Have a Fantastic, Fantasy Christmas~ With a Pinch of Writing

   Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all had a good Christmas with people you love. Christmas isn't Christmas unless it's spent that way.

   I received wonderful gifts from my parents-- most fantasy themed, just as I love it! One of my favorites being a silver ring with a dragon on it.

   Isn't it lovely? I also received a dragon shirt, with a lovely silver dragon perched on a cliff looking dignified and proud, another one with two dragons and their riders ready to battle. I also got a dragon egg with candy inside-- though to get the candy you have to break the egg so I won't do it, a gold Asian dragon pen, Stephen King's "On Writing", and the Writer's Market 2011. Part of my Christmas gift was my new Samsung Transform-- a phone which I'm not sure how I lived without.

   Christmas was a good day. Even my dog enjoyed it as she used my leg as a pillow, snoozing after we opened all our gifts.

   And we can't forget the warm slippers my mom bought us. A sure essential for writing in the colder months, I'm sure! My youngest sister has the pink ones on the left. Mine are the black ones on the right.

   My aunt bought me beautiful journal too. I'm very excited about writing in it.  Along with all this, I also have some cash handy and stashed away for later days.

   Once again, I hope you're all enjoying your holiday season and spent it in the company of those you hold dearest to your hearts.

Merry Christmas and Happy Yule!

- Siddy

Pet Peeves and What REALLY Pisses me off

   I have many pet peeves. I'm aware of my pet peeves. But usually I can get over my pet peeves if someone does them. One I do get pissed off about is when someone puts things on my desk and clutters it up when I specifically say not to. And putting things in my desk chair instead is no better. To me, that just means you're being an ass and looking for a fight.
   No, my pet peeves I can usually overlook and ignore. I have three younger siblings who are all aware of what irritates me. I've had to more or less learn to overlook my pet peeves. But one thing that really pisses me off is when someone is mad at me and ends up taking it out on my siblings.
   It is a crime I cannot forgive. Especially if they go after my youngest sister. She's autistic and only 13-- younger mentally. I've had this happen recently. Someone was mad at me and went upstairs where they told my youngest sister that I was angry at her because she kept interrupting my show on the TV. Now my youngest sister wanted to ask me but couldn't. You see, it was past her bedtime and the deal is that she can watch TV as long as she doesn't come back downstairs after her bedtime. So she stayed upstairs. Hours later, I came upstairs to go to bed. I have to go through her room to get to mine.
   She sat up and asked me in a quivering voice if I was mad at her. I was stunned. It felt as if someone had slapped me across my face. I had never heard my sister have that tone before when she asks if I am mad at her. I quickly reassured her I wasn't mad and asked her why in the world she would think that I was.
   And that was when she told me. That someone told her I was angry at her about the TV when I was actually angry at them.

   What kind of person would tell a 13 year old autistic girl that their oldest sister was angry at her over a TV? What kind of person would say that and hurt a little girl just to spite me? One that has lost all my respect, that's for damn sure. It's an unforgivable crime in my eyes. My youngest sister and I have a rough time getting along as it is. I try to get close to her and often times she pushes me away yet she torments me for attention. We've been getting closer lately-- and suddenly that someone does this, forcing her to wait hours before I come upstairs to reassure her that it wasn't her I was angry at. Had I know she had said this I would have fixed it sooner but I had been completely unaware. Thankfully, my little sister knows I'm not and was never upset at her and has been more than happy to watch Soul Eater with me today. She loves the series now.
   And there is no way that it was an "accident" as so many other things this someone has been playing off other situations. The fact is that they were angry and they opened their big mouth when they should have kept it shut and my little sister ended up upset because of it and now I'm pissed off.
   To degrade me, pick on me, and torment me is one thing... But to go after any of my siblings is a completely different thing and once someone does that, friend or not, they are an enemy from then on. Are some people really so desperate to feel like a 'big' person that they'll upset a child? A disabled child at that? I'm disgusted! When I upset her when we fight is one thing. We're siblings. All my siblings and I have fought at one point or another. We all know that in the end we'll come to terms with everything and always love each other and have one another's backs. No matter what we'll always be there for each other. But for someone not even related to her and older than my 20 years to do something like this... Disgusted doesn't even begin to describe my feelings.

