(A Late) Weekly Reads and Writing #15

Sooo yeah, I nearly forgot to do my weekly wrap up for last week, but I have a really good excuse for it. I GOT A JOB! Hurray! Yeah, so I started last week, and I'm currently training so I'm gonna be super busy for a while. Unfortunately, that means my reading time is going to be slashed a lot, but it doesn't mean I'm going to stop altogether.

This week I finished a total of...0 whole books. But like I said, I was busy with work. I have been reading, but I didn't manage to finish anything this week.

I'm currently working on Throne of Glass and Prozac Nation. I haven't picked up Dust in a while, so I'm not gonna count that one right now.

I still need to write a review for Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, 'cause I still can't find the words to describe the incredible book. I'm gonna make that my goal for this week, to write that review.

I did actually manage to write a bit one of the days last week.

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 1,426
Total Word Count: 54,189

I also started a Pages document on the history and world of Lianfen, the alien world in my book. Writing, along with reading, has been going slow. Only because of having to work now. I'm gonna keep on doing them, when I have the time, it's just gonna get done a lot slower.

On a side note, I'll have my May wrap-up up on my YouTube channel soon! So keep an eye out for that!

Weekly Reads and Writing #14

I'm not going to deny it- I've been starting too many books without finishing them. Although I'm working my way through each, I definitely need to just finish some of them, and cut back down to reading 1 or 2 books at a time.

This week I finished just 1 book, but that's my average, so I'm very happy about that. I read a book so good that I haven't even been able to form words to write my review yet. I apologize for that. However! I did make a whole video about the book, with both a spoiler-free, and spoiler section. That book is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

I got an e-copy of this book from NetGalley, which unfortunately doesn't come out till fall. A solid five star book, it was emotional and powerful and fun. Sooo good!
You can watch my video review for it here:

I've continued reading Prozac Nation, which is really good. I haven't been in the mood to read Dust in a while, though.

But I also picked up a new book to reward myself for getting a job! Because of all the good things I've heard about it, I started Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It's really good so far. I love the writing!

being immature, as per usual

My writing has been pretty non-existent. Lots of stuff has been going on, with a job interview and family stuff. But overall, I just haven't put the time in to get my writing done. I know, it's awful. I will pick it back up, but I'm not making any promises for this upcoming week.

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 307
Total Words Written: 52,516

I literally just wrote a couple paragraphs one night, and that's it.

Who knows what this week will bring. I'll definitely finish Throne of Glass 'cause it's so good, and hopefully Prozac Nation, but it's hard to tell. I hope you all had a great week!

Weekly Reads and Writing #13

This past week was the Mental Health Awareness Week Readthon! So I actually read 2 whole books. Amazing, right? (no, not really)

As I said, I read two books this week, both about mental health. My TBR for the readathon was five books, and I read 2 and a half, which is decent, I think. The first was Skinny by Ibi Kaslik, about a girl with an eating disorder. It was really lovely and emotional. I gave Skinny four stars. I have my review for that one here.

I then read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, which I've been wanting to pick up again since high school. I never finished it the first time, but now that I have, I'm really glad to have. It was a really enjoyable book, which I ended up also giving four stars. I'm currently writing a review for it, so that should be up tomorrow!

Right now, I'm reading three books, which is a lot for me. I didn't pick up Dust at all last week, because of the readathon. I also started Prozac Nation toward the end of the readathon, and I plan to finish that this week, hopefully. Just today I started Everything, Everything, which I'm flying through, and loving. Hoping to finish at least two of those this week!

Writing is still going slow. I barely wrote anything last week. I feel like this post doesn't even deserve a Writing Stats. Boo. But still, I'm going to include one, so I can keep track of my writing.

Writing Stats

Words this Week: 330
Total Words Written: 52,209

My worse week yet. But hey, it was a readathon week, so that's my excuse, lol.

I am going to start writing more again. I'm planning to write a lot this week. I'm even thinking of making writing vlogs for my Youtube channel. We'll see how that goes. I need to write this book, so Imma do it. Next week's Writing Stats should be much better than this!

