Kate Willis's Blog, page 73
April 4, 2019
A Scary Camp[NaNoWriMo]fire Story
Gather ’round for a story that will chill you to your writerly bones…
Once upon a time, there was a girl who wrote a story “just for fun”. She barely knew what it was about, and she didn’t stop to think it through. Instead she just wrote.
As the years passed, the importance of that story grew, and so did its plague upon her life. For the story still didn’t know what it was about, and neither did its writer.
A day finally came when in desperation, the writer asked the help of a friend who gave her some clues about how to straighten it out.
So she began. And she spent all today splitting and scrambling chapters, sniffing out typos, and drawing out the theme. She didn’t write one word of the brand new story swirling about her brain. No, for the haunt of a deadline was upon her, and the chapters must be mended!
Listen, dear children, and fear the effects of mindless writing without purpose or plan.
Okay, it might not actually be that spooky, but I am in the messy throes of a structural edit with a previous project, and it’s really reminding me of the wisdom of at least a vague plan. XD #sendhelp #prayersplease #chocolateisgoodtoo
How is your writing (or other life projects) going today? Are you a plotter, pantser, or plantser?
April 3, 2019
One Step Forward…
…two steps back. But not quite. 
April 2, 2019
Half and Half
Camp NaNoWriMo day two is in the bag! 
April 1, 2019
Introductions (Real and Fictional)
Today happens to be the first day of Camp NaNoWriMo!!! Here was my expectation for today…
Get a virtual cabin and say hello to fellow writersGather snacks, maybe?Grab my shiny, amazing plot and begin writingWrite, a lot
And here was my reality for today. XD
Got my cabin and said hello!
March 29, 2019
Voted Most Likely Blogger Tag
The super awesome Abigail Harder tagged me for this, and it looked like so much fun, I couldn’t resist.
March 27, 2019
Book Review: The Case of The Cereal Robber
“I’m Mia.
I know how to write.
Why’s that a big deal?
Because… I’m a cat.”
When Keith is called upon to catch a pair of serial robbers breaking into nearby houses, he’s utterly stumped. Why would anyone break into houses, but not steal anything? Why would they eat a bowl of cereal while they’re at it? With Keith and the police just a text-message away, Mia decides to put her fantastic sneaking skills to use by staking out the neighborhood.
But there’s more to the crime than simple breaking-and-entering, and catching the serial cereal robbers might cost Mia everything…” (from Goodreads)
I’m so bad at keeping up on series, and this one is no exception. XD I let myself get two books behind, but last week I decided it was high time to catch up. (An accidental month of Kindle Unlimited does help, too. XD ) Man, I had forgotten how downright hilarious and accurate Mia is! Seriously. XD I especially loved how crazy she thought Keith was when he got wet in the rain AND took a shower afterward. Such a classic cat. I highlighted so many hilarious quotes.
March 25, 2019
And the Rewriting Continues!
I knocked out four chapters of rewriting last week! Thanks to them being “easy” chapters, some really YUMMY chocolate, and God providing time and concentration.
March 23, 2019
Jack, and Other Pictures I’ve Promised
If you’ve been around for a while, you’ve probably seen me say, “Oh, I’ll have to share pictures of that sometime”.
Sometime has come.
O.o.
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Meet our magnificent Christmas doggy, Jack. 
He’s a very jolly, smaller-sized (but still big when he thinks he’s a lapdog XD) Australian Shepherd. We’re not sure if he’s a thoroughbred or his exact age because he’s a rescue, but he’s fit into our lives so well and brought a lot of laughs and cuddles. He’s very well-mannered (except when we have food he wants 
March 20, 2019
Short Story Review: The Great Lab Escape
“What do you do when you discover you’re the first cat to learn to read?
You run!
Before Mia was the remarkable detective cat, she was a test subject at Caput Laboratories. When she begins to notice words jumping off the page, she’s determined not to spend the rest of her life in the lab.
Everything goes awry when her plan to intentionally fail her test backfires —badly. Can she make her escape with only her wits and her newfound reading skills? And will she make it in the big world outside the lab’s walls?
This is a short story prequel to The Kitten Files mystery series, and takes place several weeks before The Case of the Tabloid Tattler.” (from Goodreads)
I was gifted a minibook copy of this short story and read it one sitting while I was supposed to be cleaning my room. *grins sheepishly* It was quite enjoyable and a great origin story for Mia! Also, I enjoyed the descriptions of her learning to read since that’s about how it felt to me when I started reading.
March 18, 2019
My “Accidental” Kindle Unlimited (and How That Messes with Goals)
Back in August, I wrote a blog post called “I Want to Read Good Books Slowly” and the sentiment still rings true… Except…
I accidentally spent $10 on another month of Kindle Unlimited, and I’m trying to make it count. XD When I had the free trial, I could read a book here and there, but now that I bought it, I must CRAM.
Which means that I’ve been reading good books but not exactly slowly.
