To wit, here is how I lived up to my 2012 goals:

• Writing: Complete a first draft of my YA fantasy. Didn’t happen; only have about 1/3 of a draft finished.
• Reading: 30 books read. Managed to read 25, so that’s something.

So didn’t really meet either of these. And there wasn’t much bookmaking (or crafting in general) to speak of in 2012, either.

But I’ve made peace with it. I accomplished a small amount, compared to what I’d hoped to, but I still made progress. I have a third of a book written! Over 35,000 words! It’s so much further than I’ve ever been before. And I read 25 books last year, which is probably more than I would’ve read without having set a goal. Besides, I did other awesome things. I found a job that’s fulfilling, that I enjoy going to each day. I am preparing for the start of my family.

For 2013, I’ve decided not to set goals. I will work on things as a feel motivated or inspired, and as I have time. I’m going to take life as it comes. I want to continue to work towards my goals of complete my book and reading more, but I’m not putting numbers or deadlines on it. Good things take time, and sometimes have to take a backseat to better or more important things.

As the entertainment capital of the world, there are no shortage of shows in Los Angeles. A few weeks ago, we got to see my favoritest comedian extraordinaire, Maria Bamford. You might recognize her from those hilarious Target Christmas ads.

Here’s one of my favorite jokes from her set — about how sure, cooking is easy! But not easier than not cooking.

I love comedy because it gives us a new way of looking at life.

Maria Bamford gets me crying with laughter, but what I really admire about her is that her comedy has such a strong voice and point of view. She talks a lot about dealing with family, and living with anxiety, depression and OCD — and not only makes these topics funny, but also more relatable to the audience. She brings her own perspective and isn’t afraid to share it. She’s subtle, never preachy, but she still has something important to say. I love that about her, and I hope to bring a little more of that into my creative endeavors.

Who are you favorite comedians? How about writers or creators with a voice you love?

I want to know!

I haven’t been planning on it — I really need to finish my current project before starting work on the next. Plus, my two and only attempts at Nation Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) have failed miserably.

But I’ve been thinking of doing a pseudo-NaNo to slather on the word count along with other somewhat insane writers.

Did you know —

there are some crazy people out there (you know who you are — glare) who consistently add anywhere from a 1,000-3,000 words to their WIP a day. A DAY. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I hate people who can finish a 60,000+ words manuscript in 4 months. But I also secretly love them because they are proof it is possible!

I recognize that this breakneck pace isn’t for everyone, but is definitely doable for me in my current situation. As a person currently between jobs (cough), I really have no excuse for not spending my plethora of extra time hunkering down and really fattening up my manuscript. Add to that the fact that I’ve set a soft deadline for completion at the end of November (a hard deadline for the end of the year), and I realize that I really could/should be doing more.

The minimum daily word count to stay on track for NaNoWriMo is somewhere around 1400 (probably, I’m too lazy to look it up right now), and that’s probably where I should be setting my minimum daily wordcount, anyway. That’s the kind of discipline and habit I want to develop.

So, I think I will join in, unofficially, and commit(ish) to writing 50,000 words in November.

Even though my last two attempts at NaNoWriMo fell ridiculously short of reaching 50K words. Even though I have a mountain of job applications I should probably fill out and send, instead. Even though my house is already messy and neglected as it is.

But even though I was far from succeeding, both times I participated in NaNoWriMo was a great experience, and taught me a lot about how I write. They were great, fun, and infuriating experiences. And, funnily enough, the current project I’m working on had grown from the seed of my first NaNoWriMo attempt in 2010.

So yep. Add 50K words. Write every day. This is happening. In a very unofficial, not-really-NaNoWriMo kind of way.

Who dares to try NaNoWriMo this year?

Are you outlining? Pantsing? Want to share your awesome premise? Comment and let me know! I’d love to be part of your NaNoWriMo support team :)

Source.

Typing is the fastest way to write. And computers are pretty obviously necessary for a whole slew of projects. But, it’s hard to keep the momentum going at your 9-5, then to expect to come home and continue slaving away in front of a laptop. But, as aspiring writers, this is often the only writing time we get.