Overall, this week I'm gonna get back on track with stuff. I've been reading more, and I'm gonna write more. I have to stay focused!

I'm also very excited that I have signed up for my first ever book blog tour! That'll be happening in June, for a book I still need to read, hehe. I am super excited for it, though. The book sounds great, and I can't wait to be a part of a blog tour! :)

Weekly Reads and Writing #12

Another mediocre week for me on the writing and reading front... But hey, at least I finished a book.

This past week I read the entirety of Easy by Tammara Webber. It is a New Adult book, something very different from what I've been reading. However, I ended up giving this baby five stars! It was seriously so good- not just enjoyable, but so well done. Check out my review for it here, and then go read the book if you haven't already!

ILY, Easy!

I've decided to put aside Afterworlds and Alienated for now, because I was getting into a slump with them. I'm still making my way through Dust, just slowly.

It's a pretty good book.

Admittedly, writing has been really slow going for me last week. I had a few good moments, but other than that, I haven't been on top of it. Unfortunately, this week I'm participating in a read-a-thon, so I probably won't write much this week either.

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 1,761
Total Words Written:  51,879

Really slacking since the end of Camp NaNo. I will probably pick up the pace the week after this one, once I'm done with the read-a-thon!

So that's where I'm at with things right now. I'm trying to read a lot more, but I know I need to make time for writing, too. Hopefully I can improve on both this week, but I will be doing more reading since I'm doing a read-a-thon!

Weekly Reads and Writing #11

You would think after 10 weeks of doing these posts, I wouldn't forget to make one. But...I nearly did. Luckily, however, it's only Monday, so I'm not too late. This past week was slow for me, I must admit.

In the book department, I ended up finishing nothing, HAHA. No really though, I didn't finish a single book last week. I'm sort of working on three at the moment, which I started last week, but I might stop two of them, to focus on the one. While Afterwords and Alienated are both really good so far, I can feel myself falling into a reading slump with them, and I'm trying desperately to rescue myself.

I'm about 100 pages into Dust by Charlies Pellegrino, which is quite different from my usual reads. I'm liking it, though, and I'm hoping somehow I'll finish it by the end of the week. Maybe. IDK. Either way, I'm hoping it'll keep me out of a reading slump.

Since the end of Camp NaNoWriMo, I've severely been neglecting writing. I did write a bit last week, though, and I won Camp NaNo!

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 4,270
Total Words Written: 50,118

So I got some writing in, but not much. I need to get back into it, and not just stop 'cause of NaNoWriMo being over.

I'm hoping to do a lot better with both of these this week. I'm slightly busy, though, so I can't make any promises. Either way, I'm still looking forward to whatever I do get done this week.

Hope your week was better than mine! 

Camp NaNoWriMo 2015 Conclusion!

Yesterday was the last of the month, and thus the end of Camp NaNoWriMo 2015! As you can see by the banner above, I won! Whoo hoo! I reached my goal of writing 30,000 words!

Writing Stats:

Words Written: 30,002

Total Words: 50,002

I started writing my book on March 3rd, and over the course of the two months, I wrote 50,000 words! Considering I didn't need to push myself too hard, I think I did really well! I'm quite proud. Of course, 50,000 words isn't a complete novel, and I am just about halfway, so I still have a lot to write. I'm going to keep on writing, and I'm hoping to have my first draft done within this month or the next. It's really exciting to be nearing the end of writing my first real novel!

I hope everyone else reached their goals this month, and keep on working on writing/editing/whatever you spent the month doing. I've never been so excited about writing, and NaNoWriMo has really encouraged me to keep at it!

Weekly Reads and Writing #10

Wow, already up to 10 weeks of these post! I have to say, I love doing them! It's nice to be able to look back into what I've accomplished each week. This past week was quite busy, which is why I didn't have this post up over the weekend!

This week I finished a total of three books! Great job, me, lol! I finally finished Get in Trouble, which was amazing and I gave five stars. My review is up on Goodreads, but for some reason, I forgot to post it on here, so look out for it later, tomorrow probably! Such a great collection of short stories!

