The Long Goodbye to 2013

#DailyWings: "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot

It's really not going to be that long. Just give me two minutes. That's all I need to virtually hug my readers and say, "You're still here, then, after all this time?" Has it really been more than three months since my last published post? 

If my blog still makes it to your news feed and you're reading this, thank you for sticking with me. My queue has eight partially written drafts rotting away, forgotten and obsolete. Every time I sat down to write for myself (either on this blog or in my journal or as part of an unfinished piece of work) this semester, guilt weighed down in the pit of my stomach as I thought of all the "real writing" that needed to get done - feature stories for the newspaper, online articles and so forth. One of the most crucial lessons I have yet to learn is that writing for myself is just as important as writing for others. 

You'll read more about my new years resolutions (many of them are writing-related) tomorrow - I'm a big fan of themes, and thus 2014 has been dubbed the year of literary frenzy - but before that I need to give a proper recap of 2013. Here's my annual...

Year in Review

(see last year's review and resolutions here)

• Completed my first journalism internship at Chapel Hill's The WEEKLY
• Served as the arts and entertainment editor at Blue & White magazine; will be returning as managing editor in the spring
• Served as fall co-editor of The Durham VOICE
• Started dating Andrew and fell in love
• Learned how to drive at night and on the highway
• Joined DIY MFA, one of my favorite writing blogs, as an online columnist after a fantastic internship experience
• Found my inner poet and wrote several pieces of free verse
• Published travel and food feature articles in Carolina PASSPORT, Wander and Flourish magazines
• Survived the infamous Chapel Hill flood in June and lived for five months in practically a construction site of an apartment with no walls or proper flooring
• Shared my story as an individual living with a tracheostomy tube and spent 1.5 months alone for the first time (without a "parental guardian")

Other highlights: Interned at Personify, served (and still serving) as vice president of UNC CUSA, met Khaled Hosseini, started freelancing and received the Quincy Sharpe Mills Scholarship from the UNC j-school.

Indeed, what a year it has been! More than anything, this year made me realize that I can do anything I want with the right amount of determination, confidence and planning - no matter how many obstacles there are (even if one of them is a flooded home). I learned to believe in myself. Of course, my resolutions and years in review are often focused on my writing career, but there are other aspects of my life that also help me to make priorities. 

The theme for 2013 was "professionalism" because I wanted to gain more work experience - not just to boost my resume with internships, but to learn what it's like to thrive in a work environment with other colleagues. To get a taste for "the real world" before college is over and so that I know what to expect after graduation in May. 

The thing, though, is that 2014 is going to bring about so many changes and surprises that nothing will have prepared me for them. It's a little daunting to think about, but that is why this next year is geared toward writing. I can't help but feel like writing for myself is going to be more important this year than any other so far. I'll be entering the job market as a journalist. I will be leaving UNC-Chapel Hill, a place that is extremely dear to my heart and has helped to shape my identity over the past four years of my life. I will be separated from close friends and people who have stood beside me since the beginning of college and even high school - we'll embark on our own journeys, say farewell. I will need my journal close by to remind myself who I am without UNC and that everything is going to be okay. 

My new years resolutions for 2014 are coming up soon - and you can bet that blogging regularly is one of them. Check back tomorrow for my annual resolutions post and an extra surprise...something I've been working on for the past couple of weeks and cannot wait to share with you! Happy New Year!

Wendy Lu

The Long Goodbye to 2013

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50,000 Is Just a Number: NaNoWriMo Wks 3-4

#DailyWings: "The question should be, is it worth trying to do, not can it be done." -Allard Lowenstein

Whew! National Novel Writing Month is finally over, my fingers are about to fall off and I can go back to having a real life again. Wonderful. 

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions and dragging plotlines and flying  candy bars. First and foremost, I want to give a very big congratulations to all the NaNoers in Chapel Hill, N.C., and around the country who met their personal goals, whether they were to 5k or 50k or simply write every day. We did it.

For those of you who are curious, I made it to 43,705 words by the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately, I did not reach my goal of 50,000 words, but I was so close! On Nov. 30, the very last day, I wrote more than I ever have before -- about 10k in one day.That is crazy.  (The words weren't exactly fine contributions to the novel, but quantity > quality is the essence of NaNo.) This year's writing challenge taught me so much about myself and my writing. For one whole month, I showed that I love writing enough to put it above all else, even school work and health -- this is no exaggeration, as I was sick during the last week. Still, it was worth every hour spent groveling over word vomit. 

Even though I didn't "officially" win, I still felt like a winner when it was all over because of so many new developments that would've otherwise not been created. If I hadn't decided to partake in the writing challenge this year, my book would still be less than halfway done. The thing is, 50,000 is just some lame number. It's really no different from 49,999. Technically, you could just type "the" 50,000 times and enter "50,000" into the word count validator and say you "won." But that wouldn't feel very fulfilling, would it? Even though NaNoWriMo is all about how many words you write and not how meaningful each word is, it's also about how far you can take your characters. Where the story takes you and get you to where you want to be. I've learned that it's never, never too late to finish what you started.  Just because November is over doesn't mean I'll stop writing my novel. The best thing NaNoWriMo has trained me to do is write on a daily basis. It's more than just a habit, it's a lifestyle. 

