This Past Month: April

Just for the record, I took that picture, and I'm finally proud of myself XP

(a.k.a. when my overcommiter self finally gets punished xD)
(and that picture is really ironic because I spent the last week of the month nearly freezing to death up in the mountains. Just saying.)

Can anyone tell me where the year is going? I will seriously pay you if you can tell me. ;)

I am proud to say that this month went extremely well for my writing. #campnanohappened and I kept up with my goal of writing two hours a day very well. Then, about three weeks in, I realized oh, wow, I might not be able to make this.

Thankfully, going through beta reader feedback was an excuse to write more xD


During the first half of the month, I finished the second draft of my sequel, Outcast. It went much better than I expected, especially the last quarter that had been so difficult to write. I'm going to set it aside for the summer and come back to it in September.

As for the first book, Found, I got all the feedback from my beta readers and am getting ready for some major rewrites. All the comments were quite encouraging, and now I have a clear direction for fixing my novel! I'm starting with an outline this time. At last ;)

(and can I just scream about K.M. Weiland's outlining method for a moment? because I started using it and literally three minutes in I was like "hey, all my plot problems are fixed!"

I finished Pride and Prejudice! And omw it was amazing if you are a writer you MUST read it. The characters were just incredible and I was reading it as fast as I would a fantasy novel despite that all the characters do is walk around and talk xD Jane Austin is the character master.

(but the end... what do I say? Predictable? It's a romance novel, after all :P)

I can't remember exactly how many books I read, but I think it was about four or five, plus two novellas for beta reading. My favorite/worst favorite rolled into one was To Darkness Fled.

 WHAT HAPPENED TO VRELL?!?! The ending was so masterful yet infuriating that I nearly threw my Kindle across the room xD But I'd definitely recommend it; the plot is amazing.


Then, just because I'm random, I started reading the Little House books again because why not?

I disappeared for a week (actually two). But since it was camp nano time, I had a good excuse ;) However... I know I did vanish for another week this past week, but that was because I was on vacation. It was so beautiful outside that I couldn't bring myself to get on my computer and get some stuff done. I'll get better again in May :P

I did, however, finish my #projectcanvas article. Barely. I procrastinated on it then panicked two weeks before it was due because my first draft was horrible. I can't force articles ;P

Anyway, here's my rather small collection of posts for April:

I might not have posted much, buuuut other people did, so.....

Savannah @scatterescribblings wrote to all us young writers and nearly made me cry.

Katie Grace @awritersfaith made me pine away for writing a first draft.

Karyssa @nocoffeenocando gave me the most beautiful reminder.

And Kate @thegoodnessrevolt did it again and wow go read this.

And lastly, Jonathan @fishingforideas wrote an amazing post about incorporating faith into your novels and this one which is equally as awesome. 

Life. Ha. Haha. Funny one....

Wellll I guess it was a good month, because....

Now I'm driving.

\(*.*)/

(you can try and guess what that means).

It was rather stressful getting ready for the permit test, since I took exactly two weeks to do the online course then I had to study the booklet.... then I had to wait in a line at the DMV and be rather daunted by all the legal stuff that goes on. But I passed my knowledge test and now have my permit!

Oh, and I hit a curb. Whoops xD

Life kept on rolling at top speed as I had more public speaking, then a ton of stuff going on Easter week. (yummy food. foot-cramps from wearing heels. reading until midnight bc I need to to fall asleep. you know, the usual.) Come afternoon on Easter morning, all I could do was lay on the floor of my bedroom and talk at my Kindle as I read.

Then I tried to scramble and get everything (emails, beta reading, articles, blog posts, etc.) off my list before I went on vacation the final week of the month, and attempted to ski again after a break of nearly three (or was it four?) years. I was a snowboarder most recently, so I kept complaining about my poles xD

And it was cold. C-O-L-D. *cue shivers and teeth chattering* (just as I was getting ready for summer...)

Now... *exhale.* It was a crazy month!

My first newsletter is flying out on May 2nd! I'm going to be going more in-depth about my camp nano experience, editing, beta reader feedback... all the good stuff.

As for life in general, where has the year gone? It's almost summer!?!? I'm hoping to get a bunch of rewriting for Found done before then.

And take more time to breathe xD


<3

Audrey Caylin

How was your month? Any crazy things happen? (get your driving permit, finish a novel, etc.) Let's talk April!