The Revision Continues...

How are you today?

I hope this week turned out to be a good one for you! 

Here, in Sydney, the days got a lot shorter but I'm trying to stay positive. The fact I hung out with my husband every morning, that I went for my daily walks during the day (mostly sunny) and listened to my 80s Playlist (awesome) certainly helped. Not to mention that I spent every afternoon and night working on the third draft of my WIP, VampNovel1.

And I really lost myself in these words.

Seriously, I'm enjoying the hell out of this story and every time I sit down to work on it, I love it a little more. From the start, something about these characters and their world totally drew me in.

Vampires are just awesome. 😁

Anyway, this is my progress:

• Monday: 51/228pgs (90,436w)
• Tuesday: 103/230pgs (90,268w) 
• Wednesday: 154/234pgs (90,868w)
• Thursday: 196/235pgs (90,451w) 
• Friday: 236pgs / 90,042w

Yay! The third draft is DONE and I'm super excited. I worked really hard on this draft. Even when it was a small idea slowly gaining momentum in my brain, I knew it would turn out to be a lot of wicked fun.

As you can see, the word count went up and down every single day. I actually cut a lot of excess, but also added quite a few words. All things that strengthen the story and make sure everything ties up nicely.

Usually, after this stage, I'd do one final read-thru on my Paperwhite. But I'm doing things different this time.

And there are two reasons for that:

1. My husband is having three long weekends in a row this month (fantastic!)
2. I have VampNovel2 to consider...

So, I'm looking forward to spending some extra time with my husband during all these days off. And because there are two weeks when he'll work only three days, I've allocated those six days (ends up being two weeks) to work on VampNovel2.

Then I'll work on the third draft during the last week of April. So when that's all done, I can read one book after the other on my Paperwhite and make sure everything makes sense, pans out, and I can catch any last-minute typos, inconsistencies, etc.

Oh, and I also completed the third draft of the short story I mentioned last week. There were some plot issues I had to fix, several rep words that stood out, and have now added it to my Paperwhite. Not sure when I'll do the read-thru, but the word count is now: 3,255.

It turned out to be quite a story-heavy week.

Okay, that's about it. I'm going to enjoy a nice mental break now

Have an awesome weekend!

Time to Revise!

Hey! How are you today? How's April treating you?

Daylight savings ends this weekend, which always bugs me because I prefer the longer daylight hours. Oh well, we're already in autumn and I've been dealing with it okay. I'm one of those people who's prone to seasonal mood swings during colder months, so I have to try and go with the flow.

I also wish the world was in a better state at the moment because there's just too much going on. Every single day there are about a thousand new shit things happening. Ugh.

Anyway, my goal this week was to complete the second draft of what I'm tentatively calling: VampNovel1. You know, because I wrote two and therefore have to revise both of them. LOL.

So, here's my progress:

• Monday: 46/230pgs (90,168w)
• Tuesday: 71/229pgs (89,888w) 
• Wednesday: 125/228pgs (89,840w)
• Thursday: 186/228pgs (90,225w) 
• Friday: 231pgs / 91,226w

I'm so happy that I managed to get to the end of the second draft tonight. The word count went up and down as much as my progress. That's not surprising since some areas always need more work than others.

Now that it's done, I'm mentally exhausted. That's why I'm glad that the weekend is finally here. I really need a break between drafts. That's right, next week I'll be working on the third draft because I want to have that done before our first long weekend. This month we have three! Yay. 😁

Before I got stuck into VampNovel1, I worked on the second draft of a short story I wrote in 2022 but put aside because I didn't like the ending. So, last weekend I read it, cleaned it up, and rewrote the end. I'm much happier now that I fixed all the problems.

The new word count is: 2,943. I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to work on the third draft, but that's cool. I'm taking my time with this project. 

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to veg out on the couch tonight while trying not to think (emphasis on try) about VampNovel1 until Monday.

Have an awesome weekend!

CICADA by Shaun Tan

Cicada by Shaun Tan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

•28 March, 2025

Every time I sort through my books or reorganise my bookshelves, I end up reading this beautiful book. I just can't move this book without reading it.

Cicada's story is sad and lonely, heartbreaking and lovely. It's also very bleak, yet hopeful, and the ending is uplifting. Not to mention that the artwork is absolutely stunning.

