And thus begins December...

I am proud to say that as of 12:23pm on November 30th, 2012, I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time.

Extracting Demons is my first real attempt at novel writing and I am proud of where my first draft ended up. For the next few months, I will be spending extensive time editing and rewriting- a task not for the faint of heart to be sure. I am hoping that somewhere around February it will be ready for self publishing.

I've been going back and forth, wondering if I should go through all the anxiety of submitting query letters and trying to pick up a publishing house/agent/etc. I know in my heart this isn't the novel/series to do that with. Not to say that I don't think my work is good enough for publishing. It definitely will be once I am done with it. However, the genre I'm writing in is currently over-saturated and going the self publishing route makes more sense for me.

Once I get some editing done, I'll begin to post excerpts from the book. Other than that, I'm working on marketing myself, which is an extremely uncomfortable task for me. I just need to grow a set and do it, right?

Side note for anyone doing NaNoWriMo next year:

Using OpenOffice is not the best idea. The word count programming used in OpenOffice is different than the one used on the NaNo site. They count differently and when I first went to validate my word count, it was off by around 1200 words. Not what one wants to see when they think they are done! I double checked my word count using Google Drive. It seemed on par with the NaNo site.

So next year, while I might be writing in OpenOffice, I'll be checking the word count accurately using Google Drive each time I update.

Cider and Milestones

Today marks the day where I am officially 1/5th of the way done with my novel. As in, 1/5th of the 50k word goal for Nanowrimo has been met.

That's fucking awesome. This is easily the longest story I've managed to write. Normally I get to 5k and either end up bored with it myself or scared to put more effort into it. I'm a short story kind of girl. I like to get my thoughts expressed concisely.

Then again, maybe I haven't yet found a character worth more than a measly 5k.

This character though, is definitely worth it. At this 10k mark I feel like I haven't even gotten to really delve into what makes her amazing. Which is good. Instead of just water ballooning the reader in the face with it, I'm digging up fossils.

How do I feel at this milestone? Good. Really good. And excited but nervous for the rest of it.

What am I drinking to celebrate? Fox Barrel's Blackberry Pear Cider.

It's delicious.

How can you say no to delicious?

PS- Everyone should watch Wonderfalls. Everyone should also watch Red Dwarf. This has been your PSA for the night.

Supplies!

Nanowrimo weekend writing supplies:

6 pack of Angry Orchard Apple Ginger Cider
Bottle of Jack Daniels
2 packages of Keurig Starbucks coffee Breakfast Blend
Leftover Halloween candy
Software to block myself from Facebook

 WOO!

Possibly the most confusing abbreviation ever

Guess what?! It's NOVEMBER! And that means its National Novel Writing Month. Or, as its fondly known, Nanowrimo. I found out about this around July this year and have been incredibly excited to get to November so I can start writing for it.
To participate, all you have to do is write. To win, all you have to do is write a novel of 50k words or more all within the month of November. A challenge indeed!
So time to stop being lazy and WRITE. I'll try to keep track of my progress on here a bit and I've joined the Ft. Lauderdale regional forum group for it on the Nanowrimo site.
If you want more information the official site is http://www.nanowrimo.org
I encourage everyone to sign up and participate!

Hair Metal & the Apocalypse

     Three years ago I learned that a show called Supernatural existed.
     Six-ish months ago I learned that show is currently available online from Netflix.
     WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T I WATCHED IT UNTIL NOW?!
     Seriously, what is wrong with me? This show has been airing since 2005. In 2005 I'm pretty sure I was obsessed with all things occult related. I'm pretty sure I'm still obsessed with all things occult related. It has two obscenely good looking guys in it. Why am I so late to the damn party?!
     This isn't the first time something like this has occurred. It was at the tail end of season two that I realized Haven existed. If it hadn't been for a random Syfy (I still completely disagree with the change in the network name, for the record) promo I caught online I never would have known about it. I knew all about Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Alphas (still need to watch all of Sanctuary and Being Human but that's a topic for another day). So why not Haven? Haven has Emily Rose. SHE IS HOT. And quite frankly, the show is more my cup of tea than any of the others I just mentioned (the exception being Eureka. Super science still wins). I even modeled and named my Star Wars: The Old Republic character after Audrey Parker ( a little obsessive, I know, but as previously stated...Emily Rose is gorgeous).
     What I'm really trying to say here is this: Facebook, please stop giving me ads about Duracell batteries and city building games. I don't care. I'm just going to stick to Google+ because I make sure to follow Felicia Day and you know what? At some point she ends up in EVERY good show. It's only a matter of time before she magically appears on Haven. A girl can dream, right?
     Also, I need to stop living under a rock. Or at least get a rock with cable. I can't trust the internet to provide me with accurate knowledge of things. Which sucks. Because I HATE cable.

