good morning, cyberspace!
2017 is ending. Can you believe it? In just a few short weeks, we shall be standing on the thin precipice of the years, wobbling unsteadily in the darkened space between the familiar of 2017 and the nightmarish unknown of 2018.
I’m sure none of you remember this, but for me, 2017 was supposed to be The Sunset Year. I was supposed to write ALL OF THE THINGS ond participate in ALL OF THE NANO’S and basically fill my life with books and stories and dragons and gnomes and sunsets and colors all that glorious stuff.
And — as is unfortunately quite usual for me — I failed.
Quite miserably.
This year, on January 3rd, I made a tiny little list of all the things I was hoping to accomplish on this blog in 2017. That list consisted of three things, and three things only.
You would think I’d be able to complete them.
Ha. Ha ha.
Think again, my smol marshmallow bean. Think again.
In fact, to prove that I am a failure in pretty much every aspect of the word, let us now take a solemn moment to look back upon this list and reminisce on all the things I managed not to do in the beautiful year of 2017. . .
— 2017 To-Don’t List – A List Of Things I Never Did —
- Start up the Arts and Crafts Center – Ah, yes. Does anyone even remember this grandiose idea I had a year ago? Seeing as though I am a slightly crafty person, you would think that I would have actually begun this venture already, rather than just constantly allude to its existing sometime in the future. But no. Not a single artsy nor craftsy post has appeared on Smudged Thoughts. How delightful.
- Start up the Poet’s Corner – And here we have series number two that took a dump and promptly died, though I’m not sure I can call this one a complete fail?? I mean, I did post some poems this year. (you can find them here) But I never actually made a Poet’s Corner. However, now that I’m beginning to descend back into the twisted world of poetry, perhaps there is still hope for this page after all.
(probably not)
- The Photograph Prompter (which I have happily changed to the PictoPrompter
[because that’s cooler, peasants]) – I actually think we can call this one a minor success. Yes, there were some months where the PictoPrompter did not exist, but these slight deviations in the monthly writing prompt was largely due to Hiatusesand probably some laziness #oops. However, I did have three of these posted throughout the year. Which I am now realizing is really not that much. BUT WHATEVER. Three is a good start, yes? And I can personally assure you that there are many more PictoPrompters to come in the New Year. (more on that later)
2017, while it was supposed to be a year of accomplishing ALL OF THE THINGS, really turned into more of a year of doing some of the things.
And then promptly ignoring all the others.
But I really have learned a lot this year, Cyberspace. I’ve learned things about writing and editing, blogging and friendship, and I’ve even discovered things about myself that I never knew before (such as my detestation for all things coffee and tea related [or my obsession with Jim Moriarty{#totallynormal}]), things that have drastically changed my perspective of this huge, slow-turning rock we call home — things that have made me a better human being.
This year, while it may not have been a year of color and sunsets and ALL OF THE THINGS as I had long-anticipated, has definitely been a year of growth. And for that alone I am extremely thankful.
In fact, I’m planning on continuing this growth in the dark, treacherous void of 2018, both by fearlessly trying the new and simultaneously reveling in the old.
See, 2018 has always been a year that I’ve dreaded, though I can’t exactly express why. All I know is that it’s been a constant darkness in my mind, the black moon that rises thickly beyond the setting sun. So while 2017 was fondly dubbed The Sunset Year, I’ve decided to name this oncoming chapter in my life The Year of The Night.
this isn’t dramatic at all what are you talking about.
And since The Year of The Night begins an entirely new leaf in the book that is my life, I have decided to give myself some brand new goals to strive for in the year ahead. And while I’m sure we’ve already established that my goals are absolutely never lofty or even slightly unreachable (let’s just forget about the Deadly NaNo of November 2017, shall we?), I’ve decided that this year, I’m taking a break from making steadfast goals — goals like wordcounts and book-completion dates and the Goodreads Reading Challenge that is actually death itself in an invisibility cloak — and am instead opting for something more along the lines of puddy goals. Goals I can bend and twist to suit the year as it unfolds before me.
But before we leap right into these new year goals, let us take yet another moment to reflect on all that has happened over the past year — the beautiful Sunset Year of 2017 –
— The Wondrous Discoveries of 2017 —
In no particular order. . .
1. SHERLOCK. – That’s correct, dear children. I only just discovered the glorious gift to humanity that is Sherlock this very year, which means that this also happens to be the year in which I began to obsess rather unhealthily about. . .
2. MORIARTY. – And
3. I finished the first draft of everlost! – and though I really wanted to finish the second draft this year, as well, I’m extremely proud of myself for finally completing a first draft after years of flipping like a pancake between plot bunnies. *pats self on moldy back*
4. I met some ridiculously amazing people, who have turned into some ridiculously amazing friends – I always considered the online world to be a terrifying place full of creepers and stalkers and mutant cyborgs who would hunt me down and kill me if I even so much as communicated a word to a stranger, but over this past year, I’ve come to realize that some of the bestest friends I’ve ever had in this entire universe are the friends who I’ve never even seen face-to-face. Sometimes you just have to befriend the assassins and hope for the best, I suppose. (but don’t actually befriend real assassins, children, okay) *strokes rusted pitchfork happily*
5. I walked outside barefoot. In the snow. And nearly died. – and here is photographic proof.
I also did not die. (in case you were wondering. [or perhaps this is my Force Ghost typing these words. Who knows.])
I also may or may not have just listed this because I wanted to share this image. Haha. (#don’tjudgeme)
6. I rekindled my love of Star Wars – so basically just mentally and physically prepare yourself for when I begin fangirling obsessively about this epic series whilst slapping these posts upside the head with references that may or may not make any sense to you. (only the Sith deal in absolutes.)
