeed and Open Roads

Knitting: a love affair with yarn

Oh are you surprised? this si my first non NaNoWriMo post this month. quick update word could is at 27,859 that is 6,192 ahead of schedule.

On to Knitting!

I only have two projects to talk about so this will be a short post.

1. My Cardigan  the body is so close to being done. maybe by next time I will be able to start the sleeves  Cross your fingers.

2. Elefante. this is one of my favorite patterns. I love it because it combines two of my favorite things: knitting and Puzzels. I have the body the feet done now all I have to do is finished the head and trunk and knit the ears then it is done. I really need to get working on this one. my plan is to give it to my Goddaughter for her birthday on saturday.

well that is it, if you are a knitter and would like to find these wonderful patters you can find them Here: Velvet morning Cardigan by Julie Crawford and Elefante by Susan B. Anderson

You can find me on Revelry as Glorificus, I'm not very active but you can get more pictures and knitting goodness there plus its always good to connect with knitters.

Till next time God Speed and Open Roads.

NaNoWriMo: World Building

If you follow me on Facebook you know that I was dealing with issues of world building in my nano Project. and My problem had to do with something very simple like how day and night work. this probably sounds really strange. I mean shouldn't things like the sun rising and setting should be some thing like that be standard?

My problem is that I am writing in a very strange world. There are very interesting rules that are so vastly different then our own world that the very fabric of space is different. Why? because I'm writing in the seven Heavens. Fun fact that is actually the title of the series. The Seven Heavens Series. it makes me happy that this series of at least six books actually has a name now.

Any way so where does the problem happen? The Current story takes place on what would be the equivalent of Jupiter in the positioning of things. like jupiter it has 16 moons, all of these are habitable. So if the Sun is the main source of light and heat in the cosmos then does day and night work with the sun moves and the world spins as well. which makes me wonder about how does every part of the world get day light and how do seasons work?

Well I started to work on thinking of speed of the sun going around the grave (also called the Nexus and Hub) at first i thought that the sun went around the nexus every twenty four hours, like it would if the seven heaven's theory was correct. after several teasing and struggles which really would seem silly.

In the end I decided that basically the sun takes a year to move around the nexus and when it is eclipsed by the nexus is winter. It was simple solution that just worked. a solution that I should have come up with before I got myself all worked up in a tizzy.

would have been great if I had figured that out before I lost desire, will and motivation to work on my WIP. Of course what stole my joy of creating was something else entirely, but that is a blog post all of it's own.

well that is all I've got for today's nanowrimo thoughts. I hope everyone's november is going well remember what ever word count you make is more words then you had before you started.

God Speed and Open Roads.

NaNoWriMo: Villain

Before I start I just want to give a big shout out to my new followers you guys are awesome! welcome to the drumbeat.

Today I want to talk about villains, particularily my villains on my nanowrimo story. now Like I said this world has exsited in my head for about 7 years, but there never was much work done withthe villains. they were evil dictators or crime lords but they were only that. when I was on the Round Table Podcast one of the suggestions I was give was to really suss out an evil villian. well brien would be proud of the villian that that has come about with a little thought created.

His name is Bildad Innocent Shuha, Armigero. And if a movie was made of this right now he would be played by Anthony Hopkins. He is the leader of a group of crime lords called The Quad. They currently rule their world from the shadows and it is all do to this man who brought together the best criminals and got them to work together. He is the epitome of a grandfatherly gentleman. Hence the Armigero at the end of his name, (similar to Esquire)

When we first meet Bildad he and his wife Cleo are the serigett parents to Thea (my protagonist) she goes o them after finding out that her Brother, Thom, was the one responcible for their parent's death. He is a good father, Respectful to his wife, and even fatherly to Thea and her brother. But then a she talks to him about what happened between her and Thom she finds out that Bildad was the one who decided that her father needed to be gotten ride of.

However it is not till latter in the first act that it is reveled to Thea just how 'evil' Bildad is when she finds out that he is still interested in her. So while thea is his Guest he explains to her that it is in her best interested to work for him and the rest of the quad because if she doesn't agree to his generous offer he is going to make her life miserable, she might even lose her ship.

Well that is my main villain, tell me what you think.

till next time God Speed and Open Roads.

