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A few weeks ago I talked about the struggles of writing. I know that I myself have encountered a ton throughout my time as an aspiring writer. So here are some ways that I've found help me overcome my writer's block! Exercise Exercise gets your creative juices flowing. My brain always seems to be a little clearer when I exercise, especially if I start my day with 15-30 minutes of yoga or a brisk walk. So even when I exercise, I don't necessarily do a ton of intense workouts. I would much rather do calmer, meditative things that help me clear my mind. This helps to free up my creativity and let my mind wander. As it does so, my writer's block seems to just melt away. Alcohol No, I'm not saying to go out and get drunk, but (if you are of legal age), drinking a glass or two of wine can really help drop any walls you have. I know personally, alcohol seems to take away my filters that I normally have, and I start saying anything that comes to mind. Though that isn't always a great thing around other people, as I write it is wonderful. While I write, I love to have a glass of wine to sip, then I go through and make all the necessary edits later. Forget what others think Don't think about how you think others will react. Likely, you're writing in order to get something out that you think needs said, so don't think about what others might say about your writing. Just write, edit later, and don't worry about how others will react. The more real and vulnerable you can be, the better the writing will come out. Just be yourself and say what needs to be said! Don't edit yourself Especially if you are writing an initial draft, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT EDITS. I'm absolutely awful at this. I want everything to be perfect, but really, it's better for me to word vomit and just get through my story. Then I can come back later and make all of the necessary edits. Unfortunately, I'm still working on this particular skill, and I'm going to try and challenge myself to do better. The more editing I feel inclined to do, the slower I become and the more trapped I feel in my writing. Talk to People Throughout my day, talking to people and interacting with others always helps me to gain new ideas for my books. Whether it is personalities I want to put into my characters or situations from other's lives that I want to use, talking to people really can help me gain new ideas and get past some of the blocks that I'm experiencing at that time. People watch Don't just talk to others, but just watch interactions. Sometimes you can get little glimpses into their lives and see bits and pieces of characters you want to create or characteristics you would love to use. Or you see a look between a married couple and you can still see the sparks of love in their eyes after years of marriage. Or you see a habit or tick that you want to incorporate. There are endless ways to gain ideas and run past your block by just observing the world around you. Read! By reading other's works, you can get ideas as well. Even if it is just getting a feel for a voice or character that you like, it can really help you get past writer's block. I love to just continue reading because it helps keep my writing ideas and juices flowing. Reading and writing just helps me to "exercise" my creative muscles and keep me going and writing.
Why I Picked It I've been waiting for the time to read this series for FOREVER. I'd heard good things about it, and I couldn't wait to get lost in another YA fantasy world once I got the time. So I was soooooo ready to read this book! Summary An ordinary teenage girl gets thrown into a world she didn't know she was a part of when her mother goes missing. She meets new people, makes new friends, and learns about her family. All of this while learning about a world around her that most people (including her) can't see. An evil man named Valentine came back, even when everyone thought he was gone for good. Through romantic challenges, many battles with demons and night creatures, and a lot of sarcastic comments from all teenagers involved, Clary starts a journey that will change her life. What I Liked So I really liked the world that Cassandra Clare created. It had a ton of interesting creatures, places, and twists and turns. There is a lot to learn about the Shadowhunter world. From runes to magic to a secret place called Idris, there is just so much about the world I want to know more about! I also just love most of the characters. Clary is a naïve teenage girl. Simon is the awkward best friend. Jace is the interesting love interest. Isabelle adds some great depth and an extra strong female character (because you can never get enough of those!). And Alec is the quiet wild card. I loved learning about the characters and watching them all develop slowly through the book. What I Didn't Like Okay. So there was actually a lot. And I couldn't put my finger on it for a while. It started out that I wasn't really a fan of some of the word choices. There were certain phrases and sayings that were used that would confuse me (which is not a normal occurrence for me), and I would have to reread the paragraph to understand what it meant within the context. Maybe the problem was that I wasn't as engaged as I normally am (but that is an entirely different problem in and of itself). Typically, especially with fantasy novels, I get wrapped up in the book and feel like I'm a part of the story. Maybe I'm growing up and growing out of YA fantasy, but this world didn't suck me in as much as normal. Now, the other major problem I have with this book is, as I was writing the brief summary for this review, I realized that the storyline is WAYYYYY too similar to another very popular YA Fantasy series. You know, really bad bad guy comes back when everyone thought he was dead. The main character has an odd bond to said bad guy. This main character also has to learn about a world that they didn't realize they were born into until years later… I'll leave it at that. Overall impression 🌟🌟 Okay, so this was not my favorite book. I was so ready to read it, and honestly I was really disappointed. I'm not sure whether or not I will decide to read the rest of the series. I want to, because as I said earlier, I love the world that Clare created, and I want to see if it gets better. Yet at the same time, I want to get to other books that are also sitting on my TBR list, and I'm not sure about taking up my time with a series that I'm not sure about.
