Books About Writing That I Want To Read

Published on January 22, 2019 by Jessica4 Comments

Hello everyone! Hope your January is going well so far. I can’t believe it’s almost over already!

Today I want to talk about books about writing that I want to read! I haven’t mentioned this here yet, but I am actually starting a new WIP! I am so so excited about it, and I will give more details about it soon. But for now, I want to give you a list of some books I want to read that are about writing. As a writer, I think it is so important to learn about the craft, and what better way to learn than from the experts??

These are all books that I have NOT yet read, but I’ve heard amazing things about them. I won’t describe them in too much detail since I haven’t actually read them, but also because there are a lot on this list! I hope you find at least one to add to your TBR :)

On Writing by Stephen King

This is one that’s a staple to all writers. I have heard nothing by good things about this one, and I am actually in the process of reading it right now. It is funny and entertaining, but sprinkles writing tips all throughout. Stephen King is a legend in the writing world, so learning from him is huge to me.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

This is another that I’ve heard such amazing things about. I want to read it ASAP! I will probably get it from my library right after I finish the previous one. From what I’ve heard, this book discusses so many different aspects of writing- not only does she give advice and tips on writing itself, but also on being a writer and what it is like.

A Writer’s Diary by Virginia Woolf

This is basically all of Virginia Woolf’s thoughts about writing put into one book- why wouldn’t you want to read this? Woolf is such an important and prominent writer, and her works are said to be art. I have only read one of her books, Mrs. Dalloway, and loved it! I definitely want to read more by her in the future, and eventually get my hands on this diary!

Why I Write by George Orwell

This is another diary-like book by a famous author. You may know him for 1984 and Animal Farm. His books were pretty revolutionary for how they described the future, and I would definitely love to read his reasons for writing. I am sure that this one will be amazing.

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

I heard this recommended by Kat from Katytastic on Youtube, and she absolutely loves this. This is a book about screenwriting, but the methods can be used for novel writing as well. After I heard Kat talk about it, I was sold. She said it definitely helped her with her writing and outlining, so I need it!

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

I saw this book recommended in a Pinterest post, and I added it to my TBR immediately. As a writer, I believe it is VITAL to read as much as possible. But knowing how to read like a writer is something even more valuable. I think this book will definitely teach me a lot, so I want to pick it up in the very near future.

Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer

I remember seeing someone tweet about finding this book at a used bookstore, and I was intrigued by it. Naturally, I looked it up. It is an illustrated book that looks so beautiful. Among the pictures, there are tons of tips for writing, and it just seems so interesting. It’s pretty different from the rest of them, but it’s still something I want to read.

Why Poetry by Matthew Zapruder

These next two are about poetry actually, and not novel writing. BUT, this is something that I am also very passionate about. I heard about this one from Ariel Bissett, another Youtuber, and I trust all of her recommendations. This one isn’t necessarily teaching the craft, but it talks about why people read poetry and also poetry in a modern age. It definitely piqued my interest.

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver was a beloved and very famous poet, who unfortunately passed away a few days ago. She was a huge inspiration to so many people, and I definitely want to read her handbook. This is a quick book that I think will be very useful. If I can write even 1/8 as good as she does, I would be happy.

That is all for this post! If you have any recommendations for books about writing, please leave them down below :)

how im staying organized in 2019

Published on January 15, 2019 by Jessica10 Comments

* this post is in promotion with Clever Fox planners, but all opinions are my own *

Hello everyone ! If you saw my last post, you would know that I have started using the Clever Fox Planner this month, and I am really loving it! Today I wanted to make a post about how I am using my planners, not just that one, for 2019. I have a system that will probably change as time goes on, but for now it is something that works for me!

Planner 1: School

The first planner that I am using is my Clever Fox planner, which I decided I would use for school! I was originally going to use this one for my creative projects, but because it is a lot bigger than my other planner, it will fit all of my assignments better. Plus, it is undated, so after this semester is over and I am off for four months, those pages aren’t being wasted because I can use them for the next year.

The picture that I have is of my January spread which actually has all of my creative projects on it, but that will be changing starting next month. Instead, I will assign a color to each class I am taking, and will include all of my assignments for that month.