One last note: This was the first year I publicized my NaNoWriMo endeavors so extensively on Facebook and Twitter. My goal for doing so was to hold myself accountable, but I discovered something else as well. What kept me going every day wasn't the fear of feeling guilt for not writing, but the desire to strive for what everyone -- my family, my friends and all the people who believe in me -- sees me as: a passionate writer who doesn't give up. Throughout the month, I received so many personal messages from different people who knew I was participating in the challenge. And when I ran into friends on the quad or in the dining hall, they would ask me how NaNoWriMo was going. This meant so much to me. 

Thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement over the past month. Proud to be a writer. 

NaNoWriMo Word Count 2012: 43,705
Overall Novel Word Count: 101,486 (and still counting...)


Now that NaNoWriMo is over, it's time for finals.

Wendy Lu

P.S. Like reading The Red Angel? "Like" my blog on Facebook to receive updates and more #DailyWings! Hoping to reach 100 fans by Christmas. Help me reach my goal, please?

Once you "Like" the page, please click the 'Liked' button underneath the cover photo and make sure the 'show in news feed' option is checked. That way, you'll be able to see the updates!

50,000 Is Just a Number: NaNoWriMo Wks 3-4

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New Year's Resolutions 2012

QOTD: What is the longest amount of time you have spent writing a single blog post?

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend so far! First I wanted to start out with some news that is circulating around the blogosphere: 

Mia Hayson is requesting guest bloggers over at Literary Jam and Toast, one of the funniest and best writing blogs ever. This is a great way to meet some new bliggity friends, share your unique skills and knowledge with others, and meet the lovely Mia! Over at Confessions of a Bookaholic, there's a giveaway for all you To Kill a Mockingbird lovers! Finally, a good friend of mine has started her adventures as a journalist at The Constant Interview . Caitlin Byrd is an amazing writer and has always been an inspirational role model to me. Check it out--you will learn so much from her. 

In fact, I found this on her blog: 

Let's all try to keep this in mind as January gradually draws to a close and we start to embrace the second month of 2012. It's strange...I don't even feel like 2011 is over yet. I don't think it has hit me. Perhaps I'm still caught up in everything that happened last year--all the things that changed who I am and all the things I did or didn't do. 

Here's a look at what helped define 2011 for me: 

Year in Review

• Became a reporter for my college newspaper
• Became social media savvy (joined Twitter and tumblr!)
• Chose my career pathway (clinical psychology)
• Completed my first social media & marketing internship
• My turtles grew up into full-size (ish) adults! Yay!
• Got rid of acne with regular skincare
• Reached 160 blog followers, created TRA's Facebook fan page and hosted my first blogfest (and now there are email subscriptions! Look right.)
• Bought my very first Moleskine journal
• Became aware of current news and world events
• Grew more comfortable with speaking in crowds (aka: I no longer get weak or shaky)

Now that I am reflecting over my old New Year's resolutions, I think I did pretty well. I got a lot done. It was a good year for me. A lot changed, but so did I. A small part of me misses where I was (figuratively) at the beginning of 2011, but there is no doubt that I am where I should be right now. 

Do you feel like you accomplished the things you set out to do at the beginning of 2011? If not, are you planning to continue that journey this year, or are you starting fresh?

Speaking of goals and such things, these are my NEW aims for 2012:

I'm kind of a sucker for organization and planning tools, so I always love New Year's. There's something about the idea of starting a new year that makes one feel inspired all over again...as if this year is going to be "it." The big one when everything that's supposed to happen happens. There's promise and excitement and possibility. 

As I browse through this new list, I find myself nodding my head multiple times and thinking, Yes, this is what I want to accomplish in 2012. I've been adhering to most of these so far, though it's going slowly. I know some of these will be tough--especially #8 since I'm a slow reader--but even if I don't accomplish all of these goals at least I will have tried my best. That's what counts, right?

My favorite part of goal-planning is the actual process of completing them. It's fun and actually feels fulfilling. And once we've reached the finish line, we can begin a new race and start all over again. 

New Year's Resolutions 2012

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Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at 56

Every once in a while, an event as tragic as Steve Jobs' death compels us to stop what we're doing and be reminded of how fragile life is--but also how beautiful it can be. Thanks for everything, Steve Jobs. You will forever be remembered. 
 “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. 

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, or living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

— Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement 2005

iPod. iPhone. Apple. Mac. These are the types of innovations and corporations Steve Jobs helped found during his lifetime, which we use for our pleasure and take for granted every day. But his legacy is not just made up of these tangible materials. His creativity and genius has been a constant source of inspiration for not only technologists but people everywhere all over the globe. Less seriously, he proved to everybody that nerdy nerds can turn into great nerds, and then those great nerds turn into great men. 


And, by God, Steve Jobs was a great man. 

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs. You were a truly remarkable human being, and your powerful technological contributions will never be forgotten. You changed the world. 

