Some thoughts on the moment

I painted my nails today. Blue, my favorite color. It’s a small thing. Nobody cares, or should care, but me. I painted my nails because it made me feel a little better for a few minutes.

Sometimes that’s all we can give ourselves.

I had a whole post almost ready to go about the Stranger Things finale. That post will probably come out over the weekend. But today, I want to talk about how life is going for us in America. It’s not great.

On January second, under the cover of darkness, Trump oversaw the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Our military attacked a nation we were not at war with and kidnapped their president and first lady from their bed. Trump is now claiming that he is in charge of Venezuela.

In case you missed out on some civics classes, Trump isn’t allowed to do that without congressional approval, no matter what that Neo-Nazi weasel Stephen Miller says.

To quote Stephen Colbert, those Epstein Files must be crazy.

Then, on January 7th, a woman named Renee Good was murdered by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. She was killed by a small man who was looking for an excuse.

Maybe that’s the worst part of Trump’s presidency. It’s given small men an outlet for their hatred. It gives cowards and bullies opportunities to hurt people.

If you haven’t seen the video, I’m sorry, but I am going to ask you to watch it. It’s painful, but we need to see with our own eyes what we’re talking about. The president and his ghouls are trying to tell us that this woman is a domestic terrorist. That she deserved what she got. What she got, by the way, was shot in the face in front of her wife and dog.

Maybe it’s easier for some people to believe that. Believing that Good was a terrorist feels safer. Because if she were attacking ICE agents, then we’re safe. We’re certainly not going to try to run someone over with our car.

But we need to believe what we are seeing with our own eyes. Renee Nicole Good was not attacking anyone. She was not trying to hurt anyone. She was trying to protect herself and her family. She did not run over the ICE agent. And we have to face the truth, no matter how scary it is. It could have been me. It could have been you.

This won’t stop me from spitting on any ICE agent I see, by the way.

So today, I’m going to give you the same advice I give you every time the world gets too heavy. Contact your representatives. Make a plan to vote in your elections. Show up to protests if you can. Take care of each other.

History has its eyes on us. Let it see that we are not co-signers to this madness. That we do not agree with the dark and hellish deeds. Now is the time, more than ever, to fight for the soul of our very nation. Are we a nation of the fascist regime changers? Or are we Americans who believe these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal? Are we the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I also want you to do something else, though. Paint your nails. Read something that brings you joy. Watch a funny cartoon. Do something to put a bright moment in your day. Because while we’ve got to fight, we’ve also got to live. So I want you to put two things in the comments. First, tell me what you’re doing to fight for an America we can be proud of. Then, tell me something you’re doing to bring yourself joy today.

In conclusion, Fuck Trump and Fuck ICE.

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In case we haven’t met

2026 is upon us. Whether we’re ready for it or not. And it seems like as good a time as any to introduce myself. Or, reintroduce myself.

My name is Nicole Luttrell. I’m thirty-nine, and I live in Western PA. I write speculative fiction. I tend to inject at least a little horror into everything I write.

I’ve written two series. One is a fantasy series called Woven, about a boy who weaves visions and a girl who spins light. The second one is called Station 86. It’s about a police officer and a chef living on the space station of First Contact. I’ve also written a standalone horror novel, called Quiet Apocalypse.

Here on Paper Beats World, we talk about stories. We talk about writing them and keeping yourself healthy enough to do so. We talk about reading them and watching them. We talk a little bit about the business of writing. Something I want to do more of this year is talk about money management, because writers don’t make a lot of it, and we’ve got to make it count.

I like to take books I read and shows I watch, break them down, and talk about why they work. I talk about books about writing and tools for writers. I post here once a week, usually on Fridays.

Of course, as writers, we have to experience the world. Otherwise, what the hell are we writing about, and who the hell are we writing for? So from time to time I’ll talk about politics, religion, and world events. So you’re not caught off guard, I am, in fact, a bleeding heart feminist liberal who uses pronouns (She/her). I stand strongly against AI writing ‘art’. I defend banned books, trans people, immigrants, and drag queens. I am fiercely pro-choice. I am also bisexual and a Christian Witch.

I have a husband who’s disabled after a stroke, a dog named Oliver, and a cat named James. I also have a full-time job. It should be no surprise at all that I’m a big fan of coffee.

And wine.

My goal here is the same as it’s always been. To entertain you and teach you to fit a fulfilling writing practice into your life.

Now, for those of you who have been around for a while, I have bad news and good news.

The good news is that we have another year of writing, reading, and complaining about politics together to look forward to. I’m going to be refreshing the site to make it a little more personal and on brand. And I’m going to be posting new poetry or microfiction on Instagram most days.

The bad news is that I will not be publishing a new book this year. And it’s because I’ve been trying to write the book that I know some of you are waiting for, the finale of Station 86.

