Summer Snowflakes

SURPRISE!!! I AM (temporarily) BACK!

Lol, hey, guys! Just popping in to make a quick announcement about my blogoversary giveaway: the winner is... Keturah from Keturah’s Korner! Congratulations, Keturah, thanks for reading my blog, and I’m excited to read your manuscript. :)

Also, thank you everyone who reads my blog and entered the giveaway! After only a week off, I'm actually pretty excited to be coming back (still on the same schedule, since I still have a few things to figure out) and that is a great deal because of all of you. So thank you so much for being there with your views and your encouraging comments, and I'll see you at the beginning of February. :)

Hey guys! In case anyone was wondering, I am still very much addicted to Hamilton. I’m pretty sure I listened to “That Would Be Enough” at least 10 times in a single hour today, and I am still not even a little bit sick of it. So. Clearly, I have a problem, and clearly, I don’t care.

On to the posts!

Hello 2016! by Koko. In which she shares some awesome Bible verses that are very appropriate for the new year.

How to Brood by Heather. In which the velociraptor queen of writing humor gives us a step-by-step guide on a very important part of the writing process.

Confessions of a Book Drunkard by Ally. This one’s actually really self-explanatory. Also funny. With top-notch gif usage.

Confessions of Another Book Drunkard by Alison. See above, only this is a different book drunkard. I’m beginning to think it’s an epidemic. But a good one. Anyways.

6 Weeks Old by Erudessa. Because seriously, who doesn’t like cute puppy pictures?

Testing The Bechdel Test: Round Two, also by Heather. I’m not a hundred percent for the Bechdel test because I don’t think it accounts for all the variables that make a good story or a good female character, but Heather doesn’t pretend that it does, and I find this series very interesting and quite thought-provoking. You should read it. And then we can all talk about it.

This Revising Thing by Bailey. In which she talks about the woes of revising and also offers some sage advice.

Characters Wants vs. Character Needs by Mrs. Shannon Dittemore. Another thought-provoking post that I will spend a lot of provoked thought on. That probably made no sense, but anyway, it’s a great post for character development, I will be thinking a lot on it, and you should definitely read it.

How To Make Effective Writing Goals When Facing The Unknown by Mrs. Stephanie Morrill. Also self-explanatory and also containing some great tips. You never really know how life’s gonna go, and I think making goals the way she talks about in this post will save a some people (aka me) a lot of stress. :)

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And that’s it for this week! Tell me, what do you think of the Bechdel Test? Have a book drunkard confession of your own? How do you go about revising your novels? Leave me a comment and let’s chat. :)

Also, quick announcement: I am taking a blogging break for the rest of the month of January. I love blogging so much, but it’s just become kind of stressful lately and I need some time to reorganize my schedule, figure out how I want to move forward this project, and how to get everything done as efficiently and stress-free-ly as possible. I will still be around, though, to comment on your blogs, so I won’t disappear completely; I just won’t be posting on Summer Snowflakes for the next couple of weeks. I WILL RETURN THOUGH. I PROMISE. I love blogging too much to leave it for too long. :)

Thank you for understanding, I love you all so much, and I hope to see you around the blogosphere. :)

Hey, everyone! Guess what? Today is my two-year blogoversary! *throws confetti everywhere* Well, technically the blogoversary was Tuesday, the 5th, but we’re having the party today because I almost always post on Thursdays and as a creature of habit, I must continue to post on Thursdays. So.

As I was planning for this post, I went back to look at last year’s blogoversary celebration and found a tradition there that I would rather like to continue: horrible poetry to my dear followers written by yours truly.

Shall I compare my followers to a winter’s day?

You dears are far cooler, your comments more sweet.

Hot chocolate warms all flesh before May

As your words warm my soul like socks on cold feet.

Sometimes too cold the winter wind bites

Or blows ice in my face and makes my nose run.

Eventually, it lingers too long in sight

And all everyone wishes to see is the sun.

But your eternal loveliness shall not fade,

Your views and comments shan’t grow old.

I reread every word you say;

Each letter beams bright into my soul.

Longer than Blogger exists and blogs are read,

I’ll love each and everyone of you until I am dead.

Lovely, no? ;) In all seriousness, though, thank you guys so much for reading, commenting, and subscribing the past two years. It means the world that people actually care about what I have to say, and I love interacting with all of you wonderful people. :D

Now, I happen to recall promising that I would answer whatever questions were posed to me in the comments sections of my last few posts. So. I suppose I should get on to that now.