The weekly spread is where I will write down all of my day to day homework assignments, as well as my work schedule and other meetings or plans with friends.

Planner 2: Creative Projects

As for my creative projects, I will be using this Ban.do 2019 planner. I am obsessed with the look of this one, and it is something that I wanted to purchase for myself for a few years now. They no longer sell the design that I have, but I linked the same planner with a different pattern.

It is smaller than the other planner, which I like because I can carry it in my bag with me.

I will be using this one for scheduling blog post and videos, as well as days to take bookstagram pictures, write poetry, work on my draft of my novel, etc. It will be solely dedicated to planning out my creative projects, because those are something that I am taking more seriously this year.

The monthly spread will once again be color-coordinated for each project, and the weekly spreads will have my day to day to-do lists.

Journal: Goal Tracking

Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset

Finally, I will be using an art/junk journal that I have to track my habits and my goals each month. I might eventually switch over to just doing this in the Clever Fox planner because it does give you space to do so. For now, though, I like the way I have mine organized.

That is all for how I will be staying organized this year! If you have any questions about the system, please leave them in the comments :) See you next week!

Clever Fox Planner- Unboxing and Review

Published on January 8, 2019 by Jessica4 Comments

Hello loves! Today I have an exciting post- I collabed with Clever Fox to unbox one of their planners for you guys! I got the Pro planner in the color blue, and I am LOVING it.

I have been looking for a bigger sized planner to use for my creative projects for a while, so I was really excited to get my hands on this one. I love that it has three bookmarks so that you can easily find different pages that you are looking for, and I love the stickers it came with. I will definitely be using those a lot.

I also love the front pages where you can create a vision board and outline your goals. It is definitely something that I really like because, again, I am using this mainly for my creative projects. Those pages will be great to track progress and stay on top of my goals.

There is so much room to write everything down, and overall I really love it.

The one thing that I wish was different is that I don’t like how the monthly spreads are all together at the front, and the weekly spreads are in the back. I wish that those alternated so that you can see the monthly spread right before the weekly ones. However, because it does come with the bookmarks, this is something I could get used to easily.

I would definitely recommend giving this one a try if you are looking for a new planner this year. They have a variety of sizes and styles to choose from, so I’m sure there will be one for you!

If you want to purchase one yourself, I have 3 10% discount codes, so just leave a comment with your Instagram username and I will message it to you :)

For 2019, I made a schedule for my posts, so they will be up once a week on Tuesdays, so be sure to stop by next week!

December 2018 Wrap-Up

Published on January 1, 2019 by Jessica1 Comment

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! This is my first post after Blogmas, and I’m feeling great. I’m inspired and I have so much to share this year. I can’t wait to see where I go.

Today’s post is a simple wrap-up because December was actually a pretty good reading month for me up until the end. I read a total of 9 books, which ended my year with 65 books read. I didn’t beat last year, but I’m okay with that. My goal for 2019 is 52 books! Hopefully I can get more than that :)

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Oof. Where do I even start? I wanted to like this book, and I tried. I really did. But the characters were just so unlikeable and I honestly didn’t care for the plot at all. I had high expectations for it, too. But I just couldn’t get myself into it.

Rating: 2/5 stars

What Happened by Hillary Clinton

This is a memoire by Hillary Clinton talking about what happened in her campaign and sort of what went wrong. I really enjoyed this audiobook and I found the story so interesting. I am very interested in politics, so this story was very important to me. I highly recommend it if you want to know more about the 2016 election.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell

This is a poetry collection that I wasn’t entirely sold on. The poems just didn’t connect with me all that much, and I felt like they were too simple. They didn’t have that rawness and depth that I look for in poetry.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Yesterday I Was the Moon by Noor Unnahar

Luckily, after that last one, I picked up a collection I actually enjoyed. These poems were so powerful and important. I felt the emotions behind each one, and I was able to be empathetic and connect to them, even if they didn’t relate to me personally. I loved it.

Rating: 4/5 stars

What We Buried by Caitlyn Siehl

This collection was just breathtaking. I bought this because I was attending a reading for Caitlyn and Amanda Lovelace (author of The Princess Saves Herself in This One). I fell in love from the moment I heard Caitlyn read a poem. She was amazing. I really, really recommend this one.

