#YALLFest2014 - Recap

It's been two weeks since YALLFest. I meant to post this sooner, but two weeks turned out to be perfect. So here is my post about my experience at YALLFest.



Friday after my French class I headed over to Blue Bicycle Books. There was a buzz already in that area. The store was so full and busy, but it was neat to see! I felt into the hustle and bustle and started helping with set up. The most exciting part was that I escorted Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) and her family to the library where she was going to be signing.

When I returned, I had a little bit of a break so I went down to the train museum to get Sarah Dessen to sign my copy of Truth About Forever. I did get it signed and my life was so perfect at that moment!

Afterwards, I went back to the bookstore and there I helped set up books for authors to sign. I helped Morgan Rhodes, Ally Condie and Lauren Myracle. Morgan Rhodes travelled all the way from Canada, Ally Condie was super sweet and has a beautiful signature, and Lauren Myracle is the craziest and has this energy that surrounds her! After I helped the authors, I helped prepare for the panels the next day.

The most exciting part of the evening was going to a beautiful, old Charleston house for a party. All the authors were there! It's every reader's dream to be in a room with their favorite authors! My goal for the weekend was to get Sarah Dessen's autograph and a picture with her. That dream came true! My life was so complete that night!

Saturday came around and it was busy! I worked the merchandise and information table during the morning and we were constantly busy! There were so many people and everyone had stacks of books. It was so cool to see. When I was done at the table I moved on to the Charleston Music Hall where some of the panels were being held. I spent the rest of the evening helping out there. I was able to listen to some really interesting and hilarious panels!  My favorite panels were the Incurable Romantics and Hollywood Stories.

I saw the closing keynote and the YA Smackdown Feat. Tiger Beat. It was an amazing experience and I hope to do it all again next year! I'm not sure whether I'll be interning, volunteering or just enjoying it as a reader.

New Year Resolutions - 21 Things Before I Turn 21

Happy New Year!

It's been 2014 for fourteen days. I've spent the past three weeks thinking of what I want to accomplish in the next year. Some are simple goals, others not so simple. I did decide that I want to accomplish 21 different things before I turn 21. I've been contemplating what things I want to accomplish, some are ridiculous and highly unlikely, others quick and easy.

Here's my 21 before 21:

1. Finish Southern Charm
2. Do something all by myself. Whether it be going to a movie, a concert or dinner at Olive Garden. I gotta do it by myself. Don't ask why, it's just a weird thing I gotta do. 
3. Go away for a weekend. 
4. See the sunrise or set at the beach.
5. Go on a road trip. 
6. Volunteer to help others. 
7. Lose weight. A Lot. 
8. Get back into ice skating. 
9. Land a loop and flip jump. 
10. Compete in two skating competitions. 
11. Save $500.00 for my trip to Spoleto, Italy. 
12. Plan a trip to Disney World.
13. Read 21 full books. 
14. See a concert. 
15. Complete 3 full series. 
16. Do an internship.
17. Pay off my Macbook Pro (I have until October 31st to pay it off in full, or it will no longer be interest free). 
18. Learn a skill. Whether mechanical, crafty or other. I will learn a skill. 
19. Make a real effort towards deciding what I wanna do after graduation. 
20. Keep up with this blog. 
21. Fall in love. 

The last one is a bit misleading. I don't mean to fall in love with another person, not that it wouldn't be nice to be in love again. I mean that I want to fall in love with myself. I want to be happy with who I am as a person. It's hard work, but I've come to the conclusion that to be able to love others, I must be able to love myself completely. This is a psychologically sound theory.

From Pinterest. 

Writing and Soulmates

"You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it."  ~Neil Gaiman

 

So being a writer is a wonderful and painful experience. Constantly being flowed by plots and ideas, yet never being able to make them flow or stick. Spending years on a story, knowing it will be amazing when you finish it, only to realize that this isn't the "One". It isn't the story of stories, the one you want to be remembered for.

My writing has been suffering for a while. I had ideas and plots, but no focus. I'm hoping to change that as I begin another rewrite on Southern Charm. I have to finish this story. Even if it is the worst story ever written, I have to finish it. I haven't completed a story in 3 years. It's kind of depressing.

But now for a happier side. I have found my writing soulmate! Her name is Tabatha Vargo (Check out her blog here;  http://tabathavargo.blogspot.com/) and she is amazing! We just clicked and her writing is awesome! We have writing dates on Mondays, whenever possible. Even if we only talk about writing for a few minutes it's still amazing!

Very soon we'll be going to YALL Fest and participating in NANOWRIMO. It's great to have someone who can understand and sympathize with how difficult it can be to be a writer. With her on my side I think I'll finally get the support and shove to finish Southern Charm, and maybe even to find my "One".