8.31.2015

RSW 2015: Final



Ready.Set.Write! is a summer writing intensive hosted by Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Elodie Nowodazkij, and Jaime Morrow. Click the banner or the link previous for more information on the intensive.

This is the final week of Ready.Set.Write! and so this will be a wrap-up post. I can't believe it's over!


1. How I did on last week’s goals
  • Write for 15 min every day. 5 out of 7. Revised a poem AND wrote another one!
  • Read 3 chapters of beta read. No for this week.
  • In bed by 12:30a at the latest. No, but getting closer!
  • Relax/ vegetate (for birthday week) Yes! Lots of food and fun were had!

2. How I did on main goal of RSW
  • Terrible! At the beginning of the summer, I set out to work on my long-languishing WIP, Cinders. While I did write a few new scenes and tinker with the plot, I really had a hard time getting myself to concentrate on it and really write it.
  • However! As usual, procrastinating on what I should be doing helps me to be really productive in other areas. I may not have gotten very far with Cinders, but I did manage to get me back in the swing of poetry.
    • This summer, I wrote 1 new micro-poem for the Girl on the Roam blog, 1 new long-er poem (which I've had beta-ed and am revising), and another short poem which I'm revising based on feedback.

3. Biggest challenge faced during RSW

ENERGY! I feel like I always sound like I'm busy when I blog here, and to a certain extent, that's true. But mostly, this summer, some of the more regular parts of my life were more stressful than usual. So, I also felt more of a drain than I usually do - and the busy-fun stuff was an escape I needed more than I normally would.


4. Manicures & manuscripts

I'm not that great at giving myself manicures, and I couldn't think of anything very creative. So here's mine! It's mostly glitter because Cinders has a lot of winter and glass imagery and the long poem I'm revising has to do with stars.



Thanks again to the lovely ladies who host Ready.Set.Write! every summer! Even if I fall short of my goals, the intensive itself always keeps me working on my writing - at least - and blogging consistently as a bonus too!

How did you do with your goals this summer?

8.27.2015

Currently... (10)


"Currently..." updates will be every 2 weeks or so, since I cannot stick to the Tuesday schedule.

I found the Currently post at Kate Hart's blog, who got the idea from Amy Lukavics, who found it here. Please join in and link me in the comments if you do!

Another big update for ALL of August!

LOVING
  • Swimming - I love being able to hop in the pool after work and trying to make Loki come with. He mostly just likes playing life guard.

  • Cute donuts and pretty tea drinks.
  • George Ezra concert (his voice is incredible live) & free Shakespeare at Griffith Park
  • Popsicles and colorful summer dresses.
  • This Loki as Loki commission we got at Comic Con from the wonderful folks at The Ninjabot!


WATCHING

  • Hannibal: This Saturday is the final ep of the season (and probably forever)! ;_;
  • iZombie: Finally almost caught up with this. Love the main cast and humor.
  • Mr. Robot: Saw1st ep when it aired & was very intrigued. Still catching up. Love Rami Malek.
  • Fear the Walking Dead: liked what we heard at the panel at SDCC. The pilot was kind of slow, but that was to be expected. Will continue tuning in.
  • Diary of a Teenage Girl (movie): Coming of age story set in the 70s, and it's weird, funny, and charming. And it's cool to see a girl's coming-of-age story that is about her budding sexuality. Also, got to see this in a screening room at Sony Studios, which was a cool experience.
  • Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (movie) : Fun popcorn flick. Rebecca Fuguson is the ish.
  • early screening of a movie I can't name but I liked it!!

READING

Beta read- Excellent! I just need to find more time to read it!


VENGEANCE ROAD by Erin Bowman - Again, thanks to @Celeste_pewter, I have an ARC of this. Confession: Westerns are not my usual thing, but so far, I'm really enjoying the tale Erin is spinning!

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE Vol. 2 - I love this series with its modern twist on the nature of mythology and celebrity. This volume ends on such a cliffhanger that I'm tempted to just go by the next issue - but I must resist...


LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD Volumes 1 & 2 - I said no more comic books because I can't be buying more books than I already am, and I don't want to be starting too many of these. But the Sister bought these out of curiosity, and I couldn't resist. I'm hooked. No one should be surprised because Loki is my mistletoe. (Bear with me, I'm so pleased with that Norse mythology reference.)


LISTENING TO

Still obsessed with the Years & Years album. Am particularly taken with the song SHINE.




ANTICIPATING

I'm not ready for summer to be over, but I'm also really excited about September and October! We've got fun September b-day stuff planned, concerts, and the HAMILTON cast album drops at the end of September.

Then in October, I'm going to see the play again! And go on vacation with my besties!!


MAKING ME HAPPY



  • My birthday bee donuts!




  • First time experiences - paddle boarding, hiking and brunching with Loki and friends.

