Tag Archives: writing

Interesting Writing Updates for YOU!

Uncategorized November 21, 2018 Leave a comment

Hello, hello!

I’ve got a bunch of updates and most them benefit you, so please read on!

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Did Someone Say Poetry?

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’d try my hand at a poetry workbook for you. Well, I’ve decided on the title, the topic, the format, and I’ve started writing the explanations and finding ideas for exercises. Your poetry workbook is coming!

What About Languages?

I’m also working on a language learning blog with a focus on Japanese and Italian. Did you guess it? Yes, I’m working on a workbooks and checklists for language learning in general and these two languages!

Remember that 100-Follower Gift?

I promised you a short story for reaching 100 followers on this blog in October! *Yay!* Well, I can announce you I’m almost ready to publish it on here! The story just needs polishing and the ending tweaked before it entertains you. I can’t wait for y’all to read this short story! I‘m so giddy we reached this number *squeals*.

And Book Reviews Galore!

I’ve got three book reviews lined up for you this week and the next. Then, a few more in the following weeks! Party! (No, but sincerely, I hope you will like them.)

Nighty-Nightshade

Yesterday, I noticed a MEGA plot hole in Nightshade, which is lame because it‘s right at the start. And what does this roadblock mean? Yup, more plotting AND rewriting.

However, there‘s good news: I’m almost done plotting the specific issue! So the rewriting will take place soon…

Then, off I keep going on a writing adventure!

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Once Upon a Time…

How about a fairy tale retelling? Well, that‘s what you‘re going to get! I asked my Twitter followers which one they’d prefer, and a dark Snow White retelling won!

At first, I wanted to write a novella. However, the idea grew into a standalone novel… until it reached a trilogy idea! Are you ready for a dark Snow White retelling trilogy? 

I am!

Let’s Bullet Journal Together!

A while back (maybe a year or two?), I told you all about a new hobby of mine: bullet journaling!

But now, I’m confiding in you: I’m tweaking my bullet journal techniques to fit my needs as a writer!

The best part? I’ll be sharing those new techniques and tips with you starting next week!

So, be on the lookout for the Bullet Journaling for Writers blog posts series.

There Will Be: A Glossary!

Yes, yes, dear fellows! I’m working on a new blog post series (another one!): Glossary of Literary Terms and Concepts

I will cover both obvious terms and concepts as well as more in-depth and obscure ones. As of now, I haven’t decided on how many posts there will be, but rest assured it will be over 5. I’ll also create a new category based on this series so you can easily find the definitions and explanations. 

How great is that?

Phew! Now, that was a load of updates, right?

What do you think about them?

Are you looking forward to these updates and stories?

Leave your thoughts below!

See you next post, lovelies.

 

Party Time, But I’m Bringing the Gift!

chit-chatting with Cat October 1, 2018 1 Comment

OYÉ, OYÉ!

I’ve got fun news for you:

The sweet Little Thoughts from Torn Pages (Uzma) is my most recent follower, fresh from today. This means I’ve finally hit the 100 followers milestone!

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Wait.

What does that give you, you ask?

Dear friend, I have decided to write a free short story to celebrate this with you! Once written, I will post it on here so all of you, lovely followers, can enjoy it!

How great is that?!

I hope you like this idea because I’m so happy about writing a story for you all!

Thank you SO MUCH for following me for 5 whole years now! It means a friggin’ lot to me!

Do you have any preferences?

A specific idea you want me to tackle?

Please let me know your thoughts!

Because:

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A Breakthrough & Paradise

chit-chatting with Cat, LGBT, My project September 6, 2018 Leave a comment

Hello folks!

Okay, get this (like Sam loves to say in Supernatural):

I lied only ever so slightly in the title. I didn’t have a major breakthrough… I had two! Yes! I realized what was missing in both my Nightshade series and Heaven’s Army: Down to Earth. *shocked face*

Thus, I was able to outline better and now know the endings along with the villains’ implications in the stories. There were also ideas about the infamous saggy middle, as we writers know, but trust me: there won’t be one anymore! I’ve got so many exciting plans for this particular part.

