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Keeping Busy in the Q: Favorite Watches
Happy August, y’all!! It’s birthday month, and we’re still hanging in there. I’m reading a lot slower than usual, but it’s made way for my other vices: TV and movies! We’re all binging copious amounts of media while locked down, let’s be honest. There’s not much else to do besides reading, social media-ing, and watching tv and movies. I mean, most of us are also drinking (please be responsible!) and some of us are working out (me reluctantly), too, but even while we’re doing all that, we’re consuming all sorts of media. I’ve done some Marvel watching, some light Friends viewing, a bit—okay, a lot—of Criminal Minds background-noising, gotten to…
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Ode to TV Shows: Breaking Down One of my Favorite TV Pilots
We’re all watching a lot of television right now, and I have to say it: I really love TV. As a kid, I watched way too much of it. Sort of out of laziness, but also because I simply loved it. My opinions weren’t fabulous for a long time, but my tastes have refined with time. When I studied abroad in college, I took a screenwriting class. I’m a prose writer through and through, but screenwriting is awesome. Truly a great skill in the craft of writing! We watched various short films, beginnings of movies, and pilots. It really made me appreciate both the writing and the filmmaking, and I…
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Thoughts on the pandemic while trying not to think about the pandemic.
It’s been difficult to come up with thoughts that aren’t about the pandemic or about what we’re all up to while staying home. It’s close to impossible to keep my mind on something unrelated. I’ve been making a lot of lists. “Ways I’ve been staying productive during work-from-home.” “Top ten movies to watch on lockdown.” “Best Brad Mondo ‘Hairdresser Reacts’ videos to make you laugh when you haven’t gone outside in a week.” “Ten things I’ve put in my cart to buy during lockdown, but have convinced myself not to.” “Ten things I DID buy during lockdown and whether or not I regret them.” “Top ten things to bake during…
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April Wrap Up
Holy cow, April was a big reading month! I mean, we’re all stuck inside, so I’m not sure what I was expecting. But this particular April, I actually reached my reading goal for the whole YEAR! Read nine books in the last thirty days. Yes, I have a lot of rereads, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re a nostalgic person. I’ll preface my list by saying that, yes, I’ve been really motivated to read and write and be creative during this time, but I know many people who aren’t feeling that way. The days of lockdown, safe-at-home orders, and COVID-19 are strange for us all, and…
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Spring Tunes to Keep Your Spirits High
Things are absolutely wild right now. I’m not going to get into it, but I hope everyone is staying safe and staying home. In this strange time of social distancing, working from home, and general madness, I’ve found myself being shockingly productive. I’m not solving the world’s problems or going so far as Marie Kondo-ing my life, but I’ve gotten a lot done in the past eight days. Finished an almost-final-ish draft of my WIP, dove into my next WIP full speed, read four and a half books, worked a full work week, and cleaned half my room (which, if you know me, you know I really can only do…
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February Recap–Better Late Than Never!
A tad late on this, but can you blame me? March has been wild! Stay safe and inside everyone. Better to read, my dears. This February, I got through three books. Compared to the folks on my bookstagram? Not fabulous. But for my 20 Books in 2020 goal? We’re on the right track. At this rate, I’ll reach my goal by August! No promises I can keep it up, but I’m going to do my best. And besides, it’s about quality, not quantity! I had some pretty damn enjoyable reads for February. Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews—4/5 stars While not the most action-packed, juicy memoir,…
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Pros and Cons: Handwriting First Drafts
There are many different ways to write a book—I think that was clear in my Pantsing vs. Plotting post. That’s more on the process side, but there’s also what kind of devices you use to write with: computers, various programs within computers, handwriting in notebooks, an Alphasmart (thanks, Ally Carter), etc. I’ve started a few stories on my computer, but I’ve only ever finished novels (the first draft) by handwriting them. For me, it’s easier to keep track of certain things, write notes in margins, and quite frankly, it’s pretty therapeutic. I’m not opposed to writing on a computer, of course, but it’s not the long-game for me the first…
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What Taylor Swift Means to Me as a Writer
January 31, 2020. Miss Americana premieres on Netflix. And I’m feeling a whole load of emotions about it. Think what you want about Taylor Swift. I know she can be a polarizing public figure, and most people have very strong opinions, love her or hate her. Despite a very brief period in time where I was tired of the drama that surrounded her (I know, it was brief like I said, and I am SORRY), I have been firmly a lover. She’s been an inspiration for me in a lot of ways, and I think to take what people have said about her and to continue to create art in…
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Favorite Read of 2019
Happy New Year! It’s been a long one for sure, and I’m very excited to get started on my 2020 reads. New year, new playlists, movies, books, podcasts. I read twenty books in 2019, eight more than my goal, and for the most part, it was a very good reading year. I genuinely enjoyed almost every one I read. I’m pretty easy to please, though, I’ve only ever DNF-ed maybe three books in my life. This year, there was one book in particular that I loved more than any other: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I read The Goldfinch a few years ago, and it held up to be…
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Book Review: Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
I’m not one to get caught up in too many book trends. I tried it once with The Fault in Our Stars, and I let the hype cloud my judgment about the book. Yes, I cried and I loved Gus and Hazel, but I burned out so quickly I didn’t even see the movie when it came out. To this day, I still haven’t seen it. Disclaimer, I do still like John Green’s storytelling and Turtles All the Way Down is top of my reading list. Anyway, I decided then that I wasn’t going to get sucked into big reading trends. That is, until Big Little Lies. There was something…