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs.

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February 100 + 30 Day Challenge + Chinese New Year Eve

Question of the Day: Fill in the blank...you were born in the year of the _________ (hint: Check out your Zodiac!).

Happy February, everyone! I know I'm a day behind, but hey better late than never. :) I can't believe I'm already in my 2nd semester of college...way too scary to even think about it. I suppose when you're constantly doing Economics (*dodges*) and Calculus (*cringe) all day long the days do tend to eventually blur together.

I've got midterms in both of those classes next week. Honestly, I think that those classes are seriously out to get me. I have homework due in those classes every two days on the same day. And the classes take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Eek! And contrary to popular belief about Asians, I am not good at math, nor do I like it. On a brighter note, this will probably be the hardest semester I have as an undergraduate, I am thinking. As long as I get through this semester, the hard math-related parts of college will be over (hopefully).

Instead of thinking about the hard parts of this semester that have yet to come (integrals are even worse than derivatives, I hear!), I'm trying to focus on what I HAVE accomplished so far.

• got on the fiction staff of our college literary magazine (*yay*)
• developed better public speaking skills (my next post will be about this!)
• rehomed my turtles to a mansion of their own (not exactly a mansion, but a 20-gallon tank is MUCH nicer than a 2-gallon one)
• fed my turtles feeder goldfish for the first time--success!
• learned the difference between quantity demanded and demand, and quantity supplied and supply (there's a difference, I swear)
• began my "career" as a blog editor for the college features magazine
• learned how to fold dumplings
• became a finalist for a leadership program (wish me luck on my interview next week!)

So what have YOU accomplished this year so far?

Speaking of dumplings, tomorrow is Chinese New Year! For those of you who don't know, it is the year of the rabbit. :) Tonight, I will be having a wonderful feast with my family at the apartment I live in. We will have duck, thick rice noodles, meatballs, and all sorts of yummy goodies. In fact, we celebrated CNY in my Chinese class today. A classmate and I brought in dumplings and I hosted a short presentation and improv game, which was "hen hao wan," or "a lot of fun." It definitely made me miss China!

But yes, back to the American calendar now! I will be participating in the February 100 Challenge (a writer's challenge in which we pledge to write at least 100 words a day) and the 30 Day Tumblr Challenge (a certain topic will be addressed in each post), which is technically meant for Tumblr folks but I'm going to do it here instead. :) This is going to be fun.

Anything exciting that you're looking forward to this month?

February 100 + 30 Day Challenge + Chinese New Year Eve

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My Resolutions for 2011

Question of the Day: If you could be famous for one day, what would you like to be famous for?

In my last post, I discussed what are the steps to creating an ideal New Year's resolution. With only a couple days left of 2010, I have created my yearly checklist of resolutions for 2011...this year, I have 28. Some people call me crazy for having so many goals, but for the past three years it has actually worked pretty well. This past year in 2010, I completed 21 out of 29 resolutions, which is kind of cool if you really think about it. :)

It's been a pretty tough year for me what with all the transitioning from high school to college, but I do feel proud for having accomplished so much as well....I got all A's in my first semester of college, learned how to control my temper, went "green," landed a position at two college magazines, and very importantly: started blogging. Back in January, I aimed for 20 followers by the end of the year. Now, I have 60! As cheesy as this sounds, thanks so much for reading my blog and believing in me and my writing. :D The comments I get on my entries constantly give me motivation and support, and they really mean a lot. So thank you!!

So what are [some of] my resolutions for 2010?

A Sneak Peek at My Resolutions List

Several of these resolutions are pretty formidable tasks, but I'm really excited about them. I love writing so much, but I don't feel like I delve into my passion enough. If I really want to be a journalist, a storyteller, a writer...then I need to soak myself in words and the art of writing. Sounds fun, eh? :D

I also set aside some important (some mini, some big) goals for this blog, .:The Red Angel:. Blogging has become not only something fun for me to do, but also a part of my literary career as a writer. At the very beginning, this blog was more of a project. An experiment. Just something to try out. And now, it has become a part of me and what I do. I'd really like to continue doing this and make this blog the best that it can be. :)

Goals for the Blog

Yes, yes, I'd like to receive some feedback from YOU as to how I can improve the blog, what you'd like to see more of and less of, and what new additions I could add. I will be hosting this poll on January 2nd, since I know many of you are busy now what with the holiday season and having quality family time and preparing for New Year's Day.

What do you think of my goals? Have you made a New Year's resolution yet?

My Resolutions for 2011

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5 Steps To a Resolution You'll Stick With

Question of the Day: What is your favorite holiday song? Among my favorites are Last Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and Do You Hear What I Hear.

Now that the Christmas season is over, it is almost time to count down.....2011 is almost here! Do you have a New Year's Resolution? Or are you still trying to think of a goal that you can, well, actually commit to? Making a resolution is hard, and sticking to it is even harder.

Personally, I love New Year's resolutions. What better way to begin a brand new year than with a newfound determination to improve yourself for the better as a person? I've listed five steps that I've used for the past few years that are guaranteed to help you choose a resolution that is both bold and possible.

