1. So close.

12k words. That's all I have left (well, approximately) on the first draft of my current WIP. That's either 2-3 good writing days, or 5-6 bad ones. Either way, I'm very close to finished, which is exciting because I'm feeling ready to do edits. I find it very hard to write and not edit as I go, but I've been pushing myself to do that more and more so I can get the first draft out. Everything I write needs more polishing later, whether I edit as I go or not, so I might as well just save the changes until the whole thing has taken shape. I have a very tight outline I'm following for these last few chapters, which will hopefully make the process a more streamlined. By this time next week, maybe I'll be finished? If I am, we can celebrate with an excerpt and maybe even a quick plot synopsis. Let's reconvene then, okay? :)

**2. There are only nine episodes of PLL to go.**

Confession: I haven't watched this week's PLL. I know. I know. But if you follow me on social media, you probably know I've had a rough week re-sleep-training a toddler and I've been devoting all my leftover energy (there isn't much) to that WIP I was just talking about. So no PLL as of yet, but I'm hoping to watch it this weekend and I'm planning to do a Pretty Little Reaction afterward. In the meantime, let's do some predictions for the final episodes of PLL, shall we? SPOILERS for anyone who isn't up to date on PLL (feel free to skip down to the next item):

Haleb Always and Forever (did you really think this wouldn't make my list?) and while we're at it, I'm pretty sure all of the OG couples will be endgame (I'm looking at you, Spoby, Ezria, and Emison), but if any of them aren't endgame, I'm thinking it'll be Ezria, mostly because they already had their proposal moment in the sun.
I want Mona to be AD, but I don't think she will be. We've been down the Mona road before, so it's unlikely she'll be the ultimate villain. If it ends up being one of the girls (which would be very cool and I'd give all the props), I want it to be Aria. Because she's little and her wardrobe has always screamed "big bad". Otherwise, I'd love for it to be Mike or Jason, and definitely not someone we've never seen before.
There will be deaths. But nobody too important. It's possible one of the girls or their SOs could kick it in the finale, but it's unlikely. Family and friends on the other hand... I could see Lucas dying. I could see Jason dying. I could see Paige dying--in fact, I'm picturing Paige dying right now (j/k...sorta).
I go back and forth on this one, but I predict Ali won't have her baby. Something is going to happen and she's gonna lose it (and yes, I think she's somehow pregnant with Emily's eggs even though that doesn't make much sense). Anyway, it'll be a bonding moment for Ali and Em, and maybe one day, they'll adopt a child instead. Or a puppy. Or something. I kinda hope the finale has a little flash forward at the end.
Okay, final prediction for now: not everything will be wrapped up with a little bow. PLL is known for its cliffhangers, and obviously, with a series finale, you need to tie up a lot of things, but I'd love it if they'd give us one final cut scene at the end, something to indicate that maybe isn't all there is to the story. I know a lot of fans would find that frustrating, but I'd like it :)

I think I'll return to this list after everything is said and done and we can see how close--or far off--I am.

**3. The X-Files has officially been renewed!**

TEN(!) more episodes of The X-Files are on their way! This news was likely, but not confirmed until this week. And here's the thing: I know the six-episode season we got last year was a mixed bag, and I know it's easy to criticize because hello, how do you screw up six episodes? But I think because there'd been such a long gap between the original series ending and the return series, everyone was a little rusty and they'd been hanging onto ideas that had been brewing for a very long time, which isn't always a good thing (this time I'm looking at you, Gilmore Girls). This new season will give them a chance to strike back with fresh material, having already worked out the kinks. I'm choosing to be optimistic, especially since some of the episodes we got last year were fantastic (thanks, Darin Morgan!). So let's celebrate with this old-school pic of Mulder and Scully!

**4. The Beguiled--yay or nay?**

I love Sophia Coppola. Usually. I love her style, and for the most part, I've enjoyed all the stories she's chosen to tell in her films. So I was pretty excited when they released the trailer for The Beguiled, except...I'm not sure. Maybe it's the fact that I'm (second confession of the post) just not that into Nicole Kidman, but something about this trailer didn't quite capture me the way I'd hoped it would. What do you think?

5. Noteworthy New YA: MISSING by Kelley Armstrong

The only thing Winter Crane likes about Reeve's End is that soon she'll leave it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There's nothing for them there but abandoned mines and empty futures. They're better off taking a chance elsewhere.
What Winter will miss is the woods. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found Lennon left for dead, bleeding in a tree.
But now Lennon is gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left at all? What if they're all missing?

-Courtesy of Indiebound