August Wrap Up

Well. August was quite eventful. . . Okay, I'm really not very good at beginning wrap-ups. I feel like when you guys read this, you're all just like, "Someone put her out of her misery." So I'll just get this show on the road. :P

Writing

Um. . . I wrote next to nothing last month. :P It's horrible, I know. I did work on fixing some important details for Strangers though. I plan on finishing that within the next two months so it can go out to my alpha readers in November.

I've worked a little on the outlines for the two novels I'm going to write for NaNoWriMo this year. Yes, I've already started thinking and planning for NaNo. So far, I know that I'm going to write at least two novels. There have been a few times where I'm just like, "I am SO ready for NaNoWriMo!" And then I'm like, "Ha! Yeah, right. You're not even close to being ready." :P

Also, an idea for another novel hit me while I was on my walk this morning. It has me really excited. :D I should make a Pinterest board for it. I should probably add this one and my fantasy one to my writings page. But if I do that, I want to give them titles. I've noticed that some of you give some of your WIP titles before they're even in the outlining stage. How do you do it?

Reading

*nervous laughter* *awkward silence* Yeah, we're kind of failing in this department. :P Of the ten books I had with me at camp, I didn't finish one. Not a whole lot of reading time. The only book I finished this month was Tyra by Jaye L. Knight. Okay, it's technically a short story, but it counts towards my reading goal on Goodreads. And, speaking of my reading goal, I am currently sixteen books behind schedule. . . So we have some catching up to do. I'm hoping to get more reading done this month. :P 

Blogging

Besides my wrap up for July, this was my only post for the month of August:

Things Are Changing

Other bloggers posts for last month:

Marrok did his first wrap up.

Jonathan tells us about Realm Makers and what he learned there.

I'm still working on catching up on everyone's blog posts.

Other

So. I'm back from camp. The last day for me was August 16th. This was a great summer at camp, and, of all nine summers I've spent there, it was by far my favorite. I learned a lot, and had so. much. fun. :)

Last Friday, my family and I went over to my grandparents where we met with my three older siblings, who are all married and live all over the place. It's been six and a half years since all five of us kids have been together. We had a ton of fun! The two nights that we were over there, the five of us stayed up late playing games, making a lot of jokes, and laughing nonstop. :D Then on Monday, we came back, and my older brother and one of my older sisters came too. They stayed here all week and left this morning.

If you follow me on Instagram, at some point you'll see some pictures from this past week.

And that was my month! :)


What about you? How was your month? Are you getting ready for NaNoWriMo?

Things Are Changing

I took this picture myself :)

Sometimes things happen and we can't do anything to prevent it. Things change whether we want them to. . . or not. It can be really hard when you don't want it to change. And this summer, a lot of things changed.


Things were beginning to change when I turned 18 because, I mean, I was now legally an adult. It took a little getting used to, and it also took me a little while to adjust. It felt like, all of a sudden, so many questions and responsibilities were being thrown at me at once. It was a bit overwhelming.

To be perfectly honest, I'm still not completely adjusted to this whole "being an adult" life thing. :P People will ask me these questions, and I'm like, "Wait, I have to think about that too?" It's never ending! And I'm sure it will continue for a long time. Maybe it won't end, maybe this is just a part of being an adult.

But, like I said, a few things changed this year. Three of my friends got married this summer. Like, what? It isn't time for that yet. We were just 12 last year, right? This is one of the things that has really made me realize that we aren't kids anymore. Even though I still act like it sometimes. :P One thing you guys should know about me is:

What this post is really mostly about though, is something that doesn't have to do with adulthood. But it is a change. And it felt like a really big change. Actually, it still feels pretty big.

Depending on how long you've been following me, you may know that back when I first started blogging, which was this past January, I did a post on how I came to be here. And in it, I told you that I took a writing/literature class for four years, 8th grade to my junior year of high school. My best friend took it with me, and her mom was the one teaching us.

For the first two years, I went to their house twice a week, and the last two, every two weeks. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time there, right in their living room. For four years, I went into that house, that living room, and sat in "my" chair. They'd always have a fire in the stove, so it was always warm (occasionally, really hot :P).

