Introducing My New WIP

Hi everyone! SO today is April 1, Easter Sunday (Happy Easter!), April Fool's Day and MOST IMPORTANTLY (to this post).. the start of Camp NaNo! So I realised on March 27th (whOOPS) that Camp NaNo was in 4 days and I hadn't even given it a thought. Originally I was going to do a second draft of A Coffee Shop Man (my NaNoWriMo WIP) but then, I remembered I was lowkey finding that WIP very boring, and wanted to start a new one... So 4 days before the start of Camp, I pieced together a story (that I'm actually looking forward to writing!!) and thought I'd introduce it:)

SO PRECIOUS YET SO PAINFUL is currently the name of my WIP but I'm not sure I'm a fan of the name so I'll probably change it when I think of something better;) SPYSP tells the story of Aria and Amelia, inseparable twins whose love for each other is incredible. However, when Amelia is diagnosed with bone cancer, both their worlds turn upside down. SPYSP is from the POV of Aria, and how she is coping with the pain, as well as how her relationships with friends, parents and Amelia change throughout this traumatic time. Also during this, the story focuses on how Aria is dealing with her own mental health problems, but feels like she has nobody to confide in anymore.



my WIP's board^ <3

SPYSP is a YA contemporary fiction (haha my favourite genre) and has a focus on twinship, physical vs mental health, feeling completely alone, jazz music and Jaffa cakes.. there's a lot of Jaffa cakes in this book heheheh. One of the little taglines I thought of when planning (if you could call making pretty Pinterest boards and eating Jaffa cakes planning!!) the book, was a love story without romance and I think it sums up what I'm going for with SPYSP perfectly. The story focuses a lot on the twins' love, yet it is not a romance book at all, and that's why I like that little phrase.

THE NUMBERS:
I'm aiming for 25,000 words again this month (which was my mental goal for NaNo last November, and I missed by 500 words!! Read more about that here: http://whatlexieloves.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/my-nanowrimo-2017.html) which means 834 words per day! Last NaNoWriMo I had an average of 818 words per day, but I did miss quite a few days of writing last November, which obviously brought my average down a lot. I think it should be a lot easier to write this time as a) I'm feeling really motivated with my story and b) I'm on Easter break for another week and a half, which = extra writing time!!

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So, I hope you liked getting to know my novel a bit more!! Now i'm off to actually write it 1!1! (and eat some more Jaffa cakes). If you'd like to see some more writing-related posts, let me know:) Hope you all had a fab Easter or just regular Sunday if you don't celebrate. I'll be back soon with an April Goals/March Roundup and book review<3

Xx

My NaNoWriMo 2017

Hola Lexicans! asdfghjkl ITS DECEMBER and wow i'm so excited for Christmas! I have been counting down since October and now it's finally here I actually do not feel ready at all:) But yah I'm very ready for a break from school and to just chill out. which is probably what I should be doing right now but I can't help it* So since November is now complete, I decided to sit down and write an overview of my NaNoWriMo. Originally I was also going to do a general November Recap, but really nothing much exciting happened to me during November (other than NaNo) so I thought I would just do a post focusing on that instead. So grab yourself some brownies, make yourself a cup of tea, get comfy and prepare yourself for this very chill + chatty post.

*no I'm not jumping up and down on my bed dancing to All I Want For Christmas Is You whilst periodically stopping to write this.. where on Earth did you get that idea from.....

So firstly, before I start focusing on my NaNoWriMo specifically (whilst I'm sure most of you reading this will know what NaNoWriMo is), I thought I'd explain exactly what NaNo is so it makes sense to everyone. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it is a non-profit program in which bloggers and writers from all over the world come together to try and write 50,000 words in a month (November). I knew that this year 50k wasn't on my radar, so I set myself mentally a smaller goal of 25k instead, although I couldn't put that in. People talking part all come together in one amazing community doing things like word sprints, and even meeting up in their local libraries. Whilst I didn't do those things, I did feel a sense of community and just loved doing NaNo this month! So let me tell you more about it....



whilst I didn't actually take this during NaNoWriMo (no time for that!!), it's the exact spot where I spent most my evenings writing:) x

My novel..

I've talked about my novel in a couple previous posts BUT I'll just sum it up. The Coffee Shop Man (nope not going to be the name forever, it's just WIP while I think of a much better, more interesting name ahah) is a YA realistic fiction about Arthur, a 70 year old man whose life has gone to pieces. He has no family, no friends, no goals and no happiness. Everyday he wakes up at the exact same time, goes to his local coffee shop, has a black coffee and returns. Every single day he does this, this routine is really the only thing he ever does. Until one day he wakes up later, meets this young girl called Kate and is whole life changes (and then loads of plot twists happen, but even though y'all will probably never read this book.. I'm still not going to spoil it!)

The facts..

