I've Finished my November Novel!

So I verified my novel thirty minutes late; does it still count as a win?

I've finished my November novel and have moved on to begin the third book in the series. I'm finding writing strangely fun.

I've been thinking about why I would find something like that fun and I've come to the conclusion that I am just a daydreaming nut. I spend most of my days daydreaming and have for as long as I can remember.

I know that I have a lot of work to do before I conciser myself good at the technical side of writing, but I really want to do it. I've read that one of the first steps to being a good writer is to read tons of stuff. So, with that in mind, I need suggestions for books...*hint *hint.

:)


Love, Peace, and Veggies Please,

Victoria

You know when you get that song stuck in your head...and your heart.

Every time I hear this song my heart aches in a way that I can't explain. 

 Wiki link to the Icelandic hymn "Heyr himna smiður" or"Hear, Heavenly Creator"

Oh the Horror Procrastination

Stinking procrastination bug has gotten me. It's funny because procrastination is something that I can stop and yet I'm doing everything but what I have on my list for today. I've made to videos and now a fricking blog post but none of these things are on my list of things to do. I have laundry to do and a freaking novel to write for National Novel Writing Month! Alright Victoria, go put the dirty clothes in the washer and start typing on that book...Now!

Oh please, for the love of broccoli, get to work.

;)
Love, Peace, and Veggies please.
-Vic

Losing the Extra Me

I've been on the heavy side for most of my life. I was a normal sized kid but as soon as I hit my preteens, I started to get "pudgy".

Plumping a little is normal in children before they grow taller. It tends to even-out the taller they get. I didn't even out, I just kept plumping.

As soon as it started, I became self-conscious of my weight. I was ashamed of the way my body looked; I even hated it.

By the time I got to high school, I was 165lbs. I wanted a change, so Istarted exercising a little. I wasn't dedicated to it; it was really a halfhearted try.

I lost a little weight and my lowest scale reading during this time was 160lbs (yeah, 5 whole pounds). Not great, but not as bad as my heaviest; which was 187lbs.

At my heaviest, I was dating a guy that was completely unsupportive in my quest to lose the excess weight. In fact, he would get upset with me if I tried to exercise or eat more healthy; he would accuse me of "trying to look good for other guys". I was about seventeen years old, I had low self-esteem, and I felt lucky to have a boyfriend (even if he was a jerk). It took awhile, but I realized that I was better off without him. So I ended that unhealthy relationship, but I had already formed some pretty unhealthy habits.

Running away from Creepers

Running has become part of my weekly routine. I've even started running farther than my usual 3 miles (now I'm up to 4). One of the hurtles that I've had to get over is my fear of running in public. I used to get so upset when people (usually men) would yell at me out of their windows or when they would honk the horn at me. It was enough to make me cut runs short.

Steven has been a great encouragement for me while trying to deal with my anxiety from this. He runs with me, he bought me an mp3 player and music so I didn't have to hear it, and he encourages me to continue, even when I get yelled at. He says, "Ignore it and keep going." It's gotten me to a point where I don't even acknowledge drive-by catcalls anymore.

 A few weeks ago, Steven injured his knee and hasn't been running with me as often. He isn't pushing his knee anymore than it can stand. This has left me alone during some runs. I cope by running during the day, in crowded places where I feel as safe as possible.

But yesterday... Oh yesterday...

Axe Cop Wedding Invite/Postcard from Ethan Nicolle

One of the neat things about being a part of a community is being able to help those in the community and vice versa.  

Ethan Nicolle, creator of  Axe Cop  asked for help to raise money for his wedding and Steven and I jumped at the chance to pitch in. We've enjoyed the free web comic and we wanted to help make his and his bride's wedding a special one. 

We bought an Axe Cop "wedding invitation" with a hand drawing of  Axe cop on the back.

Ermahgerd, I finished writing a book!...sort of.

Typing away at the kitchen table and making faces.

Ermahgerd, ya'll, I finished writing a book! Well...sort of. 87,587 words and it's open ended. I know, I know, anyone that's allowed to read this book is going to be like, "So what happens next?"

Well... I haven't written that book yet. Good news is, the sequel is outlined. Bad news...its got a sequel too. Good news about the sequel to the sequel is that its theme has been written up in a paragraph (are you seeing a pattern).

Boy, do I feel Hungover!

I've worked on seven books since 2011 (five novels and one children's book). I must be tired because I had to count and recount them on my fingers at least half a dozen times. Out of these seven Six books (good Lord I was tired), I've finished one novel (first draft only) and the children's book. The other five novels reside in my computer, unfinished. But by Grabthar's hammer, I swear I will finish these books...one day.

My stories usually begin with a day dreaming or a dream that I've had. I sit down and begin my story. If I start daydreaming about something else before I can finish the story I'm working on, I put it down and begin a new story. I think I might have writer's ADD.

I kicked my Ice Cream habbit!

From the moment I tasted ice cream, I was hooked. I would eat it until I was sick on most occasions. I loved ice cream so much, I spent 15 minutes telling my aunt the proper way to eat it (because I'm some sort of a freaking expert on eating ice cream).

I couldn't keep the stuff in the house because I would wake up in the middle of the night and gorge myself on what ice cream I hadn't finished the day before. Becoming vegan did slow me down on the ice cream addiction.

Vegan ice cream is expensive and it usually comes in tiny pint sizes. My willingness to spend that much money on that little bit of ice cream usually kept me from buying it to often. But I caved in and shelled out the cash more often than not.

Lessons from Childhood : Monsters in the Dark

Just a little sprout.

I have, for as long as I can remember, been afraid of the dark. My fear of the dark began as a baby; the reason for my fear is rooted in an experience I had but can't remember. My mother tells me that when I was a baby, she and my father were asked to house sit. Of course they took me along. I fell asleep and they put me in a bedroom; when I woke up in my strange surroundings, I began crying.  I was inconsolable and my father finally submitted that I would, "cry myself to sleep eventually." And so I was left in the dark, in a strange room, to cry it out. I know it sounds cruel, but it is what it is. When my mom tells the story, she still gets angry at my dad; as my dad insisted that I be left to cry it out. It was his version of "Ferberizing" before Ferber wrote the book on children's sleeping problems. In any case, I developed a fear of the dark.

My fear was cultivated by neighbor kids and my brothers, who were unaffected by a fear of the dark. I was teased about my fear and jokes were played on me constantly.  Sometimes they would pass by my room, reach in, and shut off the light; laughing while I yelled and cried. I was stuck to the spot while I waited for them to either get tired of their joke and turn the lights back on or for my mom to come and rescue me and punish the brats that had a laugh at my experience.

Surfing my first couch.

Working

I made a decision to enter My Destinations, "Biggest Baddest Bucket List", competition.  I have to make a a kind of "travel guide" video. I enlisted a few friends to help film and made a "fig rig" to stabilize my hand held camera and a camera stand our of what looks like an old mic stand. I chose my weekend to travel to the city that I would be doing the video on. I did my research and printed out my notes and an itinerary. My friends could go until Sunday but I wanted to get started as soon as possible, because of the limited amount of time I have to work on this before it's due.

I decided to go Saturday, after lunch, and stay the night. This was the perfict oportunity for me to be a couch surfer.