Happy almost September!
August Reading: August has been the best reading month. I got my annotated and illustrated copy of Keeper of the Lost Cities!! Look, I love this series so much and have been talking about it way too much on Instagram lately haha Don't judge, but I do a reread of the series every year to prepare for the next book when they release in November. Last year I didn't get to do the reread I think either cus I was too busy or I forgot until it was too late and I couldn't get through all seven books in time. So this year, I was like I'm gonna start early and I'm gonna get this series read before Unlocked comes out and that is exactly what I did. I'm now on Everblaze, book 3 and am almost finished then it's onto Neverseen. I knew how good this series was, but I had forgotten how good this series is. I'm reading through it and am just amazed at the amazingness that is Shannon Messenger's plotting and writing and characters. It's all so perfect!
Anyways... that's my reading of August. Lots and lots of Keeper of the Lost Cities and talking with a friend (who is also a massive Keeper fan whom I introduced to the series by the way haha) about how Keefe and Sophie are obviously meant to be together (way more than her and Fitz 😜).
August Life Stuff: It feels like a lot of life stuff happened in August. Or more one big life thing that happened in August. We officially moved! I forgot how hard it was to move an entire house into another house... it's a lot of work haha And organizing it all and putting everything where it needs to be and resetting up TV's and all that? Even harder haha But I'm so thankful for this new house and for a new room to decorate. I think that was the best part. I got to redecorate my room for the first time in years! I made myself a cute little reading nook that I'm in love with 😍 and the color of my walls is so pretty and perfect for bookstagram pictures and I can stuff all of my many, many things in my closet now to make more space in my room. It's awesome.
I got to attend my first wedding! One of my friends got married this month and I got to be one of her bridesmaids which was so fun. It was such a beautiful and great day and I'm so thankful I got to share in her special day with her and her husband. :b Also, I'm pretty excited I caught the bouquet at the bouquet toss sooo who knows what my future holds in the next few months/year? 😉
Classes also started the last week of this month. I am so, so happy about this semester. I get to take a class about the supernatural history of America, a class on the history of disability and a class on early medieval history. I'm loving learning all the history this semester!
I know this blog post makes it seem like it was all sunshine and rainbows this month. Honestly I'm just in a good mood and in a pretty good place... all of August wasn't like that. Moving had some serious rough patches. No month is ever perfect and there were plenty of rough moments throughout all of August, but I want to focus on the happy and positive parts of the month that makes me smile because right now, I think it's more important than ever that we bask in the good things.
Looking Forward to September: Whaat?? It's September already?? How did this even happen?? I'm not complaining cus September means the (hopeful) beginning of cool weather and all the Fall vibes, but it just gives me a moment when I realize it's September and Summer is almost over. That's just crazy to think about.
Anyways, I don't know if there's a ton of big awesome stuff to look forward to in September, but there are some small stuff. My small group starts again. I'm so, so thankful we can meet face to face. I really hate Zoom meetings, they give me so much anxiety so I'd much prefer to see people in person.
Classes will be in full swing in September and I'm honestly excited about some of the papers/projects we get to work on this semester. I get to write a super creative and fun thing about aliens for my Supernatural class. This really is the class of my dreams haha
I'll be continuing my reread of the Keeper series. The perfect way to usher in Fall.
Fall will be coming soon bringing with it cool weather and colorful leaves and warm drinks and jeans and boots. I'm so ready for Fall. I'm always ready for Fall. I can't help but feel a little melancholy or sad about the fact that we won't be able to do some of the things we usually do to celebrate Autumn. I don't think there will be going to our zoo decked out in fun Halloween decorations this year... My mom says that she isn't sure if there will even be a Halloween this year, but I told her I do not care! Trick or treating or not we are dressing up and we are going to have a party or hang out with friends or something. Halloween is a fun night for candy and dressing up and hanging out with friends. Covid won't take that away from me haha
And of course, I'll be working on St. Croix Falls 3. These classes have ending up being a lot more work each week than any others I've done, so I'm hoping I'll still have time (and the motivation) to work on St. Croix Falls 3. Last semester I got into the rhythm of doing all my work within the first few days of the week so then I had the end of the week to write and stuff. I'm hoping that as the semester goes on, I'll be able to fall into that same rhythm. Not only do I want to work on St. Croix Falls 3, but I also want to be write more of Scarlet Phoenix (Archive #3).
Also, I officially went all month not missing a single week of blog posts! I did an entire blog post series on starting and there were so many times that God affirmed what I'm doing on here this past month. So many people have said how encouraging or helpful the last few blog posts have been and it's given me the confidence to keep doing what I'm doing. I've never been so happy and so excited to post stuff on this blog before, I've never felt this passionate and alive when it comes to this blog before. Getting to use this platform in a way that glorifies God, draws people closer to Him, encourages others through my words and also helps to draw me closer to Him has been the most amazing experience. I'm so thankful that He's guided me on this journey and pushed me out of my comfort zone in writing more vulnerable posts that anything I would have normally been Okay with. I'm so excited to get to bring that same energy into September and continue to see what God has in store for me and this little blog. I'm hoping to have at least one blog post each month that has something to do with writing while also applying it to my theme for that month. After having already written like three blog posts on this topic, I decided that the theme for September is prayer.
