Woe to the world, the snippets have come! Let all receive more than their shaaaare! And everyone groans as Madi me-forms, instead of informing, instead of informing, insteeeaaaad of informing!
Who else is still singing Christmas carols?
Christmas carol parodies?
Anybody?
January 8, 2018
The two guards clang their sake flasks together. “To us,” my guard says. He takes a swig. “Yay us.”
Daily Word Count: 2016
Total Word Count: 14,843
^ My alphas really liked the “yay us.” XD
I went to bed really late (or, ahem, early, as it was after midnight), so I ditched the 4 AM idea.
“Tori and Han’na escaped like the excellent shinobi I trained them to be.” Kira’s nostrils flare as she exhales in anger. “I’m ashamed of you, Ari Kireina.”
AWWW ARI BABY.
January 9, 2018
Han’na helps me to my feet as Tori storms toward Hinoki. “You’re that idiot from the forest.”
Hinoki stands and draws his katana to defect her less-skilled blow of the tachi. “Back by popular demand.”
Daily Word Count: 1837
Total Word Count: 16,680
XD Hinoki.
Aaaand… I ditched the 4 AM idea again.
Today, the first 1.1k went like BAM. I wonder why? Oh, that’s right, the first 1.1k was in Hinoki’s POV.
Dread penetrates my body as I tear myself away from the scene and press myself against the wall, heart sledgehammering against my chest.
It’s the beautiful kunoichi woman I fought in the forest.
But we have to switch back to Ari’s POV sooner or later.
I gasp as I glance up at him. His handsome western face strikes me as familiar, and my lips finally find his name. “Hinoki.”
HAS ANYONE STARTED TO SHIP THEM YET.
Hinoki tosses a glance behind him just as Tori snatches one of heavy iron folding tessen fans from the arsenal wall. Hinoki begins laughing. “You don’t even know how to use that.”
I laughed SO HARD in real life while writing this part. ?
January 10, 2018
I clutch my head with both hands, sliding to my knees. I fight to keep away unconsciousness while my vision swarms. Do I try to obtain the document or flee for my life and tell Kira I failed her again?
Daily Word Count: 2627
Total Word Count: 19,307
I successfully got myself into bed at an early time, and even though it took me hours to fall asleep, I got up at 4 AM.
While a smirking and giggling Tori and an infuriated Hinoki prepare to duel it out with swords, Han’na kneels by my side and gently puts her hand on the back of my head.
I moan in pain, fighting to keep my consciousness. It’s too close of a call. “Tori!”
Han’na pulls me to my feet as Tori twists the blade out of Hinoki’s hands. “But I was just getting good!”
XD I’m having way too much fun writing Tori than I thought I would. I think she’ll be a really memorable minor character.
January 11, 2018
Crouching in front of me, Kazanawi tips my face up to look at him with a finger under my chin. When I turn my face away, he socks it again. “What were you thinking, choosing to fail Maruko like that? He is going to make an example out of you to the rest of us that failure is not an option.”
He is? What does that look like? Dread settles in the pit of my stomach as I turn my throbbing face back to Kazanawi, who grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. He reaches for his steed’s reins and mounts, then pulls me up behind him.
Daily Word Count: 1849
Total Word Count: 21,156
On day 10, I fell back asleep after writing, so I decided to bump my writing time a little later than 4 AM. That way, it would be time to get up by the time I was finished writing.
I got up at 4:45, spent half an hour with God, edited the previous session’s words, and got started at 6:10! Eesh. Editing that 2.6k took a while. XD
He adjusts his leather jacket and walks up beside the man standing in front of my face. “Should’ve listened to my advice a lot sooner, Kazanawi. Rasako Deyuan has been at this thing for a long time.”
Guys, I have a new obsession with leather jackets.
Not only do the bounty hunters in my series wear black leather-clad outfits for their warrior garb, but I ordered a leather jacket for myself that’ll be here on the 18th.
You don’t know how excited I am to take a new profile picture in it. I look like a depressed video gamer in my current one. I need something that rings “undefeated”, you know?
