List of character traits: Funny guy Hopeless romantic Neurotic Clumsy Tired Genius Know-it-all Angry Jealous Sad Loner Hero Brave Sleepy Fool Orangiser Sporty Adventurer Reader Curious Helper Arrogant Leader List of character occupations: Baker Doctor Scientist Detective Policeman Firefighter Vet War hero Interior Designer Architect Criminal Entrepreneur Librarian Writer Journalist Game designer Athlete Fisherman Farmer… Continue reading Fleshing Out Your Characters: Cheat Sheet
What My Panic Attack Taught Me
I had a (small) panic attack Sunday night. I was crying, sweating, thinking a million things at once, breathing rapidly, and shaking. My chest was tight. I felt out of control. And it wasn't nice. It wasn't fun. I hadn't had a panic in a while, so I did beat myself up for it having… Continue reading What My Panic Attack Taught Me
Writer’s Life
We all know the hashtag but what does it really mean? Long days? Late nights? Overactive brains? Distraction constantly? Tiredness and fatigue? Turning everyone into characters? Everything into plot? Well, being a writer means you're nearly always busy doing one thing or another. Drafting, plotting, editing, revising, restructuring, line editing, researching, pitching, querying, developing, reading,… Continue reading Writer’s Life
Change the Narrative
I don't think I'm the only one who tells myself stories (and no, not because I'm an author). I mean the stories we tell ourselves about of lives and our Self. They can be labels, ideas, "evidence-based facts" or other, but there's a lot of things that we just accept and believe about our lives… Continue reading Change the Narrative
Your NaNoWriMo Toolkit
NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and it is this massive worldwide writing event where writers from every corner of the globe all vow to write 50,000 words in the month of November! It is crazy, it is hard, and it is awesome! The camaraderie and support and community with this event is so beautiful… Continue reading Your NaNoWriMo Toolkit
“Real Horrors” – Poem
You know what's really scary? Not prowling black cats, Or mouse traps, Or dead rats. No. What's really scary Is gunshots, Black bodies, And broken families. Black lives matter, But the scary thing is, They don't. Not to you all. Do they matter to you? What's scary is, The white child who "Doesn't need to… Continue reading “Real Horrors” – Poem
Thoughts on “The Hate U Give” Book & Film (Black History Inspired)
Yesterday, I finally got to watch The Hate U Give, the new Black Lives Matter film. Earlier this year, I read the book by Angie Thomas and loved it and was moved by it as well. Let's just say that the film had my heart aching in every way. And I truly hope that as… Continue reading Thoughts on “The Hate U Give” Book & Film (Black History Inspired)
Discussing Black Representation & Life (Black History Month Inspired)
I've always written white characters because that's what I was so used to seeing for myself. So, that was like the rule! I remember with the 3rd book in the Eternity Series, I put an Indian man in there and a black man and I felt good for doing it. But what did it matter… Continue reading Discussing Black Representation & Life (Black History Month Inspired)
Amsterdam Part 2: New Sights
Sexy vibesThere are sex shops, peep shows, live sex shows, clubs with prostitutes and more in the Red Light District. I think we expected this, but not to such a scale. In the daytime, it's not so bad, but at night...oh my god. The streets were so jampacked, the people were drooling over the girls,… Continue reading Amsterdam Part 2: New Sights
Amsterdam Trip Part 1: High Vibes
Hotel Luxury The flight to Amsterdam last week was easy-breezy. It's for this reason that my boyfriend and I said we will definitely be going back more than once. As soon as we arrived, we fell in love. We loved the bikes, the public transport, the leaves and pumpkins all around, the misshapen buildings, the… Continue reading Amsterdam Trip Part 1: High Vibes