Save the Monster Under the Bed | July Writing Prompt

Tags

allegory, coming of age, ezra, fan fiction, fantasy, monster under the bed, must read, the year of the witching, writing challenge, writing prompt

Challenges met:

Prompt: “Every child has a monster that lives under their bed. Society’s coming-of-age ceremony is to kill that monster. The time has come for you to be an adult.”

Toolbox: Allegory

Fan Fiction: Ezra from The Year of the Witching

I wrung my hands, spreading sweat and fear across my palms. Fifteen was old for the ceremony, but I’d put it off for so long. My excuses were growing thin, but I did not want to do this.

It had nothing to do with becoming an adult. That was long overdue. Yeah, I get the irony.

But the ceremony was to kill the monster under my bed. I couldn’t do it.

I knew my monster─Ezra─and I liked him. A lot.

Tomorrow, I had to venture under my bed or lure him out and slaughter him. Murder him.

Tonight, though, I could still find a way to save his life.

Strapping the sword on my back and packed on my supplies before I pulled up the bed skirt and slid under the frame into the darkness.

Musty, wet rock hit me immediately, but slowly, a warm, sweet scent bloomed in the space as I stepped forward. I cracked the pink glow stick, the color Ezra preferred, and I waited. Although I’d been down here more times than I could count, I never ventured too deeply into the darkness alone.

Warm wind brushed my skin, and Ezra’s brilliant blue eyes appeared in the soft pink haze.

I smiled up at him.

“You’ve returned.” He took the pink glow stick and my hand and led me through the dark. 

I followed because I trusted him. And he led because he trusted me.

The soft quiet of home disintegrated into an absence of sound that made my skin crawl. My grip squeezed him, and Ezra squeezed back.

You’re okay. This is my place, and you’re with me.

It was the magic that kept others from finding him. Others like me who hunted and killed him and his kind because of what they were and where they lived.

We slowly made it to his home, which was homemade furniture and soft places to sit or lie down. Ezra collected books, but I couldn’t see much else. His soft lamps provided a circle of light, and the rest bled to black.

He offered me the chair by the table with a smile. “I’ve got your favorite.”

I sat, grinning in a knowing way.

Pulling a bowl from the dark, Ezra presented the gleaming treat to me. “An ice cream sundae with walnuts and marshmallow sauce.”

It was my favorite when I was six. “How did you get that?”

He shrugged and set it on the table before me. A spoon appeared for me, and I dug in.

Mom didn’t make me many of these treats anymore.

Ezra sat beside me. His attention tightened the fear in my chest.

My spoon faltered, and I looked him in the eyes. “They want me to kill you tomorrow.”

“I know.” He urged me to finish eating.

With a huff, I took another bite. It wasn’t the first time I’d told him. Wasn’t the first time he’d brushed me off about it. “Why won’t you let me save you?”

“You’re not supposed to.” His even tones belied the sadness in his blue eyes.

“Why does that matter?” I threw the spoon, but he caught it. Anger billowed out of me. “Why must I do everything I’m supposed to? Everything I’m told? Everything everyone else has ever done and decided that everyone must do? Why can’t I make my own decisions?”

“Because you are not an adult yet.” Ezra placed the spoon by my bowl again.

“And that means what I want doesn’t matter?” I stood abruptly, unable to soothe the injustice of it. To reconcile myself with Ezra’s acceptance of it. “That means your life doesn’t matter?”

He took my hands, his warmth smothering the fire threatening to burn me alive. “Becoming an adult means doing things that you do not wish to because you need to. It is an obstacle you must conquer, or you will forever be a child.”

“But why does it have to be this?” Why couldn’t it be something else?

“Because you don’t want it to be.”

Internal thunderstorms threatened me with tears.

“Everyone knows their monster before they must slay us. In some way. None wants to complete the ceremony. Out of fear. Out of pride. Out of rebellion.” A tug made me acknowledge the pointed look he gave me.

“I am afraid. I don’t want me to be the reason you’re gone.”

With a sad smile, he sat me down. The ice cream hadn’t melted. It never melted down here. Why was that?

“I won’t be gone,” he whispered in my hair before he planted a kiss atop my head.

