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I set a Goodreads goal to read 24 books in 2017. I read 61 as of mid-December and the year isn't even over yet! A lot of people want to increase the number of books they read in a year. There's that saying, "Successful people read 50 books a year, and you should too if you want to be successful!" I'm not sure if I believe that completely (it depends on whether the books you read are helping you develop as a person!), but I always want to read more. Reading and writing are my passions in life and have been for as long as I can remember. Storytelling has a special reverence in my heart. So naturally, I make reading and writing a priority in my life. As a writer, reading is necessary to my success. It's one way that I hone my chops and distinguish my voice against other authors. To other people having any goals about reading might seem superfluous. I get that. But even if you don't see reading as a necessary part of your life, you might find that experiencing a few books adds a lot of meaning to your life anyway. Whether you're already a ravenous reader or would just like to add reading to your routine, I'd like to share with you the 5 ways in which I read more books than ever this year. I hope they help spark some ideas for your own reading habits! 1. I took advantage of my library's audiobooks. I feel like this is a cliched answer - one that every post like this would have in it because audiobooks seem like an easy fix for reading more, but in complete honesty, audiobooks make me happy and I highly recommend them. There are some books I wouldn't have read if I hadn't downloaded the audiobook. For instance, I had a big issue starting and finishing the Divergent books in the print editions. The voice of the story fell flat for me until I heard Emma Galvin reading it. I fell in love after that, and Tris (the main character) is now one of my favorite heroines. Of the 61 books I've read so far in 2017, 25 of them were audiobooks. That's nearly half. In previous years I have appreciated and utilized audiobooks, but never THAT many because I couldn't always find affordable ones. This year that changed when I began using Overdrive which is an app that allows me to download audiobooks from my library for free. I was able to use audiobooks whenever I wanted without worrying about a budget. Signing up for Overdrive was definitely something that boosted my reading this year, and I'm super grateful that my library uses the service. I have to acknowledge that some people just don't like audiobooks or aren't interested in them. If that's the case, then there's no need to force yourself to listen. I would recommend checking out an book read by the author or an audiobook read by a cast of characters rather than just one narrator, thought, before you completely write off audiobooks! But to each his own. 2. I actually did the school readings.For once, I committed to actually doing the every reading for my English classes. Since I count any book I read towards my Goodreads challenge even if it's for school, this boosted my number quite a bit. I like making my time effective and killing two birds with one stone, so this commitment worked for me. An alternative to this, if your major doesn't involve reading novels or if you're not in school, would be taking advantage of your library and using the return dates for the book you borrow as your own personal goal date for having it read. This is a great way to discover books you haven't seen before and save money while meeting your Goodreads challenge. 3. I read what I want. Period.That means if I wanted to read Scott Pilgrim and count it toward my reading challenge, I could. If I wanted to finish the Harry Potter series before the end of the year even though each book is over 600 pages, I could. It's my challenge, and I get to decide what counts. I follow a lot of BookTubers and book bloggers who seem to psych themselves out about counting anything "too easy" for their challenge and that makes me sad. My motto is, as long as you're getting what you want out of your reading/challenge for the year, then more power to you. Do what you want not what you "should do." Period. 4. I quit stressing about page counts. This reason goes with number 3. Not only do I make the challenge, but I also don't have to feel any pressure to read a certain kind of book just because I set a goal for myself. Sure, it's great to get to a certain number of titles for the year, and shorter books make that goal more attainable, but it's even better to read books you actually like no matter what the length of them is! I don't read shorter books just for the sake of boosting my challenge anymore (although I have less tolerance for 400+ page books in general), and that has prevented many reading slumps this year. After marking another book as read, I want to pick up my next book. I'm excited about reading and about finding good stories because I'm not slogging through a novella I don't care that much about just because it'll help tick another book off my list quickly. 5. I read different topics, genres, and authors.Before this year, I primarily read YA novels. I still love a good YA, but I've branched into self-development, classics, and literary fiction more than I have before. It has made all the difference. For starters, I don't have a problem switching between several books if they're on different topics. That means when my attention span starts to wane, I can take a break with a book on another topic. I like to have at least one nonfiction and fiction book going at one time now, but even those books are more varied by the subgenres I pick up. I've read about politics, picked up a sci-fi, studied a ton about finance, and got into more classics than before. Changing up what I read has been a great way to stay excited about each book I read. I feel like each new book I pick up has a new idea to challenge me or teach me, and that's one thing that keeps me reading. Sometimes it feels like I could talk forever about books and reading! That's one reason I created this blog. I wanted to share this passion with other people and be able to talk to people who are just as passionate about literature as me. Thanks for your readership and for taking a little time to read what I write.
