Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

An Atrocious Word Count and a Couple of New Scars

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Hey there! Guess where I was this weekend! I'll give you a hint, it wasn't fun. I was in the hospital. So Saturday I started writing a post about the first week of NaNoWriMo but didn't get around to finishing it, and I thought "Hey no big deal, I can just finish it later tonight." But then I started getting really bad pain in my stomach, and I ended up spending the whole night curled up in a ball of pain. It was a really tough night. I went to the Emergency Room the next day, and they told me that it was most likely my appendix, so there wasn't really much choice except to get it removed. So that's what happened. I am now one organ lighter, with an atrocious word count for NaNoWriMo, and a couple of new scars.

 I was already behind with my word count before this happened. I had a tough time deciding what project to work on, and switched on the second day because the project I had originally chosen was giving me a lot of grief with the setting. My story is going really well even though the word count is about 12,000 words behind. I figure since I won't be doing much this week while I recover I should be able to cut that number down considerably. Everything went well with the surgery, and now I'm just tired, sore, and glad to be back in my own bed again. I made sure to file away everything I learned there in order to torture my characters with later. I've thought many times that if my characters ever met me in real life they would love to slap me in the face for all the stuff I've made them go through, and with what I'm planning for these characters, now I'm certain of it. 

How are you doing with your world count? Are you holding up under the stress of NaNoWriMo alright? What do you think your characters would do to you if they met you in real life? Hopefully none of you have had to take a trip to the hospital recently, but if you have don't forget to let me know about it in the comments! 

Goodbye October

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." -L.M. Montgomery

You know October is my favorite month, sure all the other months are great, but there's just something special about October. And no, I'm not just saying that because my birthday happens to be in this fantastic month, or Halloween either (Though the dressing up and candy is fun). Fall is my favorite season, with all the lovely leaves, hot drinks, crisp air, school, warm coats, rainy days, and the very best of fall takes place in October. Everything feels different in October. Everyday feels almost magical, like there's endless possibilities for adventures scattered through your everyday life.

And now October is coming to a close, and it's time to say goodbye to the best month.

Though...

November is coming.

And I'm sure you know what that means. 

Are you ready?

Because even if you're not. It's still coming.

(NaNoWriMo)

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo

It's that time of year again. Leaves are changing colors, the air is slowly turning crisp and cool, apple cider and pumpkin flavored everything is in season, and it's time you start planning what you're going to be obsessively writing next month for the event that makes everyone say "NaNo- what now?" when you tell them about it. 

Yes it's almost time for NaNoWriMo!

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NaNoWriMo is one of my favorite times to write. I've done it twice before, winning once, and failing once. It's true that November can be extremely busy, but what I love about NaNoWriMo is that it makes your novel a priority in your life, and gives you step by step goals to finishing it. Honestly I hardly ever get any writing done except when I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo in April or July, or NaNoWriMo itself in November.

I still haven't decided what project I'm going to be working on this November, since I have so many potential stories rattling around in my brain, each telling me that it is the best idea in the world and must be written as soon as possible. So it's hard to choose. Should I go with the new Mystery series I thought up? The sequel to The Paths of Thyme? The fantasy adventure I've been brainstorming all summer? The novel I didn't complete last November? Or any of the other ones? I guess I'll have to get back to you when I finally decide which one to write.

What about you? What do you plan on writing this November? Are you going to be participating in NaNoWriMo? Have you ever done it before? How far did you get? Any helpful ideas about choosing which story to write for NaNoWriMo? Please comment below!

Deviant Art Account Update

You may or may not recall, a little more than a year ago I shared a post with you welcoming you to check out my account on the art website, Deviant Art. Well I had to let you know that that account was deleted a while ago, and I have since then created a new one. Which has had quite a lot of traffic lately. I currently have over 20 pieces of art and am still going strong! So head on over to Deviant Art and check out my new account! Follow me if you have an account and you'll get updates every time I post something new!

Click here to check out my new art!

Here are a few of my favorites I've done recently:

Don't forget to comment! Do you have an account on Deviant Art? Do you enjoy drawing? What do you think of these art pieces?

Goodbye Pen Name

You may or may not have realized that I've been using a pen name on my blog for quite some time now. I've never really been the biggest fan of my last name so I chose a different one to write this blog under, and kept it for a few years now. Lately I've been thinking though and I think it's time to say goodbye to my pen name. 

You see, names are important, even if we don't like the way they sound, there's no escaping the fact that our names are part of who we are. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to use a pen name, and I am by no means telling you that you shouldn't use one. But for me using a pen name was in part, hiding from who I really am. I was trying to be someone else, someone who I perceived was a better person than I am. I was trying to be perfect, but it dawned on me, that's not what I really want. What I really want, is to be real, authentic. I want to be me. Nothing more, and nothing less.

So in order for me to take a step in the direction of authenticity I'm saying Goodbye to my pen name now. (By the way, my real name isn't really that horrible honestly, it just doesn't flow all that well, but that's okay) Signing off as Andrea Nan for the Last time, and signing back in as Andrea Monsma.

10 Things I Learned From Summer Camp

Back at the start of the summer I posted that I got a job as a camp counselor, and you may have been wondering how that went. Well let's just say it was pretty crazy, and also a lot of fun. But at the same time it was difficult, as working with people always is. I learned quite a bit over those few months, about myself, and how to deal with others, which were my main goals going into that job. Thinking back on it. I managed to narrow those things down to a list of 10. 

So here are 10 things I learned from summer camp:

1. Being friendly and kind reaps countless rewards.

2. Sometimes you just need to take a break. Just because you can do more doesn't always mean you should. Be careful or you'll burn yourself out.

3. Don't forget to smile! Even if you don't feel like it, fake it till you make it. Smiling can actually change your mood believe it or not.

4. Don't take yourself too seriously, loosen up a little. Laugh, be a little silly sometimes. It makes life a lot more fun. 

5. Art draws people to you, don't be afraid to share it.

6. Never ever just accept someone else's opinion of another person without getting to know that person yourself. Everyone has biases and the only way you'll know the truth is if you make your own judgement.

7. Sometimes you find real gems of people and you should never let them go.

8. You never know how people really feel about you until you until you get to know them more.

9. Communication is key in everything! Without it, nothing works.

10. Never give up. Just keep moving forward. It's okay to ask for help, there's nothing wrong with that.

Don't forget to comment! I always love to hear from you! What about you? Did you learn anything over the summer? What did you do? Have you ever been a camp counselor before? What kinds of things did you discover through that experience? Did you find any of these things helpful?