The Project Declaration!

So, I mentioned one of the things I planned to blog about in the future was my original fiction plans.  I also mentioned that I'd explain why getting "The Curious Tale of Elizabeth Nigel" published was just so awesome (despite the obviously reasons).  Well, these two go hand-in-hand.  Let me explain.

You see, I have plans for the characters and the steampunk world of Elizabeth Nigel.  I plan to do a series of short stories--the ones of which I have planned that are set in stone being the one mentioned above and the one set directly after called "Elizabeth Nigel Aboard the Annabelle."  I was thinking about doing enough for a small collection.  Then, picking up where the last short story (whatever that might be) leaves off, I would do a novel--which I already have titled as The Wedding of Elizabeth Nigel.  So it's just very exciting to have the first story published for these characters, which I see as setting this all in motion.

So what other plans do I have of the original fiction nature?  Well, this June I'm participating in Camp NaNoWriMo.  Same rules, different month.  I'm using the novel I attempted last November, which was Family Affairs.  A bit of a cheat, I know, but it's more important to me that I finish this novel, rather me follow the exact rules.  Besides, I'm aiming for the first draft of that novel to be about 80k-90k.  So I'll have done my share.  My backup plan, should I get irreparable stuck on Family Affairs, is to work on my novella, Aftershock.  Which is another work that I have a couple of short stories leading up to. 

This is all not mentioning that I might do a sequel to Aftershock, will be doing 3 direct sequels and 2 indirect sequels to Family Affairs, and have several other novella/novels to be thinking about.  I have all the ideas... I just need, like a fitness trainer--like one of the really mean ones--only for writing only. 

Of course, this is all just my original (ie the really important) writing goals.  But, something else I can lump in with this, I joined in on this challenge on Livejournal called 100 Things.  You blog about 100 things (with the min. post being 10 posts of 10).  For example, I'm doing "100 Badass Villains."  I decided that I was a little more likely to work it all out if I did the 10 groups from 100 down to 1.  This is a challenge mainly to get Livejournal people to blog more, but I thought I'd post it in both places. 

So, if anyone wonders where I am and can't find me at Godiva, I'm in a dark corner with nothing but my laptop... willing the words to write themselves.  Until then, here's a funny picture.  See you!

Resolution 2012

Imagine that blog title, for a moment, in a deep movie announcer voice. *laughs* Sorry, couldn't help myself.

All right, so here it is. I've thought for the past week on this little list of resolutions for this year. Yes, I said, "list." I always give myself more than one resolution. I just love lists. More than one person probably should. Without further ado, the switch--ah, I mean, list (lame Darkwing Duck joke, sorry. For this one, see episode "Just Us Justice Ducks):

Writing Resolutions

Because these are the most plentiful of my resolutions, I thought I'd start off with them. We'll start with original fiction.

• 
  
  I hereby resolve myself to finish one novel this year. That means written, and in a state where I feel okay with sending it off to a publisher (because nobody ever feels great when they send it off, I think).


• 
  
  I also resolve to finish one novella. Same conditions as the novel.


• 
  
  Borrowing a leaf, once again, from AD Spencer's book, I also resolve to write at least 12 new short stories. More is better, but 12 is minimum.

Now, for the fanfiction:

• 
  
  I resolve to have the follow chaptered fanfictions finish within this year: Trials, All for Naught, Force of a Slayer, The Funny Thing About Keys, and Youth and Innocence. Lost list? You have no idea....


• 
  
  I also resolve to begin the following chaptered fanfictions this year: How to Save a Dhampire, Family, Devil You Don't Know, and Tribulations.


• 
  
  I also resolve to finish the Wishlist 2011 Challenge well before the Oct. 15, 2012 deadline--I'm hoping for a Late Feb.-Early March finish at the very latest.


• 
  
  I resolve to finish all challenges entered this year.

Personal

These were way harder for me to pin down, and much more vague. I really struggled with these. After all, if you're going to put as much thought as all of this *points to blog post* into a New Year's resolution(s), then it is obviously something you take very seriously. Whether you spend most the year thinking, "Huh, I just completed my resolution!" or not, these are still things that will be there in your mind. You just might not call them "resolutions" by December. Anyway, here's my personal resolutions:

• 
  
  I want to get married. I have been trying and try for the past three years to get married to my fiance. I'm skipping the ceremony--until I can afford it--and going with the courthouse. This will get done this year.