January 12, 2018
“And is this the part where you bow and take off my head?”
The grip on my arm tightens. “I wish.”
Daily Word Count: 1949
Total Word Count: 23,105
Hinoki pulls the horse to a path and breathes deeply. “I hate you.”
Every time I read this, I read it as “I deeply hate you,” which makes me laugh out loud every single time.
When the woman slips her hand into mine, chills run up and down my spine. I pull her up behind me and feel a surge of disappointment well in my chest when she pulls her hand back.
Yes! Hinoki’s POV! *pumps fist*
It’s my last chance to prove to Kira I’m not the worthless failure God deems me.
Just kidding again, we’re back to Ari’s.
January 13, 2018
Daily Word Count: le nothing
Total Word Count: 23,105
By this point, writing began to feel like a chore. I was loathing the next 4 AM alarm to push words out of me from a previous night of sleeplessness… despite an already lack of sleep.
The hardest thing for me as a writer is quantity over quality (but I make myself do it, of course. >:D). I like sprinting fast—hook me up with intense music, a rush of adrenaline, the occasional thrill of competition, and the passion for my story and I’m good to go. I’ll throw everything on the page I can and feel awesome about my word count.
But then I’ve ended up with writing of terrible quality.
So in trying to slow down, I slow way down. Back to my I-thought-it-was-so-good-back-then 500 words every half-hour. *cringes*
It is producing quality writing, but it makes me frustrated when I stare at the screen to focus on what good line to write next instead of barfing on the page instead. XD I ended up dreading my writing time instead of craving it. Le not good.
So I took Saturday off to evaluate my problem, pray, and come up with a solution instead of moping about it like a defeated writer. It’s no surprise that my genius revelations came at 1:00 AM on Sunday morning while I had been desperately trying to fall asleep for hours.
Desperately.
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BETA READ:
Worst case scenario, I’m extending my book’s completion date to April 30th instead of early March, so I’ll finish it during Camp NaNo. I want to have it done before Camp’s end so I can edit during Camp, too, but if not… I’ll have to push the beta signup dates back. I’m super sorry!
January 14, 2018
When we assume the waltzing position, Hinoki begins breathing at a faster pace again.
Daily Word Count: 1695
Total Word Count: 24,800
*pumps fist again* Hinoki gets an entire scene and a half all to himself now. His character voice is so easy.
I straighten a little to keep Ari from slipping off me [and the horse they’re riding on]. Then I lay my hand, still wet from the tears of her face, on her wrist to keep her stable.
AWWWWE.
January 15, 2018
Can I walk away from a murder and call it mercy?
Daily Word Count: 820
Total Word Count: 25,620
The leader touches the end of the pistol to the side of her head, and Ari lets out a gasp that shreds my heart.
AWWWW HINOKI.
On this day I implement my new daily goal, 800 words. Today I got it done in 40 minutes, which is a faster rate than usual, phew.
January 16, 2018
Daily Word Count: 0
Total Word Count: 25,620
I took melatonin the previous night to help me fall asleep better and even woke up naturally before my 6:30 alarm, but felt too tired to get up until 10. Not good.
Then I had to get my braces tightened (I wear both Invisalign and braces, but you can’t see my brackets in any of my pictures ’cause they’re deep in my mouth), which took forever because they accidentally popped a bracket off. XD
I didn’t have any time to spare if I wanted to work on my blogs when we got back in the evening, so my word count today is a proud zero. *bows*
Week 2 Overview
- Getting up early to write works for me occasionally, but on a consistent basis, my body… can’t. I’ve got the drive and passion even though I despise it, but sometimes I get sick. -_- So I’m ditching the 4 AM ideas.
- My parents require me to put my phone up before bed now, so the nighttime writing schedule I’ve adopted since I was eight years old DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE. I’m finding lots of new ways to fit writing in to my day.