Shaun Tan is a great storyteller and artist.

•20 October, 2023

I was sorting through some books while adding them to my Keeper Shelf when this one caught my eye. And before I knew it, I was reading it.

This simple, lovely, hopeful and heartbreaking story never fails to make me feel so many emotions. I love this book. There's a reason why it's a Keeper. 😊

•28 May, 2018

I just received this lovely book, and the cover is so adorable I just had to read it right away. Well, I read it to my hubby. :)

Cicada works in a building, and is an overworked, unappreciated data entry clerk. Cicada works and works. No matter how he's treated or ignored or doesn't fit in.

Until one day it's time to retire...

OMG. This book is beautiful. Not just because the artwork is absolutely stunning, but because the simple story is one that hooked me in from the very beginning. I kept reading and went through so many emotions.

By the end, I had tears in my eyes and they weren't entirely from heartbreak.

It's amazing how such a wonderful story unfolds with minimal—but totally gripping—details. A lot of it also has to do with the amazing and eerie art.

I loved this. It's so cute.

Cicada rocks.

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THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have to admit that I've gone out of my way to avoid this book since it was released a while ago. I mean, who wants to read a whole book about young Snow? Yeah, you know what I mean. Still, when I found a cheap copy in a local thrift store, I picked it up and haven't looked at it since.

Not until I read, and absolutely loved, SUNRISE ON THE REAPING and had to find out what happened to Lucy Gray.

It's time for the tenth annual Hunger Games in the Capitol and Coriolanus Snow is preparing to become a mentor to a tribute. He has personal goals. Plans that will strengthen his family and make their name great again. But when he gets stuck with the District 12 tribute, he realises there's a lot more at stake than he originally thought...

Well, that was disappointing, drab and way too freaking long. Yeah, I found some sections of this book unbearably boring and had to skip ahead several times because I thought I might fall asleep.

I went into this story with an open mind, but also couldn't shake the intense hatred I have for Snow. Still, I tried to push all of my personal feelings aside to concentrate on the teenage version of a disgusting and vile villain. And you know what? Even though he shows traces of humanity throughout the story—especially at the beginning—he's still an arrogant, privileged, asshole who's determined to prove how much smarter and better he is than everyone else. 🙄

What he does to his supposed good friend, Sejanus, is such a betrayal. And how he treats Lucy Gray is pretty gross, too. He convinces himself that he cares about her, but she's just a science experiment. A possession he becomes obsessed with until he decides to throw her away.

Yeah, even the Lucy Gray story was meh. And she's the reason why I wanted to read this! Oh, and by the way, having others watch and narrate what happens during the Hunger Games is definitely not as suspenseful and heartbreaking as when the characters are in the actual arena.

I'm glad I gave this a go because it did answer a few things about the origins of this violent 'game', and at least sorta explains Snow's hatred for District 12. He's just an elitist dickhead with a superiority complex.

Now I can donate it or put it in the bin. Haven't decided yet.


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SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE The Hunger Games trilogy, and when I found out this was Haymitch's story, I had to read it. As soon as it arrived.

Haymitch Abernathy's sixteenth birthday also marks the reaping. And this year, it's the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, so there'll be two girls and two boys picked as tributes. When things go wrong in District 12, Haymitch ends up on a train and on his way to the Capitol...

Wow. OMG. Even though I loved every minute of this book, my heart is broken. 😫

You'd think that knowing how things turn out for Haymitch would make this story redundant. You'd think that knowing his future would make it easier to bear the pain. Well, that wasn't the case. Everything I already knew didn't ruin anything. Actually, it made the experience more interesting, and a lot sadder. I mean, who doesn't want to meet Katniss's parents when they were teens? Or catch a glimpse of so many other familiar characters, situations, and places that take place years before. Or find out how a hardworking, passionate man with so much love in his heart becomes a drunk loner.

I couldn't stop reading this amazing story because I was hooked from the beginning and wanted to know how everything would end. I mean, I knew it was bad because poor Haymitch was never in a good place, but reading his tale shed a lot of light on who he was before the awful Hunger Games ruined him. Before the Capitol edited his role, and the importance of everything he did. And why Snow targets him.

This book is brilliant and I loved every minute of it.


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