No lie, I have written two full rough drafts that were just terrible. They didn’t work at all. And this is the finale, you guys. It’s got to be what you deserve. What the story deserves.

So, this year I’m taking some time away from the project. There’s no sense in my beating myself bloody over something that clearly isn’t ready to exist yet. I’m working on a new-ish novel before I dive back into the Station 86 world.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that there will be nothing new from me. I have some fantastic ideas for the year. And I hope, whether this is your first visit or you’re an old friend, that you enjoy the journey with me.

If you love what we do here and want to support Paper Beats World, please like and share this post. You can also support us financially on Ko-fi.

Want to start of the year with a free book? Check out Seeming, book one of Station 86.

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The best books I read in 2025

2025 wasn’t a great year. It was, in fact, a damn hard year. But you know what? We’re not going to focus on that today. Because there was one thing 2025 was good for, and it was books.

The books that I read this year were, let me tell you, fantastic. Normally, when I do my top ten list for the year, at least some of them are old books that are just new to me. This year, every book on my list either came out this year or in 2024. So well done, everyone, keep up the good work.

I did review most of these books earlier in the year, so I won’t go into a lot of details here. I’ll leave links to the full reviews if you’d like to check them out.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Told entirely from the point of view of a little girl named Bella, this is the horrific tale of a demonic possession that rips a family apart.

Sunrise on The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

This might be the final book in the Hunger Games series. And it was fantastic. If you’ve somehow not read this, do it now. Haymitch’s story is heartbreaking at every turn.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book was so cool. There’s witchcraft, lesbians, and Mexican ambiance. Everything one could want in a horror story. I almost wish I’d saved it for a more wintery month, as it feels like a winter horror book. So if you’re looking for something to read while the snow falls, this might be the book for you.

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

This book was fascinating. I learned so much that I didn’t really want to know about how terrible tuberculosis is, and how it really doesn’t have to be. We are choosing to let it be because, you guessed it, money and racism.

The Dead Husband’s Cookbook by Danielle Valentine

This book was fantastic. The tension was thick, the recipes were great. The subterfuge was well-layered. The cooking puns abounded.

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Alright, I lied. This one actually came out in 2014. But it was a great story.

I love a good haunted house. But I don’t think we consider that other buildings and places can be haunted. Like, for instance, a big furniture store.

This book kept me entertained while I spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to different hospitals for The Darling Husband. So for that, I owe it a great debt.

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

This was one of the last books I reviewed for Haunted MTL before it closed. This book also broke my damned heart.

You all know I’m a bit obsessed with fundie families, and the Ruby Franke case in particular. I was raised in the Mormon church, the same as Ruby and Shari. And it is so good to see Shari reclaiming her voice.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

For someone who isn’t a woman, isn’t a witch, and isn’t a pregnant teenager in the middle of the Summer in fucking Florida, Hendrix has somehow managed to capture the feeling of all of these things. I read this book in the dead of winter and felt too hot. I felt a lot of things reading this book.

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

This book was fantastic. Charlie and Eve are in the middle of renovating their new home when a mysterious family shows up. It seems like a simple visit down memory lane, until their daughter vanishes into the house.

At no point did I know what the hell was going on in this book. Though I will say that I’m glad I can recognize Moris Code.

This was a debut novel, and I am incredibly jealous. I can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for us.

The Conjuring of America by Lindsey Stewart

This was hands down the best book I read this year.

Look, I consider myself to be a fairly ‘woke’ person. I try. I want to understand racism and what I can do to combat it. But I did not realize exactly how much of my daily life I owe to Black women. Like blue jeans, Vicks VapoRub, and pancakes. I’m also newly angry at every racist person who was mad about the Little Mermaid being Black.

I learned so much from this book. If you have any interest in American history, I highly recommend it.

So now it’s your turn. What was the best book you read this year? What books are you most looking forward to next year? Let us know in the comments.

Also, this will be my last post of the year. I’m taking next week off for some much-needed rest and family time. I hope you all have a fantastic holiday. And I’ll see you in January for another year of writing and reading.

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My winter reading list 2025/2026

Winter is almost here. Inside of me, there is still a little class kissass who loved getting a reading list. (There’s still also some strep. So if you notice any grammar issues in this post, mind your business.)

I’m especially excited about this Winter’s reading list. I’ve asked for some exciting books for Yule. And, I found two new Christmas books that might well end up on a new ‘Christmas books that aren’t romance’ post once I’ve collected enough. You can find links to those posts here, here, and here.

In the meantime, here’s what I intend to read as the weather gets cold and hopefully I recover. They’re in no specific order. Some are witchy, some are fiction. Some are new, and some are just new to me. I hope you enjoy.

A Christmas Story, by Jean Shepherd

I don’t know how I managed to miss this one for so long, especially in the annual search for Christmas books that aren’t about a meet-cute at a ski rink.

