NaNoWriMo: Useful Info + Writing Buddies

Hi guys! As some of you may know, throughout the month of November, there'll be a writing event called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Since this year I've decided to participate, I thought I would write a quick post to share some info with you. 

Some NaNoWriMo Info

What's NaNoWriMo? 

Basically, you have one month to write the first draft of a novel at a minimum word count of 50,000 words. I'm actually sorta cheating and writing a short story collection instead, haha. I've graduated from uni a few days ago and until I begin my Masters course next year, I'll have loads of free time. So I thought to myself, why not seize the occasion to try my hand at NaNoWriMo?

Are there, like, prizes and stuff?

The event is more a personal motivation thing than an actual writing competition. The end game is the completion of a 50,000 + words draft of your project, for which the main reward is simply the satisfaction that you DID IT. So, nope, it's not like there's going to be a big prize or whatever. Also, no one will be judging the content of your project. Again, the whole point of NaNo is simply to get you to sit down and write. The reward is that 50,000th word you'll hopefully reach. 

How does it work?

Throughout the month of November, participants are going to be working on their writing projects, updating their word count as they proceed. Their NaNo dashboard, which they can access after signing up on the official NaNo website, will help them keep tract of their reached word count. Throughout the event there are also badges which you can win, much like in a game, upon reaching various goals. By the end of the month, if you managed to reach 50,000 or more words, you are a winner.

My Writing Project For This Year

What will I be writing?

This year, for my first participation, I'll be writing a short story collection. I'm not certain if I'll be able to reach the 50,000 words goal in November but I'm going to try to give it my best shot. My collection will comprise of several fantasy and magical realism stories revolving around women and themes of freedom and escape. 

How did I prepare?

Some people like going into the event without planning ahead. If that works for you, then I would suggest you stick to this style and have fun creating your story as you go along. I do prefer planning ahead though, which is what I've been busy doing this past month. If you'd like more details about how I plan my writing, let me know and I'll gladly write a post about that ^^

Are you also participating? Let's be writing buddies!

If you'll also be participating in NaNoWriMo, feel free to add me as your writing buddy so that we can encourage each other and stuff :) You can add me by clicking here. 

My Writing Updates and Progress

I'll be doing some NaNo updates on my Facebook Page throughout the month. If you wish to stay informed about my writing progress, click here to go like my Facebook page and catch my latest update posts.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you guys. As usual, feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments ^^

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Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - Book Review (Spoiler Free)

Library of Souls is the third and final book in the Peculiar Children trilogy and was released this year in September. This trilogy is one that I deeply love and which I would absolutely re-read at some point. Library of Souls though, was unfortunately the installment I enjoyed least out of the three books. 

If you've read or plan to read it, feel free to share your thoughts with me in the comments. Also, since this is the final book in a trilogy, do bear in mind that this review might contain mild spoilers about the first two installments. I would suggest not reading the review unless you've completed Hollow City. 

The Positive Aspects

The development of Jacob's powers

Jacob's character growth has been constant throughout the trilogy, one of the elements of these books which I really enjoyed. It's not until quite late in the series though that we get a good look at his peculiar abilities. In fact, it's not until the end of book two that things get really moving. Library of Souls very nicely picked up that storyline and did a great job developing it. At no point did I feel like Jacob's abilities were overblown and out of place.

Jacob and Emma's relationship

The last chapters of Hollow City had a brief scene in which Emma suggested Jacob should leave her for his own good, which made me a little mad to be honest. It was lame when Edward pulled that stunt in New Moon and it has since become one of my bookish pet peeves. In this book though, their relationship recovered beautifully from that almost catastrophic decision, almost as if it never happened which is just the way I wanted it to be. In fact, these two's relationship only gets stronger in Library of Souls. Their relationship has, at this point, already been well established and now we get to see how strong their bond really is.

The ending... in parts

With regards to Emma and Jacob's relationship and future, I think the ending was nicely written. Without spoiling anything, I can say that most people would be happy with how this particular aspect of the series was concluded.

Art found here

The Negative Aspects

While overall the book wasn't anywhere close to bad, I did have a few issues with it.

The pacing

It took me FOREVER to get into the book. The book drags a bit more than the first two books. Not much happens in the first 40% of the book, during which the main focus is on world building. Now, I love me some good world building, but as compared to the faster paced books 1 and 2, it just made the book a bit slow. I finished Hollow City in two days but Library of Souls took me more than a week, most of which I spent on the first half of the book before powering through the second half, which was fortunately faster paced.

