Each month I take a moment to pause and share a few things I’ve found to be helpful and fun along the journey as a busy writer.
I hope you find them to be enlightening and encouraging!
Article Roundup: Pep Talks From The Nanowrimo Archives
Today marks the last day of November and the end of nanowrimo 2018. Hats off to all you who have participated this month! And congrats to all of you who have been writing this month no matter where you’re at. Any words written are a victory and that’s awesome! You’re amazing. 🙂
Despite life’s general craziness, I managed to “win” nanowrimo this year (huzzah!) clocking in at just under 55k words in my shiny new draft. I want to give a huge shout out to the folks who asked me how it was going, family who watched my girls for me, and my friends who never doubted me. You guys are rock stars and I’m so grateful!
I’m also so thankful for the nanowrimo community. Nanowrimo has some great resources (check out their blog!) and provides huge encouragement to writers. Their archives contains some wonderful pep talks from various authors over the years and I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you today. They are great gems of encouragement and advice for all writers.
No matter where you’re at with your writing today, these are for you!
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Pep Talk from Brian Jacques
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Pep Talk from Diana Gabaldon
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Pep Talk from Jim Butcher
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Pep Talk from Maggie Stiefvater
Book Review: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Note: Links for this book are affiliate links which means if you purchase something I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence my review, I only share stuff with you I truly like. For more info see my site policy.
I keep rereading Magic Bites (and let’s be honest, the entire series) because wow, where to even start?
This is my favorite type of adventure and fantasy story. A heroine with a sword, but not just a stereotypical strong fighter- Kate has strengths and weaknesses and so so much heart. All of the characters make me glad there is a whole series to get to know them better. And the plotline is both interesting and smart, including pieces of mythology from around the world and tying it together in a fascinating world where magic and technology fight for dominance.
This book gets 5 stars and I’m thrilled there’s more where it came from. The last book in the series was just released this past summer (and was awesome) so now is your chance to cancel all your weekend plans and read them all in one go! 😉
Recipe of the Month: Chicken and Waffles
Sometimes we just need breakfast for dinner, amiright?
There’s something about the sweet and savory in this recipe that just gets me every single time. So delicious! And relatively simple to pull together- if you’re in a rush you can even get premade chicken strips and precooked bacon. Just don’t skip the sauce because it’s really good. Annnddd now I’m hungry. Happy cooking!
Self Care Homework: Make Your Bed
Did you make your bed this morning? There’s no shaming here if you didn’t- more often than not my blankets are a mess and my sweatshirt is sitting on the floor.
But there’s something refreshing and liberating about having a clean house, a clean room, a clean bed. It gives us space to think, relax, and just be.
So take five minutes. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed or tackle the whole house, but let’s make our beds today. This is a simple way to care for ourselves and show ourselves that we matter.
Because we do matter! You are precious and lovely, my friend, and I hope you realize that today. <3
Writing Prompt: What if?
Make a list of at least 20 “What if?” questions. These are helpful just to get us thinking and also great for story prompts. Look around you for inspiration as needed! They could be anything at all. For example, “What if the dryer really is eating my socks?” “What if my mirrors had cameras in them?” “What if gravity could be turned on and off?” or “What if tomorrow was the end of the world?”
Whether the questions are realistic or outlandish, have fun with them! The practice of asking these questions and cultivating curiosity is important for all writers to have.
Bonus points if you take a few more minutes and brainstorm story concepts related to one of your questions further!
Cuteness Quota: Little Fox <3 <3 <3
Quote:
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” – William Faulkner
Happy writing to you all! I hope your month has been fabulous and full of joy.
I’m always looking for feedback and ways to make this site helpful to you, so if you have any writing questions you’d like me to tackle next or topics to focus on, please let me know below in the comments! I’d love to hear from you 🙂