Do you have any dream travel locations?

Hmm, I’m not sure. See I’m one of those people who really just wants to go everywhere and see everything, so if “The World and Also Outerspace” counts, then yes, lol, that would be my dream travel location. If I had to pick one though, I think I’d say... Scotland. The landscape just looks so amazingly beautiful, plus the accents, guys. The accents. Defintely my number one pick.

pinterest
My personal favorite Scotsman ;)

If you could turn into any animal, what would you be?

Well, see, I was all set and ready to say a wolf (because werewolves are wicked awesome and wolves are gorgeous), but then I got to thinking about it and decided that I’d really like to be a creature that could swim well (I’ve always wanted to be a better swimmer; as it is I can barely stay afloat on a good day :p), and I also want to be a dragon (because totally obvious reasons).

So if I could turn into any animal, I would want to be a shapeshifting werewolf-dolphin-dragon. *nods*

What is your favorite kind of pie?

I wish I could say chocolate pie as chocolate is the best thing ever, and all the pictures of chocolate pie look so fantastic (don’t believe me, here’s a pinterest search just for you). But the one time I had a chocolate pie, it was good but not great, so I’m afraid I shall have to go with sweet potato pie to answer this question.

Sweet potato pie is sweet and delicious and soft and wonderful, and when you eat it with whip cream, your tastebuds sail away to a happy place in the sky. I can only hope that the best chocolate pies taste even better.

Would you rather face a worldwide apocalypse or a worldwide chocolate shortage? (although really, those two are pretty much the same)

As you said, those two are basically the same thing. So I’m not really sure how to answer the question.

If however they somehow happened to happen independent of each other, I guess I’d have to say... well, I don’t really know because if there was an apocalypse, at least I’d still have chocolate and I might get to do epic things and become the hero of a YA novel (who knows, it could totally happen). But if there was a worldwide chocolate shortage, that wouldn’t mean there was no chocolate at all, so perhaps I could still do epic things as I rampaged the world, stole and hoarded all the remaining chocolate, and perhaps become the villain in a YA novel, which might be even better.

So I will go with the latter, thank you. *takes a bite of hoarded chocolate*

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

*settles back with thinking cap and scratches chin thoughtfully* Funnily enough, I can’t think of one. Not to say that my childhood was terrible, lol, I have a lot of great memories from when I was a kid, but I just can’t think of one that super stands out to me as the bestest day ever.

So, sorry. but I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for this question.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

I’m afraid that, in real life, I’m actually not that crazy of a person. I mean, my mind is insane, and that’s what you guys see all the time; but in real life, I like to sit in silence and keep my insanity between me, myself, I, and only our very closest friends, so I really haven’t done any crazy things.

Once, my best friend and I were going to walk up to a guy wearing a Captain America shirt and say “Hail Hydra,” but he walked away before we could work up the courage to do it. I also almost started fangirling and crying in the theater the second time I watched Age of Ultron, but I just managed to hold it together until after the after-credit scenes and most of the people had left.

So apparently, my life is a series of almost-but-not-quites when it comes to crazy things.

What do you want to have accomplished by the time you’re thirty years old?

Several seven-figure book deals and at least three movies in the making. ;)

Lol, that would be nice, but I think making it an actual goal might be a little insane. :p In reality, I’d love to be published several times and have a thriving writing career going. I’d also like to be married, have kids, and be a foster mom (literally been a dream of mine since I was little). And heck, maybe if I run out of things to do, I’ll rule the world for a spell or two. ;)

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Well, that wasn’t too painful. And I assume by now you know me rather better than you did before you opened this post. My apologies.

For the final section of my blogoversary party, I am doing... *insert fanfare and drumrolls and ice cream and other epic things* A CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY. Disclaimer, I am not technically a professional editor, but I have edited for two professional authors and this is my way of giving back to all of you wonderful people who have been so kind as to spend time with me over the past two years. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And that’s all for tonight, folks! Hope you all had fun and that you join the giveaway! Can’t wait to see you in the comments, and thanks again for being here. :D

You have no idea how desperate I’ve been to talk about this, but I wanted to finish my Christmas series before I introduced you to my latest obsession, the fantastically beautiful blend of hip-hop and history, known as the Hamilton musical.

