Megan Eli

An author's blog - A place where I can imagine that someone, someday might be interested in what I have to say!

A Fairy Tale - Part 1

megg33k:

Chapter 1: And You’d Like Me to Steal One for You?

Part 1 of 2

Once upon a time, in the magical, ancient world of modern day Chicagoland, there stood a magnificent castle in the Kingdom of Moreng. The sun shone brightly, the birds chirped, and the kingdom’s subjects happily went about their normal, everyday lives. From a distance, the traditional grey stone castle stood stoic and looked much like it had gone completely unchanged for centuries, complete with battlements rising from the roofline and bits of sky peeking through the crenels. Inside the castle walls, however, it was a very different story. At first glance, one might be too distracted by the customary tapestries, expensive hand-woven carpets, and elegant furnishings to notice modern subtleties, but they were certainly there. A closer look would reveal phone chargers snaking out from behind the heavy, mahogany appointments, top of the line computers hidden away in gothic armoires, and large flat panel televisions hung like art.  Though expansive, it was a fairly quiet place with only minimal staff and plenty of intimate spaces to maintain a good deal of privacy, which was often needed.

Even with sufficient privacy, those closest to the Crown couldn’t help but notice the almost palpable tension. King Leonidas, a man of great power but questionable intelligence, was growing frustrated. Nearly forty years old, he wanted desperately for an heir to his throne. He was unreasonably vain about his stature and appearance, both average at best, and thought it only fitting to pass on his self-proclaimed rugged good looks and exceptional aptitude for ruling a Kingdom.

His wife, Queen Annabeth, was equally anxious for a child of her very own. Many years earlier, it was foretold she would bear a son, and she agonized waiting for her prince to come.  So, at the King’s insistence, they prayed each and every night to the Mighty Stork God, begging him for a child, but to no avail. After many moons had passed with no success, the King eventually called a meeting with his royal advisor, Geoffrey. Geoffrey was tall and slender with sharp features, his dark hair always strategically mussed, quirky, highly intelligent, quick witted, and quite handsome. If he had any noticeable downfall, it would undoubtedly have been the speed at which he moved. 

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megg33k: I wish it for myself, for my followers, and for the lovely person who posted it. May the stories we write in 2013 be our best yet!

megg33k:

I wish it for myself, for my followers, and for the lovely person who posted it. May the stories we write in 2013 be our best yet!

(Source: elisarastelli)

jujuproblems asked: did I already tell you I'd do it? OH well, I'll say it again. As soon as I don't have anything queued up, I'll do a drawing for a story of yours!

Oh, god… really? EEP! No, you definitely didn’t tell me. That’s so exciting. Thank you!!! ♥

2012 NaNoWriMo Pep Talks by Megan L. Eli

megan-eli:

Oct 31: Happy NaNo Eve

The countdown has begun, ladies and lords! It’s almost time. Creative energy is swirling, and you’re either feeling totally unprepared or anxious to get started. I’m actually some strange combination of the two! Either way… IT ALL BEGINS AT MIDNIGHT!

This is a year of winners. If you want to win, I want to do whatever I can to help make that dream a reality! Whether I’m cheering you on or cracking a whip (perhaps both at once), I’ll be here for whatever you need from me! Most of us still feel like we’re ready to take on the world and we can do anything… That’s the feeling you need to hold on to.

Best NaNo Advice Ever: Try to get more than the “minimum” 1667 words any day you can. Get ahead of your word count and stay ahead of it. That way, missing a day isn’t a punch to the gut. Even if you just aim for 2000 instead, it helps… it helps more than you know. C’mon… another 333 words isn’t going to kill you. YOU CAN DO IT!

Now… Let’s make NaNoWriMo 2012 the best one yet. More writing, more words, more wins than ever before! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

Nov 8: Week 2 is upon us!

Day 8 is coming to a close, which means week 2 has begun (and this email is dreadfully late… sorry)! Oh, week 2… That glorious part of the bell curve where you’ve got some residual excitement from week 1 but are struggling to get to the peak! Well, fear not! The best part of early week 2 is that you still have ALMOST 3 weeks to finish! That’s worth celebration, right?

We’re about to hit the 15k par… and that just sounds scary. But it’s not! It’s really not. No thousand words is any worse than any previous thousand, and 15k is well within your reach. Right now, you’re in 1 of 5 places, some more likely than others:

1. You haven’t started. - What to do? START! It’s NOT too late! 

2. You’re running a bit behind par. - What to do? Keep writing. Write faster if you can, but just DON’T STOP! 

3. You’re perfectly on par, either fighting for it or keeping up comfortably. - What to do? Exactly what you’re doing. 

4. You’ve got a buffer. - What to do? Take a moment to celebrate, and then keep doing exactly what you’re doing. 

5. You’re already done. - What to do? First, know we all hate you. No, no… just kidding. Jealousy and hatred are two very different things. LOL Take a long moment to celebrate and then… well… write something else! Never stop writing!

