Monday Mixtape - Getting Pumped

Ahhh!

So, I go back to school tomorrow. I haven't been in school for so long (somewhere around 5 years) and I'm super nervous! I'm only taking two classes to kind of ease myself back in. And I'm still trying to figure out what the heck I want to major in. But it's a start. A very exciting, nerve-wracking start.

I've been trying to figure out how to balance school and work and writing. I've been having a hard enough time balancing work and writing and now I'm adding something else in there. I think the key is going to be scheduling. I need to be organized. It'll be tricky since I've never been a very organized person. Fingers crossed, though!

This week's Mixtape is upbeat and fun. These are a few songs I listen to when I need to get pumped:

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Paris (Ooh La La)


Pink - Raise Your Glass


Katy Perry - Firework


And my current obsession: Bruno Mars - Grenade


Hope these songs pump you guys up this lovely Monday morning. I'm off to write a few hundred words before work!


Monday Mixtape: Chicks with Attitude

Bonjour! How is everyone this lovely Monday morning? Are you as bitter about the end of your weekend as me? If so, hopefully some great tunes will cheer you up!

I had no idea what songs to choose for this week until about ten minutes ago. This song came up on my media player and I forgot just how much I liked it. There aren't many songs on Youtube by this artist, so forgive the horrendous grammar and spelling (not to mention the incorrect lyrics).

Amy Dalley hasn't quite made it big yet. At least nowhere near as big as she should have. She's got a wry sense of humor and a ton of personality and it shines through in her music. Romeo is a fun, fun song. My personal favorite lyric? "He could be a good-looking serial killer for all you know."


I don't know anything about the girl singing this next song (but I'm gonna look her up after I'm done here...girl can SANG!). The focus is the song itself. Kylie Sackley is one of my most favorite songwriters. Ever since she penned "Nothin' Bout Love Makes Sense" for LeAnn Rimes, I have been in love with her. I've also been waiting anxiously for this girl to sign a damn record deal and release some of the songs she's posted on her --->site<--- .="" a="" and="" br="" chock-full="" definitely="" favorite="" girl-power="" i="" is="" it.="" it="" love="" mine.="" of="" one="" s="" sass="" this="">

Ahh, Rachel Williams. I've posted a couple songs of hers here before, but she fit into the theme of this week's Mixtape too well to leave out. This video is a twofer. The first song has the 'tude and the second...well it's just beautiful. Hope you enjoy!


So there ya have it. Have a great Monday, everyone!

2010 Resolution Review (And a Few New Ones

I've been doing a lot of thinking about New Year's Resolutions. Yes, it's that time again. I'm almost afraid to review last year's resolutions, but here we go:

1. Write at least 500 words a day.
How I did: I'm not sure I made the full 500 every single day, but I definitely put in more effort than the previous year.
Verdict: I'm calling this one a win.
2. Finish NaNo '09 project
Verdict: Win!
3. Revise NaNo '09 project.
Verdict: I've revised it three times so far. Once I complete my NaNo draft, I'm heading back to the drawing board with this one.
4. Finish the Tierney/Jack story.
Verdict: This is the one I chose for NaNo 2010. I'm pleased to say I've got nearly 60k toward a brand new draft and I plan to finish it before January 18th (when I go back to school -- yay!)
5. Revise said story.
Verdict: Fail...I have high hopes for this one next year...
6. Plan NaNo '10 project.
Verdict: Win! Sorta...if you count recycling an old idea.
7. Do at least one "mini-NaNo" before November.
Verdict: Fail. I got too engrossed in revisions of my NaNo 09 novel. But I'm not complaining.
8. Go to writing groups regularly.
Verdict: Eh. I made it to a few here and there, but definitely not as many as I would have liked.
9. Read more books.
Verdict: I'm calling this a win. I read more books this year than I did in previous years. Although it was my plan to review each book I read here...maybe next year!
10. Write in journal or blog daily.
Verdict: Fail. I definitely didn't journal daily and, as you guys know all too well, I didn't blog daily, either.

You know? I didn't make good on very many of those resolutions. But progress is progress and I definitely made a lot of it this year!

