asteropebelle

My fingers are itching to write once more, and I've found a way to do it without too much "hullabaloo"!
          I never knew how much fun Goodreads could be until a friend pointed it out to me. Though I am still figuring out the logistics of the website, as well as organizing my shelves and catching up on reviews, I literally could not fall asleep last night until I had done some writing for a book I recently read. I have a trip coming up soon, which will mean I am unable to write for the next three weeks ("write" as in, not writing a short story or a chapter). BUT, that's where Goodreads comes in! Though I have a very specific taste in books, I thought I might as well do some reviewing (not the professional kind, but the fun and personalized kind), and if you want some good books to read, I am working on creating a shelf with my favorites/recent good reads, with reviews and short guides on the topics within them (like a parent guide for a movie). If you want to know more about the books I love or about my writing, you're welcome to drop a friend request! Otherwise, thank you for finding me and being interested. 
          All the best, 
          -Aster

"It's been a long, long, time..."
          
          Don't worry, I haven't been swept off the earth and I am very much alive!
          Things have been incredibly busy this summer and certain events have taken place that have taken my motivation away to do literally anything, including writing. However, you might've noticed that I've been editing my story "Agra" for the past couple months, and the reason for that is simple. I was once read a book that talked about how someone was no longer able to write a story because "I was not the girl who started it anymore." I find that to be partially true because I am always growing in my self-discovery, and so even to myself, I change. I've also changed my writing style over the last two years, so things I've written from another time almost seem alien. But I see Agra as a story worth continuing, so I am working on changing it and making it better in order to continue it more in the future. 
          
          Though school starts again soon, I have felt my fingers tingling to write recently. If anything new happens, anyone who reads these posts will be the first to know   :)
          
          I look forward to writing more, even if it is only a little here and there. The important thing is that I do it, because one can only learn to be a better writer by actually writing. The biggest challenge for me still continues to be not merely writing, but writing what I mean, as Robert Louis Stevenson said. Here's to trying at least :D
          
          Blessings to all of you and may you also feel motivation to do things again, even if you yourself have changed since you last did it. 
          -Aster

Well, I guess if you have a sister who obsessively plays Solitaire, she will end up inspiring your writing!
          
          Here is the description for my new short story for the "This or That #1" contest held by the @antiheroesgalore and @action Wattpad profiles. 
          It is called, "Solitaire in Solitary," and it is in the Dystopian/Mystery genres. 
          
          "'Bloody anarchist,' the guard said through her teeth as she walked away. 
          Shay smiled. She liked that word. It was not an insult to her. 
          
          In her cell, Shay plots her escape from prison with a deck of cards that might just tell the future if she plays the game right."
          
          I hope you enjoy the story if you decide to read it, and maybe even join me in snooping and reading the entries of the other contestants as well! :P
          I hope you all are doing well!
          All the best, 
          -Aster

"Snippets" is a collection of poems that I will be adding to here and there. To start off, I have uploaded three short pieces of poetry.
          I hope they bring you a glimmer of joy!
          Though this is a very short update, I think it will do for now.
          I hope you all are doing well!
          All the best,
          -Aster

I FINALLY DID IT. 
          Holy cow, it feels so good to finally publish something again!
          The first two parts of "Midnight Murder," are now available to read and I am so pumped to finally be able to write again. Though nothing 'murderous' has happened yet, these parts are laying the groundwork for future updates, and it makes me so happy to finally be able to share them with you!
          If you like spinoffs or retelling of classic stories or fairytales, buckle up, because Cinderella is now an assassin. 
          I am also working on a collection of poems to publish sometime this week or the next. I will additionally be beginning my search of contests to see which one I should/can enter while also not putting too much unneeded pressure on myself. 
          I hope you all are doing fantastically and are reading lots of good stories :D
          Happy New Year!
          All the best, 
          -Aster

“DAG-NABBIT” as they say. 
          Well, I was really hoping to release the first parts of my new story today, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. 
          It seems that though the Holidays are seen as “vacation time,” in reality they are more busy than the non-vacation time *laughs sheepishly* 
          Anyway, though I’m not entirely happy with the way things have been going in life related to writing (and having the time to do it), so I will delay releasing my story until I am absolutely happy with it (which in reality is impossible, but you get the point). 
          
