The main event of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) would never quite work for me whenever it came around. Whether it was just how busy I was with other commitments at the time, or that I couldn't quite think of a decent project idea I cared about enough to prepare for before I began, let alone to even just write regardless.
​But that's where Camp NaNoWriMo came into the picture, which often was the alternative I often took, from when I first began and now still to this day. This post is for those who have started into Camp NaNoWriMo this month, or are planning to for the upcoming one in July.
​And for those interested in NaNoWriMo, but unsure with where to start.

Reason 1: You can choose your word count & what kind of story you want to write.
The first and best reason to do Camp NaNoWriMo which has benefited me the most. Let's say, instead of the full length 50,000k novel that NaNoWriMo normally challenges, what if you wanted to do a short story or perhaps a novella?
Well, that's how exactly the Camp version could be beneficial. Now instead of having to feel pressured to write the required amount during a busy November, you can add in your desired word count number and pull it off to your heart's content.

Reason 2: There are two optional month events instead of the only one.
And speaking of time periods, unlike the main event which only occurs in the autumn month of which it has part of its title, Camp NaNoWriMo occurs on the two months of April and July. Although these months could be just as challenging to do as the former, depending on your project and how it is for your daily routine at those given times,  it's a lot easier to get into when it's on a month that you're more confident in finishing, as well as more time to be flexible if necessary.

Reason 3: It's more about the enjoyment of writing, and not just the word count goal.
With the two examples above adding to comparisons between each event, it really makes a big difference with the overall writing experience. I can say this especially, as most of my writing that I managed to get further with my projects from the Camp events than compared to the original event. At least, whenever I tried the latter but often failed to truly succeed. And even today for this current Camp, I am doing it to attempt in finishing my current short story project. And one that I hope to share more details about in the very near future.

Now what are your thoughts on Camp NaNoWriMo, and how do you think it compares to the main event? And most of all, have you tried it yourself?  Comment below, share this post, and subscribe for more content coming soon this month!

So...I am still alive. Barely mind you, as due to the uncertainty and stress involving the kitchen extension and having to temporarily move out to accommodate that - and then on top of moving back in less than a week ago, also getting ill. It's only now, after three months into 2022, during of which I've turned 20, and also been slowly but surely upgrading my stuff in more ways than compared to what I had before, that my creative energy is gradually reviving.

Which isn't to say  I haven't been active on other things elsewhere; my Discord server is doing well with the voice chat sessions I've managed to host over the past few months,  my new PC has made a difference with related tasks even with its own limitations. Even my reading habit that's been at a rather low pace for a long time, is finally coming back again. But when it comes other areas, like my writing and attempts at YouTube videos, it's a whole different story; a pretty depressing one at that. Okay the writing side hasn't been as bad, but still not productive as I hoped. Now with those explanations out of the way, here's my update/advisory tips from my experience of the last two years of chaos.

​1. Sometimes, your muse needs a break as much as you do.
This is a weird lesson I've found, that is kind of the opposite from what I had first learned in my early days of improving my writing - particularly in my teen years, which weren't too long ago. Now of course, forgetting about your "creative muse" shouldn't be the end result - as that's the end of things if anything else - but having it on your mind on trying to get it back all the time isn't going to help as an instant cure.

The causes and side-effects can vary depending on your current situation; in my case, it was being too overworked on other tasks as well as creative ones, that I ended up losing vision on what direction I was meant to go and bullet points to aim towards. In essence, I was (and still somewhat am) lost.

But all hope isn't gone if one continues to keep sight that hope is on the horizon, and that your muse will soon return. Literally.

2. Personal responsibilities mustn't be forgotten over creativity.
An obvious lesson, but one of the hardest I've had to go through, given how uncertain everything all was, and still is right now. A good life matters, a happy family matters, and having a stable home matters. And sometimes that requires sacrifice of time and energy over what you may love to do the most for a time...

Okay, that sounds a bit overdramatic in some sense, but in one way, it's true to the tough phases that happen in life. The fact is, finding that balance between personal life and creative life is an ongoing brawl. One of which that does get respite, but not on a regular appearance. 
In short, life is hard. It sometimes sucks, and sometimes it doesn't. What more can I say?

