Welcome to my blog, where I am continuously confused by how time works. IT WAS THE START OCTOBER THREE BLOG POSTS AGO. But now it’s… November? And it’s December, aka Christmas-month, next month?

Next year, I hope time goes a little slower. I’m getting too old for this.

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. It was created by created by Jaime and Erin. Want to join the party? Go right ahead, and remember to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog.

What I’m Reading

I picked up THE 5TH WAVE for free at World Fantasy Con 2013, and I’m really digging it so far. It’s a YA apocalyptic story with a very creepy take on an alien invasion. Though I just finished the chapter about the main character’s mum, and I’m not sure I’ve forgiven the book for upsetting me so much so early on.

I also attempted the packed TALES OF EVE launch party. TALES OF EVE is an anthology of stories where ladies try to create a perfect man, and there’s a whole host of spins on the idea inside: time travel! Robotics! LGBT stories! Sister issues! It’s really cool to see the unique twists everyone puts on the basic concept and I love the variety.

Other than that, I’ve mostly been doing reading for my own editing.

What I’m Writing

It’s NaNoWriMo! How’s everyone doing? I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s progress in their blog posts today.

My plan for NaNoWriMo was to write 50,000 words of short stories, but you know what they say about best laid plans…

Instead, I’ve been flitting around doodling, making comics, and creeping through my editing. But I’m DOING THINGS, which is a huge improvement on last month, so I’m very excited about it all.

Am I actually doing NaNoWriMo, though? Strictly, no. I doubt I’m going to hit 50k words written, but I’m still catching a ride on the back of November’s creative rush and doing my own variation of artsy things.

My plan for this editing run was to focus on the ‘big picture’, and I tried, I really did. I wrote ‘BIG PICTURE’ in large letters on my notebook. I went offline with a Kindle and a notebook. I repeated the mantra to myself as I worked, ‘big picture only, big picture only’.

It didn’t work. I’m still making minor edits, changing word choice and structure, while I work on the larger edits. I’m going to keep trying the ‘big picture’ edit, but I suspect this editing style might just be my way. It’s like a one-pass edit, except I’ll do multiple passes this way, tweaking and rewriting in unison.

The writing process is odd. I’m slowly learning to just let whatever works, work.

What Inspires Me

NaNoWriMo, I love you. I love your energy. I love your community. Most of all, I love that you remind me it’s okay to suck and that getting things done is more important than getting things perfect.

So if you’re being creative this November, whether you’re doing NaNo or just doing your own thing, you inspire me too.

Also, this gif set of Mark Sheppard talking about fans is so sweet and true. If you are a fan, or just interested in fandom, give it a click.

What Else I’ve Been Up To

I’m just back from my first ever writing convention, World Fantasy Con 2013! There were ups and downs, but for the most part I absolutely loved it. I hope to have a post about it up some time soon, but for now I’ll point you to Laura Lam’s fantastic wrap-up.

Now, my lunch hour is ticking away so I’m heading off, but I want to hear all about your creative successes, your worries your plans in the comments below. See you there!