1) Want V.S. Need...or Want & Need? Be sure to make a resolution that is both pragmatic and desirable. If you want to start growing a vegetable patch but you don't like gardening, then what's the point? The best resolution will give you material benefits as well as personal happiness. Besides, you'll be much more likely to stick with a goal that you personally enjoy working towards as opposed to a goal that you don't.

2) Be Realistic. You want to write, edit, AND publish a book in a single year? My dear friend, you have some fierce ambitions! Although I admire your fervor, it takes A LOT of work to do each of those things...either you will have a mental breakdown by August from trying to finish your book or you'll lose steam fast. Your resolution needs to be realistic and attainable. Why not aim to only complete a book? Believe me, that's already difficult as it is! If you are a writing whiz-gizmo, you can start editing towards the end of the year. If you're feeling particularly bold, you could also start researching the publishing industry and weighing your options (self-publishing versus a publisher). But don't get too greedy with your goals without considering the work that must be done to reach them.

3) Be Specific. If you decide to "be healthier," what exactly does that mean? Do you want to lose weight, start a daily exercise routine, eat organic food, or what? You can take action in so many different ways in order to "be healthier," but if you try to focus on too many smaller goals you will lose sight of everything because it will simply be too much.

4) Make a Plan. Let's say your goal for 2011 is to "be healthier by avoiding processed foods and cooking with fresh, organic products." The point of the resolution is to "be healthier." How will you do that? By "avoiding processed foods and cooking with fresh, organic products." But a year is pretty long, and after a while it's way too easy to simply...give up. By using month-by-month progress check-ups, you can make sure that you stick with your resolution. If you realize you're losing steam by April or May, you can re-motivate yourself and gear up to start again full blast when June comes around. For each month, add a new mini goal to your resolution. For instance, in January you may start out easy by simply reading food labels when you go to the grocery store. Then in February, perhaps you'll start to plan out what vegetables you want to grow in your backyard. By March, you can start planting! Keep a notebook to keep track of your progress and to-do's.

5) Share It. There's nothing better than sharing your resolution with a good friend who has a similar goal in mind. However, it's best if your friend has a resolution that is at least slightly different from yours; otherwise, a friendly partnership may become a major competition. What's great about working towards a resolution together is that you're able to provide each other with healthy doses of moral support, constant motivation, and positive peer pressure. Plus, it will bring your friendship up to a whole new level that is even more meaningful and enjoyable than it was before.

5 Steps To a Resolution You'll Stick With

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YAYYYYY! for NaNoWriFri!!!

Question of the Day: Are you into math and science or are you more of a humanities and literary arts type of person? Or are you a mixture of both? If so, why do you think that is?

EEK! I am SO excited for National Novel Writing Month I can hardly think of words to express my, er... excitement! There are only FOUR more days!! I have heard people use SO many adjectives to express their thoughts about what NaNoWriMo is like. Crazy, impossible, amazing, unthinkable, ridiculous. What do I call it? Exhilarating.


Most of the time, my life nowadays is a routine. Day in, and day out, I go to class, I study in the library, I eat at the university dining hall, I study some more, I eat, and I sleep. Oh, and I blog. ;) I enjoy my days, but quite honestly they can get kind of monotonous after a while. I mean, eating the same shrimp scampi and vegetable soup from the same cafeteria every single day CAN get a little boring. Just a little bit. Sometimes, I feel like I just need to...GARRR!!!! Have some sort of wild frenzy and chaos.


That is exactly what NaNoWriMo offers. No wonder I've been addicted to it since 2006.
Thirty days. 1,667 words a day. One novel. Completely exhilarating. For every NaNoWriMo that I have participated in, it's been just that. Creating plots, characters, settings, and gosh knows what else, and compiling it all together in a would-be coherent book is what NaNo is all about. With the clock ticking and my hands flying all across the keyboard from left to right, I feel extremely pressured...but in a good type of way. I feel like I can let go of some of my extra energy and stress and take a break from the monotony that inevitably dominates over my daily schedule. During the moments that I am writing, there's nothing that is more alive to me than the story that I am creating.


Ahhh. Just thinking about it now and imagining all of this makes me anticipate NaNoWriMo all the more, if that's even possible. And what's even COOLER about this year is that I will be participating in weekly write-ins and meeting up with regional NaNoers for the first time. PLUS, I persuaded one of my best friends, Michael, to do NaNoWriMo with me!


So. Michael and I proposed a NaNoWriFri. Yes, National Novel Writing Friday. This Friday, we
are going to go to our regional Kick-off Party at the local Panera, meet all sorts of cool NaNoers, and then plan our novels together at my apartment. See, I'm not completely done with the planning of my novel, and neither is Michael. (I blame the textbook reading and essays that I've had.) On Friday night, he will be coming over to my apartment and we will be having a sort of "prelude" to the frenzy of NaNo. We will be comparing plots, filling out NaNo charts and completing our novel outlines together.


