Well, this March was one of those months that really didn't go how I thought it would and I felt like I just could not get ahead. It came with a lot of stressing and getting shy of some of my writing goals. I'm honestly going to be happy it's over.
What I did:
1.) I'm a little more than halfway through my 20K goal for this month to write Silver Hood. The muse has not been with me this month and writing it has been a bit of a struggle. I'm hoping to try to make up for it this weekend, but I'm really behind. *sighs* I'm still working on editing Red Hood. I'm close to the end. I'm on my final read through to check for inconsistencies then I'm checking for any weasel words and formatting errors. Then I'm going to write a proposal and finally send this puppy a month later than I wanted to.
I did get my Splickety Havok contract and signed it though. ^ ^ That was exciting.
2.) Most of this month was job hunting with no bites, until a really unexpected trip to Miami cropped up because my grandfather passed away. My immediate family and I piled in my little sedan and drove twelve hours down to the tip of the country for the funeral.
The trip was bittersweet. It was sad because my grandfather, the patriarch of my family, my mom's father passed away, but it was nice to see family members I hadn't in years. It was extremely stressful because I didn't get a good night's sleep for a week because of anxiety and trying to help with funeral preparations. On the other hand, it was relaxing to take a few day trips around Miami to some neat places like Coconut Grove and Matheson Hammock Park. I'm really glad to be home, because I really am not fond of the hot and sticky south Florida weather though.
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| My grandparent's house. |
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| Coconut Grove marina |
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| Coco Walk |
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| Bill Bags Cape Lighthouse |
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| Matheson Hammock |
I will also be celebrating Easter at my aunt's house. I'll post pics of that later, but I found one thing that my U.K. and British colony friends will be elated about. I FREAKING FOUND KINDER BUNNIES! My source of British treats named Sam sells Kinder Bunnies at her shop because she can get around the rule because they're bunnies not eggs. ;) I loooove Kinder eggs so I was ecstatic to find this in my country! I'm opening it on Easter. ^ ^
3.) I'm nearly finished with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Cinder, and The End of All Things! My reading got thrown off by drama. I'll have them finished by the end of the month though.
4.) I got some drawing done! I'm working on my Pro Expression's Challenge and I almost have it finished. Just coloring to go. Here's Pro's Happy expression though.
5.) I guest posted on Krissy Aleman's blog about science-fiction, I did a review for the third episode of the Silver Lining series, I reviewed the Allegiant film, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
The Geeky Department:
1.) I played the second episode of the new King's Quest series called Rubble without a Cause. I enjoyed it more than the first game. It was definitely way more intense, considering the whole game you're struggling to keep people alive and they can and will die. O_o
2.) I saw the Allegiant film which I'm honestly iffy about. You can check out my full review for details. I liked most of the film until a point ...
3.) I rewatched X-Men: Days of Future Past since I finally found it on DVD at Target. I really like this movie. Seeing how Wolverine has grown since the first X-Men movie is just so cool.
4.) I'm still working on catching up on GMM (I'm on season seven!) and I'm still working on finishing Lost and I've watched a bit of Castle. GMM has consumed my life. XD
5.) I'm working on a new cosplay! I'm so excited because I haven't done an official new cosplay in two years. I'm so pumped, but I'm not going to tell you guys what it is. I'm going to let you all guess. ;) The pic is a hint!
What I Learned:
1.) I Finally Found my Blog Focus - I've been blogging for almost four years now. This blog has grown a lot through that time. I've been hunting for a way to make my blog standout, to find my focus for the past year-ish (since that's when I semi-figured out what I'm doing). And I finally found it. Since you guys love my analysis of books, movies, and such I'm going to really focus on that here. You guys also love my So Your Character is From ... posts, so I'm going to focus on those. I'm also going to change this blog's name and logo to suit that. I'm really excited to finally find this blog's focus. I'm going to do an official unveiling next month!
2.) Sleeping In a Car - Because Miami is a ten-twelve hour drive from my house I did a lot of car sleeping. I actually fell asleep for six hours on the way home. If you need research for sleeping that hard in the backseat of a vehicle, your back gets sore for days. XD
3.) Miami Has Spanish Everything - Because Miami is so close to the Caribbean there's a large Hispanic/Latino population there. At least a third of the people you see there are Hispanic/Latino. Thus everywhere sells Spanish candies, Goya products, and Mexican sodas. If you have a character from Miami or a story set in Miami that's a good thing to know. I hadn't been there in four years and I forgot how much Spanish there really is there. XD
4.) If You Are a Tall Person Do Not Listen to the DDS Lady When She Says to Look at the Blue Dot - This month I had to renew my driver's license, so I had to get a new picture and the lady specifically told me that looking down at the blue dot is what you were supposed to do to make it look right. I did it and now I'm stuck with a drivers license pic with me looking down for five years. XD If you'd a tall person don't look at the dot!
5.) God Provides - I've been really concerned this month about finances. It's just been rough for me. The trip really worried my immediate family because we weren't sure if we could even afford to go down there, but God provided for us and that was a really big thing. I was so worried he wouldn't and I wasn't sure what we were going to do. He is faithful and it was good to be reminded of that.
