It’s almost the middle of December and I’m already planning what I’m working on in February, not to mention the rest of 2014.

WRITING:

Working on Aaralyn’s Song keeps me sane. In fact, aside from collecting new ideas in a file that I refuse to entertain, at the moment, other than for recording purposes, my writing life has been devoted the WIPs and the blogging world.

I’ve got blog hosting duties to prepare for as well as my continuing FRIDAY FORAGE POSTS.

READING:

I’m slowly building my revised TBR list to accommodate comp titles for my WIPs. Regardless, when certain things start bogging me down in the real world, it’s nice to escape to the land of make-believe. There are many stories to cheer me up or get all my emotional insides and bounce them around for a spell. I’ve always said how much words have power. 

NETWORKING:

Tweeted my love for Jennifer A. Nielsen‘s The Runaway King. I was pleasantly surprised at her quick reply and our shared insight on a couple of characters. She’s making me even more excited for the third instalment in the trilogy. I read there’s a film adaptation of the first book The False Prince in the works. Can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

I also love when authors interact with readers (and fans). I aim to have similar rapport with my readership. 🙂

LEARNING:

Looked up some exercises to help prevent carpal tunnel issues. They seem to be working, especially after long stretches of writing sprints. Even the language lessons and uke playing tend to give the wrists some ouchies.

Of course, what do I go and do? Through the wonders of internet video tutorials, I’ve decided to try my hand at knitting. Or to be specific, my arms. Do an internet search on ‘arm knitting’. For those of the non-crafty persuasion, this basically means that you use your arms instead of needles to knit. I’m thinking of giving the thirty-minute infinity scarf a whirl. And it also gives me a reason to return to Michaels. I love craft stores. But for other crafters, you know how dangerous that can be. I’ll let you know how the knitting goes.

I suppose I’m doing this as an extension of my creative outlet options. However, I think the repetitive motions also have a relaxing effect on me. It’s kind of like meditation but with the potential for hand cramping. It’s a good distraction for when I start to overthink of all the projects ahead, the items on my endless checklists that need crossing off, and the usual doubts and curiosities that creep up on me when it gets really quiet.

Perhaps that, too, is a good reason why I’m a writer and like to create new worlds with countless possibilities. It makes dealing with the turbulence of daily life more bearable–I hope.

Happy Hump Day.