Rating: 5/5 stars

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a book I read for one of my classes last semester, so I don’t want to judge it. I read it solely from an analytical point of view.

Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert

I’m starting to get into the romance genre and so I decided to pick this one up because the ebook was free. I am so glad I did. It was a quick read but filled with a lot of cute moments. I really enjoyed it.

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I heard a lot of good things about this one, but again, I just didn’t like it. The love story was just so cringe worthy and unrealistic to me. It’s a big “insta-love” and I hated it. That’s probably my least favorite trope ever. I loved Natasha’s story a lot, and I would have preferred just reading about her, and not the love story.

Rating: 2/5 stars

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

This is another book that I wanted to love so so bad. I have been putting it off for so so long because I was scared I wouldn’t like it, and unfortunately my fears were right. I just didn’t connect with it and I honestly don’t really remember the plot at all and I read it so recently. Nothing stood out from it to me.

Rating: 2/5 stars

As you can see, my reading was sort of all over the place this month. Lot’s of ups and downs. Let me know what you thought of these books if you’ve read them, or what you read this month!

A Thank You. Recommending Bloggers // Blogmas Day 25

Published on December 25, 2018 by Jessica7 Comments

Merry Christmas y’all! I know Blogmas technically ended yesterday, but I wanted to add an extra day to thank everyone who has either been very inspirational to me, been a great friend, or just someone I love to read! I am going to be sharing some of my favorite bloggers for you guys to check out because they deserve the world!

Thank you all for everything. I wouldn’t be where I am without all of your love and support. This community means so much to me, and I just want to give back by shouting out some of my faves!

Merry Christmas again, and see you in the new year !

Meltotheany

Kalinasbookblog

Ambsreads

Taytalksbooks

Abookathought

Justanotherbookinthewall

Brilliantlybookish

Sprinklesofdreams

Emmareadstoomuch

Classyxbookreviews

Kerrithebookbelle

Midnightwanderer

Thecursedbooks

Tarynandherbooks

Drizzleandhurricanebooks

Tag your favorite blogs down below! Let’s spread the joy :)

more pretty book covers! // Blogmas Day 24

Published on December 24, 2018 by Jessica4 Comments

It’s already day 24 of Blogmas! Merry Christmas Eve :)

I just wrote this post recently, but I have so many more book covers that I want to talk about, so here is part two!

This cover is just so pretty to me because it’s simple and clean, but different. There’s just something about it that always catches my eye, even if I don’t necessarily think I’ll like the book. It was just done really well.

I think everyone agrees that this is a nice book cover. The gold compliments the flowers so nicely, and makes it pop. I am usually fan of simple covers, but I love how this one looks a lot.

The reason that I love this one so much is because I didn’t even notice that the “mountain” in the back is a face. It’s just so subtle and nice. I’m obsessed with it.

This cover. I don’t even know where to begin. It is gorgeous. Jellyfish are my favorite sea creatures, so this definitely caught my eye from the beginning. Also, the background is so nice and I love the font of the title.

This has been one of my favorite book covers ever for a long time because it’s just so aesthetically pleasing. If I wrote a book, this is the type of cover I would want. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the book as much. The cover makes up for it a little bit.

Once again, Merry Christmas Eve! I’ll see you guys for the last day of Blogmas tomorrow! Enjoy the holidays :)

24 hour read-a-thon recap // Blogmas Day 23

Published on December 23, 2018 by Jessica6 Comments

As some of you know, if you read my last TBR post, I just did a 24 hour read-a-thon with two amazing people! It was a lot of fun, and I definitely want to do more in the future :)

Let’s talk about how I did!

The TBR:

What I read:

I had about half of Emergency Contact left (200 pages or so), and I managed to finish it at around 11:30 at night. I kept alternating between listening to The Sun is Also a Star and reading Emergency Contact. Luckily, the The Sun audiobook was short, and since I listen at 2.5 speed, it took me less than 4 hours.

I finished it at about 7:30. It took me a long time to finish both because I took a lot of breaks and went out a couple of times throughout the day, but at least I managed to read 2 of them!