“Slay means kill. Dead. No longer living. How can you not be gone after that?”

Ezra patted my hand.

“How old are you?” Something beyond the fear of his death knocked my heart around.

“Old.”

“And how many times have you been slain?” My hand squeezed around the spoon.

“Many times.”

A renegade tear plopped down my cheek.

Ezra wiped it away.  “Few get to see me as you do.”

I sniffed back the rest of my grief. “But I won’t get to see you anymore, will I?”

“No.” He sat again beside me to watch me eat my sundae. “But at least you can know that I’m not gone. Not really.”

My spoon found the half-eaten mound of ice cream, and I did my best to eat it slowly. To savor every bite and every moment in between. This was the last of my childhood.

Check out the companion video:

I Won Camp NaNoWriMo | Final Update

Tags

Camp Nanowrimo, character development, completing goals, cover building, NaNoWriMo, reading smut, triggering characters, writing goals, Writing Routine

Check out my writing vlog where I read Cycle Eight to my mom, finish my final story for the month, and prep a new cover!

Week five, our final week, went so well! Granted, my numbers are down a bit again, which makes me so thankful I had gotten so ahead during the first half of the month. 

Stats aside, I was able to read Cycle Eight to my mom in one day. We powered through it since he was an asshole and neither of us liked him. Too bad he plays such an important part of her development. The great outcome was getting feedback on if he was too triggering or not. So far, the consensus is that he straddles that abusive line well.

I also finished my second Lishky short for the month. This one feels a bit all over the place, but that might just be my current mental state. I’ll know more when I read through and edit it. I also have my new cover for it…almost. I’m getting mixed feedback on my choices, below. Got any advice?

I’m also not such a fan of the blurb I have for it, too. At least I have something to work with though.

Finally, I was able to create the first part of the physical compendium for two of my betas who prefer physical copies. My husband should get his tomorrow, so I’ll post a pic of it on social media. I expect it to be a chonker.

Anyway, let’s look at my final numbers:

Week Five | July 25-31

Minutes Logged: 550/630

Minutes Ahead: 160 (Whoo!)

Words Written: 2,101

Since it’s the end, let me give you some overall totals:

July 2021

Minutes Logged: 2,950 / 2,790

Minutes Ahead: 160 (Whoo!)

Words Written: 11,020 / 7,750

This makes me so happy. I love when I can complete all of my goals for a month, especially for a nanowrimo month. 

Let me know how your writing went this July in the comments below, and I’ll see y’all soon with more writing challenges and fun prompts.

We Published A Book! | Camp NaNoWriMo Week Four Update

Tags

book description, Camp Nanowrimo, editing process, NaNoWriMo, publish a book, writing goals, writing habit, writing update, writing vlog

Hello, lovelies.

Check out my writing vlog where I edit Cycle Eight, draw on our sales board at work, and publish a new ebook.

It’s week four, and I’ve finally done it. I wrote those damn blurbs. You heard me! I wrote four of those little fuckers. Next week, I’ll workshop them with my betas.

That’s one massive weight off my shoulders and a big old checkmark on a goal for the month.

I’ve also managed to finish my edits of Cycle Eight, which means I will be reading it to my mom next week. Maybe this time I can capture some of that audio for the vlog, but that means I will also get that goal checked off my list before the end of the month. Woot!

All I have left is to finish the other short that I’m halfway through writing and keep at my habit of 250 words a day. Because let’s be honest, although my numbers meet the requirement, I haven’t been consistent, and that’s not okay.

Or maybe it is because I edited and published one of my Lishky shorts during one hell of a week.

Oh, yeah. I had to sit on the phone with the IRS for three hours one morning. The bonus being that I talked to a very helpful human being who fixed what she could for the moment. And I had SO MANY errands last week. It was nuts.

I’ll take the whole week as a win.

So, let’s look at my final numbers:

Week Four | July 18-24

Minutes Logged: 595/630

Minutes Ahead: 340 (Whoo!)

Words Written: 1,418

These numbers aren’t the best, but the goals are getting checked off. Funny how that works. Must be the buffer I gave myself last week.