I've felt God pressing into me about prayer a lot lately... 2020 is a year that needs constant prayer and after following a few people on Instagram who are super into prayer and intercession, I felt the need to learn more about this way we communicate with God. Prayer is so much bigger and more powerful than I thought it was. I mean, I knew we had power through prayer, I just never implemented it or used it. I'm hoping in September and throughout the rest of this year to learn more about prayer and intercession and the different ways to pray and how to pray with power and boldness. I hope you'll go along on this journey with me in September and my prayer is that these blog posts will inspire and encourage those who read them. That God would bring them in front of those who need them the most and that He work through my words to touch others.
So there you have it. August in review and what September is shaping up to look like.
August feels like it was so long and short at the same time. I
can't believe this is the last day of the month... It's so crazy how much has
happened this month. We moved, I went to a wedding, my classes started, I'm
revising St. Croix Falls 3 instead of rewriting it. August was jam packed and
it feels like it all went by so quickly!
August Writing: I got to 20,000
words in the third book in what I am now calling the Archive series (of which
Golden Touch and Emerald Phantom are a part of). Every time I sit to write in
this series its like a breath of fresh air. I sit down and write and it feels
like stepping outside in a crisp Autumn morning and taking a deep breath and
just smiling and feeling all warm inside. It feels like home and these are my
people, my friends. Never in my entire life has a series gone so smoothly! I
haven't lost steam and my passion for this series hasn't waned a single bit
throughout this entire process. There's something truly special about this
series, something that my heart can't stop clinging to. Writing Wayward was a
breeze, writing Cursed was an endless stretch of a very bumpy road and writing
St. Croix Falls 3 has felt like a marathon I accidentally stumbled upon and now
have to finish. But writing these three books of the Archive series? Guys, I
don't even know... it's unlike anything else I've ever experienced with my
writing. The characters click, the story has come together seamlessly, I'm in
love with every ounce of this series and I can't wait to write book 4 and to
see what happens beyond that. Seriously, I can't wait to share this series with
everyone who is willing to read it. Who knows, maybe years down the line I'll
have written something else I'll consider my pride and joy, but for right now I’d
say that this series will be the best thing I’ve ever written and I truly am
proud of how it’s shaping up to be.
And now onto my messy and annoying child that just won’t pull
itself together for me. I wasn’t kidding when I said St. Croix Falls 3 is like
stumbling upon a marathon that you now feel obligated to finish. It’s just one
thing after another with this book. It was a pretty ugly and mangled first
draft, so I knew I was in for a rough revising and editing process but… did I
really think it would be this grueling and hard? Nope. No I did not. Not to sit
on here and complain but seriously, this is a hard book. I know I can do so
much better. After writing Golden Touch, I know with this book I’m not living
up to my full potential as a writer and it’s killing me inside. I wish I had
done more planning or worldbuilding or taken more care with the St. Croix Falls
world in the first two books, so I’d have more to work with in this one but
right now… I’m just sort of pinned in and doing what I can with what I have. I
want to make this book the best it can be and I’m hoping that in the next month
or two it’ll shape up and become something wonderful, but right now it feels
like it’s never going to get there. I’ve grown a lot as a person and as a
writer this year and unfortunately, I can’t seem to get Mia and the St. Croix
Falls world to grow along with me. They’re stubbornly stuck where I was as a
writer in May 2019 when I wrote Wayward. I know I can do it though. I’m just
taking it one day at a time. One scene at a time until it’s finished. St. Croix
Falls 3 will be a fitting ending to my first trilogy no matter and it will be
published (hopefully) by the end of this year!
August Reading: August has been the best reading month. I got my annotated and illustrated copy of Keeper of the Lost Cities!! Look, I love this series so much and have been talking about it way too much on Instagram lately haha Don't judge, but I do a reread of the series every year to prepare for the next book when they release in November. Last year I didn't get to do the reread I think either cus I was too busy or I forgot until it was too late and I couldn't get through all seven books in time. So this year, I was like I'm gonna start early and I'm gonna get this series read before Unlocked comes out and that is exactly what I did. I'm now on Everblaze, book 3 and am almost finished then it's onto Neverseen. I knew how good this series was, but I had forgotten how good this series is. I'm reading through it and am just amazed at the amazingness that is Shannon Messenger's plotting and writing and characters. It's all so perfect!
Anyways... that's my reading of August. Lots and lots of Keeper of the Lost Cities and talking with a friend (who is also a massive Keeper fan whom I introduced to the series by the way haha) about how Keefe and Sophie are obviously meant to be together (way more than her and Fitz 😜).
