Disney +. Come for Hamilton, stay for the ridiculous amount of nostalgia. This isn’t sponsored, it’s just literally what happened to me in July. 

We’re still staying home more than we used to because people don’t want to wear their damned masks and I have a husband who’s high risk. (Seriously, I want to be understanding and see all sides of this. But people are dying. Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your hands off your damned face.)

Since we have nothing to do, we’ve been watching a lot of old Disney movies the husband didn’t see when he was a kid. I don’t mean old like Davey Crockett. I mean like Oliver and Company, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Stuff that was around when I was a kid. Stuff I loved when I was a kid. 

Like everything else, I can’t just watch and experience something. I’ve got to take a lesson from it. Then, I have to share it with you. So here are five reasons why I think you should all watch old Disney movies. 

Unexpected adult jokes

This is kind of an open secret, but I still love it. I’m not talking about the easter egg things like the penis on the cover of Little Mermaid or the word sex sprawled out in leaves in Lion King. These are just good old fashioned dirty jokes. Like in Beauty and the Beast. There’s a part on Gaston’s song when he says that every last inch of him is covered in hair. And this gross asshole looks right at the audience and winks!

The animators knew what they were doing. 

The music is better than you remember

Before Let it Go got played to death, it was a pretty good song. Disney movies have always had songs that kids love to sing along to. But here’s a secret. The song your mom wanted to kill you for singing on repeat probably overshadowed some damn good music. Take God Help the Outcast from Hunchback of Notre Dame. That song makes me cry.

And I know it’s a bit more modern, but the whole soundtrack for Tarzan is just astounding. I mean, it is Phil Collins, so I suppose that shouldn’t be surprised. 

So is the artwork

We were watching The Rescuers, and I kept pausing to go on about the artwork. How you could see the brushstrokes. How some scenes looked like living paintings. How adorable yet intelligent the mice were drawn. 

This is the shit my husband puts up with, you guys. 

But the artwork is amazing. I know that we’re quite accustomed to getting movies a lot faster these days with computer animation. I’m not saying art can’t be made on a computer, it totally can. But there’s something about a hand-drawn movie. I mean, it took a lot longer. The Hydra scene from Hercules alone took over a year.

But my goodness, it’s astounding. It deserves to be appreciated. 

A million little writing lessons

Look, I’m not going to sit here and defend every bit of writing in a Disney movie. Much of it is lazy, pure garbage, or outright stolen from other sources. (Looking at you, Kimba.)

But it’s not all bad. For instance, in watching these old movies I’ve noticed that a decent amount of protagonists are kind of assholes. They’re still good people, they’re just dicks. Like Basil, the great mouse detective. Or the Beast. They’re not nice people. They’re not selfless, kind, tactful. 

But they’re still good. That’s the thing about people, they have layers. It would be nice to see that more often.

Sometimes you need to step back into your childhood

Finally, sometimes it’s nice to just be a little kid again. Just chill out and watch a kid’s

movie.

Here’s the thing, the world is heavy right now. I don’t need to tell you that. And a lot of my day is spent either trying to figure out what I can do to make things better or being just damned depressed about what’s happening. 

That’s not likely to end anytime soon. There’s never been a moment in my life where it’s more important to fight the good fight every damned day. And while I’m never going to be one to turn off the news, sometimes we do need to take a break from it. 

Take breaks how you need to. Take care of yourself and your mental health. Stopping the horrible things happening in our world doesn’t end with the election in November. And if watching some old Disney movies helps us keep fighting, then let’s all do that. 

If you’re looking for ways to help, here’s just a few things you can do.

1. Wear your damned mask.

2. Donate to foundations working for us, like the ACLU or Black Lives Matter. 

3. Donate to charities that are stressed right now, like Immigrant Families Together. 

4. Download the Resist app and use it to let your local officials know where you stand on the issues. 

5. Register to vote, and make sure everyone you know registers too.

6. If you’re healthy and able, volunteer to work at polls this election day.

7. Give everyone, including yourself, grace. Everyone’s going through hell right now. We’re only getting through it if we stick together. 

Artwork for this post came from IMDB.

Today’s cover art is from Karolina Grabowska.