A few months ago, I noticed that I was not using my screen time productively — at all. I’d sit down with every intention of working on my novel or replying to an email I’d been meaning to, only to later realize that an hour had passed and I hadn’t accomplished the task at hand. I decided to shake up my writing routine and try some new things. Here’s what worked for me!

1. Leave your digital workspace clear.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened my laptop with every intention of writing a new blog post or starting work on a new scene, only to be immediately sidetracked because the last thing I happened to be doing was derping around on 9GAG. It’s so much easier to resist the pull of distractions if they aren’t immediately staring you in the face.

So, take some time to save your work, bookmark whatever sites you need to, and then shut things down. It’ll give you a lovely, clean new workspace the next time you need to work — and you can choose to only open the programs or projects you really need to.

2. Know what you want to accomplish.

Whether the goal is to write a thousand words, log an hour on a freelance project, or write until the new scene is finished — having it in mind will help you get geared towards accomplishing it before you even start working. Don’t just have a vague idea; make a concrete goal that is specific and measurable. You need to set a task that is either done or not, so you have something to stick to.

It can be helpful (and rewarding!) to find a way to log the task and what you got accomplished. For freelancers, this is a no brainer (it’s a prerequisite for a paycheck), but for those working on projects for themselves, this can be harder to do.  It doesn’t have to be high-tech or crazy (currently I check off a square of grid paper for every 100 words, which is weirdly satisfying), but it can help you keep the big picture in mind and work towards your overall goal.

3. Batch your tasks (and distractions).

Batching is an idea that presented in a lot of productivity books, and it has some good merits. Sometimes when you’re stuck in a rut, it’s to think, well I’ll just check Twitter really quick, or, I wonder if I have a new email. But by going back and forth to check email or Twitter, to log your time, or so on, can waste crucial minutes — minutes that add up to hours. And when it comes to finding the time to write, that’s a big enough challenge as it is.

Not only do they suck minutes, these distractors also suck your focus. It can take you much longer to refocus and set your mind to the task at hand. By putting all these time vampires together, their effect is minimized. Set a time to do all these things — it could be 10 minutes every two hours, or half an hour at your lunch break — and resist the urge to check them the rest of the time. It’s hard at first, but it’s definitely a habit worth creating.

4. Track/manage your time with apps.

Our hardware and software enable us to do awesome things and to work more efficiently. Computers are made for multi-tasking, but our brains? Not so much — especially when it comes to very cerebral or abstract tasks like coding, writing or crunching numbers.

Here are some apps and web browser plugins that help keep track of time and turn your computer into a single-task machine.

1. Rescue Time: This program tracks how you use your time on your computer, and analyzes it for you, helping you spot time-wasters and get an honest, real-world view of how you’re spending your time.

2. Stay Focused: A Google Chrome plug-in, this extension limits the amount of time you can spend on distracting sites. My husband, for instance, uses this at work to limit the time he spends on favorite sites to 20 minutes throughout the day — making sure they don’t eat into his work time or focus.

3. Think – This Mac OS app blacks out your screen, leaving only the task you are working on. You’ll be less likely to click away from your task if you can’t see icons or other windows in your screen’s background! Some word processors and other programs also include a feature like this — I’m currently using Scrivener, for example, and it has a “Compose” button that makes the document I’m working on full-screen, with the option to black out the background.

5. Step away from the screen.

Like I said, we can sometimes go looking for distractions when our brains are feeling tired because we’ve hit a wall or we are bored with the current task. Instead of getting pulled into something else, take a quick break from your screen. You might walk around and step outside for some fresh air. Plus, this can help lower your risk for health problems and get blood flowing where you need it most — your brain!

Sometimes it helps to just take the problem to pen and paper — something about working the problem out on a notepad makes your brain pay closer attention, and requires you to slow down as you think it through. Often this can help me find just the perfect turn of phrase I’ve been looking for, or help me see why what I’ve been trying isn’t working.