Onward and upward! Time to kill the last week of camp nano.

Let me know how your writing is going this July in the comments below, and I’ll see y’all next week for another update.

Reading Smut to My Mom | Camp NaNoWriMo Week Three Update

Tags

building habits, Camp Nanowrimo, cover creation, editing process, NaNoWriMo, reading smut, Wooing the Alpha, writing goals, writing update

Hello, lovelies.

Check out my writing vlog where I reward myself for finishing Wooing the Alpha, get my first vaccine shot, read to my mom, and write a shit ton of smut.

Week three has been productive in different ways. I’m almost finished with the first draft of one of my Lishky shorts, I made a new cover, prepped my website for a new release, wrote a blurb (but not for Wooing the Alpha), and am nearly finished reading Cycle Seven to my mom.

Plus, I’ve logged a hell of a lot of minutes! Now, let’s see if I can wrap up all of my goals, like editing cycle eight, finishing another short, and getting those damn blurbs done.

So, let’s look at my final numbers:

Week Three | July 11-17

Minutes Logged: 955/630

Minutes Ahead: 375 (Whoo!)

Words Written: 3,284

I finally feel like I’m getting my butt back in gear. Writing’s coming easier because I’m keeping to my daily habit, which is exactly what I wanted. However, I have noticed that I’m more willing to give myself a break when I get ahead…like the day I wrote 1,499 words, so all I did was edit the next day. Yeah, I need to cut that out and keep to my daily goal no matter what.

Let me know how your writing is going this July in the comments below, and I’ll see y’all next week for another update.

My Hopes, My Dreams, My Fears, & My Failures | Camp NaNoWriMo Final Update

Tags

Camp Nanowrimo, NaNoWriMo, Wooing the Alpha, writing challenge, writing dreams, writing failures, writing fears, writing goals

If not obvious by my lack of updates for the last two…three?…weeks of camp, the second half of the month did not go as planned. Check out my video explaining way more than I will below, plus kitties.

I failed Camp NaNo. Yup. But you know what? I tried. I made progress. Life keeps moving.

All of my excuses relate around the high number of hours I’ve been working, the two new jobs I landed, and how tired I am when I get home. Blah. Blah. Blah. I didn’t put the work in. Bottom line.

Still, I’m all right with that. Goals are fluid, but let’s look at them anyway.

Goal One: Write Every Day.

I was doing so well at this to start off with. I wrote 19 of 30 days. 

Once I realized that writing every day might not be possible, I shifted to include editing as hours spent on Wooing the Alpha. This helped me out a bit. I hit 28 of 30 days.

Goal Two: Edit Cycle Four

Bam. Totally completed this goal.

I finished my word lists and read cycle four to my mom. Yes, I read my smut out loud to my mother. We’ve gotten past the awkwardness of it. Mostly.

Goal Three: Betas

Another accomplished goal. I sent my betas cycle four and finalized all of their notes from cycle one: I had one major revision to do, but it reads solidly now, so Woot!

Goal Four: Track

Well, I once again did well for the first three weeks. I tracked my progress until April 18th. Then, nothing. I’d lost track of vlogging before then, and I was struggling to keep count of my minutes. Instead, I focused on working with the book to keep myself going.

Goal Five: Sprints!

Those first two weeks were sprint strong. Then, it became an annoyance to plan them with the way life got crazy. Like I said, it was hard to track.

Goal Six: Social Posts

Yeah, I don’t even think I started this. Unless you count YouTube and blog updates. I didn’t touch instagram, facebook, twitter, linked in, or reddit, et. al. Bad on me. Oh well. It’s not the end of the world.

Goal Seven: 125 Minutes a Day

Nope. Although I stopped tracking, I do think that I made it to 60 minutes a day on average. You know, a three hour phone call to my mom one day, and twenty minutes of writing on another. That’s still a nice accomplishment in my eyes.

Overall, I wrote 6,463 words in Wooing the Alpha. 

I’m hovering at the end of this beast: one more major section with five scenes, and two more for the falling action. And that’s it! I can’t believe it’s so close.