Every day I was there, I would learn something new. Every day, we would make jokes and laugh, sometimes laughing so hard we had tears running down our faces. Every day, we would have so. much. fun.

I always looked forward to the days I got to go over and learn and spend time with them. This place was where I discovered my love for writing. This place had a special place in my heart.

At the beginning of this year, I don't remember exactly when, my mom and I met my best friend's mom in the store. Of course, we talked and caught up with one another. It was then, that she told us that she and her husband were going to move. (Their daughters, my best friend and her sister, had already moved out, and are living in another state.)

I was a little surprised, but I guess I was okay with it. I don't think I really thought that they were going to move. And for a long time, they hadn't yet. . . until a few weeks ago.

It was a few weeks ago, that I had a day off at camp. One of my friends and I went into town, and in order to get there, we had to pass the house (and we passed it every week). As we passed, I saw people there. But they weren't my best friend's parents.

Instead, I saw strangers- intruders- and they were tearing down the shed that was next to the house. The place looked different. . . it felt different. Things changed. And it finally hit me. They moved out, just like they said they were going to. I just hadn't wanted to believe that it would actually happen.

But it did. And there's nothing I can do about it, nothing I can do to change it. The house is different. The house will never look the same, be the same, feel the same.

Thankfully, though, I still have the memories, and I'll never never forget where I found my love for writing, the passion that was just waiting to be discovered.

Even though more and more things are changing in my life, I've realized that there is one thing- no, one Person- that will never change. And that is God. He is the one constant in my life. One that I know will never. ever. change.

July Wrap-Up

Hey everyone! Wow, July went by really fast! So fast that I only ended up posting once last month. #oops :P (So I won't have a "blogging" section this time) It's been colder than previous summers, and I don't think I've gone a day without putting on a sweatshirt at least once. I don't really mind though because I love wearing hoodies. :) Anywho, let's get started.

Writing

I think writing went pretty well in July. I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo (this time I was in a cabin) and I started with a goal of 3k. I know, it's such a huge goal. :P But the reason it wasn't very high was because I knew that I would be here a camp, and wouldn't have a lot of time to write. And, not to mention, the writing would be by hand. I didn't even start though, until the 15th because I was soo busy. Unfortunately, as the end of camp nano approached, I realized that I wouldn't be able to reach my goal, so I had to lower it. My new goal was 2k, which I'm happy to say that I reached. :)

Also, I've shared the prologue of Strangers (which was what I worked on for camp nano) with a few campers. Now, I don't really like sharing my writing, especially rough drafts, but I gave in to one camper, which then led to more. Here's how it happened:

So, I'm really good friends with one of the guys on my day off, and his younger brother is a camper here. At one of my basketball periods, I mentioned that I write (I don't remember why I said this). Apparently, my friend's little brother didn't know this, so proceeded to ask me about the books that I'm writing. I told him, and he expressed great interest in them. Later, I started the rewrite of Strangers and asked his opinion on something. He asked to read the prologue since that's what drives the rest of the story. Thankfully, he really liked it, and his friend was standing right there so I let him read it too. Then, I was telling my co-counselor (in the bunk) and a couple of my girls overheard and asked to read it, which led to more of them reading it.

I'm pretty sure that almost all of my girls have read it now. But every one of them has said that they really liked it and asked me when it's going to be published. This is soo motivating! :D

Reading

I haven't gotten much reading in this month. I have yet to finish a book since I've been at camp, but I have three books that I've picked up in the last month, and those are Viper, The Ruins of Gorlan, and A Wrinkle in Time. Pretty much my only reading time is during rest time, which is right after lunch. As it turns out, it's kinda hard to read and shush girls, who are being louder than they should be, at the same time. :P I do have some bookworms in my cabin, and they have asked me multiple times what books I'm reading.

