Saturday, April 25, 2015

Monthly Summary: April 2015




Wow this month is nearly over! So much went on this month though it was more relaxing than March or February lol. I'm now doing a post at the end of the month where I basically summarize what happen so it's a bit like a journal. I've tried journaling and it doesn't work out too well with me so let's try this lol. I'm also going to include some insights about my writing and the blog. ^ ^


What I did:

1.) I turned 22! Wow, I'm getting old. It's weird ... I don't feel that old. No gray hairs yet thank goodness.

22 year old me. Weirdness.
2.) I did Camp NaNoWriMo for the first time ever! And I'm pretty sure I'm going to win since this post isn't exactly at the end of the month I don't completely know yet, but I'll update this when I do lol. My official novel is Red Hood, but I also worked on Subsapien Biomech too with any extra time. My goal for Camp NaNo was 30K and for Subsapien well ... whatever I could squeeze in, but I got progress and that's the point. ^ ^

3.) I guest posted on two blogs! Check out my posts on Super Swankified and the Dreaming Hobbit! And check out some of Mae's and Emily's regular posts too!

4.) I celebrated Easter even though it kind of sucked because I got sick. :P

5.) I finally finished a piece of art I was working on for months! This is a drawing of Mor (right) and Faol (left) from my steampunk fantasy Red Hood!

YES, THE ANIMATION WORKS ON HERE!

What I Learned:

1.) Blog Lovin' is amazing. It's a great way to keep track of a lot of blogs (which I try my hardest to do, but I try to follow. so. many). It's really helped me navigate through the blogging community. If you have Blog Lovin' let me know because I will follow you.

2.) When people comment on your blog don't just say thank you, but ask them questions. It's amazing the conversations you get into. And speaking of comments, I'm trying a new commenting system since I've heard from several people that commenting is difficult. Hopefully this one will at long last work.

3.) I had a lot of stress going on at the beginning of the month and I really really didn't feel like writing, but I told myself "Just do a little bit." This kept me at least doing a hundred words a day.

4.) Like I said, I've had Camp NaNoWriMo going on, but most of my friends have been too busy for word wars, so I started setting timers for ten minute stretches and this really helped me concentrate and get my word count in.

5.) Because of self set deadlines to get work in to some editors and agents, I have been working on two books right now and that has been really difficult. Actively writing in two books at the same time is a challenge. Editing in one and writing in another isn't as hard to me, but this has been exhausting. I'll be really happy when I finish one.

My main character Bryce from Subsapien Biomech.
What I'm Going to Do:

Next month gonna be crazy.

1.) Next month I'm going to continue working on Red Hood and Subsapien Biomech and hopefully finish SB so I can concentrate on Red Hood, because that one I'm prepping to send to editors and an agent who have requested it. *crosses fingers*

2.) I'm also going to be attending my cousin's wedding in Tennessee!

3.) I will be working on more drawings next month though I'm starting one of this month and I'm not sure if it'll be done in time. I want to work on some drawings of Matt (Subsapien), Mor (Red Hood), and hopefully one of Bryce and Matt actually happy lol. I'd like to do more, but we'll see if I can do those first. ^ ^'

See? They're so very sad and I must draw them happy now.
4.) I'm currently reading From the Mouth of Elijah by Bryan Davis, Failstate Legends by John W. Otte and I'm hoping to start The Seventh Door by Bryan Davis and Failstate Nemesis next month. ^ ^ I'm a slow reader. ^ ^=

5.) I'm going to my friend's graduation in Florida for a week!


Last Month on Stori Tori's Blog ...

Firstly this month I reached the highest amount of views in the history of the blog. Over two thousand! Thank you all so so much! :D

Now the top five most popular post on the blog for April 2015 were ...

1.) Beautiful People Sibling Edition: Bryce & Matt

2.) Now I'm 22

3.) Questions for Cynara!

4.) Twelve Tips for Writing Blog Posts

5.) How to Be a Proper Brainstorm Buddy


Coming Soon to Stori Tori's Blog ...

Here are some of the posts coming up!

For Tea Tuesdays some teas from downtown Marietta and Firefly fandom blends!

May 1: Questions for Dina from my Steampunk Fantasy Red Hood and an interview following two weeks later.

This is what Dina looks like. I haven't gotten
around to drawing her yet. It's on my to draw list.
May 2: The Book of Encouragement - One way I've found to help with discouragement.

May 9: A Book Review of the New Recruit by Jill Williamson

May 16: A guest post by Cassia Taylor from Dimensions of my Universe.

May 23: Lessons from TV Shows: Avatar: The Last Airbender - A post about the things we can learn about writing from this awesome show.


That's what has been and will be happening in the life of this aspiring writer and this blog! Thank you all for reading!


