2016 Book Shelf : Non-Fiction

Last time I posted my 2016 Book Shelf of fiction books. Now I'm sharing the nonfiction books I plan to read this year. I use to hate nonfiction, but I think you get to a certain age where reading at least some is necessary! 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

I've read a few chapters of this and as an introvert, I love it. Time to finish.

The Annotated Jane Eyre

I received this book a couple birthdays ago. I'm ashamed I still haven't finished it, so I'm determined to complete reading it this year! (That isn't saying anything for the quality of the book; only that I'm easily distracted and time got split by moving!)

Jane's Fame

Another book given to me a long time ago that I haven't read, which is ridiculous considering how much I love Jane Austen. Plus, that cover is so lovely I could cry. 

Yes, Please

Amy Poehler is a brilliant comedian, and I had started listening to her audiobook version and was completely enthralled, until, you guessed it, something else in life came along. Alas, I exited out of the audiobook and never got back to it. I'll be dedicating an afternoon sometime soon to finish this memoir. 

Living the Invisible Disability

If you've kept up with the blog for a while, you'll know I've suffered a TBI and struggle with depression. I often avoid reading personal accounts of people with similar experiences because it makes me very emotional, but I'm also encouraged hearing stories where others have triumphed. This has been recommended several times, so I believe it's about time I read it. 

Lost in my Mind

Another story detailing the life of someone recovering from TBI and moving on in their life.

Costume Design 101

I adore researching about costume design; my favorite part of behind the scenes features on movies is when the costume department speaks of how they studied characters and came up with the ideas for the beautiful costumes on their shows. A career I've always been interested in, and while I don't necessarily expect to follow through with this dream, it's always good to have more information on your interests. 

Word Painting

I've been told in the past that dialogue is my strong point; whether that is true or not, I KNOW my weak point is descriptive writing. I'm curious as to what this book will cover.

Surprised by Joy

C.S. Lewis is a hero to me, and I'm anxious to find a copy of this partial autobiography.

On Writing

I started this a while back and never finished, but I fell in love with the writing style, stories, and tips. This is a must-read this year! 

If You Want to Write

I've heard this is a must-read for writers. Have you read it?

The Criminal Mind

Thank you, crime TV shows, for making me fascinated in criminal and forensic psychology. This will be perfect for a certain story idea I have been mulling over. 

There you have it. A short list of nonfiction books to read in 2016. These two lists are only the beginning; head over to my new Goodreads page to find an even bigger list! (Profile not complete as the site is giving me some trouble, but you can still find my ever growing 2016 reading list.) I've decided to try reading 100 books this year and have joined K.M. Weiland's Reading Challenge. I might fail miserably, but it's a good challenge!

What's YOUR reading goal for 2016?

30 Blog Post Ideas for Writers

I'll admit, the well has been pretty dry as far as blog posts go. I've been looking up articles with titles such as "100 Blog Post Ideas for Writers" and such, when I was hit with a brilliant idea — why not create my own list of blog post ideas? So hopefully you can use this list to be inspired for your own blog and writing; you'll probably see some of these ideas pop up in future posts on here :)

On-Going Content:

1. Favorites of the month — whether they be favorite books, writing resources, cute journals, story-inspiring pictures, ect.

2. Series — My most recent on-going content was a three-part series on how to name characters. Think about something on which you have definite views, strategies, or opinions. What are your thoughts on fan fiction, and how can it relate to others? What are some ways you can research your story era and and setting? How do you develop a short story?

3. Story Updates — If you like to personally involve your readers in your writing journey, don't forget to update them on your progress every now and then.

4. Character Interviews/Introductions – Are you currently working on a story? Introduce your characters to your blog readers to get them involved personally. Create interviews or answer a character development sheet in your post. You can introduce a new character every week or every month.

Reviews:

5. Book reviews — the most obvious. Give a brief description of a book you just read, whether fiction or technical, and go into some detail on why the book did or didn't work. (Remember, if you're going to give spoilers, warn the readers first!)

