November came and went like a blur––for those of us writing NaNoWriMo, it was 30 days of consistent (or not so consistent) writing right up until the end. But now we’re faced with the challenge of what we’re going to do now that NaNoWriMo is over.
We have a couple of options available to us: take a break, continue writing our work in progress, or begin your editing journey.
Taking a Break
I want you to know that taking a break from your writing is completely acceptable. In fact, I strongly encourage it. Make plans for your weekend, see friends you didn’t get to see during NaNoWriMo, and take time for yourself.
This goes for everyone who did and did not write those 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo. November was a month full of creativity and writing, but it was also a time of stress. And it is important to listen to our bodies and take note of our mental health. A part of that is making sure that we’re having a moment of pause.
I’m not saying to just shove your writing aside for the next month––that’s actually not something I recommend doing. But it is important to take a few days or the weekend to just enjoy time to yourself.
Taking a break is especially important for those who not only finished NaNoWriMo but also finished their novel. It is recommended to take a break after writing your first draft so you can look at with fresh eyes.
Continue Writing Your Work in Progress
Another option is to continue writing. This option is great for those of you who may not have written the 50,000 words in NaNoWriMo or have not finished writing your novel.
I wrote 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo, but my novel is still not over. I only got until chapter 21 of my 27 chapter novel, which means I still have writing to do before my first draft of my novel is complete. So for the first half of December, I will continue to write my novel and ideally finish it by mid-December where I will then put it away and focus on another work in progress until I’m ready to begin the editing process.
Begin Your Editing Journey
I know there are some of you who may have finished your novel during NaNoWriMo. Congratulations! That is amazing and I am so proud of you.
That being said, I recommend taking a break before diving into your editing journey. You’ve been in your characters’ world for an entire month and it might be good to go out, experience the real world, and then edit your novel.
Editing your novel can take a while and it is be easier said than done. Regardless, take a deep breath and begin to work on editing your novel––one page at a time. You may find that you need to rewrite entire chapters, or you may need a few simple edits. It really depends on your writing and editing style.
No matter what you decide to do during December, pick a path and stick to it. I am so proud of everyone who participated in NaNoWriMo and I cannot wait to see what we all accomplish next.
We are two days away from NaNoWriMo. All of us are buzzing with excitement. But as you get hyped up for NaNoWriMo, I want you to take a deep breath and slow down.
Take A Look Around
Assess where you are right now versus where you want to be during NaNoWriMo. If your plan is to write every day for NaNoWriMo, then do you already know where you’ll carve time out of your daily life to do that? If one of your writing goals is to do research for your story, then do you already know what days you’ll be researching and what resources you’ll need to pull from?
Really take a look around. Determine where your starting point is and know what changes you need to make come Tuesday in order to achieve your goals.
This is where planning out your day comes in handy. Before you even begin planning out your new daily schedule for November, you should sit down and determine where you are right now. I’m not just talking about where your time is going. I’m also talking about where you are starting concerning your goals for NaNoWriMo.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself to determine where you are right now:
Am I doing anything right now to accomplish these goals without even having started my month?
What is my current day-to-day schedule like?
What is my current mindset like?
What is my current physical well-being like?
Am I willing to tackle these goals?
These questions are important to ask yourself before you dive headfirst into NaNoWriMo.
Setting Yourself Up for Success
Once you’ve figured out where you are right now, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll set yourself up for success. Knowing what you need to do in order to achieve your NaNoWriMo goals is key. Do not go into NaNoWriMo unprepared.
Ask yourself the following questions to help set you up for success:
What will I do to accomplish my goals in November?
What do I need to change in my day-to-day schedule to accomplish those goals?
What do I need to change in my mindset to accomplish those goals?
What do I need to change in my physical well-being to accomplish those goals?
What will I do to enforce will-power to tackle those goals?
A lot of those questions are things that we have been talking about over the course of Preptober, so you should already have an idea of what needs to change for November. Take today and tomorrow to flesh out your answers a bit more.