Also, let me know in the comments if you see value in setting reading goals or if you prefer not to! I'm interested to hear your thoughts. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Dear December12/2/2017 I know you get this all the time, but I can't believe you're here already. In some ways, I'm more excited to see you than ever. The last couple of months have been an upward trend. I'm more excited about my creative projects than ever. I'm constantly coming up with new ideas and for the first time in my life, I'm not putting them off. Life kicked me in the butt, and I responded by becoming a badass. I'm telling you this because it's so new and compelling to me that I have to share. I hope you don't mind. I'm doing whatever I need to do to launch my projects which usually means staying up way too late to write a little more, revise a little more, or submit one more piece to a literary journal. From that perspective, life is looking up. On the other hand, I've been dreading the holidays, and what are you, December, but a sinkhole of holiday to-dos and expectations. I'm a little over it honestly. This is a point in my life in which everything is moving so quickly that it's hard to remember what the holidays are actually for, but I'm trying my best to get back in the right headspace. I've been a little self-absorbed in the past, and I'm ready to change that. December is the perfect time to get started. It seems like everyone is in a giving mood, and that alone makes me happy. I just need to focus on the lasting things and not the material. I need to remember all the hard situations I had to get through to make it to this point and appreciate the journey. Life is a mess, even in the moments when you feel like you have it together. I don't want to wait until I'm finally "put together" to look back and appreciate everything. I want to start now. So, December, my goal is to keep moving forward, but not forget to look back and appreciate everything that got me here, the people who held me up and championed me along the way. It's a duality. The past informs the future of all the possibilities, and the future provides hope for the trials of the past. My experiences, good and bad, give my dreams of the future a new context. I know how far I've come, so I dream bigger after every milestone. To me, that's how you find the beauty in the day to day. You have to keep moving forward while giving thanks for what has passed. Thank you, December, for the good I know you'll bring and the challenges you'll provide to help me grow. You're not half bad, really. What are you anticipating for the month of December? Share what you're most excited about in the comments and let's talk about it.
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1. The Poet's Haven Digest: Darker Than Fiction The Poet's Haven publishes poems and stories by writers all over the experience spectrum. From beginners to well accomplished writers, everyone is encouraged to send their work. There are several categories you can submit to, each dealing with its own themes. 2. In Layman's Terms In Layman's Terms is a digital lit journal published twice a year. Creative nonfiction writers and poets are encouraged to submit work pertaining to the current theme. Check the About and Submit pages for info on the current theme. 3. Ruminate Magazine Ruminate is a literary magazine with a focus on mindfulness in the arts. Writers from all walks of life may submit their nonfiction or poems for consideration (fiction is also normally accepted but currently closed). Follow the link and scroll down to general submissions for more information on submissions to each genre. 4. The Collagist The Collagist is an online literary journal publishing short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. In the submission manager, TC describes their taste as "idiosyncratic", and previously published work can be found on their website. 5. The Meadow The Meadow is a literary journal published by Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. Writers can submit their work between September 1st and February 1st each year to be considered for publication in the spring. Writers new and old are welcome to submit.
