Ghosts, Thrones, and a Big Bucket of “OMG, HOW OLD AM I???!”

The Freelance Writing Front has been incredibly busy with ghostwriting projects lately. So far, this has been one of the most rewarding projects to work on. I’ve been able to research a number of topics that interest me while honing my writing skills.

In addition to that, Casa DeVore has brought forth a number of surprises. One of which was an old, indoor (read: hollow) door in the garage. I’ve since converted it into my new desk:

Yes, it is huge. Yes, I feel all mighty and powerful when I sit behind it. Yes, I am more productive because of that.

I’m still working on making my office into an inspirational haven. Once that is accomplished, I plan on hanging my homemade “Word Mine” sign on the door. But until then, I will continue to work on perfecting my space as well as my craft.

*start existential moment*

My thirtieth birthday is looming around the corner. While I assumed that I would be more anxious and depressed, I think I can safely say that I am content with where my life is. I am making money doing what I want. I am happily married. We are working toward owning our own home. We have made this place feel like a home. We’ve been making some new friends. I’m crossing off items and adding items to my bucket list.

I look back at past opportunities that I might have missed, where I was told that “I’m not ready yet” and I think to myself,

“Anyone that wants to be a part of my journey – instead of demanding that I should be perfect before forming that bond – deserves me after my journey is complete.”

That being said, I’m not sure if anyone will ever be finished with that journey until they pass on. My life will always be one of motion and striving for achievements. Once I reach a goal, I begin the process of finding a new one. It is a never-ending cycle and I love it. It keeps me on my toes. That and there’s usually a celebratory glass of wine or piece of cake after I achieve something.

*end existential moment*

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Love, Joy

Personal Goals

*Note: I didn’t create the feature image. The wonderful world of the internet provided it for me. If this is your image and if you would like me to give you credit or if you would like me to take it down, send me a message and I will happily do so.

While I don’t claim to idolize Nicholas Sparks (I’ve heard some really irritating things about him), I do admire his work ethic – in addition to Stephen King’s tenacity!

I write more than 2000 words a day but they are all for my freelance job (non-fiction), and I would love it if I was as prolific in fiction.

ON THE FICTION FRONT:

i am on a new project called “Pagebackers” which will publish my first chapter of several books. The premise is: those who are interested in these chapters will pay me money to create the rest of the book. It is an interesting concept and, hopefully, one that will invigorate my tenacity for writing fiction.

Well, it’s back to the word mines for me.

Love, Joy

 

D.A.F Review, Diplo, & Writing Goals

ON THE FREELANCING FRONT

Check out my latest review on Beats Media. In addition to that, I’ve also recently written a piece about Diplo and how fantastic his 2015 has been so far. Yes, it’s only January. If he can accomplish this much in only a month, I can only imagine how the rest of his year is going to be. If only I could be as productive and prolific as him. Speaking of prolific…

ON THE WRITING FRONT

I’ve recently found my bucket list (as I was moving my documents from one laptop to another). It’s always enlightening to rediscover it. The last time that I really made any big changes to it was approximately…, er, five years ago. My most ambitious goal was definitely,

“Be as prolific as Stephen King.”

Oh, “Past Joy“. You have such big goals.

I recently watched a brief interview where he talks about working for three or four hours per day. Past interviews have made his progress seem like every month is NaNo – if not more. If I remember it right, he writes more than 2,000 words per day (the daily quota for NaNo is 1,667 words per day).

While I write more than that when it comes to non-fiction (I believe that I average about 3,000 to 4,000 words per day), I hope to write at least 2,000 words of fiction each day as well. Baby steps though. I’m still trying to find my perfect writing schedule (writing fiction in the morning isn’t working as well for my non-fiction work).

All right, it’s back to the word mines for me.

Love, Joy

The Question on Every Pendulum Fans’ Lips

Image by Pendulum

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If you need a little pick-me-up on this dreary Tuesday (honestly, I don’t know what the weather is like where you are but it’s raining here), check out my latest news blurb on Beats Media which talks about the latest news for Pendulum fans. It’s got a YouTube video for my favorite Pendulum song, “The Island Part II” – which sounds a little more like Knife Party than classic, drum-and-bass band Pendulum (who were known for blending rock with EDM) but, hey, evolution, right?

If you’re an electronic music fan and you’re looking for some new tunes to listen to, keep your eyes on Beats Media for my “Top Five Tunes” which should be published sometime next month.

Post-NaNoWriMo Coma, Weekend Hijinks, Christmas Crafts, and Doctor Who Windows

“Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have ‘essential’ and ‘long overdue’ meetings on those days.” – J.K. Rowling

 

Hello everyone!

I’ve been busy busy at work and re-prioritizing my time after NaNoWriMo. I’m happy to announce that I am a NaNo winner again this year. After November ended, I had three finished stories and a handful of half-finished pieces – which I’m debating on throwing out the window. Not only that, I also found myself drained of all things fiction.

To help overcome this “writers block” of sorts (it’s actually called a “lack of motivation”) I have been reading voraciously and have been looking through prompts and open submission calls from fiction magazines.

