Writing this feels awkward.

Like replying to a text from a year ago with "Sorry, my phone died. What's up?".

Except it's been almost two years since I last wrote on this blog. It feels like bumping into an old friend from high school while picking up a bottle of wine at the liquor store, and I'll be honest, I'm not sure what to say.

This last November, after many attempts in the years prior, I finally finished my rough draft of Fearless and won NaNoWriMo. It was a long time coming, but I'm ecstatic to have finally completed it, even if it's a terrible mess to edit.

So now that I'm in revisions for this book I've been working on for years, I decided I ought to check back in here.

I'm not sure how often I'll write here, and I'd hate to make promises I cannot keep. Perhaps you'll see a handful of updates about how the edits are coming along, or a post or two about my process, or even just a couple musings about writing in general.

But I hope to be able to check in here often.

I've missed this quiet sanctuary. Thank you for all of your support since I started this blog, and thank you for bearing with me in the rough times. I sincerely appreciate your kindness and patience.

Happy Editing, Friends!

Savvy

I don't think I really forgot about this blog. I just put it to the side for a while.

I won't say that this year has been particularly eventful, though there are a few highlights.

Since we've last spoken, I've graduated high school.

I made the decision to step away from college for a year. Smell the roses, taste and see what God has in store for me. Take some "me" time.

In a couple months, I have the privilege of walking down the aisle as maid-of-honor in one of my best friend's wedding. I'm so happy for her and the new life she'll be beginning soon.

I've closed doors in my life that were open for much too long.

I've learned.

I've grown.

I'm learning.

I'm growing.

I can't tell where this year will take me. I'm not sure if I'm here to stay on this blog. I won't make empty promises about how often I'll update this blog.

All I can say is....

I've missed this place and I hope I can visit often.

Happy Writing,
Savvy

Ahh, I see a pattern forming here.

Only a month ago, I remember being so excited for NaNoWriMo, being eager to finish this dang novel if it killed me, wanting to finally give my heart rest.

And then...and then....and then...

I lost momentum. That's ok. Everyone loses momentum. I was going to catch up after my busy week came to an end. I would make up the words. My writing buddies would Word War fearlessly alongside me. It would be ok!

I'm not sure how long ago (I lost track of time), but maybe it was a couple weeks. Yeah, that sounds about right. My computer crashed.

Dead.

I went into a state of shock. I've got at least three full chapters that could be gone forever. I've been somewhat useless without my computer. (I'm pathetic, but it's true.)

The diagnosis seems to be that I need to somehow back up all of my important files, and then completely reboot my little electronic buddy. I'll have to start on a clean slate. Hopefully find all my old internet bookmarks. Restart.

It seems like November just doesn't want me to write, which is funny. November is the perfect time for me to write! I'm an autumn/winter girl by nature, and nothing inspires me more than being snuggled up in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and a story in my head.

Yet.

Every November something comes up, be it the emotional turmoil of a friend, or a litter of puppies to care for. Something always keeps me from my goal.

This isn't me quitting. It's not. I love this story too much to quit.

But NaNoWriMo is definitely an impossibility at this point.

Instead, I welcome DecNoWriMo with open, hopeful arms.

Happy Writing, Friends.
Savvy

Let me know in the comments how your NaNo project is coming, or if you're a renegade who wants to accompany me and my friends as we take December by force and finish these goshdarn stories!

If you play an active role (or even a passive role, really) in the online writer community, you probably know a little something about NaNoWriMo.

For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, I'll be brief: (Feel free to skip this next section if you're a NaNo veteran.)

NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month), is an annual, month-long event in which writers all over the world are challenged to write a WHOPPING 50,000 words in 30 days.

Are there prizes? No.
(Unless you count pride. You probably don't though.)

Can you write the same word 50,000 times and still win? Yes, but that kind of just defeats the purpose, and you'd be kind of a troll.