- After a hard writing day, I’ll be like WHY DID I THINK I WAS THE BEST WRITER EVER BECAUSE I’M NOT. And then when editing the next day, I’ll laugh out loud and be like “? Why did I ever think I wasn’t? This is genius wordplay!” ??♀️
What I’ve Learned and Will Do for Next Week:
- I’m going to schedule writing time during the day and set two heart-rattling alarms to get my carcass out of bed in the mornings no matter how tired it is. >:)
- Writing in new locations usually distracts me; I like writing in the same place day after day. But recently, I’ve discovered writing in my sunny brother’s room. As long as he keeps his mouth shut and focused on his LEGOs he yells at me not to step on, it works great.
That’s all for this recap! Thanks so much for reading again and for joining me on this journey wow that sounded really cheesy!
What’s the hardest part about writing for you? Do you write quality or quantity? Do you sometimes lack motivation to finish projects, or are you self-driven?
AHAAHA YES I SHALL SING CHRISTMAS ALL YEAR. AND WHOA MADI YOU HAVE BEEN BUSY! I HAVE BEEN WRITING SHORT STORIES ALL WEEK. XD THEY ARE SO EASY TO WRITE, WAAAY EASIER THAN NOVELS. GREAT FOR LAZY PEOPLE LIKE YOURS TRULY. ???
AHAHA SING IT LOUD AND PROUD, HOPE.
HEHE BUSYNESS! I love writing short stories, too — it’s a nice way to play with my characters and their stories without having to plot a full novel. XDD
YESSS. EVEN IF MY PARENTS GET GRUMPY BECAUSE OF IT. (TRUE STORY XDDD)
YESSS THAT IS SO TRUE!!!!
XDD
OH GOSH HINARI IS JUST SO CUTE DAHHH
Your ships are way cuter than mine. Don’t be jelly, Tess, don’t be jelly….
So when are you going to send us all these awesome snippets? Send them ALL TO ME….I binge read a lot XD
And I so seriously want a black leather jacket. I wear black t-shirts and jeans everyday so it’d fit right in 😀 I love wearing my tobyMac t-shirts because they’re so awesome looking and tobyMac’s a Christian band (just in case you’ve lived under a rock and have no idea who he is XD Do you listen to tobyMac? If you don’t you should. He’s such a devil butt-kicker it’s not even funny.) Anywayze, this got so off track XD I NEEDZ YOUR JACKET.
GIVE US MOAR SNIPPETS NEXT WEEK PLZ.
And tell me to go fix my 2017 nano so you can read it. At this point, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I mean, it kinda makes sense but not really. There’s a lot that I skip just because I didn’t want to write it (and for me, the words come slower than viscous fluids, especially when I don’t want to write. At the top of my game, I write 1000 words in an hour. Yeah, but I like the words most of the time :P)
Gosh I keep rambling in your comment boxes. Sry. Keep up the awesome work and KICK THAT DEVIL BUTT. With your EPIC book. Yeah.
*ducks away*
OWGHEIUOAHRFG IKR AHH
I love your ships! Granted, I only know of one. XD The couple in your story I loved for that writing challenge!
HEHE I JUST SENT CHAPTER 7 RIGHT ALONG. I’ll work on getting them to you faster! XD
AHHH MY LEATHER JACKET COMES TODAY HELP ME I’M HYPERVENTILATING! *freaks out* Ahem. YES, I love tobyMac! His stuff is EPIC. His song Hey Devil is a personal favorite of mine — though I’m sure that comes as no surprise! XD I have a tobyMac T-shirt that says “label me a Jesus freak” on it — I love wearing it when I talk to people about Jesus. >:)
HEHE YAY! I HOPE PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING TIRED OF THEM YIKES.
Go fix that 2017 NaNo so I can read it! *claps hands twice* Pronto! I AM A CURIOUS ME.
Hey, I like your rambles! DEVIL BUTT SHALL BE KICKED. ?
KK, I’m gonna make you jelly.
I SAW HIM IN CONCERT.
And I CANNOT believe he’s over fifty.
Yeah.
Hey Devil is so awesome! Most Christian artists write your basic worship song (God’s awesome and I love Him). The Tobs writes songs about real problems – like temptation, like feeling useless, yeah. My personal favorite t-shirt is the classic TOBYMAC with the Momentum guy on it.
