Rather than complaining about my progress, I thought I’d tackle how to write a novel when you’re working full time.
You remember the surge in hobbies recommended last year? And how one of them was writing a novel?
As someone who has been writing for years, it was frustrating. It felt almost blaise: have an idea; write it; done. True, some people had extra time they could utilise, which always helps.
But what if you’ve got the idea, but are working full time? Fitting in time for hobbies is limited. Today’s post is focused on fitting writing into a busy schedule.
By complete accident, I missed my slot for this in February.
To be honest, it sums up February quite well. It’s been a month of lack of motivation and inspiration, of letting everything feel overwhelming and not being productive. I guess the current situation plus the fact that it’s – y’know – February doesn’t help. I’ve struggled trying to decide what I want, I’ve lost the motivation to push myself and the self-care that I did really well with in Jan? Yeah, that’s gone too.
BUT it’s a new month. There is something satisfying about a new month starting on a Monday as well; neat, tidy and just feels organised. Maybe that’s just me. A new month means new books, new goals and a new chance to say that this is my month.
February’s Reading
At the time of writing (last week) I’m still on track for my reading challenge. I’ve been dipping in and out of being one book behind or on track.
Plot: In an epic novel that echoes the best of Beowulf, Jurassic Park, and The Abyss, this sci-fi/fantasy recounts a tale of an unholy alliance between science and nature– one that unleashes havoc beyond any and all imagining.
Thoughts: After sitting on my shelf for a long time, I wanted to like this book. But the plot felt stunted and it lacked momentum for a lot of it. It started getting predictable about the halfway mark and really dragged out to get to the end. Not sure on this.
Plot: As Rome’s legions abandon their forts, chaos grows on the fringes of Britannia. In the far west, the shattered forces of the House of Pendragon huddle together in order to protect the royal heir – their one beacon of hope.
For Lucanus, their great war leader, is missing, presumed dead. And the people are abandoning them. For in this time of crisis, a challenger has arisen, a False King with an army swollen by a horde of bloody-thirsty barbarians desperate for vengeance.
One slim hope remains for Lucanus’ band of warrior-allies, the Grim Wolves. Guided by the druid, Myrrdin, they go in search of a great treasure – a vessel that is supposedly a gift from the gods. Success will mean a war unlike any other, a battle between two kings for a legacy that will echo down the centuries. And should they fail? Well, then all is lost . . .
This is the shattering conclusion to James Wilde’s rousing reimagining of the myth of King Arthur . . .
Thoughts: I waited a long time to get my hands on this book with library lockdowns etc, and it only increased my enjoyment. Full of great characters, an engaging plot and fantastic writing, it was everything I was hoping for in the final instalment of the Pendragon trilogy by James Wilde.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Plot: Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Thoughts: I’d heard this book recommended a lot and having enjoyed Haig’s previous novels, thought I’d give it a go. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong. But this one didn’t hit me on the same emotional level as some of his previous work did. Maybe my expectations were too high.
Plot: Swan Lake is divided into the black acts and the white acts. The Prince is on stage for most of the ballet, but it’s the swans audiences flock to see. In early productions, Odette and Odile were performed by two different dancers. These days, it is usual for the same dancer to play both roles. Because of the faultless ballet technique required to master the steps, and the emotional range needed to perform both the virginal Odette and the dark, seductive Odile, this challenging dual role is one of the most coveted in all ballet. Dancers would kill for the part.
Ava Kirilova has reached the very top of her profession. After years and years of hard graft, pain and sacrifice as part of the London Russian Ballet Company, allowing nothing else to distract her, she is finally the poster girl for Swan Lake. Even Mr K – her father, and the intense, terrifying director of the company – can find no fault. Ava has pushed herself ahead of countless other talented, hardworking girls, and they are all watching her now.
But there is someone who really wants to see Ava fall …
Thoughts: Having thoroughly enjoyed He Said/She Said so when I saw the ARC become available for this, I jumped at the chance. Full of misdirection and multi-layers with complicated characters, this was an enjoyable tale even if I was confused about what was happening at times. Glad I read it quickly.
There we have it: my reading month. I’m looking forward to some new releases, backlog books and exciting reads in March.
In case you haven’t guessed, I’m having far too much fun with this series. While I can think of different categories, I’m keeping ‘em coming! But today, it’s all about my top 5 Disney princesses.
We’ve had our swash-buckling princes come and save the day. But – let’s be honest – would they have got anywhere without their princesses?
Nope!
It’s our girls who figure it out, give them the nudge and end up saving the day themselves.
There’s definitely a correlation between my favourite villains and heroes. But there’s a few princesses who are bad-asses without a man being involved.
My Top 5 Disney Princesses
As we all need some fun in our lives, here are my top 5 (who may or may not be royalty!)
Mulan (the original)
C’mon! She literally saves the empire by herself!
She also risks the most? Defying her father and her society would have far reaching consequences, but she does it anyway. She also doesn’t have secret fighting skills when she signs up – she learns it, and beats the lot of them. Nothing this gal cannot do (apart from pour a cup of tea).
Anna
She may not be the one with magical powers, but we all know who the true hero of Frozen is. The naïve innocence of Anna makes her such a heartfelt character: she doesn’t want power; she doesn’t want glory; just her sister back.