          On happy note, I finally finished a book I’ve been reading for more than two months (but on the not-so-bright-side, I’m still debating if it was worth it or not…) 
          Anyway, I hope you all are doing well, and Merry Christmas!! 
          All the best, 
          -Aster

The moment has almost arrived! 
          I'm very close to being done with the first two chapters of my fairytale spinoff (and boy, am I happy about that!). I'm not sure how long it will end up being, but most likely around ten parts at most. 
          I've also been thinking that it might be fun to have a book with some original poetry I've written (I know, most poetry is *blech,* but hopefully you guys will think otherwise *laughs awkwardly*). 
          Anyway, those are the main updates. 
          A fun thing to do if you have the time is to check out the story that @zaria-genevieve6434 has posted called "Fides Army," based on a roleplay that I will one day (hopefully) get to join!
          Happy Holidays to all of you and Merry Christmas!
          All the best, 
          -Aster

It's been a week since my last announcement! 
          I am all done with college assignments and FINALLY I have enough time to sit down and write what I want. You have no idea how much my fingers are itching to write another story or continue one that I have partially written. 
          
          My current goal is to finish working on the last parts of a story slightly shorter than a normal novella (which are normally between 15,000-20,000 words). 
          It's a retelling of a classic fairytale that I originally started writing for a contest, but to properly tell the story, I wanted it to be longer than the contest guidelines permitted. So, instead of making the story shorter, I wrote my other story titled, "X-Caliber," and entered it for the competition while putting the previous work aside. I am so so happy to be back to writing it. 
          
          My other goal is to edit the previously published chapters of my novel "Ravenhurst: Royalty" and to write another entry for my other novel "The Blank Post-It."  
          
          I am so excited to get started *jumps for joy*
          Thank you guys for being here through my journey! 
          All the best, 
          -Aster

          OOF. 
          It’s been a while. 
          Welp, here’s the explanation: 
          The main reason for my inactivity can be described in one word, which is COLLEGE. 
          Who knew that college would require quite a bit of writing as a Liberal Arts major…
          *bombastic side eye* 
          Anyway, because of this fact, at the end of the day my fingers and brain are so tired from writing for school that I am no longer writing for fun. 
          Honestly, that is not good. 
          While trying to properly balance everything on my plate and trying to take care of my mental health, I have decided to set goals every month to publish things on Wattpad (mostly stories LOL). 
          I’ve been learning a lot about proper time management, and I’m going to put it all to good use! 
          While I do enjoy writing for contests (and it does get my name out there), it does require much more planning and decision making, as well as effort and brain power, than just plainly writing for fun. 
          So here are my goals, starting in mid-December: 
          Every two weeks: announcement about current plans. 
          Every month, at least ONE short story or chapter of a novel published, preferably two. 
          Every two months, one contest entry. 
          These are goals that I think I can accomplish currently. 
          Additionally, I will be editing my story “Ravenhurst: Royalty” on the side as I think it needs a little bit of an update/upgrade. 
          Thank you all so much for being here with me on this journey. 
          I would like to thank @zara-genevieve6434 for inspiring me to keep writing! 
          All the best and Happy Holidays!! 
          -Aster 

So, something kinda funny:
          I seem to have a knack for entering contests where the results never get posted *smacks face dramatically*
          "In Between," (one of my favorite stories I have ever written) for the January contest "Secret Lover," by WattpadHistoricalRomance, "Seen," a word-related contest run by WattpadESL in August, and (though I'm still holding out hope for it)"X-Caliber" in the "Rewind the Classics contest" run by classicauthors, which ended September 15th. 
          Now, I have no problem with contest results coming in a little later than anticipated, but when the profile basically disappears without any updates (WattpadHistoricalRomance), or continues onto other projects without a second glance (WattpadESL), then it kinda makes it difficult for me to want to enter other contests, as entering them helps with either getting feedback from other authors, or recognition. I love Wattpad, it has helped me write and continue to write so much. But sometimes it can be a bit sad that to put work into submitting a story before the deadline, to never have anything come out of it. 
          I do love so many of the profiles on here, and I've been honored to be a part of their events from time to time.  And I will continue to put work into stories and literature whether the contests announce results or not. But for any ambassador taking a look at how writers get motivated to partake in social competitions, this is something that is important to me. 
          Gonna keep working on some projects, perhaps for contests, perhaps not, but in the mean time, may your hearts be light with the joys of life, and be encouraged to keep doing the things you love, even if nothing seems to come out of it at first. 
          All the best,
          -Aster