7. I killed a small man
8. The NaNoWriMo Dare Squad happened . . . – and I’m confident that it will return next year! So definitely be on the lookout for that in November. (and you are totally going to join next time, Ruby. *waves pitchfork menacingly*)
9. I graduated. – and am now a potato of complete confusion. #fun
10. I may or may not have watched all four seasons of Sherlock. Twice. – I AM PERFECTLY FINE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME, I SWEAR
11. I participated in ALL OF THE NANO’s!!! – even though I managed to participate in each session of NaNoWriMo, I was only able to win two of them – April and July. However, I have recently discovered that I rewrote 57,000 words towards my second draft during November, so I’m sort of counting that as a win, anyway??? Kinda??? Maybe??? No??? (I WROTE 57k IN NOVEMBER, GUYS. I’M A TERRIBLE REBEL)
12. I read Pride and Prejudice from front to back for the first time EVER!!! – and not to make a big fuss about it or anything, but it is totally my favorite standalone book of ever now. Just saying.
13. I discovered that tea is literally the bane of my entire existence – it all smells the same, tastes the same, BURNS THE SAME.
14. I posted the most amazing tweet about Bananaman on Twitter, and absolutely nobody cared. . . – and now it’s so far back in my timeline that it is impossible to find it. (i tried.)
15. I completely grated off my right knuckle with a chEESE grater – and I bled. and screamed. a lot.
16. And I nearly got pooped on by an owl, as well. . . – #fun
17. And basically I’ve plumb forgot everything else that happened this year.
18. #oops
And now that we have addressed all of the wonderful things that have happened to me over the past twelve months (excluding the cheese grater incident, of course) let us now take a peek at all of the glorious moments to come in the brand spanking new year!
And also gape at the totally not lofty goals that I’m hoping to achieve in the months ahead.
2018 Goals and Stuff. . .
Blogging!
- Start Up Kenzie’s Quirky Crafts – Okay, okay, so I know that I COMPLETELY failed this last year, but THIS YEAR’S GONNA BE DIFFERENT, OKAY? Okay so maybe it won’t be. But I have IDEAS this time. Actual, real-live ideas, rather than just fractions of slivers of ideas. So I am off to a good start so far, yes?
(not really, no.)
- everlost aesthetics
(and possibly some snippets?)– this post is actually something that I am UBER excited about, because the glorious Kate and Conqueror Of All has been the most delightful and bestest bean EVER and drawn some AMAZING everlost aesthetics that I cannot WAIT to share with all of you. And in addition to these stellar drawings, I shall also be sharing my Pinterest board of everlost inspiration(if I can figure out how to include it…?), my Spotify playlist of character songs, and even some snippets.(if I can strike up the courage to post them. . .)So basically this post is gonna be amazing and full of aesthetics and music and just ALL of the things. You should totally be excited. *waves hand in your face like a Jedi master*(look, I told you I was obsessed, okay?)
- Add more COLOR and POP – I am literally in love with color, guys!! So something that I really want to start implementing in my little corner of Cyberspace is more colors and pictures and aestheticy thingies to make these posts really POP. If that makes any sense. I’ve also figured out how to use GIF’s!!! Sort of. . .
not really but still
- Continue with the PictoPrompter – I managed to upload three PictoPrompts over the past year, and while I feel like that’s a pretty good start, I’d actually like to do it, oh, I don’t know. . .more. So starting next year, I’m going to be uploading one HOPEFULLY once every month. However, there might be a few gaps becauuuuuuse. . .
- Take a Hiatus in January – Yes, yes. What better time to take a Hiatus than in JANUARY, amiright? The month in which all of these wonderful plans should actually begin to take place? Oh yes. I have so much logic. BUT ACTUALLY, I really kind of need this? I’m still a little bit burnt out ever since NaNoWriMo, and I really just need to take a step away from the social media and blogging worlds and focus on my projects that DON’T have anything to do with blogging. While also trying to collect tidbits of bloggerly inspiration throughout the month of January because I also want to begin —
- SCHEDULING! – because schedules. and stuff. and New Year’s Resolutions of not procrastinating.
Writing!
Ah yes. The goals that truly matter to my smol writer’s heart. What IS the GREAT AND POWERFUL KENZIE planning to write about in the dark void of 2018, you might ask? Well. . .
- Finish everlost? Maybe?
PLEASE I NEED THIS– this is the elusive goal, my friends. I really, really, REALLY wanted to finish the second draft of this book this year. I wanted to get everything polished and shiny and ready to go for my betas, BUUUUUUUT NO. OF COURSE NOT. So even though this really isn’t a puddy goal (none of these have been puddy goals what am I even talking about), I’m REALLY hoping that I’m able to finish the second draft of everlost in 2018. It would literally make my entire year.
- Begin outlining a New Story™ – notice how I said BEGIN. This is what I mean by puddy goals, my fellow marshmallow sprouts! I could totally just write one word towards a new story and call this goal completed. #wootwoot
- And that’s basically it for writing – I know, I know. What a lousy list of writing goals for such a proud and stubborn writer such as myself. But I’m actually perfectly okay with this??? If I get more writing and stories done than what’s listed here, then that is just the proverbial cherry on top of the vanilla icing, my friend.
(apparently I’m very friendly towards you today. enjoy it whilst it lasts.)
Reading!
Ew. I hate making reading goals, because while every single bookworm out there BESIDES me is whipping through 300 books or more a year, I’m just over here trying to enjoy the books that make me a happy bean sprout, rather than read ALL OF THE THINGS and potentially come across some rather terrible language and/or certain romantical things that shall never be mentioned by Yours Truly. Ever.
