• Home
  • Picture Books
  • Chapter Books
    • Sally Sleuth Series
    • Snoebels, Cat Detective
    • The Weirdville Series
  • Young Adult
    • Angel of Death Series
      • Characters
    • Mirrorland
    • The Chronicles of Blood
  • New Adult
    • Ghostslayer Series
  • Shorts
  • Services
    • Manuscript Critique
    • Book Query Critique
  • Blog

What’s Up Wednesday #12

January 21, 2015
by admin
features, memes, what's up wednesday
18 Comments

RobotWhat’s Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. The goal of this hop is to help connect writers on their writing journey. You can find out more about the blog hop here.

What I’m Reading

I’m reading “Helter Skelter: The Shocking Story of the Manson Murders” by Vincent Bugliosi. I received parts one and two from Netgalley. Each part was around a 100 pages, maybe more – and it’s a looong book because there are eight parts total. But it’s intriguing, and offers different perspectives on the case, the psychological elements that drove the cult members to commit those murders, and how the police handled the investigation. I’m a true crime fanatic, so of course this book is right up my alley. It inspired me to start working on my own true crime book, a perpetual WIP. Alas, fiction writing comes first now.

I also finished a horror novella, “Bootleg Cove” by Devon Govaere, and “Lockwood & Co: The Dagger in the Desk” by Jonathan Stroud, a novella in the Lockwood & Co series, one of my favorite series ever. Another book I finished, “Normal” by Graeme Cameron focuses on a serial killer. Meanwhile, I’m watching episodes of Criminal Minds, to get the full effects of a dark mood. This helps me studying criminology, and I’m in the middle of exams, so the dark mood is helpful. However, I have some lighter reading materials planned for the rest of the week.

What I’m Writing

I finished another short story, which ended up being 6113 words. It’s a first draft of course, so these still need revising. I didn’t get around to work on Ghostslayer. I have the rest of hte book outlined, and I really want to get started, but edits for other projects mean I can’t spend time on it until I finish those edits. And edits are tough. Especially when they’re so thorough like the last edits I got. The book was one of my earlier manuscripts, so I estimated it would need more work, but still, combining studying, editing and writing? Near impossible.

My total word count for this month is 22878 words, which is all the short stories combined, and about 4k in my WIP.

Writing goal for this week: finish another short story, get through the edits for Reflected, and write at least another 4k in my WIP.

What Works For Me

Watching series that fit the genre of the book I plan to write. Since I’m working on Ghostslayer now, I should probably watch some creepy, ghost-related movies or series. I watched some episodes of American Horror Story last week, and they inspired me for that. But because studying has priority now, I have to focus on crime shows first. And now I’m all inspired to write a mystery / thriller (which I will outline once I get the time, because the plot is pretty cool), and true crime books. But it did help with this week’s short story, which is dark fiction, with a tad of psychological horror, but also a crime element.

What Else Is New

I finished the last proofreading project for this month (yay!). I loved the story, but I’m glad I get to take a break until February, when I have other projects lined up. But with studying, and going on a trip next weekend, I need a short break from editing. However, I still have to finish the second round of edits on two projects before I can take a break. I estimate it won’t take that long though, since both manuscripts are in good shape.

About the Author
Majanka Verstraete writes speculative fiction for children and young adults. She is a freelance editor, with her portfolio located at The OverAchiever. She works as a publicist for Enchanted Book Promotions and as cover designer for I Heart Designs. She reviews books on I Heart Reading and is an official reviewer for IndTale Magazine. She also writes horror paranormal fiction for adults under the penname M. Verstraete. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and playing video games.
Social Share
  • google-share
18 Comments
  1. Miss Cole January 21, 2015 at 10:24 am Reply

    Wow, you sound really busy with all that reading, writing and editing.

    Criminal Minds is a show I really need to catch up on. The episode with the cannibal haunts me to this day. Gyaaaaaaah.

    Have a fantastic week ^_^

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:35 am Reply

      Thank you! What episode is the one with the cannibal? I’m not sure if I’ve seen it yet. And I’m on season 5 now, so I definitely have some catching up to do as well (I think they’re 10 seasons so far).

  2. Kim Graff January 21, 2015 at 1:38 pm Reply

    22878 words, wow! That’s awesome. I almost never watching a TV show similar to what I plan to write/am writing. But I’m actually doing that right now, and it’s getting me into the right mind set 🙂

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:34 am Reply

      Yep, I never thought about that either, but it’s quite helpful. Especially when you start binge-watching the series, heh!