Week 2 is never a time to give up. Dec 1 is the time to give up (but not really then either… never give up). Anything prior to that is there-is-still-a-chance time! So WRITE! Write like your life depends on it… well, maybe it’s not THAT serious… but write like it’s important… because it IS important. No one else can tell your story, and the world needs your words!

NaNoWriMo 2012 has been awesome so far. We can’t stop now. More writing, more words, more wins than ever before! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

Nov 16: Over half way!

It’s week 3: Do you know where your word count is? I know where mine is… dreadfully behind. And you know what? That’s okay! :) Because, it’s the BEGINNING of week 3, which means we still have *almost* 2 weeks left. You can work miracles in *almost* 2 weeks. You know what else is amazing about right now? You’ve already done 2 weeks… So, that which is left is equal to (or less than) that which is complete. If you did it once, you can surely do it again.

Okay, okay… Let’s be honest… You might be burned out. You might hate every word you’re writing. You might think doing NaNo was the worst idea you’ve ever had. BUT! (and there is a but) That’s also okay! NaNo wasn’t the worst idea you’ve ever had… If it was, I envy you. Seriously… That’s pretty tame in the litany of ‘bad ideas’ out in the world.

Picture this: Last year, day 3, and I had never done NaNo before. I had just come out of writing a very different novel than the one I went into for NaNo. I was at ~3300 words, and I told my darling PeoWriMos that I was going to scrap it and start over. They looked at me like I was crazy for a few long seconds and then flat out told me “no.” And, for whatever reason, I listened. I compromised and deleted the 300 words I *really* hated, and I kept writing. That novel is now published, and people are reading it… not *tons* of people, but some people… a larger-than-anticipated group of people. Never mind. There was a point to this. The point being: You won’t know the quality of your work until after November when you’ve walked away for a bit. Don’t get discouraged. Even if you hate what you’re doing, just keep doing it. It might be better than you think. NaNo clouds the brain, man!

Okay… So, yeah… Keep at it. Seriously. Can’t believe in yourself right now? No worries… I’ll do it for you! Just keep writing! Always remember: Your ML has faith in you and loves you! <3

NaNoWriMo 2012 has been awesome so far. We can’t stop now. More writing, more words, more wins than ever before! We have *at least* one already! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

Final pep talk of 2012:

Nov 26: The End is Near

Welcome to the final push, my dear, sweet WriMos! To call this impending email a “pep talk” is really giving it too much credit, because… well… let’s face facts: you probably already know if you can (or can’t) hit your 50k by midnight on Friday. So, instead of a “pep talk,” allow me to instead offer some advice based on where your word count currently is.

If you’ve already hit your 50k: Good for you! Keep writing!
If you’re on par or a bit ahead of it: Keep writing!
If you’re a bit behind: Keep writing!
If you’re dreadfully behind: Keep writing!
If you’re sure it’s physically impossible to type the rest of your 50k by Friday: Keep writing anyway!
If you never got started: START writing!

Here’s the thing that some people forget in the magic of NaNoWriMo: There are eleven other months in the year, and you can write during those too. November shouldn’t necessarily be the beginning of your writing each year, and it certainly shouldn’t be the end. Whether November, March, or July… The world needs your story, and there’s no one else who will ever tell it quite the same way you will. And, whether you hit 50k or not, WRITING IS WINNING!

One last story of inspiration: Our comeback kid (grouchmuffin) was at 18,475 on Nov 23 last year, and she hit 50k on Nov 29. There are very few things in life that aren’t possible, and there are even few impossibilities in November. As I said before, NaNoWriMo is magic. Even if you’ve given up and counted yourself out this year, I haven’t. I still believe in you.

NaNoWriMo 2012 has been amazing so far. We’ve seen a lot of new faces and welcomed back a lot of familiar ones. We’ve seen early wins, remarkable comebacks, and the true magic of November in full swing. We have 5 days left, so we can’t stop now! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

For the last time this November:

Fearless Leader OUT!

~Megg

beautifullyheeled asked: Evening! Maddening day, but just wanted to thank you for the pep talk about my char voice and listening. I'm also going to stop editing and just write; I think I am being way over critical. Maybe not having my pc today an tomorrow will help me outline and get clarity. Thanks a mil Meg! ~Diann

Anytime, darling! I hope it does help, and you know where to find me if you need me! I’m always happy to talk! *commiserating NaNo hugs*

2012 NaNoWriMo Pep Talks by Megan L. Eli

Oct 31: Happy NaNo Eve

The countdown has begun, ladies and lords! It’s almost time. Creative energy is swirling, and you’re either feeling totally unprepared or anxious to get started. I’m actually some strange combination of the two! Either way… IT ALL BEGINS AT MIDNIGHT!