My Paradise

Believe it or not, I have found Heaven. It might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it sure is to mine.

Here’s what it looks like:

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(Copyrighted Catherine G.V., Saint-Luc Library, iPhone, 2018)

Yes, my local library, of course! And you can see I’m reading the second volume of the Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat. Good LGBTQ+ stuff. 😉 It’s in French, by the way.

Now, why did I take this picture?

Because due to family complications (my grandfather has Alzheimer’s disease and my grandma has serious heart issues like me), I spend a lot of time studying for university at the library. We don’t have the Internet yet at my gramps’.

I feel so good and at ease, even at peace, in this library (in most libraries to be honest) that I figured showing you guys how much a paradise it is would be a great invitation for you. I mean it for both work and pleasure, since in my breaks I peruse all the aisles and pass my hands over books lovingly.

Really, you should try and shake the routine by doing some work at the library (unless you already do, haha!). If you love the library, it’ll be a perfect experience, I’m telling you.

P.S.: Please forgive me for my lack of posts in the last weeks; like I mentioned above, I must take care of my grandparents, so it has delayed my publications on this blog. But don’t worry, I’m picking the pace up again!

See you next post, lovelies!

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A Breakthrough & Paradise

chit-chatting with Cat September 6, 2018 Leave a comment

Hello folks! Okay, get this (like Sam loves to say in Supernatural): I lied only ever so slightly in the title. I didn't have a major breakthrough… I had two! Yes! I realized what was missing in both my Nightshade series and Heaven's Army: Down to Earth. *shocked face* Thus, I was able to outline better and now know the endings along with the villains' implications in the stories. There were also ideas about the infamous saggy middle, as we writers know, but trust me: there won't be one anymore! I've got so many exciting plans for this particular part.

My Paradise

Believe it or not, I have found Heaven. It might not be to everyone's tastes, but it sure is to mine. Here's what it looks like:

image1 (2)

(Copyrighted Catherine G.V., Saint-Luc Library, iPhone, 2018)

Yes, my local library, of course! And you can see I'm reading the second volume of the Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat. Good LGBTQ+ stuff. 😉 It's in French, by the way. Now, why did I take this picture? Because due to family complications (my grandfather has Alzheimer's disease and my grandma has serious heart issues like me), I spend a lot of time studying for university at the library. We don't have the Internet yet at my gramps'. I feel so good and at ease, even at peace, in this library (in most libraries to be honest) that I figured showing you guys how much a paradise it is would be a great invitation for you. I mean it for both work and pleasure, since in my breaks I peruse all the aisles and pass my hands over books lovingly. Really, you should try and shake the routine by doing some work at the library (unless you already do, haha!). If you love the library, it'll be a perfect experience, I'm telling you. P.S.: Please forgive me for my lack of posts in the last weeks; like I mentioned above, I must take care of my grandparents, so it has delayed my publications on this blog. But don't worry, I'm picking the pace up again!

See you next post, lovelies!

Résultats de recherche d'images pour « love you gif »

Collages of My Nightshade Series

My project June 23, 2018 Leave a comment

Hello everyone!

Remember my Nightshade series? With Rosellia Rowland-Lovelace?

Well, I’ve got two aesthetic themes to introduce them to you!

Let’s start with my main character, Rosellia:

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She looks great and fierce, doesn’t she? All the images you see do relate to her in some ways. 😉

Now, how about an aesthetic theme for the Nightshade series itself?!

Here you go:

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All these elements will have a big impact on the events of the story or its essence.

I just want to point out it’s not a love story at its center, but a real adventure. However, romance and true feelings do play a large role since my Rosellia isn’t all nice and fair about it…

Also, I keep working on it and it’s going pretty well!