I didn't reach my goal of 25k. BUT.. I did get to 24.5k words and yES I know I was literally another 10 minutes worth of writing away and it is so frustrating oh my gosh but.. a few days before NaNoWriMo ending I was on 21.5k and for some stupid reason, past Lexie decided not to write in those last few days. Until the 30th when I decided 'I will not be able to get 25k by the end of today but I want to see just how close I can get.' so I wrote and wrote, and managed to get to about 23k when my mum came in and said 'Lexie.. time to turn off your laptop.' as I was kinda ill so she wanted me to get an early night. But as I was on a roll, I wrote more in my notebook to then type up. BUT.. since it's a notebook, there's (obviously) no word count, so I just stopped when I felt too tired.
And then I typed it up the next day and it equalled 24.5k... I was so annoyed at first but now I've got over the intial frustration I have decided that a) 24.5k is still so amazing b) I never thought I would actually get that close and c) I should be a very proud bean.

Wordiest day: November 30 - 2,816 words per day
Average per day: 818 words

Did you take part in NaNoWriMo this year? And how did you do? I think we all deserve a nice batch of brownies, and a well-deserved break after that tiring month! WELL DONE TO US!! *cheers* asdfghjkl if you did, even if you didn't get to 50k I'M SO PROUD OF YOU AHH!!!

I'll be back in a few days with a Christmas Wishlist and Teen Gift Guide:)

X

w r i t i n g / meet my WIP's characters

holaaa lexicans! So recently, several people lately have been posting about their WIP sooo guess what today's post is about (my WIP).

I kind of haven't started writing it yet, but today's post will be my plans and a few extracts from the draft I haven't written yet.

This is Spring. She, like her quadruplets is 14 years old. She is quiet, studious and goes to the local private school on an academic scholarship. Spring is a dedicated writer and has dreams of becoming a children's author one day. Unfortunately, Spring suffers from panic attacks and on some days she shut herself in her room in pitch black.

Random questions and Spring's answers:
Think you're pretty? No way.
Biggest fear? I'm terrified of the sea and have been ever since our parents went off on a boat and were never found.
What's your favourite sport? Sport. I don't really participate in sports that regularly but probably golf because that's what my dad loved.
Do you like marmite? No, it's too tangy.
What's your favourite colour? Pastel purple.
Did you have any pretend friends? Yes many, and I still have one, my alter ego Skye.

This is Summer. She is popular, confident and almost like a Mean Girls character. She goes to the secondary school and loves art, fashion and dance. When she's older, Summer would love to become a fashion designer and run her own label. (Can you see how differently she talks to Spring?!)

Summer's answers:
Think you're pretty? yes defo
Biggest fear? Like being caught doing something embarrassing in public
What's your favourite sport? dance is lifeeeee
Do you like marmite? um kinda..
What's your favourite colour? Hot pink or black and white for clothes
Did you have any pretend friends? eww no #imnotaloner

This is Autumn. She loves sport, sport and sport. She too goes to the local secondary school but is hoping to transfer to the Oxdale Academy of Sport. She loves all sports but has always dreamed of becoming a hockey player in the Olympic GB team.

Autumn's answers:
Think you're pretty: Meh, I don't really care
Biggest fear: I hate clowns.
What's your favourite sport? Hockey, swimming, football and cricket but I love all sports.
Do you like marmite? Yes
What's your favourite colour? Deep purple or navy blue
Did you have any pretend friends? I think I had one but I'm not sure.

This is Winter. She is timid and has a passion for animals and the enviroment. She goes to a secondary school further away from home after being bullied by her classmates when she came out as lesbian. She volunteers at the RSPCA every week and hopes to get a full-time job there one day.

Winter's answers:
Think you're pretty: No
Biggest fear: Having Frosty (her cat) get killed.
What's your favourite sport? I'm not really into sport but if I had to pick it would be tennis.
Do you like marmite? No
What's your favourite colour? Pastel pink
Did you have any pretend friends? Yes, I still have lots today.

So there are Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. They are all VERY different as I'm sure you can tell. Here's a little extract from the book of  Spring's dialogue which follows a jokey comment Summer makes about how people at her school who have bad fashion sense are what's wrong with the world and she's not surprised they're single. I hope this gives you a glimpse of the kind of character Spring is and her talking style.

Shakespeare once wrote: 'love looks not with the eyes but with the mind' and he was right. One should not find love through the so-called 'beauty'. that is what is wrong with the world Summer. People these days want to spend their lives with people because they are physically attractive.

what about everything beneath your skin.

how the way I pronounce obviously always makes you smile.

how you are an extremely talented artist.

how no matter how old you get you will always chase after butterflies.

if we lived in your ideal world all that would be forgotten.

all the little things that make up you.

there is more to you than your fake tan and hair extensions Summer.

I know that but not everyone does.

I hope you like that, and hopefully it gives you a little insight into Spring's mind as well as the way she talks to each other and what she says. I will give you guys updates and let me know what you think. Out of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, who are you most like? Are you a combination? Would you like to hear more about my WIP?

Xxx

The No Backspace Writing Challenge

Holaaa Lexicans! Today I've decided to come up with a new writing challenge that I, and hopefully some of you, will try out. This challenge almost certainly is already floating around in the blogosphere, but I've never seen any bloggers try it on their blog, so I'm going to introduce it to our 'circle' of bloggers.

