when your new year isn't new

New Year's didn't exactly feel "new" this year.

Like that magic you feel when the calendar flips over. It just wasn't quite there this time. 2017 flowed into 2018, and the First Week of the Year feels the same as last week. I woke up January 1st with the same anxieties running through my head. The "New Year" couldn't quite erase the problems of last year. And I couldn't quite put my finger on why.  Why didn't the reset button work this time?

The question has been swimming around in the back of my head like a confused penguin all week. I haven't really stopped to think about it until now, when I was writing a letter to my fren Aimee, who makes me happy and inspired.  So this post is sponsored (unwittingly) by her.

Maybe it's this: maybe I don't need things to be "new" right now.

Maybe they are beautiful and good and right-for-me just the way they are, and maybe I just need need to learn how to fully appreciate them.

I think I just need to learn how to live the life I have right now.

For the most part, I love everything about it. I love college and I love my friends and the future is this wide open thing that I'm equal parts confident and excited about.  But at the same time, I get way too stressed about it all.

This year, I want to learn how to thrive where I am.  2017 was the "New Year".  College and emotions and new people and SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED.

2018 will be the year for making peace with it all, learning how to love it, and just living this life. :) Cause it's a good life. :)

How does your 2018 feel, and what does new mean for you?

For the Love of....Everything.

My word for 2016: Love

I've seen a lot about choosing a word for the New Year, (even though I know this is really late, just as my last post was)...  God's been teaching me a lot about love recently, and I think the idea can be applied to many parts of my life.  So, I chose the word Love! There are a lot of things I want to do this year.  I'm going to try and do them.  But I want to make sure that I'm doing them because I enjoy them, not because I've made them mindless tasks.  

I want to read books and LOVE them.  Write books and LOVE them.  LOVE the life that I have.

It won't always be a lovely time, but at least I can always try to love.  I also want to love people.  I've seen in the last few months how God chooses people to put in your life for the times in which you need them the most. I LOVE that.  And loving other people so often opens many doors for this to happen.  

I'm going to love people by sending them random, handwritten letters.  Facebook messages.  Giving them hugs.  I want to become a bit more bold in my relationships with people, and be a stronger example of God's love.  It's amazing how much these little things can impact us so much.  And most of all, I want to love God.  Before anything else.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Do you have a word for this year?  How do you show people love?

What's Up With Words in 2016?

When I was typing this post, I wrote 2014 in the title....

My first resolution is to stop write the date from two years ago.  To write at least 2015.

Beyond that....

This post is extremely late.  It is FEBRUARY ALREADY.

Oh well.  In my writing club last week we talked about writing related goals (as well as said farewell-for-now to a dear friend, Sophia) and I thought it be a great time to belatedly link up to Cait's blog, Paper Fury and Sky's, Further Up and Further In!  They host the Beautiful People meme every month.

Without further ado...some things I wish to do.

(other than rhyming my headings)

1. What were your writing achievements last year? 

This is a great questions, and something we don't always appreciate enough.  It's always - "what am I going to do this year?" - but we gotta remember to focus on the amazing things we did last year too!  In 2015, I published an anthology written by my amazing writing club!  I started handwriting a novel.  I presented at BreadKC!  with the wonderful Vanessa for a grant for said writing club, and even though we didn't win, it was still a powerful and fun experience (as well as nerve-wracking).  I took a few writerly friends to the Midwest Parent Educator's conference (resources, curriculum, and books for homeschoolers!) and sold our anthology and other tree slabs. :)  OH.  I keep forgetting, but my article on the importance of the arts in schools was published by the Kansas City Star (the main local newspaper)!!!  That was huge for me - the first writing of mine that has been published (apart from self-publishing).  As much as I was busy and neglected writing/blogging/reading/basically everything, I can't say I did nothing in 2015, and that's always good to remember.

2. Tell us about your top priority writing project for this year?

LABYRINTH!  I started handwriting this novel (more on that later) at the very end of the year, and made it my goal to write the whole thing in 2016.  LABYRINTH is (to put it simply)...words.  To put it complexly, it's an alternate history of a Greek myth, with elements of dystopia and high fantasy.  

3. List 5 areas you’d like to work the hardest to improve this year.

• Blogging, for sure.  In the 6+ years I've had this blog, I've never been able to get into a good rhythym of posting consistently. Hopefully this changes. (I'm optimistic, because this is the second post in 2 weeks, keeping on track with a-post-a-week.) xD
• Editing!  Go East on No Road was finished 2 years ago and Olivia and I never really got into editing it. I'd love to finish that.  Also, just editing my work in general. I do a lot of editing for other people, but I find it hard to edit my own stuff.
• Submitting to literary journals, etc.  I want to get something pieces polished up and sent out to be seen!
• Character development.  Ugh.  I struggle a lot with knowing who my characters really are.  A lot of times, I'll have good, rounded side characters, but totally forget that my main characters are people too...if you have a life-changing or even semi-helpful post on this, PLEASE COMMENT.
• Learning more about the writing craft.  I want to read more books, articles and posts about writing tips, and just bring more of the writing life into my own.  (Again, if you have or know of posts like these, comment shamelessly!)