Insecure Writer's Suport Group

Today as the first wednesday of the month, which means it is time for the Insecure Writer's Suport Group which means it is time to share an insecurity. I think the point of it is to share the insecurity so that we can realize that we all feel insecure at times. I would like to share my my insecurities as November drew closer. these are not new but perhaps entertaining. I spent the last week of October fretting over the oncoming month of November  Like so many writers I hoped to participate in The National Novel Writing Month. I had a plan, a plan that some of my readers and friends encouraged me to follow. The idea was to take an idea that I have been working and toying with for the last seven years. It was an idea was an epic, with multiple layers. As I tried to tease out what to do, how to write the first story of what will be a six book series.

And as the last days of October passed by I became completely convinced that I had chosen poorly. the project I was about to embark on was going to be too hard, to complicated for me to end the month of November with little more then a collection of words that would look more like something that came out of the city of old emperors then a real story that anyone would ever want to read and that I most definitely woud abandon rather then edited. I was afraid to start, I was starting on a project that was going to be doomed to failure.

Then something interesting happened, we are a week in and ahead of the standard word count. There is something happening in this story. Despite my insecurities about the project this story is coming together well.

So today if you are participating in Nanowrimo and if you are behind remember that whatever your word count is at the end of the month, you've won, every day you have written is a word more then you had before. Keep at it, what ever the end result is. if you are worried about whether or not you can achieve the end result of your November writing I believe in you. now Go Write!

NanoWriMo Sneak Peek one

Today I offer to you a sneak peek of what I'm working on this week:

 

"But how will we get out of the house?" asked Zel

"I was thinking out the window." Thea pulled the sheet off the bed and went to the entrance room, she then grabbed her bag out of the breakfast nook. Just as she was opening the window to start belaying down the knotted sheets, the door opened. Thea froze.

"Thea are you awake still?" Said Billy as he came in the room. He saw thea standing fully clothed next to an open window. "So you are awake." He paused, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I am doing?" Asked Thea, I'm leaving."

"You don't have to, father might..."

"No, I'm not entering any sort of discussions with Thom," she said getting down. "Do you understand what he did? He..."

"Thea," Billy stopped her, "I get it, and if you are worried about what Thom will do, then I have an alternative."

"what?'

"Ummm." Billy patted his pockets then pulled out a little black box and then went down on one knee, "You could ummm. marry me." he opened the box with a beautiful rose gold ring with three rubies set in it.

Thea looked at him shocked and then at the ring, "You can't be serious,"

"I am," he said, "I've thought it through and it would work out well for both of us. You would be safe, and my parents would approve of the match. " he smiled his mischievous smile, and added, "It's not like it was never suggested."

Thea stepped back, "If you are referring to the kiss.."

"Our first."

"It was a dare, and we were kids."

Billy stood, he took the ring out of the box and offered it once more to her, "Thea we could make it work."

"But." Thea said slowly, “What about Sheol? I can't abandon him, and you know how I feel about Sailing through the cosmos, I could never give up that life."

Billy shrugged and put the ring back in it's box, "I had to try," The box went back in his pocket, "Well if you want to get out of here quickly without my father finding out, you should probably come with me."

"Why?"  

Billy took her bag, "Because Father doesn't have every entrance and exit guarded, otherwise Dove would be in a lot of trouble right now."

Nanowrimo: I'm a Rebel

things are going to be different here at the Drumbeat. I will still try to post at least every other day but I may or may not follow the topics as I have set them out.

So it is November and that means national novel writing month. generally I try to keep the rules, I may restart an idea I had, but this year, I fully admit it, I'm cheating. I had 5,000 words on this novel before November first. I know I know I'm such a cheat. but there is a reason for it. Second I'm allowing myself to spend a little bit every day to read over what I have already written, checking the spelling and the grammar  adding some exposition here and there. there is a reason for that.

So why am I cheating? well it's simple really. this story I is one I restarted very recently  when I realized it was what I want ed to do for nano I stopped and waited til november. it is a story idea that is quite frankly a mess. now last year I took an idea that was nice and neat and turned it into a confused mess that a strange conglomeration of ideas that I can't bring myself to touch it. editing it is so much more work than rewriting it that it is just not worth it to edit. So that is why I am keeping my manuscript clean. this means that I will write way more than 50,000 words, because many of those words that I write will not be counted. (I tried the whole strikeout thing last year it made the manuscript a mess so I will not be doing that this year.) but I think in the end I will have 50,000 words in a rough draft that I will still want to work with at the end of the month, rather than abandoning the whole thing in hopes of something better next time.