Becoming the Top 10%
There are tons of people everywhere looking to complete NaNoWriMo, but did you know that only about 10-15% of NaNoWriMo participants actually finish? That means that about 90% of people don’t complete NaNoWriMo.
I’ve already seen some fellow writers getting extremely excited about NaNoWriMo. And there’s nothing wrong with that––I hope you’re at least somewhat excited about NaNoWriMo. But I also hope that by now you have some sort of daily, weekly, and month-long plan to get there. And if not, get to work on it. We have one whole day left before we’re in the thick of it.
You see, the excitement for NaNoWriMo will begin to die down by the end of week one, going into week two. And if you have only your excitement, motivation, and passion to lean on, know that all of that will fade. Those same people who at the beginning of the month are getting overly excited are usually the same people who do not finish at the end of the month because all they had was their excitement to rely on.
So what do we lean on when the excitement fades? For the top 10-15% of us, it’s grit.
Grit is something that comes with routines and consistency. Grit is the boring day-to-day grind that we do in order to achieve our goals despite the obstacles and despite the nay-sayers.
And trust me: NaNoWriMo, if done correctly, is boring. And it should be boring because writing becomes a habit. You are sitting down to write 50,000 words over the course of a month. By plugging away daily at your word count at the same time every single day, you are taking away the element of excitement that so many people thrive on: the ‘what if’ scenarios.
Those ‘what if’ scenarios I’m talking about are the adrenaline rush moments that could have been avoided with a bit of planning and preparation. If you’ve ever had to meet a deadline and had to work on a project until the last minute, then you know that feeling. It’s a whirl of excitement––a moment where your emotions are going wild and your hands are shaking to cross the finish line.
The same thing can happen during NaNoWriMo due to a lack of planning and strategy. I am telling you: do not chase that adrenaline rush. Instead, take a moment now to plan out the day-to-day grind so you do not have try to rush to the finish line at the end of the month at the last second.
Have you heard of the tortoise and the hare? The random burst of energy hare lost while the slow and steady tortoise won. Winning NaNoWriMo is the same thing. Do not become the hare. Become the slow and steady tortoise and you’ll become a part of the 10% to win NaNoWriMo.
So while everyone else is getting super excited and ready to rush into NaNoWriMo––remember to take it slow and go at your own pace. Take a deep breath before you dive in.
Morning routines. They’re seen everywhere across the web. Entire YouTube channels are dedicated to perfecting the art of the morning routine. As writers, it is important that we establish a morning routine that works for our creativity rather than against it.
The 90 Minute Rule
Before you even begin planning for your morning routine, it’s important to note that every writer should begin their day with writing first thing in the morning. This is especially important during NaNoWriMo where we will all be striving to hit that 50,000 word count by the end of November. By rolling out of bed and heading straight for your computer or your notebook, you’re immediately eliminating the potential for any kind of procrastination later in the day.
I’m sure some of you reading this might be groaning at that. If you’re looking for quick and easy tips and tricks to getting through NaNoWriMo, I’m telling you now: there are none. The only way out of NaNoWriMo is to push through it. And pushing through NaNoWriMo means making sure that you are up earlier than you need to be to start off your day with getting your word count done.
I plan on waking up every day at five in the morning to get my writing done so I can get in at least 90 minutes of writing in before I even begin the rest of my morning routine. I’m going into November knowing that I am going to need to sacrifice sleeping in to get my word count in. You need to go into NaNoWriMo prepared to sacrifice a bit as well.
Now, I’m not saying you need to sacrifice sleep. That is not what I am saying at all. You might need to sacrifice late night outings with your friends, but I do not recommend sacrificing your sleep to get up early. Your number one priority, above getting that word count, is making sure you get enough sleep. I’ll talk more about getting to bed at a reasonable time in an upcoming post. Just know that sleep is important for you to keep your stamina up during NaNoWriMo.