I think everyone knows this story. A middle-class family fights and loves through the holiday season, while the main character only wants a gun for Christmas. Let’s see if the book holds up to the warm fuzzy reputation of the film.

Fear Not by Anne Holt

This is a dark murder mystery about a serial killer before Christmas. Feels like a pretty common setup. But it sure is catnip to me.

You weren’t meant to be human by Andrew Joseph White

The cover caught my attention at my local library. It’s about a dark alien invasion in West Virginia. I can’t wait to dig into it.

Can you sign my tentacle by Brandon O’Brian

I was lucky enough to hear the author read some of his poetry during the recent SFWA Quasar. It’s fantastic. I had to order it right away.

The End of the World As We Know it by various authors

Someday, I hope to be a well-known enough author to be invited to something like this.

This is a collection of stories in the world of The Stand. I’ll be honest, I’ve already partially read it before I put it aside for more festive fare. What I’ve read so far is fantastic.

Star Spangled Jesus by April Ajoy

I’m still looking for other people who survived high-control religions. April is hilarious if you’re not following her already on Instagram. I can’t wait to dig into this one.

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes and Du Mez

In the same vein as the last book. I’m finding myself increasingly angry about how America has corrupted Christianity. I’d like to know more about this.

Your favorite scary movie by Ashley Cullins

My favorite horror movie franchise is actually Paranormal Activity. But Scream is a real close second. It’s a horror series for horror fans. And, being the big old nerd that I am, I’d like to learn more about it.

The Green Witch’s Guide to Herbal Magic by Annabel Margaret

I’m not a very green witch myself. But I do love making tonics, teas, and desserts that double as spells. And that’s exactly what this book has.

I also follow Annabel on YouTube. If you want to get started in green witchcraft, her channel is the place for you.

The Bible Says So by Daniel McClellan

As I heal from my upbringing, I find myself more and more wanting to be a good Christian. Part of that is trying to understand the Bible for what it really is. So it seems like the book written by a Biblical scholar who also happens to be the most liberal Mormon I know is a great place to start.

Marie Laveau Voodoo Grimoire by Denise Alvarado

Alvarado’s first book about Mother Marie was fantastic. When I saw this book on the shelf of my local witchy shop, it was an instant buy for me. I’m very excited to read it. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Discovering Christian Witchcraft by Sara Raztresen

Again, I want to be a better Christian. For me, that means being a better Christian witch. I also think Raztresen is starting an online church in January. Stay tuned, I’ll let you know when I know.

So now it’s your turn. What are you reading this Winter? Have you read any of the books on my list? Let us know in the comments below.

By the way, Smashwords is having an end of year sale. Most of my books are half off. This one is free.

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Do you care about me? A conversation about parasocial relationships

Do you like me? Do you really like me? Like, as a person?

I promise, this isn’t some desperate cry for attention. I’m not your ex or super needy friend texting you at 12:45 at night on a Thursday. Do you like me, Nicole, the person?

If you consider yourself a reasonably kind person, you might well want to answer yes. Of course you like me. You come here every week and read whatever writing or reading-related thing I’ve come up with between working and trying to keep my cat from eviscerating my roommates’ dog.

And yes, part of me wants you to like me. I am human. We all want to be seen and loved for who we are. But the other part of me, the larger part, doesn’t really give a damn. And if you’re a writer or content creator, you probably shouldn’t care if your fans like you, either.

That’s right, we’re talking about parasocial relationships today. And why they’re not only dangerous for everyone, but really don’t have any upsides.

Your readers can’t really know you

You can’t really like me as a person, because you don’t really know me as a person. You know the face I show to the internet.

This isn’t to say that I lie about the things I say online. I really am a writer, feral Christian, witch, progressive, horror fan who lives in Western PA and refers to Stephen King as dad. I really do love the books I praise and hate the books I berate.

But to know these things about me isn’t the same as knowing me. You can know a lot about a person online, and it’s not the same as having an actual relationship with them.

We know people in our real lives. People we’ve been able to have real-world back-and-forth conversations with. People who we’ve seen grow and change, and who have seen us do the same. Can this be done on the internet? Yes, of course. I have several good friends I’ve never met face-to-face. But it’s still a two-sided relationship with give and take.

Liking someone doesn’t always translate to liking their work

Even if you like a creator, that doesn’t mean that you like their creation. I love Cardi B as a person, but I don’t listen to any of her music. I like her politics, her sex positivity and the way she supports other female creators. But her music, while I can appreciate the quality and talent, isn’t for me.

Likewise, some people I am not fond of make some wonderful content. I don’t mean people I can’t justify supporting financially anymore. I mean people who are fine, just kind of dicks. Joss Whedon strikes me as a pompous ass. I’ll still watch almost anything he’s involved in.