I’m almost done with the outline of the first book. All that’s left to do is finding out what the concepts really mean and how things work in the Nightshade world, then it’s time to draft and bingo!

Please note that I posted these images two weeks ago on my Twitter, but due to my computer breaking (yes, again) I couldn’t post them on here. I hate writing on my cell phone… The screen is so tiny as well as the keyboard. It’s just not for me.

If you want to follow me on Twitter, here’s my account!

I will post them on Instagram soon too. Here’s where it’s at!

Thank you for reading, lovelies, and I hope you enjoyed it!

See you next post.

Mwah!

 

 

Beta Books and Beta Readers (Tip + Update)

chit-chatting with Cat, My project, Tips May 27, 2018 Leave a comment

Hello, peeps!

I hope you enjoyed my last book reviews. As always, it’s a pleasure to read and give my opinions of them to you.

Don’t fret: I’ve also got news!

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I’m still a long way from publishing my Nightshade series; however, I now have TWO beta readers for my short stories and Nightshade in particular! One of them is my best friend, but don’t go thinking he’ll be soft with his critiques… Trust me, he’s not. And it’s a very good thing for me!

As a tip for you guys and gals, here’s what I use to manage the beta reading:

BetaBooks.co

I found this cozy site months ago in its infancy. It wasn’t even open to the general public, imagine that! So I waited… But it sounded like such a great idea! So I waited some more.

Then, it opened. Admittedly, I didn’t sign up until two weeks ago because I thought they were charging even the basic features. I was surprised! You can still create a free account. Isn’t it neat?!

If you do, you’ll be able to upload ONE story and invite up to THREE beta readers and some “fancy” features are locked like the inline comments. Nevertheless, most of what a budding author needs is handled pretty well with the free account, let me tell you. If you go over the limits, you’ll enter the first paid subscription tier (which, I think, is reasonably priced, $14.99.)

Want to know what else you can do with a free account?

Here:

  • Track reader progress
  • Collect reader feedback
  • Reply and discuss feedback in-app
  • Triage and categorize with our feedback marking system
  • See all your feedback in one screen
  • One Book
  • Up to Three Readers

Again, if you want to test this lovely service, sign up at BetaBooks.co for a free account.

Did I mention all of the feedback given and received is private when you invite your beta readers?

See you next post, lovelies (it will be a book review)!

 

Updates on My Writing

chit-chatting with Cat, My project, poetry, Short Stories May 16, 2018 Leave a comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin (P.S.: I just created it, so I hope you’ll check it out and help me over there! :))

Ahum.

Hello, lovelies!

I hope I find you all well and happy. Several major updates about my writing are coming your way!

Let’s start:

  • I’m currently working on three poems I’ll soon send to a poetry journal in Ireland. The first two are nearly complete (only a quick revision and they’re done) whilst I still need to write the third one. But I should be finished at the end of the weekend, so I can send them next week. Yay!

 

  • Speaking of literature magazine, I’m working on a short story that I find rather entertaining and poignant. Once it’s done, I’ll send it to two Canadian literature magazines (yes, they do accept simultaneous submissions). I’m excited!

 

  • As for my main writing project, I’ve finally found the big plot and ending of my Nightshade series! Moreover, I’ve even got a few extra ideas about the settings, powers, creatures, worlds, etc. featured in it. I’m so powered up and I am working hard at writing it all down and revising (a.k.a editing) what I’ve already done! If I didn’t do that, let me tell you there would be major plot holes and stuff like that for my beta readers to… not enjoy, that’s for sure. Once I’m done revising the first 7 chapters, I’m going to… WRITE! YES!