I spend a lot of time on Youtube. Honestly, it’s the majority of the video content I consume every day. News, cat videos, crafting and recipes, cat videos, music, science experiments, cat videos and fennec fox videos. You know, the usual. Oh, and competitive marble racing. Because that’s a thing. I learn all sorts of things from youtube, find meditations and yoga videos, and some really good ambient sounds to write to.

So why the hell did it take me so long to figure out Booktube is a thing? 

I’m falling into a rabbit hole of people talking about books! New books, mostly. Fantasy books, science fiction, nonfiction, romance novels. Not that I read that last one but to each their own. These people have such a love for reading, I’ve found my people. Talk about bookshelf envy! The color-coded shelves covered in fairy lights and nerdy figurines make me drool. Most of my books are second-hand paperbacks that look like they’ve been carried around in backpacks and dog eared for decades. Because most of them have.

But enough about the reasons I’ve fallen in love with Booktube. Here are -?- reasons why you should be watching Booktube too. Especially if you’re a writer.

It’s an easy way to keep up with trends

We all know it’s a stupid idea to write to trends. It’s a waste of time, honestly. There’s no way you can write, edit, promote and publish a book in time to catch up with a current trend. 

That doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to understand the trends. If you’re in the field, you need to know what’s going on in the field. 

But there’s so much to do as a writer. Advertising, editing, social media and doing the occasional bit of writing will quickly take up your day. I mean, if you even have a whole day to do writing things. Not like you have cleaning, cooking, day jobs, caring for family members and pets to do on top of all that. So now I’m expecting you to add keeping up with the hundreds of books that are released every week? 

Soon I’ll be making a list of easy ways to keep up with the publishing industry. I say soon because I need to figure it out myself first.

Booktube is on that list, though. It’s something I can do while my hands are busy. It’s also something I can do when I’m too tired to read another word. And honestly, those are the easiest things to keep up with. Why do you think I’ve been reviewing podcasts on Haunted MTL? But seriously, folks. Any way I can get information into me while doing other things is good.

It’s a great way to support other writers

While many books on Booktube are traditionally published, many aren’t. Indie books and books from indie publishers are shown on Booktube. In fact, given the relative popularity of Booktube over other places we learn about new books, it’s a great way to get the word out. Honestly, my to-read list has ballooned since watching these. Like I needed more books to read. But anything that encourages people to read more books is something I’m behind.

Learn about books you might never hear about otherwise

Yes, I know I was complaining about having too many books to read just like a sentence ago. But that’s the best problem to have. I honestly had never heard of some of these books. But I’m excited that I know about them. I’m going to enjoy reading them. And I have excited girls in big glasses on Booktube to thank for that.

Feel inspired by people who love books

And let’s talk about these girls. Sorry if that feels very specific, but I have yet to see a male Booktuber. We’ll get to that in a moment.

Here’s the thing, though. There are times when being an author is fucking depressing. I am so sick and tired of being surrounded by people who say that they don’t have time to read. They aren’t really big book readers. They’re just too busy. 

Were you too busy to watch hours of Netflix? I don’t freaking think so!

Because of this, Booktube is therapeutic. I loved seeing all of these people, my age and younger, obsessed with books. I love seeing people fangirl and fanboy over authors and novels. Talking about crushes on fictional characters, gushing over sequels from their favorite authors, showing off stacks of new books. I love these people.

So now I need to ask you a favor. I watch two Booktubers regularly. They’re both British women with glasses. I’d like to broaden my viewing. If you’re a fan of a Booktuber, please leave their information in the comments. If you are a Booktuber, by all means, leave a link. I will watch you.

Today’s beautiful cover image is from Eric Perlin.

For those of you who don’t wear a bra, stick with me. This is going to be relevant to you, too.

For those of you who do wear a bra, you’ve probably all been where I was Sunday night. 

It was a long day, and I was so ready to just chill and watch some Buffy with a White Claw. (I’m not doing processed sugar right now.)

But when I plopped down on my chair, I felt something snap under my shirt. 

I know that feeling. Boy, do I know it. It’s the sickening crack of the underwire of my bra snapping in two.

If you wear bras then you know, they’re damned expensive. So I wait as long as possible before buying new ones. Consequently, this was one of only two bras I owned as of Sunday night.

A large purchase I’d been putting off had now become an emergency. An expensive one at that.

This required me to take some money out of my emergency fund. 

Okay, we’re done talking about my underwear now. 