Now, onto my resolutions for 2011:

1. Complete NaNo '10 first draft.
2. Finish revising NaNo '09 novel.
3. Read at least one book a month -- it's less than I read this year, but with school, who knows how much time I'll have.
4. Blog semi-regularly. At least twice a week!
5. Write every day -- even if it's only a hundred words scribbled in my journal!

I think I'll stop there. This list should be entirely possible. I'm tempted to add "Revise NaNo '10 draft" but I don't want to intimidate my muse. God knows she scares easy! I'll make this an optional 6th resolution.

So, have any of you made resolutions for the new year? If so, what are they? N

Monday Mixtape: Mandy Moore Edition

So, Dana and I saw Tangled this past week. It's an adorable movie which, of course, features Mandy Moore's voice as Rapunzel. It got me to thinking -- Mandy has such a sweet, beautiful voice and her music seems to go, for the most part, unnoticed. So I decided to dedicate this Monday's post to her.

Wild Hope is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums -- by anyone. There are so many amazing songs on it. This one is so...gah...just gorgeous:


Back in the 90's, in the midst of the pop princess/boy band phenomenon, I dismissed Mandy as one of the mediocre, barely talented acts that sprouted up. This is the song that changed my mind.


Who hasn't seen A Walk to Remember? The heartwarming, heartbreaking teen flick starring Mandy and the adorable Shane West? When Mandy sang this song, I got chills:


This last one is from Mandy's newest cd, Amanda Leigh. I don't like this one quite as much as Wild Hope, but it's still got its charm.


And there ya have it. I hope you enjoyed this week's Mixtape. I'm hoping to post more regularly in the near future, as soon as the holiday chaos calms down. If I don't make it back here again this week -- have a happy and safe New Year's Eve, everyone!

Monday Mixtape: Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas week, everyone! Did you get your shopping finished? The house ready for family gatherings? Are you ready for the chaos Christmas day will bring?

I don't think I am.

Anyway, in the spirit of the holiday, this week's Mixtape is chock full of Christmasey goodness.

First up is a fun take on Deck the Halls by SHeDAISY. Their Christmas cd is pretty awesome.


Faith Hill's Where Are You Christmas is gorgeous and haunting. Fun fact: It was written by Mariah Carey :)


Speaking of Mariah Carey, she's got one of the best Christmas cds out there. This is one of my favorite songs on it:


Lady Antebellum just released a Christmas cd. They've got a remake of Mariah's super-catchy All I Want For Christmas on it. I think it's pretty cool:


I could go on and on. Much to Dana's chagrin, I love Christmas music. But I'll stop here. If I don't pop in before Saturday, Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Few Great Links

A dreary Tuesday morning. There's a ton of new snow outside and I'd love nothing more at this moment than to stay inside all day and catch up on all the shows on my DVR that I didn't watch during November. But, no. I have to get up, get dressed and get to work. Isn't being a grown-up fun?

Really quick, though. I've been hoarding blog posts I've enjoyed for weeks now and I thought it would be a good day to share them. So, here goes:

Natalie over at Between Fact and Fiction wrote this awesome post: What I Really Want to Say to New Writers. Lots of great advice here, for new and experienced writers alike.

Here's a great post from Paperback Writer for those of us who participated in NaNo: NaNo Now What?

Charity at My Writing Journey has rounded up a list of upcoming blogfests for those who are interested in participating: Quick Blogfest List

Erin at Quitting My Day Job shared a lovely story about being The Favorite Granddaughter. It reminded me of my own grandma and warmed my heart.

An awesome post at Kristen Lamb's blog: Writers Reality Check

That seems to be it. I thought I had lots more, but I must have lost them. Ah, well. I need to get a move on anyway. Have a great Tuesday, everyone. And, if you're buried under ten feet of snow, like those of us here in Michigan, stay warm and safe!

Monday Mixtape - 12-13-10

I'm still alive, I promise. I've just been busy with the usual hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season. Good news? I think we've gotten most of our Christmas shopping done. Bad news? Well, a peek at my bank account will tell you that.

