Good evening, Readers and Writers! Lately I have been reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf for one of my classes this term. I've read Woolf's novel before, but I forgot how many commas she places within her sentences. It's enough to drive one mad! Nevertheless, Woolf is a great writer. Sometimes, when I'm not in a writing mood, I'll pretend that I'm one of my favourite writers! Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Margaret Atwood, Cassandra Clare, Derek Landy, Natalie Goldberg, and whoever else I can't name right now. I find my writing style has changed once again because I'm putting far too many commas into my written work. This happened once before when I read Woolf's story. In fact, when I read Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, I found my writing took on an especially poetic and detailed tonality. (Again, I have been reading Woolf!) Imagining that I'm another writer sometimes helps break me out of my unmotivated state. If that doesn't work, I set writing boundaries. That means I set a date and time and I show up and write no matter what. I make sure to show up because if I don't then I won't write. I'll fold laundry instead, or listen to music as I bullet journal. Motivation doesn't have to be the key to sitting down and putting pen to paper, or opening that word document and typing away. I find when I stick to my writing boundaries, I'm happier because I'm doing what I love. By carving out writing time, I say to myself, "You're important. This matters. Just do it." Of course, there are days where I must compromise. Something urgent comes up and I need to reschedule. Okay, fine. But I always reschedule writing time....and sometimes I don't. It happens. It's not the end of the world, but I show up later. And there are days where I just don't want to write, so I'll listen to that voice. It's okay if you don't write every day. But I find that if I itch to write, nothing can get in my way. I will get to my computer or notebook, put on some music, and just write for hours. I find that if I don't write for a long time that creativity begins to build beneath my skin until I can't ignore it anymore.I easily avoid this build-up when I listen to my boundaries. I mentioned in an instagram post that I'm trying to finish a notebook in a month for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Guess who hasn't been writing in that journal for 10 days. I could be angry and frustrated with myself, but I'm also a super busy university student. I have two and a half weeks left with a lot of assignments to complete. As much as I wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year in Natalie Goldberg style, I put another task on my plate that I couldn't uphold. And that's okay. I take a moment to write personally when I have breaks so I don't go crazy with the three essays I'm slowly chipping away at. And, I'm also sticking to my blog posts. I'm not willing to compromise on them unless I have computer issues like I did last week. I hope this gives you some tools to stay motivated when you write. But remember: what works for me may not work for you. If anything, I hope this post has inspired you to write, too! Happy Writing! ~ Mady
0 Comments
Good evening Readers and Writers! I am on a week-long break, and I am taking advantage of some well-deserved R&R. Was I planning on catching up on some fun books? Yes, I was. But I still have a fair bit of university work to do, so I'm reading books for class instead. The nice thing about reading books for class is that they still count towards my GoodReads 2021 Reading Challenge! This is my fourth year participating, and as much as I am an avid reader, sometimes meeting the challenge can be hard. I created my GoodReads account in 2018 and for that year I met my challenge: 31/30. (Heehee, yes I may be a little bit of an over-achiever). Then, in 2019 I did 51/50, and in 2020 I was at 37/75. I pushed myself harder in 2020 because I thought I could do it, and then COVID happened. My motivation for everything went down, and I did what I could to keep going. So, when planning my challenge for this year, I decided to back it off a bit. Plus, I'm in my last term, so I'm trying to maintain my courses and finish on a good note! Right now, I'm at 17/45 books. It's November. I have some books on my list, but I might be taking my challenge number down. If you have any book recommendations, pop them in the comment section down below! I'd love to hear what you're reading these days! And, have you participated in a reading challenge before? ~ Mady
Well Readers and Writers, you might be surprised that I'm posting a Halloween story today, but I needed an extra day to make sure the piece felt right. And, as you'll presently see there's a reason for posting it today. I hope you enjoy this mildly spooky tale! You might have heard the gates between our world and the spirit world reaches its thinnest point every Halloween night. You might have heard of him, too. The Trick or Treater’s who begin at 5:30pm are afraid of the dark so they have nothing to fear. But the ones who go after nightfall in search of spooky activities are bound to come across him. You’ll know he’s there once you hear the far-off sound of clicking dice, until behind you a chillingly smooth voice asks, “Do you want to play a game?” Some advice: say no. Don’t play the game. Just keep walking. Don’t pause, don’t look at him for too long. Just keep walking. Too many people have stopped. And too many have lost. The plastic clicks