It’s officially December, which means that NaNoWriMo22 has come to an end. I still have a lot to do for this novel, however it’s been so much fun to write, edit and develop the world of this story. I also got a lot of work done on the next books in The Vermin Series, and am preparing lots of fun content for that.
On Friday we wrapped up recording the newest season of Matchbox, which was fantastic! I can’t wait to see it fully animated in the new year. I have a lot of fun imagining what each scene will look like, and it was so much fun recording in studio with my co-star Julian this season. He’s a fantastic actor, and I can’t wait for you all to hear him as Kayla’s little brother Mason James. I’ll be sure to share the episodes when they come out.
Speaking of shows, on Thursday night I attended the premiere of Stay Tooned hosted by Eric Bauza aka the voice of Bugs Bunny. I love cartoons, and I love documentaries and film studies so this show was right up my alley. The premiere was so much fun, and nostalgic. I felt like a kid again seeing clips from the shows I grew up watching. When I got to thinking about it afterwards, a lot of these cartoons helped shape me, and inspired me to to do what I’m doing today. Stay Tooned is fun, informative and it is so clear that everyone who worked on the show put lots of love into it. It’s available to stream on CBC Gem.
I also released some new music, and have more coming very soon. My most recent releases are all songs my niece asked me to release, and the future ones are based on my favourite game, and stories I’ve written with my niece and sister. Hope you’ll check them out!
For those participating, how is NaNoWriMo going so far? We’re now 17 days in, and I’m fairly satisfied with my progress so far. I like what I’ve put down, and am emotionally attached to my characters, so I’m excited to finish and get to editing.
I’ve been feeling under the weather these last couple of days, so I haven’t gotten as much work done as I would’ve liked, but I’m sure I’ll make up for that lost time eventually. I love creating mood boards, playlists and doing sketches of my characters while I’m writing. I find it helps me capture the characters personality, and see them as more fleshed out. I could honestly spend hours just creating characters, I think that’s why I spend so much time in Create-A-Sim when I’m playing Sims4. I like to imagine the story of their life, what sort of careers they might have, who they’ll love…if they’ll love at all? I love to think about the types of clothes they wear, what they eat, what they listen to, what their favourite genres are. That’s why I had so much fun doing OCtober last year. I wish I did it again this year, but I didn’t have time unfortunately.
For the novel I’m working on right now, I’ve got a playlist going with an array of songs that I find really fit the theme and characters…or just the overall vibe. Heaven, California is one of the songs that just fits the vibe.
Sometimes I just have this playing faintly in the background while writing. I also listen to a bunch of other songs like Greenroom, My Girlfriend is a Witch and Girl With One Eye.
The images above are all outfit inspiration that I draw from for some of the character’s in the novel. Some character’s, at least in my mind, have a signature colour scheme. Occasionally I’ll sketch a series of outfits that I want to describe for key scenes in my novels. This can be helpful when I go back and edit, in case I want to add some more visuals. Sometimes I do this just for fun. With Vermin, I have a lot of outfit sketches and things, especially for Rose. She has a few signature looks that she wears throughout the series.
I’m very excited about this new novel, and of course I will keep you all posted on the next two books in The Vermin Series, and when those will be released once I have more information on that.
Vermin has received another wonderful review! Fantasy based stories aren’t usually my forte, especially ones that are part of series which are still unwritten/ released…
I’ve been writing the third book in the Vermin series by hand, which has honestly been cathartic. I don’t know why I stopped drafting novels this way? I think it had to do with tracking my word count for NaNoWriMo honestly…
Back when I was working on the draft for the first book in the series, I had written everything by hand in a binder. After completing it, and transferring the draft onto my computer for editing, and the querying, I wrote the majority of book two’s draft on my computer, only writing the odd scene by hand here and there. The other writing projects I was working on around the time that I was editing book two were also written on my computer versus in a binder or notebook like I’d done previously. I’ve found that writing on my computer for my first drafts restricting. I constantly go back and edit scenes over and over, while I’m drafting when I should be writing, and allowing the story to unfold naturally. Writing the initial draft by hand allows for more freedom. If I make a mistake, I move on, especially since for the first time I’m drafting in pen.