   So to that someone... I hope you are happy. You've ruined our friendship and upset an autistic 13 year old girl and made an enemy of a 20 year old writer and probably other members of my family. I hope karma comes back and bites you hard on the ass one day.

   That's the end of my rant and Gods help anyone else that ever angers me through upsetting my siblings in any way,

- Siddy

The End is Nigh

   Title is dedicated to my sister. She'll understand it if she ever reads this thing.

   Well, the end of NaNoWriMo is in sight and I'm at a total of 85k even so far. My story is at it's climax and I'm ready to write the ending.
... Okay, well I'm not ready to write the ending. Just like beginnings, endings tend to give me some hassle. But I have to keep forcing it forward, word by word. Even if it isn't right at least it's written. I can make it right at a later time. The point is to get it written first.
   I am completely exhausted, though. The struggles with our house guest has left me irritated and uneasy these last few weeks. Things will either smooth out and she'll learn our rules or else she'll leave. One or the other will happen in the end. We'll just have to wait and see which it is. The lack of sleep isn't helping either. Once NaNoWriMo is over, I vow to get to bed earlier and get out of bed earlier.
   I miss Arcane too. We're talking tonight over MSN longer than we have been able to in a while. I wish my cell phone was fixed so I could call her and talk with her. It would help a lot with my current stress and she is my muse... It would be useful to have her during NaNoWriMo, though I did perfectly fine.
   On Monday, my sister and I are going out with Grandma to see the new Harry Potter movie and we have a write-in to attend later that same night. They're also talking about planning a write-in during the last hours of NaNoWriMo. That would be a lot of fun. I hope they can manage it.
   But for the moment, I'm off to bed.

   Keep writing, Wrimos! The end is (sadly) in sight!

- Siddy

Thanksgiving Day: What Are You Thankful For?

   Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope your Thanksgiving Day is going wonderfully smooth and you're all happy and content. I'm taking a moment to write up a blog post while my Mother and sister cook up dinner, my brother and room mate clean the remaining bits of the house, my youngest sister watches, and my dad jumps in where needed while I'm cleaning up any dropped eggs or jumping in when help is needed.
   I have to admit. I'm truly content right now. Yeah, I've been having problems with my new room mate but it's mostly because we're learning each other's boundaries and she's learning the house rules. My only complaint is the disrespect and not listening issue she's been giving me. My Dad sat us down and had us talk it out and so far we haven't had any issues but we'll see what happens in a week's time.
   Other than that, I'm completely content. I have my new netbook which kicks ass, two fantastic parents who love me endlessly and support my dream of becoming a published writer (I mean, they bought me my new netbook when we really couldn't afford it. I'm so grateful to them right now), a great family, and a chance to pursue my dream of getting published.
   I've learned so much from this month alone. I've reached my NaNoWriMo goal without much issue, and I've gotten myself back into the habit of writing every day. I've noticed my writing style has changed and grown, and I, as a person, have matured. I'm happy and thankful for everything.
   So in short, my list of what I am thankful for it: My Mom,and my Dad, who are amazing and the best parents I could ever hope to have, my siblings who are fantastic and always have my back no matter what (I LOVE YOU GUYS, EVEN IF I DON'T ACT LIKE IT ALL THE TIME)... my dog, Rascal my cat Liger (who helps me write; she listens as I spout out ideas and bounce them off of her), and my three birds, Yamato, Eiji, and Tomo.
   My new netbook, Toshi-- again, something I really have to thank my parents for. NaNoWriMo, because every year is a new adventure with them and during those thirty insanity-filled, frantic days I alway learn something new about myself as a person and as a writer, and my writing skills always grow and improve.
   I'm also thankful for my muse and first reader/fan, Arcane. Without her, my current noveling project wouldn't exist and without her my NaNo novel wouldn't be as far as it is right now-- she saved my word processor when it started messing up and quit working. I LOVE YOU, MY MUSE AND TECH SUPPORT.
   Mom, I want you to know that I cherish all my moments with you, even if it's just our bitch sessions over a glass of wine, a run to the store, or a trip to Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. You're a huge support to me and without you, I doubt I would ever have started writing. You've taught me that even if your life is chaotic and you don't seem to have a lot of time, you can still accomplish your goals and still have fun. You've taught me a lot, Mom, and I want to thank you for everything and tell you how grateful I am and how amazing of a Mother you are and I know that in the end, you'll probably always understand me the best, even during those days where I don't understand myself and I hope that one day, if I have my own kids that I can be both a mother and a friend to them, just like you are to me. I love you.
   Dad, I love our sessions where we bounce ideas back and forth. You've helped my writing in so many incredible ways and I hope that one day when you read my novels that you will see those ideas you give me or suggest during our idea sessions. You've always helped me push myself and keep on track with my dreams and even though some days I act as if you're the villain in my story, I want you to know that when I do that, it's because I believe you're strong enough to take it... I know it upsets you, but I want you to know that in the end, I'll always be your Pumpkin and when I need to hide away from the world or break down and cry, you will always be the one I go to, because I know I'm always safe in your arms, no matter what. I love you.
   The words 'thankful', 'I love you', 'grateful', and so on are just words. I know they'll probably never express how I really feel because in the end, the feelings are bound by the words used to describe them-- that's why it's difficult to convey emotions from the page to your readers. If you don't do it right, then they're just words on a page. But I hope you guys get the meaning behind my words. I love you both, with all of my heart and I hope you guys know how thankful I am that you're my parents and how much I respect you both.
You're both amazing, to put it simply.