Fun fact, Hamilton is actually my first real musical. Now of course I’ve listened to and even enjoyed others, but (unless you count High School Musical) Hamilton is the first one I’ve genuinely adored. The first one that I’ve listened to every song of my own accord and fallen in love with nearly all of them. Not just liked a few here and there, or loved like two and listened to them on repeat, but where nearly every song feels like a masterpiece, a work of art with a story all its own, yet still ties in beautifully to the rest of the play. It’s the first musical that I have outwardly flailed over, laughed out loud over, mentally cried over, and died inside over; basically, I have fallen in love with every aspect that is this musical, so of course I had to pick out my favorite song and share it with all of you.

I’ve listened to this piece alone at least 20 times in the past 24 hours (quite possibly more; I gave up trying to keep track), and I just adore the way it feels so sweet and strong and intimate, how their voices capture the emotions and breathe power into their words. It’s just a gorgeous song and it perfectly paints the scene in your mind, quietly displays every emotion, and gives you everything you need to fall in love with them in all of three minutes. <3

So have you listened to Hamilton before? What’s your favorite ever musical, or what would you consider your first real musical? Underappreciated historical figure that Lin-Manuel Miranda and the gang should totally make their next musical out of? Can’t wait to see you in the comments, and if you haven’t answered my survey already, please make sure to hit this link and fill that out. Also, if you have any questions for my blogoversary Q and A, don’t forget to leave them in the comment section. :)

Quick note: while I do adore the entire musical, I’ll warn you that most of the songs contain curse words and/or suggestive content. If you’d like to listen to the musical but want to avoid those things, you can ask me for specific recommendations, and I’ll be sure to send you only the squeaky clean ones. :)

HELLO PEOPLES!!! Happy New Year! Hope you’ve recovered your sleep from staying up till midnight (I have not yet), and that it’s been an awesome year so far. :)

To the posts!

Rest in Him by Koko. In which she shares a gorgeous analogy for our relationship with God and His love for us. Seriously, read the thing.

You Don’t Have To Try, also by Koko. So I went through and read every post she’d written recently. *shrugs* What can I say? (they’re comforting and encouraging and fantastic, and you should totally read them, that’s what I can say).

Call on Jesus by Sofia Marie. In which she talks about one of my old favorite songs by my old favorite band. I hadn’t listened to this one in forever, and it was really sweet to be reminded of it. :)

Why You Might Need a Blogging Break by Bailey. In which she talks about why she took her blogging break and why it is totally okay if you happen to need one.

7 Annoying Questions Homeschoolers Get Asked by Zielle. In which she shares a recent Blimey Cow video and also answers the questions herself. Seriously, though, we homeschoolers oughtta just publish a pamphlet answering all of these questions, then hand them out whenever we meet new people. That way, everybody’s happy.

MMX, How I Loved You So by Safah. Gosh, I love all of her poems. This particular one is about her 2015 and all that she accomplished and learned.

Tips For Writing Stunning Science Fiction by Hannah. Technically, it’s a guest post by S. Alex Martin on Hannah’s blog, but anyways. Point is, it’s a great post and it teaches some great tips for writing great sci-fi (and even if you’re not writing sci-fi, you totally should still read it because a lot of the tips apply across genres. So yes, read it)

Writing Lessons From Tv Shows: Sherlock by Tori. One of my favorite BBC shows and brilliant writing tips combined in a blog post? Count me in.

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So what’d you think of the posts this week? Wanna share any writing advice or life lessons from 2015? What’s an annoying question you get asked a lot (doesn’t have to be about homeschooling; could be your writing, personality type, lifestyle, whatever). Can’t wait to see you in the comments, and don’t forget to answer my end of the year survey if you haven’t already. :)

Hey everyone! For the very first time, I am doing an end of the year blog survey! :D So if you guys could just take a few minutes to read and answer these questions, I would very much appreciate it. And please, be brutally honest. Constructive criticism is one of the best ways I can get better. :)

Also, don’t forget about the Q and A I’m doing next week! If you have any questions for me, from the general to the random to the completely out of this world, leave them in the comment section, and I will do my best to answer them. :)

So without further ado, I present to you the Summer Snowflakes: End Of The Year Blog Survey! Just click this link, and it'll take you right to it. :)