On Friday, I got all registered and situated for school -- I'm finally going back. Yay! I have no idea what I'll major in. Still haven't the faintest what I want to be when I grow up. But it's a start, right?

I've also been hard at work on my NaNo novel. The whole idea is to have it finished before school starts on January 15th. I've got tons of ideas for the revision already, thanks to a friend of mine wading through 250 pages of crap. And I can't wait to dig in and get my hands dirty.

So, it's Monday -- again. Is it just me, or do the weeks seem to fly by way too fast these days? Anyway, here are a few songs for your ears.

I love Lady Antebellum. This is their newest song. It's gorgeous and haunting.


I admit it. I'm a total Gleek. I watch and rewatch episodes of the show and even download the songs. I can't help it. It's like a drug. Not to mention, I've got a big ole crush on Matthew Morrison. This is one of my favorite songs they've done. Matthew Morrison and Kristin Chenowith. How can you go wrong?


Ahh, Anna Nalick. When will you make some new music for my ears? I adore her voice and her lyrics are so beautiful.


So there ya have it. This week's Monday Mixtape. Hope you guys enjoy this batch of songs! Now I'm off to get ready for work. Have a great Monday, everyone!

Monday Mixtape - New Favorites

It feels weird to do a Mixtape that's not about my NaNo novel. But I've got some good songs to share with everyone tonight.

First up is Christina Perri. Dana is in love with this girl. She's got a really unique voice and a pretty cool story. Apparently, she was a waitress whose demo was picked up by the people at So You Think You Can Dance, which lead to a record deal. And now here she is. This is a really cool, really intriguing song.


This song has the tendency to instantly mesmerize me. Every time it's on, I stop and just listen.


And last but not least, I'm gonna get a little festive. I love Christmas music. LeAnn Rimes has an amazing Christmas cd that I'm obsessed with this time of year. This is one of my favorite songs from it.


That's all for this week's Mixtape. Hope you guys enjoy!

NaNoWriMo 2010 Recap

I'm slowly emerging from my post-NaNoWriMo coma. What an intense thirty days!



I'm not gonna lie and say it was pretty -- it wasn't. In fact, for the majority of November, it was downright U-G-L-Y. I fell behind about a week in and stayed that way for the rest of the month. When November 29th rolled around, I was more than 10k behind.

So, how did I manage to finish at all?

I'm one stubborn chick. I refused to watch that clock roll over to 12am on the 30th with my word count less than 50k. In fact, at one point I'd been trying to write in bed but my eyes kept drifting closed. So I got up and took my laptop into the bathroom, where I sat on the cold linoleum floor for an hour. I wrote over a thousand words that way.

On the 30th, I spent three hours sitting in the lobby at work, typing furiously. I managed to get to 46k before starting work. I got out at 7 but didn't get home till well after 8. Then, I planted myself to the couch with my computer. I wrote for three and a half hours straight until I hit 50k. And then I wrote a little more before validating. I finished with half an hour to spare.

And ya know? I actually can't wait to get back to this book. I'd forgotten just how much I love these characters and this story is just a blast to write. I changed the POV from its original 3rd person to 1st person and the change completely refreshed my entire novel. Not to mention I'd started from scratch, with only barebones ideas of the scenes I needed to write. So many new things! I had a blast this November.

Here are a few things I learned:

*My MMC has VERY strong feelings about The Rolling Stones. Especially when Tierney throws insults at them.

*Tierney's "one who got away" can be kinda mean. I totally did NOT see that coming.

*When your characters are really and truly well-developed, they are completely out of your writerly control.

*Mt. Dew works wonders for those brain-dead moments when you'd much rather be sleeping.

*Things like spaghetti, chili and pizza are perfect November foods because the leftovers last for days.

*It IS entirely possible to get buried under laundry and dishes and all-around clutter if you don't clean on a regular basis. Poor Dana has had to put up with quite a mess!

How about you guys? Anyone else learn anything from their NaNoWriMo experiences?

The Hating Game!!

Alright. A real, live update about my last week of NaNoWriMo is coming later this week. But first, I signed up to help the fabulous Talli Roland hit it big on Amazon today with her debut novel!



Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.



Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/hNBkJk

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/hX2ieD



No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.



Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com.



About THE HATING GAME:


When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

So, what are you waiting for? Get on over to Amazon and pick up The Hating Game. You won't regret it!

Monday Mixtape - NaNo Edition Week 4

Alright. Here we are. Approaching the last bit of November.So, how am I doing? Well, for the past two days, I've been over 3k behind. I've managed a thousand words each day, but then another day shows up and I'm way behind again. Argh!

I'm fighting, though. And I'll make it. If I have to barricade myself in my office for two straight days without food or water or potty breaks, I will make it.

Okay. Maybe that's a bit extreme.

Anyway, here's your NaNo Monday Mixtape:

I fell in love with this song a few months ago. This is a new version -- a duet! It's a gorgeous song and perfect for the moment Tierney realizes that maybe, just maybe, she's falling for someone else:


Ahh, Keith Urban. I love him. Like, a lot. He's so great at putting emotion into his voice and breaking your heart with a song. This one breaks my heart every single time I hear it. And the mood of it, the absolute heartbreak and desperation, is exactly the tone I want to capture when Tierney reaches her lowest point:


This song has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. When we first meet Tierney, she's broken. Oh, she puts on a good front, almost has herself convinced she's fine. But she's clinging to her pride almost as hard as she's clinging to her past. And one person sees that. This is his song to her:


Alright. Listening to these songs has lighted a fire under my butt. I should be able to crank out some words before work. Fingers crossed!

Happy Monday, everyone! And, if I don't stop in before Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving!


Monday Mixtape - NaNo Edition, Week 3

Ahh, Monday. It's nice to see you again...not.

I'm flailing in the somewhat shallow waters of my wordcount at the moment, as you can no doubt see on the handy dandy widget to the right. I've made the mistake repeatedly of trying to write at night. I am no longer a night person. I used to be, but then my work shifts changed and now I'm up and functioning no later than 7am. So by the time 11pm rolls around, I'm ready to crash. I was up the other night till 2am trying to write. Kept falling asleep as I was typing. Started typing things that made no sense. Oh, it wasn't nearly as bad as last year, when I typed something about my main character drinking "two sips of vodka" -- while she was pregnant. But I'm sure it does no good for my writing to type half-asleep.

So, I'm up early this morning to try and catch up on my words. Wish me luck!

Real quick, here's Monday's Mixtape:

Tierney's love for hair bands + a disastrous and dysfunctional love life = Def Leppard's Love Bites:


This song is so heartbreaking and captures a low point in Tierney's story perfectly:


And last up, the incredible Rachel Williams with a song I'm sure everyone can relate to (plus, she bears an uncanny resemblance to what I picture Tierney to look like):


Okay, I've gotta get busy writing. Happy Monday, everyone!

Oh, So Many Numbers

Hey, there! How's everyone's November going so far?

Mine's been busy and, strangely, gorgeous. The weather has been so lovely lately. All sunshine and cool fall breezes. No "S" word yet. But since November is nearly half over, I won't be holding my breath.

As for my NaNo progress...I've been behind pretty steadily these past few days. I'm currently at 20,414 words. I'm supposed to be at 21,271 -- by the end of tonight. So, I have roughly about 30 minutes to write just over 1200 words. I'm, like, 90% sure that's not going to happen. So, I'm setting my eye on tomorrow's goal -- 23,338. Yikes.

Looks like I'd better get a move on, huh?

Anyway, hope everyone's been good during this hectic month. Only two more weeks before things get back to normal!

PS. Do you think I could use this blog post toward my wordcount? That would be awesome :)

Monday Mixtape - NaNo Edition, Wk 2

I can't believe it's the second week of November already. I got a little behind on my wordcount yesterday, so today's post will be brief.

I've mentioned before that I'm a huge SHeDAISY fan. Kristyn Osborn is one of the best songwriters I've had the pleasure of listening to. This song, Mine All Mine, is perfect for the moment my main character realizes that the things that went wrong between her and her ex are all her fault. Favorite lyric: "I drove you to the edge of the map and after that, I pushed you off just to watch you fall."