Apparently, I have a lot of books on my shelf because one of my girls thought that my shelf was a library. We all had a good laugh over that. :)

Other

So, as you know, I'm at summer camp, and have been all last month. :P (You're probably getting tired of hearing me say that.) This is my ninth summer in a row here at camp, my third year as a counselor, but my first year as a bunk counselor. Obviously, there are pros and cons to being in the bunk, but overall I really like it. :D My co-counselor is the best, and we work very well together. We all have a lot of fun and very much enjoy being, and doing, things together. Sometimes, strange things are said too. Here are a couple that I heard my girls say:

"Get your nose away from my dryer sheet."

"I hate Star Wars, it hurts my eyes."

I also have had a lot of fun teaching basketball and ultimate. It's so rewarding seeing campers learning and mastering new skills. :)

I know that I haven't been blogging as much as I had hoped (and probably even said), but I'm trying to do better. I'm also behind on reading other blogs, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I will read all the posts I've missed just as soon as I have enough time. I promise. ;)


How about you? How was your July?

The #VoicesofYA Tag

Hey everyone! As you know, I didn't post last week. It was crazy, and I had nothing prepared. But today, I am going to do a tag, which was created by Caitlin, that Jonathan tagged me for a long time ago and then Gray tagged me for it a couple weeks ago. I'm great at this game, aren't I? :P Thanks, guys! :D

The Rules

1. Thank the person who tagged you

2. Link to the original creator

3. Answer the ten questions

4. Tag at LEAST two other YA writers/blogger

Questions

What draws you to YA?

Are you still a young adult if you're 19?? I actually don't know the exact age range for this genre (if there is one). :P I know that I was initially drawn to the YA genre because I was a young adult myself, and I liked reading books with characters my age (and I'm still that way). I still really like the YA genre. It's one of my favorites and will probably always be.

Describe your writing process. Do you like outlines and structure, or seeing where the story takes you?

Um, both? Maybe? I don't know, I've tried to do like a whole outline many times, but it never actually happens. . . :P As long as I have a general idea of what the novel is going to be about, and where it's going, I just write. I do want to try doing an whole outline sometime though.

How long have you been writing? Where are you in your writing journey?

I've been writing since I was 15. (I feel like my answer to this question has changed a couple times, but it is 15.) Where am I in my writing journey? I think I'm right where God wants me to be. I mean, ever since I made the decision to take writing more seriously, I've learned a lot. And I feel like I've learned the most since I started blogging back in January. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me. :)

What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?

I actually don't think I need anything. Even though I almost always have coffee and music, I can write without them (this rarely happens though :P). I prefer to have my earbuds when I write because it helps to me focus. I'm easily distracted sometimes, and unnecessary noise bothers me. It's probably one of my pet peeves. And it doesn't help that I have good hearing. :P

If you could offer one piece of advice to another writer (OTHER THAN "don't give up"), what would it be?

Know why you're writing. Why do you write? Is it for God or yourself? Maybe it's something else.* But I think this is a really important question that every writer should ask themselves.

I'm planning on doing a post about this at some point. :)

What book still has you reeling from its plot twist? (*no spoilers please*)

I don't think there is a book. Plot twists will get me when they happen, and sometimes for a week after. But I guess I'll say The King's Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight. I'm not sure I can tell you about the plot twist without giving anything away so I just won't say anything. If you want to know what it is, you'll just have to read the series. :)

What books are you most anticipating for this year?

Well, I think most of the books that I'm looking forward to for this year have already released and I've read them: Martin Hospitality, The Reluctant Godfather, Dandelion Dust. But another that I'm really excited for is Exiles by Jaye L. Knight! I can't wait until that one comes out. :D (I'm pretty sure a lot of people have said that one :P)

In your opinion, which YA book/series has the most unique premise?

Oh man, that's a hard question. I guess, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the series, I'll go with the Divergent series. Other than that, I'd probably go with the Blades of Acktar also.

What is your all-time favorite quote from YA lit (I know, I'm cruel)?

This is cruel because I have many. But here's one of my favorites:

"My first choice would be to give you more god children, but that would be far too cruel to do - to them."

-The Reluctant Godfather

What book do you most hope will have a movie adaption?

The Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. I think that would be super cool! (Please tell me I'm not the only one) But only if they follow the books as closely as they can, because if they change things, it just wouldn't be the same.

