What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow and is a great way for readers and writers to catch up!
What I'm reading
I've been reading White Cat by Holly Black, which is awesome!
What I'm writing
I'm still working on the first draft of my YA fantasy, tentatively titled Beneath the Waves (not, as I've been referring to it, 'Attack of the Mer-Zombies... :P). It involves merpeople, zombie-vampire-creatures, dark magic and my first fully realised fantasy world! I'm currently exchanging chapters with my CP's as I go and compiling a file in Word ready for all my editing notes...
Meanwhile, I've been working on getting my notes together for another series! This one's upper-MG fantasy, with steampunk elements, clockwork monsters, and Dianna Wynne Jones-esque alternative universes! It MAY be my NaNo project, if I can complete the outlines and hold off starting the draft until November...
What else I've been up to
Well, I finished my placement on a high note! I've learned a lot in the past month (not least, how to balance writing and working full-time at the expense of sleep and sanity!). I left London on Saturday and battled my way through the public transport system to get home. Home! Where I plan to spend the next week catching up with friends I've neglected, making more plans, reading books, and of course WRITING.
And here are the photos of London I promised!
The London Eye! I haven't ridden it yet, but I plan to!
Waterstones = my favourite place in the world. So, given the opportunity, I visited two of them in one day!
And there's always space for a floating Yoda in front of the National Portrait Gallery!
What inspires me right now
Lots of things. Autumn leaves and ideas floating in the air. So many potential ideas...if only I had the time to turn them all into books!
It's also the first Wednesday of October, which means it's time for The Insecure Writers Support Group, the genius creation of Alex J Cavanaugh!
I'm swimming in a pond of insecurity at the moment, because my book, Darkness Watching, comes out in EIGHT DAYS. Now, I've been through this before, sort of, but when The Puppet Spell came out, I wasn't expecting it as there wasn't a set release date. This time, there is. And I still have so much to do. Promotions to sort out, blog tours...I planned WAY in advance, but with the release date changing and Life being stressful and just...everything, I still don't feel ready to face it. Another of my books out in the world. The culmination of years of broken dreams and dreams resurrected and all that dramatic crap...but it's true that the original idea for these books came from the first novel I ever wrote. The first book I received an encouraging rejection for, three years ago now. I've learned so much in the interim, but it still feels just as nerve-wracking to know people out there are going to be reading my books!
Not to mention, I'm kind of in limbo at the moment. I've finished my placement, meaning I have no full-time job. I freelance, write and work on my internship for Entangled, but I've lost that routine of always having somewhere to go...even if it was a nightmare of a commute, and fitting in writing was like battling the universe every day! So I guess I'm drifting a bit. Also, so many people I know are going back to university right now to start post-graduate courses, and I'm not because I has no moneys... *sob* So with no placement, no course, and a life that seems to make crazy directional changes every other day, it probably shouldn't be surprising that I'm thinking of my book as one of the few definites - one thing that IS happening. On the 10th October.
The thing I know I need to do? Let go. Perspective, that's what I need. And a whole lot of courage. Terrifying it might be, but it's also exciting. A new step on my writing journey. A new dream fulfilled. Once upon a darker time, I used to be terrified of everything, scared to try anything new because I was so terrified of failure. I don't ever want to be in that position again, so I keep doing things that scare me. I write books that scare me (not because of the demons or monsters, but because they're scarily challenging!). I keep chasing dreams. I think that when life gets crazy, it's easy to forget what I've ALREADY achieved. So that's my goal for this month. No matter what happens when my second novel hits the shelves, I'll try to remember that!
It sounds like you've talked yourself right out of the insecurity storm! They're all great points to keep in mind- especially the need for perspective. You're alive, you're healthy, you're a published author! Everything else? It'll work out, probably in a way that you can't see for here.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the book release! Let me know if I can help in any way (the blog is your guest posts/promotional giveaways, whatever you may want or need- just ask!)
Thanks for participating in IWSG!
Much love,
Bev
Absolutely true! Thanks so much for offering! :)
DeleteGirl, I feel your pain... or insecurity I should say. It's nerve-racking when you know your baby is about to go out into the world of sometimes mean people. And I can say that both as a mom AND an author. But you're so right about the perspective. We tend to make it all more important than it is. What's really important is already at our fingertips--life, beauty, love, friendship. This is what we have to remind ourselves.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the release!!!