I saw a post the other day from an amazing bookstagrammer that I follow that really triggered deep memories from me. @sdavisbooks posted the picture you see below. After reading the lessons she learned from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it really reminded me of the situation I was in when I happened to read the book myself. These lessons she pulled from the book are just so spot on, and I had so many memories rush back from the moment that a good friend of my recommended this book to me just at the right time in my life. So during my sophomore year of college, I was starting to realize that I had some minor depression-like symptoms. I would go from incredibly happy and laughing one minute to crying for no reason the next. It had only happened once or twice around my boyfriend, and even he had issues pulling me out of it. He was back at home, two hours away from me up at college. I was getting a cold and my body was overall run down. I don't remember what all else was happening at the time, but I do remember my voice teacher/choir director giving me one small critique and me just breaking down for no reason. She thought she had said something wrong, but really, even I didn't know why I was being so emotional. She tried to talk to me, but when I couldn't explain my feelings, she sent me to the nurse, but not after giving me her copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and recommend I read it. So I headed to the nurse, still emotional. She checked me out and gave me some cold meds. But she also was worried enough that I was still so emotional for no reason, that she called and made sure that the school therapist made room for me that afternoon. After a talk with the therapist about how I stifle my highly emotional self to the point that it just all comes out at once, I headed back to my room, ready to just take a break from the world and rest for the night. But I wasn't tired. So after tossing and turning for a while, I remembered the small book in my backpack. I pulled out The Perks of Being a Wallflower, curled up in my bed, and read it. The entire thing in one sitting. The book was exactly what I needed on that highly emotional night. It helped me feel. I was able to be vulnerable and raw as I read the book, and I let out my emotions that had been coursing through me as I read. I feel as if there are some books that come to you exactly when you need them. These books help you through whatever situation you are in at that point in your life. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was one of those for me. Seeing the amazing post from @sdavisbooks on Instagram was a reminder of this benefit of books, and of course that is also a benefit of being in such a great community like bookstagram! I love that those of us in the reading/writing/literature community can be so relatable and vulnerable with one another, and I never want to lose that. So if you haven't before, check out Bookstagram and get involved! Having an online community can be a great benefit to everyone, so join ours! I certainly love it, and everyone is very welcoming (even if you're like me and don't have a lot of cool POP! Figures or amazing bookshelves yet!). So, I'm still pretty new to all this bookish fun, but I'm really enjoying it so far! If you haven't noticed, my primary focus for this is my Instagram account. And by following a lot of other amazing bookstagram profiles, I've learned that readathons are very popular.
I actually just joined into one myself! Last week, the booktuber, Book Roast, started her N.E.W.T.s Readathon, based on the Harry Potter books. However, to be able to do the N.E.W.T.s, you have to first pass your O.W.L.s (duh!). Most people did those back in April. However, since I did not partake in them at that time, I decided to do them while everyone else completes their N.E.W.T.s! Here is the link to her O.W.L. exam description! So last week, I started out trying to pass my Charms O.W.L.s by reading a fantasy book (City of Bones by Cassandra Clare), and then I'll work on Transfiguration (my favorite subject!) by reading a book about shapeshifters (Seraphina by Rachel Hartman). I'm really taking advantage of this to get through a bunch of my TBR list!! Most of them are books that have been on the list for so long, that this will really help me. Not only that, but it's fun to be working through a challenge, and with other people at the same time! So, I'd like to hear from you! Have you ever been a part of a readathon, or even hosted one? What one has been your favorite? What do you like about them, and has it led you to do more reading or get through your TBR list? Why I picked it The cover caught my eye (as with most books I pick…). And the fact that I am planning my own wedding interested me even more. But then, I read the inside cover. When it explained what was going to happen, I knew I just had to read it! Summary Lottie likes to make huge, life-altering decisions every time she breaks up with a boyfriend. So it makes sense that after a failed engagement, she goes off and decides to marry her gap-year boyfriend and first love of her life. Her sister, Fliss always tries to tactfully talk her out of it. But when things backfire, she has to go to extreme measures. Fliss can't let her sister go through a divorce like the one she is currently going through, so she goes to whatever lengths possible to help her reverse the decision fast. What I liked So this book caught my attention right from the beginning. I loved the banter between Lottie and Fliss the entire time. Not only that, but certain parts of the book were predictable enough to keep me interested and yet there were so many surprises, twists, and turns. I loved the relationship development through the book between many different characters. As Lottie gets to know Ben, her new husband; as Fliss gets to know Ben's friend, Lorcan; as Fliss gets to know herself and her son better. It was all so amazing and fun to read. I literally could not put the book down in the last 60 pages or so, because I couldn't believe where it was going. I had to see whether the book would end up how I wanted it to, or if everything would fall apart! What I didn't like Honestly, really nothing. It was an amazing book that I think I could read over and over again. It's hilarious, and I loved talking to others about it as well! Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars all the way! As I said before, I could read this over and over! I absolutely loved Kinsella's writing. The characters were very real and relatable, and it was fun to watch them develop. There were plenty of twists to keep things interesting, and the suspense killed me! I never knew if Fliss's crazy attempts to secretly mess with her sister were going to work or not, so I had to keep reading.