Most people I’m a fan of, though, I don’t know a lot about. I know almost nothing about Sylvia Moreno Garcia, Grady Hendrix or Kirsten White. I’ll buy their books sight unseen. I don’t think liking them as people is a big part of that. It’s the fact that their books are fantastic.

Parasocial relationships are dangerous

I am very blessed. No one who’s ever been weird to me online has ever found me in real life. I’d love to keep it that way.

Other writers and content creators aren’t so lucky. One witch I follow on YouTube had someone trying to break into her home with a screwdriver. An Instagrammer had to move to another country because she was getting death threats and people were calling ICE on her.

Being online is scary. While the vast majority of people are perfectly kind and normal (And the comments you guys leave are so sweet!), it just takes one devoted crazy person to find a content creator and threaten their life.

This danger goes both ways. We’ve all heard horror stories of content creators taking advantage of their fans. Like Miranda Sings, for instance. The less said of her, the better.

That’s not why we’re here

We as writers and content creators aren’t here to make friends.

I don’t mean this in the mean, competitive way. I have certainly made friends in my writing journey. Other writers and creators are not my competition. And that is a blessing. But that isn’t why I started writing.

I started writing to tell stories. I started this blog to share my writing journey and hopefully help you with your journey. I’m assuming that you started writing to tell your stories.

No one needs to like us. They just have to like our stories.

So, do you like me? If so, that’s great. I’d probably like you too. But if you don’t, that’s alright. All I really want you to like is my writing.

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Your 2025 Holiday Peptalk

2025 is almost over. Winter holidays have arrived. My Yule decorations are up, my house is full of leftover turkey, and my playlist is going strong.

I am so glad to see this year go. It’s taken so much from me. I promise I won’t belabor this too much. It’s a downer for me, too. But most of my year was spent caring for the Darling Husband after a horrible stroke. He’s getting better now, but he still requires care throughout the day. My long-term critique job ended because the site folded. We had to move out of my dream apartment and are sharing a house with roommates for the first time in my life. And as if that all wasn’t enough, our beloved cat Harper died.

I don’t say all this to make anyone feel sorry for me. God knows life could be a lot worse. I say it all to let you know where I’m coming from. So when I say I’ll be spending the rest of the year doing whatever is needed to boost my holiday vibe, you’ll understand why.

If you see me on social media appearing way too cheesy and cheerful, mind your business.

And yet, all that’s happened to me this year is nothing compared to what so many have faced. Our country is in rough shape right now. People are losing jobs, losing loved ones, losing their very lives. People can’t afford to feed their families. People are afraid.

Joy to the world, indeed.

I swear, it feels like I’m singing carols and decorating my house while the world burns down around me. You might feel the same way. But here we are. The snow is falling, the calendars have just one page, and whether we’re ready or not, the holiday season is here. So, how do we handle it?

Don’t feel guilty

Do you enjoy the holidays? Great! Do all the holiday things you can. Watch all the movies. Listen to all the music. Wear the obnoxious sweaters. Post a million pictures of your decorations, food, and pets in silly costumes.

Please, post pets in silly costumes and tag me on Instagram. I want to see.

Don’t feel guilty about this. Yes, people are suffering right now. Yes, it can feel almost ghoulish to enjoy food and fun while people are not eating on the regular. But I want you to keep three things in mind.

One: depriving yourself of joy will not give joy to others. It will just mean there’s less joy in the world.

Two, you didn’t cause the suffering of others. I know, I feel guilty too. But we didn’t cause the exorbitant grocery prices. We didn’t ask ICE to kidnap our neighbors and family. We didn’t fire hundreds of government employees. None of us wants this to happen.

(Unless you voted for the current president, then you are absolutely at fault, and I hope you have the holiday you voted for.)

And three, while other people are struggling right now, you’re probably suffering too! You could probably use a little holiday cheer. If a peppermint mocha latte and a stroll through the Christmas lights feels like self-care to you, go do it!

Try to do good where you can

It’s always a good time to help others. But right now it might be needed more than ever. And it’s insanely convenient this time of year.

If you can, donate to food banks. Get something for Toys for Tots. Donate old clothes, toys, whatever you need.

If you haven’t got the extra money, that’s totally understandable. Is there a way you can donate your time? If not to an organization, maybe just in your neighborhood? Can you shovel a neighbor’s walk? Can you double a recipe and take some food over? What can you do to make someone’s day a little bit better?

We’re all in this together. We should do what we can to help.

Pivot!

For all the reasons we’ve already talked about, and a whole bunch more I don’t want to go into, you might not be able to do some of your holiday traditions this year.

Trust me, I’m right there with you.

It’s important right now to be flexible. And I get that the holidays are the time when details matter the most. The exact chocolates, the matching pjs from the same company, the specific trip to the specific store. With the specific person, of course.