Here is a picture featuring an interview with Rosellia’s father, Ryan Lovelace:

  • Surprise: I’ve decided to write a free novella for you! Yes, I’ll distribute it for free on via sites like Instafreebie, etc. once it’s ready. You’ll have nothing to purchase. Nada. Exciting, isn’t it?! I ran a poll on Twitter (The Novella Poll) in order to know which story idea between two I had people prefer. The answer was straightforward: the two of my poll participants voted for a retelling of Persephone’s kidnapping! Yes, the Persephone from Greek mythology. I’ve always been a huge Greek and Egyptian mythology nerd, so I was quite surprised and immensely overjoyed they chose that particular idea (I promise, I didn’t sway them! Otherwise, what’s the point of a poll?)

I intend on using a new angle—something we’ve yet to see done with Persephone’s kidnapping. Oh, and it’s not a romance story! I didn’t want to do what most of the other authors are doing with it. It’ll be more an adventure/drama story. I already have the main storyline, so I just need to come up with a few scenes and the outline, then I’m on my way!

 

I’ll keep you updated about all this, don’t you fret!

Pinky swear!

What do you all think of my progress?

Are you as interested in the free novella idea as I am?

Please tell me in the comment section!

See you next post, lovelies. Muah!

 

A Little PC Issue…

chit-chatting with Cat April 11, 2018 Leave a comment

Hello, lasses and lads!

If you’re wondering why I’ve been so silent lately, it’s not because I lack reviews and post ideas.

It’s because my computer broke. (What a bummer!)

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Since I’m a distance university student, I needed a new one as quickly as possible! And so I went shopping for a new PC this week.

Please bear with me as I’m transferring everything from my external hard drive to this new computer…

However, fret not!

I’ve still got you covered: writing progress as well as book reviews and other writing-related posts are coming!

They’ve just been delayed by this… minor… incident.

You should expect a new post later during the week.

Thank you all, lovelies!

 

Merry Writing and Updates!

chit-chatting with Cat, My project, poetry December 26, 2017 Leave a comment

Hello everyone,

Here is a quick note to wish you a merry Christmas and best wishes!

Also, I have made huge progress with my novel Heaven’s Army: Down to Earth last week in terms of plot and characters. I will update you more when the holidays are over.

There are two or three book reviews coming soon too.

And the poetry workbook I told you about recently? Yes, I did write some of it! It’s coming together. I will tell you more when I am back from the holidays.

Again: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

See you next post!

A Poetry Workbook For You & Translators ‘ Annual Conference

chit-chatting with Cat November 27, 2017 Leave a comment

cat hello cat gif GIFs

Hello, everyone! I have such important stuff to tell you. We'd better start now, then!

Annual Conference and Continuing Education Day

I went to the OTTIAQ's (Quebec in Canada's professional translators' association) annual conference and continuing education day last weekend! It was fabulous, inspiring, and motivational. I learned a lot to help me in my future career and simply about the translation world. It might have been exhausting, but it was well worth it. Plus, it sounds as though I might have found a few freelance job opportunities too. I met four great women (including two students, just like me!) and we are staying in touch. Networking in your own field can be truly amazing. For the first time in my life, I saw I was not alone in my little corner of the world, loving languages so much it hurts and makes me fly high at the same time. There are others where I am! I got to talk with them, listen to them, to our shared passion. It was both uplifting and eye-opening. Find what you love, folks. And do it.

Want a Workbook? I'll Make One!

I've been thinking about creating a workbook for you guys for a while now… Since my poem was published (read it here) on Selcouth Station, it made me realize poetry is something I do very well! There isn't enough poetry guides or help in the world for it and I figured I could give you some tips, tricks, and guidelines to write poetry. So, how about a poetry workbook, fellows?! I'm still outlining everything, but I learned how to use the tools to make it. Let's say I'm getting closer to the final product. It'll have information, my own tips and tricks, examples, and exercises (of course!) to get you going at producing your own masterpieces! Should I make a poetry workbook that focuses on delivering emotions or how to tell a micro-story within its lines? Or perhaps just about poetry in general? Also, what would you like to see covered in its pages? Please leave your answers below! I love discussing with you, ladies and gents.