6. Movie reviews — Perhaps not everyone would use this on a writing blog, but I believe it's a bit of a uniquely different idea to include. I'm very interested in screenwriting, so I love to review movies based on the quality of the script and depth of character. It can be just as beneficial as reviewing a book.

7. Software reviews – Use a specific software program for writing? What do you like and not like about the site you use for your blog? Help other writers and bloggers get started!

Personal:

8. How about a personal anecdote that inspired a story?

9. Have you based a character off someone in your life?

10. How did you personally get started writing/blogging?

11. What author/person has inspired you in your own craft?

Inspiration:

12. How do you find your inspiration for story and character ideas?

13. Is there a particular song that inspires you or originated an idea?


Lists:

14. Writer's Block — We ALL experience some form of this. How do you push through? Create a list of ways to overcome this foe.

15. Your favorite books or a list of books you plan to read.

16. Do you have any tips for blogging?

17. Ideas for blog posts ;)

18. Create a list of possible organization ideas for your writing schedule and even how you keep the area in which you write organized.


Involving the Readers:

19. Social Media — Branch out, create an author/blog page on Facebook, a twitter account, a blog email, ect. You may not believe in having a personal account on some of these social sites, but having one geared towards your writing is very helpful in drawing in followers and spreading the word on your writing.

20. Giveaways — Who doesn't love a contest and free stuff?! Give away a copy of your favorite book, a cute journal/pen set, writing inspired jewelry, ect. Make sure you gear whatever item you choose towards those in your readership.

21. Open it up for questions/suggestions — I have a blog email and a page on my blog where you can ask me questions and suggests books/movies to review. This can give you an idea on what your followers are wishing to see more of in your blog content.

22. Interviews/Guest Posts — My Double Living just welcome its first guest blogger at the end of January, and it was wonderfully excepted. This can increase your readership, followers, and provide great experience not only for you but also the guest blogger.


"Holiday" Specials: 

23. Valentine's Day — Who do you consider to be the greatest couple in literature/film?

24. Thanksgiving — How will you manage your writing schedule during the busyness of the upcoming holiday season?

25. Christmas — Why not share a short story or poem of your own creation revolving around this celebration?

26. New Year's — What are your goals for the new year as far as writing, stories, reading, ect.?

~

27. Answer trouble questions — Take a glance on your social media, favorite blog, or even somewhere like pinterest. Do you recognize certain themes popping up? What about questions about how to eliminate an excess character? Or how to write that certain fight scene? How about having problems communicating with others about your story?

28. Write a post about overcoming fears of writing and instead writing boldly about what you feel strongly about.

29. Take a twist with your readers; consider what would've happened if, for instance, Dorothy had strayed from the yellow brick road. After giving your thoughts on the wonder and even danger of taking unexpected twists in a story, open your post up for discussion with your followers.

30. Have you attended a writer's conference or taken a writing class online? Share your experience and why you think others should or shouldn't do the same.

I hope these will inspire you if you're stuck blogging ideas. Remember — always leave your post open for discussion. Not everyone will agree with your opinions or with your suggestions. Everyone has their own technique that works for them. A great way to stay open minded and involve your readers is to end your post with a question, such as:

How Do You Find Inspiration for Blog Posts?