And for transparency sake, I’m pretty sure I’m sabotaging myself. You know, prolonging the end because I’m scared of messing up the end. If you work on big, creative projects, you might know this feeling.

My only way through it is to keep picking at it, coming back to it, and pushing myself to move forward.

That’s my goal for May. Hit this project until I make it to the end.

It’s going to happen, especially with the new job I landed. Apparently, it’ll be pretty boring there, so they encouraged me to bring my writing with me. Talk about a win!

Let me know how y’all are doing in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

I’m Still Behind | Camp NaNoWriMo Two Update

Tags

Camp Nanowrimo, NaNoWriMo, staring at my book, Wooing the Alpha, writer's block, writing challenge, writing every day, writing the end of a series, writing vlog

Hello, lovelies.

Check out my writing vlog with some clips of me trying out my new meat grinder, baking for Easter, making drinks, cute kitty closeups, and my struggle against the clock and writer’s block.

I’m at the end of my book, and y’all, it’s hard to craft the right ending. Being nearly there gives me so much anxiety, but I can almost feel the relief of having draft one done.

Of course, since it’s hard to write, I’m not getting a whole lot of words in, so I’m counting my plotting time—you know, the time I sit and stare at my work even when the words don’t come, and my research into my own 940+ page book to be sure I’m being consistent.

However, with all of that finagling, I didn’t catch up from last week, and I missed out on a few minutes this week, too. Oh happy days.

So, let’s look at my final numbers:

Week One | April 4-10

Minutes Logged: 831/875

Minutes Behind: 44 (plus the 90 from last week)

Words Written: 2,596

Total Words in Manuscript: 253,709

Y’all, I can’t really be too mad at myself. The numbers don’t count as much as I want them to because I just want to finish this behemoth in any way that I can. Sitting with it every day seems to be doing the trick, so I just have to stick with it.

I’m almost to the last major plot point, a couple of pages away in fact. And I’m trying not to freak out.

No worries though, I still have massive amounts of work to do on this to finish it out, filling in some scenes, and giving myself some more space to explore the alphas that I restrained in cycle fourteen—aka, I tried to limit them too much in word count and now need to go back and beef them up a bit. Let them grow!

All right, I’m going to stop stalling and get back to work.

Let me know how your writing is going this April in the comments below, and I’ll see y’all next week for another update.

I’m Already Behind | Camp NaNoWriMo Goals Camp & Week One Update

Tags

Camp Nanowrimo, daily habit, NaNoWriMo, sprint tracker, Wooing the Alpha, write every day, writing goals, writing sprints, writing tracker, writing update

Hello, lovelies.

Check out my writing vlog with the kitties and my crying while I write, cooking chicken noodle soup and playing in my bullet journal.

I’ve written more these last few days than I have for most of the month of March. Work has been killing my energy, so the daily habit has made me happy.

However, I am behind. Counting minutes makes me far more flexible with my writing time as long as I write every day. And that’s a win so far.

So, let’s look at my final numbers:

Week One| April 1-3

Minutes Logged: 285/375

Minutes Behind: 90

Words Written: 2,164

Total Words in Manuscript: 251,190

Here we are. I’ve got some time to make up. Days off are excellent for that as long as I don’t let myself get too far behind.

I won’t. I vow it!

I will finish this book. That is one of my goals for this camp experience.

Overall, I hope to write every day, to edit cycle four, send cycle three to my betas, track my time and my words, participate in sprints, vlog every day, and write for 125 minutes a day (my actual camp nano goal).

I don’t think I’m asking too much from myself. At least I hope not.

Wish me luck, y’all! I’m almost there.

Are you participating in camp? How are you tracking your progress this go around? Let me know in the comments below!

How I Did in 2020 | End of the Year Goal Review

Tags

2020 goal check in, book boxes, double my word count, end of the year review, kickstarter success, life goals, marketing goals, reading goals, well-paying job, writing goals

Okay, so I’m pretty sure everyone understands that 2020 didn’t go as planned. My year didn’t either, and with that in mind, I’m going to be loose in my evaluation of my goals.

2020’s actual goals:

Write 152,500 words in various projects, like the second Lily Graves novel, Loving Them Both (the final installment in a trilogy), and seven short stories.