If you do have the occasional late night and need to prioritize sleeping over waking up early, then just ensure that you have at least ten minutes in the morning to keep up that habit of writing first thing in the morning. The key here is to get your momentum going first thing in the morning.
What you start your day with is going to set the tone for the rest of the day. If you start your day off by achieving your word count or making an effort to achieve your word count, then you’re automatically starting out with a win.
Remember: write first thing in the morning.
Get Moving
If you have time for it in the morning, I strongly recommend you get moving after you have written. Not only will this allow you to take your mind off of your writing, but it will help with your overall health. We all know the health benefits of exercising: lowering your resting heart rate, strengthening your muscles, helping with your digestive system––the list goes on.
But as writers, did you know that exercising can help improve your creativity? I know that when I go out on a run or hit the gym, I am way more creative and productive overall.
When I was training for my half marathons, I’d have long stretches of running where I could just think. On those long runs, I’d picture key moments of my story or how my character would feel in a certain situation. It was almost meditative for me. Please know that you do not have to train for a half marathon to get a similar result. I’m just saying that when you’re exercising, it’s easy to let your mind wander. Especially as your calves burn and you’re desperate to think about anything other than the hardest part of your workout.
Moving is also extremely important because so many of us have sedentary jobs. I sit for at least eight hours a day, working my full-time job as a social media manager. That means that I’m not moving as much as I should be on a regular basis. So I know that I need to fit in a workout at least five times a week to keep myself in shape and to help with my mental health.
If you can only carve out 20 minutes of your morning routine to workout, do it. I strongly recommend doing it right after you’ve finished writing to help you transition into the rest of your day.
Feeding Your Body and Soul
Once you’ve written and worked out, I recommend taking a few minutes to work on your spirituality. Whether that’s a meditation or opening up a prayer book, you should be focused on getting in touch with your spiritual self. If you have time to do Tony Robbins’ priming exercise, definitely do that. It’s a fifteen minute visualization that can help you hone in on your goals and gets you in touch with what you want out of life.
In addition to feeding your soul, make sure you feed your body with a healthy breakfast. Grab some protein, a fat and a carb to get your day started. I like to make myself a protein smoothie or a bagel with spinach, egg and cheese in the morning. These types of meals are quick and easy and allow me to focus on other things in the morning.
Make Yourself Presentable
For the longest time, I did not wear makeup during the day. I would wake up, shower, not dry my hair and then go to work or school in a frumpy outfit. My nails would be short and bitten down to the nubs. I would feel tired, worn down and exhausted all of the time. And you know what? I looked and felt awful.
Eventually, I read Steve Harvey’s “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.” There’s a chapter in there that talks about making yourself presentable. Now, I’m not talking about dressing to the nines and wearing pinchy shoes just because they look cute. Although, if you want to do that, you’re more than welcome to. Go for it.
But just make sure that your nails are looking good. If your nail polish is chipped, take the time to either get your nails done or do them yourself. Put on clothes that make you look and feel good. Tidy up your hair and fix your makeup. Take pride in your appearance––not because you want to impress anyone, but because you love yourself enough to dress up.
Making yourself presentable is also a way to honor your writing. If you show up to write your novel in junkie sweatpants and a holed hoodie, what message are you saying to your writing? You’re telling your writing that you do not believe in it. That it is not worthy of your time to dress up for it. That it is going to be a side hustle and nothing more than a side hustle.
I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying, “Dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have.” If you dress dowdy when you write, are you really dressing for the job that you want?
Even if you’re like me and are planning on working out after you write, make sure that the sweatpants that you wear to write are nice looking. The hoodie that you wear? Not holed, that’s for sure. And your hair should be neat and tidy. And after you’re done writing and you’ve completed my workout, take a five minute shower and spend fifteen minutes putting on lotion, doing your hair, and applying makeup.
I’m worth it and so are you. So take pride in your appearance and make sure you have time in your morning routine to dress yourself up.