Let me start by acknowledging that this is painful. Even if it seems silly, our traditions are traditions for a reason. One of the main reasons why the holidays are so important to us is that they’re so nostalgic. We cook the same things our parents made. We wear the same sorts of things as when we were little. We watch the same movies or TV shows that we watch every year. We read the same books we read every year. A disruption of that feels devastating.

But if we let ourselves get hung up on these details, we lose all chance of joy. And a little joy is nothing to take lightly.

I hope that your holiday season is full of rest, good food, and lots of books. I hope you get to spend it with someone you like. And I hope to see you around here again next week.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what I do here, please consider liking and sharing this post and leaving a comment. You can also support me financially on Ko-fi.

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Stop doing everything

I recently moved. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that moving fucking sucks.

Moving is all-encompassing. It takes up every moment of your time. It disrupts everything. You don’t have anything you need.

And it takes forever! I still have unpacked boxes all over the house.

In short, moving means you stop doing everything that you normally do.

So, I stopped doing everything.

Now, to be clear, this isn’t a post about how we do too much and ask too much of ourselves. I am not saying stop trying to do it all, even though you should for sure stop trying to do it all.

What I mean is that I stopped doing literally everything. I took time off from the day job. I didn’t do any of my usual habits or routines. I wasn’t writing blog posts because I batch-wrote them in advance. I wasn’t writing outside of my journal. I wasn’t doing my FlyLady cleaning.

I wasn’t doing anything but moving house. And while that was in many ways an awful experience, it was also a golden opportunity. See, once I’d moved in and started unpacking, I could have started up all of my routines just as I had before. Instead, I took some time to see what I really wanted or needed to start doing again.

Some things came back right away

There are some routines that have to come back right away, because lives literally depend on them. The Darling Husband’s medicine routine. The plants watering schedule. And of course, my weekly planning time was reinstated as soon as it could be.

What was needed to live came back without a thought. So did the things I enjoy the most. It was kind of nice to know for sure what those things are.

Some things I stopped, but started up again

When I first moved in, I stopped doing my Flylady cleaning routine. This was practical at first, as it doesn’t make a lot of sense when you’re in the middle of moving. Then, well, life got complicated.

I soon realized that I missed having a clean toilet every day. So, I picked that back up.

There are a lot of little chores and routines throughout the week and month that I didn’t start doing again until I realized I needed them. Which was honestly a bit eye-opening. It’s amazing to realize how much I was cleaning because it was a habit, and not because it actually needed to be done.

I know, it’s flat heresy as a woman to say that something doesn’t need to be cleaned. But hear me out. I don’t care.

That’s it. I will keep my home clean enough. Because if I get to the end of the week with a clean house but empty pages where there should be writing, I’ll consider that week wasted.

Some things had to change

When we moved, we didn’t just move into a new house. We moved into a new living situation. Which is to say we now have roommates for the first time in our lives. And that’s actually been a lovely experience. But, it means that many of my habits had to change. Like casually walking from my bathroom to my bedroom with just a towel on.

I used to not worry about laundry baskets, because my washer and dryer were in my kitchen. So I’d just toss things in when they were dirty, and turn the washer on when it was full. Can’t do that anymore.

I also needed new routines. When do the bills get paid? Where do we put mail that belongs to another roommate? Who’s cooking dinner, and when are we going to sit down and figure that out? Everything had to change because we were now taking two more adults’ schedules into account.

I also have to order groceries more often because we no longer live right next to a shop. There are pros and cons.

Now, you might not be moving anytime soon. And good for you, moving is the worst. But the holidays are here. And most everyone’s routines get thrown right out the window while we’re making magic and memories.

So maybe just stop.

Maybe just stop doing all of your routines. I mean everything. Your morning routine. Your before-bed routine. Your chore charts, face care, everything. Then, see what you want to put back. See what still fits your life in the season you’re in. See if you can do some things better, or if there are some habits you can get rid of altogether. If nothing else, you can rest assured that everything you’re doing, you need to actually do. And at best, you can drop a lot of busywork out of your routine.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what I do here, please consider liking and sharing this post and leaving a comment. You can also support me financially on Ko-fi.

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My Holiday Planner Pages

It’s snowing as I write this. It looks so magical. I’m watching the big fluffy flakes fly past my windows, sipping coffee out of a festive snowflake mug.

The time has come, my friends. The time has come to start planning for the holidays. And I am so ready. So today, I want to share with you my holiday planning pages.

I celebrate Christmas and Yule. The Darling Husband’s birthday is also in December. And my best friend is Jewish, so I at least acknowledge Hanukkah and help her celebrate it. So this month is just bursting with things that need planning.

It’s fun! (Eye twitching)

Now, if you read my post a few weeks ago, it might surprise you to learn that I’m making paper planning pages for this. I just started keeping a digital planner.

