One Week to Your 10k Day Writing Marathon Day Two

It is the SECOND day of the One Week to Your 10k Day Writing Marathon!

To recap, yesterday was day one, where we chose what our story would be and we outlined it. Hopefully everybody got that accomplished. My choice? A fantasy piece about a young girl who wakes up each day to something growing out of her shoulder blades. Hint: They turn out to be wings ;)

Preparing for the Challenge - Day Two:

Today is day two of the 10k writing marathon!

Now that we have our idea and outline, it's time to get into some nitty gritty details! We're going to figure out the time scale, hourly requirement, and take a guess at how our breaks will work.

Time Scale

First we need to decide how many hours it will take us to reach our 10,000 word goal. I think I'll spend anywhere from 10-12 hours working on this. That means that if I start at 9am (SPOILER: I will) I would go until 7pm-9pm. Because I want to make sure I have a specific goal in mind, I'm going to go with 11 hours. You can take anywhere from 6 (if you're a typing champ!) to 16 (If you really want to spend literally the entire day working on this.)

Hourly Requirement

From there we move on to the hourly requirement. Figuring this out is fairly simple. We take the number of hours and divide our 10,000 words into them. So my 11 hour day will bring me to require about 909 words per hour. That's certainly a lot but it's not impossible, otherwise nobody would be doing it.

BREAKS

Our next step is to calculate our breaks. Yes, there will be breaks. No matter what, breaks are important. There are a couple ways to do this method. The first is to just arbitrarily schedule a break here and there. While that might work well for putting in meal times, it's not so good on a larger scale.

The Break Calculation

The best way to calculate breaks is to figure out how long it will take you to reach your hourly requirement, on average. You want to get it to where you spend at most 45 minutes writing. The other 15 minutes will be used for your break. You can (and should) get up and stretch, grab a snack, and pretty much do anything but stare at your computer screen.

Do this today, write until you reach your hourly goal and figure out how much time you've given yourself for an hourly break. Adjust your total hours until it makes sense.

We'll be doing this every day until the challenge date!
-Alexandria Hathaway
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandriaMazareth
Twitter: @AlexandriaMWolf
Deviantart: http://littlewolfdreamer.deviantart.com/

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One Week to your 10k Day Writing Marathon

First I'd like to start off with an update and say YES I will forget about my blog on a semi frequent basis. It's a part of who I am.

For those that don't know, I moved in with my boyfriend in Michigan. Am I going to school here? No. Do I have a traditional job? No. Do I plan on getting one? No. What do I do all day? Write, clean, cook, freelance.

10K MARATHON!

Now that that's over, we can move on to the important stuff, that's right, today is the beginning of my blog post series "One week to your 10k marathon!" (Which will, obviously, last about a week.)

I will be running a 10k marathon on the 11th of this month. Why the 11th? It's about a week from today and I have almost nothing else planned for that entire day. Plus, it's a Monday, so I'll be up half an hour earlier.

What is a 10k Marathon and Why do it?

Excellent question! A 10k marathon is a writing marathon done in a single day. 10,000 words. 

It's a pretty hefty number but is great for a variety of reasons:

1. Catching up on NaNoWriMo.

2. Starting off a book with a big jump.

3. Needing to powerhouse through the end of your book.

4. To get your ghostwriting job done on time (oops!)

5. For the fun of it (and the challenge!)

6. To create interest in your book/series.

7. To learn how to write without editing each sentence after writing it.

My reason for doing it entails the challenge, to start a new book, and to garner interest in myself as an author. My first book will be coming out on Amazon for Kindle as soon as I get the cover art!

Preparing for the Challenge - Day One:

So you want to take this challenge? Awesome! Come and join me on the 11th of this August 2014.

There are a couple things that will help make your event stress free. Each day of the week I'll be posting little things that you can do to prepare for your challenge so you don't just dive in headfirst and hate yourself. (I was REALLY tempted to do that!)

TODAY our goal is to choose the story we will be writing. For some people this will be terribly easy, you knew what you wanted to do when you got into this. For other people it will take you pretty much all day to choose. 

