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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…
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Pantsing vs. Plotting: Thoughts on Writing Style from Someone with No Authority on the Matter
Something writers get asked a lot about is their process, and that’s one of the most open-ended questions you can ask. There are only a million kinds of answers: where you write, how long you write, what kind of environment you write in, and so on. But they’re really asking how you write. Do you plan everything out? Do you just start on a blank page and go? There’s plenty of answers for just these, too. But there’s no cut and dry method to being a great writer. You have to find what works for you. I’ll preface this by saying that maybe you shouldn’t listen to me, since my novels are…
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Hello, World! – October Recap
October was a big month for my reading world. At the end of September, I started a book Instagram, which is something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while. I’m one of those people who either makes the snap decision to do something or I’ll sit on the idea for months (or even years) and never see it come to fruition. But there I was, sitting at my favorite coffee shop on a beautiful day, and I decided: today was the day. I mean, I texted two of my closest confidantes frantically to confirm that it was, in fact, a good idea. I wanted to have a blog ready…