Plan Out Your Day
If you haven’t already planned out your day in full, I recommend planning out your day after you’ve gotten ready. It’s also a great time to check off your writing goals if you managed to write that morning. Write down your top ten goals, check of the ones that you accomplished in the morning and take a look at your day ahead.
I talked about planning out your day in an earlier post, so I won’t get too detailed here, but essentially: map out your day according to your needs and your current situation. Know where you are and where you need to be and make the appropriate changes.
Whatever your morning routine looks like, make sure that it suits your needs. Let me know in the comments section below if this was helpful and what you want your NaNoWriMo morning routine to look like.
So you have a story idea. That’s fantastic. But there might be one thing that you’re missing: your characters. The people who will take your story and carry it through to the end.
Characters are the glue that keeps your story together. They’re also what keeps the reader coming back chapter after chapter because they’re simply so like-able. You’ll have different characters, of course. You’ve got your protagonist, your antagonist, the supporting character, the character you don’t want to kill off but have to in order to move the protagonist to beat the antagonist––there are so many characters involved in story writing that it can be difficult to know where to start.
Personality Traits
If you’re writing romance like I am, I recommend starting with your two main characters first. They are the ones that the world you create will gravitate towards and they are the key driver of your story. Break down your characters according to their personality traits.
Ask yourself the question: what good traits do my characters have? Then list those out. What bad traits do my characters have? And then list those out. The key here is to have a healthy balance of both good and bad traits in each of your characters, otherwise you may end up with a Mary Sue type character that no one likes.
Check out this article for a notion called “The Minus 1 Rule.” In a nutshell: give your characters three “good” traits and one “bad” trait to make them more relatable.
For example: your heroine may be honorable, trustworthy, and loyal, but she tends to be taken advantage of because she’s so trusting. Or your hero may be brave, strong, and kind, but he’s a bit of a klutz when it comes to romance.
Context is Everything
Think about the world and the situations in which you are putting your characters. An honorable, trustworthy, loyal but gullible heroine may just have her heart broken in a chic lit novel, but may wind up getting killed in a fantasy romance novel. That brave, strong and kind but klutzy hero may be a lovable goofball in a romance novel, but might wind up messing up big time by falling in love with the wrong girl in a thriller novel.
So when you’re creating your characters, make sure you remember what genre you’re writing and plan accordingly.
Get to Know Your Characters
Now that you have their personality traits down, it’s time to start putting them in some hypothetical situations. Pick a writing prompt (like these ones) and write how each character would react to the situation. I bet each of your characters wouldn’t react the same exact way, just as people all over the world wouldn’t react the same.
As you do prompts, the character’s backgrounds will begin to unfold. Perhaps your protagonist walked to school every single day while another character got to ride the bus. Or maybe one of your characters grew up in a loving orphanage while another had a not-so-happy childhood with not-so-loving parents. Lean into these sessions and respect them for what they are: an opportunity to get to know your characters better.
Britta Colby is a writer who works for a lifestyle website part-time. She is assigned to write about her perspective and experience regarding a new fitness app called “FitMi” which includes personal coaching. Seeing this as a huge opportunity to prove her worth at work and get on board for a full-time position, she takes on the challenge.
Wes Lawson, CEO of the FitMi Fitness app, finds himself dealing with a lot of personal problems which leave him feeling alone and dissatisfied with where he is at. Deciding to focus on what he enjoys most, he gets back to coaching.
Surprise, surprise: Britta is his first new client and they hit it off immediately. Messaging through the app professionally becomes personal quickly when they start working out in-person together. And if you thought the sparks flying were hard to control online, just wait until you see how things get hot offline.
Despite the fact that Wes is really not supposed to meet with his clients in person and Britta’s writer credibility will be totally trashed if the lifestyle site she works for finds out she’s pretty much dating the CEO of the app she’s supposed to be reviewing––neither can keep away from the other.