What I'm Going to Do:
1.) I'm doing Camp NaNo next month and I'm going to try to complete Silver Hood. *deep breaths* My goal for this month has been 20K and next month's is 30K. I can do this. I'm also going to get Red Hood sent off for realz this time. No more delays! Also the Splickety Havok Magazine I'm in comes out April 15th! Squee!
2.) My birthday is in April so I'm having some friends from out of town to do some fun stuff for a weekend. My cousin is getting married at the end of the month, so I'll be going to that wedding, and I'll be working on my cosplay. Hopefully, I'll also get a part time job to help with things. Some prayers for that from you guys would be great.
3.) After finishing the three aforementioned books, I'm going to read the ARC for The Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams and Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. I'm finally getting to some Brandon Sanderson! Yes!
4.) I'm going to draw Dina from Red Hood! I've been meaning to draw her for a while and I really need to do it. XD If I get time I want to work on the Expressions Challenge for Rouyn.
5.) I'm hoping to do more reviews for Geeks Under Grace, particularly one for Rubble Without a Cause.
Last Month on Stori Tori's Blog ...
This month's Writerly Bundles:
This month's books:
This month's writing tips:
My stories stuff:
Other stuff:
Coming Soon to Stori Tori's Blog ...
April 1 - Questions for Bryce! - I haven't had this baby out for anything in a while and since it's my birthday soon, I'm bringing out my favorite character out of all of my books for an interview. ^ ^
April 2 - Why We Still Need to Write Good vs. Evil - The discussion of writing grey characters is everywhere and it's becoming encouraged to not write black and white characters anymore. In this post, I show my opinion on the matter.
April 3 - Writerly Bundle #9 - This includes a review of a DavidsTea and the post is Karate Kid themed!
April 5 - A Book Review of A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes - I read this book a while back and I really like it. I can't wait to share my analysis to you guys!
April 8 - How I Write A Blog Post - This has been circling around with my blogging buddies and I thought I'd give it a go.
April 9 - Now I'm 23 with a Birthday Giveaway and Survey! - A post about my 22nd year and what's to come in my 23rd plus I'll be giving away a copy of the magazine I'm being published in! I'll also be unveiling the new blog name and logo and having a survey. I'm curious about what you guys think of the blog after all of the changes.
April 10 - Writerly Bundle #10 - This includes another DavidsTea review in this Skyrim-themed post!
April 12 - A Book Review of Orphan's Song by Gillian Bronte Adams - Gillian is releasing a new book this month, so I want to get this one reviewed before I review the next one! This is a really fun fantasy novel.
April 15 - Beautiful People - I don't know what Cait has in store for us this month but I'm anxious to find out.
April 16 - So Your Character is From New Zealand ... Featuring Tessa Ann @ Books,
Bubbles, & Arohanui and Grace Bridges - The next edition of the highly anticipated series is coming out on this day! It's a dream of mine to go to New Zealand, so I'm very excited about this post. It has a wealth of info about the country.
April 17 - Writerly Bundle #11 - I'll be featuring DavidsTea's North African Mint blend in this bundle.
April 19 - The Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams - I'm excited to present you my review of Gillian's latest book! I haven't read it yet since the ARC just came in, but I look forward to analyzing it!
April 22 - Tag - I have a few tags in stock. I haven't decided which one I'll do yet. *rubs hands together*
April 23 - Writing Lessons from Movies: Iron Man - I'll be analyzing Iron Man and highlighting all the great writing in this movie. This is the first Marvel movie I'd seen and it helped get me into sci-fi!
April 24 - Writerly Bunde #12 - I'll be featuring Adagio's White Peony blend. It should be fitting for spring.
April 26 - A Book Review of Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittermore - I read this one a while back and now I'm finally getting the review to you. It's an interesting book. :)
April 29 - Interview with Bryce - Bryce's interview will be up!
April 30 - Monthly Summary: April - Just like this post but for April.
Elsewhere ...
1.) How to Write a Love Triangle Like Jane Austen by Kaitlin @ Ink and Quills - This is a really neat perspective on how to write a different kind of love triangle.
2.) Why Christians Should Play Video Games (With Discernment) by Michael Morejon @ Geeks Under Grace - A neat discussion about the Christian taboo subject of video games.
3.) How to Take Charge of Your Novel's Symbolism by Christine @ Better Novel Project - This is a good post about how to use symbols for your novel to enhance it.
4.) The Step-by-Step Guide to Awesome Bookstagram (with a phone) + VSCO Walkthrough Infographic! by Alyssa Carlier @ The Devil Orders Takeout - A wealth of info about taking book photography!
5.) Why Aren't You Getting Comments? by Cait Drews @ Paper Fury - So many awesome tips on how to get comments on your blog.
March was a stressful month, but it did have its highlights. I'm hoping April will be smoother sailing though. XD
How was your month? What did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts? Have you played any video games recently? Have you read any of the books I've reviewed? Have you ever cosplayed? Have you ever been to Miami?
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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! :)
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