August Life Stuff: It feels like a lot of life stuff happened in August. Or more one big life thing that happened in August. We officially moved! I forgot how hard it was to move an entire house into another house... it's a lot of work haha And organizing it all and putting everything where it needs to be and resetting up TV's and all that? Even harder haha But I'm so thankful for this new house and for a new room to decorate. I think that was the best part. I got to redecorate my room for the first time in years! I made myself a cute little reading nook that I'm in love with 😍 and the color of my walls is so pretty and perfect for bookstagram pictures and I can stuff all of my many, many things in my closet now to make more space in my room. It's awesome.
I got to attend my first wedding! One of my friends got married this month and I got to be one of her bridesmaids which was so fun. It was such a beautiful and great day and I'm so thankful I got to share in her special day with her and her husband. :b Also, I'm pretty excited I caught the bouquet at the bouquet toss sooo who knows what my future holds in the next few months/year? 😉
Classes also started the last week of this month. I am so, so happy about this semester. I get to take a class about the supernatural history of America, a class on the history of disability and a class on early medieval history. I'm loving learning all the history this semester!
I know this blog post makes it seem like it was all sunshine and rainbows this month. Honestly I'm just in a good mood and in a pretty good place... all of August wasn't like that. Moving had some serious rough patches. No month is ever perfect and there were plenty of rough moments throughout all of August, but I want to focus on the happy and positive parts of the month that makes me smile because right now, I think it's more important than ever that we bask in the good things.
Looking Forward to September: Whaat?? It's September already?? How did this even happen?? I'm not complaining cus September means the (hopeful) beginning of cool weather and all the Fall vibes, but it just gives me a moment when I realize it's September and Summer is almost over. That's just crazy to think about.
Anyways, I don't know if there's a ton of big awesome stuff to look forward to in September, but there are some small stuff. My small group starts again. I'm so, so thankful we can meet face to face. I really hate Zoom meetings, they give me so much anxiety so I'd much prefer to see people in person.
Classes will be in full swing in September and I'm honestly excited about some of the papers/projects we get to work on this semester. I get to write a super creative and fun thing about aliens for my Supernatural class. This really is the class of my dreams haha
I'll be continuing my reread of the Keeper series. The perfect way to usher in Fall.
Fall will be coming soon bringing with it cool weather and colorful leaves and warm drinks and jeans and boots. I'm so ready for Fall. I'm always ready for Fall. I can't help but feel a little melancholy or sad about the fact that we won't be able to do some of the things we usually do to celebrate Autumn. I don't think there will be going to our zoo decked out in fun Halloween decorations this year... My mom says that she isn't sure if there will even be a Halloween this year, but I told her I do not care! Trick or treating or not we are dressing up and we are going to have a party or hang out with friends or something. Halloween is a fun night for candy and dressing up and hanging out with friends. Covid won't take that away from me haha
And of course, I'll be working on St. Croix Falls 3. These classes have ending up being a lot more work each week than any others I've done, so I'm hoping I'll still have time (and the motivation) to work on St. Croix Falls 3. Last semester I got into the rhythm of doing all my work within the first few days of the week so then I had the end of the week to write and stuff. I'm hoping that as the semester goes on, I'll be able to fall into that same rhythm. Not only do I want to work on St. Croix Falls 3, but I also want to be write more of Scarlet Phoenix (Archive #3).
Also, I officially went all month not missing a single week of blog posts! I did an entire blog post series on starting and there were so many times that God affirmed what I'm doing on here this past month. So many people have said how encouraging or helpful the last few blog posts have been and it's given me the confidence to keep doing what I'm doing. I've never been so happy and so excited to post stuff on this blog before, I've never felt this passionate and alive when it comes to this blog before. Getting to use this platform in a way that glorifies God, draws people closer to Him, encourages others through my words and also helps to draw me closer to Him has been the most amazing experience. I'm so thankful that He's guided me on this journey and pushed me out of my comfort zone in writing more vulnerable posts that anything I would have normally been Okay with. I'm so excited to get to bring that same energy into September and continue to see what God has in store for me and this little blog. I'm hoping to have at least one blog post each month that has something to do with writing while also applying it to my theme for that month. After having already written like three blog posts on this topic, I decided that the theme for September is prayer.
I've felt God pressing into me about prayer a lot lately... 2020 is a year that needs constant prayer and after following a few people on Instagram who are super into prayer and intercession, I felt the need to learn more about this way we communicate with God. Prayer is so much bigger and more powerful than I thought it was. I mean, I knew we had power through prayer, I just never implemented it or used it. I'm hoping in September and throughout the rest of this year to learn more about prayer and intercession and the different ways to pray and how to pray with power and boldness. I hope you'll go along on this journey with me in September and my prayer is that these blog posts will inspire and encourage those who read them. That God would bring them in front of those who need them the most and that He work through my words to touch others.
So there you have it. August in review and what September is shaping up to look like.
What have you been reading/writing in August? Do you have any fun plans for September??
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