Loving the Language of Literacy: *knocks warily* Is Anybody Home?

Welcome, Welcome to the THIRD Episode of What’s Been Going On? An alternative title could be, “Where The Hell Were You In The Month of November, Sofia?” Never fear, you will get to know the reasons for why I was so absent from my blog, what I was doing in my absence (I swear I didn’t spend my entire month watching Red Band Society, Nashville, and How to Get Away With Murder), and what you should expect for December.

Why Haven't You Been Home?

Even in October, BEFORE everything that happened in November happened, I knew it would be a slow month for Loving the Language of Literacy. I had just started the BookTube Channel, it was the end of the trimester (translation = common core testing), and NaNoWriMo would be on the front burner for the entire month.

Then everything in November went down.

If you are an old-timer around Loving the Langauge of Literacy, you will know that my mom had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and after an almsot two year fight, passed away at the end of July. (For a more in-depth information, click here) I went to go live with some family friends, but that arrangement sadly didn't work out due to compatability issues. I had just been informed of it (on the 9th of November), packed up by stuff, and moved in (temporarily) with my dad. May I mention, my dad who has limited internet access? Hashtag: The Struggle Was REAL! Almost two weeks went by until I could move in with my best friend's family. The catch? They live in upstate New York.

So there you have it! A combination of limited internet access, NaNoWriMo-ing, and moving across the country are the reasons I have not been present that much on my blog.

Where Have You Been During November?

I Wrote 50,000 Words Of A First Draft Of A Novel! | NaNoWriMo 2014: In terms of free time I normally would have spent doing blog-related things (reading books/writing posts), I used that time to write the thee foundation of a YA contemporary/fantasy crossover with parallel universes, romaance, and a ton of other fun details.

Brace yourself for how cliche this next sentence will sound. I want to make writing my job. How much does this sound like 75% of the book bloggers/vloggers out there? I don’t mean that I want to write just for the money, as ANYONE can tell you, doing ANYTHING in life where making money is the final goal is pure bullsh*t and you should stop doing that thing ASAP! 2014 has been a year to remember for myself in ALL aspects of life. Throughout everything I have experienced, blogging, vlogging, YouTube, books, libraries, and pretty much anything related to putting a pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) has been my fallback. Throughout everything, the internet, and words have been there for me. I have discovered this fiery passion (I am just a bucketload of cliche phrases today) whenever I discuss the craft of writing and my own writing with people (those who want to listen and even those that didn’t).

Therefore, the obvious decision was.... participate in NaNoWriMo. In July, you may have seen my announcement that I was doing Camp NaNoWriMo, and that.... just didn’t go well. It was a wrong-time-wrong-place thing. It was a complete impulse decision to participate (two days before), and I just wasn’t in the right, or good, place mentally or creatively to write a novel. My decision to participate in November’s NaNoWriMo was one I had been thinking about since September, and I actually outlined a few chapters (which shows serious commitment if you know how much of a panster I am). I pushed through the month, despite all of the external obstacles (to be discussed), and hit 50k on the 23rd of November, and now I'm at a stage where I'm re-doing my outline andd story bible to fit what I have wrirten so far. Because, as we all know, 50k isn't enough to finish a story. It was a challenge to sit myself down every day and (at some points) force myself to pound out those words. Yet, I did it, and that is the number one reason I wasn’t able to blog. I used every moment possible to write the words of my novel instead of writing the words of blog posts.

I Moved Across the Freaking Country!!! I don't know if you're aware, but moving takes a LOT of effort. Especially when all of your belongings are divded between three locations. It was a mini-battle betweeen my dad and I for every little seemingly replaceable item. (I agree with him on this one) I even wanted to lug my huge power strip!

Eveen though I am here now, I am still thinking "OMFG! I have moved to the city where everyone is freezing their butts of." If I thought I could validly complain about Sunny Southern California, I was sorely mistaken. When I arrived, there were snow flurries, and it was 28 degrees. *shivers just thinking about it*

Lolz! I'm still at the, "I love snow phase"

These events in my personal life took up a lot of my time, which is why I haven’t been posting or uploading half as much as I would have liked. It has been such an environment change, in terms of who, what, when, where, why, how everything in my life has been going. The good news is that I have a heck of a lot less homework at my new school, so.... more time for blogging/BookTubing/ reading/writing. Hallelujah!

Who Is To Say You Won't Go Away During December Too?

Because a ton of cool things are a comin'. You had to suffer a whole month without hearing from me! I need to make up for loss time with my wonderful attitude (Don’t worry, I am 100% joking, I am not that much of an arrogant person). December is the month of my birthday, Christmas, Winter Break, and (the thing you’re most expecting me to say) my ONE YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!!! Let me just say that during Turkey Break (yes, I did just call it that), I actually got off my rear end and scheduled a lost of posts. There is more information going up on the first of December with ALL OF THE DETAILS for ALL OF THE THINGS. Because there is an entire month of shenanigans planned.