Mmm. Pastels.

Practicing using pastels. I made this for my aunt who is so wonderful that she is meant to live somewhere that looks enchanted.

Recently Watched

I've been watching a lot of Netflix lately. Here's what's been on my recently watched list:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Negima!?
Monk
Cruel Intentions
Lemonade Mouth
Geek Charming
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
Drop Dead Diva
Stargate SG-1
The Good Witch
Eureka
Doctor Horrible
Damages
The Guild
Arrested Development
Fraggle Rock
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
Life
Being Human

And that is a culmination of what's been causing me to procrastinate. That and I really really want to finally get through all of Buffy. I just got to season 5. Woo!

Katolitics

Those who know me are pretty much aware that I'm not very well versed in politics or follow any of the going-ons of blah blah blah political parties. I know this lack of information can hinder my ability to make sound judgements on these things. However, I think a bit of common sense needs to be reintroduced into our country and perhaps we, as a united people, should stop focusing on what can't possibly be handled magically overnight and instead turn to the issues that, more or less, can be.
Jeez, I think I'm a liberal. What's a liberal again? WHY ARE THERE ALL THESE SILLY LABELS?! Oh right, it's so we can go down the list checking anything marked with a D or R. Makes it easy to not have to pay attention, right?
ANYWAY, back on subject.
Today I crawled out of my cave and read a lovely little article on Politico http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76190.html . (Also, I think GOP is a stupid, outdated acronym but whatever. ) Here are my thoughts:
1) Obama, thanks for finally having some balls and telling people you are OK with gay marriage. You're awesome and ILU. The article says that he doesn't seem to be saying more on the subject or using it as a campaign thing or whatever. Which is great. Because it shouldn't have to be something used to win votes. A man and another man or a woman and another woman should be allowed to get married and have that marriage recognized in whatever state they are in.
2) I love how this election is primarily focused on budget and economic concerns. Makes sense. Our economy is still completely screwed up. Banks are still kicking people out of their homes, then turning around and selling the house to some cash buyer who then turns around and rents it out. Jobs are still being cut and sent overseas. In another article I read, teachers with PhDs are on food stamps. I can see why this would concern a lot of people. Hey, kids, I have to let you in on a secret. This economic crisis? It's been coming for a LONG TIME. Really, it's not Obama's fault. He's been trying to fix things. You can't sit in a presidential office and NOT try to fix things. (I am fully aware that there are a few exceptions to this but Obama isn't one of them.)
But you know what?
It took DECADES to get us in this fix. Decades of not noticing problems and stopping them before total meltdown. It's not something than can be corrected and wiped away in one presidential term. If it could, they would have figured it out and done it.
So I admire everyone for saying "yeah, our primary concern is fixing the fact we have no money". Budget cuts aren't going to fix things though. It's just going to make someone else unhappy and out of a job. Not to mention things get more expensive yearly. If we cut a ton of money out, where would we be? Still broke because that hole we are in, is pretty much dug down to the pits of Hades at this point. There's really no coming back any time soon.
Creating jobs, that's where things might look up. But once again, major companies keep outsourcing the work overseas. The ones that could actually afford to hire more people are letting them go. A lot of people are milking the unemployment system for all it's worth. A lot of the mentality there is "well, I could get a job with so and so company but they'll probably just lay me off before the 3 month probationary period is over so what's the point?" I don't blame them. A lot of the companies are scummy and scammy. A lot of the companies are only hiring people currently employed. So really, what is the point?
3) My point. My point is this: there's a lot of issues with this election. A lot of them are insurmountable at the present moment but something that definitely needs worked towards. But a lot of them are very much resolvable.
Like gay marriage. Seriously guys, let whomever wants to get married get married already. There's much bigger problems in the world. Besides, all the gay couples getting married once it passes (and trust me, if it doesn't pass now it will pass eventually. Maybe not 10 or 20 years from now but eventually, in all states, everyone will be treated as equals. So let's just say yes already) will stimulate the economy with more WEDDINGS. Weddings aren't cheap. There's lots of types of companies and vendors involved. Hey, economic boost!!
Next, the ever popular discussion of women's rights and birth control.
Seriously? As a woman I feel I am entitled to say what happens in my uterus. And birth control should be provided free of charge to any woman over the age of 18. Less babies = less mouths to feed = less cash assistance to people = more money for other things.
Cost of birth control < Cost of baby.
4) So there are two issues that should be resolved rather quickly in states and all that or wherever it needs to be resolved. Then they can spend all their time and resources on other things. It's kind of lame that the same issues keep popping up year after year.
OH! WAIT! #5) Hey guys, I seem to remember reading something about separation of church and state in my American History & Economics class. Was that a myth?