I absolutely adored the take on body positivity in this book. As people set their new year resolutions and work towards a healthier version of themselves this year, this book reminds readers to focus on loving themselves first and foremost. So often we find flaws with our bodies in the mirror when we’re getting ready for the day, and we forget that the body we see in the mirror is the very body that allows us to breathe, get up, get moving and accomplish everything we set our minds to.
I felt like Williams made such a bold move with her willingness to tackle tough issues like dealing with someone’s rejection of how we look and venturing into eating disorder territory. She did not shy away from the hardships those struggling to get a healthy lifestyle face, and I really appreciated the honesty and the rawness of it.
I also loved the support between both Britta and Wes that went both ways. Britta was able to be there for Wes during his family problems and Wes was encouraging Britta during her moments of rejection and self doubt. I always like to see an ebb and flow––give and take between the romantic leads. It’s way more realistic that way if they are both able to contribute to the relationship rather than one person fulfilling their every need and never needing anything in return.
What I Didn’t Love
This is definitely more on me than anything else, but I did not enjoy the lack of professionalism in both Wes and Britta. They both risked (and eventually lost or gave up) their steady paying jobs just to be with one another. Despite neither job actually fulfilling their needs, I felt like it was a huge sign of immaturity for both of them to be entangled in such a messy love. I understand that the story called for the tension of forbidden love, but messy workplace romances have always made me extremely uncomfortable as a reader.
I also really disliked Britta’s judgement of her coworkers at the lifestyle website she worked for. There’s a scene in the beginning of the book where Britta brings in donuts to work and starts criticizing everyone in her head for not taking part in eating the donuts when the head boss arrives. It’s moments like these where I feel that Britta is too harsh of a judge of other people and she’s also too hard on herself at times. It is so important that we practice kindness towards one another and towards ourselves and try not to judge others for whether they do or do not eat the donut during an office meeting.
I definitely did not love that Britta eventually lost her job for a man. It was a choice she made to be in a relationship with the CEO of FitMi (the app she was reviewing), and as an adult she had to face the consequences. I just really hated the lack of professionalism displayed by the characters to the point where she was fired from her job. I’m glad it all worked out in the end (Wes offered her a job as a writer for FitMi), but it left me feeling a bit dissatisfied with the ending.
In Conclusion
I loved this book! It was such a fun read and reminds readers to enjoy both health and love. Strongly recommend reading if you yourself are on a health journey, enjoy running (there’s a 10K in the end!), or just are looking for a cute romantic read. It does bring up eating disordered behavior and tackles other tough issues like addiction, so readers beware if you’re triggered by those kinds of books.
Overall, I give it a 7/10. I enjoyed the read and you should definitely pick up a copy.
New year, new me. Or rather: new year, new resolutions. There’s something thrilling about writing out your goals for the new year on December 31st, the night before 2022 arrives. The joy of new year resolutions is that you can hone in on what you want to achieve and figure out how you’re going to get there.
Regardless of the time of year, it is so important to have goals. Without them, you could lose out on all of your wildest fantasies and give up on living your ultimate dream life. And that would just suck. Really suck. Because you’re awesome and you deserve to live your best life.
At least that’s what my daily affirmations tell me.
So here are some of my goals for the new year:
Write for 1 hour every day (my novel isn’t going to write itself)
Publish my first book in 2022
Complete NanoWrimo 2022
Read 4 books per month
Write 1 book review blog post per week (because this site needs some obvious love and attention. It’s been neglected for far too long.)
Start my YouTube channel up (Liz, don’t be camera shy. They’re gonna love you.)
Buy my dream home (complete with a huge backyard where my dog can run free, big bathtub for bubble baths, and hopefully near a body of water of some sort. A girl can dream.)
Start up my freelance writing business
Those are a lot of goals and I know I have so much more on the horizon to work towards. But cheers to starting this year off strong! Leave a comment below and let me know what your goals for the new year are.