And yes, I love my digital planner. I love Artful Agenda, and it is helping me organize everything. So let’s first talk about why I’m making a paper planner in addition to this and why you might consider doing so as well.

First of all, I want to make a paper planner. Having my holiday plans down on pretty paper gives me such a burst of endorphins. Checking off gifts as they arrive is just fantastic. I should also point out that my pages aren’t in a normal planner. They’re part of my memory-keeping scrapbook. So it’s part planning, part journaling.

This is something I’m going to rely on in the years to come. My previous years of planning helped me prep for this year. I can look back and see what I planned, what worked, and what didn’t work. What I planned to do that didn’t get done. What I thought I wanted to do, but realized after I really didn’t care to. Even better, I can see things I’ve always planned to do and really want to, but never get around to. With all of this information, I can plan better.

All of this planning is essential if you’re going to make the holidays happen without losing your mind. Because we all know that the holidays don’t just happen unless you’re a child. If you want the beautiful peppermint-flavored glowing moments, you have to make them happen.

So the planning has to happen. But when I scrapbook and handmake my planners, it makes planning into a holiday activity in itself. One just for me.

The holidays are about family, and that’s great. But to me, the holidays are speckled with little private, quiet traditions. Moments that I look forward to almost as much as the family events. I get to sit down with my scrapbook toys and a cup of good coffee. I get to set everything up and savor the anticipation. It is fantastic.

Finally, you all know I’m big on memory keeping. I love being able to look back at the warm, glowing holiday moments. That’s why I keep a memory scrapbook to start with. And this is the most important part of making a holiday scrapbook planner. I am building an infrastructure where all of my lovely memories can be collected. Otherwise, I’m moving too fast to capture anything for later.

Now, let’s talk about the pages themselves. These are the ones that I find most useful, and generally create every year. I’ll be including pictures as well.

Holiday events calendar

The first page, aside from the cover page, is a bullet journal-type holiday calendar. This one’s pretty self-explanatory. I write all of the days from Black Friday to New Year’s Day, and then any holiday events that are happening. I don’t think I need to go into more detail about this. It’s a calendar. We’re good.

Gift list

I probably won’t share a completed gift list page here, because at least two people I’m shopping for might stumble upon this. But it’s a decorative list of all the things I’d like to get for people. I also put an envelope full of decorative paper. So when I go out for the always popular Christmas Shopping trip, I can make a cute little list to take with me.

My holiday bucket list

I love making a bucket list for every season. They help me keep track of things I want to do, and help me make time for them among all the things I have to do. I track holiday books I want to read, movies and specials I want to watch, and all the things I want to do. Things like making mulled wine and creating an ice altar.

Holidays are busy as hell. While it might seem silly to write down things you want to, it helps. It makes these fun things a priority. And they should be.

My Yule Good Deeds List

I am a witch. And witches take care of their community. While I try to do this all year round, Yule is a time for me to really double down. So every day from December 1st to Yule day (Usually December 21st or 22nd), I try to do something nice for others. I’ll give extra donations, leave heartfelt comments online, and put Christmas cards out in public. Just something fun or nice to lift someone’s holiday spirits.

I like to keep track of these, first off, to keep myself accountable. But also because I inevitably am left with no ideas for creative good deeds by December 14th. Having a list of things I’ve done in the past is super helpful then.

If you’re a witch, or even if you’re not, you might also enjoy doing 21 days of Yule kindness. Put a little love into the world. It’s sure needed.

New recipes

I like collecting recipes in my holiday journal. First, because it’s easier for me to look at a piece of paper than a screen when I’m baking. Second, because I like to keep track of what I tried from year to year. It’s another form of memory keeping.

Journaling pages

Finally, I have several pages decorated for the purpose of journaling. For collecting pictures, I take. For lists of the best memories, best moments. For the best gifts, both physical and not. Because those are the things I’ll treasure in the years to come. Not the food, which will be gone in a flash. Not the things we buy each other. But the memories of loved ones enjoying time together making the darkest days of the year the brightest.

I hope this post gives you some ideas for making your holidays more organized, more joyful, and more centered on things you and your family actually enjoy doing. Now, it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments your favorite holiday tradition.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what I do here, please consider liking and sharing this post and leaving a comment. You can also support me financially on Ko-fi.

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Why House of Quiet Works

Released in September of this year, House of Quiet is the latest novel by Kiersten White. This is the same author who brought us Mister Magic, Lucy Undying, The Dark Decent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, and Hide. Which is to say, the author of some of the best books I’ve read in the past few years.

House of Quiet is about a young woman named Birdie. She’s spent the last several years trying to find her little sister Magpie, who vanished after undergoing the mysterious Procedure. Birdie poses as a maid to get into the mysterious house of quiet. But what she finds there is a group of children who need to be rescued.

Today, we’re going to break it down and see why it works. Because there’s a lot that can be learned from this wonderfully dark, sweet tale.