of each die as he tosses them hand-to-hand are going to lure you in. His grin may seem mischievous and entirely harmless, but that’s how he casts his spell. The clicking will get louder and louder in your ears, drowning out the wicked screams of the blow-up Ghost decoration just down the street. Don’t worry. You’ll know if you fell under his spell. Can’t you remember the rest of the night? Can’t you remember where you placed that important item? Are you sure it’s still there? What about any leftover candy? Have you noticed fewer pieces than before? You may think your kids or yourself enjoyed the candy, but you’ll never truly know. Not yet, anyway. And how about the game? Did you say yes or no? That’s the thing about him—he takes away your memories once you meet. If you did say yes, can you recall if you won? Well, can you? ~ Mady
I don't know where to begin for today's post. As the categories cycle, I have a list of topics to cover as each Monday arrives. Yet I'm struggling today. A voice in my head says, "In that case, I shouldn't fight the struggle. I won't post today." But another voice replies, "You have a schedule to keep! Don't fall back into bad habits. Write, and post." I may have admitted that I didn't prepare today's post in advance, but that's okay. Once again, I've been focusing on school because this is my final term, and I don't want to slip when I'm so close to the finish line. Nevertheless, I am here. I am writing. I am sticking to my personal promise, and that means everything. *** Towards the end of my post about Natalie Goldberg, I mentioned how I thought most creatives lose themselves to monkey mind at one point or another. Natalie uses this term for that little voice inside your head that says, "You aren't good enough. You call yourself a writer?" And it just happens. It takes one moment, and you've heard it. It's gotten into your brain and you can't get it out. Sometimes I lose myself to this voice, and it happened this weekend. Amidst homework and personal opportunities, I needed to remind myself why I write. So, I went back to old stories and new ones. I lost myself in the writing. I started to smile as the characters and worlds wrapped around me, and I fell into them. Every document I went through offered a glimpse of where I started and where I'm at now. I could see my progress as I continued to look through recent manuscripts and forgotten stories. It's a mix of education and self-exploration as I challenged myself with new ideas and concepts, some of which I didn't have the necessary technical skills to craft at the time I initially attempted them. I lost myself in the writing. I find reviewing past and present pieces help me come back to myself whenever I begin to stop and listen to my monkey mind. Passion leaps from my MacBook Air screen, and I start to inspire the creative voice instead. I find it's especially important for me to go back when I'm struggling on a specific scene because material from past stories can help ignite an idea or direction for current projects. And, if that doesn't work, I focus on side projects instead to let my main story sit and compost. Sooner or later, an idea will pop out of nowhere and I'll be back on my main project in no time! So, Readers and Writers, if you find you're struggling to remember why you started in the first place, or you listened to your own monkey mind, take a moment and remind yourself why. A simple reminder becomes the loudest voice when you need it most. ~ Mady
I see God in the sun lit Swedish Aspens as the leaves sway in the gentle breeze ~ Mady
Good Evening Readers and Writers! As important as writing is to me, sometimes I need a break. I have quite a few hobbies, but the one I'm going to share with you today is called Bullet Journaling! Bullet Journaling can be anything the creator wants it to be. The name "Bullet Journal" comes from the dots on each page. It allows the user to craft and design spreads similar to an agenda/ planner but with your own creative twist! I like to use my bullet journal in two ways. The picture above shows what is known as Art Journaling. I took scraps of paper, magazine clippings, washi tape, pictures, and stamps to create this page. I let my mind flow and placed everything in a spot I found pleasing. Then, I glued everything in! Below, you will see the more structured type of bullet journaling. As you can probably tell, I haven't been making sure to track my daily meditations or Natalie Goldberg Writing Practices, but the intention is there. It's been a while since I've taken the time to crack open my bullet journal and create something fun. I was in art class throughout high school, and since I started University in 2017, I haven't taken anything art related. Bullet Journaling offered me the chance to still be creative and have fun—that didn't involve writing! And, sometimes within the blank places of the spreads I will do a writing practice that fits the topic of the images, the colours, and design. Even though my mind may not being flowing mindlessly, the writing practice grounds me and adds another layer to the journal. ~ Mady