I normally use pencil, but I have so many nice pens, and love the feel of pen on paper, so I went for it.
The other reason I decided to draft book three by hand is because for years I kept telling myself I needed a break from screens, and the pandemic didn’t really help the situation. I check my phone so often throughout the day that I just started leaving it in my room, and trying to only check it a couple times a day for emails from work. I found that outside of reading, I was spending way too much time on my phone just scrolling, and wasting time. Even with my computer, I’d get distracted while working on a scene and go off on a random Google search that would consume so much of my time. If you find yourself getting distracted by such things, I recommend going into your phone settings and using the wellness features that allow you to turn off any distracting apps for a period of time. You can set this as a daily thing, or simply choose one day a week. I have mine set do occur once a week, and I use that time to read and write. It was especially helpful while editing book two because it took away the temptation to play on my phone and watch tiktoks for three hours. Instead I was using those three hours to do the things I actually wanted to do.
I know most newer phones have this feature (my old one didn’t) and I’m honestly thankful for it. I’ve been making an effort to spend less and less time scrolling aimlessly. I recommend not checking your phone first thing in the morning either. If you’re like me and use it as an alarm clock (my alarm clock broke in university), then this can be difficult. What I do is, I simply turn off my alarm and walk away. I focus on getting ready or go eat my breakfast and then, I’ll come back and actually unlock my phone. Being bombarded with all kinds of notifications right when you wake up, can be super distracting. I know that in the past I’ve opened my phone to check an email from my agent, and then ended up going through all my socials, and an hour would pass. An hour that I could’ve spent getting ready for the day. After a while this can get a bit overwhelming, so instead I don’t bother checking my phone until an hour after I’ve woken up. I don’t know why, but I guess it just sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Since making this change I’ve found that book three is coming along nicely. The entire process has been lovely. I’m fully focused, and don’t need to constantly reread sentences because I was distracted by YouTube or a sale somewhere or what’s trending on Twitter. I’ve just been writing, and having fun. My mind isn’t wandering. I’m super excited about book three, but that is all I’m going to say as I don’t want to accidentally spoil the events of book two before anyone can get their hands on it. I still don’t know they release date for the second book in the series, but I will let you know as soon as I get word on that. I had a lot of fun writing it, but I just really needed a break from constantly being on the computer, after three years of it. I have nothing against technology or anything, but damn…social media is so distracting. It’s sad how many hours are wasted just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. I’d rather read or draw or go lay in my hammock and stare at clouds for an hour.
Now outside of book three news, if you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that I’m doing an in-person book signing! I’m absolutely thrilled about this. I was a little nervous to do one alone since I didn’t get an opportunity to do one when my book initially released because of the pandemic, but thankfully the fantastic author Lindsey-Anne Pontes, whose book I reviewed a while back here on the blog, asked if I’d join her for a signing. She’s done plenty, so I’m glad to have her there with me. Initially I was very nervous but as the date approaches, I’m feeling less nervous and more excited.
As a little kid I always imagined doing a book signing. I wanted to have my books all laid out nicely in a cute display on the table, and write nice messages to readers, and talk with them about my work. I’ve been to a handful of signings in my life, and the authors were always so great. I’m hoping I give off that same vibe to people who come and say hi. I’d love to recreate that feeling for someone else. Meeting and talking to someone about their book is so much fun!
I actually have a list of authors that I would love to meet someday, and now that signings are finally happening again I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to.
I am planning on doing another signing when book two releases, and am looking forward to sharing my other writing project with everyone soon. I’m also just very excited to talk about my novel in person.
If you’d like to purchase a copy of Vermin, you can get it from Amazon or Indigo.
If you’ve already read the first book, don’t forget to leave a review and stay tuned for book two announcements!
Thank you to everyone who entered the Vermin giveaway contest on Goodreads! We’re thrilled to announce that we have our four winners, and I personally…
I’m currently doing a read through of my manuscript trying to watch out for crutch words. While drafting my manuscript I kept a list of these words, words that I tend to overuse, and going through the list I’m actually pleased with how just keeping track of them has helped me reduce them a fair amount. Now that I know what the results are for each of these words, I’ve set a minimum and maximum usage amount, followed by alternative words so that I can focus on finding appropriate substitutes. I base the usage amount of the overall word count for my manuscript.
