Happy Halloween and NaNo, here I come

Hey!!

It is currently 3:23AM and I am lying in bed typing this from my phone (so please excuse any errors, tiny keyboard).

Just wanted to stop in and say Happy Halloween. Tonight I'll be hanging out with a big group of friends and going trick or treating for the first time in two years. I feel kind of silly because,well, I'm 17 and I'm going to be dressed up as a fairy (and you can bet I'll be wearing my fuzzy boots, I hate the cold).

What are your Halloween plans?

NaNoWriMo is less than 24 hours away. I'm nervous and excited. A few days ago there was a mishap where I couldn't find my flash drive, I almost cried. And then I put in my favorite sweatshirt and there it was, i had left it in the pocket last time i used it. I'm so glad I found it though, I was ready to give up on NaNo.

I hope your NaNo planning is going well and that you enjoyed all the guests posts.

I wish I could say that I'll be back on a normal posting schedule soon, but with NaNo starting it isn't likely. I probably wont be able to post regularly until February. The next few months are always super busy for me.

Don't forget to follow and like is on Facebook!!

Have a spooky Halloween/NaNoWriMo Eve

-Rachel

P.S. Isn't my niece the cutest thing ever?

Cursing in Blogs

Hey!

A few days ago I ran across a blog where literally every other word is the "F" word. I was flabbergasted, do people actually think that using language like that is impressive? I'm not saying I don't curse, but I certainly don't do it on my blog, and when I do use it it's to emphasize a point (or because I hurt myself...). I get that it's the internet, and that kind of language is to be expected, but you should treat your blog like a business, and I would personally never want to be associated with a business that uses that kind of language.

Your opinions?

Don't forget to follow and like us on Facebook!!

Guest Post: NaNoWriMo: On Writing: Victoria from Victoria Alizabeth Levesque

Victoria Alizabeth (victoriaalizabeth.blogspot.com)

I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time last year. I only made it halfway through the word count, but for me, that was still a win. Part of what helped me was that I had a group of friends that also participated in NaNo. We met at least once a week to work on our novels, ask crazy questions, and generally have a good time. Since it was all of our first time, I don’t know if any of us knew exactly what to expect from it. Our kickoff party started at about eleven, with some brain storming, and little exercises. I went home around three, but a few of the others stayed well into daylight the next day.

Last year, I had a year’s worth of outline and world building with me. I’m doing things a little different this year. For the past few months I’ve been working on a novel, and don’t plan to finish the first draft until a week before NaNo begins. I’ve done some thinking about what I’ll write, but still have no idea. This will be well and truly the first time I write something with virtually no planning. I am definitely nervous about this.

On the other side, I’m not taking classes this semester, so I’ll hopefully have more time to write. I’ve also still got my group from last year, though it’s dwindled down to four people instead of eight or nine. Still, as it gets closer to time, I get more excited. Even though I write whenever I have something in my head, I’ve spent the whole year looking forward to November. It’s quickly becoming my favorite time of year.  

Guest Post: On Writing: NaNoWriMo: Voss from Demon Hunting and Tenth Dimensional Physics

 

I consider NaNoWriMo the one, key turning point in my writing career. I know I’m not alone on that front, but it doesn’t make it any more meaningful to me. The first time I used the process, it was in total seclusion, and I followed the rules of the even to the “T”. I think it was July, and I sat down three days before and planned the whole thing out, from characters to plot to combat systems—everything.
I also scrapped most of that later, but that’s another story to be told…eventually…
The real importance of it was the fact that I finished writing a full 50,000 word manuscript. It was ugly, rough, and ugly…and ugly. But I finished it, and that’s what counts.
Now, entering my fifth or so NaNoWriMo event, I’m much more confident, and much better off as a writer. Stories have been published, others are just about ready to be sent out, and I’m taking in pay—and I’m not even twenty at the time of writing this, though I might be by the time you all read it. Without NaNo, I would be all of nowhere, except maybe stocking shelves at Wal-Mart. The real thing to take away from the event is the feelings—every feeling. The Excitement of the planning, and of writing those first ten-thousand words…followed by a toenail pulling session when you reach the mid-point (our dreaded WEEK TWO of NaNo). And finally the finish. Mostly, this all adds up into confidence. Confidence that you can write, that you can produce product quickly, and that it’s okay to write crap in that zero draft.
I’d like to think of this NaNo as a year of change: the Office of Letters and Light are trying to change the negative name attached to the number thirteen, our new members are again changing their minds and joining the ranks of insanity, and we’ve had a change of Leadership with Chris Baty stepping down. So why shouldn’t we all change along with it?
***
Voss foster writes speculative fiction, and begrudgingly admits to writing romance. When not stuck to his laptop, he enjoys singing, cooking, and photography. He can be found and contacted at http://vossfoster.blogspot.com

Writing Prompt #2: Losing

Hey!!

Writing prompt: Write about losing someone, it doesn't have to be that the person died, maybe something just happened with a friend. It can be from a character's point of view, or from yours.

Looking forward to reading your writing!

I'm not sure what happened, exactly. One day we're sitting next to each other laughing our heads off, and the next she's on the other side of the room, and she took the rest of the group with her. I wish I knew what happened. I wish that I wasn't losing my best friends. I wish that highschool wasn't so hard.

Don't forget to follow and like us on Facebook!!

London

Article first published as Music Review: London - Diving Heart First on Blogcritics.

So, there's this amazing musician named London. She is a 21-year-old singer/songwriter with a very unique sound that's edgy and raw with emotion. Unlike most mainstream artists, her lyrics tell us about her experiences in a very blunt way, instead of sugarcoating it and churning out the same thing over and over again like many artists. If you follow her on Twitter you'll see that she is down to earth and absolutely adores her fans, which is something you so rarely see with people trying to make it big these days

I first came across London three years ago while I was browsing through YouTube. I was amazed from the first note she sang, and have only become more amazed as time has gone on.

I think that growth is important in any type of artist, and London has grown so much artistically in the last three years. She's gone from a young teenage girl who had a tendency to sing through her nose, to this beautiful young lady who's been signed and is currently trying to raise funds to produce her second album.

Her music is easy to relate to and catchy.

Her debut album, Diving Heart First, came out in March 2010 and is full of fun, catchy songs that really tell you who London is.

The following are some of my favorite songs from the album:

"Girl in the Crowd" is a fun tune that tells the story of a girl just wanting to fit in, to get everybody to understand that there's more to her than meets the eye. I love this song because it reminds me a lot of the person I was in middle school.

"Tools of Persuasion" is a great way to let a guy know that unless he commits, he isn't getting any. This song is one of my favorites because in today's society, everybody seems to treat sex so lightly, but I believe that it should be something people should be more careful with. I'm not one of those people who think you should wait 'til marriage, but I definitely think it should be with someone you love and not just a casual thing.

"Carried Away" Everyone gets carried away sometimes. When I think about the song "Carried Away," it reminds me of two people who have different ideas about what their relationship is. For instance, maybe one of them thinks that they're exclusive and the other thinks they're just casual.

I've heard a few people say that they think that London sounds like Miley Cyrus, and I don't agree. To me, Miley just seems like she's trying to hard to be "edgy" and that ruins the effect, London isn't trying to be anything, she's just being herself.

I think that Diving Heart First is great for people looking for new, unique music, sung by someone who truly cares about her fans.

I really hope you check out London's music and that you enjoy it.

You can listen to some of her songs at purevolume.com/MissLDN, and buy her muisc via her website at MissLDN.com.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-london-diving-heart-first/page-2/#ixzz1axcjIHhF

Let's Get Social Blog Hop