But. I do happen to enjoy books. In fact, I am in LOVE with books. And while I happen to have a blog post planned for a later date that will dive more deeply into the subject of #bookworming, for right now, allow me to just make some minor reading goals that I will hopefully be able to keep up with. Such as —
- Read. – wow. Such superb goal-making I have never before seen with mine eye. But seriously now, can’t I just ENJOY reading without worrying about how many books I’m consuming per millisecond? No? Fine then.
- Read a classic – this could be anything from Emma to The Lord of The Rings (which I still haven’t been able to finish as of yet), but whatever it is, I want to read more classics. They are, after all, the best.
- Finish beta reading the epic story that I was supposed to beta read like three years ago – I’d actually like to finish beta reading this BEFORE the new year, but we’ll just have to see how the week leading up to New Year’s goes. I’ve also discovered that I am the World’s Worst Beta Reader. Seriously, if you need someone to give you constructive criticism on your story to help you become a better writer, I am NOT the cyborg you’re looking for. If, however, you need a professional squealer and fangirl-er to flail over your characters and story and plot, then HIT ME UP MAH PEASANT CAUSE I’M SO GOOD AT THIS, SERIOUSLY.
- Tackle my TBR
just a little bit– My TBR currently consists of basically everything I haven’t read on my bookshelf, but there are also a few books on my list that I still need to collect before I can actually begin reading them. A few of these include —
The Song of Seare Trilogy by C.E. Laureano
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
All of the Star Wars novelization books of ever.
And that’s basically it.
But then there is also the matter of all of those squishy little books on my bookshelf that stare through my soul every single time I pass them by, but seriously let’s just ignore those for right now, okay??? Okay.
. . .and last but never the least . . .
Life!
Ah yes. The mysterious mythical orb that literally does not exist.
Hahahahaha. . .haha. . .ha.
But like everybody has this listing on their wrap-up and update and goal-making posts, so obviously I need to have this on mine, too, yes?
#obviously
And it’s not like I don’t have any goals for my life, right? Of course not! Everyone has life goals. I have life goals.
Totally.
Absolutely.
. . .
- Continue existing – what a glorious New Year’s resolution. this is the Life Goal to beat all Life Goals. my life is now complete knowing that this is the goal I strive for in my life.
But seriously, what am I supposed to put under this section? Become a better person? Become another person? Transform into the dragon beasty that I am? Go on an epic quest to save the gnome king? Become the gnome king?
TEAR AWAY THE FOLDS OF REALITY AND TRANSFORM INTO MY TRUE SELF – MORIARTY?????
I mean, I should probably list something about getting a job or becoming a Jedi Knight or a serial killer, but seriously, I’ve got nothing, folks. Perhaps if Gandalf shows up at my doorstep in fifty years I’ll consider doing something with my life, like battling dragons and burgling an ogre’s smelly pockets. But until then —
talk to me peasants!
well, cyberspace, that post was. . .interesting. I’m really quite awful at writing goal-type and wrap-up posts (if you couldn’t tell) so if you fell asleep somewhere within the first 30,000 words, I totally understand. (i think I fell asleep, too.)
BUT ANYWAY. Let us strike up the conversations, shall we? What are some of YOUR writerly, readerly, and life-y goals for the brand new year? Are you planning on reading and writing all of the things, or taking the year as it comes? Do you have any plot bunbuns that you’re hoping to sprout into fully-fledged novels in the months to come? Do you obsess unhealthily about fictional characters??? i know I’m not the only one here. And most importantly. . .
HAVE YOU EVER GRATED YOUR KNUCKLE OFF ON A CHEESE GRATER??? Because this was a very important milestone in my existence.
Whatever you’re wishing for in the new year, let us talk about ALL OF THE THINGS!!! down in the comments below!
As always, until next time. . .
*flings cookies into the air and disappears*
Smudged Thoughts 
Seriously, Kenzie, this is quality content. Don’t fret about not being good at wrap-up/round-up posts. This is better than many I’ve read.
Also, fret not about your lack of lofty reading goals. The bookworm who literally reads 300 books a year, in my opinion, does little else. And probably gets paid for reading.
Once I survive Christmas, I’ll start looking at my own goals for 2018. (I feel the same about it being a dark whole of foreboding and ominous music….) Mostly I want to blog more about writing, which means actually having good writing habits. As it stands, I mostly write in fits and spurts, which intensify around NaNo months. Really should fix that. I have a certain character begging me to start her story this year….
Cheese graters are evil monsters. Especially when they are also lemon graters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my word!!!! Thank you SO much, Pheobe!!!! *hugs* I am so glad you think so! I’ve never really done this kind of thing before, so…yeah. I was really worried it would fail. XD (as always XD)
Ugh, YES! I’m actually extremely excited for my smol reading year. I love enjoying the books I read, and whenever I think about how many MORE books I have to read in order to hit a specific goal, I find that I can’t enjoy the book that I’m reading. Getting paid to read would be amazing, but it would also take the hobby and fun out of it for me, I think… :(((
EEEP! CHRISTMAS!!! I have finally survived. I was extremely busy all the way up through the week leading up to Christmas, but Christmas Eve and Christmas were absolutely amazing, so that was wonderful… And OH MY WORD, YES. Let us hide from the ominous music… (and also New Year’s resolutions because I always fail mine… XD) I think I might be able to fit under the couch cushions…
OOOH! Blogging about writing is SO much fun! It’s literally my favorite to write and read. And YES!!!! Good writing habits are something that I need to work on next year as well! It is SO hard to continue writing outside of the NaNo months, but only writing one to three times a year really makes it difficult to write ALL OF THE THINGS, yes? XD
LEMON GRATERS SOUND TERRIFYING, OH MY WORD. Seriously, we just need to ban all of the graters at this point. They hurt people.