Of course, I’m sure my editor will find other words that I may not have picked up on myself, but many of these words are ones that they pointed out with my first book, so I’m hoping to reduce them before passing my manuscript along to her.
Crutch words aside, I’ve also created a checklist outside of my draft notes on any corrections, additions or areas that I think need fluffing or cutting down. I’ve also included a list of things to keep in mind while I’m reading.
I like to do these types of full edits before I pass my manuscripts along, because I find that the cleaner my draft is, the easier time we’ll have going over it.
For this edit, I’ve been making great use of my thesaurus, and am challenging myself to step away from my comfort zones a little bit. Anything that seems off or feels like it needs to be reworked or cut, I’ve been tackling immediately. My goal is to complete this edit by the end of the day, and so far I’ve been making great progress. With that said, it’s back to work for me. I’ll be treating myself to some ice cream once I complete everything on my list.
I know you and me
Could be
More than two
I know you and me
Could be
I don't want to say goodbye
To you
I know you and me
Could be
Ah (Could be)
I know you and I
Could be
More than two
I know you and I
Could be (be, be)
I just want to be
With you
I know you and I
Should be
I know you and I
Could be
More than two
And I think you and I
Would make a good team
I don't want to say goodbye
To you
I want us
To be
Don't you want to
Stay with me?
Ah, ah, ah (You and me)
You and Me
I think you and me
Should be
More than two
I wrote this song back in university. It’s one of those songs that I never wrote the lyrics out for, and recorded on my phone while alone in my room. I rerecorded it in my studio after it was built, and although I intended to release it when I released Heart and Juliet, I waited.
I initially wrote this song about someone I had been close to, while we were drifting apart. Maybe one of these days I’ll share the original rough version of the song that I recorded with my phone, although the lyrics are different and much sadder, whereas this version is a little more hopeful.
So far the new year has gifted me with wonderful literature. I’ve read dozens of books and haven’t dnf’ed a single one. I’ve actually enjoyed the majority and given many of them 4 and 5 star ratings.
Tonight I plan on reading, as I always do, and I’m finally at a place where my TBR pile is nearly finished so I can actually go out and get some new books. I actually borrowed books for the first time in forever, and finished both the day I got them! They were both equally stunning, and memorable. I’m so glad they caught my attention. I can’t wait to choose my next handful of reads. Of course, there are also a bunch of books that I’m excited to check out this year. One in particular this summer, that I’m definitely going to pre-order. I’ve got a little collection of this authors work going, and thus far she has yet to disappoint me. I’ve definitely got to lend some of those books to the readers in my family. I think they’ll really enjoy them.
I’m a bit wired, despite it being late in the evening, but I’ve had a lot of tea…like three or four cups? I lost track at some point. I tried exercising to help myself calm down a bit but I’m still wound up. I’m usually like this after I record or write…I get really hyper and excited. I suppose excited is probably the best way to describe it.
Oh, right! On that note, I’m pleased to announce that the Vermin book giveaway is officially underway, and people can enter on March 1st. I’m so excited to be doing a giveaway during my birth month. It makes it all the more special. For this giveaway, we’ll be giving away four signed copies, to people who have added the book to their list on Goodreads.
The other day one of my best friends told me that another friend of hers got a copy of my book, which made me super happy! It was so sweet of her to recommend it to someone, and I always love hearing peoples feedback. Plus a few of her friends are local authors as well, and I absolutely love supporting my fellow authors. Many of the authors I’ve met so far are YA and Children’s Lit authors, which is awesome because I still read those genres both in my free time and for work.
The sequel for Vermin still doesn’t have a title yet, but I have to say I am absolutely in love with certain scenes. It’s so hard not to talk about it and gush over things because I want to…but I don’t want to spoil it for new readers! I hate having books spoiled for me. I’ll be sure to share the link to the ARCs when the time comes. I believe these will be digital copies like last time? They should work on kindles. I don’t have a kindle or kobo currently, and read most of my ebook ARCs using an app on my computer called Overdrive. I think it also allows me to sign out library books? So if anyone is ever worried about that, it works really well, and makes it easy to keep track of page numbers, chapters etc.