​3. Not everything will turn out in the way you intended, and that's okay.
The one I've always come back to for years, no matter how much I try to avoid it. Whether it's tech crashing whilst working on a YouTube project, or finding complications with setting up extensions to my website (like my newsletter), it can be mentally and emotionally draining when it doesn't quite work. 

​To keep sane through it all is a challenge on its own, and dealing with these failures only adds onto the pain and pressure that's already there. Truth is,  trying to keep motivated even when things go wrong - which I can say for the past two years in particular - is something of an understatement. Plus to accept the current ebb and flow in such a season, as well to be prepared for it, takes time to perfect.

And as one particular iconic anime character quoted:

...Yeah this post is not quite my best, and definitely not the comeback I was hoping it would be.  But putting feelings into words  - especially on a personal topic I've wrestled with for awhile -  has kind of come out messy. But with things settling a little once again, I hope to return to more regular posting again on more fun stuff again. Especially as I have Camp NaNoWriMo  starting in less than a couple of months, which I plan to use for an all new short story project. ;) Hope all is well with you, and that the last two months have been in your favour. Stay safe, writerly readers.

With plans not quite coming together as sooner than I hoped (mainly involving the newsletter idea, which has led to me struggling to sign into my MailChimp account that was barely created and finding decent alternatives that remains ongoing), I haven't been able to get a lot of time to ponder on what else to start this blog besides one on books. That is, until now, after reflecting on my rewatch of a particular movie from 2006 called The Nativity Story.

 For the curious minds reading right now, I hadn't seen this film in many years, and only on one occasion. But upon seeing it again last week, one of the favourite aspects I loved about it from seeing with older eyes was the music. Which upon checking, turned out to be by one of my favourite film composers (who you'll soon find out which one it is). It then reminded me of the writing playlists I briefly did on my previous blog, which highlighted some examples of music I'd come across either based from memory of stuff I've watched, or even new discoveries I found when browsing through YouTube. 

But while those were more just a general showcase, this is one I want to go more in depth, highlighting specific composers, what work they've done, and why I like them.

Main Top Three:

3. Harry Gregson-Williams
One of the first I began listening to in my early days of starting my fantasy novel, Gregson-Williams's Narnia scores were what brought me immersed into my imagination with the scenes I began to write. Although I've still yet to listen through more of his work (as well as his brother Rupert's music), the scores I have listened to are what placed him in this list.
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Example Tracks:
Only The Beginning Of The Adventure  (The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe - 2005)
Prepare For Battle*  (Prince Caspian - 2008)      *An Extended Track which is only available on YouTube
Dastan and Tamina Escape (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - 2010)

​2. Mychael Danna
Other than The Nativity Story which I only saw once as a kid, the later films with Danna's scores were ones I saw much later. But as of now, I've come to really love his most recent examples, Life of Pi, which won the Oscar for Best Original Score in 2012, and The Breadwinner, that was co-collaborated with his brother Jeff Danna, particularly for its Eastern influences and instruments that permeate throughout its tracks. Which I've found has become a bit of a pattern for specific music genres I like, especially with soundtrack and ambience. And given that Eastern inspired tracks rarely stand out in most mainstream films makes Danna's only more special.
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​Example Tracks:
 The Magi (The Nativity Story - 2006)
Tsimstum (Life of Pi - 2012)
Raise Your Words (The Breadwinner - 2019)

1. Hans Zimmer
A very famous and rather divisive composer, Zimmer encapsulated most of the movies I've seen over the years. From the grand epics of The Prince of Egypt, The Last Samurai, Gladiator,  the adventurous blockbusters with The Pirates of The Caribbean, to even other animated films like The Lion King and Kung Fu Panda movies, to name a few. And more recently, Inception, Interstellar and Dune, which are my favourites of his electronic sci-fi scores (with his superhero based ones besides Batman Begins being hit and miss, at least for my tastes).

Example Tracks:
The Burning Bush (The Prince of Egypt - 1998)
One Day  (Pirates of The Caribbean: The World's End - 2007)
Herald of The Change (Dune - 2021)

Honourable Mentions:

John Powell
A smaller but prominent name in animated scores, even collaborating with Harry Gregson-Williams with Chicken Run and Hans Zimmer on the Kung Fu Panda series.

