Wednesday, November 19, 2014

What's Up Wednesday: Headphoes and Hunger Games

WHAT I'M READING
I finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and it was as good as I thought it would be, although not as good as I wanted it to be. Maggie Stiefvater is an amazing writer, and I love her characters (and wish they were my friends), but I wanted to be blown away by the book and sadly, I wasn't. Honestly, I think it has to do with my reading mood more than anything.

WHAT I'M WRITING
I've hit just under 12k with my WIP and I'm happy about that. I just wrote the 'inciting incident' which was lots of fun although in my outline I originally had it as my break into Act 2 so I've got some more planning/figuring out to do.

WHAT WORKS FOR ME
Headphones. On Saturday, I really wasn't in the mood to write, but I had time so I forced myself. My computer is in our family room and my kids were in there as well as one of their cousins. They were playing and the TV was on and it was very loud. So I popped in some headphones, put on a playlist, and managed 1500k in one hour, even with the occasional kid-shaped distraction.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW
Doctor Who withdrawals. Carne Asada fries. Carpet in the basement. Christmas decorations. Baking cookies. Querying. The Hunger Games. My oldest daughter just read the first book and I'm seeing Mockingjay on the weekend, so we rewatched the first movie.
Oh, and I've joined the YA-NA Sisterhood. I'm excited to join this great group of women and I'll be blogging over there occasionally. You can check us out here.

10 comments:

  1. Headphones and music totally help me too!!! :) I hear ya. And wooo go querying, Mel! Hope it's going well. Congrats on hitting 12k on your WIP. :) Great job!

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  2. Wow I am impressed you can write with kids running around and the TV on. I am going to have to try the headphones thing. Loved your list in "what else is going on." Sounds like you are having a great week! My daughter just read Hunger Games too, and we just watched the 1st movie together. So much fun to have her old enough to read/watch with me. Enjoy the movie this weekend!

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  3. I honestly don't know where I'd be without headphones! They're a lifesaver. :) Best of luck with your WIP and have a great week!

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  4. I don't know why I haven't really tried the headphones thing. I mean, I have a home office that I use for writing, but my husband still pops in regularly to distract me. (Bless his non-writer heart.) I think headphones might be the answer when he's home. Nothing says "leave me along, I'm writing" like headphones. Thanks for the tip!

    It sounds like you're in full-on Christmas mode as well. It's been that way here since Halloween. The snow and chilly weather always pushes me over the edge too, so I blame that. ;-) I definitely know what you mean about not being in the right mood for a book. I always wonder if the books I didn't love fell victim to my mood more than anything. Right now I'm craving all things Christmas, so I'm leaving my can't-wait-to-read books until after the holidays.

    Hope you have a wonderful week, Melanie! :D

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  5. Headphones + music = my happy place ^_^

    I'm so excited to get to Blue Lily, Lily Blue after how much I loved The Raven Boys.

    Congrats on 12k :D

    Have a great week!

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  6. I haven't read BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE yet, but I'm feeling the same about CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE right now. I'm having trouble getting into it and I suspect it might be my mood more than the book. Hate it when that happens.

    A big yes on headphones for me too. I couldn't cope without them. I'm very easily distracted, and I've had to train myself to work with music just to block out other noise.

    Okay, what on earth? I just discovered I hadn't followed your blog yet when I thought I had ages ago. I've now smacked myself upside the head and fixed that lol. Good luck with working on your new WIP this week! Reaching the 12k mark is awesome!

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  7. I have many similar distractions. :) But sounds like you are making tons of progress! GO you!

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  8. Headphones can be a lifesaver! I like to write at the local coffee shop but I don't like all the background noise. Headphones to the rescue!

    I am so excited for Mockingjay this weekend! Have a great week. :)

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  9. Dr. Whoooo...why can't it just be on all year long? Or at least half the year?! We have one more episode and I am drawing it out because I cannot face the end :)

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  10. Wow! Your hour-long word count with kids around is impressive! I bow down to you. Seriously, even when my daughter is playing with friends I can't usually concentrate in long-enough stretches to draft, let alone so many words. Oh, and I totally agree with you on how you reading mood can affect how you perceive a book. I have Blue Lilly, Lilly Blue, but I haven't been in the mood for it yet so I haven't opened it. I think I've been gravitating toward lighter books because it's the beginning of winter and I just need something cozy and cheerful. Soon, though!

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