LikeLike
I too, have injured myself with a cheese grater.
ALSO YES I LOVE STAR WARS SO MUCH PLEASE EMAIL ME SO WE CAN SCREAM TOGETHER.
This post was amazing.
*claps and fades into the back*
LikeLiked by 1 person
REALLY???? I AM NOT ALONE???? *tackle hugs* LET US WAIL IN DESPAIR TOGETHER!!!
And OH MY WORD ANOTHER STAR WARS FAN ASDFGHJKL!!!!! I shall definitely email you!!! I am so behind on comments and emails because of CHRISTMAS!!!! but I’m slowly getting caught back up!!!! WE SHALL TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE STAR WARS!!!!! (please tell me you like the prequels because I love the prequels and like nobody likes the prequels…. XD)
EEP! Thank you SO much, Ruby!!!!!! <33333
*bows dramatically*
LikeLiked by 1 person
WE SHOULD MAKE A CLUB.
YES I LOVE STAR WARS SO MUCH PLEASE EMAIL MEEEE. (I do enjoy the prequels BECAUSE OF MY SON OBI WAN AND MY OTHER SON QUI GON AND BECAUSE OF WATCHING THE CLONE WARS TV SHOWS I LIKE ANAKIN AND PADME MORE BECAUSE OF THE DEVELOPMENT THEY GET.)
*throws roses dramatically* You are fantastic.
LikeLike
TOTALLY.
OH MY GOODNESS, YES!!!!! OBI WAN IS AMAZING AND SO IS QUI-GON AND I HAVEN’T ACTUALLY SEEN THE CLONE WARS (I watched like two episodes of it) BUT I SHALL WATCH IT IF YOU THINK I SHOULD AND ASDFGHJKL!!!! WE MUST EMAIL!!!!! I need to get back on top of my emails, actually… XD
Awwwwwwwwwww!!!!! <3 <3 <3 Ooh, roses!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES.
YES I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. AND YOU SHOULD WATCH IT IS REALLY WELL WRITTEN AND FABULOUSSSSS.
<3
LikeLiked by 1 person
OKAY!!! I SHALL WATCH IT AS SOON AS I GET THE CHANCE!!!!! I LOVE FABULOUSNESS!!!! (and also well-written stories because #YES)
<3
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved this post! Good luck with your puddy new goals! And my brother’s got you beat with daring feats of snow…. He put on a bathing suit and jumped into a snow bank. XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
EEP! Thank you so much!!!! *hugs* And hahahaha…haha…ha… I’m hoping I don’t fail them miserably. XD OH MY WORD. Your brother. He is crazy.
But also my new hero and I must go do this now.
(but also I’m not doing this.) XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agh! I don’t have any goals yet… Actually that’s not true. This month or past two months? Maybe? I’ve been continuously adding a bunch of goals and charts to my bedroom to keep track of whatever the heck I’m thinking/doing. I have too much stuff on my reading list! I want to read the Will I Have Faces book too, and Emma! I also want to ready A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and some random Holocaust book I can’t remember the name of right now. apoihfph! One major goal I am proud of: I actually started reading Harry Potter. For some reason, my entire life I thought it would be a good idea to be a “rebel” of the book world and not read Harry Potter? (Plus I read one sentence of the book when I was younger and thought it would be boring, so I didn’t even think about it for years). News flash that I keep forgetting to tell you every week: I started reading Wonder! (I’m almost done by now but that’s okay). I love it! Thanks for the recommendation! I passed by it on the library one day and I’m like “Hey, I’ve heard it’s really good, might as well try it :)” So I picked it up and it is wonderful! I kind of liked reading through Justin’s passage with all of the uncapitalized i’s (that was what got me the most). It was interesting to try and pick out where the dialogue was and think “Oh, someone just talked. That came out of nowhere.” Okay, what else was I going to say… Oh! PLEASE SHARE SOME SNIPPETS OF EVERLOST, and the artwork! I have got to see this! (Honestly, your confidence for posting a snippet should be over the roof right now. I’m sure anybody following this blog would love to read even just a sentence of it. :) ) Merry Christmas!
LikeLike
Just popping in to say: I’m 23 and the first time I read Harry Potter was about 2 years ago. I’m a Baptist and my father was steadfastly against Harry Potter for all of our childhood. Out of respect for him, and a general disinterest in the books, I never read them. Even after I was officially an adult, I felt nervous reading something of which my Dad disapproved.
Then I read them and realized they weren’t much different from Percy Jackson, all things considered. I enjoyed them, but I think I got in on the fandom too late in the game to be obsessed. My dad was rather deflated when he saw what I was reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh man, that stinks. Was your father against you reading it because of the superstition? I mean, Percy Jackson showcases another religion entirely, and people still have magical powers and what not, so I see what you’re saying.
Also, we can be in the fandom late together :) When I was younger I also wasn’t allowed to read the Hunger Games until a year after then books started getting popular. I tried to talk to my friends about it but they were over it by then.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I come to every fandom late, lol. I’ll be your late-to-the-party buddy!