What are your biggest productivity-busters? Have anything you do that helps improve your on-screen focus?

SPIFFY NEW BLOG DESIGN.

Or if you are reading it via a reader, you can’t see it, in which case VISIT THE BLOG SO YOU CAN SEE MY AWESOME REDESIGN.

This has been several weeks in the making, but I couldn’t be happier with it! I designed the whole thing, and my amazing husband, ahem, web developer, Chris, built it. He says it’s very “Elyssa,” and I have to agree.

Don’t worry, the top was to work out the layout. I gave Chris a much better final mockup to work with! Also, the drawing of the face makes me laugh.

You’ve probably noticed some changes in the content of this blog. I’ve been talking a lot more about writing and my endeavors to get better at it. I wanted that to be reflected in the design, hence the typewriter! It’s actually a neat little logo I made a while ago to use on my resume (it’s still on there!), so I just updated the color scheme and added some doo-dads to make it happen. I also made it easier to subscribe, with fancy links in the sidebar that give you three options (so now you have no excuse not to subscribe to Handmade Library—wink).

Overall, I am so happy with the result! What do you think of Handmade Library’s new look?

The only problem? I can’t seem to find it, anywhere. I’ve checked every file on Scrivener. I’ve scoured my Google Drive. I’ve even thumbed through a dozen legal pads and notebooks — it simply isn’t anywhere to be found.

Now the debate is: do I rewrite the scene? Wait for it to show up later. Wait until revisions to see if it’s even needed? I’m leaning towards the last option, but I am sad that I can’t find it. Frustrating!

In other news, I did finish this: a long-form outline/synopsis of my work in progress. Yay!

Four pages, 4000 words, one whole story. So excited to finally feel good about the overall arc of the story.

How do you keep track of your ideas and writing odds-n-ends? Ever lose something you were sad to see go?

Recently I opened up the first chapter. I scrolled the end of a scene, hit return a few times and started rewriting the introduction to my character.

And it was like magic.

The scene was suddenly alive. It actually showed what the characters were about. It raised questions, created a setting. It got them going, got them doing something — which was really needed.

Image source

I went back and revised a lot of what I’ve written up to this point. It just felt like what needed to happen. Sadly, this dipped my wordcount below 20,000, which is depressing considering I’m expecting the completed first draft to be in the 80-100k range. An honestly,

I also took the time to write a more complete synopsis of the plot. Before, I’d written outlines, with each bullet point being a scene I was going to right. But a lot has changed in the plot, some of it has changed back — it’s all pretty different.

A lot of the 19,000 words I have will need to be edited down or taken out. A lot of it still needs to be parsed and updated to match the overall plot. But I do feel that I know better now what my plot is doing and where it’s going, and as I go along and edit or rewrite, a lot will need to be added, too.

My goal is to finish a first draft by the end of the year. I’d like to shoot for the end of November, so I can give the manuscript a rest and start on revision first thing in 2013.

With the new synopsis, I’ve actually been making pretty good progress. I’ve averaged between 1000 and 1500 words a day. If I’m going to be done by the end of November with an 80K word manuscript, that’s about right on target — though I’ll probably have to push it to the higher end of things.

How’s your writing project going? Have anything you’re trying to finish before the end of the year?

Sexual harassment and sexism has been a hot topic in the geek/video game community over the past few months, and has even spurred articles in big news outlets like the New York Times, BBC News and Forbes. And after seeing posts about it on both Jezebel and Gawker this past week, I thought I would chip in my two cents on sexual harassment/sexism in the online gaming and geek communities.

I first encountered sexual harrassment in a video game at an early age.

As a geeky 12-year-old I was asked by a Druid in Diablo 2 multiplayer if I was a girl. Seeing no harm in replying honestly, I affirmed that I was. He then proceeded to ask me what my cup size was. Being young and not sure what to do, I replied honestly (the answer was obviously unimpressive, as I WAS TWELVE). The guy promptly logged off, never to be heard from again —  though over the years many more sexist creeps like him surfaced, often leaving me feeling uncomfortable, frustrated, afraid or straight up violated.