Yeah, it's pretty nerve-wracking, but worth it! Thank you :)
DeleteEmma! You sound very busy, but I get a sense of excitement, even in your IWSG post, and it's really inspiring.
ReplyDeleteYour WiP sounds fun, and I like the working title. Your first fully realized imagined world is an awesome thing. Good luck! And I would love to participate in the blog tour or something to help with the promotion of you book, if that's something you need or would want.
Love the pics of London!
Thank you so much! :) Sign-ups just closed for the blog tour yesterday, but I'm sure there will be other events on soon!
DeleteBeneath the Waves sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteWow, it sounds like you're pretty stressed! You're right, though, you just need to remember that you're achieving your dreams, whether it feels like it or not. Your book is coming out for people to read, and that in itself is an amazing thing. :)
Thank you :) You're absolutely right - I just need to keep reminding myself!
DeleteYour fantasy sounds exciting! I love fantasy, and being able to create your own world is one of the best things. Good luck with writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you :) The world-building was difficult, but I really enjoyed the process!
DeleteYour photos are making me want to go back to London right now! We did get to spend as much time as I would have liked in London, but one day we'll definitely return. I am always amazed by writers who write fantasy. I would love to try tackling it one day. The worldbuilding is so much work, but would be so worth it in the end. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to explore more - there's so much to see and do! It's definitely worth the time you invest in world-building when it works and you can see the world you've created come to life. :)
DeleteI want to go to London sooo bad. I love that book store sign too!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your book launch!
Waterstones is amazing :) Thank you!
DeleteLove this and LOVE your pictures and while I'm in a loving mood, Oooo that bookstore! Now that I'm done drooling...
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit the same way. If something scares me, it usually means I should say yes and do it. :)
Sometimes it's the only way! :) And I spent so long in that Waterstones drooling over the books, people started giving me strange looks. :P
DeleteI'm so jealous that you have ideas for books. I used to have tons of ideas, but now I can't get any words down on paper. I miss writing.
ReplyDeleteAww :( I go through phases like that. Best thing to do is just write something - anything - without worrying about anyone reading it or about the quality. Often, once you start writing, the ideas will start flowing again! :)
Deletei love all things Holly Black! congrats on your placement! Insecurity is such a drag, but you can rise above it. Think of all the things you've accomplished thus far, if you can get through all of that you can do so much more!
ReplyDeleteThank you! That's so true.
DeleteI LOVE the floating Yoda!!! Actually, I love all the pictures! How neat for you!
ReplyDeleteAnd I really must read some Holly Black. One of my CPs LOVES her. Her stories have been on my TBR for too long!
I need to read more of her books. White Cat was on offer on Amazon UK a while ago so I snagged a copy!
DeleteI saw the floating Yoda at Covent Garden last time I was in London :P
ReplyDeleteMer-zombies sounds awesome. Have fun writing that :D
Thanks :) It's very fun to write!
DeleteYou WIP seems really interesting, and you seem mega busy. London is fun but it's always nice to go home :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! It can get a bit crazy sometimes, but in a good way! :)
DeleteOkay, mer-zombies sound kind of terrifying, yet very fun! Love the pictures of London. I hope I get to vacation there someday. That shot of floating Yoda is hilarious! Have a great time catching up with friends and getting in some reading and writing! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you :) Yeah, I had to snap a picture of it. :P
DeleteYou just came full circle and solved your own insecurity!
ReplyDeleteSorry you're not going back to the university.
And congratulations on your upcoming release. If you've done everything you can, don't stress it. The tour and release will fall into place.
Lol, I guess I did :P Thank you!
DeleteYour WIP sounds really cool. Love the pictures of London. I really want to go someday. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteYour book comes out in a week!!! How exciting! :)
ReplyDeleteI can certainly empathize with feeling uncertain about the future, and I am very glad that you have your book release to help keep you focused and positive. Life can be so crazy, but I've found that things tend to work themselves out. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :)
Have a great week!
Thank you! :)
DeleteSounds like you have a great perspective. And how awesome is it that your book comes out in a week. Wahoo. Exciting times.
ReplyDelete