Do you want to work on that fiction book that's been gathering dust? Or what about that new sci-fi idea that's been drifting in your mind for the last month? But of course, then there's the nonfiction book you always told your friends you were going to write...

ANOTHER thing I'm going to have you do today, once you choose your story, is IF you are a planning kind of person, create a mini outline for your story. It doesn't have to be too fancy, unless you have the time and want it to be. Know where you are going to go.

For the people who are NOT the planning kind, write a brief synopsis. It should be at least 100 words describing what kind of book you are planning. This will be your writing prompt.

You can do both or either or, the choice is yours! Happy planning!
-Alexandria Hathaway
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandriaMazareth
Twitter: @AlexandriaMWolf
Deviantart: http://littlewolfdreamer.deviantart.com/

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The Chronicles of the Mini

I have an iPad mini, Maybe for almost a year.
I can't remember when I got it, no upgrade I fear.

One day I went to get some coffee
and was locking up my bike
when my mini falls to the concrete
the cracks were quite a sight!

I could still use it
Played fruit ninja with no cuts
But I swore to be more careful
In case I ran out of luck

Then comes February cold as ice
To the mall with my mom for a spell
What a great birthday present
that it didn't break the second time it fell

And now here I am at the end of February
I cannot charge my device
it was not the Mini that is the problem
It's the cord end to be precise

Yup, I really had to write a poem on the chronicles of my mini. I was going to just have a sad post about how I can't use some of the apps and how it was a big productivity tool, which it is, but I decided you should have a poem as well.

I'll hopefully have a new cord within a month or two. Until then, my iPod will have to suffice for my tiny productivity device.

With love,
Alexandria

My 20th Birthday

Today was (and still is) my 20th birthday.

At first I was concerned about it. I spent the night before complaining about turning twenty. "What do I have to show for it?" Was my question. I've had many people tell me as a 19 year old that because I was still a teenager, I still had time. I was still okay to not have any large accomplishments.

I'm not in college. I don't have a normal job. I haven't created anything of merit. Or at least that's what I thought.

My day started out... pretty low. I woke up and convinced myself to get out of bed before 10am. I was awake by 8, but I laid in bed for awhile. What can I say? It was comfortable.

I already had about 10 facebook comments saying happy birthday, which was nice, but many of them lacked any kind of personalization. Not that I should complain. I guess it has to do with waking up in a bad mood. But I was hopeful at least, and I liked every single one of those comments, because they were people who took the time out of their day to wish me a happy birthday. And that's a beautiful thing.

My boyfriend came over. I was still upset about things and negative things kept occurring, but at least I had someone to talk with and be around. Because of the weather I was concerned about not being able to keep any birthday traditions. One of them being the free caribou coffee, another being choosing a dinner. This wouldn't be such a problem if it weren't for the fact that I also don't have any birthday party currently planned. Parties require money and I am not doing well in the funds department. So I felt sad.

And then one of my best friends texted. We all ended up hanging out. At first things went a little iffy, but we ended up at my house to hang out. (And yes, I had gotten the coffee.) We walked in the door about the time of my birth. 5:35pm.

I was able to spend the evening with two of the most important people in my life. We played uno and watched a movie. The day has been going very different from what I imagined.

I imagined I'd be alone, sulking in my room by the end of the night.

Instead, I'm sitting on the couch after a nice evening. And you know what? I think I'll make myself something nice for dinner. Maybe fry up some onions and chicken and make a grilled cheese sandwich with my garlic Parmesan butter. It's one of my favorite foods. And then I'll work on a book.

This is a good start to a new decade.
-Alexandria

The chicken or the egg?

I need to get this idea onto something else before it leaves me...

What came first? The chicken or the egg? This question is so frequently pondered on an amusement level basis, but can be directly applied to everyday situations.

Take for example, people that don't have much money. It's a never ending cycle. One person is unable to create fiscal wealth and others in the family have the same problem. Then children and more future posterity have the same problem.

If that's the chicken, what's the egg?

The egg would be the situation that causes the lack of money. Bad money handling skills, anxieties, other mental and physical barriers... What came first? The chicken? Or the egg?