Constellations and Stories: 6 Tips for Focus

        "Why can't they have this in June or something?" I mutter to myself, breath escaping from my scarf and fogging in the October air. It drifts up to join the crescent moon in its wreath of wispy clouds. "Oh, but then it wouldn't be a fall festival, would it? How silly."
I hoist myself onto the back of the hay wagon in my turn. I jostle into a space beside my friend Bonnie, sit – in a crack between bales, of course – and worm my numb toes under the belly of the white dog who lies like a patient ghost in the floor of the wagon. Bonnie and I grin at each other, because the tractor is too loud for talking, and dig our hands into the sides of the bales to steady ourselves as the wagon lurches gracelessly out of the driveway.
The first scattering of songs ends and people sit mostly in silence, laughing once in a while when the tractor pitches into a pothole and makes us lean into each other. Bonnie says something about the group of little faint stars to the east.
I untuck my nose from my scarf long enough to say, “That’s the Pleiades,” with a bitter smile. It might be my favorite constellation, clustered so close as if to keep warm against the vast cold of the black sky, except that I can never look at it directly.
“It’s so hard to see,” Bonnie yells over the tractor. “You can’t look at it straight. But when I look beside it, I can see it.”
“Know why that is?” I shout back, trying to judge the distance from her ear and figure out if I’m hurting her.
“Why?”
I run my tongue over my lips and catch the last spicy traces of sassafras tea. I love sharing this bit of information. “There are two types of cells in your eyes: rod cells and cone cells. One of them is better at absorbing light, and the other kind is better with color – I can never remember which is which. But the ones for color are concentrated at the center of your retina, and the ones for light are thicker near the sides. So when you look directly at something dim, it seems to vanish, because the whatever-cells can’t pick up its light. Then when you look sideways, the other type of cell can see it again.”
“Oh!” she says, as if in epiphany. I doubt she heard half of my explanation, but I’m satisfied. I grin into my coat collar, a little bit warmer as we rumble on into the night.

Ideas are like constellations. Sometimes they’re bright and clear, so compelling that they demand to be stared at. Sometimes they’re obstinate, only looking right if you lean back and squint at them. Sometimes they’re too shy to be seen directly at all, and you have to pretend you’re not looking at them to find out what they are.
But if you stare at something directly for long enough, even something clear and brilliant, you begin to lose focus. You blink, rub your eyes, anything to keep it where it should be. But focus, like starlight, is an elusive thing. You get bored with looking at your constellation. You think it may not be as pretty as you thought it was. And those other constellations start to look awfully appealing.
I like to stargaze. Consequently, I have read several books on stargazing, and I cannot count the times I have been told to use red cellophane over my flashlight while I’m looking at the star maps, so as not to ruin my night vision. I was always just a bit indignant. What if I don’t have red cellophane? What if my flashlight isn’t bright enough? Basically: what if that won’t work for me?
Similarly, I cannot count the number of tips I have read on how to focus on a writing project. Set a schedule. Drink coffee. Outline your book start to finish. Freewrite. Take breaks. Don’t take breaks. Drink more coffee.
But what if that won’t work for me? And what if I don’t like coffee?
This isn’t going to be like all the other posts full of tips on focus. Because I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m going to help you find your own coffee and your own red cellophane.
And now, a list of my best techniques for concentrating, perfected in a trial by fire (aka NaNoWriMo):

1. Move.
A stagnant pool of water isn’t very inspiring, is it? I mean, just look at it. All full of boring muck and slimy pebbles, with flat little bubbles on the top that give a lazy snap when you touch them, almost like it’s too much trouble to pop, but they’ll do it if they have to. Likewise, sitting still in one place for too long can stunt your creativity. Go outside. Run around and remember again how vast the sky is. Remind yourself that in the grand scheme of things, your work is quite small. If you can’t run around the house, do jumping jacks. Run in place. Frolic down the hallway. Ignore the disturbed stares of family and friends. Find the kind of movement that inspires you. Whatever it takes, move.

2. Eat.
Find your ‘brain food’. For me, this is a peculiar combination of cold grapefruit, dark chocolate with blueberries, and hot vanilla chai (no, I don’t consume them all at once). I find that food works best when you reserve a particular type for writing. For instance, there is a bar of dark chocolate with blueberries in the cabinet at all times, but I save it for emergencies. Find a food or drink that you like and ration it out. Only eat it when you’re writing. I find that this gives it a strange quality, almost as if, by virtue of being eaten for inspiration, it gives inspiration. I’m sure it’s an illusion, but sometimes it’s necessary to trick yourself.