Sometimes it’s less obvious: comments like, “Girls play this game?” or “How can you be good, you’re a girl.” Or in another case, a World of Warcraft player I had briefly grouped with to complete a quest chatted and asked if we could be friends on Facebook. While it was not overtly  pervy, and I’m sure the request seemed harmless to him, it made me uncomfortable. I had to wonder: If I were male, would he be asking to friend me?  After playing together for only 30 minutes? Or does this guy just want to judge how I look IRL? If I did friend him, would I essentially be giving him the means and permission to harass me in the future?

Sexual harassment is a real problem in the gaming community.

Beyond my experiences, there are too many female gamers (and male for that matter) who are cussed out, called names, asked for naked pictures, insulted and even threatened. There is a whole website, Fat, Ugly or Slutty, where lady gamers post examples of this kind of abuse. If you need more proof, check out this study on sexism in the video game community that analyzes the results of a survey of the online gaming community (with colorful charts and graphs, even!).

Most guys don’t set out to harass every lady they run across in their multi-playing adventures — and yet. AND YET. And yet when guys take a special interest in a player and single her out because she’s a woman?  That’s where sexual harassment starts.  She suddenly goes from being another co-player to an object of sexual attention, or sexist, misogynistic or inappropriate remarks.

This pervasive sexist and attitude ruins video games for everyone.

This fact was underscored to me by the answers to an informal poll of my Facebook friends asking about their experiences with harassment (sexual or nonsexual) in online gaming. Interestingly, all of the respondents were guys — and many of them said they avoided playing online or muted audio from other players to avoid being harassed, or having to listen to others being harassed.

The perpetrators of this particularly nasty form of cyber-bullying like to say, “Lighten up! It’s no big deal. I was just kidding. Can’t you take a joke?”  Or a personal favorite: “If you can’t stand the heat, get back in the kitchen!”

The transalation for this should be, “I have no idea how to talk to women except for to make jokes about their body parts! Because LOL 80085! And I’m completely inadequate and so ashamed of my lack of confidence that I’m going to blame the failure of our dialog on you.” Because humor is not an excuse for bigotry, nor sexism, nor any kind of bullying — nor should it be used to justify poor behavior.

What we gamers (male & female) can do to fix it.

Male gamers: treat female gamers like they are there to play the game.

We just want to shoot some zombies, or run a PVP match, just like you. If we were interested in hooking up, we’d be on a dating site or something. Treat us like any other player, because that’s why we’re there: to play.

It might be helpful to ask yourself these questions about your interactions with a female gamer:

• Would you say or ask these things to a woman you met in person?

• Would you talk to a guy you met online like this?

• Would you want someone interacting with your sister/girlfriend/wife/mother/daughter in the same way?

If the answer is yes, congrats! You’re a swell guy and I’m glad to have gamed alongside you (or, you know, kicked your butt in the leaderboards). If the answer is no, adjust your actions and attitude until you can answer “Yes” to the above questions. And if you realize you’ve been a turd, apologize.

If you notice that someone else is making inappropriate jokes at someone else’s expense, or harassing someone — male or female — speak up. Tell them to cut it out. Let them know you think they’re being inappropriate. Don’t make their target just sit there and take it; back them up.

Gals: If playing online is a pastime you enjoy, keep doing it.

It’s exhausting to explain to every third guy that you’re just there to play the game. But playing the victim isn’t goign to solve anything. Don’t let it keep you from playing online, if it’s something you truly enjoy. If we’re going to create the kind of gaming and online community that is suited to female gamers, we need to keep showing up. We need our presence consistently growing, to show that we’re here for fun, and we’re here for good. We need to show that inappropriate comments won’t work to intimidate us, that we won’t stand for them.