I drove the five hour round trip to my parents' house this weekend to meet up and do some shopping and wedding planning. On the long trip, I always have to switch up what I listen to. I hate silence, and I get bored if I listen to music the entire time or anything else for too long a period. So lately, I've been finding interesting podcasts to listen to, just for situations like that. So here are a couple of my favorites that you should check out!! Lore by Aaron Mahnke "Our fears have roots. Lore exposes the darker side of history, exploring the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares. Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction." Aaron Mahnke is a fictional mystery/thriller writer of books like Grave Suspicion (2015). His podcast is about our world's history and a lot of the stories and things of history that common lore and fictional beings originate from. So you want to know what made people start believing in vampires? Or you want to know why we have a fear of the dark? This podcast is very interesting, especially if you take an interest in history or just the origination of common lore. Mahnke is a great storyteller, and he keeps my interest all the way through each story. He does a great job of doing his research and being knowledgeable for his podcasts. I love his quiet and serene voice (though when I'm driving, sometimes I start getting sleepy, lulled by his voice…). Check out Lore here, on Spotify, or however you prefer to listen to podcasts, and see what you think! Overdue by Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting "Overdue is a podcast about the books you've been meaning t read. Join Andrew and Craig each week as they tackle a new title from their backlog. Classic literature, obscure plays, goofy murder mysteries: they'll read it all, one overdue book at a time." You want energy and something to keep you awake? Listen to Overdue with Andrew and Craig! I just found this podcast this week, and I just love it. The guys banter back and forth, and yet you get to learn a ton about some of the books that you've already read, or you probably should have by now. The guys take turns reading books that are on their "overdue" list. Then they go through information about the author, take a short break, then they start talking through the synopsis and their thoughts while reading. The guys do a lot of improvisation and you can tell they have fun together. The only thing that gets a little old sometimes is how caught up they get on certain details once in a while. They can really get going on one detail and talk (or complain) about it for 5 minutes when I just want to listen to more of the synopsis. But, overall I love listening to them about books and find some titles to add to my TBR list. I highly recommend checking them out here! Short Stories presented by Adventures in Audio - by Robert Crandall "Each week a short story narration. These stories will be in the horror, mystery, death and related genres by authors like Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and others."
I love listening to Robert Crandall's narration. The stories are dark, so make sure you listen when you're in the mood for that, not looking for something to energize and cheer you up. But Crandall does a wonderful job of energizing the characters, doing voices, and keeping interest throughout each story. I haven't listened to many episodes yet, but it's definitely one I plan to keep listening to! Short blog post today. I don’t really have a lot to say personally about the topic, but I want to hear some of your thoughts.
From the page to the screen, movie and TV adaptations of books have become increasingly popular. But there are often many book fanatics that cannot stand the way it's done. And on the other hand, the movie sometimes spurs others to read more books and get the original story. There are a lot of opinions on these adaptations from both sides: those that love the original book and those that love the new version on the screen. I noticed a couple of weeks ago when I picked up a couple of new books from the thrift store, I ended up with 2books that showcased a sticker or line on the front boasting about the piece being adapted for the screen. So I'm just curious…what are your thoughts on movie and TV adaptations or books? Obviously some of the more popular include Harry Potter, Gone with the Wind, and just about any Nicholas Sparks book. But there are so many out there! James Patterson's Zoo had a couple seasons on TV, there are some failed ones like the attempts at Rick Riordan's demigod series. So what are some of your favorites? Another question I have for you is what donyou prefer? Would you rather see an adaptation very loosely based on a book so that when it doesn’t totally follow the book, you know ifs meant to be that way? Or do you prefer when they try to stick to the book as closely as possible? And lastly, the age old question (that I'd guess most of us would probably agree on): book or movie first? Which do you prefer? Personally, I'd rather read the book before seeing the adaptation unless I know they are loosely connected. But I know that there are a lot of people who don’t care about the order, or they prefer seeing the movie first. |
AuthorJust sharing my passion of reading through my passion of writing. Archives
May 2020
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