I don’t blame my dad for being against the books, and I see his reasoning. He might have felt the same about Percy Jackson only, when we first got into them, they weren’t nearly as popular as Harry Potter. The reasons for his being against HP were very much about the strong magic element and the superstitions. I’ve always been an avid fantasy reader, and most books I got by with, but Harry Potter was a no-go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I got into the Hunger Games late, too!! XD I still squeal over those books, though, so…. XD
LikeLike
*awkwardly slides into conversation*
I kind of had a slightly similar situation, Phoebe. When I was really young, our church at the time was strictly against all things Harry Potter (as I think most churches probably are :((( ) so my parents never let us read or watch the books or movies. But one day they found it on TV and started watching it without realizing what it was, and they saw that it really wasn’t any different than Gandalf’s magic in Lord of The Rings. We were allowed to watch the movies then, and I read the books later, but I think we’re still frowned upon in some family circles for liking Harry Potter. I was super young when all of this happened, though, so I really can’t remember a time when I DIDN’T like Harry Potter, I guess…
I’m really sorry that happened with your dad!! :((( Harry Potter really isn’t bad, but I do think it’s the whole witchcraft thing that worries people. :(((
LikeLike
Ooooh, you are SO lucky!! I barely have any wall space to hang anything, but I’ve always wanted to sticky-note my entire bedroom with to-do’s and writing ideas and such. XD YES!!!! *fist-bumps* We should keep each other posted on how we like it!!! I’ve heard from a very reliable source that it is amazing. *nods sagely* *points at Kate* XD And I’ve seen the movie Emma, so I’m hoping that I shall like that one… *crosses fingers* A Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy sounds oddly familiar… I feel like I’ve heard of it before, but haven’t read it… XD Definitely tell me if you like it! Oh dear, Holocaust stories tend to make me extremely sad (but seriously, that entire situation was just a nightmare and should never have happened). I’ve really been wanting to read The Book Thief, but I haven’t managed to read it yet…
OH MY WORD!!!! Harry Potter is AMAZING!!!! You’re going to LOOOVE it!!!! And oh no!!! XD How could you think Harry Potter is BORING???? XD I actually didn’t read the books until…actually, I don’t remember how old I was, but I saw the movies first, and THEN I read the books. Both movies and books are absolutely wonderful in this series, so I can highly recommend both!!!!
EEEP!!!! Really???? I am SO happy you’re liking it!!!!! *sighs in relief* I’ve never really done reviews before, so I am extremely relieved you actually liked it. XD Yeah, Justin’s POV WAS definitely interesting to read through, but for me it was just sort of there — neither detracting or adding to the story. But I’m really glad you liked it!!! The uncapitalized i’s were definitely odd. XD AND THE DIALOGUE TAGS, ACK!!!! XD
AWWWWWWWW!!! Kirsten thank you SO much!!!! That literally means the world to me right now… I’ve just never broadly shared any of my work to a rather large group of people, and putting it on the internet sort of gives me the heebijeebies, but I THINK I’M GONNA DO IT. It’ll be fun, yes??? XD *laughs awkwardly* The artwork is amazing and YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT AND I LOVE IT AND KATE IS A MASTER I TELL YOU!!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!!! I am so sorry this comment is so late. Christmas kind of snuck up on me and I got swamped with stuff I had to do… #fail
LikeLike
I really like the sound of the Year of the Night.
It is perfectly fitting for us. >:D *Hides assassin’s knives away*
This year has been very good on the friendship front. ^.^
Your year-end wrap-up was fun and I think fairly thorough.
The only problem is other people are giving year-end wrap-ups so now I’m reminded that the YEAR IS ENDING WHERE DID ALL THE TIME GO???!!! AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
New Year’s always feels so fresh and simultaneously panic-inducing. Help.
I should probably make some concrete goals for 2018, but I’ll most likely end up ignoring them… Why is 2018 almost a thing? *More internal screaming*
LikeLike
YESSSSSSS! *spins knife expertly in palm before embedding it somewhere in my left toe* XD
It really has!!! Meeting you guys has literally been one of the ultimate highlights of my year!!! <333
EEEP, THANK YOU! I've never really done something like this before, and I've pretty much come to the realization that I don't exactly like WRITING these kinds of posts, but it was pretty fun to do a yearly wrap-up!!! I don't think I'll be doing any monthly ones, but yearly wrap-ups are definitely a possibility! XD UGH, I KNOW. I am so confused. It feels like just yesterday that 2017 began, and now it is ending IN LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WHAT???? I feel like it should only be April of 2017 again. It doesn't feel like the rest of this year was real…. XD
Oh my word, I know!!! It's terrible and fun at the same time!! I'm pretty sure my life is an oxymoron at this point… XD
Same, though! XD I feel like while these goals I've listed ARE my actual goals, there are also some more personal life-y things that I'm trying to improve about myself, so those are definitely going to have to be written out somewhere… Just…not on the internet for all to see. XD 2018 SHOULD BE BANISHED TO THE NETHERWORLDS!!! Or, you know, perhaps it shall be full of love and light and happiness??? WHO CAN KNOW. *begins internal screaming with you*
LikeLiked by 1 person
XD
:)
Yearly wrap-ups are nifty, monthly ones are probably only needed if you do TONS of blogging or track a bunch of statistics. And mostly for tracking statistics, I think. xD
Strangely, I feel like 2017 took a really long time to get through. Or maybe it was actually fairly eventful for me and felt full? So far 2018 has been going better for me, I feel like the New Year freshness is actually staying with me as I work on my projects.
Yeah, I have more personal goals than bloggy/writerly ones. But it’s basically about organizing my space and getting stronger, the internet can hear about that. xD
I vote for a year full of LIFE! Actually, I rather think that’s what this year WILL be for me…
LikeLike
Very true, that! I’m probably a terrible blogger because of this, but I rarely ever check statistics??? Mainly because A) I don’t know how???? and B) I DON’T EXACTLY CARE. XD Like, every single one of my followers could unfollow me, and I probably wouldn’t even notice. I’d just keep blogging away happily, but be slightly concerned because no one was commenting… XD
That’s odd… 2017 felt EXTREMELY SHORT to me, and I have no idea why! XD But looking back on it, it’s kind of interesting to see how MUCH happened in such a short amount of time… Perhaps it was longer than I thought… XD YES!!! SAME!!!! 2018 has been EPIC for me so far!!! It’s odd, because I could have sworn this year was going to be some dark and depressing void, but it’s actually been really nice to me so far! I’m so happy it’s the same for you!!! (OOOOH! Projects!!!)