• 
  
  Watch what I eat. Not a full on diet, but I'm aware that this will be my 26th year on this planet and that means the beginning of a lot of things. I'm older. I need to start taking care of myself a little bit more. I need to cut back on *gulp* a lot of my favorite foods... cheese comes to mind. I need as much time as possible if I'm going to write all those novels I have planned.


• 
  
  Secure myself. I was uprooted and stayed that way throughout 2011. I'm sick of it. I want to hunker down somewhere and just stay there until I'm good and ready to move.

And actually... that's it. Yeah, I say that like that's not a substantial list or something. Yeah. But those are my plans for 2012. Think I can do it? Look, I'll be honest... I'm not sure myself. But that's not going to stop me from trying! Have a happy 2012!

2011: Early Round-Up

Okay, so it's been nearly two months since I last blogged. I apologize for that. So, what have you missed in the way of the Trishverse? Well...

Work

I've been working at Godiva for this entire time, and I gotta say. I really like it. I mean, it's not a career--that's still writing or librarian work at the very least--but as a job to support myself with while I work on those other two, I really like it. I mean, it's fun. It's a great group of co-workers and supervisors. It's not really stressful. I mean, there are moments, but nothing too horrible. Definitely have done more stressful work (those of you who know my workforce history know exactly what I'm talking about here). And I've found out that I'm being kept on after seasonal, so I don't have to worry about finding another job after Feb. 14th (which is when Godiva seasonal ends). All in all, this has been what has taken up most of my time, but I'm okay with that. I just need to re-discover my writing groove.

Personal

Car's broken down. Like, since before Thanksgiving. Busted valve, I think. But today it got hauled to a mechanic to see what it'll cost us to fix it. Thankfull, he's not charging us anything to look at it and give us an estimate. It would be absolutely frickin' wonderful if it wasn't all that much. So, fingers crossed on that.

My Christmas was kind of low-key. Not bad, but not as big as I usually do it. But, I'll tell you, I'm okay with that too. After years of aiming for big, decorative Xmases, it was kind of like a vacation. I'll do it big next year, and it'll be cool. Preston and I are both doing our personal Xmases a little later (actually, he just bought me something small as an Xmas gift, and ordered the big gift--the new Abarat book *yay!*). I need to figure out what to get him, lol. I have an idea, but I'm trying to do the money math and see if I can work it out.

Writing

Wow. I can't even properly express how far behind I am. I mean, I have two different fanfiction challenges to finish. That I'm behind on. I have several original fiction stories that I need to spruce up and send out. I need to do my 2012 Submission chart. I need to finish so many longer works that it's insane. I also am signing up for a longer fanfic challenge in the new year. And, oh, believe it or not, blogging has been on my list to do for these past two months. That's right... the blog I am just now typing. That's how behind I am.

But, I did get an acceptance for a story, "Ties," that I'd been trying to get published for the better part of a year now. Also, I have stories that have come out in PillHillPress's Daily Frights and Daily Flash collections. Also, my story, "Tooth Jacked," is/will be available from Pink Narcissus Press. And on Jan. 15th, my story, "So, These Monsters Walk into a Con..." will be available within UnCONventional, from Spencer Hill Press. Appropriate links for ordering/pre-ordering will be added over in the sidebar ---->

I haven't updated my writing site in a little bit. I'll have to catch up on that as well.

To Sum Up...

Screw it. 2012 is a new year, and I'm ready to face it head-on. My 2011 sucked so hard. I lost my house. I lost most of my material possessions. I lost good relationships that I never thought I would lose. I've been a burden to some and burdened upon. But right now, in this moment, things are okay. I have a place to stay. I have a job. I'm an aunt to a beautiful baby girl. Preston's doing great in school. He graduates in June. Things are getting better, slowly but surely. 2012 will be a better year. I know it will be. And I can't wait to greet it.

Oh, about the photo manip at the top of the blog. Much thanks to sunnydale-crossing.deviantart.com for restarting their challenges. I'd fallen behind on my photomaniping as well. It's nice to be getting back on track. (That was a winning manip, too).

55,799

See that number? Yeah, the one up there in the title? Know what that is? No? Well, I'll tell you. 55, 799 is the number of words--words--that I wrote total last month. And that's both in fanfiction and in original fiction. The banner up there? That's my nifty prize for doing 31 fanfics in 31 days.

Now, did I finish those two huge deadlines due at the beginning of this month? Um... no. However, if I can direct you attention over there ----> Those names and wordcounts are the novellas I'm still working on and where I stand on them. I'm still working on them with the full intention to finish them and sent them off. I have one other that I've signed on to finish, so when I come up w/ a title it'll be added over there.