Speak up for yourself. Call guys out on their bad behavior. It’s uncomfortable, and you’ll be told to “Lighten up” a lot. But it’s worth it. Speak up and defend other players who are being harassed. And I’m not saying that you should turn into a self-righteous crusader. Often, all it takes is a, “Hey, you’re being uncool.” If someone crosses a line, report the player.

This article is about primarily male-to-female sexual harassment, because that is my personal experience and what I feel I can create an informed post about. But, I’d like to recognize that in- game sexual harassment is also a huge problem for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community (see this article). If you have other resources or articles on this or a related topic, please comment and let use know!

Have you experienced or seen sexual harassment in multiplayer video games? Have any tips to add for how to handle these situations? Or think I’m made of crap? Join the discussion — leave a comment.

I mentioned that I make books one week in class and the girls wanted to know how I did it — and if I could teach them.

I was a little nervous — I’d never taught bookbinding to anyone before (besides the stuff here on Handmade Library), but I decided to try and prove my assertion that bookmaking is easy enough for anyone to do — including kids.

The girls with their new, handmade notebooks!

We set up a time to meet and make notebooks. With some preparation I walked them through my tutorial on how to sew a simple notebook.

Here are some recommendations I would make for a more kid-friendly version of the tutorial:

1. Make sure you go through the process ahead of time. This will help you understand the instructions and so you can explain it to your pupils. Keep in mind the age and development level of the child(ren) you’re instructing, and look for ways you can modify the instructions to fit your students’ needs.

2. Prepare materials ahead of time. Have the covers and pages, thread, etc. all cut to size and ready to go. This will save time and confusion!

3. You may want to poke the holes in the pages and cover, as well — this was the part that was hardest for the girls to do themselves, and their efforts resulted in a few pricked thumbs! If you are going to have them poke the holes themselves (which I think most kids 9-10 and up could handle with supervision), just make sure to use fewer pages — with less papers to poke through, the task will be easier and safer.

4. Make sure to tell them to keep a good hold on the pages and pull their strings tight on every stitch to ensure that the notebook pages line up well and aren’t loose.

5. You can definitely mix up the materials: use regular ol’ computer paper with a yarn needle and yarn. Or even cardboard and ribbon, with a hole puncher to make holes. Get creative!

Overall the project went well — and the girls loved their new mini-journals! We talked about what they could use their notebooks for: planner, diary, sticker book, sketchbook and more. They were so proud to take home a notebook that they had made themselves.

Children love to make books, and there are so great projects that you can make with bookbinding.

They could write down things they love about a family member on each page and give it as a gift. Or you could help them write, illustrate and bind a picture book they wrote themselves. Kids love the idea of having a book they made themselves, and it’s really easy to do!

Click for the tutorial!

Another easy & kid-friendly bookmaking technique can be found in my tutorial on No-Sew Accordion books. They are super easy, and you probably even made one of these as a kid.

Have fun ideas for bookmaking projects for kids? Or had success doing a project with your child or students in the past? Tell me about it in the comments!

Hey.

It’s me, Elyssa.

I’ve been very (VERY) busy the past few months:

1. Chris and I took a 2 week trip to Europe (Prague, Dresden, Berlin & Warsaw).

2. Chris accepted a job in Los Angeles.

3. We packed up all our stuff and moved out just three weeks after that.

4. We were homeless for about six weeks, living out of subleased rooms and hotels.

5. During which I was (and still am) looking for a job.

6. We signed a lease and moved into an apartment in West L.A.

7. We visited with family and attended my little sister’s wedding.

8. I’ve been unpacking, cleaning, getting settled in — and still job hunting.

We’ve had some adventures and some mishaps. It was a big change, and a bit scary and intimidating at times to move from small-town North Carolina to big-time Los Angeles — but now that we are settled in I’m definitely growing to love it. I am a West Coast girl at heart, after all.

So that’s where I’ve been. I’ll have updates on those adventures and what I’m doing now — but in the meantime you should head over to Ashpants.com! It’s my sister’s blog, and I designed the header for it (I’m pretty proud of it).