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Bookish Gift Ideas (For Cheap!)11/19/2017 The holidays put a lot of stress on the general public. It's hard to keep up with all the places you're supposed to be, people you should buy gifts for, and food you're supposed to cook. It's stressful, I know! I, for one, am trying my hardest to simplify life this December. I'm choosing to set boundaries and stick to them - including a gift budget! If you're looking for some easy gifts that will keep you stress-free and on a budget this year, I some ideas for the book lovers in your life. Knowing you have to fill so many stockings can leave you wracking your brain about what to buy, but hopefully, my ideas help! I can tell you from experience that I definitely enjoyed receiving these items as gifts! BooklightsMy favorite thing about reading lights is that they’re easier on my eyes than a lamp or overhead light. A good booklight makes it easy to read when other people are sleeping in the room. I've used them on family vacations or when I want to hang out in the living room and finish my book but the rest of the house wants to go to bed. A booklight could probably also be used on nighttime road trips if the light isn’t excessively bright. Personally, I didn’t know how useful book lights were until I got one as a gift one Christmas and started using it. Now it’s one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever gotten (although the original one I received from my mom ran out of life a long time ago). Using my booklight helps me feel a little more comfortable and a little cozier while I'm relaxing and enjoying my next book. Magnetic Bookmarks Bookmarks are a super practical gift for the book lover in your life, but magnetic bookmarks are even better. The magnet on the back makes it easier for readers to keep their place in the book they're currently loving. It won't fall out easily, and it's harder to accidentally knock out of the book than a normal bookmark. This is definitely important if your bookish friend carries their novel around with them. It can also be helpful for people who have to deal with pets knocking belongings over, have small kids running around the house, or just want a little extra cuteness in their life. Some super cute magnetic bookmarks are available from the Etsy shop linked above (FunUsualSuspects). Notebooks Notebooks are handy things for most people to have around. Making list, budget planning, and journaling are all practical reason that someone may be happy to receive an extra notebook. It's always good to have an extra one lying around for when you run out of pages. But bookish people, in particular, seem to really enjoy receiving notebooks. I assume it's because many readers are also writers or journalers and that's wonderful! There are so many cute notebooks out there, and a fair amount of styles to choose from. I prefer large, unlined notebooks. The completely blank pages help me feel more in control of my creativity and what I put in the journal, but a standard small, lined notebook also serves an important purpose if I want to write pages and pages of thoughts and feel that they have some sort of order. There are plenty of inexpensive options if you choose to buy this bookish gift. I've linked one above from Target. Memberships to B&N, BAM, etc. The coupons book lovers can get from these companies are worth the membership alone, but the extra percentage you get off at B&N and BAM with memberships makes it a killer deal if you’re someone who buys books on a regular basis. If your favorite bookish person doesn't live near either of these stores, that's okay. Most chain bookstores offer some kind of paid membership for extra benefits and most likely all you'll have to do is peek at the retailer's website to find details. These memberships are the pricier options on this gift list, but they're not outrageous. My B&N membership costs about $25 a year. It's an item that sometimes seems too frivolous to buy for myself, but when it comes to a gift for someone else, that's exactly the quality you want to look for. Would they love this and put it to use but won't buy it for themselves? Sounds like a great gift idea to me! Book Outlet Gift Cards Book Outlet is an online bargain bookseller that list all of their books at a 50%-90% discount. A gift card for Book Outlet is a great gift because not only can the gift receiver take advantage of some crazy deals, they can also get twice as many books as they would at the average bookstore chain. That means your gift goes twice as far and makes them twice as happy! Plus, I guarantee your book lover will spend even more than their gift card amount. Book Outlet is that good! Those are my 5 bookish gift ideas! If they helped you nail down your Christmas list at all, let me know! Remember to take it easy and don't let the rush and expectations of this season get you down or make you miss out on the whole point of this time - to slow down, enjoy the walk, and celebrate the people around you.
