Sonya Cheney

Writer. Witch. Creatrix.

finding my footing in hybrid scrapbooking.

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Target dollar spot glitter; an old Ali Edwards journaling card; handmade mini envelopes

I love crafts. It’s a blanket statement because I tend to bounce around from one thing to another: knitting, quilting, cross stitch, and, most recently, watercolor. I love having options when it comes to expressing my creativity and personality, and sometimes I just want the challenge of something new or less frequently tried. But–I also still adore my computer.

I feel like I’ve always been a computer person. When I was in elementary school and they started putting them in classrooms, I was hooked. I had a VTech personal learning computer when I was small. And some of my closest friendships have been made using the internet. Between, oh, 2006 and–um–last September I would be online until all hours of the night, sometimes watching YouTube, sometimes chatting with friends, sometimes just frying my brain. It’s part of why I love blogging so much, and why I love playing around in Photoshop and InDesign. There’s just something about the keys clacking and the cursor moving across the screen that gives me a dopamine kick.

Last year was the first time I started a scrapbooking project with Finn’s baby book (which I still have two or three months to finish within, but let’s not focus on that right now), and since then I’ve been inundating myself with options, styles, and inspiration. I’ve joined the Awesome Ladies Project and discovered this whole new world of creativity. And now? I’m doing December Daily for the first time. I started thinking about it in September, if not even earlier, and since then I’ve been hemming and hawing over how I want to do it. Fully digital and printed into a Blurb book? Pocket pages like Finn’s baby book? For a while I was set on the idea of just getting a spiral bound mixed media pad and assembling the whole thing within that. I really thought that was going to be the winner. But then, none of these options quite seemed to fit. I loved it all but it didn’t make me as excited as the final answer seems to be doing.

an Ali Edwards 6×8 album; a watercolor wreath I painted; more mini envelopes

That answer?

Hybrid scrapbooking.

I love kits. I love ordering kits and subscribing to kits, but I also know that I don’t always use all of the elements within them. Over the last few smaller projects I’ve worked on (an Art of Noticing book for the month of September and a Halloween/horror movie book for October), I’ve realized what kit pieces I like to use physically and which I can be happy to use in digital form. I’m not a big journaling card user, for example, but I love chip boards, die cuts, and papers. I love the texture and dimension that can come with adding ephemera to a page. I’m also a huge fan of physical stamping; I enjoy a good messy stamped background. If it’s not crisp and clean, I just think that adds character.

With a digital kit, I can include (and even print, cut, and attach) the elements and ephemera I want in a layout without worrying about wasting other pieces that I just don’t love. And can we talk about the typewriter fonts that you can get when typing journaling on the computer? How did I not think of that sooner when I was doing it for years in my zines?

I know; my lack of awareness is mind blowing.

a wood veneer from Elle’s studio; a set of dollar spot gift tags from Target

To say I’ve been obsessing over my December Daily would be an understatement, but to finally realize the best way to make it work for me feels like a nerdy game changer. I am still entirely new to this craft and creative outlet, but the fact that I can use it to combine so many other things that I love–let’s circle back to that recent watercolor endeavor–is just wonderful.

What kinds of crafts do you love? Do you scrapbook? How do you prefer to do your storytelling and memory keeping?

nanowrimo 2020 | surivival kit + rewards

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November is closing in on us, fellow writers.

Like I mentioned previously, part of my prep for NaNoWriMo is setting myself up with a so-called “survival kit” and planning out some rewards to keep me motivated as I go along–because no matter how exciting it can be to write a whole-ass novel, it can also be a slog, and those rewards will for sure help to keep me going on the days I feel stuck.

Firstly, the survival kit:

  • Wite-Out + Post-Its // I prefer the tape style of Wite-Out, but I’ve also got liquid on hand just in case it becomes necessary.
  • My favorite pens // I am–unsurprisingly–very particular about pens. I’ve changed favorites over the years, but I do believe that the Uniball Signo Micro 207s are my new forever favorite as far as gel goes, and I’m a Pigma Micron 02 fan for a more felt tip style.
  • My Passion Planner // I’ve already blocked out days that I know I won’t be able to write and adjusted my daily word count accordingly. I also plan to write down each day’s word count and total at the end of the day as I go for a nice little physical track record.
  • My “story bible” // I bought this notebook at Michaels for, oh, five dollars or so one day when I first got the idea for this novel back in the spring and I honestly didn’t realize how much it would come in handy. It includes my physical mood board, character bios, various idea dumps. There’s an entire page dedicated to the idea of “New England Gothic” as far as my story ambiance goes. It’s possibly one of the most useful tools in my kit.
  • Scrivener // Now, Scrivener is just as useful and it is so fancy and handy, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessary. Nonetheless, I love it. I’ve had Scrivener for seven years or so. I’ve written two novels on it (writing is as far as they’ve gotten). This novel is the first time I’ve really dived deep into what Scrivener can do, and I’m still learning how to make the best of it. Subtool? YouTube. I have watched–and still watch–so many YouTube tutorials on Scrivener, and I am so glad to have it in my toolkit.
  • Dropbox + a USB drive // Two copies–because better safe than sorry.
  • Earbuds + music // Obviously.
  • Fingerless mitts // The office likes to get coldcoldcold because our house isn’t insulated and the heating ducts only run along the first floor. Layers will be a necessity for November.

It’s still early, so I expect to come up with more things before November comes along. (In fact, I remembered my mitts after I started taking photos of my desk.)

And now, the really exciting bit: rewards! Of course, having a finished novel manuscript can be the reward in itself, but who doesn’t want a little extra motivation along the way?

  • 5,000 words // A cupcake from a local bakery or cafe–because who doesn’t love a little something sweet for motivation.
  • 10,000 words // A new horror DVD because who doesn’t love a little bit of inspiration when working on a horror story?
  • 25,000 words // Everyday Slouchy Beanie kit by Dragon Hoard Yarn Co–I think I think I think in the “Feather Fancy” colorway kit.
  • 40,000 words // A new book. Because obviously.
  • 50,000 words // A whole bunch of yarn for a Bigfoot yoke sweater I recently designed with the Tin Can Knits Strange Brew pattern.

I’m also planning to have a stash of Halloween candy on hand for a piece or two every, oh, thousand words perhaps. I have Clear Correct aligners for my teeth, so it’s a bit of an event to eat nowadays, but I think if I set aside a piece at every thousand and then just eat them at the end of each day, it won’t be such a hassle.

it’s just not my thing. (and that’s okay!)

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I think I’m quitting YouTube.

That’s not the biggest revelation given that I’ve only made three videos, but after making a couple of podcast episodes and a time lapse, I’m not sure I love videography. The time lapse was probably the most fun I had of the three, and I do hope to make more of those as I improve, but the podcast–it just isn’t my thing.

Working in video a few times reminded me of how much I love (and prefer) writing and blogging, and in fact it’s inspired me to approach my blog in a few new ways. I want to write more about my knitting. I want to write more about what I’m reading. I want to write more in general. Writing is my best mode of communication; my thoughts run much too slowly for video, I think, and that’s okay. The number of times I would just stare blankly while filming, trying to remember what I was saying or figure out how to say it was just not efficient enough for me. I much prefer the low-key, low-stress approach of sitting down with a coffee or tea and typing to my heart’s content without feeling the pressure of the silence as I think–in part because I can play music in the background as I work.

I guess to say I’m “quitting YouTube” is a little overdramatic. I was pretty flexible and uncommitted from the beginning. I am taking the thoughts and ideas I had for the channel, though, and planning to find ways to incorporate them here. Also, I’m still considering the idea of live streams while writing and knitting–but maybe I should just join in other people’s streams instead. Maybe I’m not the hosting type for this kind of thing. I’m okay with that. I’m not going to lie; it’s a little disappointing to realize it’s not my “thing,” but I’m also not in love with it, and at least I tried.

To be honest, my biggest concern is that no one is interested in reading my blog. It does take more effort than watching a YouTube video (or twelve, as I am known to do during nap time), and it’s not always as easy to subscribe these days to keep up with posts. As usual, I have a lot of thoughts and I don’t know how to communicate them all–which is part of why I’m leaning into writing and blogging more than the more immediate craft of vlogging and podcasting. I’m much more eloquent in the written form.

I have a lot going on at the moment–oh, how hard I am working on Preptober!–but I want to finallyfinallyfinally sit down and make something of a schedule because, honestly, I kind of just forget about my blog sometimes. I have so many ideas but get distracted by other things (including Finn, which is totally reasonable, but still). What I really need is, as usual, a list. A list and a routine. A daily check in to remind myself of my goals because I spend a lot of my time doing laundry and I do not want to spend all of my time doing that.

preptober + nanowrimo 2020.

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October 1.

