My 2014 Happy List

Photo from Katie: Normal Girl

There was this post that appeared in my FB (couldn't find the link) where you write down the stuff you're happy/thankful for in pieces of paper and put them in a jar. At the end of the year, you take them out, re-read them, and review all the good things that have happened to you for the entire year. I did something similar but instead of a jar, I wrote down those happy things in my planner. 

2014 Christmas Greetings

Photo from Google

I took my time off seriously after NaNoWriMo, but I wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to greet everyone a very Merry Christmas! Have an awesome and meaningful celebration with the people you love. Have fun, folks! :)

TGIO (Thank God It's OVER)!

Popping back in the blog after hitting 50k words in my NaNo novel.

YES! 50K!

But I haven't validated yet because of the discrepancy in my word processesor. I'll validate sometime later this week, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop after reaching the finish line. I still haven't written "The End" to my story, so the writing doesn't stop just yet. But I'm just over the moon to have crossed the line because it has been worse than hell going through this month. 

Edit: I've finally written the ending, and I've clocked in a total of 55,078 words per NaNo word count verifier.

It's THAT time of the year again

...and I don't mean Christmas.

I look forward to November of each year with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as it usually means I'll have to go through 30 days and nights of anxiety, frustration, and euphoria, thanks to this yearly event called NaNoWriMo. 

And like every week before NaNo commences, I'm always left doing something else (like writing this blog post) instead of finishing my story's plot. 

There's a lot going for me this year as I take on this yearly writing challenge, most of which is work-related schedule conflict. Hopefully once I establish a routine after work, I can stick to it and accomplish my daily writing quota. I'll be doing Reverse NaNoWriMo again to get me ahead of my game. 

I'll be writing contemporary romance again, and I have good vibes with this story. I'm really hoping this euphoria lasts even beyond November, as I plan to hopefully get it published as well. Last year's NaNo novel is still in the process of being edited, but I'm also crossing my fingers I could get it all cleaned up and ready to be sent out to the world next year. 

Despite my not-yet-finished plot, I'm very excited to do NaNo again because of the local support group, PinoyWrimos, and the much-larger, global group of WriMos who'll go through the same roller coaster ride this month. 

And speaking of PinoyWrimos, the Kick-Off event was so much fun! It was one of the biggest turnout in terms of attendance, and it was great to see both new and familiar faces. That round-robin writing exercise was such a nifty game that I got to bond with fellow writers (we collectively call ourselves the Dino WriMos because of our strange affinity for prehistoric reptiles and a certain British supermodel). And I got to talk about Reverse NaNo too and shared my experience on how it helped me reach the finish line way ahead of the deadline. 

I'm definitely looking forward to the write-ins and participating in word wars. I'm going to make 2014 my (NaNo) year! 

And here's to hoping we all get our purple bars!

Filipino Friday: Have you ever wanted to write a book?

Hey, guys, it's Friday again! And that means another Filipino Friday meme! Here's my take on week 2.

As a reader, have you ever thought about writing a book? What kind of books/stories do you want to write? Or are you now a published author, and what compelled you to go fulfill this dream? How was your journey from reader to writer? How did you go about getting your book out there?