Edit On Time, Lily Graves 2, and those seven shorts.

Market with consistent content, Kickstarter, Bookbub, swaps, and A/B ad testing.

Build a Broken World companion, a family cookbook, freelance clients, tutoring clients, and a $40k income.

Reach bestseller status, Kickstarter success, financial freedom, and 175 pounds.

Learn twelve new recipes, web coding, my camera settings, insta stories, and how to use a saw.

Create On Time book boxes, a new desk, and a filming space.

Fitness: 1 pull up, run 5-10k, do a handstand, and increase flexibility.

Make a habit of writing every day, increasing water intake, increasing cardio, eating cleaner, work abs, and reading regularly.

Fix my home.

Yeah, that’s a lot of specifics, isn’t it? I can tell you right now, most of this didn’t happen. First, let’s see what I did accomplish.

2020’s ACTUAL accomplishments:

I wrote 246,215 words in 2020. Fiction words. This does not include all of the other things that I write regularly. Next year, I will be tracking those as well. So, I definitely hit my word count goal, although not in the projects I’d planned.

I edited and published On Time. Check!

I created consistent content on YouTube, better content on Instagram, and okay content on wordpress and facebook and emails.

I started taking notes on my Broken World companion, although it’s not much. I’ve also collected a great deal of recipes for my cookbook.

I reached Kickstarter success with our On Time campaign!

I learned twelve new recipes, one includes an amazing chocolate cake that I make weekly. 

I created and mailed 26 book boxes, unearthed a plain filming space, and built new organization for my desk.

I can hang for a full minute but no full pull up, and I’ve made greens a major part of my diet. Butter is still my greatest weakness, however.

I succeeded in my writing habits, my cardo habits, and my reading habits (over 100 books this year)!

And I got myself a better paying job with some fun people.

All in all, that’s not a bad list.

I feel like I’ve accomplished much of my intentions regardless of the projects I poured into. Lofty goals always make me push harder, so I plan to keep making them.

How did you do in 2020? What are you plans for 2021? Let me know in the comments below!

Refilling the Creative Well | What I’m Doing to Soothe End-Of-Year Burnout

Tags

End of Year Burnout, mental health, Planning breaks, productivity dip, Refilling creativity, Refilling the Creative Well, Resting, self care, Unwinding

It’s the end of the year, and the burnout is real. Writing nearly double the words in 2020 as I did in 2019 and NaNoWriMo killed my brain function. I swear.

Pair that with editing and publishing an anthology with 74 stories, and brain has mushed. As it has a tendency to do. I often like to push myself past where I should.

I probably wouldn’t do this so often if it didn’t produce such nice results. The problem with this, however, is when my productivity dips, I chastise myself with how lazy I’m being, how I could be making this or getting that done. It’s not healthy.

So, it’s time to refill the well, and if I plan some of it into my schedule, I can feel like I’m not just wasting time.

Here are some of the things I plan to do to take care of my creativity and mental health:

Baking—chocolate cake, brownies, cinnamon rolls, cookies (of all varieties), and pies. I love to make sweets. The boys love to eat these, too, if they can get ahold of them before I do. I found this new chocolate cake recipe that is the fudgiest thing ever. We compared it to the boxed stuff, and man, does this beast kill on flavor. If you bake, try it out and let me know if you like it!

Trying New Recipes—cooking in general is my main contribution to my family, so often, this feels like another chore. Unless I’m trying a new recipe. I love experimenting. It’s the best when the family likes the new meal, which also adds a new choice to the rotation, but I also really like to try some strange things. So when I get a chance to meddle in something that’s just for me, it’s a real treat. Got any suggestions? Drop them below for me!

Reading Books—on average, I’ve been reading between eight and twelve books a month. With my new job, I’m not sure how those numbers are going to sway, but reading amps up my creativity. I’ll read in my genre, out of my comfort zone, nonfiction, and it all offers me something new. I love that about books. If you’re a reader, please make me some recommendations.