NaNoWriMo is fun just by itself, but it is definitely 10x better when you do it with a friend! So if you don't know anyone else who's writing for November, let everyone know about this awesome competition you'll be taking part in and try to get some of YOUR friends to do it with you! Especially if you're a newcomer, you will definitely appreciate any inspiration and motivation from other people to keep on writing.


Ultimately, National Novel Writing Month is a competition with yourself. A competition to see how fast you can write your novel, how many words you'll be able to get down on a day by day basis, and in the end if you got past your goal of 50k.


I found this cute comic from Google. It's kind of fuzzy but if you drag it to your URL bar, you'll be able to see it more clearly. I hope you enjoy! :)



~TRA

YAYYYYY! for NaNoWriFri!!!

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National Novel Writing Month 2010: think baby (as in baby steps) #2

In my last post, I talked about how creating baby steps (aka little goals) and incentives for accomplishments will help me and you win National Novel Writing Month. At the end, I said "baby steps, that's all it is," and the moment I published that post I could already hear fellow readers saying EASIER SAID THAN DONE! in my mind. So I just HAD to continue that concept of "baby steps" in this post...

Unfortunately, November happens to be one of the busiest months of the year. Thanksgiving, Election Day, midterms for some schools, homecoming for other schools, et cetera. And writing 1,667 words a day isn't easy with a busy schedule, even one that is only moderately heavy with work and chores and events. But it IS possible and doable.

So I've created a hypothetical schedule that is hypothetically supposed to be planned out as a typical day in November for a hypothetical mother who is doing NaNoWriMo for the first time, even with Thanksgiving looming over her head and three kiddies to tend.

6:30 am -- Go out for morning run with Fluffy (the hypothetical dog), take him out to relieve himself, listen to a soundtrack you created for your novel to get some inspiration

7:00 am -- Write 300 words while your creative juices are still flowing, then get writer's block (urgh! How to get the inevitable romance between your bachelor of a Main Character and your MC's son's teacher??)

7:30 am -- Wake up the rest of the house, get the kids ready for school, make breakfast for all, pack lunches

8:15 am -- Drop kids off, get dropped off at work, kiss Hubby goodbye

8:30 am -- Work

11:45 am -- Turn down lunch offer from co-workers and explain your NaNoWriMo commitment, get funny looks but have one of your friend-worker (a co-worker who is also a friend) agree to write her novel with you (she happens to be one of the few whom you persuaded to do NaNo!) during lunch

12:00 pm -- Have an intense write-in with your friend-worker while eating lunch, get 500 words in, exchange light conversation about your novel plots

1:00 pm -- Get back to work

3:31 pm -- A light bulb suddenly flicks over your head as you finally realize what to do with your MC (next scene: have him get his arm broken while picking up his son from school, thus initiating the meeting between Ms. Priddy and him...ta-da!); quickly write down a short scene and certain valuable lines ("The twinkle she had in her eyes when she looked at me for the first time was mesmerizing") and then quickly get back to your current work project as your boss walks by; hurray, you got in 200 words at work!

6:45 pm -- Return home, cook dinner with Nanny Dearest and Hubby, change one particularly stinky diaper

7:30 pm -- Dinnertime! A lovely hour of feeding Baby, reminding your other two little'uns to use their napkins and chew with their mouths closed, and fighting with your MC in your mind over what you should do with him in the next couple of chapters (apparently he'd rather meet her in a more romantic setting such as a beach or something else unrealistic)

8:15 pm -- Wash dishes with Hubby while Nanny Dearest bathes the little'uns, discuss your MC with Hubby, who helps you decide to go with your own instincts and set the scene between Ms. Priddy and your MC at school

8:30 pm -- Jot down a quick 300 words after this thoughtful dishwashing-bonding time

8:45 pm -- Begin watching Beauty & the Beast with your family

9:00 pm -- take a movie break and make your award-winning strawberry smoothies for the children (because they begged and made those adorable puppy faces that you can never resist)

9:45 pm -- Put the kids to bed

9:50 pm -- Write a good, solid 400 words; review today's NaNo work...YES YOU ACCOMPLISHED YOUR BABY STEP OF THE DAY!

10:30 pm -- Have some down time with Hubby and talk about Thanksgiving plans over a romantic cheese and wine snack (you eventually decide that he will cook the smaller dishes if you take care of the turkey and stuffing)

Whew! A long but productive day! As you can see, the hypothetical woman above was able to squeeze in even MORE than the absolutely-must-write-1677-words in her day. It's all about having the motivation and staying inspired. As demonstrated above at 11:45am, you may have to turn down some social gatherings/offers/dates during the month of November, depending on how ahead you are in your novel and how much time you're willing to give (okay, BALANCE) into NaNoWriMo.

It's always best to forewarn family and friends that you're committing November to a 50k novel-writing contest, but they still may pressure you into ditching your characters for a girls' (or guys') night out. However, this is the golden time when you ought to keep the bigger goal in mind and *sniff* say no to nights of fun.

