Day #8897 - 13 Things to Start 2013

Hey hey, Internet! in the spirit of being totally cliche and jumping on the bandwagon, now is probably a good time to look back at 2012 and what lies ahead in 2013 for me.

1. Over all, I would say that 2012 was a year that was on par. There weren't an overwhelming number peaks and valleys, which I guess is a good thing. Not to say it was perfect, but I survived which is actually saying a lot.
2. I am proud of myself that 2012 saw me finally gaining the courage to send out queries and search for a literary agent willing to represent me. No luck so far in gaining said representation, but the idea of sending that email and what the reply may be is no longer something I find terrifying. Well, less terrifying, anyway.
3. I'm still writing, and again I think that's something that requires a certain amount of courage. I have very little control over if my stories make it out into the world or not, if my manuscripts will ever become published novels that make their way to your local library or bookstore - all I can do is keep writing and sending them out, the rest is out of my hands.
4. I finished grad school. Are master's degrees more common now than in the past? Perhaps. But for two years I worked so hard on something I'm passionate about, and the experiences I had in learning how to become a librarian were some of the best of my life. I fell in love with learning all over again.
5. So there weren't a whole lot of lows, but in a lot of ways 2012 was challenging in ways that oftentimes, I had no idea how I was going to come out on the other side with my sanity intact. And sometimes, it wasn't, and I learned that that was okay, too. I have my friends and family to thank for that.
6. According to Goodreads, I read 69 books last year and I know the number is actually higher because it doesn't take into account the books I re-read nor the ones I was too embarrassed to post online. It was such a joy to get to experience so many stories, and as always, it comes back to learning. Constant reading is a vital contributor to my education in how to become a writer.
7. While most of these points are about reading and writing and books, I was so happy to discover in 2012 that I'm capable of a wider range. YouTube and making videos managed to become a part of my life that I absolutely love and find an incredible amount of joy in. Sure many of those videos are also book related, but my other 'resolution' for the year is to break out into other topics and share. I love being a new BookTuber, but I want to remind myself and the world that I'm complex, and I want the things I create - be it stories, videos, art, whatever - to reflect that, too.
8. I have high hopes for 2013. I want it to be the year of doing more. Traveling would be great, but just being active. Busting out of the comfort of my home, defying every introverted and shy instinct that consumes me and just try.
9. Not going to lie, now that I'm trying to come up with 13 things, I'm struggling. So here's to struggling and those struggles making us interesting (to borrow from my favorite middle grade novel, Bloomability by Sharon Creech).
10. I already know that 2013 will bring about a few big changes to my life and the lives of my loved ones. My big brother is getting married this year, and several of my friends are tying the knot with their significant others as well. And I couldn't be more excited for them.
11. My life-long journey to be accepting of who I am continues. Whether that means the things I choose to pursue, voicing my opinions about the things I like and dislike, and just being honest with myself. It's something that ought to go without saying, but reminding myself never hurts.
12. Oh crap, this list still isn't over yet?...errr....
13. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

Okay, so that was a longer post but there it is. So here's to 2013, eh? Let's stay positive and may good things come your way!

Day #8895 - Movie Magic

Had a ton of fun making this video with my dad about some of the movies we saw in 2012.

Day #8890 - Hark! The Herald Angels Sang

To all those of you who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas. And to those with other beliefs, here's still wishing you much happiness this season.

Day #8882 - Project for Awesome

Every year on YouTube, the Project for Awesome takes place in which people make videos to raise awareness about charities and causes they feel are important. This is my first time participating as a vlogger, and if you could take the time to watch, I'd really appreciate it. As much as I love books, I love music just as much and being in music programs has shaped much of my life, which is why for this year's video, I talk about VH1's Save the Music Foundation.



Thanks!

Day #8877 - Until Next Century...

Today's date is too awesome to not post, plus it has been quite the day indeed.

Queryland has brought me potentially awesome news. Can't and won't say anything more than that for now, let's just say that my confidence is going up which is an awesome feeling.

Plus there were other things that happened today that were out of the ordinary, which was also cool.

In other news, I'm currently reading the ARC of Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, the second book in her Lunar Chronicles series and I am so in love!

And that's about it. Happy 12/12/12, everyone! A date like this won't happen again in our lifetimes - next time will be 01/01/2101 - eek!

Day #8876 - December Doings

Looking back at my last few posts, I've realized that's it's not exactly fair to call this my writing and life blog if I'm only posting YouTube videos...

And so, a real blog post!

What's been going on with me is both a lot and a whole lot of nothing if that makes any sense at all. Work is busy, but mostly in a good way. That being said, I'll be super happy when winter break finally comes at the end of next week because I want to get caught up on reading, plus I want to get back into writing. I must confess, I haven't written much of anything since NaNoWriMo ended, but my brain needed time to recharge. I won't be going back to that story right away, though. I'm planning on revisiting Summer Project - we've had enough time apart where I think I can get back into it with a better sense or perspective, and my process will be pretty much the exact opposite of NaNo. While I hope to get back into writing every day, I plan to take my sweet, sweet time.

And then there's Queryland. Nothing much to report on that front except to say that I've recently jumped back in the game. I have a new draft of my query letter which I think is eons better than the last one, so hopefully the responses will be more favorable (aka not just form rejections). Keep your fingers crossed for me! I know at some point I'll have to think long and hard about if this is a book which simply will not be published, but I'm not ready to give up on it - I still believe in it very much.

I really wish I had something juicer for you all, but those are actually the high lights (without getting too personal because, you know, it's the Internet and we've got to have boundaries to keep up the illusion that I'm actually incredibly interesting). I mean, I've been going to the gym more. Christmas decorations are up and fabulous. And here in Chicagoland we set a new record for the most consecutive days without snow (281 in case you were wondering), but none of that is exactly thrilling. I think that pretty much covers it for now.

So...yeah. Bye!

Day #8866 - November Favorites

I genuinely cannot believe that it's already December 1st, but that doesn't mean it's not true. So without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things from November.