LEATHA JACKET DAHHH
If you haven’t heard of Syrsha, you have not heard the best of my ships. Coincedentally, it’s in the Nano I’m going to fix. YOU MUST READ.
KTDB!
WHAT NO WAY. I’M SO JELLY.
AND I KNOW RIGHT. He looks so young!
It is! I love tobyMac’s songs, they’re awesome.
WAAAA MY LEATHER JACKET DID NOT COME IN TODAY AND I AM MAD! *blows all the straw houses down* Ahem. Tomorrow it better come.
YES I MUST READ SEND IT TO ME HEHE.
tobyMac is the reason why I do not fear getting old. XD
fjdkslfjdklsfj why ups why usps why u no give madi her jacket.
Maybe I should just send it to you without any story editing. Then you can help me fix my rotten plot XD
I actually should do that. What do you think?
I’m scared to DEATH of getting old because I WANT TO LOOK LIKE A SUPERMODEL GRANDMA BUT I DUNNO HOW. XD
It hasn’t come today yet either. *pouts*
YES DO THAT PLEASE.
LOLOLOL! what does a supermodel even look like – wait maybe i should not have asked that
YOU BETTER COME OR I’LL JACK UP UPS. NOW.
I think I will. 😀
(oh and thx for everything over email 😉 :D)
A SUPERMODEL LOOKS LIKE… A SUPERMODEL. :O did you witness that genius revolution right there <<< QWIBGQELRJB WE CONTACTED THE SELLER ABOUT IT AND THEY AREN'T RESPONDING. I have three projects hinging on that beautiful jacket MY LIFE IS SERIOUSLY ALTERED. XD YAY! I really wanna read it... 😀 (you're so welcome! 😉 😀 )
you will change the world with this thinking
perhaps
’tis genius!
Castor oil works SUPER WELL for getting rid of wrinkles in your skin. Trust me. I know someone who uses it. Supermodel grandma tip of the day (but I’m not even 18 yet so I’m obviously not the someone who uses castor oil).
Ooh, thanks! ?
Woooooo! YAS I LOVE THESE TWO CHARACTERS! And more snippets, please!!! This story is so AWESOME!! *throws confetti for no reason really* ?
AHHH YAY THANK YOU SO MUCH JULIA! I’m so glad you like ’em!!
*rubs hands gleefully* It’s okay how far beta reading gets pushed back, as long as I get to help with it! I’m already beginning to ship! I’VE ONLY READ SNIPPETS. ?
I’m SO excited for you to read it, I really hope you’ll sign up! *excited dance* WELL THEN MORE SNIPPETS TO COME IF YOU CAN HANDLE THEM. ?
I totally love the romance in this book! I cannot wait to actually read it!!!!
Aww YAY! Thank you SO much!!
Woah, great job, as usual, Madi! (Nearly typed Ari there XD) SNIPPETS YUMMY. wait, what? *cough* YES YES I SHIP HINARIIIII
P.S YOU BETTER NOT HURT HORA.
XDD Thank you SO much, Chloe! HEHE I’M GLAD YOUR STOMACH LIKES THEM. XD
P.S. DON’T WORRY. HORA DOESN’T GET HURT IN THIS BOOK. BUT BOOK II…
WHAT NOOOO
>:D
:'( *worries over Hora*
Aww, Hora feels special. XD WHILE I FEEL EVIL.
I nearly choked on my muffin when I read the first little part in my inbox. < not good, 'cause I'm uh.. supposed to be doing.. science, I think. Uh.. I should probably get back to that.
BUT YES "YAY US" CRACKS ME UP EEEEEEEEEEVERY TIIIIIIIIIME! XD
What's the ship name?!?!?!? Ariki? What's Ari's full name, anyways?
D O M O R E S N I P P E T S .
~ Light4theLord
I hope it was out of laughter / excitement / amusement, not disgust! XDD
AHAHA YAY!! I LOVE IT. XDD
Hinari is the ship name! Though Ariki and Arinoki are other ship names people have come up with. XD Ari’s full name is Ari. XD
AWWW YAY THANK YOU.