You may feel rather depressed at times when you do so, which is pretty normal for the average NaNoer, but it will definitely pay off once you're grinning with your newly self-published book and your friends are screaming for your autograph in the end. ;)

~TRA

National Novel Writing Month 2010: think baby (as in baby steps) #2

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New Major...New Plan

Question of the Day: Do you believe in fate and everything happens for a reason, or do you believe we have more control over our lives than anything else?

My apologies for being MIA (Missing In Action) once again for the past few weeks. College has been tough, and since the last time I posted, my life has changed in these ways:

• Changed my major from Psychology to...a double major in Psychology and Journalism!


• Dropped Chemistry 101 because it was kicking my butt. And it hurt. :(


• Made my first B in Chinese (*sadness*)


• Went from being a Pre-Med student to, um, a non-Pre-Med. xD


• Created and folded dumplings from scratch for the first time. And they turned out yummy. SUCCESS!
• Smallville Season 10 began!

• Subscribed to The News & Observer


• Got on the staff of my college's features magazine and wrote my very first article on...VEGANISM AND VEGETARIANISM!


• Fell in love with writing once again

Now when I say "once again" I mean I've decided to put my all back into writing and have become totally and completely immersed within it. Once again. Before, I was only putting 50% of my passions into writing because I was also Pre-Med and trying to become a doctor. Then, after a revelation (basically, I got the exact same bad grade in Chem 101 Lecture and Lab) in which my awful grades in Science contrasted sharply with the joys I felt from writing for the features magazine and recent praises I received for my article made me realize that writing is what I'm meant to do...and no matter how much I try to deviate from that path, it will always pull me back in to where I belong.

As you can see, I pretty much went through a mid-first-year-of-college-crisis. XD But I think almost every college student goes through that "Undecided Major" mode...which makes me feel better and not so alone. =]

Since I am pretty much changing my life career after changing my college major, I've decided to revamp the way I blog. I know I am bad at goals and promises and such, but I assure you this blog plan will be one that I work towards a little bit each day. :D

My New Blog Plan:

1) This whole writing-a-big-post-every-few-weeks thing isn't exactly what I call ideal, so now I'm going to post everyday or every other day...even if it's something little like a quote or a single YouTube video or big like a list of 2010 Top SmartPhone Applications (*cough* coming up next! *cough*). :)

2) Create and update a Resources page for all you lovely readers. There will be different categories and under each will be websites and other blogs that I find very helpful are particularly interesting/intriguing. Sorry, I won't be taking requests for right now.

3) Create and update a My Work page in which I'll be showing you some work that I've done as well as a little information about my self-published book, Sophie.

4) Participate in blogfests. One of the greatest things about blogs is the blogging community and the fun you have getting to know other bloggers :) Plus, as an avid writer, blogfests sound soooo awesome! Hmm, maybe I will host one of my own as well...

At the end of the year, I'll be posting a poll to find out what you'd like to see more of in my blog. Thanks to all of my readers, so much, for sticking with TRA blog!

~TRA

New Major...New Plan

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#50: My Return From China

Question of the Day: What is the farthest you've ever travelled before?

MONTH-LONG HIATUS IS OVER!!!

You can imagine how alarmed I felt when I connected to the Internet in our cozy little place in Shanghai, China and found out that Blogspot, along with several other sites like Facebook and Youtube, was blocked off!! What's more, my beloved Pandora refused to work, saying it could no longer provide service to me since I was outside of the USA. :(

Thus, my daily blogging ritual (and other Internet rituals except for email) was put to a halt for an entire month.

But, as you can see, I back now! HURRAY! *fireworks* Did you miss me? =D Well, I must say that I missed you all, and am so happy to see that none of you gave up on my blog, despite my sudden disappearance.

To put it very simply, my vacation in China was...BUSY! I kept a journal of events for -almost- every day we were away and now the pages are all filled up. We stayed for 1 week less than we usually do, and therefore had to cram all of our to-do's, to-go's, and to-eat's all in just a matter of approximately 3.857 weeks, according to my handy-dandy Blackberry calculator.

I cannot possibly copy my entire leaflet of records into my blog, so here's a rough breakdown of what I did, week by week:

Week 1: Met up with family, attended the World Expo of 2010, clothes shopping!, and explored Shanghai's greatest attractions.

Week 2: Travelled to Beijing AND Shenyang, did tons of sightseeing, visited China universities, gobbled up exotic foods (duck heart dumplings, anyone?)

Week 3: Book shopping, travelled to Nanjing, learned mahjong

Week .857: Visited more universities, met with more family, came home

Whew! As you can see, my 1st and 2nd weeks away were definitely the busiest. It's been pretty tiring, especially since we had a few casualities (such as an almost stolen camera, a horrifying stye, sore wisdom teeth, and uncomfortable bowel problems, yuck!), but overall the trip was very educational and never boring---a perfect vacation right before I go to college!

Now that I am back and the climax of my summer 2010 is over, there are many things to be done in such little time! I have less than a month to get everything packed up for college. My boyfriend and I will be hosting a yard sale, which I am extremely excited about!

Pictures from China's vacation will be posted soon!