So yeah I'm cheating, go ahead call the nano police, in the end my hope is to have at least a 50,000 word manuscript, not something that looks like it came out of the city of old emperors.

till next time
God Speed and Open Roads.

Happy Holloween!

I am the queen of last minute costumes. or at least one of them. So I was hoping to find pieces to make a Susan Costume (as in Death's Granddaughter not The Fair) but for some reason all the stores i went to had no full length black skirts. Apparently long skirts are not the currently style. So Scratch that. My next thought was well how about red Riding hood, I'll get a few things and just use my red cape again. it'll be fine. hey I could even say I'm steampunk Red. but no I have at last landed on what I am going to do, I will be a red mage. no I don't have the hat, but I went through my closet for all things red and black and started playing with the combinations.

Because of the sudden change of temperature staying warm tonight during Spooky Time on man is going to be of the utmost importance. So my first choice will have to wait for another time because bare arms are a no go. any way sorry I don't have pictures but it ended up working out pretty good.

I love halloween!

you know how two weeks ago I had 3 projects...

This time I've only got two. But I also have a yarn acquisition.

I can explain.... I haven't been knitting as much. despite the fact that I usually go to knit night on mondays I haven' got a lot of knitting done. maybe it's because I've been so focused on Nano. Yeah that will be my story. So here are this post's projects: 

Look Look it's almost done, I've just got to Finish the right side front then the back and sew them together. then I have to knit the sleeves and wal-la it's done! Must admit that with the weather changing I have been trying to get this done so I can wear it before it gets too cold.

  

 I started working on this sock again. I got the heel turned and I am almost done with the gusset  I just am also almost out of yarn. however most people I talk to say It shouldn't be a problem for me to get a hold of the company and get some more. there is just one more yarn shop I want to stop at to find out if I can get it without ordering it. any way I still believe I can get two more pairs of socks done before christmas.

 New Yarn! Right I know what you are saying. I've got plenty of projects on the go that I am letting languish why on earth do I need new yarn? because my husband asked me to make him some gloves that is way. 

well that is all I have to say about knitting this time. only one more sleep till nano ya'll ready for this? 

till next time God Speed and Open Roads. 

Six Sentence Sunday

I don't know what to blog about today, last couple of days have been kinda dry about blog posts. I'm borrowing this from Jessa Russo, I'm sure she got it from somewhere else but here is the idea: I post six sentences from something I am working on. well here are the Six opening sentences from Sunset Heather which I will be attempting to write during nanowrimo: \

Thea just stared at the house across the broken street. It was a dilapidated old abandoned building. Or it would look abandoned if it wasn't for the light in a single window.

"You do have you entire life for this."

Thea chewed the inside of her cheek thinking, "I've waited 15 years for this, that is long enough." she crossed the street.

Zel shook the rain from her coat and looped after Thea.  

So what do you think? just a little taste of what it might become.

Paints and more

over the last month I've actually had a bit of a breakthrough with my art. Sadly some of it was only for the time. but I hope life will let me do more. I am really tired of not having this one project done. it will be done some day, I just wish some day was today. So here is a collection of what I have done. If you follow me on twitter or facebook I've got nothing new to add to that.

What I have done is if I have a couple hours to set aside to draw I've decided to draw for 30 minutes and then take a fifteen minute break, these are art sprints. they make me feel accomplished and seem to help me get something done.

the second thing I have done is set aside Saturday morning for Painting. as of now I hae just worked with Oils but I may do watercolor and acrylics soon as well.

Oil, landscape saturday morning paints
almost done

the new One I started a few weeks ago
I didn't get to paint last saturday

I've gotten somewhere with the Icon!
makes me happy but there are still So much work to be done

Well that is the art I've gotten done this week. there may be more tomorrow if I can get that last post for behind the scenes on New Beginnings done but that is or another day.

till next time God Speed and Open Roads.

writing writing writing....

Now that I have decided what I am going to be writing or NanoWriMo, thanks to those of you who commented on my distress. I am getting myself more and more acclimated to the task at hand. The mountainous gargantuan task at hand. *shutter* Yeah it's scary, yeah it's ice capped rugged pikes, yeah it's probably filled with monsters, and yeah we may never be heard from again. What am I waiting for?

Affirmation, my own confidence to come out of hiding, (why is it every time my confidence goes hiding under the bed and refuses to come out.) and maybe the alot to come out of hiding. yes I mostly joke, or maybe I don't, have you ever seen an Alot? I want to see an Alot they must be fascinating,  much like the snark but not as deadly.