Do they read my words when they count them? Not at all! You're words are calculated, not read. (You're not the only paranoid writer out there. Trust me. *Points at self*)

Why should I participate? Camaraderie! Write-Ins (Find Write-Ins for your region on the site)! Lack of sleep! The pride of knowing you wrote whole novel! Survival Kits! Coffee! Awesomeness! Procrastination! Word Wars! Traveling Shovel of Death! (I really don't know what I'm saying anymore...)

Can I add you as a Writing Buddy? Umm heck yes! You can click the link in the upper right hand corner for my NaNo page, or just search for savvythewritergirl.

Now that we got that out of the way, I'm going to do something that you're all much accustomed to on my blog. I'm about to make a promise that I will probably not be able to keep. (Honestly, I could probably be a politician with all of the promises I break on this blog. Ugh.)

This November, I hope to blog throughout NaNoWriMo, at least on a weekly basis. I'll probably start out cheery and epiphanic for the the first week or so, and then the posts here will become more whiny and less frequent.

For the time being, however, we're going to be optimistic.

As it stands, we have less than a week before the caffeine-sponsored activities commence, but NaNoPrepMo *cough* October *cough* is almost to its end. For those of you who really can't live without inspiration/advice/procrastination/whathaveyou, my goal is to include links to some awesome posts and forum threads I stumble across each week, followed by a song that helps me write, or something of the like.

This series of NaNo posts will begin later this week, hopefully.

Here's to a great month of writing and learning and laughing (but no sleeping).

Happy Writing, Friends!
Savvy

YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday this week is:

Are you doing NaNoWriMo, or have you ever? Does having a deadline inspire you?

You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be doing NaNoWriMo again this year! I've been counting the days, browsing the forums, and just generally prepping myself physically and mentally (and maybe even emotionally).

This will be my third year attempting NaNo, and though I've never won, I'm anxious to give it another shot. It's such a tremendous experience and it gets me all excited to write and connect with other writers!

I used to despise deadlines with a fiery passion. It always required pacing myself and getting things done (which, as a procrastinator, was never fun).

And then my friends start challenging me. Early this summer, a friend of mine told me I had to give him a new chapter every single week so he could read it. It felt awesome! Suddenly, I was motivated to do things, write faster, than I had once thought possible.

A few weeks ago, I signed up for Go Teen Writers' 100 for 100 Challenge, where we are challenged to write 100 words a day, no excuses. My friends and I have been actively participating in word wars throughout the week and inspiring each other on Facebook. Really, deadlines kind of ROCK!

So, yeah. I'm excited for NaNo. My project this year is to finish my WIP, Fearless. I know it's not a traditional NaNo project, seeing as I've already begun my novel, but I'll be completely fair with my word count and will only be using the words I write from November 1st-30th, of course. I just need to finish this baby before I tackle any other projects. :)

Who else is participating in NaNo this year? Let me know if this is your first year giving it a shot or if you're a returning NaNo veteran in the comments!

Happy Writing, Friends!
Savvy

YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday this week is:

What do you hope to be writing in one year? Three? Five?

I think the key word in this question is "hope", because, honestly, I'm not even prepared to guess where I'll be at in my writing by that time. The best I can do is hope.

In one year, I hope to be wrapping up edits on my longstanding WIP, the first installment in a four-part series. This book, as most of you may know, is my baby. I've been working and reworking, writing and rewriting this story for four years now, which is a little frustrating sometimes, but it's also a little reassuring. I've started tons of stories, and I've always given up on them because they just weren't good enough. The fact that after four long years I'm still madly in love with this WIP...that's a little reassuring to me.

In three years, I hope to be working on the sequel, maybe even plotting out the third book more thoroughly. In three years, I like to hope that book one is published and that we've got the ball rolling.

In five years, I hope I've begun writing the last book of the series. This will be the gut-wrenching year for me. I don't ever want to finish the last pages of my baby, but it'll have to be done.

For now, all I can do is hope. And write.

Happy Writing,
Savvy

This summer, adventure took over my life.

I'm pretty proud of that.

But before we get to the pretty picture summary of my summer, I'm going to participate in YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday, where they asked, "Inspired by Stephanie Perkins' post on Natalie Whipple's blog, what is your novel's 'Love List'?" 