3. Rest.
Writing is tough. Anyone who has attempted to write anything longer than a short story knows this. Not only sticking to your motivation when Pinterest and Facebook call, but avoiding burnout when you’ve been too inspired for too long. Try this: turn on the song that best fits your work. Bend over your keyboard. Lace your hands into your hair and listen. Just listen. Think of nothing at all but the music. Notice its intricate details, revel in its ebb and flow. Given a break from work, your brain will likely thank you by providing new ideas, sometimes from a single trumpet flourish or the sound in the center of a particular word. If music isn’t your thing, watch your favorite movie or read a book you love. Everyone needs a break once in a while.

4. Accessorize.
Find an inspiring object. This may be harder for writers of a certain genre, but lately my object has been a blank leather journal I got for $5 at Hobby Lobby. It has a bumpy cover and creamy, rough pages.  It’s inspiring to me because it looks like something one of my fantasy characters would own. I can imagine one of them carrying it in their satchel, jotting down their thoughts inside it. Previously, my object was a picture of Emilia Clarke (who happens to look like my MC) that I cut from a magazine. I find this helps me focus by keeping me in the story world. Find an object and keep it beside you. Pet it if necessary.

5. Schedule.
Oh, here it comes, you’re thinking. She’s going to give me some kind of scientifically proven method of cutting my time into little segments to maximize my creativity. Actually, nope. I hate schedules, which is part of the reason I hate posts like this, because they usually give you one. Now, I’m aware that some of you may thrive on a schedule, which is part of my point. You may have guessed by now that the theme of this post is largely find what works for you. Two things about time management concern creativity: time of day, and time of actual work. Firstly, find the time of day at which your mind is most active – everyone has one. If you can, always write during that time. Secondly, find the use of that time which is most productive for you. I find that twenty or thirty minutes of intense work, interspersed with short breaks, are best for me.

6. Persevere.
If nothing else works, stick it out. (This is a lot harder than it sounds. Actually keeping your butt in the chair and your mind on the task when you don’t want to is one of the hardest things I’ve attempted.) Don’t make excuses. If you know you should be writing, get the heck off the internet and write. Don’t stop looking for inspiration. Don’t give up.

What are your tried-and-true methods of concentration? What has fired you up and what has miserably failed? Let me know and perhaps I’ll add them to my list.

_____________

Thank you to Elizabeth for appearing as a guest blogger :) You may remember her post "Intelligence" was listed as one of my October favorites. I highly recommend you visit her blog and keep up with her stories on her Facebook page. 

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Blogging Tips and Tricks

So, the new year is almost upon us. If you're *coughcheesycough* like me, you're already thinking of what will be making it to the final cut of your New Year's Resolutions.

I know most of my followers — if not all of them — have their own blogs, whether they be on writing or some other subject. However, It began thinking that maybe some of you just aren't satisfied with your blog, whether you don't like the format, the look, the schedule, or constantly have mental blocks on what to post.

I'm going to share with you some tips and tricks on how you get make 2014 YOUR YEAR of blogging and finally set aside those worrisome blogger woes.

TIP #1: Determine if you need a schedule

When I first started blogging, I posted whenever I wanted, whether a month went by or a day. I finally figured out that didn't work for me, and I made a commitment to blog every Monday between 10:00-11:00 AM (since then I've gotten job with a flimsy schedule, however I do still post every Monday.)

I'm not saying this is for every blogger, but if you a) like structure and rules, b) are struggling with keeping up on posting ANYTHING, I would suggest at least trying it out for a month or two and seeing if it could work.

Take a moment to examine each day of your week, and determine what day and time would be best for you not only to post, but also to get the post ready the night before. Then stay focused. It'll be tough, but remember: this is a trial session.

TIP # 2: Carry a notebook

If you're a writer, you probably already carry a notebook in your pocket or in your purse wherever you go. I suggest either sectioning off a certain part of your notebook or buying a completely separate little one specifically for your blog.

Whenever an idea comes to your head, whether it just be (taking writing as an example) an observation in a book you're reading, a character's trait you love, or simply a title — write it down. No idea is too small or ridiculous when it comes to blogging ideas. I've found that  sometimes the ideas that don't seem important now but still nag at me to write them down end up sparking an entirely different line of thinking.