So here is the plan (pulls confidence out from under the bed) because a plan is attainable. I have the day mostly off from work so this afternoon I will be locking myself in a study room with a whiteboard (I like whiteboards for the same reason I like the poem possibility by Shell Silverstein.) and figuring this out. I must make a map to get through this adventure so I can make it to my destination by tea time. (what time is tea time again?)

We Have a Series- StarSoul or Animus Stellea or this might take it Cluefinders hmmm must thing about his more-in it will be six books. the hope is to get a good start for book one. The chances of these books being 50,000 words is very slim I am working in a world that is vastly different than the one we live in. but 50,000 words will be a good start on a first draft. or maybe I will just go insane. either works. It will be an adventure that is for sure, and I am all about having adventures. they will probably each be more like 500,000 words... okay I hope not I'd like to leave that territory for Patrick Rufus.


And you know what would be a good place to start, a place for you patient reader to help? me figure out a title for this blasted book. I need something that will speak to the fact that the plot driving character of this book is motivated by revenge. think about revenge more in the vain of The Count of Monte Cristo rather than Hamlet or Batman.  I could really use something that will convey the tension between revenge and forgiveness. in doing some research of sorts I'm leaning towards Sunset Heather, or Sunset Hedder (I hae an affinity to the old spellings of words.) maybe one november comes I'll unpack the reasoning behind that name unless I hear something better.

Anyway till next time God Speed and Open Roads

Monday Fave Five

(yes I'm a day late Sorry All my most humble apologies)
Write club people help me celebrate my 500th post with a raffel!

So this is something new I want to try. every monday I post (so every other monday) I will be listing five things, these may be movies, books, music, online things, blogs, authors etc that I like. I'm not going to guarantee that what I list here will be new to everyone, they might not even be new to me. but they are things that I like and want to share. So with the introduction over here is this monday's Fave five.

1. because I stole this idea from the one the only the queen of her little corner of the internet-which is becoming a large corner every day. my first Fave Five Felicia Day and her Youtube channel Geek and Sundry

Here you will find all manner of geeky goodness. It all starts with the geeky and effervescent Felicia Day and her Flog. she is a geek and proud of it. Her Flog (short for Felicia's vlog) there you can watch her and her brother play really old games or even watch her and her friend go to an archery range dressed as elves. Are you a gamer? Check out the Guild written and produced by Felicia day it follows the life of Codex and the knights of good. 6 dysfunctional people who can only control and make sense of their lives by playing in a vast fantasy MMO. It's a great show with about 20 minute episodes adding up to 6 seasons of geeky goodness. Do you like tabletop games? Check out Tabletop which is hosted by the rival to our future dark overlord Wil Wheaton where he gets all his friends together and plays some interesting game. last week it was Last Night On Earth. Do you like Comics? Dark horse has their own show where they showcase their comics in those comics that move pictures...I don't know what it's called but check it out. Do you like fantasy and science fiction? you should watch Sword and Laser it's a book club that focuses on Fantasy and Science fiction and they interview all the biggies in the genre. do you like to watch kids discover the power of imagination and tell stories? they you have got to see written by a kid. the kid tells the story and then a producer brings it to life on the big screen.  Paul and Storm have something called Learning Town. I don't know what it is because they haven't started that show up yet but it will probably be something geeky with music.

2. I just finished reading Mira Grant's Book Feed. creepy and sad as hell but so good. you can view my review of the book on goodreads. but be warned I totally give the ending away. for those of you who want to maybe read the book but want the pleasure of discovering the twists for yourself here are three reasons you should read it:
a. Aren't you tired of the same old zombie story? The dead rise infect the world and humanity all comes down to a small group of humans who manage to survive and then will either save the world or get eaten. well this book takes place 20 years after the original outbreak of the zombie virus.
b. Its about a journalist's dedication to the truth and living without fear in a world where fear is the only option.
c. Quote about the blogging community of Feed: "We're the all purpose opiate of  the new millennium  We report the news, we make the news, and we give you a way to escape when the news becomes too much to handle." (50)
So go to your library and get your copy today!

3. A couple of writing buddies of mine have gotten together and formed a new blog called the Typelings. they are modeling themselves after the Inklings that used to meet at the bird and baby and talk about all things literature. It is just starting as a blog and I really hope they get writing more posts! So here Page, Hero, Grey, Rogue, Dash and Oz. I know you guys are going to be great! the picture is of the original four, aren't they a great looking bunch?