And that's it for this tag. The people I'm tagging are:

Liz @ Out of Coffee, Out of Mind

Emily @ Writer Emily Mundell

As always, if I tagged you, please don't feel like you have to do this tag. And if I didn't tag you but you'd like to do it, consider yourself tagged! :)

What about you? What draws you to the YA genre?

 

June Just Happened

Hello from camp! Yes, I am at camp as I write this (the actual camp I told you about last week, not Camp NaNo).

This month has gone by soo fast, guys! Definitely the craziest month so far this year. For me, anyway. :P So this past week has been staff training week here at camp, and it feels so weird when I have free time because I'm so used to having a ton and a half things to do.

Writing

Yeah, I don't think I wrote anything this month, but I did manage to prepare for Camp NaNo some. Unfortunately, not as much as I would have liked. I think I have enough to make it through NaNo though.

All of June I've been getting bombarded with new ideas for Strangers. *evil smile* It is going to be so much better after this rewrite. And, I think I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again. I am really excited to rewrite Strangers. :)

Reading

                       

Yes, I know. I read soo much this month. :P No, I'm actually disappointed with how much reading I did in June. I tried to fit in more reading time, but it was really really hard. But I have started two other books: Samara's Peril and Rose of the Night. I'm almost finished with the latter.

Blogging

My posts in June:

Stay Strong and Trust

"The Reluctant Godfather" Blog Tour

Summer TBR + Update

"The Sorceress and the Squid" Blog Tour

Other bloggers posts that you definitely need to read:

Gray- #RebelliousWriting

Marrok- Dinosuars and Dragons

Audrey- {WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GETTING WORSE} Let's Talk Perfectionism

Other

So, like I said, June was a crazy month. But a lot of fun stuff happened! As you may have seen, I participated in my first two blog tours ever. :) Those were really fun, and actually weren't as hard as I thought they'd be.

Staff training week here at camp was the last week of June. It's been great to reconnect with my friends that I really only get to see here. We've had a ton of fun doing things together and getting ready for our campers, who are coming today! :D For those of you who don't know, I'm going to be a bunk counselor for 9-ll year old girls. :) I'm also the basketball and ultimate frisbee counselor. I'm super excited for camp! :D

Camp NaNo starts today! :D I'm also really excited for that, because I'm actually in a cabin this time! They've all been very welcoming and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of them in this next month. :) My goal is to write the first 3k of Strangers. I know, that's a low goal, but it's pretty much impossible to gauge how much writing time I'll have. Who knows, maybe I'll end up writing twice as much? That would be great. :)

The other thing that happened this month was Father's Day. For that, my family took a little trip. We hiked a mountain, which we actually haven't done in a while. Here are a couple short interchanges that took place on the hike.

(For this first one, there was a really rocky place, and the rocks were kinda big)

ME: *runs past dad up these rocks*

DAD: Show off!

ME: No, I think I'm just part mountain goat.

DAD: When you go back down a mountain, you always want a controlled decent.

LITTLE BROTHER: Hey Karyssa, you see that cliff over there? It will be a controlled decent if you hit that rock at the bottom.

ME: *laughs*

ME: *trips*

LITTLE BROTHER: Did you just trip?

ME: . . .yeah. Why?

LITTLE BROTHER: On what?! There's nothing there, the ground is flat!

After we finished the hike, I tried to figure out how many times I tripped. And, in two miles, I tripped about 20 times. I now refer to myself as "the clumsiest outdoorsy person you'll ever meet". :P

I also wrote a poem for Father's Day, and I was going to post it, but it would have been on a day that I don't normally post. I remember some of you saying that you wanted to see more poetry so I decided to share it now. Here it is:

This Man

There is this man

I really love.

He is always there

When I need him.

When I am excited

Or happy that

Something went right,

He smiles

And rejoices with me.

He holds me

When I cry,

When I am down,

Or if I just need

Someone

To lean on.

This man, is always there.

He has taught me a lot.

He is one of

The reasons

I am who I am

Today.

This man is

My role model,

Someone

I look up to.

And even though

He may have

A lot of nicknames

For me.

I will always know him

As Dad.

What about you? How was your June?