Entries tagged with creativity

Current Mood: determined

Entry tags:

The 2013 Challenges post:

So, I don't really do resolutions. I just don't have the steadiness or the brain power to go through with them.

Instead, I set my challenges for myself:

Writing:

GetYourWordsOut: One Last Time (Probably)!
Pledges & Requirements | GYWO.net

pile of coloured pencils with the words inkingitout write 75000 words in 2013

Challenge yourself to write 75000 words or more in 2013!

inkingitout

inkingitout

Sign ups now open!

These two challenges: 300k I write that and more in a year. I know I do.

( Bingos )

Other craft/creative challenges:

- Finish Wizard Cross stitch
- Do Metallicar scarf
- Bake no-knead bread
- Post here 1x a week

Books:

- Read at least 2 books a week
- Write more reviews

Fanfiction:

- Finish Teen Wolf fanfiction
- Finish NaNo fanfiction
- Finish amalgam fanfiction

So. These are my challenges. I'm going to need huge cheerleaders and ass kickers. Anyone willing?

Current Mood: annoyed

Entry tags:

creativity

Issues...

So, I've been very open about the fact that I have issues. However, sitting here, watching Highlander the TV series (What? I HAVE NO SHAME OK?) I remembered one thing:

All writing, be it fanfiction or original, is self-indulgent. All of it. So, when I see people hating on how I've AU'ed certain fandom characters, or whining that they don't like how it works, it knocks me for a loop. However, I'm putting this up here and now:

All writing is self-indulgent. Embrace it and enjoy it.

I'm going to get over myself and go back to my writing now.

Current Mood: calm

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Challenge yourself to write 75000 words or more in 2013!

inkingitout

inkingitout

Sign ups now open!

PSYCHOLOGICAL TURMOIL	HIDING	LIGHT	EXPERIMENT	PYROKINESIS
SHAMAN	SPELL-BOUND	DAWN	MIND	SLAVERY
ANGELS	DEALS	WILD CARD	SUCCUBUS	PRIMAL
INSANITY	GUIDE	HAUNTED	ISOLATION	FIRE
THIRD EYE	SPIRITUALISM	SOULMATES	HUNTER	WESTERN

Challenges for 2013.

Current Mood: contemplative

Entry tags:

Interesting ups and downs

So, real life has been... well, interesting is one word to put to it. My two older daughters came for a visit. They're beautiful young women, and I really enjoyed having them around. They didn't even mind riding the bus! (Actually, the younger of the two thought it a neat adventure!)

That was one up. Another one was that my daughter loved her Geisha. She's going to send me pictures once she hangs it on her wall. I am excite!

The down is the depression I feel lurking at the base of my skull because it'll be almost a year before I can see them again. Sigh. Time to get a lot of things done, I guess? I don't know.

But, what I do know is that it's time to get my writing back on track. To do that, I need to rearrange my living room (again) and set up my writing station and actually get back into the habit of sitting there to write.

I think I am going to download this to work on my writing/other things with. So maybe it will help. As well, I'm going to continue following UnFuckYourHabitat on Tumblr, which is doing a lot for helping me break down my days.

There are, of course, other things going on, but those are for my personal blog.

I hope everyone is having a good summer!

Entry tags:

creativity

Geisha!

The Geisha is framed! It is framed and in my possession.

( Pictures )

I am very happy with how this turned out.

Now, if I could focus on my writing, I'd be happy.

Current Mood: excited

Entry tags:

creativity

Dragon update!

I promised this and took the pictures today. So... here we go!

( Pictures! )

I haven't moved the hoop yet, but... it's so pretty!

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

creativity,
meme

Meme and an update:

04 Your favourite character to write about and why

I love this question.

One Wing Angel:Kiera. Hands down. I could say it's because I love writing women who kick ass and hold their own with the men. (I do!) I could say it's because she's feminine, a leader, and all those other things. (she is!)

However, the really big reason I like writing Kiera? Is because not only is she all those things? But she's also human. And humans to me are utterly fascinating. Especially when you start digging below the surface.

