Goodbye March

March, what the hell?
     In like a what? Apocalyptic pandemic?
April, you have very low standards to go off of. Set them a little higher than March did. Please.


Just like 2019, I wanted to make some resolutions and (try to) stick to them. As a reminder, here were my updated resolutions.


2020 Resolutions:

     (1) Write [almost] every day

     (2) Don't stop reading

     (3) Complete something (e.g. a manuscript)

     (4) Share love of books/writing
     (5) Be kinder to myself

(1) I did really good. Mostly good. I wrote or read almost every day. Reading for the first half of the month. Writing for the second. April will be better (have nothing better to do).

(2) Books read this month: 6 (including re-reading Carry On, again, and Wayward Son). But I did buy like 10 new ones. Again

(3) Manuscript coming well. Twenty-ish new pages. A few building blocks seem more settled than the actual manuscript, but that's something, right?

(4) Posts this month (including this one): 9.

(5) March sucked. Finally got into a really awesome rhythm. Working, working out, eating well, actually reading/writing. Then this pandemic hit, and I haven't been at work for 2+ weeks, and everything went down the hole. On the on-up, though (at least trying).


Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?


Any exciting April reads?
Anything I should check out?

#socialdistancing #coronavirus #newyearsresolutions #goodbyemarch #helloapril #hello2020 #keeplearning #writeeveryday #dontstopreading #completesomething #getprofessional #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Important Writing Question

IMPORTANT WRITING QUESTION:

How do you find reference pictures?

Is that a silly question? Like the few (very, very, very few) that I have, I accidentally stumbled upon. I have been wanting to find more, but I just...I don't know how...

Do you just randomly Google stuff until you find something you like? Or is there like a database thingy where it's easier?
Does any of this make sense?

Like @rainbowrowell always shows us her reference pictures, and they're glorious, and she's glorious, and I obviously want to be at least a fraction of her fabulousness.
How do I achieve that?

NOTE: reference pictures for characters and setting

#rainbowrowell #carryon #waywardson #anywaythewindblows #simonsnow #lookatallofthosecurls
#socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #french #peterpan #editingproblems #reading #writing #writerproblems #avoidingwriting #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Writing/Editing Update

I've been actually writing lately.
Well, editing.
Well, mostly. I do a few paragraphs and convince myself that I very much deserve a break. So I take a break, and a few hours later, the cycle repeats itself.

I'm doing stuff, I'm being production. It's just really slow going.

Today, I finally compiled all of my notes again. Stuff from a file on my computer. Stuff from my camera roll on my phone. Stuff from a text thread (to and from myself) on my phone. Stuff from my notebook (that I got from middle school intro to French and somehow still have). It's all together, typed up all pretty in my computer, printed out, and color-coded with varying highlighters.

I meant to write 5-10 pages today, but like, just the organizing took me 2-4 hours. And it made me feel really accomplished. I also updated my editing checklist (for when I finish this run-through of edits for the next run-through).

All of this progress (slow going progress) makes me feel good. But then I look at my To Do list, which grew from other ideas I had (for editing) while doing all of that. So, accomplished but not.

Trying to get stuff done while in Social Distancing, but also trying not to feel guilty if I don't.


#socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #french #peterpan #editingproblems #reading #writing #writerproblems #avoidingwriting #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Wayward Son

Listen, the local ice cream shop needs to open, because I don't think anyone realizes how life-sustaining a milkshake would be right now. A good one.

Like, I made one, but its not the same.

So still over here reading Wayward Son. Feeling the pining and angst like an anxiety attack waiting to happen. Wanting to shake these two adorable, touch-starved idiots into communicating their feelings (like it would change anything from the last time I read WS).

Drinking my milkshake and a little upset it doesn't have any alcohol in it like Baz's did. Wishing I had a really good mini cheese burger like Simon did. Needing to wrap up these babes in a big fluffy blanket until everything is better (until Any Way The Wind Blows comes out).

But honestly, at least someone is writing during this social-distancing/self-isolation/quarantine. @rainbowrowell is kicking major ass.

#carryon #waywardson #anywaythewindblows #rainbowrowell #milkshakes #milkshakedrunkinvegas #socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #reading #writing #writerproblems #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Social Distancing: Part 4

Well, I lost the battle to the croissants. They ended up more than crescents. Which I mean, they're good. But highly disappointing. I put three days worth of work into crescent rolls. Fancy crescent rolls, sure, but crescent rolls all the same.