Coloring—I’m a big kid, and as I’d like to start drawing and painting again, I love to color. Give me a line-drawing and hand over those colored pencils, and I am on top of that. I’m layering colors and using different strokes to enhance my masterpiece. I used to do this for my bullet journal. I have a Bob’s Burgers coloring book that I can’t wait to crack open. 

Sudoku & Puzzles—I LOVE puzzles, number puzzles, word puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles. I need to get my hands on more of the last. I’ll spend an entire day working on a 1,000 piece one, and the best part is that the family can come and help. The downfall…cats. We need a safe place to store them.

Planning—I truly love my bullet journal, my traveler’s notebook, and my home-made mini–Happy Planner. I also have so many sheets for preplanning and book planning, and I probably overdo it just a tad, but when I’m exhausted, I like to dabble in them. It means drawing and crafting and paper and markers and a different kind of creativity that can lead to future results. Two birds meet stone.

Down Time with the Family—Sometimes, it’s just nice to sit on the couch, play a game on my iPad and have the boys talk about gaming and stocks and reddit and the news. It’s nice to play with the kitties. It’s nice to watch a movie or new show or eat cake together and talk. It’s just nice.

YouTube Binge—I have some clear trends on my YouTube feed: Korean cafes and cooking, planning/bullet journaling, booktube, authortube, cake decorating, Eva Fitness (Mira is magnetic y’all) and other workout girls, soap making (Royalty Soaps!), illustrators and their packing videos, and pop music. I can find myself running the rabbit hole in spirals. 

Working Out—this is a habit that’s serving me so well. I started working out consistently about ten years ago. And not only does it have all of those chemical reactions that signal happiness and elevate the mood, but I’ve noticed while working with some people half my age to eight years my junior that I have a lot more energy than they do. I don’t have complaints about standing around, bending or lifting things, or a bad back. I mean, sure, my back or my hip or my neck might get me on the occasion, but regular weights and stretching and cardio really do keep me young. Also, walking and running and stretching is a great way to brainstorm ideas, too.

Resting—Oh, this one is hard. Sitting or lying with nothing to do. Just letting my mind wander…it’s not something I often do. Even when I go to bed, I have cartoons playing in the background. It’s my overactive mind. When I don’t engage it, it goes off on its own, and that can be great, but it isn’t always, which is likely why I tend to avoid it. I think some meditation or guided breathing might do me good.

Yup, that’s a great big list. Is there anything on your unwinding, self-care, or refilling the well activities list that isn’t on mine? Please, share them with me! I love new ideas. If you do anything on my list, tell me about it!

Thanks guys, and may your wells be full for 2021!

I Wrote 50,000 Words in November | NaNoWriMo Final Update

Tags

bob's burgers monopoly, bullet journal, Nano, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Winning Nano, Wooing the Alpha, writer's block, Writing 50000 words, writing challenge

Hello, lovelies.

Check out my writing vlog with the kitties and Bob’s Burger Monopoly, sweet tart martinis and workouts, bullet journal set ups and lots of freaking out about my word count racking up to the sweet 50k.

Welp, I did it. I wrote all of the words.

Somehow, the universe lined up just right to let me complete this challenge. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I put in A LOT of work. I sat with my book when I didn’t feel like it, when I barely had the time for it, when the words didn’t want to come, when I had too much going on with life. I forced myself to hit that wordcount or make it up if I got behind. And it worked.

I managed no zero-word days. One day below a thousand, and most of the days were close to the goal (between 1600 and 1800 words). I got one day of over 3,000 this week because of my 500-word day, which was Thanksgiving. I had a headache all day, plus, holiday.

So, let’s look at my final numbers:

Week Four & Five| November 22-30

Words Written: 50,053

Words Ahead: 53

Total Words in Manuscript: 204,116

Yup. That happened. It really did. And as excited as I am about it, I think I need a rest! Not that I plan to put my book down for any length of time. I’m just going to take it easy on myself. 850 words a day doesn’t sound too bad after 1,667 a day, right? Well, we can thank my writeropoly board for that.

Ultimately, it pushes me toward my goal of consistently writing a thousand words a day. One day. One day.

I also have no planned celebration for winning Nano (and getting a new job). Let me know what you think I should do to celebrate. And please tell me about how your November went in the comments below.