When I attended my University's creative writing group, we would write for ten minutes at a time before workshopping someone's story. Well, as the prompt hat came to me (pre-covid times, of course), I chose a very weird topic: A pregnant deer, stuck in the mountains, sentient laptop. I hope you enjoy the weird, but surprisingly good story that came from this prompt! “Lizzie, are you all right?” Silence. “Hello? Are you ignoring me again?” A huff this time. “Well, it’s not my fault you’re starting to—” She moans, breathing heavily through her nostrils. “Yes, right, well, I don’t know how to help you. I’m only a—” She screeches this time. I sigh. “Okay, fine. You’re not in a talking mood right now. I get it. I’ll just be over here, minding my own business.” Another huff in response. I bend down, the joints in my legs groaning. Life’s quite hard. Especially when you have a mammal as a friend. Especially when you aren’t human. “You know, Lizzie,” I stare at my hands. “I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to be flesh and blood. I need to find meaning, a purpose, if you will. But how can I achieve this, if I don’t even know who my maker is?” She snorts. “Right, sorry. Not supposed to be talking.” I sit there for a moment, silent. “I just can’t wrap my mind—do I have a mind?—around my sentience. My head is a laptop, for god’s sake! How am I to blend in with Human Society if I look like this?” Another long moan comes from the grove. “Wait, if I am sentient, does this mean I have a soul? Do sentient beings have a soul? Oh, Lizzie, what am I to do?” No sounds, this time. “Lizzie?” I stand, metal grinding. Walking into the grove, Lizzie lays down with a small being. “Oh, my! Lizzie, you did it! It’s, um—it’s, how do I put this without offending you, in case you’re a sentient being, too? Ah, I know. She’s lovely.” The baby fawn gazes at me with big, brown eyes. “Yes, very lovely. Aren’t you glad I found this spot in the mountains?” She licks her child. If I had eyes, I would have rolled them. “Yes, I know. I got us stuck here in the first place. You don’t have to keep reminding me. This is what happens when I don’t have access to Wi-Fi.” She huffs a snort. “Of, course. That’s all you have to say.” ~ Mady
I find myself busier than ever now that I'm in my final university term, and the funny thing is that I'm only in my second week. Covid continues to drain not only my energy, but everyone's. No protocols, new protocols—it's never ending. But amidst the craziness of university, covid, and life I find myself drawn to blogging. It's become a bit of a saving grace as I sit on my bed, my MacBook air on my lap, and the greyish light of a Saturday evening coming through my windows. I often find myself staring outside at the clouds, the slivers of sky, and the peachy glow of the sunset just above the cul-de-sac. There's something about the pervasive cat meow throughout spans of silence and the comfort of my room that culminates in peace as I write. It's easy to get lost in thoughts about what life could be—how mine could be—as I stare out those windows. But that's not what today's post is really about. In this Writing Life segment, I want to share some of the books that made me want to be a writer. I've always said I knew I wanted to be one, but I had help from my favourite authors. The following authors I have most likely been featured in Book Recommendation Thursday content; nevertheless, they deserve recognition here since they play such an important part in my life. Cassandra Clare (Author of The Mortal Instruments Series, The Infernal Devices Series, The Dark Artifices Series, and many other books) I remember when I first got into Cassandra Clare's novel City of Bones, I couldn't put it down. The two worlds converging within her series inspired me, and my novel began as an imitation of Clare's work before numerous edits and drafts turned it into my own creation. Of course you can see hints of my novel's origins, but that may not be true when I finally publish it (which is hopefully soon!). Derek Landy (Author of the Skulduggery Pleasant Series and The Demon Road Trilogy) A friend introduced me to Derek Landy when I was in Junior High. A few books in the series had been published, and then I reached the point where I needed to wait for following publications. His books are extremely easy to binge through! And, the multilayered nature of Landy's characters encouraged me to do the same. Landy has also helped me find my sarcasm and witty comebacks, which is a handy tool when your characters need those traits. Oscar Wilde (Author of The picture of Dorian Gray and many other works including poetry) In high school I wanted to read the classics. Lucky for me, my parents had boxes of books in the basement, and one such book was The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde's poetic sentence style captured my attention, and I fell in love with the way he describes everything in such detail. Sometimes I go a little overboard with my descriptions, but I find they can be fun because it helps me envision the bigger picture. Even if I don't keep every detail, the ones that matter count! Well, these are just a few of the author 's that have influenced me as my list is quite long! I have more reasons as to why Clare, Landy, and Wilde are my favourite authors, plus the ones I haven't listed, but I figured I would give you a taste. ~ Mady
Finding a nice home is a lot like butterflies finding the perfect field blooming with wildflowers, popping with daisies, and springing with green grass. You have found this house, well loved by four butterflies long since moved on to explore other flowering fields. From the butterflies before: May the sun shine brightly when you are down; may the fields bloom yearly for you as they did for us; and may the squirrels prance lightly amongst this place you now call home. ~ Mady
|
Categories
All
In the end, we'll all become stories. ~ Margaret Atwood
|