How was your month? What did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts? Is the new commenting system working for you?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)


18 comments:

  1. It helps with me because since it converts all of my comments to one platform instead of the weird thing with IntenseDebate where it doesn't do that or it sometimes would switch back to Blogger. It was weird and several people told me my blog wouldn't let them comment. Hopefully this will fix most of those problems.

    It is awesome. :D

    Thanks for commenting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Disquis can be a good way since it notifies you when the user replies to your comment I like hearing what people have to say when I comment which is why I always tick notify when I comment via blogger comment form.
    How is 20s?I turn 20 this year am so not looking forward to it :P
    I'm a huge of your drawings :D
    What is that blue thing in the sketch?A dog?A hound?
    Looking forward to that sketch you will make hope you post it :)

    Neal Kind
    http://diaryforneal.blogspot.in/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad to see a new post. Are you still going to do the Art of Characters?

    I'm currently reading Failstate and it's pretty good.

    I use an RSS feed thing for blogs I follow. It works okay but I get so behind. (I mostly follow professional blogs about writing since I already follow too many.)

    I'm also trying to get more views on my blog, but last week I got less than usual. I pay way too much attention to my blog stats.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm loving it so far. It's really sleek and from what I've seen so far it seems easier for people to comment.
    It's pretty good. Still not used to not being a teenager. XD Lol. A lot of my friends still hair.
    I'm glad you like the drawings. ^ ^ The blue dog is a werewolf character of mine named Faol. I try to post a good amount of my drawings either on here or deviantART. :) Do you draw?
    Thanks for commenting!

    ReplyDelete
  5. No, I'm not doing it. It wasn't popular enough therefore not worth the effort. :P

    Oh really? I'm enjoying the second one.

    Ah. I prefer Blog Lovin' because it gives me a concise once or twice a day newsletter.

    I look at my blog stats a lot too. It takes time to get views. You've only had your blog for a few minutes. I've had mine for three years in July.

    Thank you for commenting!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's sad. I really liked it.
    Yep. It was free on Kindle so we got it, then my brother read it and bought the rest of the series. (Free books cost him a lot of money.)
    Ah. I like RSS since it updates me right away. I like to read some stuff from certain people quickly.
    You've got commitment. How are some ways you've been growing your blog? I'm unsure of how to do it without being annoying.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Free books cost him a lot of money? Isn't that ironic? ^ ^'
    I read most of my stuff at a certain time of day so I like to get a newsletter.
    I actually wrote some posts about that here: http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/01/blogger-recognition-award-one-lovely.html
    And
    here: http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2015/04/twelve-tips-for-writing-blog-posts.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Werewolf sounds interesting :)
    Yes I draw too.I make comics.That's what I blog about.I usually make comics based on my life and experiences and I'm also currently working on a DC Marvel Fan Comic Book :)
    I don't have deviantART though I feel really weird making an account there since everybody there has such cool stuff on their blog and I just don't feel like mine good enough like theirs :P

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks. :) He's kind of a cyborg werewolf lol.
    Oh neat! What style do you draw? More comic book or more anime? What's your favorite Marvel and/or DC character?
    I feel weird because there's a lot of advanced stuff too, but it's a cool place to show your art. :) What's the worst that can happen? I'll follow you if you get an account.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't draw manga I draw a little cartoony and comicy characters idk how else to explain and the DC Marvel fan comic I said it has a little more human figure sketching to it.I am no professional but I love making comics and I hope to draw really well someday :) (with enough practise I hope).
    My favourite in DC is Batman and in Marvel Spider Man :D
    Do you read comics?
    I blog under an alias of Neal Kind and I already have enough accounts under this name one more would be silly on deviantART and yes the advanced professional content there is so amazing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ohhh cool. ^ ^ Keep practicing and you will. It takes a while but it's worth it. ^ ^
    Awesome! :D I love Spiderman too. I have a Spiderman T-shirt and socks lol.
    I read some comics. I'm working on the "Bone" series right now. Have you read that?
    Ah I see. There are some awesome pieces on deviantART. ^ ^

    ReplyDelete
  12. There are a lot of people there who have art that isn't very good. One of the best things about DA is that you can look up all kinds of tutorials on there and become better by watching what others do. When I first got on there, my art was pretty bad. It's getting better but it will never be as good as some of the amazing artists there.
    I apologize if I'm butting in.

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  13. I haven't read Bone ever :P
    I haven't read much comics to be frank with college and all I just couldn't find the time

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  14. It's a good comic if you get the time. ^ ^ I'm behind on it because of time, but when I get free time it's fun to delve into. What comics have you read?

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  15. Yeah, there's a mix of qualities. I've found some good tutorials.

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  16. I read Batman,Spider-Man,Superman,Justice League,Avengers and most of DC and Marvel.None of the other companies :P

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  17. Oh I see. I wish I could read more of those. I'm mostly informed by my comic book friends, the games or the movies about Marvel and DC lol.

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