Haha, YESSSS! If I ever get over my ingrained messiness and actually begin to organize things like I’ve wanted to for years, the internet shall definitely hear about it… XD YOU MUST TEACH ME ALL OF YOUR SECRETS, O WISE ONE. Please. I need this… XD
YES! A year full of life!!! I agree! I’m trying to find all of the happy little moments in each and every day, and I feel like this year is going to be a great one for living!!! HERE’S TO LIFE!!!! *cheers* (I AM SO EXCITED THAT YOUR YEAR IS GOING WONDERFULLY AND IS FULL OF LIFE ASDFGHJKL!!! *hugs*)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was thinking more like work or project statistics, but blog statistics could be interesting, mostly to see which countries viewers are from. But otherwise I don’t care much about blog stats either. xD
Sometimes I feel like time rushes by, and other times it seems slow. I think it’s mostly that a lot happened. It’s like the year will turn out very sunny when you predicted the Year of the Night! I’m glad to hear it’s going well for you too! (My projects are just about organizing and fitness at the moment, story is slightly on hold.)
If I discover nifty secrets along the way, I shall tell them. ^.^
Be ready to mercilessly purge your things… >:)
Or take your time with it so it’s not All or Nothing.
Taking time for happy moments sounds good! I think I was trying to do that too, but I keep focusing on bigger progress milestones instead of little moments…Oh well, even if the year isn’t perfectly metaphorically sunny, I’m still on the right track and moving forward! :D
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ohhh… Yes, this makes more sense! XD But seeing as though I really don’t have a job, and my progress on my book is…odd…I can’t really do that, anyway. XD YES! Seeing which countries viewers are from is awesome!!! I think I’ve got some from England, and also Australia, but I’m not sure…
Agreed. It’s when you look back on the giant scope of EVERYTHING that happened that you begin to realize that it really was a large chunk of time! XD I know, right??? This is yet another reason why the world is out to destroy me. XD (AH! I just responded to your email last night, so I think I knew this! Organizing and fitness are definitely worthy projects!!!)
EEEP, thank you!!!! ^ ^
That sounds terrifying…. XP But perhaps it is for the best, yes??? XD
Yes!!! It’s actually going marvelously so far, and I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in my mood… Every day I’ve written down three good things. They can be weird, wacky, sentimental, WHATEVER, but I always write down three good things and take a minute to thank God for them. It’s definitely lifted my spirits each morning!!! And YESSSS!!! That is wonderful, Jess!! Moving forward is definitely the best! :D
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are people who keep track of their stats and have spreadsheets for everything and can write those monthly wrap-up posts in a consistent fashion, and…I am not one of those people. I’m more likely to write only one post in a month than keep meticulous records. I probably should write a New Year’s post but I have zero ideas so far. Plus, real life needs to be tidied up a bit more. xD
My top viewers besides the US are from Canada, the Netherlands, and Australia. It’s pretty cool how you can discover people from anywhere!
Your world will be filled with sunshine, nothing but sunshine, and it shall become a desert. MWAHAHA! *World destroyed*
(Yay! I shall check it out.)
It is when I first contemplated it, even just a couple years ago. Now I look at random stuff I have and think, “WHYYYYYY???!!!” and I banish it. xD
That’s great! And it’s also really neat when you see how God is involved in the details of things too. ^.^
*Keeps rushing forward, splats down, and takes a nap*
LikeLike
Ugh, same. I’m the type who writes a few posts a month and then completely ignores every single statistic WordPress kindly flings at my face. XD You know, even though I’m getting to this comment in February, (WHAT IS LIFE WHERE DID I GO WHAT IN THE WORLD) you should TOTALLY still do a New Year’s post!! And now that it’s February, it’ll be totally unexpected, and everyone will be like, WHOA! TIME VORTEX!!!! Ah???? AH?????? XD
Oh my word, that is AWESOME! I think my tops are usually Australia, Canada…and I honestly have no idea. XD
That is pretty much exactly what is going to destroy me and my butterfly world. XD
OH! OH! I am SOOO sorry I haven’t been able to respond to your email yet!!! You sent it so long ago and I feel terrible about it, but I’ve been SO behind on so many things and I’m trying to catch up… So I should be getting to your email sometime this week!!!!
HA!!! This is precisely what I do, as well. XD Let us banish ALL OF THE THINGS, yes???
YES!!! That’s one of my favorite things. And hopefully at the end of the year, I can look back and see just how close beside me He’s been through the entire year. :D
That…was not what I expected but OKAY THEN, SLEEP IS GOOD, TOO! XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
New Year’s is past. My sights are set only on Valentine’s Day…
Your poor butterfly world… ;-;
I think I have one of your emails I need to respond to too… :/ At least we are mutual about delayed messages!