 

Weekend Hijinks

This weekend is the last WWII reenactment of the year. Jake will be going out with his unit and I will hole myself up in a bunk/hotel room with my laptop, a pen, notebook, caffeine, and no Wi-Fi to distract me. There will be F-I-C-T-I-O-N!

 

Christmas Crafts

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Sure the traffic sucks and people get pushy for material things but if you really break it down to the bare essentials, Christmas is a wonderfully warm holiday (despite the snow).

One of my favorite things to do is to create my own Christmas decorations and traditions. Jake’s family and I head over to Dancing Brush (the paint your own pottery studio) and paint an ornament every year. Since we (Jake and I – not his family) are ornament-less, we hit the after Christmas sales for unique ornaments for our big tree next year.

In addition to that, I love to make decorations. What kind of decorations? Check out this festive blog post for an example of the things that I like to do. This year, I’m totally making that music sheet, glitter garland. Talk about cute!

Image from “OC Cottage”

Doctor Who and Windows 8

Okay, so while I’m not the owner of this image, I would just like to leave this here because Windows 8 and I have this kind of relationship:

Oh, Nine!

 

Nine will always have a special place in my heart because he was my first doctor. Anyhow, I hope that everyone has a fun and productive weekend.

Love, Joy

Leftwing & Kody, Thom McFadden, and Snowmen Eggs. Yep, I’m Definitely Name Dropping…

Hello! Happy Friday! There are some great things that I would like to share with you today!

The first is my very first interview on Beats Media with duo Leftwing & Kody. I had a blast doing this interview and I’m looking forward to doing more!

The second is a blog post about meditation on Thom McFadden’s website. Thom is a great guy and he’s very knowledgeable. He’s taught me so much about presenting information (via speeches and “on paper”). I’ve learned so much about communicating by working for him.

In addition to that, it’s been super cold here in the great Pacific Northwest. It officially feels like NaNoWriMo because I busted out my fingerless gloves for work and for fiction. When I sit at my desk I kind of look like these…

Aren’t these precious?! Of course, you’ll probably want to take out the peppercorns before you eat them. You can find the recipe here.

Yes, that was a lame (but true) excuse to share that adorable picture with you. Seriously though, aren’t they cute?

Have a great weekend!

Love, Joy

 

Hans Zimmer: the Most Sought After Composer in EDM

Beats Media has some great new articles written by their wonderful staff including a Toolroom Records – Poolside Australia Review and an article about the talented Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer written by yours truly.

In other news, it feels great to have some dedicated “fiction-writing-time” every day. I forgot how much I love writing fiction. NaNoWriMo always reinvigorates my love for writing (fiction and non-fiction). I’m hoping that I can keep this writing regimen all next year.

I’ve broken down my work schedule into three parts: clients, the “On the Writing Front” e-book, and fiction writing. It’s a lot of words per day and by the end of the day I feel like “I cannot English anymore” but I still enjoy it. I’m also trying to schedule in a little professional development by continuously reading books about improving my skills as a writer and by reading great books in various genres.

 

Well, it’s back to the word mines for me.

Love, Joy

Got a Few Minutes? This is Hilarious!

This is another one of my favorite short stories, which is read by the fantastic Christine Baranski: Thomas Meehan‘s “Yma Dream“. If you’ve got about 10 minutes, I highly suggest you give it a listen. My fiance (Jake) and I quote lines from it all the time.

While there is another version that is read by Chris Gannon, Christine Baranski’s tone and timing is pure perfection!

Love, Joy

Sprinkling a Little Stardust All Over the Internet

So what have I been up to? I’ve been doing a lot of planning (moving, wedding, NaNoWriMo, short stories, write-ins, schedules, etc.) and writing up short blurbs like this one about NASA’s SoundCloud page.

Yes, NASA has a SoundCloud Page.

Yes, you should go read my article.

Yes, I mention “Houston, we have a problem” in it.

Things have been trucking along for me as of late. In fact, this week is quite the busy one. The week prior to the start of November is always a hectic week: kick-off part(ies), midnight write-ins, and lots of plotting.

This week I’ll also be getting my supplies ready for next month and doing a lot of “housekeeping” figuratively and literally. By Friday, my desk will the the cleanest it has been since last November and I will have streamlined the process of creating a portable office so that I can easily go from here to either the cafe or a write-in at WFPS.

I have quite a few work projects that I am also excited about. [CLIENT] is going through a few exciting changes. I’ll be working with [OTHER CLIENT] again next month. [ANOTHER CLIENT] has given me quite the social media opportunity. I am looking forward to what these changes will bring for me!

On the creative writing front, I am doing some planning for a nonfiction book that I intend on self-publishing. It will be an eBook and I am hoping that it will help cement my platform. Also, be sure to check out the WFPS website and blog for some great NaNo tips and information next month!

All right, it’s back to the word mines for me!

Love, Joy

 

“The Swim Team” by Miranda July

This is one of my favorite humorous short stories. It’s called “The Swim Team” by Miranda July, read by Parker Posey. It really hits you in the feels too. If you’ve got a spare 15 minutes or so, give it a listen. It’s totally worth it.

Love, Joy