  3. Melanie Crouse January 21, 2015 at 3:19 pm Reply

    I LOVE Lockwood and Co. and I haven’t found many other people who have read it. It’s the perfect mix of so many genres that I hardly ever read that everything seems fresh and new to me. I haven’t read that one though…Yay!

  4. Tonja Drecker January 21, 2015 at 5:22 pm Reply

    Series are great for writing in a genre…at least, that’s my new theory as of late too. Sounds like you’ve been really busy and getting a lot done. Have a great week!

  5. Crystal January 21, 2015 at 5:25 pm Reply

    Sounds like you’re busy with studying, writing and reading! I have Helter Skelter sitting on my nightstand. I need to start digging into it soon! Good luck with your goals this week!

  6. Kitty Murry January 21, 2015 at 6:04 pm Reply

    That Manson books sounds fascinating! And, wow, your word count for the month is awesome. Have a fantastic week!

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:33 am Reply

      Thank you! I hope you have a great week too.

  7. Carrie January 21, 2015 at 6:06 pm Reply

    Watching series that fit the genre of the book you are planning is such a great idea! I’ve never consciously done this before but I love it. Will definitely try this 🙂

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:33 am Reply

      Good luck! I hope it helps.

  8. Katy Upperman January 21, 2015 at 6:24 pm Reply

    I’m intrigued by HELTER SKELTER. Sometimes I really enjoy reading true crime, and they way Manson controlled people is fascinating and frightening. Maybe I’ll read that one soon! Best of luck with your writing this week, Majanka!

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:33 am Reply

      Thank you! The book has a great writing style, quite down to earth, and very detailed. I’m enjoying it a lot.

  9. Niki Lenz January 21, 2015 at 9:08 pm Reply

    TV is always great inspiration! That’s what I tell myself, anyway!

  10. Jaime Morrow January 21, 2015 at 9:21 pm Reply

    Wow! 22878 words is great for the month! 😀
    I’m all about watching series/movies that feel similar to the story I’m working on. Between that and reading books in the same vein, there’s nothing quite like it for inspiration. Good luck with your edits this week!

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:32 am Reply

      Thank you! I hope to add some more words to that number. I’d like to finish this one WIP, but I doubt that’ll work. Fingers crossed though.

  11. Kris F. Oliver January 22, 2015 at 2:18 pm Reply

    I agree, watching series in the same vein as your WiP’s is a definite help. But of course, that miiiight just be my excuse for watching more Netflix. *grin*

    Hope you have a great week! And with all that writing and editing and studying, make sure you take some time just for you. You deserve it. 🙂

    • admin January 23, 2015 at 10:32 am Reply

      Hehe, yes, you’re right, I should take some time for myself. I’m just always so busy sometimes I forget to take a break! But Netflix is helpful for that 😉

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

captcha *

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

Subscribe By Email
Join my minions and get freebies and updates!

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with new releases, freebies, giveaways, upcoming books, receive marketing tips and writing tips straight in your mailbox, and much more.

Socialize

  Follow on Bloglovin

Chronicles of Blood

Sign up today.

Categories

Dark Fiction

I also write horror and dark fiction as M. Verstraete. Visit my author blog by clicking on the banner below.

Ghost Slayer Series


Release Date: April 24, 2018
Preorder Ghost Slayer on Amazon.

The Adventures of Marisol Holmes


Release Date: October, 2018
Add A Study in Shifters, the first book in the series, on Goodreads.

Angel of Death Series


Go here to find out more about the Angel of Death series (YA paranormal).

Mirrorland

Go here to find out more about the Mirrorland series (YA Dark Fantasy).

Valentina’s Spooky Adventures


More about my picture books here.

Weirdville


More about my chapter books here.

Also available as audiobooks.

Networked Blogs

Follow this blog

LinkyFollowers

Sims 4 Stories

Do you like my books or writing? I also write Sims 4 stories for fun.

Work in Progress

I'm currently working on the first draft for The Sign of The Serpent, the second book in "The Adventures of Marisol Holmes" series.

Recent Posts

Book Spotlight Blast: Daughter of the Sun
Apr 20, 2018
Real Haunted Houses: The Lemp Mansion
Apr 18, 2018
Real Haunted Houses: Joshua Ward House
Apr 11, 2018

Popular Posts

What's Up Wednesday #9
22 Comments
What's Up Wednesday #10
19 Comments
What's Up Wednesday #12
18 Comments

Contact

© 2013-2015 Majanka Verstraete