NaNoWrimo is right around the corner. Are you ready for it? In this blog post, I’ll take you through prep tips to help you succeed.
But first…
What is NanoWrimo?
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a writing challenge that occurs every year throughout the month of November. The goal is to write 50,000 words by November 30th––the minimum length a novel can be.
Ideally, you’re aiming for 1,667 words per day. Consistency is key throughout NanoWrimo and participants need to pace themselves in order to avoid burnout.
That sounds insane. Why bother with NanoWrimo?
You’re 100% right. It does sound insane. And it is a little insane. Writing 50,000 words in a single month might seem impossible, but if there’s a book that you’ve been wanting to write, this is the perfect jumpstart to get you to your goal.
There is nothing worse than staring at a blank page and having no clue what you are going to write about. Jot down a few ideas that you can cling to––interested in adventure lit? Go ahead and write your very own adventure story. Love romance? Set the page on fire with passionate characters.
Write something that you are interested in yourself so that you know you’ll keep coming back for more––and hopefully, your future readers will too!
Tip 2: Make an Outline
An outline doesn’t have to be detailed or down to each and every scene, but it does need to be a map of sorts for you to follow to your final destination. Some people choose to create a chapter-by-chapter outline while others (such as myself) like to figure out the main points of the plot and just go for it from there.
Whatever form of outline you choose, make sure it’s right for you and your writing needs.
Tip 3: Choose Your Characters
Just like Super Smash Brothers, you need to choose your characters. Is your lead going to be the strong, silent type? Or are they going to be a chatterbox who has low self esteem and finds themselves in the end of the story? Who is your villain going to be? Are they horribly misunderstood and redeem themselves in the end by sacrificing themselves for the greater good?
Pick characters that can help carry your story. Get to know them closely, like you’ve been friends for a very long time. They need to be real to you in order to be real to your readers.
I work a full-time job. And I have a husband and a loving but needy border collie who wants to play all day. Throw in normal adult responsibilities, obligations, and duties––and you’re looking at a pretty busy schedule. There are going to be many of you who are like me: swamped with other obligations. You might be looking at NaNoWrimo this year and thinking to yourself, “How in the world am I going to squeeze any time out for this?”
Carving out time and blocking out your calendar for the time that you need to write is key. Look at your normal, everyday schedule. Where are an extra fifteen minutes here and there that you can spare to write your novel?
I plan on writing in the mornings before my day gets completely crazy and I’m pulled to do other things. I can easily sacrifice an hour of sleep (even though I don’t want to) to get this done. It’s just a matter of making sure my alarm is far away from the bed to force myself out from under the covers.
If you find that the morning works for you too, then great! Go ahead and drag yourself out of bed in the morning to get your word count done for the day. If you’re a night owl, feel free to stay up late with some candles to set the mood while you go off into your novel’s world.
Tip 5: Just Write the Darn Thing
Your first draft is going to be crap. Your first draft is always going to be crap. So just write the darn thing. Get the first draft out of the way, ignore the typos, and just keep writing throughout the month of November.
The lit brush burns oil on the canvas;
Ancient word breathes stories of Atlantis;
The silent stone speaks more than us all;
Mortal mysteries that hold us in thrall.
Throughout the ages, man has done and seen
Terrible and beautiful—wondrous—things.
But who are we to judge the weary hands
Of what we could never truly understand?
Supergirl opens up with a reminder of last week’s lesson: mother/daughter relationships are hard. Kara’s boss, Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart), deals with an annoying mother belittling every career choice Cat has ever made.
In a similarly confrontational fashion, Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum)
along with father Sam Lane (Glen Morshower) order Supergirl to fight their newest weapon: the Red Tornado.
Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) takes her work frustrations and love troubles out on the robot, but goes a bit too far when she freezes and then rips off its arm. It immediately goes into “self-preservation mode” and flies off, leaving its creator devastated and jobless (getting fired over Supergirl beating his robot? Harsh).