* * *
And on that note, I'm done. I'm tired. I'm not going to bother listening to stupid political crap until about a week before I need to go vote. Then I'll just use the internet and cram.
If we stopped political campaigns I think a lot of people wouldn't need so much blood pressure medication...

Words Spew and Brains Mush

I've decided to set a 10,000 words a week goal for writing my novel. This was the first week. I am sad to say the goal did not get met. However, I was only 3000 off. Which means I DID more than double the amount of words I had previously written for the book. Words that had taken me months to write. So I do feel some great sense of accomplishment. I just need to buckle down and write more often. Play less Tera. Etc. 

The writing itself isn't that hard to do. Most of the story is developed in my head and I'm finding it unfolding better than I had hoped for. I just spent about an hour writing and got 1000 words done. I can write 1000 words faster than I can gain a level in an MMO. Fuck you WoW, I could have had a dekalogy by now! Or at least an octalogy. Or quadalogy. You get my point. (Trilogies are for the weak! THE WEAK!... just kidding...)

Anyway, so this novel/book/thing... Lichgate. If all goes well it should be completed, edited, and trying to find a home with a publisher by September this year. 

Fingers. Are. Crossed.

And now... bed time.   

ABSA: April art, "Anachronisms"

This is a young Queen Elizabeth flying high and escaping her subjects, jet pack style.
Pastels and ink pen. Just a quick thing I conjured up for the Art Blog Sketch Attack theme this month. I really didn't have a lot of time to do anything grand :(

SQUISHY MORNING WAFFLE FACE!

That face led to this breakfast:

The "before" picture of breakfast. Apples, purple cabbage, carrots, parsley, beets, celery.

The juiced "after" picture. Surprisingly not disgusting. Carrot & apple juice can pretty much hide any other flavors.

I'm changing things up a bit here. This isn't lunch. *GASP* It was dinner. Pasta bake with fresh basil and ground chicken instead of ground beef. A tasty salad complete with creamy italian dressing. So yummy!

This lunch looks pretty gross. However, it was DELICIOUS. Rotini pasta with tuna, tomato, scallions, and left over balsamic dressing from Sal's Italian Restaurant. 420 calories though. Boo. 

This particular lunch was not all that tasty. But it had only 264 calories in it. I guess that makes it acceptable.

Since I am feeling pretty uninspired as of late, I've decided to start blogging my lunch. Lunch is a very delicious part of the day. Everyone should enjoy a tasty lunch! My lunch (as pictured above) might not look appetizing but I assure you, dear reader, the delectable taste of peanut sauce and tuna danced on my tongue. Really, it did the Snoopy dance.

Wicked Lovely Mural

After months of procrastinating, I finally finished the "Wicked Lovely" themed mural on the back of my bathroom door. It was inspired by Melissa Marr's book series.