In other news? Yeah, I'm still applying for 9 to 5s, working on finishing Trials and The Funny Thing about Keys (which is the one that's due to have a chapter uploaded... as soon as I write it, lol). I also need to be thinking about--not too heavily until October--about what I'm doing for NaNoWriMo. I have several novel projects--not to mention two other novellas I wish to work on. And I have a fanfiction sequel I've been promising for oh, about forever. At least a year, lol. So, yeah.

Now, before I go, there's just one other thing. I've entered a fiction contest that is totally reliant on public votes to win. I'd really appreciate it if anyone who reads this who might not have already voted for my story would vote. Or pass the word to others to vote. Click my story title for the link: "Piece of"

Thanks. Oh, and also, I finally did that blog about the pros and cons of having a writing buddy. You can find it both on my personal writing blog here or at the Guild of the Fantastic Quill's blog. I'd love to hear any thoughts on the subject. So, until next time!

Spin Me Right Round, Baby, Right Round Like a Record

Okay, so just a little update on me. Currently, I'm sitting in Birmingham because Preston had to finish up his college stuff--and I get to hang out with my BFFs Savvy and Slink!(Squee!) But, that doesn't mean the writing has stopped.

Fanfiction? Yeah, it's still going on. I've got to do my ficlet for today's entry into the Fic-A-Day challenge over at Twisting the Hellmouth's Live Journal, TwistedShorts. Oh, and that link on the words "Live Journal" leads to my personal LJ. I'm using it as a backup for my fanfics and it's still very much under construction. And, of course, I have to do that ever looming chapter of Trials, which isn't so bad except that I have to clear the time to do it.

Original fiction? Yeah, that's still going too. I've switched gears, leaving TWoC to sit for a bit while I work on AS and ChristianSciFi. Plus, I have all those pesky little deadlines still swirling around. I have about 1.3k written for one of the deadlines... oh, and I've gotten an acceptance for one of my stories, "Go See the Fall-Apart Man." That poor thing had been bounced around and around, so I'm glad that Pink Narcissus took it for their WTF!? Antho. And I've recently noticed that one of the other anthos I'm in is at the printer, so I'll be posting a cover over in my slideshow as soon as the publisher puts one back up. But I put about 1.3k on AS last night. I'm hoping to add even more today. It's got to be between 25k-35k... so, yeah. Miles to go...

Blogs? Well, I plan to do a blog about the pros of having a writing buddy over at my website. Look for that one soon. I'll post it up on the Guild of the Fantastic Quill's Blog sometime after. I also plan to review the earrings I won from Enchanted Conversaton's Island Music Contest over at my Craft Wars blog. So lots to do, lots to do. Not to mention that I need to read and review the last round of stories from something I'm participating in. Those are due in Sunday night, so I need to get started on those today.

So there's my progress in a nutshell. And, your reward for reading this far is this, another lovely fanart!



Yeah, I know it's nowhere near Halloween, but one of the upcoming chapters of Trials has a scene at a Halloween dance. Now, Isaac doesn't go as Batman, but Ria does go as Ivy. You can find that pattern on Icey Tina's profile at deviantart. Totally don't own the pictures, and yes, Aly is my model for Ria--not in personality and not entirely in looks... but she comes closest.

Zuul, Motherf**ker, Zuul

The above line is a quote from The Nostalgia Critic, coming from several of his very hilarious reviews. Definitely give them a watch. I specifically recommend watching The Top 11 Dumbest Spiderman Moments, but most everything I've seen so far has me cracking up over something.

So, what else have I been up to? Well, a lot and a little, to be honest. I'm still going strong in the Twisting the Hellmouth August Fic-A-Day. I put up that chapter of The Funny Thing About Keys mentioned in a previous post, so now I'm due for a chapter of Trials. I just had one, possibly two, chapter fanfic ideas handed to me not thirty seconds ago. And I've still got three other chapter fanfics to start.

And that's not my Original Fiction...

I made a switch on one of my novella projects,which puts me 5k ahead on it--roughly--which lets me breathe a little easier. I've got a good, solid skeleton on which to add the muscle. And it's only got to go to 15k min. (20k, max). It's code named ChristianSciFi (Bam! I know, right? LOL). As for the other two novellas with solid deadlines--TWoC and AS--I'm about 3.5k into TWoC and 300-500 into AS. That first scene on TWoC is killing me. It just won't frickin' end. I'm convinced that if I could just get to that first little scene change mark, it would all just come flying out onto the page. Bam! 25k, there it is! *sigh* I just need to type a crap end to that scene and come back later. I have a bitch of a time turning off my inner editor. Where is that NaNoWriMo magic the rest of the year that isn't November? And those other projects? There all still there, looming over me.