The next song on my playlist isn't meant to be taken literally. But the bittersweet, melonchaly feel of it, the idea of being "almost honest" is perfect for Tierney's life. After all, she's been "almost honest" with everyone in her life. Plus, Josh Kelley has an amazing voice.


The last song is another by Sara Bareilles. What can I say? The woman has a way with words. This song captures Tierney's desperation for reassurance, that she's not an awful human being. To me, this is her begging the one person she's been totally honest with to stick by her. To make her feel "not alone"


Alright. I need to be at over 13k by the end of the day and I'm sitting at almost 11k. So I've got some work to do!

NaNoWrimo Update

Six days into NaNoWriMo. How are all of you doing? I'm managing to cling to my sanity AND keep up the word count -- so far. Then again, we're not even a week in just yet. Here's an overview of my stats:

Wordcount: 10,042
Where I'm supposed to be: 10,002
Words ahead of schedule: 40
Pieces of candy consumed: I'm sure I don't want to know.
Number of times characters have ticked me off: None -- yet. Tierney is a handful, so I'm expecting it before the end of the month.

I've been ahead of schedule pretty steadily. I didn't write at all yesterday, but I was two days ahead. Now, I'm barely ahead. But I've got just over an hour before work to crank out some words. I'm determined to stay ahead of schedule. I'll need the extra padding when Thanksgiving and Black Friday roll around.

I made it to the kick-off party for my region on Halloween. There's just something about being in a room full of people participating in this insanity. The adrenaline and enthusiasm. Definitely got me pumped to get started. Sadly, I forgot about the write-in this past Thursday. It was too late by the time I remembered I was going to go. I fail. I'll be there next week for sure.

Alright. I need to get some words down before I get to work. Hope everyone's having as much fun so far as I am!



Monday Mixtape - NaNo Edition + My Writing Space

Happy NaNoWriMo!

As promised yesterday, this is going to be a double entry. First up, my entry for the Writing Space Blogfest:


Here is an overview of my space. I put this desk together all on my own last winter, after NaNo. It's kind of cluttered with various inspiriational bits. The pink and purple blanket on my chair, my mom made for me. I love it.


Here's a shot of my cork board. Various writing quotes and my winner's certificate from last year's NaNo. The blue question mark man is a Jason Mraz sticker for the song Mr. Curiousity, which he wrote about Writer's Block.


A shot of the shelf on my desk. To the left is the plot bunny I found at a thrift store. He's cardboard and hollow inside, but I thought he was pretty cool. I've got a bunny pencil holder and a dinosaur with bunny ears, too. The book is last year's NaNo novel. I am so ridiculously proud of it, even though the cover didn't turn out exactly as I wanted. I promised Dana she could design this year's cover.


A close-up of the other board I keep on my wall. It's filled with various inspirations. As you can see, Audrey Hepburn is a big one. I like to think of her as my muse. Sweet and doe-eyed and soft-spoken, but capable of saying just the right thing to kick your butt into action. Jason Mraz in the upper corner, a sweet note from Dana on the shamrock in the lower right. My grandma is next to that, then a few concert tickets. The lottery ticket is from Dana, too. It's a losing ticket, but she cleared the words NOVEL and MINOR. She handed it to me and said, "Your issues are minor, write the damn novel." Surprisingly, it's pretty great motivation.



And last, but definitely not least, a shot of my bookcase. It's not super organized, but it makes sense to me. Two shelves' worth of writing books and a shelf of the classics. The rest is a mix of my all-time favorites and to-be-reads. Scattered throughout are various bits of inspiration. Again, Audrey. A stuffed pig on top. Snoopy with a typewriter.

And that about sums up my writing space. It's kinda cluttery but I love it! Can't wait to check out everyone else's!


Now onto the Monday Mixtape. Here are a few songs off my NaNo Playlist:

Bon Jovi, because my main character, Tierney, has a thing for 80's hair bands.



The Dixie Chicks - I Can Love You Better. Because Tierney is in love with someone who's in love with someone else. And she really does believe she can love him better!



