Back on Track

I feel like I'm literally writing to save my life.

With how sick I've been lately, writing really is my best escape. For that amount of time, there is something to dream about, some other life to deal with, someone else to be. I don't have to worry about whether or not this will all turn out okay for me. All I have on my mind is revisions, notes, characters, ideas -- getting done with this WIP finally and taking myself somewhere.

And when I'm not working on the WIP, I'm working on other stuff that'll still aid me in my dream. Like review work, articles, short fiction -- stuff to get my name out there. To get me some publication credit.

But writing will always be, above all else, my escape. If my dream never comes true, or it isn't a super successful career - well, it'll suck, but it won't be the end of the world. Writing is still my passion, my medicine, my life support. I'll always write for me, even if no one else in the entire world gets to read a word of it.

So, now I slave over the WIP, which is in the middle of revisions at 38,000 words. I have a feeling that this book will be THE ONE. I just know, somewhere inside me. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm not. We'll see though, won't we?

Instead of talking about writing, I'm going to go do some.

~Angel

Playing Catch-Up

With my internet life, that is.

I just finished up my very first semester of college, ladies and gents. You know that this means? Yup. I now have a month off to write and write and... oh yeah, WRITE. I have a WIP to tidy up and send to agents. =]

But, along with finishing the WIP and attempting to hammer out a rough draft of ANOTHER story, I am also going to catch up and hopefully get ahead in my blogging type things. Like, I have some pre-planned blogs for this blog (not a bunch, really, except maybe in Feb.) and attempting to get WAY ahead on my review blog, which needs lots of TLC from me.

So, I'll be around more. A lot of the time, I'll be playing catch-up.

~Angel

"You never forget who you really are... no matter how many nights you stay awake trying to."

So, some of you know I messed my knee up like a three or so weeks ago, and that the pain has only gotten worse. Like, to the point of such terrible pain that sometimes I can hardly walk, and in the night it hurts so bad it keeps me awake.

Well, I managed to get in to see my Doctor last week, and it turns out I tore the cruciate ligaments in my knee. He told me I'd need a brace, a lot of rest, and that it wouldn't get better for quite a few weeks. Jooooy. No one is fond of the fact that during some of that healing time I have to go to college. At least, until finals are all done & we're out for Christmas break or winter break -- whatever it's called. They wanted me to take more days off, but we managed to agree I could go back 2 days later. I can't afford to miss a lot of class anymore. Especially with finals coming up.

Though, now, I keep tearing more ligaments up, and they are talking about making me go to the hospital. Worst case scenario -- surgery. Ugh... Not what I need right now.

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"When one door closes another one opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us” -- Alexander Graham Bell

So, life is going pretty alright right now. Minus the whole, ya know, knee being all messed up thing. I'm doing pretty good in college. I've got my schedule for next semester. I've been working really hard on getting the WIP edited and perfected so I can dispense it to my Beta Readers and Critique Partner before final edits and -- BAM! -- come January (hopefully) I'll be querying. Let's hope for an agent this time, shall we?

And, like the quote above, I've had some changes in my life lately that have brought some unhappy side effects and "closed doors". It took me a while to stop looking so regretfully at said door, but I finally managed to look away and notice the good things that are there. My friends that love me; my opportunity to make new ones. Success looming in the furture. I'm making plans for the rest of my life, and it's both exciting and terrifying.

But it's something I must do. Regardless if I'm ready or not ready, I have to get ready to land on my feet once I'm done at MAC (my college). I have to know what I'm doing, and where I'm going. Will I just go to MAC and spend the rest of my time writing? Or will I go on to do more things and persue a back up career? Will I move far away, or stay close to what I know? There's a million things on my mind that I've got to be ready to answer unless I want to fall on my face. I guess a lot of it is relying on whether or not I can get published and headed in the right direction before my time at MAC is done.

It's a crazy life, but I'm holding on for the ride.

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So, my schedule, as previously mentioned, is as follows.

Drawing II MWF from 11:00 to 12:50
English Comp II MWF from 1:00 to 1:50
Intermediate Algebra MW from 3:00 to 4:15

And then on Tuesdays & Thursdays:

History of Art II from 8:00 - 9:15
American History II from 11:00 - 12:15
Color Theory from 1:00 to 2:50

That's 18 hours total. Wowza. At least I'll be done eventually -- hopefully sooner rather than later.

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And I got most of the To Do list done. My honors stuff is done. My research paper was turned in this week. I turned in my short story to the editor I was talking about. So, I'm getting on top of the ball. Now I have less to do and more time for my editing. Not to mention, we've only got, like, three weeks of classes left. And that means LOADS of writing time for Angel. Like, I really think I may stay up all night quite a few times just to get even more done.

So, speaking of writing and editing, I should probably go do that now.

Adios!

