how to get back into writing // tips for inspiration + consistency

Hey there, friends! I’m sorry it’s been a while since I last posted. I’ve been busy with school and other stuff, and I also haven’t had much motivation to blog. Honestly, I haven’t had much motivation to write at all lately. But a conversation with a friend the other day reminded me that I need to get back into it, so last night I sat down and wrote 2k words (on a brand-new project instead of my WIP, oops). Then that gave me the idea to blog about how to get back into writing… so here we are! I hope this post inspires you to start writing again too — or just to stay motivated 🙂

Even if you’re not a writer, these tips can help you get back into anything you need to be doing (school, art, chores, etc.), though there are some writer-specific tips.

⯎ accountability ⯎

This is, truly, the #1 thing that will get you back into writing! Having somebody there to remind you to write is so helpful. Here are some ideas…

My Reading Spreadsheet // sharing a post by May @ Forever and Everly

Hey, friends! I hope you’re having a lovely Wednesday.

Today I’m sharing a post from May @ Forever and Everly about keeping track of read books! It was very helpful to me, and I’ve started tracking my reads in a similar way.

I use some different categories (for example, I don’t track each book’s publisher, but since it’s important to me, I note which authors are Christians), but I decided to use essentially the same setup and I’m loving it!

// the stories are true //

P.S. WordPress is forcing me to switch to the block editor, and I can’t figure out how to justify text on here! Anyone have any tips?

Forever and Everly

I’m back to annoy and/or bore you. 

I did a post about my reading spreadsheet in 2018, but I’ve changed things since then, so I wanted to do an updated version! I’m only showing half of the sheets I’ve made, my read books and ARCs, but I have ones for monthly TBRs (unnecessary to show) and graphs (sharing at the end of the year).

I’m also going include a list of some Google Sheets functions that I like to use. You can easily find/google these, but I know when I was creating my spreadsheet it would’ve been handy to have a list of them!

This definitely is not a post with a template for you to use. But if you want some great spreadsheet templates, I recommend checking out Fadwa’s or Kal’s!!

Protests in Thailand against the monarchy have been going on since July, but recently several student…

View original post 1,300 more words

poets to read // several names that belong on your (virtual) bookshelf

Tally ho, readers and poets!

C.M. asked me the other day about what sort of poetry I like to read, and while typing out my comment in reply, I realized that I could write quite a long blog post about it. So I did.

Since we’re all (still) stuck at home, I think this post will be helpful; almost all of the poetry I’m going to mention is available for free online (on websites and blogs).

The title of this post is my attempt at parodying Douglas Wilson’s Writers to Read: Nine Names that Belong on Your Bookshelf (which is itself a book that ought to be on your bookshelf).

Without further introduction, allow me to recommend to you several poets whose work deserves your attention.

Disclaimer: though I quote from several poets in this post, I do not own the rights to any of their poetry. I have not quoted any poem in its entirety unless it is in the public domain; otherwise, I have quoted only one or less stanzas and have linked to the source of the poem. (“Wolves” by Nikita Gill was found on Goodreads, as a quote from Wild Embers.)
If you are the author of any of this poetry, and you don’t want me to quote from your poem in my post, please comment or contact me and let me know and I’ll take it down.

poets of the Bible

The Bible is full of wonderful poetry. Even if you’re not a Christian, it’s worth reading for its literary and historical value. Check out this website for an introduction to Hebrew poetry. Here are some of my favorites:

Isaiah

For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

// Isaiah 55:12-13 ESV //

Why Getting Involved in the Bookish Community is Rewarding // guest post by Kellyn Roth

Hi there! I’m Kellyn Roth, founder & manager of the author service providing website Reveries Co. We recently launched a new website with a blog, and Maya graciously allowed me to guest post to celebrate!

I’ve been involved in the bookish community for many years as a blogger, author, and later writing coach.

Now I hope Reveries Co. will offer a hub of inspiration and advice to authors of all shapes and sizes through our blog and social media, as well as offering affordable, professional services.

Suffice to say I’ve spent a lot of time trying to think of ways to benefit the bookish community — writers and readers of all sorts — but sometimes, when people question why I invest so much time in it, I feel like I’m not sure why.

Why is it worthwhile to be involved in the online community of readers and writers who I lovingly refer to as “the bookish community”? Why do I want to help them? What’s the purpose of it all? Is it a worthy cause?

After thinking it through, I think I have some answers, and I hope they’re helpful to you, too!

the Christmas spirit tag

Hello there! I’ve been tagged for this tag by a good friend of mine. I’m not allowed to say who she is (for reasons you’ll soon understand), but I’m thankful for her and for her tagging me, and I’m excited to do her tag.

But first:

the rules

1. This is an anonymous tag. DO NOT link back to the creator or whoever tagged you — the goal of this tag is to spread Christmas spirit anonymously. Consider it a sort of “pay it forward” — you don’t know who started it, but you’re there to continue it. You can say thank you, of course, in the comments of whoever tagged you, but it’s all very “Secret Santa” when you create your post.
2. Answer the copy-and-paste-able questions (GIFs, photos, song lyrics, poem extracts, etc. are all welcome).
3. Share one thing Christmas taught you.
4. Tag as many people as you can thing to help spread Christmas cheer around the blogosphere (my word, that rhymed).