The world building

I was honestly not a fan of the setting. I won't say where exactly the story takes place cause that feels like a mild spoiler, but I will say that it bored me a bit. I tried to enjoy the world building, but honestly, I just didn't really care that much. It just was too dark and depressing, even for a trilogy renowned for being dark and spooky. The world building was something I had really enjoyed in Hollow City but here it was probably the element I enjoyed the least.

We don't get to spend much time with the peculiar children 

At the end of Hollow City, the peculiar children are taken away by the wights and unfortunately, for the better part of this book, we don't get to see them again. It takes forever for Jacob and Emma to reunite with their friends, which disappointed me a bit. The peculiar children's presence was what made Hollow City such a fun and satisfying sequel to book one and I guess I just got too used to seeing them in the main action.

Quote found here

The mythology was a bit loose

After completing the trilogy, I'm still unsure about certain aspects of the peculiar mythology. It's just that we're introduced to new magical laws and things as we come across them and with no precedent mention about them, which honestly felt like some stuff were just being made up along the way.

The ending... in parts

The ending was satisfying in most parts but it was the execution of the final chapter itself rather than the content that I didn't enjoy. To me personally, it felt a little sloppy.

Final Word

Overall, while I did feel like it was the weakest installment in the trilogy, I would still recommend Library of Souls to those of you who have already read the first two books. It wasn't a bad book. I just don't think it was the best out of the three.

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Found here

Halloween Giveaway 2: Win a Bundle of E.A. Poe Goodies!

If there's a time of the year that's perfect for some horror classics, then it's definitely October. To celebrate one of my favorite classic horror authors and also in anticipation of Halloween, today I'm hosting an Edgar Allan Poe themed giveaway! The winner gets to win not one product but a bundle of beautiful products offered by the Etsy store Novel Reveries.

Below you'll find the giveaway which you can enter to win these awesome products, followed by my interview with Denée, the owner of Novel Reveries. 

The Giveaway

The winner will get all four products featured in the picture including:

• A pumpkin metal bookmark
• A book charm necklace
• A soap aptly called 'Eau de Poe'
• A cuff bracelet with a quote from Poe that says 'All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream'.

 A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Denée's giveaway note: "As sole owner and operator of NovelReveries.com and Etsy shop, I have always loved the power of books, and thought others would like to display their love as well. My shop began with book charms in 2013, and have since expanded to quote bracelets, book inspired fine jewelry, music boxes, upcycled book fashions, and much more!"

This giveaway is open to the US/Canada only and will end on the 31st of October. The winner will be announced in the first week of November. 

Interview with Denée

Here's an interview I had with Denée, the creator of all these awesome bookish products.

Tell us about your craft. 

I love books, so I gear towards making literature related items, whether it be jewelry, e-reader pillows or upcycling books into e-reader cases and purses.

How did you start?

I started off making book charms for authors and book lovers and expanded from there. Growing up I’ve always loved making things, so I guess my passion for crafting just grew into better looking, and more useful items.

What was the first thing you ever crafted? 

Book charm necklaces and bracelets, and yes they can still be found in my shop, although due to listing fees, I’ve decreased the variety of them and just added Custom Listings for books not found in the shop. The experience from my first year on Etsy was great, as I had a lot of interest from people who already followed me on Tumblr, and each purchase use to come with an original drawing (by me) of the authors.

Find this cool Jane Eyre purse here

What is the favorite craft you’ve ever made? Can it still be found in your store?

So far, anything that I can sew up, so my favs are my book purses and quilted bookshelf pillow. I also really love sculpting my literature themed music boxes, although they haven’t sold yet. Everything can still be found in my store, and I do custom work as well :)

What is your next art/craft project?

I’ve been pretty busy with my book purses, but I would love to create more Lit Soaps, sculptures, music boxes, and e-reader pillows before Christmas time :)

Do you have other interests/passions/hobbies?

I started off college as a music composition major (I play the French horn,) and I ended college majoring and graduating with a degree in Interior Design. I also enjoy writing, drawing and cooking. I LOVE books (obviously, lol!) and my favorite genres are Mystery, Thrillers/horror and Sci-Fi.

Find this Harry Potter book charm bracelet here

What would you say to an aspiring artist or crafter who wishes to commercialize his or her creations?  

Do it for the fun of it! That’s the most important thing :) Don’t let your passion become a stressful burden. Also don’t sell yourself short, you know how much you’ve spent on materials, shipping, and how much love and work you’ve put into your projects, so your prices should definitely reflect that.

Discover more about Denée and her fandom inspired products at her Etsy store by clicking here.

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E.A. Poe quote art found here