In addition, I created my first Gmail Account and have a new email address specifically for my fellow bloggers and followers like you to contact me! Questions, comments, suggestions for blog improvement, and other can be emailed to me at:

xtheredangelx@gmail.com

So, you tell me: Have you accomplished what you wanted so far during the summertime? Are you looking forward to going back to school/work, or have you thoroughly enjoyed the lazy days of doing nothing productive? (hehe)

This is my 50th blog post of the year! =D

~TRA

#50: My Return From China

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Lovely Versatile Bloggers

Question of the Day: If you could use a seasoning (ex: Garlic Salt, Paprika, Chili Powder, etc.) to describe your personality or life, what would you pick and why?

Thank you, Amanda Sablan, for this award. You truly made my day!! :) Apparently I am supposed to think up of 7 more facts about myself...

1) I hate all and any sodas/soft drinks. I don't like that tingly feeling my tongue gets from the bubbliness. WATER ALL THE WAY!!!

2) My birthday is on Tuesday (June 22nd) and I will be turning 18. I find that very scary. O_O

3) Alongside J.K. Rowling, I absolutely love Jodi Picoult. Her novel My Sister's Keeper is one of my favorite books of all time. There's a dash of everything in it...romance, friendship, suspense...you name it. Definitely worth the time to read. Other notable books of Picoult's that I've read are: The Pact, The Tenth Circle, and a few others that I can't think of at this moment in time. xD

4) Scrabble is my favorite board game. :)

5) When I was younger, I used to make doll clothes and accessories for my American Girl Doll, Josefina because the ones you had to buy from the catalogs were sooooo expensive.

6) The lowest grade I've ever made on a quiz is a 0. That's because it was a pop quiz and there was only one question on it. T_T For some reason, my chemistry teacher was mad and he decided to take it out on us. Needless to say, we were bewildered.

7) My mailbox is forest green.

"So here's the deal. Pass this award on to 15 other fantastic bloggers whom you have recently discovered (hopefully one month counts). You must thank and link back to the blogger who gave you the award, and when you yourself are ready to pass the award along, contact the awardee to let them know of their super-awesome fabulousness!" -as quoted from AS

I'd like to pass this award onto these 9 amazing bloggers...

(you're supposed to pass it onto 15 but I already follow just 18 soooo yeah, hehe)

fashion train

frankie writes

oh to be a muse

paperback writer

the urban muse

where lies my tarp

nathan bransford

stephanie perkins

fashions fade style is eternal

Congrats for being award-winning bloggers! :) You all are wonderful.

~TRA

Lovely Versatile Bloggers

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My First Blog Award

Question of the Day: What was the last accomplishment you made?

Today, I received my first nomination for a blog award from Cheryl Clarke! This really means a lot to me, so thank you very much, Cheryl! =]

Rules:

1. Thank the person that nominated you.
2. Copy the award and place it on your own blog.
3. Post a link to nominator.
4. Express seven things about yourself.
5. Nominate seven other bloggers.
6. Link them.

7 Things About Me:

• I enjoy writing Harry Potter fanfiction (go on and say it...I am nerd. :D)
• My favorite music genre is rock. Bring on the Nickelback, Boys Like Girls, and Green Day! Some other artists/bands I enjoy include Evanescence, Hilary Duff, Weezer, Taylor Swift, Linkin Park, and Carrie Underwood.
• As a child, the movie Lion King was my one true love. I had bed spreads, pillowcases, and wall art that were all Lion-King themed. And the movies, of course! For my 3rd birthday, I even had a Lion King-themed birthday cake.
• I think Maltese dogs are simply adorable!
• My hidden talent: I can burp by will.
• I am in an uber-awesome relationship of 3.5 years and counting. =] Haha I don't think I've mentioned that in my own blog yet, so yeah.
• I have very bad luck with socks. Almost every pair I get ends up with holes within the first three months. D:

I would like to nominate the following bloggers:

Little White Lights - Video Blog - I can't say enough good things about Megan and her videos, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet: this blog brings me joy everyday!

Where Lies My Tarp? - Everything Blog - My good friend Jordan-Marie covers a variety of topics, but mainly writing. She often includes cartoons and photos.

Nathan Bransford - Writing Blog - NB is a professional literary agent who gives advice on query letters (and other aspects of a literary life), provides confidence boosters for writers, and shares his opinions on everything literary from E-books to self-publishing.

Fashion Train - Fashion Blog - Becca introduces a variety of the latest styles and unique fashions. She has several competitions for her audience to participate in and always includes great photos in her blog posts.

Frankie Writes - Writing Blog - Here's a story of a young, prolific writer who is getting her work out into the world and enjoying what she does best: writing!

Thick or Thin: Game Writing - Gaming Blog - Just like it sounds! This blogger writes video game reviews and provides several valuable resource links for gamers and writers alike.