Preptober is here and that means we are now on a thirty-one-day countdown to NaNoWriMo 2020. If you were someone thinking, “Quarantine will give me all the time I need to write a novel,” only to…not do it, allow me to recommend the mind numbing race to fifty-thousand words that is National Novel Writing Month.

But first: Preptober.

I might have been looking forward to this month even more than November–not just because it is Officially Spooky Season but also because I like planning and scheduling, note taking and productively procrastinating. And that is what Preptober is all about. For the past few days, I’ve even been planning for Preptober, making a To Do list of ways I want to get ready for NaNoWriMo. Some items might be silly (create a survival kit; make a novel playlist/soundtrack) and some are pretty reasonable (write an outline; figure out my November schedule), but my fingertips are itching at the thought of each one of them.

Let’s hash them out, shall we?

Preptober 2020 To Do

Write character bios // I love writing character biographies and taking the opportunity to flesh out a character before actually committing them to a page. I never quite get past the main character or two before starting to write, but I feel like this time around I want to really understand my side characters just as much as my MC. And any reference I can create for myself as I go along is going to prove useful. (I’m imagining something along the lines of the “show bible,” if you listen to the Office Ladies podcast.)

Fill out NaNoWriMo website profile + create project // Nothing too strenuous here; just updating my NaNoWriMo profile (I even changed my username), creating my project on the site, and then having a little fun with Pinterest and Spotify. I’ve dabbled in mood boards and playlists/soundtracks for novels, but I’m really committing to the idea this year. In between the more “serious” Preptober activities, I need to be sure to throw in a little fun here and there.

Plan milestone rewards // We can all agree that motivation is good, and what’s more motivating than finishing a novel? Treating yourself along the way. I’m thinking small things as I reach certain word count milestones, i.e., a new book at the halfway mark, and then something a little bigger and more exciting upon completion. I’m not sure what that big reward will be, but I’m already kind of excited about it.

Meal prep // I already tend to (try to) plan weekly meals on Sundays, even if I cook them throughout the week. My goal here is to go a little bigger and plan all, or most, of November’s meals early on, even making some to freeze beforehand so they can be easily heated up in the oven by Dan or myself while I get writing in. I spend most of the day with Finn, aside from nap time, and I’m pretty sure he’s getting more active each day, so I’m already thinking most of my writing will get done after Dan is done work for the day, which brings me to my next point…

Figure out (and/or clear) November schedule // I try to write appointments and events on our kitchen calendar far in advance if I can remember, so I’m hoping this will help make this to do item relatively quick. If there’s nothing on the calendar already, then I’m hoping to avoid adding much, if anything, for the month.

Create a daily writing schedule/ritual // My days are, generally, predictable, so this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. The rough idea right now is to set aside about two hours at the end of the day to get writing in. This might be after Finn goes to bed (so between about 7:30 and 9:30) or I might give Dan and Finn some guy time in the afternoons (between 5 and 7). Honestly, I might even rotate between the two. It’s a work in progress. I do know that I’ll be selecting myself a special writing candle that I’ll burn as I work because why the hell not?

Write a novel outline // Possibly my favorite part, and if I’m honest, one that I’ve already started in earnest. I’m planning on working on the novel I started earlier this year, around May or June, and October is going to be a time for tightening up the outline I’ve already made. The first version was written in the three-act story structure outline style, which I love. However, I also finished reading Save the Cat! Writes a Novel recently and am enamored with the beat sheet, so I intend to combine the two to come up with a really solid outline to move into November with.

Create a survival kit // Snacks. Hydration. Ambiance (see the aforementioned candle). Simple things that, I think, will make a world of difference when the time comes.

Plan how to save/back up files // I think we can all agree that this is the most important on the list. You can go into November completely blind–no NaNoWriMo account, no outline, nothing. But to go in without some way to save your work? That’s just foolish. One of my biggest fears–at least as a writer–is losing any of the work I hold dear and/or have put a lot of time and effort into, so I’m thinking of having multiple backup approaches.

This is far from my first year doing NaNoWriMo, but it is the first in which I’m taking advantage of Preptober and going hardcore Planner. Other years I’ve done a combination of approaches, and my most successful are always the ones with at least some planning done. (All of my Pantser years have been Epic Fails.) I think, if I really put the effort into Preptober, I can take a lot of the pressure off of myself in November to maybe, just maybe, get myself another win in the…books. (Ugh. Yeah. I said that.)

Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? If so, how are you preparing?