Dragon Blooded: Min Hou. She's a jackass, honorable, arrogant, has Mommy Issues that grad students could use for papers forever and so military it hurts. She's the one without the sense of humor at all, yet, to me she's hilarious.

05 Your favourite part of the story
06 How often do you write this story and in what environment?
07 Post a chapter or scene for everyone to read (suggested 500–3,000 words)

Okay, now that meme is out of the way, an update:

I finished stitching the Geisha and have now gone on to doing all the outlining that can't be done until the stitching is done. Sigh. It's possibly even more tedious. D:

But, I am getting it done and hopefully this weekend there will be pictures. I'm hoping to get the outlining done by Monday, and have it at the framers by Tuesday, but we'll see.

My babies turn 12 on Saturday and my kitten is a year old this week too. Now, back to work.

Current Mood: artistic

Entry tags:

Script Frenzy

So, I've decided to do it, starting tomorrow. I'm totally chill with the idea that I can use it to script out a pair of novels I'd like to work on. That'll be a good thing. Maybe, it'll lead to something good happening in the future.

So, if anyone knows where there might be tutorials for Celtx? I'm all ears. I'm going to be trolling youtube looking for them once I'm done with Saturday things.

So, yes. Now, currently the thought is this for Script Frenzy:

I have two stories that I'd like to poke at and get working on. (One Winged Angel and Dragon Voices)

Those two stories will be the ones that I will be scripting out, during Script Frenzy in a hope to make them easier to write in the future. (Planning! Yay!)

Also during the month of April, I'll be finishing up my edit of Dragon Blooded (sense a theme, folks).

So, let me look at the next few months:

April:

- Script Frenzy (One Winged Angel/Dragon Voices)
- Finish Edit on Dragon Blooded
- Work on Geisha

May:

- Work on Geisha
- Finish NaNo 2011
- Query Letter (KoO)
- Secret Societies

June:

- Finish Geisha

That's as far ahead as I'm willing to go right now, since the middle of May signals the end of school. And I can't guarantee anything getting done during the summer months, save for being very hot.

Also, since this is my creativity blog:

I like working on the Geisha while watching TV shows/Movies/Anime. Please give me recommendations for movies/tv shows/anime that I might like. (Currently watching: Supernatural. Next on the list: Leverage.)

What I like:

- Police procedural
- Mystical/mythical elements
- Fights are a bonus
- Large overarching plots

What I don't like:

- Romance as a main plot line
- Rape culture
- Embarrassment as a major component (which is what made me stop watching Big Bang Theory)
- Sitcoms

So, if you've any suggestions, feel free! Because I'm kinda tired of the tried and true (CSIs, Law and Orders, etc) and would like to branch out a little bit. Keep in mind, it can have some parts from both lists and doesn't have to hit all of them. I'm willing to look at just about anything.

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: London Festival Orchestra - Adagio Molto E Cantibile

Entry tags:

No greater hive of scum and villainy...

No, I'm not talking about a rundown bar in Mos Eisley where Han Solo shot first, I'm talking about the internet.

Since I have your geek attention, I hope you'll continue along to the end.

Anyway, the internet is a huge time sink. Don't believe me. Ohohoho. Ye of little faith. Allow me to show you: Zooborns. So, when you're done squeeing about the adorable baby animals of all kinds (and seriously, watch the stick insect hatch. It's all sorts of grossly fascinating.) come back here. No, go ahead, I'll wait.

...

*hums Jeopardy music*

Back? Okay, good. See, the internet is a huge time sink and a horrible distraction to just about everyone who uses it. I know, I know. If I had self-control, then I'd get far more things done. Really?

Baby Sloth in a onesie

... *paints nails*

Back again? See? Distracting isn't it? However, unplugging also isn't an answer in my case. Why? Well, because my children's teachers all know to contact me by email, if they need me fast. Why? Because I'm more likely to answer email than the phone. (That's a personal quirk: I hate the phone. Hate it.)