Maybe it’s because I’m the little sister myself but Anna just speaks to me on so many levels!
Meg
She’s not a princess. You can even argue she’s a bad guy half of the time. But Meg’s sass guaranteed her a place on the list!
She’s a character I’ve liked more now I’m older as I’m certain half of her epic lines went over my head as a child. No wonder Herc gets all flustered in her presence, but watching as an adult had me in fits of laughter. She also had the great moment of being prepared to let her guy go to live his dream, even if it was without her.
Nala
While Simba runs away to grow up forgetting about all his cares and worries, Nala grows up under tyranny, keeps her pure heart and adventurous spirit and is quick to put Simba in his place about his responsibilities. If she was the rightful Queen all along, Scar wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Jasmine
This film had to make it onto the list somehow, let’s be honest. But out of all the princesses around this time (the early 90’s and before), Jasmine is one of the few who has spunk. She flatly refuses to be married off, stands up for herself and sees through Aladdin’s BS straight away. She also has a pet tiger. I mean, that has to count for something, right?
This was harder than I thought to be able to narrow it down to five. There’s more of a focus on strong female leads in Disney now compared to twenty years ago, and I hope this trend continues for the next generation.
As with everything else last year, my reading didn’t quite go according to plan. I had so many books to chose from in my 2019 wrap-up after a really solid year, and – needless to say – this year hasn’t been as good.
While everyone else seemed to be getting more reading time this year, my lack of commute meant I struggled to carve out reading time and make it part of my routine: I’d never had to before.
But by the latter half of the year, I think I finally managed to get myself sorted. My aim for 2021 is to clear through my backlog of ARCs as well as reviewing closer to the release dates. I’ve got myself organised for how to do it, so now just need to get reading.
I’m sure I’m not the only one more than happy to bring in a new year. So, without further ado, let’s welcome 2021!
Here we are.
A new year.
A new start.
2020 was – to use everyone’s favourite word – unprecedented. The pandemic that wiped out the world; the black lives matter movement… There were times of extreme darkness but also times where we saw unity, empowerment and hope. We can only hope change is coming, and change for the better in all cases.
I looked back at last year’s goals when writing this out of curiosity. They were the usual things you’d expect. But it made me realise that my new year’s post has been full of the same content for several years now. The fact I’m setting the same goals each year clearly shows it’s not working.
Welcome back for my December check in! It’s been a little while since I did a monthly update. It feels good to be back on them.
After my post last month about finding my passions again, I’ve been inspired with the blog. My reading buzz is back, and I’m getting myself organised for next year. Well, you know, trying to – I have a Trello board now, does that count as getting organised?
I’m not certain if I scared or inspired myself by making a list of the outstanding reviews I’ve got. I tend to take a “game on” approach when I see a long list but can’t deny the guilt with being spectacularly late to review several ARCs. I’m trying?
For such a Disney fan, I can’t believe I’ve never written a Disney post before. What a way to start – with my top 5 Disney villains (not in order of evilness).
As I mentioned in last week’s post, I’ve been in the mood to do some seasonal content this year. I’ve never been a seasonal reader though, which has made it tricky deciding what content to post.
A few week’s ago, Jenny in Neverland posted this awesome list of ideas for this time of year. While some of these posts sound a lot of fun, this one really stuck out to me, and I couldn’t resist.
I’m a big Disney fan. There’s normally something related snuck into my film wrap up’s. Since getting Disney+ earlier in the year, I’ve been entertaining myself with the classics as well as venturing into the films I hadn’t seen before. I avoided a “what to watch” post though as I love returning to my favourites rather than exploring new movies.
Today’s post is a little different for me. I want to highlight some of the top blog resources that I’ve been using over my blogging journey.
Blogging can be a full-time gig – even as a hobby. You get out what you put in. But when you’re working full-time, it can be a nightmare keeping on top or even staying inspired.
I’ve been doing this for five years. From initially posting every review I did, to understanding about promotion, platforms and, finally, making the switch to self-hosting.
I first wrote my blue tint glasses review back in February and it’s been pushed back and back. I’m finally posting it – and although my environment is more controlled in regards to lighting etc, I’m still wearing the glasses when I’m working all day.
This post is that it should be no means serve in the place of any medical advice. If you’re suffering from headaches and you don’t know why – or even if you do – speak to your doctor. There could be a number of things going on.
I’m extremely prone to bad headaches. Like, constantly. I’ve been to doctors, neurologists, done various tests. While sometimes there was something else going on, it seems I’m just triggered by everything: lack of sleep, lack of fluid, bright lights, because it’s a Tuesday… I can normally tell by how it feels what kind of headache it is.
Writing a book review isn’t easy. A few weeks ago, I mentioned to a friend how long it had taken to write up a review. She asked what was still left to do, then was surprised when I rattled off a long list before I’d say I was done.
I started thinking about the process of being a book-blogger; about all the things I didn’t know when I first started blogging.
I’ve never felt confident with advice blog posts – who am I to know what I’m talking about? But I did want to share my process, including some of the steps I wish I knew at the beginning of my journey.
A Rambling Reviewer 