When I saw your Christmas carol parody in my Email, I was like, AHH SNIPPERS!!! YAASSSSS!!! FORGET THE LUCID DREAMING VIDEO, I’M READING THIS!!
#HinAri.
AWWWW THAT MEANS SO MUCH! You’re the sweetest! HAHA WHAT XDD
No problem. 😉
Yes, Christmas carols all year!!!! “Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la…”
(It took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure out how many “la’s” to use. XD
“Yay us.” XDDDDDD
Hinoki is back by the popular demand of… me. 😛
*looks innocent* What do you mean by STARTING to ship them??? I never started… it’s a God thing over here. One of those, no beginning and no end deals
The snippets!!! *dies* Hinari is killing me, and I can currently think of no more dramatic way to describe it. 😛
(Sorry for this wacky comment, I spent two hours teaching co-op childcare and am so tired I think I am losing my mind). :PPP
XDD Same. I always ending up counting on my fingers, counting twice, thrice to make sure, then singing it again… XD
YAAAY US. XD
Yay! Hinoki feels very appreciated. 😛
HEHE YAY HINARI. I wrote quite the fun scene with them today. *rubs hands evilly*
Yay for death by snippets! I mean what? Kidding, kidding. Though I’m so glad you like them! XD
Oh wow! I hope you get plenty of rest, that sounds very eventful. XD
(I think I use “yay” too much. Yay us!)
Ye-es!!!
XD I can’t stand the awesomeness of that line. 😛
Good! *hearts*
I cannot wait!! The snippets from future chapters are painful to read. 🙂
Oh so you WANT us to all die of Madi-exposure? Hm… plot twist…
Haha, yes… they’re pretty energetic (and there’s 25 of them…)
Well yay isn’t the worst word you can overuse! I overuse Well (when beginning sentences) and Yeah. XD
But of course I want everyone to die of Madi-exposure! Just kidding just kidding ??
Wow, 25 children running around and being loud? I HOPE YOU ARE RESTED. ?
I guess it’s not! XD I think I overuse Yay and So. XD
DECK THE HALLS WITH CATNIP MOUSIES, FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA!!! WRECK THE TREE AND BLAME THE DOGGIES, FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA!!!
I live that song. Hehe.
???
*runs into the room yelling* JOY TO THE WORLD, THE SNIPETS HAVE COME. LET ME RECEIVE YOUR SHAAAAAAARES
*takes a deep breath* I’V BEEN SHIPPING THEM SINCE THE FIRST TIME I BETTA-ED DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK? (Olive why are you yelling?) (ITS FUN.)
Tori is one of my favs. ?
First I was like, ‘why is he wearing a leather jacket? They haven’t been invented yet…oh. Wait. K I get it.’ ?
*screams from all the shippy feels* ???????????
I’ve got no motivation to finish anything writing related. I’ve yet to finish a story NOT in my head, (I’ve got epic climaxes and plot twist in my head that I can’t tell anyone, for the hope that I actually get it written one day. ?) but I’m half-heartedly hoping…. and then I go start another one. ?
Most crazily, ~Olive
*opens mouth wide and sings with you* YAYYY YOU LIKE THEM!
AHAHAHA YAY. Speaking of which, do you like the old or this new draft of the book better?
And hurray! I’m glad you like her character. She’s ridiculously fun to write!
XD They actually had leather back then (the armor of samurai was actually leather! #research #LOTSOFITHELPME), but yeah, I dunno about the leather jackets. But in my re-imagination, they do! >:)
*screams with you*
XDD I hope you’ll be able to finish one one day! It’s an awesome feeling. XD
Well, I can tell that this draft will probably have more of a longer plot, but it’s difficult when the first draft was softer and safer, and you didn’t have to worry about the characters so much. ? and Ari was a whole lot more secure with herself in the first draft. ? so basically , I really like both drafts, even if I’m more inclined to the first one, because my little cinnamon rolls had less to worry about. ? (I mean, they had plenty to worry about, but not as much as the current draft?)