So homemade croissants crescent rolls with homemade cinnamon honey butter (texas roadhouse style).

I took a break from baking today. Back at it tomorrow. Even though the store didn't have anything in the baking isle. We'll make do with what we have already then.

Also, I like really, really, really miss my kiddos from work. Like a ton. Saw a picture yesterday of one of them and lost it a little. Can't wait for all of this crazy to be over.


#carryon #waywardson #anywaythewindblows #rainbowrowell #croissants #socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #reading #writing #writerproblems #baking #avoidingwriting #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Social Distancing: Part 3

Baking Day 2: SCONES

Chocolate chip scones, homemade, with a chocolate ganache drizzle.

Finished Carry On yesterday. Read half of Wayward Son today. ((And a little too much CO fanfic lately.))
So, honestly, scones just felt right. And no, sorry Simon, they're not sour cherry scones (another time), but I feel like you'd love them all the same (beautiful, tragic, mouth breather -- #worstchosenonetoeverbechosen).

But I did them from scratch. And I wasn't entirely too lazy, I actually used cold butter this time and cut the butter into the flour mixture, like one is supposed to. ;) They taste absolutely amazing.

I also spent hours preparing to make croissants. But actually baking them is tomorrow's battle.

#carryon #waywardson #anywaythewindblows #rainbowrowell #scones #socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #reading #writing #writerproblems #baking #avoidingwriting #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Social Distancing: Part 2

I spent the day rereading Rainbow Rowell's Carry On (yes, again).

And day 1 of baking.
I made chocolate chip banana bread, easy. Then chocolate macaroons. Still trying to nail down that recipe (I over-whip the meringue. Every. Time.)

Any ideas on what I should bake tomorrow?

#carryon #rainbowrowell #macaroons #socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #reading #writing #writerproblems #baking #avoidingwriting #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Social Distancing

Being an introvert, I should love social distancing. That whole "I've been practicing this my whole life" meme and whatnot. It's been three days. I'm already done. Well, I want to be done.

Because I can't take a joy-ride trip to Starbucks or an I'm Bored Lets Go To Target shopping spree. I mean, in theory, I could, but I won't. I'm not risking those I love.

My work, like so many others around the country and around the world, had elected to shut down for two weeks to try to stop the spread of corona, to flatten the curve. I miss my kiddos. Like a lot. Like a lot a lot. Eleven more days to go (at the very minimum).

I've cleaned the house. The entire thing. Top to bottom. Every inch. Scrubbed, washed, dusted, swept. Every freaking part. It's clean.

And because I'm totally avoiding everything I could be SHOULD BE getting done with all this unexpected free time:

Writing.
Reading.

So like...how to does one motivate themselves to get things done? Any advice?

Maybe I'll make macaroons tomorrow. Or, well, I've always wanted to try to make croissants.
Can't go on my trip to Europe anymore (well its postponed until October), might as well read and eat like I am there.

#socialdistancing #coronavirus #nomotivation #reading #writing #writerproblems #baking #avoidingwriting #books #bookstagam #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Only Mostly Devastated

What's the absolute best way to describe "Only Mostly Devastated" by Sophie Gonzales? Grease (the original High School Musical) but with a fuck ton of rainbow sprinkles.

It's also described at a "Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens' Agenda" meets Clueless. But I like my description better. ;)


["Will Tavares is the dream summer fling―he's fun, affectionate, kind―but just when Ollie thinks he's found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairytale ending, and to complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. Which he minds a little less when he realizes it's the same school Will goes to...except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn't the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted―and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn't ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts "coincidentally" popping up in every area of Ollie's life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.
The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

Right? Right."]

And fuck, this book was so freaking good! I cried, quite a few times actually. All sad tears.

The beginning was a little predictable, only the second and third chapter, though. Only because it followed the movie Grease very, very to the original plot. But then, it quickly changed (or I was just sucked that much into the story).

Honestly, it was so freaking great. So great. I loved it. Read it now. Like now, now. Pretty much everyone is in quarantine, so you really have very few excuses.

#onlymostlydevastated #sophiegonzales #grease #greaseremake #greasewithafucktonofrainbowsprinkles #clueless #simonvsthehomosapiensagenda #yabooks #books #LGBTbooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #Ilovebooks