Apparently 9 is also too late for me to be writer-ing blog posts? That graphic is my mind spilled out onto Canva. 😂
Yes. Yes, we are still doing this. The Dares shall not end. They were just … temporarily … delayed. I guess.
For this post, I’ll just briefly recap what all happened in May and June and July … and then we’ll look towards the future! (IT’S MY FREAKIN’ BIRTHDAY MONTH SQUEEEEEE!)
All Of May & June & July
Alternately –
Reading
So far this year I’ve read 74 books. Which is more than I intended to read, actually, so I’m pretty pleased with that. You can view my Goodreads reading challenge here.
Here are the books I read during these last three months (and I ran out of patience, so there are no ratings/other notes around them):
Writing
I’m a writer, and I actually wrote this summer! 😍 Wow, that feels good to say after so much slumping!
Once a Stratton
I edited through it twice, went through beta-readers, and am now going through my editor comments! I beat a bunch of deadlines, expanded it to almost 70K, and am in general quite pleased with my progress.
So … yes, I will be talking with an agent, but I’m focusing on other things as well. It’s no longer a priority as it was before. Other writer-ings are coming first!
Camp NaNo (July)
Look at that! Both me and my cabin did stupendously this month! Little by little, that is. 😉
So yep, I got 76,441 words (edited (200 words for every page) /written; I counted both). Here’s a basic breakdown of what that was:
- | ONCE A STRATTON |
All 130 pages edited + words written = 31,757
Total: 31,757 - | BEYOND HER CALLING |
Revising. 47 pages x 200 = 9,400
Total: 41,157 - | BEFORE A FALL |
Writing. 30,011 words.
Total: 71,168 - | SAIL AWAY/WHEN WE WERE YOUNG |
Writing. 5,273
Total: 76,441
So yes, it was a variety of scattered progress, but it went fairly well! Best Camp NaNo I’ve had in a while! 🙂
Other Works-in-Progress
Guess what? I updated my works-in-progress page (including very bad work-in-progress covers – and occasionally some good ones!).
You can see all I’m writing and outlining and editing as well as plot bunnies!
So yep, if you’d like to be updated, that’s how you can go about it. (There are quite a few I’ve never shared on here before!)
Beyond Her Calling
I’ll be finishing up with the second draft and ready for beta-readers by the 12th (incidentally, my birthday!).
And, obviously, I’m looking for beta readers! I’d really appreciate your help, and it’s a fun book! I promise! (Feel free to ask questions in the comments!)
All the info is in the form … as well as some stuff about a HUGE giveaway for beta-readers only. So check it out, and you could win a paperback copy of your choice of my novels!
(Jut FYI, from now on, helping Kell with her writer-ings shall come with benefits! And hopefully my social media followers will start to see benefits in keeping up, too.)
Before a Fall
I AM SO CLOSE, Y’ALL!!!
Okay, so, I originally thought it would be 10K, and then 20K, and then 30K … and now I’ve written 32,779 words, and I think it’s going to be about 40-45K.
So … small novel, anyone? Gibson is too delightful to write short about.
I’m going through my alphas starting today (I chose them through social media this time rather than specially-picking friends #risktaker), so that’s gonna be exciting!
What’s I got to go? Well, I’m currently writing chapter 19/26! (And yes, I did outline by chapter this time! Interesting, huh?)
Blogging
You all know what happened here. New site, new schedule.
I have 859 followers, which is AMAZING! I’m so glad to see you so many people hanging out here! Comment below and introduce yourself if you’re new. 💕💗💖
Life
- Didn’t die, despite all outward appearances.
- Huge accomplishment, that.
- Graduated from high school.
- YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!
- Begun volunteering again at the Fort Dalles Museum.
- Didn’t die.
- I got to stay alone in the house for a couple days!
- My parents were on vacation, you see.
- It was fun, but the internet was out.
- In fact, it was out for a full week.
- I considered suicide, but ended up just hanging out at Starbucks and Dairy Queen for a couple hours. 😉
- I had Bailey over!
- We went midnight swimming.
- And discussed Downton Abbey.
- Which reminds me …
- I watched like three seasons for Downton Abbey.
- Maybe more.
- I can’t really tell.