But I'm wriing every day. Which is good, no matter what I'm producing. It keeps my brain working, coming up with fresh ideas. So, I'm going to leave off here with this: I'm writing, but it's not always one type or the other. And, also, here's some more of my fanart! The link to my deviantart profile is over there ------> in my links, so check it out.



Made for one of my August Fic-A-Day fics. I was really proud of what I did to get it this way.

Just a Little Update

Well, like the title suggests, just a quick update on the Trishverse. I've gotten a couple more publication credits under my belt, and I have several big projects coming. Their codenames are as follows: TWoC, AS, LE, UntitledWBR, TOoLS, HoR:E, and DMatLoL. Four of these (and yes, I've double checked the spelling, despite how funny a couple of those look, lol) have solid deadlines in this year. While three of them are strictly an "all me" type of thing. Plus the list (literally) of smaller deadlines to meet this year. These, by the way, are my original, publishable goals. I still have my fanfiction ones.

And those fanfiction goals are to finish two of my currently running fics by mid-October to mid-November, Trials and The Funny Thing About Keys. And, along with that, start three--four when Trials is done-new fanfics. Yes, they do just keep coming. Oh, and then there's the current fanfiction thing I'm doing. See, Twisting the Hellmouth, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer xover site has a thing going called the August Fic-A-Day Challenge. One fanfiction between 300-3k each day. And chapters to a single fic don't count. So far, I'm 3/4--as it is now past midnight. Don't worry, though, that fourth one is still there. Oh, and I still need 10 fics to fill up the end of this month. So if anyone has got any Buffy xovers with shows/movies/books they'd like to see, let me hear them.

Outside of writing, Preston has nearly gotten everything set up for his school. All that's left is to get the people at the college to give him a date to come down and finish up. I think he even knows what he's getting back. As for me? Well, I'm still trying to find a small job to work until the move.

Well, now that you're all caught up, I'll leave you with this:

Songs that Make Me Think of Severus Snape:
"It's Not Me" by 3 Doors Down
"My Sweet Prince" by Placebo
"Poison Prince" by Amy MacDonald
"Dance with the Devil" by Breaking Benjamin (To be fair, this one reminds me of a lot of my favorite characters... and now that I think of it, this applies to the first one on this list too.)
"All Around Me" by Flyleaf

Give these a listen for youself! Oh, and Savvy, although the banner at the top of this post was made for one of my very, very embarassingly older fanfics, I thought of you when I made it.

Blogging...More Important Than Food!

Yeah, so I have class in like an hour and fourty minutes and I havent' eaten lunch yet. So, I have to make this quick.

One paper down, another paper, a presentation, a prose reading, and finals to go. Sound like a lot? Well, the only ones I'm worried about is that other paper and the presentation (which goes along with it). Presentations start next Friday, with papers due in by email by noon that monday. So, in essence, I have to have my paper done (with a powerpoint for my presentation) done by Friday. The powerpoint will be easy once I have my paper...the paper on the other hand...could someone just put me in a coma until Tuesday the 28th?

On other notes, I've really been working on my writing, more fan fiction than original, but writing's writing. It's still practice in honing my skills. Sound like a waste of time? Thinking I should be working on my paper? Probably, but since being a professional writier is the career I want--scratch that, need--...bite me. I'm gonna write! On that note, I've been pretty regular on my chapters of fanfiction with How to be a Dhampire and Untested being the two I've probably updated on the most. I have a poll up on my fanfiction profile that asks which older story people would like me to complete first. So far, Of Old Gods and Archaeologists is in the lead with three votes. So, drop by and vote if you've got a minute.

On original fiction, well I'd really like to work on some Dark Mistress...but guess what? What I have of my re-write is on the harddrive of my failed computer...which Preston has and can't get it off without some such cord. I think he just keeps forgetting to do it. Which is fine...you know, it's not like life or death or anything, and there are more important things that I need him to do. Oh! And I put up a chapter of The Dilemma of House Wraithwood...so, if you haven't read it yet--and you know who you are--go do it! I'd really like some feedback on the small developments of the story so far. And, you know, I'm a review whore, so...

Oh, and on my goal of reaching 100 fanfics up before the end of this semester...I'm at 86...may not make it, but I've gonna get damn close. Well, wish me luck on papers and writing everyone! And good luck to all those going through the same end of semester hell!

Gone to eat,
Trish