I started Dumplin’, but only got about 3 chapters in!

I’m definitely still counting this as a win because I managed to finish 2 books. I’m definitely happy with that.

I also had so much fun!

This was a lot of fun, as I’ve mentioned! If you want to see more 24 hour read-a-thon posts, let me know! Or if you want to participate the next time I do one, definitely let me know, and I can make sure I announce it first :)

favorite books of 2018 // Blogmas Day 22

Published on December 22, 2018December 22, 2018 by Jessica7 Comments

Yesterday I accidentally titled my blog post Day 22 because I obviously can’t count, but I fixed that, and today is the true Day 22!

Today’s post is an exciting one- I am finally going to be sharing my top 10 favorite books of the year! I read 65 books this year, and I am currently in the middle of 2 others (but I don’t think they will make this list).

Out of those books, I found some of my absolute favorites, and I am so so excited to share them with you all! I put them in an order, but take it with a grain of salt. It was so hard to even narrow down my list, let alone rank these 10. I changed the order so many times because I was indecisive, so just remember that!

10. Looking for Alaska by John Green

I know that this is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but I loved this book. It was hard to get into at first, but I was hooked completely by the middle. It just gave me such a nostalgic feeling because this is a book that middle school me would have obsessed over. I can’t even really describe why I loved it so much, I just did.

9. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I’m going to be honest, I really didn’t think I would like this one, but I had the audiobook and decided I should just give it a chance. I ended up really liking it. It was such a beautiful, beautiful book. It made me really emotional, and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up.

8. To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace

This probably became my favorite poetry collection ever. It was so, so good. Amanda never fails to make me fall in love with her writing, but this one especially just spoke to me so much. I absolutely loved it, and I think everyone should give it a try.

7. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

After reading Simon, I didn’t have high hopes for this one. I loved the Simon movie, but the book fell flat to me in so many ways. It was just so hyped, so I expected a lot more from it. But this one was amazing. I loved and related to the characters so so much, and I really enjoyed the story. It was definitely a surprise for me.

6. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

I love Jenn Bennett so so much, and 2018 is actually the year I discovered her books. This is one that doesn’t come out until 2019, but I was lucky enough to get an ARC and I am so grateful. The way she writes romance is unlike anyone else. She makes you fall in love with the characters and I was mesmerized by this one.

5. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

This book melted my heart. I have been dying to read anything by Alice Oseman for so long, and this did not disappoint. It was so relatable and I love reading about podcasts, so this one was such a hit for me. The story was a bit sad at times, but it made you FEEL something, which I love.

4. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

This is the first year that I got into thriller/mysteries. I’ve always read a couple here and there, but I definitely read way more this year. This one was by far my favorite. I listened to the audiobook and it just had me so hooked. I could not get enough of it, and I highly recommend it if you like this genre.

3. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

This is a story told through poetry, and I absolutely loved it. It was just such an incredible story, and I love poetry, so the two put together was just so amazing. I also just related to it so much (not as much now, but definitely a few years ago). I just saw myself in the story, and it made me so happy.

2. Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Wow, would you look at that? Another Jenn Bennett. At the beginning of 2018, I couldn’t decide if I liked this one more, or Starry Eyes (also by Jenn Bennett). But the more I thought about it, the more this one was on my mind. Alex is my favorite YA love interest ever. He was just so smooth and knows how to make you fall for him. I was obsessed (and still am, let’s be honest). Wow, I just really loved this one.

1. Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

I don’t even know what else to say about this one. It just spoke to me on so many levels, and I couldn’t get enough. I posted a review on it, so I’ll just direct you there because it sums up my feelings pretty well.

Honorable Mentions:

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav

What Happened by Hillary Clinton

The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic

If there are any on this list that you haven’t read, I highly recommend picking them up! I love all of these wholeheartedly, and 2018 was an incredible reading year for me. Please check these out :)

Mental Health Book Bingo TBR // Blogmas Day 21

Published on December 21, 2018December 22, 2018 by Jessica10 Comments

I have an exciting announcement! This January, I will be a host for the Mental Health Book Bingo with a group of lovely people! I can not wait, and I am so honored to be a part.