There’s already been some cool stuff spiritually, but I’ve also been highly confuzeled about where my future is going and what to plan for. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
*Snoozes*
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooooooh! Yes!!! Definitely do a Valentine’s Day post!!! I did… I didn’t see this comment before I did, though. XD
I know, right??? XD
Oh, you do??? I didn’t even know. XD Ugh, YES!!!! We shall be twins!!! *high-fives* XD
Ugh, I can totally relate to that. (though maybe not on the same level. . . You’re doing ALL OF THE AMAZING, and I’m basically just sitting here doing nothing. XD ) I’ll definitely be praying for you and your future, though!!! The future is a scary place, but maybe we can battle the dragon of time together. XD
*snoozes with you because I JUST WOKE UP AND AM EXHAUSTED WHAT EVEN???* XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have ideas for one, but it’s being hard to draft. xD
Yup!
Your prayers are much appreciated! Okay, now I’m imagining an epic time-freezing dragon that a character has to battle, maybe in some sort of video game thing. It’s sort of a clockwork arcane dragon?
Same. Same.
LikeLike
Oh no!!! I think I saw it in my feed, though, so apparently you ROSE ABOVE AND DID THE THING!!!! *pats you nicely on head*
OH MY WORD!!!!! An arcane clockwork dragon sounds BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! Ugh, I need… And he needs to be controlled by a clock. Like his heart is a clock, and he’s all made up of gears and stuff!!!! *is super excited*
XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I did! *Gets patted and feels like a kitty*
Yeeessssssss!! He would make for a really cool boss battle, I’m going to have to store this concept away for the future…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! XD
Yes!!!! Do it!!! I would love it forever…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have saved it to my story idea file. ^.^
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooooh!!! This pleases me greatly!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also, I once had a story called “As the Sun Sets.” It was about surviving a nuclear apocalypse in Thren with time-traveling adventurers. But it is slightly obsolete now.
It was the precursor story to the proto-Tristan I invented the next year. xD
Moons are very pretty.
LikeLike
Oooooooooooh!!!!! This story sounds awesome!!!! Awww…. :((( Well, I believe most things become obsolete after nuclear apocalypses… BA-DUM-TSSSSSS! (#thatjokewasprobablynotfunny… #oops)
Awwwww!!! I’m trying really hard to remember which character Tristan was… Was he in Therapy???
MOONS ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m sure there were some nifty bits, but it’s been so long, I have no idea what the writing is like. xD I think I have the cover for it on my NaNo novels, for 2009.
Especially obsolete because it centered around an EMP attack. Although the cover is a ground explosion to be more dramatic, but there was supposed to be an in-atmosphere explosion too. Somewhere.
(Nah, most things are vaporized, not obsolete. ^.^)
Yes. Yes he was. He is the “Pope” as Thao called him. He was not very Pope-ish in his first iteration however. He was very grumpy. xD
SHINY!
LikeLike
Honestly, that is the way it is with most stories, I believe! Which is partly why I love reading through my old writing. I’m always constantly surprised… XD OH MY WORD!!! I should check that out!!! (you know, I really need to make a list of things I need to check out, because I literally forget to check out EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. THEM. #help)
OOOooooooh! That sounds awesome! Your EMP’s are totally the best, I hope you know that… XD (Ah yes. This is very true… XD)
OH MY WORD, I DO know him!!!! This is so exciting… I remember something! XD Hahaha! Poor Tristan… Thao wasn’t very kind to any of the other characters, was he??? XD Awwww! The Grumpy Pope! It sounds like a children’s story, haha! XD
YES!!! AND SO PALE AND ORB-LIKE!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d probably be super surprised if I read through some of it. But I remember some parts of it that I can only think of as, “Wow has my perspective shifted over time!”
Then the list will get so long it’ll be overwhelming… :o (Or at least that’s how my lists turn out. xD )
Ironically, the country that attacked the other country just would not do that anymore. My old nuclear apocalypses all got folded up and stuck in the subconscious ideas bin. But I have another story that will have an EMP attack in it. It will likely be much better written than my old ones. XD
I don’t think Tristan took it TOO personally. But he is concerned for Thao’s eternal soul….
xD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, yeah, there are definitely parts like that, as well! I think it’s wonderful to look back at our past scribblings and see just how much we’ve grown as both writers and people…
That’s….that’s actually extremely true… XD But then if I had the list, I could tackle it slowly, rather than just FORGETTING everything like I normally do… XD
Awwwww!!! That’s good that they wouldn’t completely demolish the world, though, yes???? XD They’ve grown!!!! *pats smol country nicely* Oh dear…. I feel slightly sorry for this new country that is going to be demolished…. XD Oh well. It is for the greater good, methinks. XD
Hahahahaha!!! Aww, poor guy… I think a lot of people are concerned for his eternal soul at this point. XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Precisely. Although I need to organize my past scribblings so I can peruse them…and see how I have grown…because there was that tag I still haven’t done about old writing…Eep!
True, true, some lists are manageable, and others are just, “eh, I’m not doing everything in one day.” xD
It was so out-of-character for that country to go to war like that, it was ridiculous. I think I just chose it because of the geography not the necessary animosity required to start an apocalypse. :P
Interesting things will happen to that country. In about a million years from now when I actually write it. I better stick to talking about current projects. (Whoops.)
Well, with Tristan, it’s more that he’s concerned for EVERYONE’S eternal soul…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my word, same! I really want to do that tag, but all of my OLD old writing is buried somewhere on a hard drive that we hopefully still have lying around… XD Agreed! And I think this would be a list that I’d need to slowly tackle, so that I could absorb everything at a manageable pace. XD
Ooooh… Well, perhaps an unexpected apocalypse will naturally create the needed animosity??? Apocalypses tend to create savages, I think. XD
Ha! This is like the Writer’s mantra. XD I’m constantly looking ahead to future projects, rather than looking at my current WIP. #fail
Good ol’ Tristan…. At least his heart’s in the right place!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did the tag at last! I didn’t look at my old writing, I just tried to remember what I could about it.
