Activity

*staggers in late and yawning like the void*

Hey guys.

It’s me.

I haven’t seen you people since last year. How y’all been doin’? Long time no see… XD

What I read:

I’m supposed to keep track of this, aren’t I…

Oh boy.

• Nicholas Nickleby and Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens
• Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Wayfarer, K.M. Weiland
• The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
• Mistborn Trilogy and The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson
• Blank Mastermind, Rosey Mucklestone
• Rebel Heir, Shadowkeeper, and Healer’s Bane, by Hope Ann (yes, that Hope Ann)
• God of Manna, Daeus Lamb (read it)
• Coal, Hannah Robinson
• Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
• Escape from Davao (nonfic)
• We Were Soldiers Once, and Young (nonfic)

And a dozen others I’m sure I forgot. Currently reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

What I wrote:

I actually didn’t start any new material this year, which is a first. It’s all been editing. Third draft of Uncharted, my hulking epic fantasy novel, and third draft and final polishing on my Snow White retelling, The Mirror, in preparation for publication.

Ya’ll people are probably gonna hear more about that one soon. 😉 I have learned so much this year on the writing front though. Mostly in regards to stepping beyond the creative freedom of just the words, and learning how to have a bigger vision, and how to bring that vision to life.

Which is the poetic way of saying I’ve been learning about publishing, marketing, and building a platform. XD

What I’ve Learned:

• See above.
• The only thing you have the power to change is yourself. Changing the world is not about learning how to convincingly point out everyone else’s flaws. It’s about changing yourself and by God’s grace becoming someone worth looking up to.
• In addition, stressing about the messes you can’t change keeps you from focusing on what you can.
• The littlest things are the biggest blessings. Don’t forego the joy of the moment just because it isn’t an important one. God blesses us in the countless little things because we get more of those in a lifetime.
• The future is the last thing you should ever worry about, because it sabotages your joy in the present, which leads to problems in the future, which is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Surrender the ‘right’ to shape your life how you think it should go. Again. And again. And again. 😛
• Friends are blessings. Don’t try to do everything alone. It’s not proof of ‘weakness’ to accept help, companionship, warmth, etc. from other people. Let other people take your journey with you. There is no grand arrival at the end of the race where you suddenly become ‘worthy’ of the love and respect of others. There is only the race. We only have that long, and the whole point of running the race together is to encourage and support each other on the way to the destination.
• Fuzzy stocking caps are nice. They keep your ears warm.

 

@eden-anderson @daeus-lamb @ethryndal @noahlitle @cassandraia @r-m-archer @literatureforthelight