4. Right now my favorite thing to watch online is the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. It is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Here is the First Episode:

the fun part of this little project is that you can follow all the characters in one way shape or from. most of them are on twitter and face book. Jane has a fashion tumbler, Lidia has her own Vlog for when Lizzie goes out of town and she can't be one the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. and Maria Lu (Maria Lucus in the book) has a vlog as well. watch as between Tumbler, Vlogs, instagram, and twitter the story of Jane Austen's beloved book comes to life. Yes it really is that awesome.


5.  Last but not least is Molly Crabapple. I was introduced to the work of Molly Crabapple when she did her Kickstarter. Molly has a very unique style of art. she loves big paintings and burlesque. she also is committed to helping the world see itself though images. right now Molly is working on several huge paintings that are meant to help visualize the crises of our era called Shell Game. all based on the current economic problems facing the world.

Before I go I just want to let all my readers know that if you are a writer and you have a book coming out whether it is the first or twentieth and you want me to give you a plug let me know. If you have a blog that you think I will like send me the url, if you are starting a podcast or Vlog Seriously let me know. This Fave Five thing is a time for me to showcase all the great and talented people there are in the world. The only requirement is that I like it. So please in the comments Pimp your work.

Till next time God Speed and Open Roads

500 posts!

Earlier this week I posted my 500th post. It's a big achievement, I've been blogging for over 7 years now and it has been an adventure. I'm not sure how to commemorate this achievement. Well Let's start by doing some looking back:

Like I said I've been blogging for 7 years. with 500 posts that is over 71 posts a year. now the first couple of years were slow going, my first two years had only 8 posts between them but I got the hang of it. I've never been one who had a single topic to talk about, I've talked about religion, politics, art, movies,books, writing, life, love and other mysteries. I've sometimes wondered if that was something that made it difficult to actually get an audience but considering how the last year went it probably was more my personal obscurity. Since using twitter and facebook I've gotten more traffic. I also think that getting involved with the blogger writing communities has helped. I've used this blog in a number of ways all in an attempt to help me organize so I can do all the things I want to do.

Well now what does the future hold? The future is a strange and wondrous place filled with Perils and Adventure.  It is hard to plan for the future because most the time plans can go awry. no one knows what the future holds. but here is my plan. I hope to publish more of my writing here. this will mostly be in the form of fantasy short stories taking world called heimr. I hope hope hope to one day get everything in place to start having a bimonthly vlog. so far everything I have tried to get that going it hasn't worked. Oh well. what else, I hope to do more showcasing of other writers and wantable writers in the blogging world, and just of creators in general. I'm also contemplating giving my blog a more mature look. possible even a more mature title and url. I would actually be changing it here so it shouldn't affect anyone who is already a follower of the blog, or who reads the blog through facebook and twitter, or google plus.

So now what to do in order to commemorate the fact that I have by passed the 500th post? let's due a raffel.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


So that is it, where we've been where we're going and I hope you'll stick around for the ride. Till Next time God Speed and Open Roads

Author's Note: New Beginnings

The story New Beginnings had it's start sitting in my friend's living room as we got ready to start a new DND game. There we introduced each other to our characters and decide how our characters met and started to adventure together.  It became very clear that our characters were going to be a very different group then the last game we played. as the Game Master commented "I'm going to be lucky if any of your characters good." someone came up with the idea that the characters got together because they were the only ones left standing after a huge riot. Oh it makes it a very interesting game.

Novalee is the character I play in the game. she came out of my desire to play a character who was tiny and always hungry, I also liked the idea of her being a runaway temple prostitute. I had thought it could be a temple like the one to Aphrodite but the game master decided that it had to be an evil temple therefore it became the Temple of Asmodeus. 

The last stage in the forming of this story was thanks to Darcy Cole who months ago decided to have a flash fiction contest. you can find my entry here. the story was very incomplete because of the word count limitations, there were people who said hey I want to know what else is going on. So there is was, a reason to write something and publish it on my blog. Something that I didn't have to worry about just publishing for free here. 

Now that New Beginnings is done I have one more post, (unless there is need to do a question and answer post as well.) then because I've been lazy I don't have another story ready so I will be taking a bit of time off from these posts. 

till next time God Speed and Open Roads.

PS: if you had any questions about the Story please post them here in the comments