And now…

---

the questions

(and my answers)

What is your favorite Christmas Bible verse?

I absolutely love all of Isaiah 53, especially in the NIV (which is strange, because in almost every other case I pick the ESV). It’s not technically a “Christmas Bible verse,” I guess, but it reminds me that Jesus came to die. That the reason He was born as a baby was so he could save us from our sins. And in that way, it really is a Christmas verse. As is nearly every verse in the entire Bible (:

Tales of the Lonely Sun // blog spotlight + interview + GIVEAWAY

Hello, friends!

Today I’m participating in the blog tour for a brand-new blog: Tales of the Lonely Sun! This amazing blog is run by four teen girls, and it features posts about books and writing, plus a short story contest! The winners for their contest will be announced on Thursday, so subscribe to their blog to be notified about that (and get the info on how to enter the next contest; they happen every two months).

This post is going to be long, but I promise it’s all interesting.  And if you stick around to the end, there’s a giveaway!

About the blog:

We’re four girls who love reading, writing, and most importantly, Jesus. The Lonely Sun emblem symbolizes the Light amidst the Darkness, an illustration of the world and how it’s always been.

We hope to focus on reading and writing books that are full of light opposed to books centered around darkness. The Tales of the Lonely Sun team are spreading the word about good moral books, and how to write them.

We host a seasonal writing contest for writers looking to share their work, and offer book reviews for the book dragons among us.

Tales of the Lonely Sun is run by Carlye, Merie, Jorja, and Mya. I’ll share their bios later. But first, I’m excited to show you our interview! I asked the girls some questions, and one or more of them answered each one.

---

interview

1 // What first inspired you to start this blog? (Whose idea was it?)

Merie: Funny thing — Carlye and I both had this idea around the same time! I actually contacted Abigail Harder about it first, but then Carlye contacted us, and so we decided to merge the two together. (Abigail doesn’t post, but she judges for the short story contests 🙂 ) 

2 // Why do you write?

Jorja: I write because there is no feeling quite like reading an amazing book for the first time, and I want to share that feeling with people through my writing. I also want the world to have less books where, if you recommend them to someone, you have to start out by warning them of inappropriate content. I blog for pretty much the same reason, I want to share books that have given me that “this is an amazing book” feeling, and give people some advice that has helped me so that they can write their own. 

subscriber spotlight // I was featured on Project Inspire!

Hello, friends!

This week I was featured at Project Inspire, Jenna Terese’s amazing blog for writers and artists. If you want to learn more about why I write and get my best advice for my fellow creators, check out her post!

Project Inspire

i am thrilled to introduce our Subscriber Spotlight no. 2! Keep scrolling to learn more about this inspiring Project Inspire subscriber, and don’t forget to check out her blog and such to connect with another fellow artist! ❤

---

|about Maya|

 Maya is a writer, dreamer, and blogger from Michigan. She loves books, the forest, hand lettering, dark chocolate, her family, and Jesus. She believes firmly in the power of stories (and of the Story), and she is passionate about sharing this hope with others through her writing, design, performing arts, and tae kwon do. Ephesians 2:8-10

|what do you create?|

I write stories, books, and poems; hand letter art; and do some graphic design.

|why do you do these forms of art?|

Ever since I was six years old, I’ve been captivated by the power of stories. My dad read Narnia and The Hobbit out loud to me, and…

View original post 609 more words

Project Inspire – encourage others in their writing journeys

Project Inspire, a blog tag created by the amazing Jenna Terese, was created to inspire and encourage writers. I saw this tag on Amelie’s blog and decided to do it!

This tag is something we really need. It’s hard to remember that you’re not alone. I’m an introvert and I don’t love spending time with people (well, okay, I do, but it drains me and sometimes I can’t handle it), but I need friends to remind me that I’m not the only weird, introverted teenager with a story to tell. It’s easy to think of myself as unique (in a bad way, like no one will ever understand me), and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s reminded me that I’m not alone. That I have a community. That there are others who like classic books, need time alone to recharge, have an Andrew Peterson obsession, are fangirly and serious at once…

Everyone needs a community – people who are like you, people who remind you that you are not alone. If you don’t have a group of people who encourage you, I hope and pray that you find one, and I volunteer to be the first person in it (whether or not we have things in common). I’ll be your encourager and I’m going to start with this blog post.

mid-year book update

This is supposed to be called the mid-year book freak-out tag (but I’m not freaking out – yet – plus no one tagged me). I don’t think I’m supposed to post posts (both of which are tags) so close together (but I’m doing it anyway). I don’t usually post about what I’m reading (but I’m going for it).

Behold, the mid-year book update.

blog spotlight: Pananaw

Hello, world! It’s finally time to write my first post since my blog became public. I’m sorry I haven’t done this sooner, but I’ve been really busy (being on the crew for a musical is very fulfilling but utterly exhausting).

Anyway, I’m here. I’m doing a blog tour.  And I’m writing a blog spotlight for an amazing blogger: Jo!