Just jump in

The story starts in the middle of things. It starts with a mysterious woman wandering around the House of Quiet with a candle, bemoaning how loud it was.

We then jump to Birdie, heading to the house of quiet, thinking of all of the shady things she had to do to get there.

As we follow along, we only get an idea of the world she lives in and what she’s doing. We know that she’s grown up in crippling poverty. We know that she’s never speaking to her parents again. And that’s about it.

But that’s okay, because we’re going up to the house. We’re meeting the other new maids. We’re being drugged with tea. There is stuff going on, and there will be time to explain later. The important thing is that we’re not slowing down the start of our story. We are jumping right in.

Don’t over-explain

I spent a lot of this book trying to figure out what in the hell was going on. I wanted to know what happened to Magpie. I wanted to know what the procedure was. I wanted to know what had happened to Birdie’s friends. I wanted to know why Minnow was acting so strange.

And never once was any of this simply out and out explained.

No, the story was moving too fast for that sort of thing.

This was infuriating, but in a good way. Because everything is answered, eventually. It’s just that we have to piece things together as we go. Or, we find out as the characters do.

House of Quiet brought the ‘show don’t tell’ rule almost to its breaking point, but not quite. At no point did I feel so lost I thought I’d never catch up. But it wasn’t until near the end that I really felt like I knew what was happening.

This is a hard line to walk, giving just enough information for the reader to barely understand. But, I think the easiest way to do this is to have faith in your reader. Don’t feel like you’ve got to spell everything out for them. Leave some spaces for them to fill in the blanks themselves.

Anything can be used to world build

One of the most charming things about House of Quiet was the naming structure of the characters. People raised in poverty have animal names like Minnow, Magpie, and Birdie. People from the upper class have names like River or Forest.

This is a super quick and efficient way to give us information about a character with the fewest words possible. We know the character’s name, and we know what class the character is from. And in a book that is all about class warfare, that’s vital information.

This is a great example of using every element you can to world-build. Names, clothes, jewelry. Think about how all of these things impact our real world. And yes, you should be using any of these to show your world, rather than telling us about it.

Now, all this being said, this book wasn’t perfect. My biggest complaint, I think, is the relationship between the characters. They were, in my opinion, a little too sweet. They came together too quickly. They were too kind to each other. But, of course, this is a book for young adults. So maybe that’s why.

This was not enough to ruin the story for me. House of Quiet was a fun, heartwarming tale, and I enjoyed it greatly. If you haven’t read it yet, do it today.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what I do here, please consider liking and sharing this post and leaving a comment. You can also support me financially on Ko-fi.

And while you’re there, you can pick up a copy of my Novel Planner.

Writing a novel is a journey! Here is your roadmap.
The Novel Planner takes you through four weeks of planning to help you successfully write a novel. Includes twelve pages to plan your time, your team and your life.
Also included are some useful pages to keep track of your wip, like a map page and an injury tracking chart.

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My experience with Artful Agenda

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I’ve entirely quit bullet journaling.

I’ve been bullet journaling for years. And it’s served me well. It’s helped me write and publish books, care for my home, myself and my husband, and keep my plants alive.

As a quick disclaimer, I have a referral code for the planner I’m going to be talking about. So if you buy it and use my code, I will get some money. This company did not approach me or ask me to write this. I am giving my opinion on a tool that you might enjoy. Most of it’s good, some of it isn’t. But if this product seems like something you’d like, and you want to support me, you can use this code when you buy it. RN1371570

I started using the Artful Agenda in August. This was when I was deep in moving mode and all of my crafting supplies were packed. My fellow crafters will know my pain. No stickers. No scrapbook paper. No Tombow brush pens or Zebra midliners. I had my fountain pen and some ink. So when I saw an offer for a few free weeks of the virtual planner Artful Agenda, I thought it was worth a try. I wasn’t likely to lose my tablet and my laptop while moving, after all.

Though we did manage to misplace the Darling Husband’s massive toolbox.

At this point, I’ve been using the planner for two months. And I have to say, it’s really been enjoyable.

The Artful Agenda looks very much like a virtual day planner. There are month, week, and day views.

And, there are stickers.

It works with my brain

I have anxiety. It mimics ADHD symptoms sometimes, when I have a bunch of things I’m super worried about and feel like I need to do All The Things at once. So, I constantly forget things. Which leaves me with this blinding fear that I have forgotten some Very Important Thing.

Or worse, I’ll hyperfocus on a thing that I can’t do right now, but need to remember to do. Like if I need to remember to get cash out, or pick up prescriptions, or water the plants on a certain day.

Using Artful Agenda, I’ve developed a simple routine. When I think of something that needs to be done, I add it to a list on the day it needs to be done. Then, I can forget about it.

Schedule a doctor’s appointment? Type it down right away.