If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a bingo board that has a prompt on each box, and the goal is to read 5 books during the month of January (to make a line- diagonally, vertically, horizontally, etc). They each feature representation of different mental illnesses, or are related to it.

Make sure to follow the twitter to keep up with updates and participate in various chats and sprints with us! Also, use the hashtag #mhbb to post your own updates!

The rest of the hosts are:

Wendy // whatthelogsaid

Inge // ingeswonderland

Laura // bbliophile

Lili // UtopiaMind

Ayah Assem // DystopianCitzn

Sar // readtorecover

My TBR

I am going to be a bit of a rebel when it comes to my TBR. I actually won’t be following the typical bingo line because 2019 is a no-buy year for me, so I had to choose books that I own or have accessible to me- this means whatever I can get on the Libby app or from kindle.

Also, I chose more than 5 books because I’m a mood reader, and need some options!

However, I do plan on reading 5-6 books, so I will still be doing my part :)

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga (Depression Rep)

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia (YA w/ MI)

When We Collided by Emery Lord (Free space)

Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow (PTSD rep)

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan (2018 Release)

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman* (Anxiety Rep)

Group Read- Not Chosen Yet

I really encourage all of you to participate, even if you only read one book! It’s so important to read about all types of diversity, and this is a fun way to do it. Also, make sure to stay up to date by following the Twitter, where a lot of fun things will be happening :)

writer’s block and finding inspiration- a discussion // Blogmas Day 20

Published on December 20, 2018December 20, 2018 by Jessica9 Comments

Inspiration. This is something I struggle with constantly. Where does it come from and how do I keep it?

I haven’t exactly found the answer to this yet.

Personally, I deal with writer’s block constantly, and I am always looking for new sources of inspiration. As someone who loves to write, I find this to be incredibly frustrating. When looking at writers I look up to, it seems as though they are able to constantly produce content and never burn out.

I, on the other hand, go through periods where I can write for hours everyday, and then I’ll go weeks without writing at all. I hate the inconsistence, but I haven’t been able to commit to a daily schedule. Life and other commitments just get in the way sometimes.

So, how do you handle this?

Remember that it’s ok to take a break

Breaks are necessary. It’s important not to overwork yourself because you’ll end up burned out really quickly. I do not believe that a writer must write everyday. Sure, it definitely helps. But as long as you are practicing your craft often enough, at least 4-5 times a week, then you are fine. I’ve definitely even had extended periods where I didn’t write outside of school because I just couldn’t.

That doesn’t mean I’m not a writer. Exhaustion will not produce your best work. So take a nap, meditate, go for a run, etc. Writing can be done at any time.

…But don’t take too long

Yes, it is important to take a break sometimes, but don’t use it as an excuse for not writing. I am definitely guilty of this. I tell myself that I need a break or I need some time to rest, and then I never end up writing.

Sometimes you just need to force yourself to pick up that pen and paper. You don’t always need INSPIRATION necessarily, you just need MOTIVATION.

Usually the hardest part of doing anything is actually starting. If you have been dealing with “writer’s block” for a while now, then I want you to go and pick up a pen/pencil/marker/crayon/whatever and just w r i t e.

Let out whatever it is you’ve been holding in. Yes, you. Right now.

You might find that once you start, you won’t be able to stop, and you’ll forget why you were struggling so much before.

Remind yourself why you love it

Why are you writing to begin with? Writing is hard, and can be very painful at times. But if you’re doing it because it’s something you love to do, then you can push through the unbearable parts.

Just taking the time to remind yourself of this can be very beneficial. It can be the extra push you need.

Where I get inspiration:

My inspiration comes from a variety of sources, and it usually changes every time I write. But, here is a list of common places I get it from because I feel like it could be very useful

past poems/stories i’ve written
other poets
lines from books
song lyrics (this is a big one)
conversations i overhear
life experiences
pictures
dictionary- finding synonyms of random words (sounds strange but works)
movies
going outside for fresh air

I am a firm believer that consuming media allows you to create better. You learn from others, and you also develop your own style. You find what you like, as well as what you don’t, and use that to make your own art.

Where do you get inspiration? Leave me a comment letting me know down below! I love to hear the process that other writer’s go through :)