No, I just needed to switch the countries completely. Sometimes it’s nice to just let obsolete writing be obsolete. xD
My brain isn’t sure if I have a WIP or not. I have 3-5 major stories/sub-stories to work with. So. Fun. I might make an about page on my blog about my WIPs and the main characters involved.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooooh!!! I must remember to try and find that!!! I want to read… XD That’s a really good idea!! I’ll probably just try and remember things too. XD
Ah, okay! This makes sense! Ha! Unfortunately, I totally understand this. XD Poor obsolete writing. At least it serves a purpose by helping us grow in our writing style, yes???
OOOOOH! That sounds like a really fun post!!! I can’t wait!!! And ugh. Aren’t stories terrible??? They never decide whether they want to be a fully fledged book or novella or just a short or whatever. They’re so unpredictable. :P #rude
LikeLiked by 1 person
My post is right here: https://rosedalearts.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/the-early-writing-tag-many-self-inserts/
And on the top menu bar is a link to Story Projects. Yay!
Exactly, I’m starting to see how all my old writing and starts and stops has helped hone my current stories into something that can be truly good.
I’ve gotten some new ideas for Sheyla’s story, and suddenly it feels like everyone is hurtling towards destroying everything and the story just got shortened? Oh, who am I kidding, they’ll keep fighting even if everything is a pile of rubble… >:D
LikeLiked by 1 person
OOOOOH! Oh my word!!! I didn’t know you had one of those!!! I’m gonna go check that out as soon as I get done responding to this!!!
YESSSSSS!!! Same!!! I’ve had so many stories that have fallen through, but because of those learning experiences, I’ve finally stuck through with a project!! I don’t think I’ve stuck with something this long in my entire life, to be honest… XD
OH DEAR… But yeah, I can totally see Sheyla fighting through rubble. She doesn’t give up so easily, does she??? I love her spunk!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s pretty recent, hopefully it’ll have some new info.
Very stickable stories are hard to find. xD
And it’s been hard to accept that some of my stories will never go further than ideas, but I’m easing into it now.
Sheyla: Spunk?! SPUNK?! THIS IS SHEER, DESPERATE SURVIVALISM!!!!!
Enemy Soldier: She’s over here, guys! I can hear her yelling at somebody.
Sheyla: Drat.
XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
I checked it out! I LOVED it!!!
They truly are, though! And I don’t know whether it’s my lack of self-discipline to COMPLETE a story, or whether it’s just that the stories themselves are…lacking. XD
Yessss. That is like the hardest truth. I want to write ALL OF THE THINGS, but I guess that’s just impossible… (…or is it?)
THAO: *snorts* Yeah. You’re right. Spunk isn’t really the word I’d use. Perhaps reckless rings a truer bell?
(We’re totally normal… XD )
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! I saw your comments! :D
Yeah, it’s kinda both for me…On the other hand, I am making connections to my stories and rearranging interesting premises in new ways, so I think I’m getting closer to what I really want. That is very exciting.
Sheyla: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! *Tries to flee and shoot at the same time as soldiers fire at her*
Me: Hey, don’t kill off my main protagonist.
Sheyla: Reckless? IT’S JUST DESPERATION!!!
Des: Well, now you’re just shouting too much to not be reckless.
Sheyla: No, I’m having a very Plotty Monologue that none of you can interrupt so my robot buddy can come in with a spaceship and save me at the last second!
*Space shuttle appears, and Sheyla hops in and flies away*
Des: Ugh.
(Yup. xD)
LikeLiked by 1 person
EEP! YAY!
Ooh, yes!!! That does sound exciting!! I don’t know what it is, but there’s always this sort of goosebumps-y feeling I get when a story begins to REALLY fall into place… There’s no feeling quite like it.
OH MY WORD. THAT PLOT TWIST, THOUGH. 😂😂😂 Jethan, you are like the queen of role play. 😂😂
LikeLike
Yes, the excitement is rising! :D
Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week flinging my characters’ reactions out to the world and not writing their actual stories. *Bows to the audience* XD
Sheyla: *Breathes sigh of relief*
Robot: Alas, we’re getting chased by alien fighters now.
Sheyla: OH, COME ON!
(Des: This is why I don’t like space.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀😀😀
Hahaha! XD Sadly, it’s much more fun to just write out their reactions, though…. XD
OH MY WORD. XD There’s just no break for her, is there???
LikeLiked by 1 person
aw yes, quality content on the internet is what I live for. (I’m only minorly sarcastic)
there’s 4 days until 2018 and I still have to think up some goals for 2018. halp.
anyHOW. It sounds like you’ve had a busy flurry of a 2017! (congrats on graduating, btw) Your goals sound like they’ll be fun to do. Happy new year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
SERIOUSLY, THOUGH, IS IT NOT THE BEST??? XD
There is now one day until 2018 and I am officially dead…. XD Goals are so HARD, though. And then you actually have to WORK for them and just yick. I’d rather eat an entire cake by myself. That is my new goal for this year. XD
YES!!! This year has been kinda crazy… But it was fun, so YAY!!! (actually, I died the second I graduated. I am now a ghost living inside the old corpse of the previously living Kenzie, typing this words with my clammy dead fingers. XD [seriously, graduating was terrifying…]) EEP! I hope they’re fun to do! I’m hoping that I actually ACCOMPLISH at least one of them. XD And YES!!! Happy New Year!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] via As The Sun Sets, The Moon Rises — Smudged Thoughts […]
LikeLike
[…] You see, now that the New Year has actually begun, I figure it’s high time that I begin implementing some of the new and fun things that I mentioned back in my yearly wrap-up post thing-a-ma-jig thingy. […]
LikeLike