Preptober 2023 Week Two

It’s week two of Preptober, and time to start writing. How exciting is that?

This week our focus is world-building. I’ve compiled a list of questions to help you figure out your world and how people live in it.

But what if your story is set in the real world? You probably still want to fill this out. Things like food, clothing and culture vary wildly depending on where you’re from. And it never hurts to get things down on paper.

Besides, thinking of these details will help you step into the world of your story. It’ll get you thinking of those intimate details.

What is the weather like?

This is pretty straightforward, but no less important. There’s a reason one of the first things I do in the morning is check the weather.

Does it rain a lot? Is it sunny? Is this a place where the weather impacts travel and crops? Does any of this have anything to do with your story?

What do people wear?

Clothing tells us so much about a person. What do people usually wear in your world? Cloaks, jeans, sweaters? Are mink coats the style, or Foster Grants?

What do people eat?

This might largely be impacted by the first question, and where your story is taking place. An ocean-side city is going to eat a lot of fish. A more rural land is going to have a lot of farm food, like chicken and corn.

What’s the popular entertainment?

This is always a fun thing to consider. What are people doing to entertain themselves? Are plays popular entertainment? Do people gather at the local tavern to hear music? Or is this a more modern story where people prefer to stay home and stream a movie? No judgment.

Is there a magical structure? What are the rules?

Here’s where things get fun. What kind of magic exists in your world, if any? What rules does the magic have? What are its limitations? Because of course, magic isn’t fun when it doesn’t have limitations.

What is their technology like?

Even if you’re writing a fantasy novel, there’s still technology. It’s just that it’s going to look wildly different depending on when in time your story takes place. Do they have smartphones or water wheel power generators? Or, if you’re writing steampunk, maybe a fantastic combination of both?

What political structure do they have?

Politics might be frustrating, but it’s something that impacts us all. Whether it’s going to impact your story or not, you should know what political structure is. Even if it’s just a local sheriff and a disinterested mayor.

What cool element exists in this world that isn’t in ours, and how does that impact everyone?

Yes, this applies to every story, even if it’s set in the real world. This doesn’t have to be magical. It doesn’t have to be fantastic pieces of technology. Though of course, that’s fine if it is.

This can be an old mill, a fantastic coffee shop, or a stretch of road that has the habit of moving around on certain nights of the year.

So that’s it for this time. Don’t forget, you can download my Preptober Planner from my Ko-Fi shop and play along all month.

See you next week for week three.

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My favorite banned books and why everyone should read them

Banned Books Week is winding down. But frankly, I don’t think it should. With all the attacks on literacy this year, I think we should keep right on celebrating banned books.

So today I want to share with you my ten favorite banned books. Some of them are fun, some are heavy. Some I was blessed to be taught about in school. Some I only discovered because of events like Banned Books Week.

None of them should be banned.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The absolute irony of banning a book about people controlling the thoughts and actions of their citizens is not lost on me.

I talk about The Giver all the time. Everyone should read it. There are so many lessons here about valuing people for more than just their productivity, for championing individuality, and for bulking authority.

I wonder why some people don’t want us to read that.

1984 by George Orwell

1984 is, in my opinion, the next step up from The Giver in terms of anti-conformity, anti-government overreach, and overall pro-individual life choices. It has many of the same themes as The Giver, with some frightening additions. Our main character writes news reports and masterfully lies to the people. If the ration of chocolate is being cut, he’ll write about the great increase in the chocolate rations.

Then, of course, there are the rats.

Maus by Art Spiegelman

If you never thought you could get emotionally broken by a comic, you will know better after reading Maus.

Maus is a messy, dark, horrific tale of the Holocaust, told with cartoon mice and cats and pigs. In it, the author tells the story of his family and friends during one of the most horrific events in history. And it pulls no goddamned punches.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is my favorite book. This is why we named our cat Harper. When Harper Lee died, I cried in public.

I was taught To Kill A Mockingbird in school. It was a dark story of false accusations, horrific racism, and the penalties for standing up for what’s right. This book has given me courage during some dark times in my life.

This is the great thing about dark books. They can give us strength during hard times.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I wonder why some people don’t want us to read this.

Just on the off chance you haven’t read this book or seen the show inspired by it, this is a dark tale of a dystopian future in which birth rates have plummeted.

But of course, people with money and power will not be denied anything they want. Even if it means enslaving women and forcing them to have sex and carry babies against their will.

This felt a lot less realistic before last year. Did you know women needed their husband’s permission to have a credit card before 1974?

1974.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Yes, Rowling is a problem. And I’m not gonna defend her. I’m gonna defend trans women and men.

Yes, these books have a host of issues. Yes, they’re still fun to read. And the reason they were banned was not because of the author’s opinions of womanhood, or the cringy way she named characters of other nationalities.