- OH MARY!!!!!!!!!! OH MATTHEW!!!!!!!
- *sobs* But they were so … so perfect, I just …
- I also got re-hooked on Gilmore Girls, but that’s a story for another time.
- HELP.
- I learned I love being alone.
- #Independent
- I learned that heatstroke is bad.
- 😑😑😑
- No comment.
- Got a kitten.
- His name is Sinatra.
- He’s adorable.
- And has a fantastic personality, too!
- … other stuff?
- I wish I could remember more, but I’ve been writing/blogging so much that I feel like I’ve forgotten the rest.
AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO … UNTO THE FUTURE!
August 2018 Dares
Reading
- Get through at least most of your review copies.
- *laughs*
- It won’t happen, but it’s a good dare!
- Don’t accept any more review copies.
- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
- Y’know if something better comes along, I shall abandon my dares.
- Catch up on your own alpha/beta projects.
- Yeahhhhhh … 😌
Writing
- Get through the first half of Beyond Her Calling‘s betas!
- You can sign up for that here.
I’m shameless.- This is something you WANT to do, though, because there’s a giveaway attached … *hint, hint, nudge, nudge*
- Finish my last edits and proofreads of Once a Stratton.
- This isn’t going to be too tough, but I still need to do it.
- So. #dareya
- Finish Before a Fall.
- YOU CAN DO IT, GIRL!
- YOU CAN WRITE THAT BOOK!
- JUST KEEP WRITING!
- #selfconfidence
Blogging
- Guest post at least three times.
- I need to guest post more.
- Put out quality posts thrice a week.
- Starting with this one! 😂
- #notsuperpro
Life
- Read the Bible.
- Umbledumbledum.
- ATTEND A WRITER’S CONFERENCE!
- (MORE ON THAT LATER!!!)
What Will Be Happening in August?
-
MAH BIRTHDAY!
- I’m gonna be 17 on the 12th!
-
Heidi’s coming.
- (H.L. Burke, in other words. She’s my sister.)
-
Hopefully readjusting to normal sleeping patterns.
- Yeah, right.
-
WRITING CONFERENCE!
- I’m going to a writing conference with my dear friend Ivy Rose!
- I AM SO EXCITED!
-
Horse-riding lessons again!
- My first is this next Friday. Super excited!
Let me remind you one last time: Alpha-Reading. Giveaway. Click.
Annnndddddd … that’s it! Comment below and answer the questions which I shall post after the p.s. like normal. #unnecessaryinfo
TTFN!
~Kellyn Roth~
Goodreads · Facebook · Twitter
p.s.
What did you do this summer (so far)? Did you write? And did you read? Learn any cool stuff? What’s your favorite color of fish? Do fishes have wishes? Red fish, two fish? Fish wish? (It’s 11:30 here, sorry.) What are you looking forward to in August? Have you ever ridden a horse? Do you want to beta-read Beyond Her Calling?
26 Responses
In August, I’m looking forward to beta reading Beyond Her Calling!! Also finishing the 100-for-100 challenge, and seeing how many words I wrote this Summer.
Oh, yeah, and my siblings and I are performing as a warmup band at our county fair tomorrow. And we all just got some form of sickness, so this is a prime time to actually trust God. XD (I don’t know if this counts as something I’m looking forward to …)
I don’t think Before a Fall can be called a novella anymore. 😀 Oh, well. I guess that means more character development for Gibson!
CutePolarBear
Awww … *tears up a little* Thanks, Hanna! 😀 😀 😀 Congratulations on that challenge! I meant to participate … but didn’t … 😛
OH NO! I’m so sorry! I’ll be praying that you’ll heal up or at least be able to survive it. 🙁
Yep, it’s more like a short novel or … novelton. 😉 Okay, that’s not a thing, but you know …
Don’t you get all sentimental on me! 😀
Thanks for the prayers! They really helped, and it went off swell! (I guess I feel like sounding like a ’30s girl today) We were so busy we didn’t have time to be sick. 😉 Plus, I think we sweat enough to get everything out of our systems. 😀 (And then we stayed and jammed with the fair board president until almost midnight.) So it was a pretty fun day. 🙂
A novelton? Well, that’s a new word. I think you can call it a regular novel–40K is no small number. 😛
LOL, okay! *hastily wipes eyes*
That’s great! 😀 Haha, oops! I’m so glad it went well!
