Christine Smith

Know the Novel – Part Three: It Is Written {A Writers Linkup}

Post published:December 1, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:28 Comments

WE MADE IT. NaNoWriMo is behind us and December has ARRIVED! And with it comes the 3rd and final part of this year’s Know the Novel! Are you alive? Am I alive??? Are our characters alive? (Probably not all of them…) NaNoWriMo is always such a wild ride full of exhausting days and existential crisis days and euphoric days. But, for me, it is always, always worth it for that sense of accomplishment, for knowing I took the time for my stories and made WORDS. But not just words, I grew, I learned, I lived an incredible journey. NaNoWriMo is…

NaNoWriMo 2020: Week Four

Post published:November 30, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:42 Comments

And *poof* just like that it’s THE LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER!!! FINAL DAY OF NANO. DECEMBER IS TOMORROW. WHAT IS TIME??? This feels like one of the fastest NaNoWriMos to ever exist. Is that just me? I mean, it often goes fast, but it can also seem so slooooow and December looks like a far off dream. But THIS TIME. I blinked and next thing I know here we are. (Or did I even blink? Have I blinked any this month? I’ve just been staring at my screen like a mindless zombie octopus flapping around typing words endlessly. Idon’tevenknowguys.) SO.…

Know the Novel: Writing Dusk’s Broken Shadows {NaNo 2020}

Post published:November 23, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:50 Comments

ONE. WEEK. LEFT. OF. NANOWRIMO!!! Can you believe it, guys? We are 3 weeks down and 1 to go! My gracious goodness, this NaNo is flying by at record speeds! But WHAT a NaNo it has been! Today instead of doing my day-by-day weekly update, I’m changing things up and answering the questions to my Know the Novel linkup. (Of which you can find the details HERE. The linkup part is open for one more week and I’d be thrilled if you joined!) ALRIGHTY. I know you people have lives to live and novels to write, so let’s just jump…

NaNoWriMo 2020: Week Two

Post published:November 16, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:38 Comments

WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH NANO. TWO WEEKS BEHIND US. JUST TWO WEEKS LEFT. WHAT IS THIS INSANITY??? I’m a tad (read: a lot) in shock that the month is literally halfway over! It’s just flown this year. Yet…there’s always this confusing timey-wimey-ness that comes with NaNo. The days seem to pass fast, while at the same time it feels as though I’ve been right there living alongside my characters through everything. I’ve experienced so much with them in these mere two weeks, seen them change and grow and endure countless things (I’ve been such a nice author to them *cough,…

NaNoWriMo 2020: Week One

Post published:November 9, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:67 Comments

WE DID IT, GUYS. The first week of NaNo is behind us! Words are being written, caffeine is being consumed, sanity is being buried in the backyard. It’s a good time! Being how it’s NaNo, it is time for one of my oh-so well thought out, perfectly calm and concise, utterly coherent weekly NaNo updates to share how I am faring thus far. In a very mature, professional manner of course. AHEM. (If you’ve been here for long, you know that was a complete lie and these posts are sleepless, caffeine induced, NaNo adrenaline disasters and just…I don’t even know.…

Know the Novel – Part Two: Within the WIP {A Writers Linkup}

Post published:November 2, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:36 Comments

IT IS OFFICIALLY NANOWRIMO! And being as how we’ve made it to November, it is time for part 2 of Know the Novel! Yes indeedy, we are here in the month of writerly insanity. I hope you’re all well stocked on caffeine and candy. We’ve got a wild month of writing ahead of us! If you missed it, last month I opened up my yearly 3-part writers linkup, Know the Novel, where we get to talk all about our current novels! In October for Part 1 you guys introduced your WIPs and GUYS. Guuuyyyys! So much creativity! Can everyone just…

Know the Novel: Introducing Dusk’s Broken Shadows {NaNo 2020}

Post published:October 26, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:67 Comments

NaNoWriMo starts in ONE. WEEK. And I’ve yet to tell you the first thing about what I’m actually writing for it. WELL. That’s why we’re here today! I shall be joining in my own Know the Novel linkup (is that kind of narcistic? Or rather meta…) to tell you all about what shall be consuming my soul for the next month my upcoming WIP! ALSO. The linkup will continue to run until October 31st if you haven’t joined in yet! I have been absolutely soaking up everyone’s posts! You guys are going to be writing AH-MAY-ZING stories and it makes…

{Book Review} Ships, Secrets, and Survivors by Sarah Rodecker and Helena George

Post published:October 19, 2020
Post category:Reading
Post comments:33 Comments

Calling all those swashbuckling, pirate-loving, daring adventurers out there. Have I got a delicious book for you today! Back when my sweet friends Sarah Rodecker and Helena George said they were co-writing a swashbuckling book, I may have squealed. (I mean, who doesn’t love daring seafaring adventures and pirates???) And then when they said THEY WERE PUBLISHING IT the squealing was vamped up x10000. Well, at last I have gotten my greedy hands on their gorgeous tale and now I must flail about it to the world! Synopsis An assassin trainee fleeing his profession. A princess risking her reputation. A…

My 7 Favorite Villain Tropes

Post published:October 12, 2020
Post category:Fangirling
Post comments:45 Comments

Ah, villains. You love to hate them or maybe even genuinely love them or some confusing mix of the two. But either way, stories would be terribly boring without these nefarious foes. Since it is indeed October and we’ve entered “spoopy” season, I really couldn’t help but do a whole post about one of my favorite topics: VILLAINS. Because yes, yes, I do love me a good ol’ villain (erm, fictional villain I should clarify). Can’t live with ‘em (‘cause they’d probably kill you), can’t live without them (‘cause then there’d be no story). Villains truly make the fictional world…

Know the Novel – Part One: Introduction {A Writers Linkup}

Post published:October 5, 2020
Post category:Writing
Post comments:61 Comments

It is OCTOBER! Which means NaNoWriMo is one. month. away. Which also means, it’s time to bring back my annual writer’s linkup: Know the Novel! That’s right, guys, National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner. And by that I mean LITERALLY 26 DAYS AWAY. *pauses and politely waits for the screaming to die down* Ahem. Gonna be real, I am psyched for this year’s NaNo. I mean, I’m always excited, but I’ve had a novel idea that’s been plaguing me for months now, begging to be written. Be proud of me. I’ve resisted the urge to jump into…