Everyone should have an emergency fund of at least $1,000. It’s Dave Ramsey’s first baby step for a reason. And it is damned hard. 

It’s not hard because I have expensive tastes. 

It’s not hard because I don’t have self-control.

It’s not hard because I don’t have a full-time job.

It’s not hard because I have some sort of expensive addiction like cigarettes or Warhammer.

It’s because surviving has become too damn difficult. 

Let me be really clear. I am a Millennial and I don’t want to hear about millennials being too soft. Everyone is suffering right now, and it’s not because of damned avocado toast. I wrote this whole blog post about how hard it is for literally everyone to survive these days.

I was able to handle this emergency that was less than two hundred dollars. I am so grateful for that, there were years and years that this wasn’t the case. 

There is just no reason why everyone shouldn’t be able to pay their bills, put food on their table, clothes on their backs and have an emergency fund in the bank. If you’re working forty hours a week, you should be able to live on that. If you don’t believe that, what the hell is the matter with you?

I’m not saying that we should all be able to afford the newest Fossel Smart Watch. (I really want that watch.) I’m saying that maybe if something very simple like a bra break happens, it shouldn’t be a financial nightmare.

I do mean everyone. People who work in what we consider lesser jobs like fast food and retail still deserve to earn a living wage. Those people have been working during the pandemic to make sure you can get your groceries, eat a hot meal you didn’t have to cook and get things you need in the mail safely. Like, it’s great that we’ve had the flags at half-mast for them. Now how about we make sure they can feed their kids?

Honestly, though, I’m probably preaching to the choir here. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re more on the side of the struggling than the comfortable. If that’s the case, you might feel powerless. Please listen to me when I say you are not. We are being reminded now as Americans that our politicians work for us. We pay their wages, and they’ve got no problem giving themselves raises. They should work for us. They should advocate for us to companies that pay insufficient wages. And we need to tell them that.

Write to your local representatives about raising the minimum wage to a living wage. Here’s a link to the resist app, it makes it easy to chat with the people who represent you.

Today’s cover art is from Pexels.

I’m looking for authors, musicians and visual artists to help me out with something. 

The Black Lives Matter movement is doing the good work we need to see in the world right now. They’re organizing peaceful protests and standing up for all of us. No one should be afraid of the police. We need serious reform in our country, and we need it now.

To do this, Black Lives Matter needs our support. That’s why I’m asking for your help today.

I’d like to gather together a collection of artists for a fundraiser. The plan is simple.

Step one, create a work of art to share with the public during our drive. 

Step two. If you can, offer a giveaway during the drive. Encourage your fans to donate to BLM for a chance to win. Please let me know in the comments or email me at nicolecluttrell86@gmail.com if you want to participate or if you just have any questions. 

These protestors and coordinators are fighting for us. Let’s have their backs. I know the artist community will step up. 

Stay safe, guys. 

Today’s image is from Eli Digital Creative

Let’s talk a little bit about good books. Books that you just sit down and devour. Books you can’t stop loving, can’t stop reading and can’t wait for the sequel to come out. 

There are lots of these books, thank goodness. My world would be a much different and much darker place without them. I don’t want to say my entire life revolves around stories. But I’m a writer who’s hobbies include reading, watching good tv and listening to fictional podcasts. So, most of my day is taken up with stories.

Some works of fiction are just perfect. Perfect writing, perfect story, perfect characters. They’re funny, deep, and stick with you for years. Things like The Giver, or Hunger Games. These were triumphs of good writing and good story.

Getting all of those parts down, though, is tricky. Most stories miss the point on at least one or two of those categories. 

Some of those faults can be forgiven. I think of it in terms of stability. A table standing on four legs is perfectly stable. Let’s say those legs are dialog, story, writing and character. If a piece of furniture is standing on only three legs, let’s say story dialog and writing, it’ll probably still do fine. 

With one exception. I can love a book with bad characters. I can love a book with bad writing. I can even love a book with bad dialog, though it might be the sort of love I don’t talk about much. Sort of like my love of processed sugar. 

But I cannot, until my dying day, love a book that doesn’t have a good story. 

That’s what it all comes down to. If the story is no good, all the flowery writing and great dialog in the world won’t save it. 

So if story is on top of the list of importance, what’s on the bottom? Well, this might be surprising, given my profession. But it’s the writing. 