LOL, true!
My birthday is in August as well 😃 I also learned in July I don’t like being without parents for a week 😂 We’re opposites.
Haha! 😛 That’s funny! Well, maybe there are SOME perks of having parents … like free food and board and whatnot … 😉
Oh goodness. I love your dare posts; they never fail to bring a smile to my face.
Awww, thank you, Rebekah! 🙂 <3
Yay! You FINALLY have another book to beta read. Totally jut signed up, and I’ll be counting the days down to the 12th.
That’s awesome, Amie! I’m so glad you’re looking forward to it!
Oh my gosh. I can relate so much. Like…….Sleeping patterns. Binge-watching tv shows(the sad part though is I don’t have any to watch rn! I watched them all……Any suggestions? *glares at school*).
Also, HOW IN THE HECK DID YOU READ 74 BOOKS IN 6 MONTHS???? Like. How.
Ooh yay!! So excited about all these books! You’re doing amazing!!(*glares at pile of unfinished stories*)
😀
YES! <3 Hmm ... Idk. Phineas and Ferb. Looney Tunes (but like the old ones). When Calls the Heart. Andy Griffith Show. Get Smart. (Yes, I am just saying random TV shows ... but I do like them ...)
... magic? Really, it's more like 7 months! So 10 books a month! Which is still admittedly a lot ... but I'm sure there were some short stories, too!
Thank you, Libby! 😀 <3
Hmm…..I’ve thought about Phineas and Ferb but it just looks weird…….*scrolls through tv shows I’ve seen* So apparantly that isn’t a problem. 😛 Looney Tunes!! We’re actually working through those right now(the new ones though……They’re not as good :/ ). WCTH is so good! Can’t wait for the new season to come on Netflix! 😀 Andy Griffith!! I grew up on that. ;P Hmm……I’ve never heard of Get Smart. I will have to look into it! 😀
Really? Teach me please. 😛 It is!!
😀
Haha! 😛 It’s actually super clever, but I remember I felt the same when my brothers made me watch it. 😉 Yeahhh, the new ones aren’t quite the same …
AGREED! I can’t wait, either! I’m so excited for it. Get Smart is a ’60s TV show that’s kinda silly but also fun! 😛
Hahaha I’m dying at your questions at the end…do I even dare to answer those? Fish wish? 😀
What did you do this summer (so far)? Did you write? And did you read? Learn any cool stuff?: I feel like we have discussed a lot of this stuff already in other comments. 🙂 But yes, yes, and yes. Actually, I did write quite a bit this week! It turns out that being on vacation gives you a lot more time to write.
What’s your favorite color of fish? Do fishes have wishes? Red fish, two fish? Fish wish?: …I haven’t much thought about my fish-color preferences, actually. I don’t think fish have wishes but maybe? Maybe they wish to have the intelligence to have wishes…
What are you looking forward to in August?: I feel like I would have a longer answer about what I’m nervous about…but! I’m looking forward to finishing Battle Song–I’m so close!!–and figuring out blogging and getting my wisdom teeth out. (Well, I’m not sure if I look forward to that. But it seems like it’ll be an interesting experience.)
Have you ever ridden a horse?: I have! Actually, I took riding lessons for a year or two when I was younger…I was very much obsessed with horses. Now I’m not, and I haven’t ridden in ages. I should ride again…but I’m kind of scared to? I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten all my skills. 😛 But I’m super excited that you get to start riding lessons again! 😀
Do you want to beta-read Beyond Her Calling?: Actually, funny story. While I was reading this post, I was like, “Oooh, I want to do that!” And then I thought, “Hang on, Lana, you’ve already alpha-read that one.” XD For some reason I thought it was another book or something. 😛
Also, congrats on Before a Fall! KEEP WRITING, KELL! YOU CAN FINISH IT!
FISH WISH, LANA! (I typed that as “FISH FISH” the first time which makes almost as much sense …)
I like orange fish … or blue ones … I think? *also hasn’t thought about this … well, not since I watched Finding Nemo*
Haha, yep, we’ve talked about a ton of that. Ooh, wisdom teeth! I kinda want to have mine out some day so I can have nothing but icecream for a week … 😉 😛 Still, I’m sure it’ll go smoothly and whatnot!