View of the whole door

Close up of the characters Sorcha & Leslie

Close up of Donia & Aislinn

Truth, Fear, and Writer's Block.

I sit in my office and pretend I have Writer's Block. The Writer's Block is a lie, a poor excuse. Writing about it is even more of a time sink. Yet, here I sit.

There are stories thrown about in disorganized heaps in my brain. The most recent one, a short story, is on the cusp of getting into the real plot, the meat of it. It's all there, in that pile. Waiting to be typed out. I say I have Writer's Block. The real truth is, I am scared.

I am scared that what I write won't do the story justice. It won't be true to it. It just won't be good enough. I'm scared that what I am trying to communicate comes across skewed and lackluster. That it is boring. I know the story lying in that heap isn't boring but I am afraid what gets translated to paper will be. Who am I to be the one that takes it from it's idea pile and gives it life? I am not qualified for this.

So I say I have Writer's Block. Really though, all I have is a clump of Self Doubt.

Often writers get viewed as shy, withdrawn individuals. There is some truth to that. The real truth though, is that writing takes a lot of guts. A TON of guts. It's such a personal process. Every story is a part of the person who wrote it. And to put it out there, for the world to see...well, you may as well be standing naked in a room full of people.

The Space Emos

Today, February 20th, 2012, is the 50th anniversary of Senator John Glenn's orbit around Earth. Which is kind of cool. It's also kind of depressing.
I am sitting here, on my super awesome computer with it's 12gigs of RAM, whatever blah blah blah processor and graphics card, etc etc. The super awesome computer that all I really do on it is play video games and write essentially useless blog entries. I use it to pretend I'm in space all the time (thanks SWTOR for making space missions so enjoyable). WHY AM I NOT ACTUALLY IN SPACE?! Not only am I not in space, I have no real chance in this lifetime of EVER being in space. Nor do my neighbors. Or old classmates. Or the creepy people I stalk online. And none of us are actively trying to be in space or even to help get more of our fellow man into space.
Nope. Not at all. Instead we are busy giving advertising companies all our time and money. Idolizing athletes and people who got chosen for whatever reality tv show is popular at the time. Making all the rich people famous for just being rich. Really, we are no better than the Romans were. Or any other society that preceded our current one.
Yes, we have the technology. We have assloads of technology. Some awesome geek created that tv with it's excellent and realistic picture quality so that those humans you idolize so much could seem closer to you. That same geek could have been designing displays for an orbital station. But you know, that wouldn't have paid his rent. Don't get me wrong, I love my 50-something inch LED/LCD/HDTV/WHATEVER tv. But I'd like the display quality much more from an orbital station or a space shuttle. The programming would probably be better. Watching asteroid belts is much more entertaining than watching some guy throw a ball.
So yeah, what am I doing to help future space colonization? Not a damn thing. I wanted to be an astrophysicist but am really terrible at math. Same goes for aerospace engineering. I guess I could try to help disseminate the awesomeness of space. Maybe list all the things all of us non-math geniuses could do to help move things along. I'll try to think of some things.
In the meantime I have a 7 month old son to educate and I'm going to try to teach myself all that really freaky math. Hopefully even such small steps can lead to a greater impact. In another 50 years, perhaps we can look back and say, "Oh wow, it's John Glenn's 100th anniversary of his Earth orbit", from our orbital station, as we too circle the Earth.

SWTOR Fan Art Piece

I am a geek. I play Star Wars: The Old Republic. I love it so much I spent hours with an aching hand, using colored pencils to create fan art based upon my character and her romantic companion, Vector.
So alas, here is Parker Ripley, Master Conspirator and Vector Hyllis getting hitched on the um, lovely?, planet of Tatooine.

ABSA: Feb Theme: Anti-Valentine's Day

"Cupid's a Bitch"
By: Kat Kendall

EYES: messing around with different things

I got bored and wanted to try pastels for the first time. So I decided to do a comparison between how I use acrylics, colored pencil, ink, and pastel. Sigh, some things need more work than others, that's for sure. Keep in mind, this was just a quick doodle. The whole thing took me about 30 minutes.