I will overlook bad writing in a heartbeat. Though I do work to elevate my writing, I don’t care so much if other authors didn’t.

Let me give you some examples. There is a trilogy of books called The Looking Glass Wars. I devoured all three of them, and I wish there were more. I loved the story, loved the characters. They turned the Mad Hatter into this ultra-cool assassin and I was here for every single page of it. Alice as a general, with Dopple and Ganger? Yes, all day.

The writing in the books was, sad to say, awful. The dialog was unrealistic and childish. I could have used up a few red pens making edits and corrections in just one of the three books. 

But they were good stories. And that’s what saved them. 

As another example, let’s look a little bit at The Exorcist. It’s a great story, but the writing is so bad! I’m reading it now, and I swear William Peter Blatty has never met a child and never heard another soul have a conversation in his life. 

That being said, this is one of the most beloved horror novels of all time. 

I’m not saying that we should strive to write badly. I’m just saying maybe the focus should be on the story first and the writing in the third draft. 

Today’s wonderful cover art is by Gerd Altmann.

I hope you’re seeing this post right now. I mean, I always hope you see my posts. I’m a vain introvert. So I want you to see my work, but not talk to me about it IRL.

But if you often find my posts on Facebook or Instagram, I’m afraid I might have some bad news for you. You won’t find me there anymore. Over the weekend I deleted my Facebook and Instagram accounts and will no longer be on either of those platforms. 

Sorry, not sorry. 

There is only so much ignoring of hate and encouraging of life endangering lies I can take. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. 

I told you all that to tell you this. Creators, influencers, business owners, lend me your eyes. You don’t have to be on every social media platform. 

I mean it, you really don’t. You don’t have to be on any social media if you don’t want to be. Being on too many might hurt your brand. Here are four reasons why you might want to remove some platforms from your social media plan.

Different tools for different jobs

For those who aren’t super familiar with the different platforms, they all engage with people in different ways. Twitter is for sending short messages of under 240 characters. Pinterest is for sharing images and posts about how to do stuff. 

Think about what you’re trying to do on a platform. Do you want to grow a following? Interact with people? Share information? Share videos or pictures? 

Personally, I want to share information, have conversations with people and let people know information about my books. So I use Twitter. I also write a lot of posts about how to do stuff. So I use Pinterest. Use the platform that’s made to do what you need social media to do for you.

Your audience doesn’t go there

This one relies on you knowing who your audience is. And you really should know who your audience is. Where do they hang out online? What hashtags are they using? More importantly, where are they not? Because if the people you want to reach aren’t where you’re posting, they’re never going to see it.

Your mental health does matter

The world is a lot right now. Honestly, it sort of feels like every damn time I turn around there’s some other worse thing happening to us. 

Step one of fixing things is realizing there’s a problem. So we can’t turn off the news. But we can take a break. We can control how we consume information. For some people, Twitter is going to be too much. I get that. So if it’s stressing you out to use social media, take a break from it. Focus on places that are more ideas and less news, like Pinterest. I love Pinterest. It’s like hanging out with a big group of people who just want to make cool shit. 

I am all about Twitter, but I’m not glued to it. While I like to stay in the loop, I have specific times when I turn it off. When I’m at my day job, when I’m writing. When I’m cooking or eating a meal with my family. When I’m going to bed for sure. 

What I’m saying is, mute your notifications. And if you’re never feeling good when you go on a platform, stop going. Your mental health is more important than anything but your physical health and safety. 

More time for the platforms you actually like

Your time is finite. My time is finite. I don’t have time in my day to fuss with things I don’t want to do. Sorry. I’m turning thirty-four in a few days and I’m just over it. I don’t need to be on Ticktock, don’t want to follow people on Snapchat. I like Twitter. I like Pinterest. I like the social media platforms I only use privately. And I don’t have a huge amount of time to be spending on social media to start with. Do you? 

So if I only have ten minutes to check my email and scroll through something, I’m sure as hell not going to spend that time somewhere I’m not happy and cut my time on places I want to be.

Social media is all about connecting with people. I love that I can chat with people all over the world. I love that I can find other people interested in the same things I love. Most of all, I love that my stories can reach out to touch people everywhere. And I’m just not going to be on any social media platform that I don’t love.

You shouldn’t be either. 

By the way, if you do want to follow me on social media, you can find me onTwitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.