Also distracting? Housework, children... a furry overlord who needs all my attention - and my lap - right now and why aren't I either feeding, loving or catering to him right now? Perhaps all three! Yes, he will be satisfied with all three.

Mostly, though, the internet is my big distraction. This is why I don't get a lot of writing done. No, really, I blame the internet and all its entertainment.

However, there are a few things that are nice. Being able to Google how to write a query letter or looking up Preditors and Editors or any number of a hundred thousand other things that a writer needs is very time saving and more than a little anxiety easing.

Anyway, sometimes I feel like I need that Wookie companion to give me a good shove in the right direction. But Greedo still didn't shoot first, I don't care how many times Lucas edits the film. Han Solo was a jerk - a redeemable jerk but still a jerk - who shot to save his own skin. It's part of what made his coming back at the end such a big deal.

So. There.

Current Mood: accomplished

Entry tags:

Wow.

So, today, while watching the Super Bowl* I finished my first creative goal of the year. I finished the shawl I was knitting and even crocheted the border on it like the pattern said to.

There's nothing like completing a goal to urge your on to others is there? I'm very proud of the fact that I managed to finish the goal and I'm proud of the shawl. Hopefully, the person who receives it will be as impressed.

Anyway...

I just wanted to update this, because finishing a goal pushes us towards others, right?

*Can I just say? YAY GIANTS! I have a dislike for Tom Brady. I don't know why, but I do, so there.

Current Mood: optimistic
Current Music: H.I.M. - Passion's Killing Floor

Entry tags:

creativity

Just making the bed

Since writing my post about just making the bed, I've really adopted it into my life, and have been actually getting things done. Now, nothing's finished, but it is creeping toward completion which is better than it was.

Honestly, I'm pleased with my own progress. Mainly because now there is some. Which, before there really wasn't.

I enjoy crossing those things off on my daily lists.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is the pressure to do all these things. Society puts a lot of pressure on everyone. Kids should be a certain way, should be involved in certain ways. Adults have certain social obligations that should be followed. This is the way XYZ should be.

I want to spend 2012 being kinder to myself. Or just being kinder in general. I have some issues that prevent some things, but I can be kinder in other areas.

But, just making the bed makes being kinder easier. Because it isn't pressure to be all these things to do all these things. Instead, it's a single step. An inch forward.

When you think about things in smaller steps they aren't nearly as daunting. A paragraph isn't as challenging as a chapter. Editing a page isn't as scary as a scene. Reading a chapter isn't as scary as an entire book.

Just make the bed. You'll feel a little better.

Current Mood: creative

Entry tags:

Project outline...

This is more for me than anyone else. Feel free to skip or ignore at will.

( Writing Project outlines )

So, those are the writing projects. There might be more waiting in the wings, but... for right now, that's it.

( Creative projects )

I want to find another knitting project, and I'll definitely be adding smaller cross stitching projects throughout the year.

That's my outlines. Any questions? Feel free to ask!

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Houton Texans at Baltimore Ravens - NFL Football

Entry tags:

Just make the bed

So, I was looking around, trying to find some sort of inspiration to write today. It's football and normally, I just knit, but maybe I should put words down, or do something? Maybe I should edit or... Well, the brain went into so many things that I should be doing that I'm losing sight of what needs to be done.

And trolling around the internet during a commercial break, I found a blog post, via several other blog posts that makes sense:

Just Make the Bed.

Sarah Ockler makes the point that making resolutions and having huge goals can be a good thing, but it can also be overwhelming and paralyzing. Don't stop making them, but if you do get overwhelmed, step back and just make the damned bed. A single, simple, little thing like sketching out a scene, writing a single sentence, editing a single paragraph can start taking out the overwhelmingness of the task before you.

I usually use this theory in other things in my life, but applying it to writing/creativity? For some reason it never occurred to me.

When I clean, I say "I'm going to fold this basket" and that inspires me to fold the next basket, to do the one side of the sink full of dishes, to sweep one thing. However, when I write or I work any of my hand crafts, I tend to only take the project as a whole rather than one small step at a time.