Example Tracks:
We Need A Miracle (Chicken Run - 2000)
​Forbidden Friendship (How To Train Your Dragon - 2008)
Hero (Kung Fu Panda - 2008)

Vangelis
While best known for the opening track from its Oscar winning score to Chariots of Fire, he's done a few more film scores like Blade Runner, 1492: Conquest to Paradise, and Alexander, as well as original music such as Juno To Jupiter that just released this year.

Abraham's Theme (Chariots of Fire -1981)
Damask Rose (Blade Runner -1982)
Conquest of Paradise (1492: Conquest of Paradise -1992)

​David Arnold
Although he's done mostly TV scores in the past decade (including BBC's Sherlock), his movie scores go back as far as Independence Day and James Bond films from the 90s and 2000s.
Here are the ones from films I have seen:

We Have Hope (Amazing Grace  - 2006)
Opening Title  (Voyage of The Dawn Treader - 2010)
A Little Talk With Paul  (Paul - 2011)

And that's my post on my favourite composers and example scores.  I hope to make this a series but  with the next one potentially being on gaming, or on other different themes, though it'll take a bit of time to compile together. What are your favourites and why? And what tracks from such scores do you like?
Comment below and don't forget to subscribe and follow for more coming soon!

 As I write this, it's pouring rain outside and a white van towing a small digger stays parked outside, while builders change the gas pipes on the other side of my house. Thankfully the worst of the blaring sounds from the van have quietened down a little earlier, at least for now, so I have a bit of peace and quiet for the time being. But before I begin this review, I'm going to mention one major change with my book reviews in particular - and that is I'll be ditching the Goodreads form of star ratings and having it be more in line with the likes of Letterboxd.
Mainly because the latter has a better rating system that works with having half stars as well as ones, rather than the former which doesn't share that option. So keep that mind as I start with these new reviews moving forward. And now, for a double book review:

Book 1: The Healing
Synopsis: Driven to despair by heart-breaking betrayal, nobleman Philip de Braose has lost faith in God and man. Working as a soldier for hire, he recklessly seeks death and is brutally injured, only for rescue to come in the unlikely form of a Cistercian monk. This joy-filled, kind and compassionate man walks alongside Philip as his body slowly recovers and he is forced to confront the more painful wounds within. As they travel from France to an Abbey deep in his Welsh homeland, Philip disguises himself as a Cistercian and begins to rediscover the man God always intended him to be. But when his past invades the present, his newly awakened faith is challenged by long-buried dreams and he must decide if he can live a life devoted to God outside the Abbey’s walls.
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Earlier last night I finished my read of The Healing, upon first hearing about it months before, on a local Facebook group I follow where the author promoted her recent novel and its novella The Beloved. And with its premise of a seemingly dead soldier disguised as a monk set in 13th Century Wales and France, it naturally piqued my interest.

I'll start off with the few positives, such as the researched details of the time period that are mentioned which definitely hold some weight and depth. The descriptions of these and the locations are the main highlights that I mostly enjoyed. Philip and Hywel had some good scenes as the main characters, with their scenes  of the latter mentoring the other being fairly enjoyable. However, as I reflect on it, the word that constantly comes to my mind about is potential. Overall, the setup for an interesting historical drama with religious themes is all there, but the execution is very much hit and miss.

I confess to be pretty conflicted over it, as I somewhat liked the beginning chapters even when the story's main flaws started to appear. But when certain third act twists and revelations occur but in a very rushed manner, made me only wish there'd have been more focus on those moments much earlier on than compared to what I got. Especially with much of the scenes being on Hywel discussing the matters of religious conversion, which aren't entirely out of place for a story about monks, do often repeat its statements and slows down the pace of the story a bit too much. A lot is told to us about the Cistercians and their way of life that's certainly fascinating, but never shown further beyond a few brief mentions here and there.
It reminded me a lot of Big Men's Boots by Emily Barroso in that regard, which was another novel set in Wales I'd read a few years ago but based during the Welsh Revivals, rather than the medieval era. I do commend Margetts for the effort put in with sharing this time and characters of Welsh history for a debut story, which are concepts I want to see more of living in Wales myself. But in terms of Christian historical fiction, it's not really my cup of tea.