These books were banned because they contained magic. Gee, wonder why that might piss me off. It’s not even real witchcraft. Censoring magic in a child’s life is just never going to make sense to me.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

It really is amazing how many dystopian future books about all-powerful and abusive governments get banned.

Hunger Games is a great series. It has a lot of dark things to say about how media is used to manipulate and control us. Which is something we all need to be more aware of.

Have you ever wondered, for instance, why there are so many cop shows?

Bone by Jeff Smith

Unlike the rest of the books on this list, Bone is not heavy. Well, the copy I have is physically heavy because it’s the whole damn run in one hulking volume.

But this is not a massively deep tale or one with problematic undertones. It’s just a cute adventure story about a little bone and a warrior princess.

I honestly am not sure why Bone was banned. I suppose there’s some drinking, some suggestive situations. But it’s nothing serious.

And if you’re going to read the other books on this list, you could probably use something a bit lighter afterward.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Reading the work of Maya Angelou always makes me feel like I’m sitting in the room with her, listening to her talking just to me.

This first book begins the tale of her life, which has been a fascinating and difficult one. It tells of her childhood, living with her grandmother, father, and mother. It tells of her childhood and teenage triumphs and the horrible tales of her abuses.

If you’ve never read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, read it now. It is astonishing.

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss

I have purchased copies of this book for every friend of mine who has a small child. Let it never be said that spite can’t create something beautiful.

This is the story of a bunny named Marlon Bundo, who happens to belong to Former VP Mike Pence. Marlon is gay and has a beautiful relationship with another boy bunny.

It’s cute, sweet, and a great book to explain LGBTQ+ to little kids. And that’s something we could use more of.

So that’s it for today. I see no reason to stop reading banned books just because Banned Books Week is over. And I’d love to hear from you in the comments. What is your favorite banned book?

Don’t forget, we’re officially in Preptober! You can get my Pretober Planner right now on my ko-fi shop.

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Preptober Week One

Here we are, week one of October. And it’s, let me tell you, a busy week.

The first week of spooky season.

Banned Books Week, in case you missed my angry rant earlier today.

Fat Bears Week.

And, of course, it’s the first week of Preptober.

As promised, we’ll be walking through each page of my Preptober Planner together until we reach the big event in November. Because everything is better as a team.

Don’t forget, you can get my Preptober Planner on my Ko-fi store now to print out and play along all month.

Week one is all about making a plan. We’re going to answer some questions, make some lists, and get signed up on the Nanowrimo website.

First, some questions. Let’s make a plan for when you’re going to be writing, and how you’re going to make that time.

1. When are you going to write?

2. What projects do you need to wrap up before November to make space for writing a novel?

3. Are there any days I know I won’t be able to write? What days can I get in extra words to catch up?

4. What are the other obligations that you still need to meet like work, school, or home care?

Now, we’re going to consider the other people in your life. First, let’s make a list of the people who can help you this month. Who’s going to cheer you on? Who can pick up some extra work around your home? Who might bring you a coffee?

Now we’re going to make a second list of people. These are your fellow writers who are participating in Nanowrimo. Who are you writing with? Who can you meet up with for writing dates?

Next, we’re going to consider the physical things you’re going to need to write your novel.

Do you type or write on paper? Do you need index cards or post-its for organizing and brainstorming? How about a file folder for notes? Make a list, it’s time to go stationary shopping.

Finally, it’s time to go onto the Nanowrimo website and announce your project! It’s an exciting moment if you’ve never done it before.

That’s it for this week. We’re on our way to a successful month of writing together. Let us know in the comments what you’re going to be working on this November. And I’ll see you next week.

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Banned Books Week 2023

I think Banned Books Week got moved to October this week because it’s getting scary out there for our freedom of expression.

Now, normally I post the top ten most banned to kick off Banned Books Week. But that’s been done to death. We know what got banned. More importantly, we know what kind of books get banned.

Books about queer people get banned.

Books about black people get banned.

Books about Native people get banned.

Books that make kids think about someone outside of their experience get banned.

This isn’t surprising. It’s just disgusting that it’s getting portrayed as protecting children. The only ones protected by book banning are the people threatened by children’s learning.

We know the kind of people who are doing this. Since they seem to want so much attention, let’s call them out by name. Ron DeSantis seems to be on a mission to wipe out literacy and basic human decency in Florida. It’s gotten so bad there that rather than having a list of banned books, there’s a list of allowed books because that’s shorter.

Then there’s the great state of Texas, which according to Axios leads the nation in book ban attempts.

Everything really is bigger in Texas, including the assholes.

Of course, the real star of the book-banning show is the organization called Moms For Liberty.

That name is just some pure doublespeak for you. And if you get that reference, it’s because of a book called 1984, which Moms For Liberty doesn’t want you to read.

Moms for Liberty has a very specific view of the world, and certain things just don’t fit. By those things I mean children who aren’t white, straight and conservative.