Sara Bareilles - Between the Lines. This song is so heartbreaking and I think it captures perfectly the moment Tierney finds out her love is marrying someone else.


Now I must be off to crank out a couple thousand words before work. Wish me luck and good luck to all you other Wrimos out there!

Happy NaNoWriMo Eve!

For all the average, every day folks out there, today is Halloween. For those folks,



For us writers, it's NaNoWriMo Eve.



I'm so excited/nervous/panicked I can barely sit still. I feel like I'm ready, but who knows? Either way, it's going to be AWESOME!

I spent the last few days cleaning the house. I've even got the laundry all caught up -- which, if you know me, is huge. I HATE doing laundry. I think I've officially NaNo-proofed my house. It should hold up fairly well throughout November.

What about you? Did you have a list of things to get done before November? If so, did you get them done?

I signed up to participate in the Writing Space Blogfest hosted by the awesome Summer. Tomorrow, I'll post pictures of my writing space so you all can see where the magic happens. Okay, where the magic happens sometimes. It should be fun.

One last thing. If you haven't yet, be sure to jump over to Sticky Note Stories and sign up for the NaNo Bloggers Blogchain. It's a great way to keep in touch with fellow Wrimos!

Anyway, I have a few last minute NaNo-related things to finish up before I head to the kick-off party for my region. Dana's going with me and I'm pretty excited. I missed last year's kick-off and I haven't been to a meeting in a very long time. I can't wait!

I'll see you tomorrow with a double entry: The Writing Space Blogfest and my Monday Mixtape, NaNo Playlist Edition.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!


Monday Mixtape - The American Idol Edition

This is the last Mixtape of October. Next Monday is officially November. AHHHH!!

Every Monday next month, I'm going to share songs from the playlist I've put together for my NaNo project. Some fun stuff on there. Today, though, is the American Idol finalist edition:

As I've mentioned before, I have watched every season of American Idol. Kat is pretty much my favorite finalist. Her new cd is amazing. Here is one of my favorites -- although, it's hard to choose since they're all so good!


Kelly Clarkson. Such an incredible voice, such an infectious personality. I adore this song. The lyrics are beautiful and Kelly's voice is...well, just take a listen!


I have a soft spot for guys who can sing like this. David Cook's voice is super sexy and this is, by far, the best cover of any song I've ever heard. I mean, it's Mariah Carey for God's sake!


I hope you guys enjoy these songs as much as I do. I have the sneaking feeling this won't be the last American Idol edition of Monday Mixtape...

Alright. I've got to go make dinner and get a few things organized for NaNo. I am under strict orders from Dana that I am not to do anything NaNo-related on our day off, so I want to get everything ready before Thursday! All you NaNo-ers out there, how is your planning coming along?

Ahh, Fall

October is flying by. I can't stand it. I love October. It's been such a beautiful fall this year, with mild temperatures and gorgeous shades of gold, orange and red. I want to live in that world forever. Sadly, with each day that passes, the weather gets colder. The leaves fall to the ground. Winter is nearing. I am not ready for it.

I have been neglecting my blog again. But it hasn't been for nothing, I swear! I've finished the outline for my NaNo novel, which is something I really struggled with last year. I still need to re-interview my characters and get to know them again, but other than that, I feel prepared for the insanity of NaNoWriMo.

I'm sure I would have had my character interviews finished by now if it weren't for the crack that is The Hunger Games. I've spent the majority of October immersed in the world of Katniss Everdeen and her friends, family and enemies. I have to say, I've learned a lot from these books. Suzanne Collins put that poor girl through hell but I think it just made me care about her and what happened to her even more.

It's gotten the wheels in my head turning. When we throw things at our characters -- death, the possibility of yours and probability of those around you, heartache, torment, indecision, etc -- it forces them to grow and react in ways we might not have realized. It's the true test of whether your character is developed enough.

So, as a result, I've been pondering my novels. Trying to think of anything I can throw their way. To see what they're made of.

What are your thoughts? Do you think hardship strengthens your characters and the bond your reader has with them?