I knew they had leather, it just took me a moment not to picture him in like, a biker jacket. ?
?
Most crazily, ~Olive
The first draft had NO plot. ?? And no real conflict, either. XDD Thanks so much! XD
Ah, okay ?
Pshhh IVE SHIPPED HINARI SINCE THE BEGINNING. AND ITS ALMOST BEEN A YEAR SINCE I BETA READ SO IVE BEEN ON A CLIFFHANGER FOR FAR TOO LONG. BUT LIKE HINOKI AND ARI ARE GOALS. I’ve been in a writing slump for the last 2 weeks. ? so I haven’t written…
DON’T WORRY BETA READING SIGNUPS COMING SOOOON. Oh no! I hope you’ll be able to get some writing down soon!
YAYYYY
Oh, I’m most definitely still singing Christmas songs. For example: Oh Holy Night, Little Drummer Boy, and anything else that pops into my head. ?
I’m so excited to read your book! Action, romance, comedy, count me in! ?
I don’t have a leather jacket. (Not really my thing.) I’m excited to see pictures of you in it! It’s hilarious why you ordered one! ?
“Back by popular demand.” ?? Hinoki is AWESOME!
Little Drummer Boy and Mary Did You Know still pop into my head! XD
Awww, YAY! Thank you so much! I hope you’ll be able to beta read if you’re interested in that!
I’m excited to take pictures in it! ??
XDDD HE IS! ?
Yeah…
Maybe I will, just be warned that I’m a grammar freak. ?
?
YES!!
Don’t worry, grammar help is much appreciated! ?
Oh, good. ?
Ooh, cool snippets! AH, HOW DO YOU MANAGE?!?!? AND OF COURSE I WANT MORE NEXT WEEK!
Answers to your questions:
The hardest part of writing for me is planning but other than blog posts and extremely short stories that’s all I’ve done.
I write for quality.
I lack motivation a lot of the time.
Thanks so much, Anna! AHH I DON’T KNOW! AND YAYAYAYAY!!
Yay for writing for quality! *high-fives* Yeah, motivation can be hard to get.
As one of the OG hinari shippers I have to say: I keep melting inside xD I love those two so much. Also, leather jackets are awesome!! Depressed videogamer… is an interesting fashion statement… xD
‘yay us’ is the best thing ever, to be honest.
Awwww! XD AGH YES LEATHER JACKETS.
Indeed. XD
I loved writing that. XD
I have a yellow leather jacket that looks like it’s been through several wars (it probably has tbh, the great BeForever War, the Coffee/Chai War of ’16…) HerUniverse as a couple of star wars themed leather jackets and I’m like… mom please may I have one? xD
I can imagine xD it should be like a meme when your book is famous
The Chair War of ’16 XDDD
HAHA YES. HOPEFULLY.
Yes, more writing posts! I am so excited to beta read this, it’s going to be awesome! Keep up the amazingness!
-Rose
Aww, I’m so glad you like them! Thank you SO much, Rose!
Hmm…what do I have to say…I don’t really have anything to say….I’m just rather speechless by all your efforts…and snippets…oh yikes…
SPEECHILESSNESS. A NEW WORD. THAT I JUST MADE UP.
I think this story is amazing! The only thing I’ve seen from it is snippets, but the snippets are AMAZING! Of course I want more! You’re doing really good! I think I might actually attempt a novel this year*claps hands* I’ve only ever written short stories. Btw, I started back blogging on buildabearsfurever.blogspot.com! Ooh, a leather jacket! Has it come yet? That seems pretty ? I generally try to mix quantity with quality, but I know I used to write quantity. Yeah, I basically wrote about signs we had hanging up when I was young.
???????
❤️Diamond
Awww, thank you SO much, Diamond! AND YES, attempt a novel, it’s an amazing experience!
Ooh, I’ll follow your blog! It looks awesome!
My leather jacket hasn’t come yet *cries* We contacted the seller and the seller is IGNORING US. I think I’ve been ripped off. Hmph. XD
??? Like inspirational quotes hanging up? XD