  • Bright lipstick and bright walls

8.24.2015

RSW 2015: Week 11 & 12


Ready.Set.Write! is a summer writing intensive hosted by Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Elodie Nowodazkij, and Jaime Morrow. Click the banner or the link previous for more information on the intensive.

We're checking in every Monday, and the link-up will be on the host blogs. I can't believe this is the final week! Where did the summer go?!

Also, I missed last week, so I'll be summarizing Week 11 with my Week 12.


1. How I did on last week’s goals
  • Write for 15 min every day. 6 out of 14. But I finished the poem!
  • Read 3 chapters of beta read. Yes for last week, no for this week.
  • Go to the gym/exercise at least 2 times a week. Yes - no gym, but I swam and went paddle-boarding for the first time!
  • In bed by 12:30a at the latest. 50/50
  • Relax/ vegetate (for birthday week) Yes! Lots of food and fun were had!

2. My goal(s) for this week
  • Write for at least 15 min every day.
  • Read 3 more chapters of beta read.
  • Seriously, be in bed by 12:30a at the latest.

3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised

(This is from the poem I finished.)
Our warm bodies were weightless and hollow
as birds’ bones,
iridescent like feathers.

4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write)

Energy. I've been really tired, and with birthday week, I had a lot of extra activities scheduled. So it was hard to fit anything in.


5. Something I love about my WiP

I'm discovering new facets to the characters I hadn't considered before.


How did you do with your goals this week?

P.S. I hope I can participate in the final RSW week's Manuscripts and Manicures thing. Click one of the host blogs for more info!

8.10.2015

RSW 2015: Week 10


Ready.Set.Write! is a summer writing intensive hosted by Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Elodie Nowodazkij, and Jaime Morrow. Click the banner or the link previous for more information on the intensive.

We're checking in every Monday, and the link-up will be on the host blogs.


1. How I did on last week’s goals
  • Write for 15 min every day. 2 out of 7. But I did start a new poem, so yay!
  • Read 3 chapters of beta read. I might have been a little short, but I did read.
  • Go to the gym/exercise at least 2 times a week. Nope.
  • In bed by 12:30a at the latest. Fail. :(

2. My goal(s) for this week
  • Write for at least 15 min every day.
  • Read 3 more chapters of beta read.
  • Seriously, be in bed by 12:30a at the latest.
  • Relax/ vegetate (because it's my birthday week!)

3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised

Shifting. There are a few details that I always think I have figured out, and then I find that I haven't or that they need to be changed.


4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write)

Procrastinating. I did have a little more time this week, but I had such a hard time just sitting down and doing the work. Boo.


5. Something I love about my WiP

Having a little bit of trouble in this department, but that might be the procrastination and general avoidance talking...


How did you do with your goals this week?

8.03.2015

RSW 2015: Week 9


Ready.Set.Write! is a summer writing intensive hosted by Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Elodie Nowodazkij, and Jaime Morrow. Click the banner or the link previous for more information on the intensive.

We're checking in every Monday, and the link-up will be on the host blogs.


1. How I did on last week’s goals
  • Write for 15 min every day. My worst week yet! Zero! ;_;
  • Read 3 chapters of beta read. Yes! Read these!
  • Go to the gym/exercise at least 2 times a week. Yes! Didn't make it to the gym, but did make it into the pool AND I went hiking on Sunday. What.
  • Sleep more. 50/50 - No. I'm sucking at this and I think it's making everything else suffer.

2. My goal(s) for this week
  • Write for at least 15 min every day.
  • Read 3 more chapters of beta read.
  • Seriously, be in bed by 12:30a at the latest.
  • Gym/exercise at least 2 times a week.

3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised

Um, nothing. :(


4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write)

I sound like a broken record player, but energy is my main issue. I think probably this is because my sleep schedule is all off and work stress has been taking its toll. In any case, things seem like they're somewhat calming down, and I've had ideas bubbling. Hopefully, I can get them down on paper this week.


5. Something I love about my WiP

Teasing out the character motivations. In thinking and rethinking this story, I'm discovering that some people aren't who I thought they were, and it's kind of exciting.


How did you do with your goals this week?

7.28.2015

Currently...(9)


"Currently..." updates will be every other Tuesday, concurrent with Katy Upperman.

I found the Currently post at Kate Hart's blog, who got the idea from Amy Lukavics, who found it here. Please join in and link me in the comments if you do!

I have A LOT of updating to do since I missed the regular update last week thanks to Comic Con exhaustion and the next one after thanks to some technical difficulties. So onwards!


Loving
  • Spending time with friends, and making new friends - a lot of this thanks to Comic Con. This year, a group of us stayed at a hotel together, and in getting the group together, I met some cool new geeks.
My ConSquad - old friends + new friends.
Line friends! Including the handsome @mylifewithchrisevans! (Photo: mylifewithchrisevans)

  • Obviously, Comic Con itself was a blast as well.
Squad goals achieved!