After this grueling session, Kara gets to deal with an awkward game night with best friend Winn (Jeremy Jordan), crush James Olson (Mehcad Brooks) and crush’s girlfriend Lucy Lane. Not only does she get to sit in on the power couple crushing it with a word guessing game, but she also has to listen to Lucy bash her alternate identity Supergirl.
Unable to keep her anger bottled up any longer after being criticized by Cat Grant, Kara absolutely loses it at work and yells at her boss. Immediately, Kara starts to apologize but is told by Cat, “We’re going.”
And they go.
They head straight for the bar where Cat gives some valuable professional vs. personal advice. She tells it like it is.
So what can we do as women? Cat suggested going to a kickboxing class and getting it out the good old fashioned way: through exercise.
But Kara, being Supergirl, can’t just walk into a kickboxing class.
So she dukes it out with a car while James Olson uses a punching bag. Kara quickly realizes that she’s not angry over Lucy Lane tearing her apart or her job giving her some major low self esteem issues – she’s angry over not being normal the second her parents sent her off to Earth before they died.
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me starts off with a plan (because they always work so well in the Vampire Diaries) created by Stefan (Paul Wesley). They need to convince the heretics to turn on Julian (Todd Lasance) so they can steal blood to un-link Lily (Annie Wersching) and Julian from each other.
Right from the start I knew their plan was going to fail. I mean, come on, how often do their plans actually work? So this episode was more about seeing the plan unravel and watching the characters go through their drama.
Julian decided to throw a party for Mary Louise and Nora to celebrate their being together for over a century. He gave Mary a fabulous ring so she could propose to her girlfriend in the most beautiful setting ever, and she said yes!
Things aren’t so happy, though, when Caroline drops the bomb on Stefan that she’s pregnant. Predictably, he didn’t take it too well. Using the excuse that they have a small window of opportunity to kill off Julian that day, Stefan immediately bails (wow, Stefan…way to be terrible boyfriend material).
In the meantime, Lily breaks down and drinks from a human after peer pressure from abusive boyfriend Julian at Mary Louise’s and Nora’s party. Damon (Ian Somerholder) happens to walk in on that very moment and declares, once again, his undying hatred for his mother.
Lily finally gets a moment with the heretics and has them listen to Valerie’s story of how Julian killed the baby inside of her. A touching but awkward session of hugging from everyone around is quickly ruined when Mary Louise breaks Julian free from Damon and Valerie’s watch.
Stefan, unaware that master evil has escaped, calls Caroline to talk. He says, “I love you” for the first time (awwww) and she says it back. All seems right with the world for a moment until Lily is forced to choose who lives between Damon and Valerie by Julian.
Refusing to abandon either her biological child or her adoptive child, Lily chooses to stab herself, thinking that she is still linked to Julian.
Of course it can’t be that easy.
In order to protect Lily, Julian separated their link just in case Stefan and Damon decided to kill him. Lily dies and Damon’s last words to her are, “You made your bed…have a nice nap.”
Ouch.
Cold last words to your mother.
The most surprising part of this episode, however, was the fact that Matt finally managed to get some help for the vampire problem in Mystic Falls. Who are his new friends? Maybe some left over scientists from Whitmore? Perhaps a ghost from his past?
The episode was also laced with flash-forwards that gave the audience hope that Lily would still be alive. But TVD crushed that hope by confirming that she is dead and gone for good.
RIP Lily Salvatore and her pathetic excuse for plot development.
I’m looking forward to the next TVD when we see how everyone is dealing with Lily’s death. Will Julian finally back off from the Salvatore brothers? Will we find out who is targeting our beloved characters in the future? Who are Matt’s new friends? And most importantly: does Caroline need to eat something other than blood for her pregnancy? (I mean, really, are her babies just going to grow naturally and be fed with blood instead of food or what?)
and getting it out the good old fashioned way: through exercise.
Elizabeth Yuen 