I also finished City of Glass, the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, by Cassandra Clare. Another great continuation of this series, though not as good as City of Ashes. My review can be found here.

The third book I finished during the Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon! What a fun, crazy reading day! You can check out the posts I made during the day, if you haven't already, right here. The book I read was The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury! It was a really good sci-fi classic, which I gave 4 stars. My review is already up for that, too!

I did start another book during the week, and then one during the end of the read-a-thon. Both are really good so far, and I hope to finish them by the end of the week!

amazing cover!

Writing wise, I also did really well this week! With Camp NaNo closing in on us, I made sure to get up to where I need to be!

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 11,532
Total Word Count: 47,294

I wrote so much this week! I'm nearly at 50,000! Ah! Each day this week varied. Some days I wrote over 3,000 words, and some I wrote barely 1,000. Saturday I didn't write at all because of the read-a-thon. However, because I kicked up my writing, I've been ENJOYING writing so often! My main character is just about the visit the alien world! How freaking exciting! So much has been going on, from near death experiences to alien contact.

I can honestly say, I'm really excited for this book, hehe! Even with all my doubts, I love some of the scenes so much, and I know that I'll be able to fix it up in my edit/re-write.

This week is already going strong in the writing department. Reading is slow, but I did go to a book sale and buy a shitload of books today. X3 I hope you all have a lovely week!

Writing Anxieties

Coming toward the major events of my novel, I've been dealing with some writing anxieties. CampNaNoWriMo aside, I really want to get my book written in a timely manner. I don't want to drag it out into the course of the year; I want to be able to have the first draft written within a few more months. However, I've hit a bit of a rough time. It's not so much writer's block, as it is writing anxiety. I wrote about some of the issues I've been having last night, and now I want to talk about them with you.

Time spent not writing gives me anxiety that the book isn't going to be good if I don't write it right away. I'm afraid I'm going to lose my train of thought and not be able to get it back again. Especially at night, when I'm contemplating what I've written and what's to come, I fear that any good ideas I have are going to get lost in the abyss of my brain. This is something I've always struggled with, feeling bad if I'm not being productive. Sometimes, I even feel bad for reading instead of writing, which is kind of ridiculous.

I also fear that the book I'm writing is not even good to begin with, that everything I've written sucks and that I need to start over or work on a new idea because this one sucks so much. I hate this feeling because it puts doubt into my head, something that I definitely don't need anymore of. While I feel connected to the main character, there is something off about it, like I just can't get a good sense of her personality, even though I know her personality traits. Today, I've been working through that problem, by telling a bit of back story, and letting her emotions come through. I think with time and the progression of the plot, I'll be able to overcome these awful ideas that my book sucks.

There are too many 'hads' and 'have beens', which I'm afraid makes the narration sound more passive. I learned in school that a passive voice is not very good, and an active one is always better. While I always have that in mind, I find myself writing in the passive voice often just because it seems to fit. I'm hoping I'll fix this in the editing process, but it really bugs me that I feel like I'm writing wrong.

This is the second farthest I've ever gotten in writing a book, so the pressure is on. Still, I want it to be fun and exciting for me, which it is some of the time. I have to keep in mind my main goal of writing this book, I suppose, and working on the other stuff during the editing process.

I'm not sure if this is something all writers go through, or just newbie ones. Just wanted to share some of my writing thoughts with you. I'd love to hear if anyone's had an similar writing anxieties and how you overcame them. 

I'm still plugging away on my novel, so don't think these anxieties are going to stop me!

Weekly Reads and Writing #9

As it's turning out, I seem to have a steady average going on how many books I can read a week. For the third week in a row, I've read one entire book, and some other stuff along the way. Though I am hoping to pick up my pace, knowing I can read an entire book, without trying too much, is pretty nice.

The book I finished this week was A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic. Just based on the lovely cover and premise, I was very excited to get approved for an ARC of this book for review via NetGalley! I have my review for it up here.

That ending, though! Holy cow, if you've read this, you know what I mean. This book hasn't even come out yet, and I already want a sequel!