This is a year of winners. If you want to win, I want to do whatever I can to help make that dream a reality! Whether I’m cheering you on or cracking a whip (perhaps both at once), I’ll be here for whatever you need from me! Most of us still feel like we’re ready to take on the world and we can do anything… That’s the feeling you need to hold on to.

Best NaNo Advice Ever: Try to get more than the “minimum” 1667 words any day you can. Get ahead of your word count and stay ahead of it. That way, missing a day isn’t a punch to the gut. Even if you just aim for 2000 instead, it helps… it helps more than you know. C’mon… another 333 words isn’t going to kill you. YOU CAN DO IT!

Now… Let’s make NaNoWriMo 2012 the best one yet. More writing, more words, more wins than ever before! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

Nov 8: Week 2 is upon us!

Day 8 is coming to a close, which means week 2 has begun (and this email is dreadfully late… sorry)! Oh, week 2… That glorious part of the bell curve where you’ve got some residual excitement from week 1 but are struggling to get to the peak! Well, fear not! The best part of early week 2 is that you still have ALMOST 3 weeks to finish! That’s worth celebration, right?

We’re about to hit the 15k par… and that just sounds scary. But it’s not! It’s really not. No thousand words is any worse than any previous thousand, and 15k is well within your reach. Right now, you’re in 1 of 5 places, some more likely than others:

1. You haven’t started. - What to do? START! It’s NOT too late! 

2. You’re running a bit behind par. - What to do? Keep writing. Write faster if you can, but just DON’T STOP! 

3. You’re perfectly on par, either fighting for it or keeping up comfortably. - What to do? Exactly what you’re doing. 

4. You’ve got a buffer. - What to do? Take a moment to celebrate, and then keep doing exactly what you’re doing. 

5. You’re already done. - What to do? First, know we all hate you. No, no… just kidding. Jealousy and hatred are two very different things. LOL Take a long moment to celebrate and then… well… write something else! Never stop writing!

Week 2 is never a time to give up. Dec 1 is the time to give up (but not really then either… never give up). Anything prior to that is there-is-still-a-chance time! So WRITE! Write like your life depends on it… well, maybe it’s not THAT serious… but write like it’s important… because it IS important. No one else can tell your story, and the world needs your words!

NaNoWriMo 2012 has been awesome so far. We can’t stop now. More writing, more words, more wins than ever before! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

Nov 16: Over half way!

It’s week 3: Do you know where your word count is? I know where mine is… dreadfully behind. And you know what? That’s okay! :) Because, it’s the BEGINNING of week 3, which means we still have *almost* 2 weeks left. You can work miracles in *almost* 2 weeks. You know what else is amazing about right now? You’ve already done 2 weeks… So, that which is left is equal to (or less than) that which is complete. If you did it once, you can surely do it again.

Okay, okay… Let’s be honest… You might be burned out. You might hate every word you’re writing. You might think doing NaNo was the worst idea you’ve ever had. BUT! (and there is a but) That’s also okay! NaNo wasn’t the worst idea you’ve ever had… If it was, I envy you. Seriously… That’s pretty tame in the litany of ‘bad ideas’ out in the world.

Picture this: Last year, day 3, and I had never done NaNo before. I had just come out of writing a very different novel than the one I went into for NaNo. I was at ~3300 words, and I told my darling PeoWriMos that I was going to scrap it and start over. They looked at me like I was crazy for a few long seconds and then flat out told me “no.” And, for whatever reason, I listened. I compromised and deleted the 300 words I *really* hated, and I kept writing. That novel is now published, and people are reading it… not *tons* of people, but some people… a larger-than-anticipated group of people. Never mind. There was a point to this. The point being: You won’t know the quality of your work until after November when you’ve walked away for a bit. Don’t get discouraged. Even if you hate what you’re doing, just keep doing it. It might be better than you think. NaNo clouds the brain, man!

Okay… So, yeah… Keep at it. Seriously. Can’t believe in yourself right now? No worries… I’ll do it for you! Just keep writing! Always remember: Your ML has faith in you and loves you! <3

NaNoWriMo 2012 has been awesome so far. We can’t stop now. More writing, more words, more wins than ever before! We have *at least* one already! Team PeoWriMo! You can do this… WE CAN DO THIS!

casdeservestobeshaved asked: Heya! <3 How are you today?

Heya! I’m good! Better than last night. How are you? <3

Romney = Hope for millionaires

Obama = Hope for millions

Don’t set our country back 50 years!

(Source: pinkteabagarhut, via megg33k)