THANKS! I’ve been working on Once a Stratton a bit, but then I’ll get back to it! 😀
#FISHFISH #FISHWISH
Hehe… 😛
Haha, I hope I don’t have to eat ice cream for an entire week! I love ice cream…but I also love crunchy foods.
Yay, good luck!
Haha, yeah, icecream might get kinda sickening after a day or so … 😉
I wrote a little bit. I took camp nano pretty laid back this month and just worked on an outline of a WIP that I have been working on whenever I felt like it. I think I only wrote like 1,000 words the whole month. XD So yeah, kind of a fail, but I wasn’t really trying anyway. I was mostly focusing on blogging and trying to get out of this 2 month long reading slump by forcing myself to read more. XD. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea, but oh well. 😛
I don’t know if I learned any new cool stuff, but I’ve been trying to get more into art and developing my skills so I can make bookmarks to sell on Etsy one day maybe. 🙂
And this month I’m looking forward to taking a creative writing class and maybe getting a library or bookstore job. But mostly I’m looking forward to having my own room again and being able to decorate and organize it. 😀
I have ridden a horse only a couple of times when I was little, despite being obsessed with reading about them. XD I didn’t actually like them that much. I just was interested in learning about them for some reason. 😛
And I really WANT to Beta read Beyond Her Calling, cuz I helped with At Her Fingertips, but there are too many projects in my head going on this fall (including writing, reading, blogging, reorganizing my room, art…blah blah blah :P) that I should probably focus on, on top of going back to school at the end of this month for the first time in two years, so I probably shouldn’t over-commit myself. XD But I hope you have fun with the other Beta readers! 😀
That’s awesome!! Let me know if you ever do sell bookmarks on Etsy – sounds so good! 😀 😀
Ooh, I’ve always wanted to take a creative writing class but I never have … yet!
Of course! Gotta prioritize – and thankfully I’ve got lots of betas this time around, so it works out! <3
Oh, gosh, girl, same about binge TV. I somehow watched the entirety of The Office (US) this summer? OOPS. xD And watched some other movies and shows… and my Mom is watching Father Brown (BBC) so I’ll be starting that soon. 😛
And WOW so weird seeing my own book on that list? o-0
YES YOU DID FABULOUS IN CAMP! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. *HUG* And I can’t wait to beta. =D ♥
And you will rock the conference, Kell! 🙂
I think I did that this spring. 😛 Same show, even! Now we’re just watching scattered episodes whenever my brother controls the remote. 😉 I haven’t tried that one yet!
YEAH, I KNOW! It’s so cool, though, am I right??!!
Awww, thank you! 😀 I can’t wait to have you!
Happy almost-birthday, Kelly! Wow, you’ve been busy! Aww, you’re getting horse-riding lessons? #jealous I was a horse addict in my teens and took lessons for a year until for reasons, we didn’t have the money anymore. I still miss it now and then.
Tbh, I don’t have many specific plans for August other than writing more and waiting for my pre-ordered copy of The Fall of Gondolin to come. (Watch me completely forget about it and wonder what in earth the package is when it gets here. Happens every time. :p) OH I’m also still waiting for feedback from the anthology contest I entered at the end if June so if they haven’t responded by the end of this month, I’m supposed to query and see what happened. Hoping they’ll just go on and get back to me, though. I don’t know whether to think I must not have gotten in or if I can hope they’re still going through stories and there’s still a chance. *sigh* :/
Thankfully, this lady has VERY reasonable prices – she’s just a person we know with a horse, haha. 😛 So yeah, it works out with my limited budget …
I do that every time I order something! xD Like clockwork …
That’s awesome! 😀 I hope you get in!
Wow, this was such an entertaining post, Kell! You did AMAZING on writing last month XD Congratulations!!
I signed up to alpha Beyond Her Calling! Can’t wait to read it! 😀 😀 😀
And… happy early birthday! 🙂 <3
Thank you, Liz! 😀 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
YAY! It’ll be SO fantastic to have another person I know!! <3 Love ya!!