   I hope everyone's Thanksgiving went as good as mine and I hope you all have something to be thankful for... Even if it's just one thing then your life is going good.

Happy Thanksgiving,

- Siddy

Personal Goal has been Reached

   I am proud to say that last night I crossed the 75,000 word mark in NaNoWriMo! 75,000 was my personal goal and I'm very happy that I hit that goal. This was definitely one of the most challenging NaNoWriMos I have ever done but I have learned so much from it and matured greatly from it.
   I look at my writing more as work instead of fun. My largest jump in words this month so far has been 10k in one day. But the month isn't over and my story isn't done. So I'll keep working, even when the story is finished.
   But for today we have to prepare the house for Thanksgiving and get everything all ready. We have a handful of relatives coming over this year so the house has to be cleaned up. My dad gave us permission to stop occasionally to do writing sprints. I can clean that way easily. So off I go! I hope everyone else enjoys their Thanksgiving.

Stay thankful for everything you have.

- Siddy

Outlining Madness

   So these last ten days or so have been filled with me doing almost nothing other than outlining. It's gotten to the point where my friends are bribing me with good role-plays if I reach a specific word count or point in my outline, but now I'm on the ball and writing like crazy. I was also a little worried about outlining my story too but I finally (FINALLY) found a way to outline that works for me.
   My parents gave me a new laptop for my birthday so my goal of 75,000 stands strong. And I mean out-of-the-box-exactly-the-model-I-wanted-brand-new new. Of course, silly (or crazy) me has named it and is drawing up what it looks like as a human. Hee~ It helps to do that when I end up working with it for hours on end. Either way, I want to give a quick shout out to them and tell everybody about how awesomely amazing my parents are and how they are the greatest and best parents in the world. I couldn't have parents any better than them.
   I'm already used to the keyboard and I've been putting the battery life to the rest and such. It's perfect. If it wasn't for my parents, I wouldn't be able to get this close to my dream. Thank you both for supporting me. Without you guys, my dreams would be hopelessly out of my reach.

   Either way, I hit the middle point of my outline, so once I finish eating, do a little bit more cleaning and take a shower to wake myself back up (I was up early after a late night so staying awake is proving difficult) it will be back to outlining.
   NaNoWriMo, ready or not, here I come!

- Siddy