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?

Taking You With Me

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Hello again everybody! It's been awhile. You know, it seems like all the posts I have posted on this blog lately have been either: I'm going somewhere, or I'm back again. Which really isn't fair to all you readers, and for that I'm sorry.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have come to a decision. I have determined that from now on I'm  taking you with me.

So take this as the last I'm back post, because next time I go somewhere, you'll all be right there with me.

So stay tuned for a lot of new adventures because we're just getting started!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm sitting at my desk trying to fill out paperwork and somehow write a coherent to do list, while a half empty duffle bag sits on my floor surrounded by piles of clothes and other items. I'm leaving later today to become a camp counselor for the summer at a nearby Christian summer camp, and needless to say, I am very, very busy.

For the past two weeks I was working at a hostel right off the Appellation Trail, everyday, designing flyers, cooking, cleaning, running errands, and whatever else was needed. I was crazy busy, and I discovered something rather interesting. Before I got that job I was in a creative rut, I couldn't seem to write anything, or even want to look at my many projects, but after working for several days I could feel my stagnant creative blood start to flow, and ideas started to pop into my head again.

I discovered that the busier I am, the more creative I become. Which was actually a bit of a relief. I was starting to wonder if I wasn't cut out to be a writer, but it turned out that it was just a rut I fell into and when I had lots to do it was enough to lift me out of it. The only flip side to that is that when you're really busy you hardly have time to write anything down, post on your blog, or work on any other project, but at least you aren't trapped in that rut anymore.

So now you know a bit of what I've been up to since I last posted, I'd like to promise that I'll post more soon, and I hope too, but I'm going to be even busier than before, so we'll see what happens, and I hope you can hear from me some more soon. I mostly wanted to let you all know that I'm still here and haven't evaporated into thin air.

What about you? What have you been up to? Can you relate to being crazy busy? How does it affect your creative life? Leave a comment below! I always love hearing from you!