What's a Love List? It's a list of all of the things you LOVE about your story. It's a list of all of the reasons why the grueling task of writing is actually worth it in the end. It's a list to remind us that, even when we feel like our story sucks, there was a reason we started it in the beginning, and there's a reason we'll finish it. Because, believe it or not, there are a whole lot of awesome things in our story. 

So, without further ado, my Love List (minus all of the spoilery stuff):
~Feuding sisters
~Dyslexia
~Disguises
~A sharp-witted best friend
~Alchemy
~Capes (a WHOLE LOT of capes!)
~A family reunion
~Royalty and rebellion
~Bedtime stories & campfire tales
~Pranks
~Blooming romance
~Mysterious murders
~A traitor
~A grumpy old veteran who secretly is a softy
~Boys behaving like...well...boys
~A secret alcove
~Forests and mountain weather
~A sadistic villain
~Gross camp food
~Swords

Maybe that can give you a little taste of what my story is about. It's kind of crazy, a little dysfunctional, but I really do love it. :)

Now, PICTURES! 

This summer, my sister and I had the incredible privilege of visiting our grandparents in Montana (which, if you were wondering, is an INCREDIBLY beautiful place). Not convinced? Take a look.

The Kootenai River

This is what backyards look like in Montana. BACKYARDS. You know what my backyard looks like? Dirt. Dirt and weeds.

My sister and I on the swinging bridge over the Kootenai. Don't let this picture fool you, it was PETRIFYING.

Like, how can this be a backyard. How? HOW?!?!?!

My sister :)

Good gosh! It's as big as my head!

These, my friends, are "Choke Cherries", and, despite having an extremely deterring name, are apparently NOT poisonous. We found them and immediately thought of Nightlock. Obvious photo op.

"On three?"

I freaking love tall grass!!!!!!

First ever horseback ride. This picture does not accurately capture my euphoric joy.

Murals like this were EVERYWHERE in Libby. I swear, every building had one.

Shakespeare and ice cream...

You know how we do.

What was really happening before this picture: "Alright, Maddie, I'm gonna crouch down and you have TWO seconds to take a good picture. Ready? Ok..."  *crouches down* "ASDFERGRGBEWGASD THAT WAS A TICK! THERE WAS A TICK ON MY FOOT!!!! I AM OUT OF HERE!!"

And that's what happened in beautiful Montana. Then, when I got home, I found THIS on my desk...

ACSI Creative Writing Festival Selected Superior Works :)

That? Oh, that's just my first ever publication. Ever. :) Sure, it's just a short story in a book of other short stories, and you can't go out and buy it...but still. It's a milestone, and I'm ecstatic! 


I hope you all had an equally incredible summer this year, and I look forward to some serious writing with you all this fall. 

Happy Living, Friends!
Savvy

Alright guys, I don't want to jinx this....but I do believe I'm currently on a roll.

In four days, I cracked out two chapters (one was 13 pages, guys!) and I'm almost done with a third this week.

So what's gotten me in such a productive mood? Actually, a deadline.

See, I've got this friend who's constantly encouraging me to finish this draft. At first, I didn't really care if I finished a chapter or two just to appease him, because my mom's been pushing me to finish this book for the last couple years, and it hasn't really made much of a difference in productivity. But this friend of mine decided to give me a deadline--a really reasonable one, too.

And then it was like my fingers couldn't type fast enough! Because I knew I could do it if I really tried. It was possible.

Four days later, I handed him the epically heavy stack of paper at a party and began outlining the next few chapters during dinner that night. It was a wonderful feeling. :)

Also, for any of you curious about my writing progress, I have a word meter in the upper right corner of this blog. I'll update it again when I finish this next chapter!

Happy Writing, Friends!
Savvy

Last night, while I was feverishly trying to finish this one goshdarn chapter of my WIP, I had a sort of epiphany. The kind of epiphany one has during crunch time at 3 AM.