Basically, the challenge is you have to write a story, anything from 100+ words, but the twist is, you cannot use the backspace or 'deleting' bar. This means you may end up with a load of sentences that are wordy, boring, unnecessary and/or grammatically incorrect. (You can change spelling though). However, it's a really good writing exercise and it means you really have to think before you type. I'm now going to try it, but I haven't even thought of an idea, so it's very much improvisation (not to forget, obviously I can't delete things).

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Everywhere you go the idea of perfection follows you around. You are perfect and beautiful and loved and wanted and a true angel. However, you wanted to be here - nobody does but now you are here, the true meaning of life - or death more like is apparent. Everything happens for a reason, you shouldn't ever have regrets. Yet you do. Suicide is never necessary, and you could still be living your life on earth right now.

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Today you came back home from a terrible day. The It Girls teased you again about your weight, even though you'd lost two stone in a month. Not eating felt great, until the It Girls found another way to make it offensive. But today it cut deeper than just the weight, like a sharp knife cutting into your skin. They made fun of your little sister, laughing about her Down's Syndrome. But worst of all, they made bitter comments about your mum 'The epic idiot who had no life, even when she was living. I bet she's glad she was half-blind and got hit by that bus - she doesn't have to deal with you anymore'.

So you carried on starving yourself, and you cut off juice as well. Living on nothing but water.

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Well, you were living at least.

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I hope you enjoyed that. Not using the backspace was hard, and I caught myself in the act once or twice, but overall I managed. Also, that story got quite deep wow, I hope this didn't go to close to home for any of you.

Finally, I nominate
Noor
Adaline
Anna
Eve
Envy
and all my other writing-lover readers! Let me know if you did the challenge, and hopefully we can get this spread around the blogosphere.

but first lemme take a selfie

fit - adj, attractive; good-looking
hot - adj, (of a person) attractive
stunner - n, a strikingly beautiful or impressive person or thing
beautiful - adj, pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
gorgeous - adj, beautiful; very attractive

^all those words are extreme, delicate, you could even say beautiful aha
they should be used sparingly

i'm guilty of using those words vast amounts in a day, when I spend time on Instagram and various other social medias
and i've been called all those words myself

you shouldn't need 100 comments from friends, boys and the other 'gorgeous' girls to know that, inside and out you are a stunner; strikingly beautiful or impressive person or thing; and you're a stunner always, not just at a strategic angle with perfect lighting, a huge amount of make-up, and an aesthetically pleasing filter.

you are always a stunner.

so please use these words wisely and sparingly because they are precious and meaningful. yes they are beautiful but they shouldn't need you telling them that to believe it.

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I have to admit, I am one of those people who will delete their selfies if they don't get over 10 comments, including ones from the 'pretty' girls and 'fit' boys and I know its not good. I know I only post selfies to get all those comments, but I shouldn't. I know people who hate their figure because of how social media puts all those pressures on you to have flat stomachs and be super-skinny, when let's face it, you're totally perfect.

It's fine to post selfies, it's fine to comment on other peoples but think about it, am I deleting this because I don't want to have it up or because it has 'barely any' likes?

Hope this post made you think and you enjoyed it. Can any of you relate at all?

xxx

Window Girl - a piece of my writing

I sat by the window - the same place I've been for the last 9 months. Like always, my mum, therapist and nurse are crowding around me, trying to get me to move, away from the window. It has been nearly a year since my dad left. I can remember the day like it was yesterday.

He had come back from the pub in a state, the strong smell of ale wafted everywhere. My mum started screaming things at my dad, and he hit her. And suddenly the door slammed shut; he hasn't come back since.

But I know he'll come back one day, I just know it! And whatever my therapist tries to convince me, I know that he isn't gone for good.

We had such a bond, when he wasn't drinking that is! We did everything together: we went swimming, visited cafes, went to the fairground together, and its all my mum's fault that he's gone... If she didn't shout back, he'd still be here now, and we'd be baking gingerbread together, or going go-karting, or kayaking. Together...

He has to come back though. And I know that one day his big black Volvo will coming roaring into the drive, and I'll run into his arms and have a long hug. Then we'll go rock-climbing and we'll catch up!

But until then, I'm just a Window Girl, sitting on the window sill, waiting and waiting. And waiting...




I've written this, and haven't read it back, so it meant not make the slightest sense! I hoped you liked it, and let me know whether you'd like to see more of my writing! Also, please give me any praise/constructive criticism!


© 2015 Lexie W
Do NOT steal without written permission from me.

6 word stories

 

 

 

 

I've seen loads of people do these 6 word stories, and I decided to do my own! They are completely random and just out of my vast imagination!

Pictures aren't mine! They are from an awesome website called MorgueFile (seriously, I know the name sounds gross, but it isn't inappropriate at all), where you can get free pictures and don't need to give credit (although I have because it's such a great website)!

Which is your favourite 6 word story of those? And I may show you more of MY own photography over the summer if you want!