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5 Tips to get over Writer's Block11/18/2017 Writer's block is one of the most annoying and dreaded conditions a writer could face. We live in an age in which it's easy to have your creative stores drained by the stress of the day and to feel much too tired to dive into a new artistic project. Writer's block often stems from a lack of inspiration, and it can be incredibly frustrating waiting for ideas to come to you rather than creating them. In my own writing life, I've developed certain habits that help me write better, regain inspiration, and bypass writer's block, and I decided to post them here just in case they help someone else. There are dozens of ways to go about getting your inspiration back, but here I've focused on the techniques that only require your pen, and a notebook or laptop. 1. Don't edit in the middle. I change very little about a poem or story while I'm still writing it. The most important thing to me is that I get the story of the poem on paper first. Editing switches my mind out of a creative mode and into a more critical one. It's difficult to polish a piece of writing if I don't have the whole story down first with all its imperfections and inconsistencies. When I say "story" I'm talking about the point or theme of a poem as well. This tip applies to all kinds of writing. Focus on telling your story first and edit afterward or (even better) when you've had time to let the story sit in the back of your mind for a while. 2. When you're stuck, focus on the senses. Sensory details add a lot of depth to descriptions. If you're stuck, it can be helpful to list the five senses and think of a detail to go with each. Whether your list pertains to senses you're experiencing as you're trying to write the poem (sights in the room or smells in the café your writing in, for instance) or whether they're senses that apply to the situation you're writing about, this exercise can be a good way to tap into poetic language again and boost your creativity. Think about how those details may play into your poem. What train of thought does it put you on? Did you notice any strange descriptors that came to mind or poetic devices you used such as simile or metaphor? Consider using the descriptions you come up with or just use this technique as a way to get started writing. 3. Make a list. This technique really works if I have no idea what to write about or if I know the topic I want to focus on but I'm really struggling to string the sentences together. If I want to write about a particular incident, I make a list of things I remember or thoughts I have about the situation even if the items don't seem especially useful. I just write them down. If I have no idea what to write about in the first place, I may just write a list of things I've noticed lately or thoughts that cross my mind in a stream of consciousness style. Writing a list in a stream of consciousness style usually helps me find something that interests me, and I write more about it to develop my idea further. Before I know it, I've written a decent chunk that can be turned into a creative piece in the future. 4. Write every day. This one seems counter intuitive, I know. Writing each day can make you wonder if your depleting your idea tank and wasting your time if you're not inspired. I think the opposite is true. When I write consistently, even if it's just for 20 minutes a day, I find that more of my ideas make it on paper. I don't procrastinate on getting started on my ideas because I know I'll have to write something to check off writing for the day. I also find that just concentrating on getting my writing done for the day pushes me not to edit my writing while I'm still working on it. All of this combined makes for a really effective, brief writing session. Even if I write something that I'm not happy with, I always get the bare bones of an idea down to be revised later, so it still pays off for me to write despite a lack of inspiration. 5. When in doubt, skip around. There is no rule that you have to write your book, article, poem, whatever in a particular order. Sometimes it's easier to start with the idea that jumps out at you the most and just rearrange your work later. If a particular scene or line is pulling at your attention, don't delay! Go ahead and start there if you want to. You're allowed to do whatever you want. It's your art. You may also be worried that skipping around requires more editing. I find that editing a story or poem that's written out of order isn't that difficult unless I've somehow written the same scene more than once and have to figure out which details to keep or move. I don't like doing the work twice, but that rarely happens, so I still definitely recommend this technique. Writer's block sucks no matter how you spin it, but it doesn't have to be your demise. Don't let your art live or die by the muse. You can make anything happen if you stick to it and do a little bit of work every day. If you've ever struggled with writer's block, feel free to leave a comment and tell me about it and/or how you got your inspiration back. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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NaNoWriMo with a Non-Novelist11/13/2017 What is NaNoWriMo? |
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