Meaning, I look at my shawl, I see everything not knitting a single row. I don't look at the Geisha and see stitching a single color, but the whole pattern. Which makes them very overwhelming. I do the same thing with writing. I look at the whole story, not the single plot point, or the single scene or the single character voice.

I need to work on that. I need to just write that single plot point, that single scene. Eventually, the whole will come, but doing the single one is the way to start.

Current Mood: contemplative

Entry tags:

creativity

Creativity

One of the things I'm trying to do this year is use this blog a bit more. The last couple of years have been rather sparse and I barely even touched it during NaNo.

However, today, I'm here to talk about what makes me creative. What gives me time to be creative and what do I do during those times. Well, let me tell you.

Firstly, hand crafts. Sewing, cross stitching, knitting. They usually get done while I watch something. Especially football and movies. It's the playoffs right now, so I don't have nearly as many games to knit through as I did during the regular season. But, I'm trying to be diligent and get things done during the games. My knitting is coming along very well and might be done before the Super Bowl! Impressed? I am.

Now onto baking. The big thing that makes me bake is a clean kitchen. If I ever have one of those again, I will bake. A lot. I plan on baking cookies, breads, and all sorts of things. Maybe even up my cooking. Which, I've been very lax with, I admit.

Writing. That's a bit different. I only write when the children are gone. I can't really write with them around, because they're very distracting. Even though they are almost teenagers, they still require quite a bit of supervision and that means no writing.

I have other things that make me creative: dreams, thoughts, blog posts, all sorts of things. I might even have to admit that movies, cartoons and other media also do the same. As does RP.

One other thing that gives me creativity, or at least the peace of mind to be creative? Paying bills and cleaning the house. See, if the house is clean and the bills are paid, then I'm in a good place to be creative. If they aren't? Then, well, I'm in too much of a panic mode to deal with it.

So, I'm also adopting another creative thought: If I'm stuck? I'm going to get up and clean something. Why? Because that'll clear my mind and maybe get things flowing. Can't hurt, right? And if that doesn't work, there's always Neverwinter Nights 2.

Current Music: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

Entry tags:

!2012,
creativity

New 2012 post

So, this is 2012. Things are going to be a little different. This isn't so much a "writing blog" any more as a "creative blog". I think that works better.

I still won't be mentioning too much fanfiction, unless I have a recc or something. However, I will be mentioning knitting, cross stitch, writing, cooking and perhaps art.

I don't really draw that much, but occasionally, I do pick it up. I have children so I cook quite a bit, believe it or not.

Creativity is part of my New Year's resolutions. Not necessarily writing. However, I am going to post them here:

- Query letter out for KoO
- Finish shawl
- Finish Geisha
- Cook more
- Learn to bake bread
- Sew something

These are my creativity goals for the year. Along that note, I'm looking for recipes and patterns (sewing, not knitting) that are relatively simple and easy.

In sewing patterns: I really don't like hand sewing except for cross stitch and I do have a sewing machine (not a serger). I do have an iron, and will be purchasing an ironing board. I'm a relative beginner when it comes to sewing, but know a few things. I prefer sewing home furnishings to clothing, but simple skirts/dresses would be okay for my daughter. I would like to also sew stuffed animals and things like that.

Recipes: Cheap, easy and simple. Crock pot recipes are love. Nothing too spicy (my son is allergic to capsaicin) or too dependent upon fancy cooking utensils. We love chicken, fish and pork chops. We don't eat a lot of beef, but do enjoy it. I do make beans, but lentils aren't a big hit.

Yeast breads are what I don't really know how to make, so recipes for them are complete welcome, as well as tutorials.

Even if you aren't sure? Just post a link and I'll take a look! I like to try new things.

Keep in mind, I'm not looking to sell anything. I'm just looking to make them for my own enjoyment.

So. These are my goals for 2012. Today's the first day and since there's football, I'm going to go work on the shawl so that it's closer to getting done.

Happy New Year everyone.