I’ve actually got a few ARCs to complete before the end of February…I believe those books are releasing mid-March, so I definitely want to get my reviews out by then. I highly recommend checking out review sites that offer ARCs like Netgalley, ARC Reviewers or…there’s another one I’ve used but I can’t recall the name. It might be linked with Reedsy? Anyway, I like all three and I’ve found some really great books on there. I love the fact that I can explore a bunch of new genres, or get to check out debuts, and new series. Plus writing reviews is really fun for me.
I only annotate books with sticky notes and things occasionally. Mainly because I don’t like writing on the actual pages, so instead I’ll write down words or phrases that stick out to me or my favourite things in a notebook. I also developed a skill growing up, where I’d memorize page numbers from where I left off in a book, and now it’s fairly easy for me to flip through and find my favourite passages. This was incredibly helpful whenever we had to do read aloud assignments in university, and explain what stood out to us about each passage. I think annotating everything I read, would make me feel like I was doing homework…but it’s still fun journaling. Perhaps I’ll set up an official book journal this year? Maybe I’ll start one next month.
I’ll share the links to those two ARC websites, for anyone interested in doing reviews:
From these sites I’m currently reading Escaping the Caves, and a manga called Falling Down. As for already released books, I’m reading Let Me Save You, and A Sign of Affection Vol. 4.
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been catching up on some reading am would love to challenge myself to see how many books I can complete in a week. I’m almost finished the two I’ve been reading, so I’ll probably start this challenge once I’m finished them. While reading, I’m also taking some notes on passages that really stick out to me, not exactly in an annotated kind of way, but more just keeping my notebook nearby and jotting down what about that line or passage made me say, “Wow this is fantastic!”
I’m considering this a part of my research, since I feel reading helps me write better, and pushes me to try out new techniques, genres or styles. Plus, it’s fun!
The one book I’m reading is at a very crucial point, and I’d like to avoid spoilers so…I’ll just let you know, that I’m both excited and worried for the characters! If they kill off my faves I will probably cry. Who am I kidding? I will definitely cry! I’ve had so many of my favourite characters die off between the books and shows I love, that I’m lining up an entire list of soft-cute-fluff shojo to read on the side.
I’m always fascinated by how my favourite authors always manage to reel me into their stories, so much that I’ve reached a point where if I know they’re releasing a new book I mark the release date in my calendar or prepare for preorders.
They’re such fantastic storytellers. Each story they write, every new character and setting, is so much fun, and it can be exciting to count down the days until a new novel is announced!
Right now, I’m doing a bit of tweaking before my first full read through of my manuscript. I prefer to do the first read aloud to test how it sounds to my ear, get a feel for the pace, and take the time to make sure each scene flows accordingly. This also allows me to pay closer attention to character voice in my first draft. Because I enjoy character driven stories, voice is one of the main things that pulls me into a novel. I’m the type of person who selects which books I’d like to read, based on whether or not I continue reading after the first chapter. Normally, if I find I’m already onto the third chapter, I end up loving the book. This isn’t always the case, but I’d say 75% it’s accurate. I don’t mind plot driven stories, but they usually take me a little longer to get into, and I’m more likely to look for reviews from friends with these types of stories. However, I’ve read great pieces on both ends, and I think that for craft purposes, it’s a good idea to explore both, even if you lean more towards one over the other.
Reading for me is both a hobby, and an exercise. I absolutely adore stories, and because I’m engaging with them constantly through work, I also take the time to think about what I’ve read, the way the language works on the page, and how each writer approaches their craft. I love looking at the ways different writers go about introducing characters into a scene, or how they unveil the setting. There are so many things you can learn about writing when you read. Plus, I find books comforting, and often count the hours until I can curl up in a blanket and read uninterrupted.
