Category: Books!

Book Reviews, Books!, Updates

I’m Back! (+What I Read in May)

floraj5604

Hello! I have no idea if anyone will even see this post because it has been soooooo long since I have posted. My last post was in 2021, five years ago.

I have been super busy during these past five years. I finished up my senior year of high school, and then promptly started college, where I spent four years getting a creative writing degree. It has definitely been a full but fulfilling five years. Unfortunately, because I was balancing classes, assignments, friends, family, and the scraps of free time I could find during my days, there was no time for continuing this blog.

However, I just graduated in May, so I am beginning a new stage of life. I’m figuring out what I want to do with my degree…and with the rest of my life (yikes!). Of course, I am still a writer. I want to write, publish books and short stories, and earn the term of “author.” But, as writers don’t have the most stable incomes, I am still figuring the rest of my “career” out.

Now that I am more fully stepping into my career as a writer, I figured it would be a good time to hop back on to this little space on the internet that I created a while ago. Writing, after all, was always supposed to be the main inspiration and topic of this blog — whether it’s just documenting my journey as a writer or giving more practical tips and advice on the writing process.

A huge part of this blog used to be my posts about my bullet journals, the spreads I created each month, and the advice I could give on that type of journaling. It has been a few years since I kept a consistent bullet journal, mainly because of the busyness of college life and because I was a little burnt out. I don’t know if that will be a topic that I will incorporate back into my blog because I don’t know when I will incorporate it back into my life yet.

The last main aspect of this blog was books — books I read, books I reviewed, and books I loved. Books are still a huge part of my life — first and foremost because I love reading. But books are also an essential part of my life because I am a writer. Reading is both inspiring and essential for refining my craft.

So… to make this a little more than just an update post…

What I Read in May

Here’s what I read in May!

I read the first three books (or volumes, as the author calls them) of the series called The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower. Here are my thoughts:

Overall, it is a wonderfully delightful series that I have not been able to put down. Each volume is made up of Emma Lion’s journal entries about her life. It is set in 1883, St. Crispian’s (a town in London). It is a town that has all the wonderful odd quirks that create the typical small town charm. Emma interacts with those she knows in the town and occasionally gets into some escapades and scrapes that are humorous.

Volume 1 has a lot of exposition about the town of St. Crispian’s, Emma’s house, Emma’s history, and her current situation. As any avid fan of the series will tell you, the first volume can be a little slow. However, by the end of Volume 2, you should (and will) be thoroughly enjoying yourself. Volume 2 has a lot more dialogue, which starts moving the story along at a faster and more enjoyable pace.

So far, Volume 2 has been my favorite. My interest caught at the end of Volume 1, so when I started Volume 2, I was fully intrigued by the quirky town and characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the second volume and could not resist moving straight into Volume 3.

I am very interested to see where the series goes. There are currently eight published volumes, but the author has stated that she has plans for 25 volumes when the series is fully finished.

I have also been reading a memoir, but I’ll save my review for when I’ve read the full book.

The Future of This Blog

So, this post is really a test to see who’s still out there reading my blog, so I can get an idea of where I’m at. It’s also me just tentatively stepping back out into the blog world to remind myself of what it’s like to write a post and get out my thoughts about where I’m at in life and as a writer.

I still love the idea of capturing my journey as a writer and a creative person, just like I did eight years ago when I started this blog. So that will still remain the cornerstone of this little corner of the internet. I am perfectly happy to still incorporate book reviews because I am still an avid reader. As for what else…. We’ll just have to wait and see. I have a few more ideas in mind, but I’m also happy to hear any ideas/requests from readers.

So, maybe I’ll see you again here sometime soon. Until then,

Signing off,

Corinne

“Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:11 CSB)

Books!, Sharing Your Work

Update on Reading and Writing | A Few Writing Tips

floraj5604

Hello, everyone! Today I’m going to give you an update on my writing and book reading, and then share a few tips that will help you keep going on your writing.

Reading

So, right now I’m reading book five of Keeper of the Lost Cities (Lodestar) and book seven of The Mitford Years (In This Mountain).

I’m going along with other Keeper fans and rereading the series- one book each week. Last week was catch-up week, since we were in the middle of the series. I used the catch-up week to take my time finishing Neverseen and spend more time writing.

Here’s my reading schedule for the rest of the month.

July 14-20: Lodestar (Keeper Book Five), start In This Mountain

July 21-27: Nightfall (Keeper Book Six), and continue In This Mountain

July 28- August 3: Flashback (Keeper Book Seven), finish In This Mountain

My goal was to read four books this month, and if I follow that schedule, I should succeed, since I have already read two other books this month. August will probably be less books to read, since school will be starting back. I do online school, and this year we’re trying a different one than we did last year, so I’ll need plenty of time to adjust.

Writing

Right now, I’m revising my book. I’m just rereading, looking for mistakes, and changing what needs to be changed. This definitely isn’t my favorite thing to do, but if I eventually want to publish it, I need to keep going and push through.

My goal this month was to spend twenty minutes each day revising, which means about two hours each week, and about 10 hours for the month.

Here’s how I’ve done so far.

June 30- July 6: 1 hour 10 minutes

July 7-13: 2 hours

July 14-20: So far, I haven’t had any time to edit this week- I’ve been super busy. I haven’t been home much at all. So this week, I’ll probably only get one hour in.

Hopefully I will get my hours in this month!

Tips on Writing

  1. Don’t think of it as “work” or something that has to be done by a certain date. Think of it as doing something you enjoy. Let your creativity take over and just write.
  2. If you notice that you’re having trouble focusing and coming up with ideas, don’t force yourself to keep going! In fact, that will just make your writing sound bad. When this happens, it probably means you’ve been at it too long. Take a break! Or just be done for the day, if time allows.
  3. Do it when you have no other distractions. No TV, loud music, or other distractions. It’s best to be just by yourself. Music with lyrics distracts me, so I usually just listen to soft piano music.
  4. Think of the joy you’ll feel when sharing your work with others. You may feel a little freaked out about sharing your work at first, but after you get going, you’ll find that you’re excited to know what others think. Trust me, I’ve been there. If it helps, give them the paper, computer, or whatever it is your story is on, and leave the room. That way you won’t have to see their reactions until they’re done.
  5. Only share it on two conditions. One, you’ve gone over it a couple of times, and you feel confident about it. Two, you trust the person you’re sharing it with. Like really trust.
  6. Don’t kill off characters just to get your readers hooked, or to make them sad or shocked. Do it only if it is necessary for the story. You don’t want your readers to get mad at you for killing off their favorite character for no reason.
  7. The best people to share your work with are your family and your close friends- especially if you’re sharing for the first time. They’ll be proud of you for trying and finishing what you started. This will make you ready to share with others as well.
  8. Consider the feedback you get. You may not like it, but you have to consider it. Think about it, and if you think it makes sense, you can change something in your story if need be.
  9. Ask for feedback, and don’t be upset when they give it to you. Feedback helps you improve your story, but sometimes it can also get you down and feeling like you shouldn’t have started writing in the first place. Don’t let that happen! Remember, they’re just giving you what you asked for!
  10. Don’t give up after your first try. If you’re rereading your writing, and something just doesn’t feel right, try again. Rewrite the scene or sentence.

Well, I hope this was helpful! I know it helped me to come up with a plan for my reading and writing. Did you find the tips helpful? Can you come up with any tips? What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading! Happy writing!

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13 ESV).