Rating: 2.5/5

​Amazon Link                                                

Book 2: The Beloved
Synopsis: When love whispers, will the heart respond?
A young woman unsure of herself and not ready to open her heart. A young man sure of his feelings but clumsy in his approach. Both have a lot to learn about the true nature of love. This story takes them on a journey of discovery, which causes them both to come to a place of understanding, that will ultimately alter the direction of their lives. It isn’t only an understanding of human love that needs to touch their souls, but the realisation of the unconditional love that God offers them. 

There isn't much to say about this novella, other than that it's both a bit better and also more of the same.  It's a fine enough story as a sequel but like its predecessor, is quite preachy and again, more telling than showing.  A light read but not a lot more about it to really discuss.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Rating: 2/5

​Amazon Link                                               
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And there ends my book reviews - a bit shorter than others I've done, but it'll do for today.
If you have read The Healing or The Beloved, share your thoughts down below in the comments!

Hello writerly friends, and welcome to Writerly Observance! 
With moving from my old site to this new one, I have both a lot of ideas and also some tasks I still have to complete in the mean time. Such as promoting my debut short story, which I'm continuing to process on being a published author alongside all the other stuff I am doing. Like finding this blog site to already be way better than Blogger, at least right now. xD
Speaking of which, my story The Haunted Huntsman   is finally out on Apple Books and listed on Goodreads (and for those who missed the previous post from my original blog, here's the Amazon page)! And don't forget to share your thoughts on Goodreads about it and also the other stories of the Whitstead Harvestide Anthology. It's been a very supportive group of authors and writers who helped me on my debut journey, since I first discovered them via Realm Makers page on Facebook. So thus, deserve a lot of love as well!

Okay, back to my main topics. Firstly, my upcoming content!

The New Blog & How It'll Work (Mostly):
Other than the occasional odd or special post, I plan to have them released on a Wednesday like before. However, unless I get a really good spark of an idea, I won't be doing as many on writing related topics just yet. Instead, I'll be starting off with some indie book reviews (mostly of ones I've needed to catch up on awhile earlier but wasn't able to).

Upcoming Newsletter Plans:
So. This is a new avenue I've been thinking about and one that is the natural path for me to take after blogging. And one that can especially useful if I'm unable to blog regularly during some potential busy times. Starting later this month, once I've figured out a bit more with this website, will there be monthly newsletters released via email going into further detail about my writing progress, early project teaser reveals, fun extras like character/story quizzes, and much more!
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​ My Fantasy Novel Third Draft In Progress:
If you've been following me for awhile, and also noticed the progress bar on my Portfolio page, you'd know that my main novel is still undergoing edits. And as for any recent update, well...it's getting there. Slowly, but surely, I think, it's getting there. Keeping myself motivated about it has certainly been a big factor into the struggle of moving further on with my current edits. Though one of its biggest causes is that, with having to expand on the ideas to come for my future sequels in this series, means I have to make sure the first one has to match up with these details in a consistent, logical way. So, much to my younger self's optimism turning to disappointment, it's taking a lot more time than I once expected it to. This includes other related projects like my story/series "Wikia" on World Anvil (mainly for my Discord server but potentially for here too), that I hoped to release its first few info pages earlier in the year, which also hasn't turned out to be the case.

But all is not entirely lost...

Other Projects:
While my main project is still in a bit of slump, I have been getting short story/novella ideas that I plan to begin or continue with in the coming months into 2022! On top of this, there is also my first YouTube video - that's also taking some time but coming along sooner than later - which I hope to release later this month or early in December. As for smaller examples like sketches, I have a to do list on what to potentially start with next - it's just picking the right one to begin with is that is my main dilemma. And for my socials and support profiles like Ko-fi and Patreon, I plan to develop some smaller merch to start for the former for you guys as well!

In the meantime, here's the link to my extended sites for any who are new here!

debzykwriter.carrd.co

And that is where my first blog post on this site comes to a close.
What are your thoughts on my new direction, and what would you want to see me do in the near future? Comment below what you think, and subscribe for more posts and bonus content coming your way very soon! :)