Remember Oliver needs his nails clipped? Put it on the to-do list for my next day off.

Suddenly realize that if I want garlic in the spring, I need to plant it now? Add garlic bulbs to the shopping list and a note to plant the damned things.

Then, it’s a simple matter of checking my list in the morning to see what I need to do. Bam. I do a weekly brain dump of things that need to be done once a week, and all of my to-do lists are ready to go.

I also have the option to put in repeating tasks. Like social media tasks, daily chores, and other boring things that I’ll forget to write down and thus forget to do. I type it in once, set it to repeat, and we’re all good.

It’s cute and leaves room for creativity

As I mentioned earlier, the Artful Agenda has a lot of stickers. It comes with a bunch, but you can also buy additions. Which is honestly cheaper than buying planner stickers irl because they can be used over and over.

At least, that’s the excuse I’m using.

I really love that I can change the cover art whenever I want. Because I am a fickle thing and I crave change. This was something I enjoyed when I was using the Erin Condren life planner, except that those covers are nine to fourteen dollars per cover before shipping, and I get covers for my Artful Agenda as part of a sticker pack that cost me seven bucks.

Honestly, the EC planners were an obsession for me for a minute. But I just looked at the website for the first time in years, and you could easily put over a hundred dollars into your planner. In this economy?

I love the variety of the Artful Agenda stickers, but I also enjoy that I can add my own. You can upload any stickers you want. I made some in Canva for my witchy events, and they are delightful.

I can also copy and paste images from the internet and add them to my lists. So I can toss a cute cheese platter image at the bottom of my shopping list, or a watercolor pumpkin under my Halloween Bucket list. So, while I’m not playing as much with my pens and scrapbook supplies, I still have lots of creative freedom on the virtual page.

It’s always with me

I am constantly out doing stuff. I don’t want to be. I want to be home with my boys and French press. But I have to go get errands done. I have to go to doctor appointments. I have to do the adulting things.

So, it’s nice that my planner can go with me. I don’t have to worry about copying my shopping list; it’s right there on my Artful Agenda app. My whole calendar is on there too, so I can immediately put in the ever-present three-month check-up appointment right when the nurse tells me about it.

The Artful Agenda has a desktop app, a mobile app, and an online option. So I can even check my planner on my work pc or a public computer if I ever need to.

And I don’t have to carry a whole bag of stuff! Listen, I love paper. Obviously, this blog is called Paper Beats World. But back in the day, I was likely to be carrying a book, a notebook, my bullet journal, and a handwritten rough draft in my bag at any given time. Now, I carry my tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard.

It saves me time

The day page is really the landing page for the day. It’s got a calendar view to the left. On the right, there’s spaces for a to-do list, habit tracker, appointments, and notes on the day. I can put in dinner plans and have a place to keep track of Darling Husband’s blood sugar readings. The dinner plans and sugar readings are transferred to my weekly view, too. So at a glance, I can see exactly where his sugar’s been for the week.

I also don’t spend as much time decorating my agenda as I did my bullet journal. Now, I love playing with paper crafts. I love stickers, sketching, and junk journaling. But that’s the thing. I love junk journaling. And the time I have to play with paper crafts is limited. So I’d rather have time to create in my junk journal than my planner.

It isn’t perfect

Of course, there are downsides to everything. For one, on Monday, when Amazon was down, so was Artful Agenda. Which meant I was facing Monday without my to-do list.

No, I don’t remember everything I needed to do. If I could do that, I wouldn’t need a planner in the first place.

It was eventually fixed, and they even put in a new free sticker pack as an apology. So that’s nice. And, I’ll admit, I’ve been using it since August, and this is the first time anything like this has happened.

But I don’t love that it can happen. My bullet journal never had a server issue, is all I’m saying.

Of course, that wouldn’t be an issue if there were an offline mode. Which there isn’t. And I don’t carry a phone. So if I’m out, I’d better hope the wifi is working or I can’t update my shopping list. I can see it, but I cannot update it.

Overall though, using the Artful Agenda has been an upgrade in my planning. I’m spending less time doing planning and more time doing the actual things. Which is, after all, the whole point of organization to start with.

If you want to check it out, don’t forget that I’ve got a referral code. RN1371570. It’s a good way to check out the planner and support Paper Beats World at the same time. And if you do try it, or have tried it, let me know what you thought of it in the comments.

Paper Beats World is a labor of love. If you love what I do here, please consider liking and sharing this post and leaving a comment. You can also support me financially on Ko-fi.

Spooky season is coming, and it’s time for some creepy reads. Check out my horror novel Quiet Apocalypse, about a witch trapped in her apartment during a dark winter storm with a demon devoted to ending the world.

Or check out my horror short, The Man In The Woods. A man tries desperately to protect his granddaughter from the mysterious man in the woods. But his fear only grows when a new housing complex is built too close to the woods.

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