TIP #3 Tell people about your blog

This may seem obvious, but I struggle with this. However, not only will sharing your blog via pinterest, twitter, Facebook, ect. and telling people you know increase the circulation of your blog but will also hold you accountable. The more people you know are checking your blog, the more you'll start to take your commitment to posting more seriously.

TIP #4 Examine other blogs

Don't think your blog is quite where it should be? Don't like the design of the page? Do some snooping on your other favorite blogs. How do they format their posts? What about their design layout or colors to love? Are the blogs down-to-earth, clean and simple, or wild with colors and fun images? How often do they post? What are they posting about? (**Remember when you take ideas down to be cautious of plagiarism**)

TRICK #1 Small Paragraphs

My weakness is getting long-winded and writing long blog posts. When you come onto a blog, chances are you aren't going to want to spend twenty minutes - half an hour reading one post. So make your paragraphs small. (I haven't quite mastered this trick, but I'm working on it ;) )

Though it may seem choppy to you at first, by making your paragraphs smaller you allow the reader to glance over your posts and quickly find which one he or she wants to read. Plus, we all know it goes faster if you're not staring at one paragraph that takes up half the page.

TRICK #2 Put things in order

Not every blog post or style will require it, but see how each point is labeled bold and I keep the tips and tricks together? I find when I have blog posts subjects/posts structured this way, I get a lot more views on the blog.

What helps keep you blogging? 

Character Naming Part 2: Organizing and Minimizing

In part 1 of Character Development, I threw around some ideas of how you can compile a list of names for your characters. (How many of you were able to try some of those methods in the past week? Let me know in the comments!)

So, now that you have your (probably) long list of favorite names, here are some ideas on how to start organizing and minimizing your names.

Taking the example of just searching for one particular character, I'd suggest organizing the names into alphabetical order. Separate the first, middle, and last names either into 3 separate sheets of paper (or 3 piles of index cards, whatever you used) or, if you used a program like Stickies on your computer, sort everything into 3 sticky notes.

Go down through your first names and read them out loud; whichever name doesn't immediately jump out at you or at least give your mind a little tug, eliminate. (Tip: Don't get rid of that name forever. Get it out of sight, but save it in another document or on another piece of paper. Later on if no other names work out, come back to it, or save it for future characters.) Chances are, if you don't feel a tug towards the name right away, you won't later.

--> If you have a picture you use as inspiration for your character, now is the time to keep it nearby. As you read off names you can see which ones look and sound best with your character.

Go down through your "revised" list several times, trying different middle and surnames with each name. Don't get discouraged if your favorite name doesn't sound right with the surnames you picked. You can probably work around it by at least choosing a different surname (or perhaps you might discover having a surname isn't all that important to the story!).

At this point you might find yourself with two or more names that you think are perfect, or at least close to it. Don't stress; in fact, it's probably better that you do, because the elimination process isn't necessarily over. There's still a lot to consider in deciding on the perfect name.

However, you may have one name that you keep thinking about. If so, take that one and, if you have any other character names picked out for the same story, make a "cast" list. You'll want to make sure that you don't have all your names starting with the same initials or containing the exact same amount of syllables. You might find that right there will help you determine which name from your minimized list is the best.

One last step in this process: google your final contestants. You may not realize it, but that brilliant name you just pieced together might be the name of a famous scientist, or the name of an already existent character. Just as an example, I've been toying with a story idea for a few months now. I used many of these processes I'm discussing with you in creating the male lead's name, and finally decided on Aaron Palmer. I adored the name, but something wasn't setting right. It sounded so...familiar. A month after I chose the name, I was in the store and saw a can of Arnold Palmer tea. It had taken me forever to make the connection consciously, but obviously something in the back of mind was trying to force me to use a name I'd already heard before. Definitely be cautious in this area; you don't want people to think you're copying.

In part 3 we'll close with discussing if "significant" names are important to a story.