The Lightning Thief By Rick Riordan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This Was A Pretty Darn Awesome Book.

The absolute joy of being booped on the nose by a cat's paw.

COVID-19 Support

Hi, everyone! I try to keep this blog as on topic as possible but I wanted to talk a bit about the impact COVID-19 has had on a lot of us.

First, I want to express to anyone that may need to hear it that it’s completely valid and understandable to be scared right now. Many of our lives have been completely uprooted thanks to this pandemic. Many of us have lost our jobs, been abruptly sent home from school, worried about our health, and dealt with difficulties staying home and away from others.

As cheesy as it may sound, no one is alone in this. We all, technically, have easy access to our friends and family still thanks to social media/texting. It can be difficult to actually reach out to others, however, and to help out with that I’d like to offer my support to all of you that may need it.

I know that most—if not all—of you that read this are not at all close to me, nor have I previously spoken with almost any of you, but if you need someone to talk to right now—about anything, really—feel free to message me. As long as your message doesn’t strike me as odd or threatening, I’ll gladly reply. If you want to talk anonymously, feel free to send me anonymous asks and I’ll gladly respond to them. Keeping our community happy and healthy is one of the most important things we can do right now and I really hope you’re all doing okay right now.

Stay safe out there,

Sonja

happy sts! what's something you're proud of/happy about in your writing?

Happy sts! Thank you for sending in this question, @feathered-inkling!

I had to sit on this one for a bit before I could figure out my answer, honestly. I’ve always been really insecure about my writing, hence why I’m only slowly sharing parts of it now. One thing I’m really happy about in my writing, however, is my ability to really illustrate a scene once I’m comfortable with it. Some of my favorite pieces of mine are ones where I managed to actually describe the full atmosphere, not just rely on sight and sound. A previous creative writing professor of mine actually personally disliked my writing because it was too “flowery and descriptive”. 

Other writers, what are things you’re proud of/happy about in your writing? I’d love to hear from you as well!

here have 10 pieces of writing advice that have stuck with me over the years

every character’s first line should be an introduction to who they are as a person

even if you only wrote one sentence on a really bad day, that’s still one sentence more than you had yesterday

exercise restraint when using swear words and extra punctuation in order for them to pack a punch when you do use them

if your characters have to kiss to show they’re in love, then they’re not in love

make every scene interesting (or make every scene your favorite scene), otherwise your readers will be just as bored as you

if you’re stuck on a scene, delete the last line you wrote and go in a different direction, or leave in brackets as placeholders

don’t compare your first draft to published books that could be anywhere from 3rd to 103rd drafts

i promise you the story you want to tell can fit into 100k words or less

sometimes the book isn’t working because it’s not ready to be written or you’re not ready to write it yet; let it marinate for a bit so the idea can develop as you become a better writer

a story written in chronological order takes a lot more discipline and is usually easier to understand than a story written with flashbacks

Naughty stoves go into the closet of shame. @the-moss-ball

So proud of you my dude!!! I wish you the best of luck and, of course, I’ll still be with you every step of the way!!

okay so I have been out as a trans man for four years now, but have never had the finiancial stability to begin transitioning. But starting in two days, ya boy will be starting hormone therapy! Thanks to all of you have been supporting me during this rough part of my life, and now I can see clearer skies :)

The Smell Of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This story is about four characters who, given their individual upbringings and struggles, all end up helping each other through their problems. I didn't expect the story to go how it went but I was definitely not disappointed. The characters were all very real and their stories were super interesting and somewhat relatable. I suggest this book to anyone that likes to read about people's problems, how they get through them, and how they can affect others.

The Legend Series (Legend, Prodigy, and Champion) By Marie Lu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is seriously one of the best series I’ve ever read. The author gets you hooked on the characters and you just want them to be happy and she does such a great job of using that against you 😒. Anyway, I say they’re a must read for anyone if you like some adventure, action, and romance!

Up To This Pointe by Jennifer Longo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is absolutely a beautiful book. I enjoyed how it went back and forth between Harper’s time Antarctica and the events that led up to her going there. The characters are all awesome and I truly felt bad while reliving the hardships Harper went through. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA books, fun relationships between characters, and a nice amount of conflict.

"If you're uncomfortable, I can do it for/with you."

This is probably the most understanding, comforting, and meaningful thing you can say to someone with anxiety (or anyone in general) when they need help. Whether it’s simply talking to someone for/with them or helping them give a speech or performance.

Don’t underestimate the value of your words.