Although, slightly off topic, I’m currently reading two books at the same time, and loving both. I can’t wait to share my reviews. I was actually been reading them slowly on purpose because I couldn’t think of what to read next! Thankfully, I’ve got a stack of novels, manga and graphic novels lined up around my room, so I have a wide variety to choose from. Now I’m reading fast again, because truthfully, I’m a little overwhelmed by all the options…perhaps overwhelmed isn’t the right word, as I am in fact whelmed…what I mean is, that there’s so much to choose from and so many new books releasing this year, that I feel as if I must read everything I currently have before I can even think about adding new books to my collection! On top of that, a handful of my favourite authors have announced they’re releasing books this year, so I already have a 2022 TBR in the works. Part of me is hoping I can finish a few books this week. It’s times like this that I miss starting and finishing three or four books a day. How did I managed to read so quickly? Well…I suppose at one time all I did was read on the weekend. In my second year old university, my reading definitely slowed down…but I still was managing 3 or 4 books a week. These were for school though?
Well perhaps I’ll challenge myself once I complete these two, and see how many books I can finish in a week? I’m honestly curious, and I think it’d be good to crack open a good book and dive right into it, versus dragging it out for as long as possible haha.
Well, I best get back to my manuscript if I want to have time to read later this evening. I wish you all the best in your own goals this year! Also, as I’m trying to do this myself, remember to stay hydrated and to get up and stretch every now and then!
Every year I like to try and set writing goals, and track my progress. Unfortunately, last year I wasn’t able to meet all of my goals, however I did make excellent progress during NaNoWriMo, and I’m pleased with work I was able to do during the year despite having some set backs.
This year, I’m fully prepared to meet each of the writing goals I’ve set, and am excited to do so. Last year, I made an effort to write by hand, which is something I’ll be doing this year with new manuscripts. It’s calming, and allows me to really let an idea sink in as I work. I also really like the fact that I can read from my page as I type, and make edits and changes as I transfer what I’ve written onto my computer.
During the early part of this year, I’d like to complete my current projects. The one I’m hoping to complete fairly soon, so that I can have it prepped for my editor. The other, I’ve been putting on hold on an off, since I’ve had other projects to finish, but I’m excited about it, and would love to complete it. I’ve been building mood boards and playlists for it in the meantime. I find doing this keeps me excited about my projects.
One of my other writing goals, is to complete the script for a project I’ve been working on. I had issues with my computer, and wasn’t about to work on it as much as I wanted in 2021…but I’m hyped about this project, and I really want to see it come to life.
In order to complete each of these projects, I’ve decided to take time and track my progress, taking note of things such as chapters, scenes, word count etc. and scheduling in more time to write during the week.
For example, I may set aside a specific day of the week to work, or I’ll work my writing schedule into my other work schedules (which is what I’ve done previously). Finding a consistent time to write isn’t always easy, so instead I try to find the right time to write, depending on my current situation. That’s actually why I loved writing by hand before university, because I could carry notebooks and binders around with me wherever I was, and work from anywhere without worrying about charging my laptop and having memory sticks handy. All I needed was paper and a good pen.
I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, but I highly, highly, highly, recommend investing in a decent pen. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should write well, and personally it should spark joy in you. For example, my sparkly blue pen, it’s pretty, it lasted me a long time, and every time I use it, it makes me feel like whatever I’m writing is of great importance…even if its just a grocery list. I got a bunch of nice pens for Christmas, one from my friend, which is Sakura’s wand from Card Captor, and a whole pile of cute animal/food ones from my little sister. I also got three beautiful journals, which I can’t wait to use! I’ve already decided which manuscripts as going in each, and I’m just so, so, so excited to write.
My computer stopped working properly after NaNoWriMo, so I was writing deprived for nearly all of December! It was torture….or at least it felt that way. Writing by hand on random notepads and loose papers kept me from going stir crazy. Instead I took that time to read, and do novel scene studies and also study some of the scripts I’d previously recorded. Usually scene studies, at least what I do, is just looking over a text and picking out things that I enjoy. I do this with a range of different books in different genres, for different age groups, and I find it motivates me to learn new writing techniques, but also opens me up to the idea of trying out new genres, or playing around more with language.
I’m really hoping that this year, I’ll meet all of my project deadlines, and will be able to share more about what I’ve been working on. I’d also love to post more of my scene practices I’ve done, because I have fun writing them, and I think it’d be nice to share. I like reading snippets like that on other peoples blogs, and I haven’t shared one myself in a while.
I wish you all the best with your goals this year, and I hope you have a lovely year ahead of you,
Ardin Patterson 