Did her great grandfather suck at handling money, losing his farm in the process and pass that down to posterity? Or did the lack of having money to handle cause him to lose his farm?

It's hard to learn how to handle what you don't have. Anybody can read the manual, but it takes experience to understand how it actually works.

And thinking about that has got me to thinking further. I got a call from a debt collector. I'm in debt for various reasons. How is it that someone so new to the experience of life is so suddenly struck with debt? How is it that my anxiety stops me from coming out of this pit, this hell?

The answer is simple, I was raised around it. Is it possible for me to learn how to handle money? Yes. It is possible for me to learn how to handle my anxiety? That might be going too far. But there are always steps that lead to a better life. There are things one can do, choices one can make, but if your own thinking got you into this mess how will the same thinking take you out of it?

That's why relationships amongst people exist. No two people think alike. Friends, family, everyone can offer new insight to the same problem. The issue is many families who lack the needed funds for survival in this corporation built world often learn to either be too independent and anxiety stricken, or too dependent and full of depression.

Obviously there are countless differences and no two situations are the same but there are enough similarities to know a program is needed.

And not just any program.

Sure, you have your AVID in high school to help average students become extraordinary college ones. Sure, there's Big Brothers Big Sisters to give a child a mentor. And of course there are programs that help first generation college students on their way. But that's focused on college. Curriculum. Education.

And while I love the schools of all kinds and enjoy the fact that those programs exist, it's not enough.

A child at age 16 can get a normal job (though with a few restrictions) in an entry level environment if he or she has the determination to do so.

Factors: Job availability in the area, transportation to the job, lack of skills, determination required.

Determination is created through both a sense of pride in independence, volition, and support from others. A person in a low income household may lack transportation, but mostly they are likely to lack the ability to move past all of the problems they deal with at home to develop enough determination to jump through all the hurdles required in order to find and keep a job.

Don't believe me? Look at my life and the life of people I've known.

That's why I propose a program bent on helping students develop the skills they need to be financially responsible as well as have everything they need to stay determined. Let's face it, the lemonade stand game is fun but it doesn't quite cut it in the grand scheme of real life.

The program would involve mentors for small groups of no more than three students. It would have no religion at its base, nor would religion be involved in discussions, as each belief of each person is to be respected. The program would have weekly check-ups and meetings with all students to see how things are doing. They would organize volunteer events and allow students to be apart of the group's budget process. Every student would have the opportunity to be both a leader and a follower. They would get to experience growth through what they need. And furthermore, resumes would be worked on, those that get jobs will have separate job related sessions. Everyone would get help with homework.

And it would be in a school or community center building or a library, because those places foster hope, determination, and learning.

My Current Thought Process Explained

"Gods it's been awhile since I've posted. I have all this neat stuff waiting to be uploaded and typed and to share with people! It's so exciting.

But effort.

But terraria.

I really don't feel like standing up and getting my camera cord to take care of those videos I just made.
Wait... did I ever upload the deviantart one? Or even make the journal feature like I said I would?

Oh shi-ck... >.> I should probably do that.

But I'm kind of hungry. And tired. Hey! Maybe I should stay up all night again!!

Are you crazy? You're already slightly loopy...

Sure, why not? What's the worst that could happen?

You mean writing this blog post and getting nothing actually done?

Psh. It'll all work out. I'll get some food in me and start working on what I need to do!

What about the exercise stuff?

Well, that's kind of hiatus right now, I could always do the picture thingy tomorrow.

You mean if you don't fall asleep, forget to pack for up north, and not have anything to show for it?

Nonsense! I know what I'm doing!

Have you finished your week's goal?

Shi... meh... shner... uhgh. Right. I should do that.

Yeah you should.

But do you know what that means?

What?

ALL NIGHTER AGAIN!!!"

My brain just facepalmed itself.

More updates will come when I quit arguing with myself XD

All The Productivity!

All of it! XD

So there's so much for me to cover in this post that I'll have to put it into sections! *Gasp*

Deviantart

So, my deviantart as you all know is littlewolfdreamer.deviantart.com. It's active, it's happy, and it always holds an eclectic set of things.