I have also been working on City of Glass, and Get in Trouble! I'm about halfway through the former, and I have only about 3 stories left in the latter! I will most definitely have both done by the end of the week, as I plan to start a bunch of new stuff on Saturday, which is Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!

 Writing this week started off really slow. While I managed to get some words in most of the days, they never reached 1,000. However, yesterday I had an amazing writing day, managing to get in over 2,000 words in one sitting.

So as far as my Camp NaNo goals, I am pretty far behind, only 13,455 words so far.

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 4,419
Total Word Count: 34,514 

I am pretty excited for this upcoming week. As I mentioned, Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is happening on Saturday, so I'm pumped for that. It's my first 24 hour Read-a-Thon. I will definitely have a post about it up early this week, to let you know what I'm gonna be reading, and what my plans are for the read-a-thon!

Because I'll be spending all of Saturday reading, I'm gonna push with my novel this week. I really need to catch up if I want to hit my 30,000 words by the end of the month! Also, I'm secretly plotting to out-write my fellow campers on Camp NaNo's site. Shh, don't tell them, lol.

I also have so many blog posts and Booktube videos I'm planning to make at some point this spring!

It's going to be an exciting reading and writing week! I hope everyone has a lovely week, as well.

Camp NaNoWriMo Halfway Update!

We are just over halfway through the month of April, which means Camp NaNoWriMo 2015 is halfway over! And I have been doing....not so well! Up until this week, I was keeping on track, but I've slacked a lot this week. My word count is just over 10,000 words, when it should be closer to 15,000 if I want to reach my goal by the end of the month.

Fortunately, it has been reading which has been getting in the way, so I don't feel particularly bad about it. I've also been making videos for my Youtube channel, writing reviews, making blog posts, and editing my blog! (Check out my new 'Reviews' page at the top of my blog which links every one of my reviews in alphabetical order!)

Still, none of those are excuses for not writing. I simply have been putting it off because of boring bits. I've been itching to get to the alien parts, but I still need to get some other stuff in first. Thus, I'm going to spice things up by throwing in a fight to give the story some action! I'm also pushing some alien encounters up a bit, so they become more a part of the story.

While writing, I also realized that this story is going to be a lot longer than expected, lol. I'm sure I'll end up editing stuff away in the end, but still, it's a lot to write.

So over the second half of this month, I'm gonna focus a lot more on writing writing writing this story. I really want to reach my 30,000 word goal by the end of it. So I'm gonna participate in more writing sprints on Twitter, and really try to get in my words each day. The 25th, however, I will be reading all day because of Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-thon. I'll have a post up about that soon!

I hope you all are doing better than I am with your writing! I'll keep you informed in my Weekly Reads and Writing posts at the end of each week!

Weekly Reads and Writing #8

Hey friends! I hope you all had a better reading/writing week than me, haha. While it wasn't a bad week, I didn't get a whole lot done. My writing definitely trumped my reading this week, though. So here is the breakdown.

I only finished one book this past week, which was Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. It was a stunning book, and I gave it five stars. You can check out my review for it here.

I did not read any of Get in Trouble by Kelly Link, unfortunately. I'm gonna pick it up again this week, rest assured. I started reading City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare, but didn't get far at all. I then started reading A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic, on my Kindle. I'm about halfway through that, which I'm sure I'll be able to finish this week.

My writing this week was pretty decent. I didn't write a ton, but I kept up with my NaNo goal. That is, until this weekend, when I didn't write anything.

Writing Stats

Words This Week: 6,167

Total Word Count: 30,095

I reached 30,000 words, woohoo! Which means my Camp NaNoWriMo count is just shy of 10,000. That's pretty good, I think. But since the month is almost half over, I have to make sure I reach my 30,000 word goal! I'll be able to do it, I just need to kick it up a notch.

At the end of every week, I always say I'm gonna push myself more with reading and writing in the upcoming week. This week is the same. I always think I can get myself to read more. Spend less time on the internet and more time doing those two things, which are my favorite things to do.

I also have some more blog posts and videos planned, which is super exciting!