~Angel

"Some die looking for a hand to hold."

So, I was pretty relieved when I scratched some things off my To Do list at long last. Now I've just got:

- 6 papers and 3 art pieces.
- 1 paper for Art History
- Final edits on short story due to editor by Halloween.
- Edit/Revise WIP- Rewrite an older story (code name LWY)
- And whatever else comes my way.

Like half of that has to be done by November 6th. Of course the short story has until Halloween. The WIP needs to be ready for querying (or at least I hope it will be) by January. And I want to try to hammer out a rough draft for the LWY rewrite in November.

So yeah, I'm busy. Not to mention the Halloween related plans I have. Plus there is a project I've been working on that I hope to have ready by next Halloween that's going to seriously take a year of planning and work.

Aaaaand, stay excited, folks! Halloween ( My FAVORITE holiday, might I add) is just around the bend, and with that comes my first bit of in-print publication. I promise to link it to you guys so you can order you're little hearts out.

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I'm thinking about posting a series of blogs about the places I write, including pics. Anyone digging this idea?

~Angel

Catching you all up. =]

As usual, I have ten billion and thirteen things to do.

Like, for instance, the day after I got home, I had to go buy my college textbooks. Luckily, for me, I had scholarship money for my books, so I didn't have to pay a dime. I guess the stresses I put myself through are worth it.

College is going alright. It was an adjustment at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I have a great GPA, at least. And I'm not failing Algebra. =]

And I'd like to tell you all that I am about to post this INCREDIBLE BLOG complete with PICTURES from BOSTON and SALEM -- but, I'm not. At least, not right now. I have a ton to do, as stated before, and a couple things have to be done before that. But I figured I'd be polite and let you all know I'm not dead, and that I did have a wonderful time.

I also finished the rough draft of my WIP, and while waiting to begin revisions, I'm working on an older manuscipt's rewrite. And my wonderful friend / critique partner just got through reading B.O.E. (to refresh: the manuscript sent out to agents) and gave me an AMAZING critique that I really needed. So, I hope to work on that a tad when I get a chance. But back to the WIP -- I hope to work my butt off to get it super shiny edited by January so I can start querying agents about it.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: I'm writing a play for my old high school that will be the spring play. The spring play is a HUGE deal, so I'm really excited to be writing it, as well as being a major part in the casting/directing process.

And I eventually have some articles coming out in print, but I don't know the exact date. I'll post when I know, and I hope that all of you will buy a copy or twenty. ;]

I kinda think I need to get away for a while again. I was thinking about New York in May. I might go to New Orleans sometime for a brief and cheap vacation. Either way, I want to get OUT OF MISSOURI.

Oh yeah -- Don't forget to check out the amazingness of my review blog:
http://angelyoungreviews.blogspot.com/

Well, I'm off to write (as usual).

~Angel

Where to Begin?

There is quite a bit I need to catch everyone up on over here. It's a little difficult figuring out where I should start.

- First things first: I traded out my London trip -- which I've been waiting to go on my entire life -- for a trip to Boston and Salem. Why, you may ask? Because I needed a car. And I am a girl that knows it isn't about what you want, it's about what you need. And I needed new wheels, since my truck went to truck Heaven. I now drive a Jeep. Liberty. And I leave for my trip the 30th of July, and return Aug. 5th. See you then!

- I have been fairly caught up in my review blog lately, because I was accepted into a group called Word Ninjas. It's a group of reviewers and authors working together. And it takes up quite a bit of my time.

- Something else that has been keeping me busy is my new photography business. Well, it's not exactly a business yet, because I'm building my portfolio still. But you get the idea. The myspace for my photography -- complete with pictures you should comment -- is on my top friends. Go forth, check it out, add it.

- My new WIP is going swimmingly. I'm at about 17,500 words. I want to complete it at or around 40,000. I didn't work on it for a while, then worked on it all night for two nights -- so really, if I set my mind to do it, I'll have it done ASAP.

- BOE, the manuscript that we had our fingers crossed for publication, was given to a beta reader (friend of mine) to see if she liked it, what she thought was lacking, etc. I need to work on it as soon as I get done with the WIP. I am too determined to get published to just sit back and let my manuscripts sit as reminders of my failures on my shelves. So when I'm waiting to go back and edit the WIP, I will edit and revise BOE once again.

- Oh, yeah. I've been keeping this one a secret for a while: I'm getting published. Nothing huge, though it still feels like it to me. I can't give you details at the moment. But once I can, and once it comes out, I hope you all order it. =]


I'm sure there is probably some more things I've forgotten to tell you all about. If I remember, I'll post them on a different blog. But there you have it -- my chaotic life at the moment!

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So, has anyone else seen Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yet? I have mixed feelings toward it. I mean, I liked it okay -- the book was so so SO much better. But how about you all?



~Angel