Oh to Be a Muse - Fashion Blog - I chose this blog for my last one just because I didn't have any more to share. No, I'm totally kidding! :P I love Cheryl Clarke's blog because she always incorporates her life within the blog: she shares her fashion experiences and loves, her thoughts and her personal advice with readers. There is always some variety, so it never gets boring! It's hard not to love a blog like this. :) (CC - haha don't worry, you don't have to redo the whole award thing again)

My First Blog Award

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In the Spirit of NaNoWriMo

Every year, the National Novel Writing Month takes place in November. For those of you who have never heard of this contest before, let me introduce you to the basics:

• write a novel or part of a novel of 50,000 words
• write these 50,000 words within the course of 31 days
• Quantity v.s. Quality = QUANTITY WINS!

Sounds pretty crazy, I know. And impossible. But guess what? After 3 years of attempting to reach this crazy, impossible goal, I finally won NaNoWriMo during November 2008. Literally minutes before the deadline. I am living proof that writing a novel of 50,000 words in one month is, in fact, possible.

And I'm not the only one. There are several people (see http://www.nanowrimo.org/) who have successfully written novels by surviving through this contest and have gone even farther to publishing their NaNo novels and becoming real authors.

I'm not here to persuade you to participate in NaNoWriMo. (Not yet.) It's way too early for that...it's only February, after all! But last night my father found my NaNoWriMo novel on Amazon.com and bought a copy. That sparked my idea for this blog entry. Let me introduce you to my NaNoWriMo 2008 Winner Novel:
Click to Buy "Sophie" and Read More!

When I saw my own book up for sale on Amazon.com, it really made me feel nostalgic as I thought about the entire process that it had taken me to complete it. All 124 pages of it. The click clack of my keyboard as I fervishly wrote all I could day in and day out during November, that drunken feeling of staying up sinfully late at night as I try to squeeze in just 1,000 more words, the crunch, crunch of Chewy granola bars, the only thing that was capable of keeping me going hour after hour of writing nonstop.

The addicting swell of my chest and the swift pumping of my heart as I closed yet another finished chapter of my slowly-progressing novel. The priceless exhilaration that I felt as I finally validated my online NaNoWriMo word count so that it read 50,000 and watched the words flash before my eyes: Congratulations! You won NaNoWriMo 2008! on my computer screen. Thinking, "I did it! I wrote a 50,000-word novel in one month! I DID IT!!"

You get the point. It was awesome. There's something about the feeling of accomplishment that makes us feel like we're on top of the world. It makes our pride and self-esteem go up about 120% and we go smiling for days on end. It's an emotion we don't often get to experience because either we are too busy to accomplish something that big and bad, we don't think about accomplishing something that big and bad, or we're scared.

Reasons Those Excuses Suck:

1) Busy. You have that huge biology mid-term coming up, two weekly baby-sitting jobs, sixty pages of history to read every week, and weekly calculus quizzes. You have two babies to tend to, your position as Vice President of the local Parents-Teachers Association to maintain, and a job that your family is depended on for food and shelter. However busy and burdened you may be, there is a time when you need to STOP and just rest. Take a few moments to admire that red cardinal singing harmoniously outside; it's never too late to appreciate life's little things, the things that make it beautiful and worth living. Then, finally, squeeze some time right before bed or while you drinking your morning coffee (or when your babies just happen to be snoozing for their afternoon naps) to outline some realistic dreams you have. Choose the one you want to achieve the most and make a plan to spend a little time each day towards that dream. Being so busy, you'll WANT something to help you get away from life's little chores. It'll make you happy. =)

2) Routine Thinking. For many people, each day is a routine. You wake up, go to work or school, come home and do homework or outline your next work project, eat a snack, play Spider Solitaire, make and eat dinner, go to bed. In between one of those activities, stop and think about what would really make you happy. What is it that you would love to accomplish and would make you feel successful and like you're living in the moment? Whether it be creating a beautiful painting for your mother's birthday, mapping out your dream home (I did that a few weeks ago and it made me really excited and truly stretched my imagination), or writing a 50-000 word novel, choose a goal and stick to it using a plan. You'll be surprised by how amazing you feel once you actually complete it. And it's a great way to open your mind to new possibilities of how to break from your calendar routine and, instead, make life interesting and truly enjoyable.

3) Fear. In worst case scenario, you don't accomplish your goal. Is that what you're afraid of? Failure? Pshh. Well, actually...I have a confession to make. That's my fear too. Fortunately, there is a saying that's very true: "I try 99 times, and the 100th time I succeed." That definitely hit the money when it came to NaNoWriMo; losing that contest 3 times was awful, but I built up the courage to try again each year, and I finally won the 4th time. Another great quote that I absolutely live by is: "Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure." It's true. Throughout NaNoWriMo 2008, all I kept thinking to myself was...You are your only enemy in this one. And it's the same thing with you. The only person stopping you from accomplishing your goal is you. You are the only one who can control your own actions, thoughts, and decisions. And even if you totally blow it the first time, that failure is all the greater reason and motivation for trying again. And again. Each time you fail, you build up another degree of happiness that you receive when you do finally succeed.

Accomplishment is bliss. It's like our happy drug, only it doesn't kill you (usually). NaNoWriMo is my drug. What's yours?

~TRA

In the Spirit of NaNoWriMo

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