 Themes

I've also joined a couple of new groups. Almost exclusively for the prompts and themes. It's exciting to be able to have something to write about constantly. And some of these groups desperately need participants.

One group I'm in, Unseen Writers, has the weekly theme this week of Sandman. You could choose from two kinds of sandman. I chose the traditional pleasant one that comes around and puts sand in your eyes to help you get to sleep. I wrote the poem "The Insomniac's Letter" to add a little twist on the theme.

Another group, We Write To Escape, has a fortnightly theme. This fortnight's theme is "Chains, Barbed Wire, and Broken Wings." So I'm currently working on a story called The Gargoyle Hunt. I might change the name later. We'll see. 

Finally, Live Love Write has a weekly prompt which this week is 

"Write anything that features one or more of the following:

- schizophrenia
- displacement
- positive symptoms
- delusions"

I haven't thought of something for that yet. I'll keep you posted.

 Contests

There are some contests that I get into on deviantart. Usually, they have nothing to do with art, they're more like raffles. However, there are a couple that I've been doing that are actually art related right now. One being a mini contest by Popolis where I get to draw a winter fantasy scene. 

It's actually really neat stuff and I think I'll do more like them.

 Scheduled Deviations

One of the Greatest Things I am now using with deviantart is the idea of SCHEDULING a future deviation! This is super useful for those days where I forget about the world or don't feel like doing anything. Emma's Journal has had some of that happen. Wouldn't it be great if I could write at will and just have one page posted everyday?

This way I don't spam the deviants with all my silly deviations at once! I've posted things from an Angry Speaker to a Cello. And both at times I wasn't even awake. This will totally help me get my 10,000 page view goal. (Well, that and the promised bikini picture in the snow if I get the goal early.)

Writing

What would be one of my posts without a writing update? Pointless, in my opinion. Because I will become a published author and it will be awesome. I just have to finish my silly stories. I mean awesome stories, because they're awesome... Or will be... Eventually... XD

 Emma

Who remembers the very beginnings of Emma? I started it as a self rant about everything and it's now turned into a complete fiction work about things very out of hand. It's kind of awesome. I have outlines and everything all ready for both stories!

    Journal

The creepier of the two stories, I have finally gotten going again on it!! I finally made the Halloween Day post. And let me tell you, it takes the story in a straightforward and scary as hell direction. Which makes me very pleased, as this was the point.

    Story

As for Emma's Story... I'm getting there slowly but surely with the prologue! Yes, I will post the prologue on deviantart, but that's all I will post of her story. This will be one of my little secretive kinds of things. I will be writing it on paper and having someone edit it for me. And then I'll take their edits and revise it and then I'll PUBLISH it. Yes, that's right, Emma's Story will be published. Emma's Journal will come afterwards.

Photography

I've been working on a blog for just plain modeling style stuff. I've made myself look purdy and taken pictures. Self portraits, however, aren't the only things I'm taking pictures of. As Previous Pictures on Deviantart will tell you, I enjoy taking pictures of pretty much anything. 

The point of my photography is to capture something that I consider beautiful or special or important for some reason, albeit even a small one. My cats, my friends, my projects, they all succumb to the power of my camera. 

Too bad I hate the cold. I could get some good winter shots.

Freelancing Opportunity

So here's another thing. This person is writing a book on homeschooling that she wants someone to help write. "But Alex! You've never been homeschooled!"

A. I'm an autodidact
B. My Aunty Homeschools my two cousins
C. I have a lot of friends who are homeschooled
D. I'VE GONE THROUGH ONLINE LEARNING
E. And a Charter School - which is as near to homeschooling as one can get for still sending their child off to some kind of instructional facility.

Plus I have a passion for all sorts of independent learning and really everything homeschool entails. If you've ever been lucky/unlucky enough to sit around and listen to my Xena rant... She's going to probably be homeschooled. Because I'll know how to do it and I feel like that's how she'd learn best. (For those that don't know, Xena is the name of the little girl I'll have later on in life.)

And I'll do the Exercise update Tomorrow/Later! Because I'm Feeling Lazy!

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