4. Are you participating in any writing challenges?

I'm doing the Year-Long Writing challenge start by Will Cloud, challenging us to write 400 words (a page) a day, although I'm only following it loosely.  Mainly, I've challenged myself to write every single morning.  Even if it's only 10 measly words.  I just want to try and stay in my story-world and even when I'm busy, not forget about my babies. 

5. What’s your critique partner/beta reader situation like and do you have plans to expand this year?

I've never really been a beta reader for any books, until now!  I'm currently a beta for Sierra Abrams' "The Color Project", Kara Swanson's "The Girl Who Could See", and Savannah DeBudge's "A Warning to All Writers".  This is an exciting new adventure for me.  At the moment, I'm not going to take on any more WIPs, but I probably will later on this year.  No one is currently a beta for my work, because there is nothing polished to that point.......soon though, hopefully!

6. Do you have plans to read any writer-related books this year? Or are there specific books you want to read for research?

I don't have any specifics (comment if you do!), but I definitely want to start reading some more writing-related books.  One book I read last year, "Dancing On the Head of Pen", by Robert Benson (I'll post a review of this later), was PHENOMENAL and totally inspired me in so many ways.  I would absolutely recommend it for any artist, not just writers.

7. Pick one character you want to get to know better, and how are you going to achieve this?

This would be my main character in Labyrinth, Kaura.  Doing some character chats would probably be smart, as well as stalking Pinterest boards and making lists.  Also, paying attention to what she's thinking as I write, and maybe doing some 1st person scenes with her on the side.

8. Do you plan to edit or query, and what’s your plan of attack?

Gonna try to edit Go East.  Possibly query some short stories - at the very least, submit some flashfics.

9. Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”  What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?

I'd like to see more inspiring books, book that make me want to jump up and do something, whether it's by the beauty of the writing, or the content therein.  Also - wildly creative books - ideas that make you just stand there and attempt to pick your jaw up off the ground.  So...I'll be working on that. ;)

10. What do you hope to have achieved by the end of 2016?

I want to have the first draft Labyrinth finished and (fingers crossed) edited!  Then maybe I can get some betas...  I also want to finish editing the first draft of Go East.  Finally, I hope to have at least one thing accepted for publication somewhere, whether it be a flashfic, short story, poem, etc.

(I didn't actually expect to answer all 10 questions) *pats self on back* 

Well, after that post, I think I am quite /resolved/.  

What are your resolutions for 2016?  Share your most proud accomplishment from 2015!  Who's helped inspire you this past year?  

This Blog is a Dinosaur, and Do You Like Chinchillas?

This blog is a dinosaur.  Now, it is a dinosaur with a makeover.

Also, I am a penguin.  (To be explained in a later post.)

This post is a chinchilla.  (That will never be explained because there is no logical reasoning behind it.  It just happened.)

Although I think this adorableness is just about all the explanation one could possibly need. (They literally have the softest fur of all land animals.  And they shed said fur in large chunks if frightened.)

Anyway, this blog is at least 6 years old and has just been redesigned!  Previously called Caroline's Corner, I started it on New Year's Eve, 2010.  It has been posted on sporadically since then, with anything from 5-30 posts a year.  Now, in 2016, I am 17 and it is suffice to say that....I have progressed as a writer.  Let's leave it at that.  

When I was first inspired to really get back to blogging consistently, I considered just making a new blog.  This one has some.....grammatically-questionable content, for one.  My 11-year-old brain focused on anything from random animals, bowls of sugar, researching the Pacific Ocean, Sherlock Holmes...okay, maybe my taste hasn't changed too much.  ( I mean, don't change something that's already awesome, right?)   

In the end, I decided to keep everything.  So, if you want to see Mini-Caroline's first blog post ever, it's still here.  I haven't changed a single misplaced comma.  

Why?  I figured someone in this world might be interested in seeing the progress of a writer through the years.  Improvement.  All lot of my early days were creative writing and research assignments from school.  Then it moved on to documenting parts of my life and a lot of poetry.  Caroline's Corner was a blog about writing, research, life, God....I haven't changed that too much either.  

Also, since I've left everything on here, exposed, then announced it with a megaphone, why not go all out and actually post some links?  

Here's a short but detailed post about a hawk that was hanging out on our porch.

Here's when I posted about squirrels (pictures included!).

And finally, here's the infamous toucan-papaya-disaster, in which said bird did something on my shoulder.

If you've never met me before, here's a nice chance!  Drop in and say hi in the comments!  If you do know me, welp, let's reminisce, shall we?

Please, don't laugh too much.  

~Caroline M.

Do you still have writing from your 'baby stages' as a writer?  Care to share?  How have you seen yourself grow over the years?