  • Seeing Tom Hiddleston again this year. Eee! I've basically seen him live at least once for the past 3 years. It's kind of surreal and weird - but I'm not complaining! ;)

A video posted by Jennifer L. (@jennxlai) on


  • The summer heat - I complain a lot about it being hot out, but it doesn't feel like summer to me unless it's somewhere near scorching. That's sunglasses, shorts, and sandals weather; tank tops and bright dresses, flip-flops and ice cream, swimming and BBQ time. And yes, the heat makes me lazy too, but it can also inspire the more nostalgic, romantic side of my brain - as evidenced in my newest little poem, Summer, salt-sweet.


Watching

ANT-MAN - Not gonna lie, my interest in this movie went from almost zero to 80 when Edgar Wright was attached to almost 0 again when he left. So I went into this with no real expectations and came out rather pleased with it! It's a very fun movie, lots of laughs.

At the same time, it really emphasized (for me, at least) how much women get sidelined or are otherwise used as mostly plot devices for other people in pop media at large. So, I liked the cast and enjoyed the movie a lot, and I liked Hope van Dyne, but in no other Marvel movie have I felt so strongly that a main female character was solely there to forward the story for other people while she herself was sidelined.
You can hear more of my thoughts on the movie in this podcast I did with Crazy4ComicCon and TOTL podcast!

HANNIBAL - Season 3 has been very different from the past 2 seasons, and as much as I adore the show's heightened reality and artsiness, it definitely got a little weird. Still, I love the show and its team, and I loved seeing them at Comic Con for perhaps the last time! Ballroom 20 was filled with flower crowns and Wendigos. Fannibals forever! ;_;


Also, this last episode on Saturday (the new time for the show, wtf NBC) introduced the Red Dragon story, and the show was back to its startling, arresting form.

TUT - Entertaining mini-series event on Spike about the brief rule of King Tut. This is sad, but I kept being impressed by the number of POC actors I saw on screen as main characters because sadly, most ancient Egyptian epics are egregiously white-washed. *cough*EXODUS, I'm looking at you.*cough*

THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY - This was extra special because my friend's company + the Sister worked on the social media and documentation of the Italian delegation for their first few days in Los Angeles. Check out this sweet video of Team Italy in their host town of West LA that they put together!


Reading

UNGODLY by Kendare Blake - So, thanks to my book fairy @Celeste_pewter of The Reading Nook Reviews, I have an ARC of the final book in Kendare Blake's Goddess Wars trilogy. I have been slowly dying from the cliffhanger she ended the last book on, so you can imagine my delight and terror when Celeste told me she snagged me a copy. (Terror because Kendare is hurts my favorites so much in these books...)

Beta Read - reading for a friend, and I am loving it so far. It's unlike what she usually writes but is still so good. Also, this friend is in fact Alz.


Listening to

YEARS AND YEARS - I'm obsessed with this album.


Thinking about

  • How fun it was to meet a bunch of my favorite tweeps, writer-people, and geek girl bloggers at Comic Con. Basically, SDCC = magic.


Writer besties Sarah Maas & Susan Dennard a.k.a SARUSAN.
And their badass, cover-winning books.

Elizabeth Briggs, who has a book set at Comic Con because she is that cool, and I apparently remind her of 1 of her characters! Eep!
Natasha Heck, writer-tweep and Jedi, who I missed last SDCC, but we met this time! Next time, I'll see her when she's in costume.
Megan Gotch a.k.a. the Nerdy Girlie - one of the nicest geek girl bloggers around!

  • Sleeeeeep. Even though it's been 2 weeks, I am still bone-tired from Comic Con.


Wishing

Much as I want the summer to linger, I also want to fast forward to October because I will be seeing HAMILTON on Broadway and I am so excited!! My love for it has not diminished since I saw it at The Public in February, and seeing the pics and continued buzz coming out of previews makes me so, so happy. Even better, I'll be seeing it with my besties!

Speaking of HAMILTON...


Making me happy
  • I wanted to custom frame my HAMILTON Public playbill since February and I finally did it! LOVE the Annie Leibovitz shoot of the cast in VOGUE too.


  • STAR WARS movie marathon - a few of our friends had not seen the Star Wars trilogies in their entirety (or at all), so we remedied this over 4th of July weekend. Actually, they watched 1 movie on July 2nd, and then we watched the other 5 on July 3rd. It was epic, and now they're ready for Episode 7 in December!
  • SDCC MEMORIES




  • Loki being Loki and the 4th of July - we ate BBQ, swam, watched fireworks and Star Wars, played with Loki and he threw his first (adorable) fit by lying down whenever I told him "bath time", and cheered the US Women's National Team to victory! Oh, and we took ridiculously patriotic photos. Because, of course.



How's life going with you?

P.P.S. Day by Day Comic Con recaps will be up at Girl On the Roam later this week!