See, I was in a pretty bad rut. I realized I had no idea what I wanted my characters to do in this scene. Sure, I knew what I wanted as an end result, but I had no clue at all how I was going to get there.

So what did I do?


In retrospect, five hours on Pinterest probably wasn't the best use of my down time. (In fact, I only ended up finding novel-related pins within the last hour of my pinning spree. Guys, I'm ashamed.) But Pinterest really has its appeal when it comes to writing. It's a great place to organize ideas for story boards and other fun things.

Another place I like to waste my life is on WeHeartIt.* Looking for thousands of pages of pictures that are always being updated? This is the place to go. The downside is that you quickly become addicted and might have to sift through hundreds of One Direction and Justin Bieber pictures in the process of finding some good inspiration. Unless you don't mind the deluge of fandom.

Music (and I don't necessarily mean lyric-free music, either) is also a great place to give your soul a refill. I've got a couple Pandora stations for various reasons (all cleverly titled, mind you) so that I have a constant stream of both new and favorite music around me at all times. I know music isn't usually for every writer, but I find that a few lines of really captivating lyrics can turn a bad writing mood into something exciting.


I've got this one character, one of my favorites, who's a bit of a neat freak. She's got this very particular way of doing things, setting things up, that drives her up the wall if it gets tweaked in any way. I guess you could call her OCD.

What do you think would really irk her? If someone were to start tinkering with things in her room, maybe? If they dropped something of hers on the dirty floor?

So...if I were to make one of my characters a really absentminded, touchy, clumsy person and throw them into a room together, what would I get?

I would get an exciting scene, that's what!

If you've got a character who's very particular, throw in some chaos. Give them a reason to butt heads and see where it goes from there.

Most of the time, I get writer's block when I've taken a step in the wrong direction. Writing, to me, is very much like walking through a maze. It's very easy to hit a dead end and have to back track, but don't let it discourage you from trying again.

When a scene is going nowhere, step back and analyze it. What in this scene has to stay? What's crucial and what's holding me back?

Sometimes you're gonna have to cut a paragraph, and sometimes it'll be a whole chapter. But it's for the better, I promise. It's like unclogging a drain! (Just make sure not to mass delete your work. Sometimes good ideas are just stifled by laziness and lack of inspiration. Believe me, I know!)


If you've got any tips or tricks for banishing writer's block, let me know in the comments! 

Happy Writing, Friends!
Savvy



 *DISCLAIMER: WeHeartIt occasionally features some inappropriate material that may not be suitable for children. Talk to your parent(s)/guardian before checking it out!

Alright, first of all, HI! I've missed blogging so very much, but I've been busier than ever lately (finishing a show, cast parties, grad parties, prom, life, anxiety, dogs, church, friends, more grad parties...) and I haven't gotten a chance to do much of anything.

In fact, I've read a grand whopping total of ONE BOOK over the last month and a half. (In related new, Moira Young's Blood Red Road is AMAZING GO BUY IT NOW OHMYFLIPPINGGOSH!!)

Guess how much writing I've done.

Go ahead, any guess will do!

What's that? Four pages?
Nope! Try again.

Three?
Ha! Nope.

Let me just cut to the chase before I start to lose my dignity here...

Two paragraphs. Nothing.

The thing is...I REALLY LOVE THIS STORY. (See Beth Revis's incredible post about "the book of her heart".) THIS is how I feel about this stupid novel I'm writing. It's my baby.

So......I'm going to finish it. I will. I have to. Just the first draft, and then I can breathe.

Last night, I stayed up into the wee hours in the morning, writing (distraction-free) for a whole page! Unfortunately, that amount of work is what I consider a successful night.

From here on out, I'm going to shoot for writing this much EVERY night. Every stinking night this summer. And you'll hear about it all right! I'll vent here, I'll celebrate here. I might even cry or rage a little.

So hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because this is going to be a SUPER productive summer (Lord willing!).

Happy Writing, Friends!
Savvy

PS. Does anyone know any good widgets I can use to keep track of my word count?? Let me know in the comments!!  :)