Whether they say it out loud or not, their message is clear. Black children, brown children and LGBTQ+ children might exist in our schools. But they are not welcome there.

But that’s the point of all of these book bans. Do not ever believe that the intention is to protect children from inappropriate material.

The book bans are step one. The final point is a final solution. To remove LGBTQ+ people from our society. To segregate our schools. To make a world where only a certain kind of person feels safe. Where there is a right way to love, a right way to look, a right way to pray.

A right way to exist.

I am not just being dramatic. I am not alone in these feelings. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Moms For Liberty as an extremist group.

My God, Banned Books Week used to be a celebration. Pride used to be a celebration. For a few shining years, we were making some progress.

But here we are. Please, I am begging you to write to your politicians. Show up and counter-protest if Moms For Liberty creeps in where you live. Learn and sit with uncomfortable parts of our history. Protect trans kids. Protect kids of color. Stand up for drag performers. Show up for the next generation.

And read banned books.

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Where do you write?

With Nanowrimo right around the corner, I thought it might be nice to do a series getting back to some real bare-bone basics of living a writing life.

Then I realized I’m going to be doing a ton of Preptober content this month, and Banned Books Week is next week. Then of course there’s all the holiday content coming up. So while I’m still doing this series, it might be a little scattered.

But it will be here, damn it!

Today, I want to start with a question. Where do you write?

I’ve been blessed to always have a desk of my own. Even as a kid, I had a table in my bedroom. Today I have a whole office in our home, small as it is. I do work from home for my day job, so unfortunately it isn’t just a writing desk. But it is a desk of my own in a room of my own.

While this is a blessing, it’s not a necessity. I wrote books long before I had a whole office when my desk was crammed into a living room or my bedroom. I wrote books while I was working outside of my home. And even though I’ve always had a desk, I’ve written lots of my books while I wasn’t anywhere near it.

I’ve written in diners, laundromats, coffee shops, doctor’s waiting rooms, hospital rooms and libraries. I’ve written at bus stops, rest stops, haircut places, fast food joints. I’ve written in break rooms, under trees in the grass and on the couch in front of the TV. About the only place I don’t write (except maybe some journaling) is in bed because somewhere I heard it’s not good to work in bed because it trains your brain that this isn’t a place to rest.

Flexibility is crucial if you’re going to be a working writer. Unless you are very lucky, you are just not going to have the amount of quiet alone time in your home at your desk to put the number of words on the page that you want.

While it’s great, and necessary, to be flexible, it also doesn’t hurt to put some intention into your writing space. I have always tried to keep a physical space where I can (ideally) write in peace at home. But I’ve also kept a bag packed with things that allow me to create a writing space anywhere I am.

Crafting both of those things requires the same questions to be answered. And of course, your ideal writing space is going to look quite different than mine. So here are some practical considerations to help you create a place where writing is a pleasure.

Consider what you’re writing

Writing a blog post or review is different for me than writing a novel. Editing again is different. I almost never write posts in coffee shops because I’m so used to writing prose there.

How does a certain place make you feel? Does the library bring out your childish side? Do you feel more professional working at your desk? Do you think best at the kitchen table after everyone else is in bed?

If you’re unsure, try this exercise. Attempt a fifteen to twenty-minute freewriting session at several places you tend to write in.

How did you feel writing in each of these places? Does one place feel safer? Does another place feel like you ought to be doing your Math homework instead?

I can’t explain it, except that some places have certain vibes that lend themselves to certain activities. Maybe it’s the lighting. Maybe it’s the background sounds. Maybe it’s something in our past that makes us associate a place with a feeling.

Consider your tools

Different writing projects require different things of us. When I’m rough drafting, I just need my notebook and my outline. And a pen, of course. This is probably the easiest draft to take everywhere.

The second draft requires my laptop, the first draft, and several colored pens. Again, this can all be tossed into a bag and taken to most places.

Outlining is a whole other thing. This requires index cards, post-it notes, pens, markers, three virgin sacrifices and a mandrake root.

And coffee.

This isn’t an activity I would try anywhere but my house, because it’s such a mess and requires so much space.

The point is that you should consider what you’re going to need to accomplish a project. Do you need space, quiet, coffee? Is a good internet connection vital (when I write a review) or forbidden (when I’m writing prose?)

These are all things to consider when you’re planning where you’ll be writing. Even in your own home. Maybe your writing desk doesn’t have the space for a certain project. Maybe your place has internet dead spots. Maybe one spot in the house seems to invite tabby battles.

Think about it before, and you won’t have to think about it when you’re writing.

Consider your preferences

Everyone has likes and dislikes. And while we can’t always have everything we want, we can usually have some of it.

Consider what sort of chair you’d like. What sort of lighting do you like? Do you enjoy having a candle burning when you work? Are there certain reference books or things you like to have around for inspiration?

What kind of pens do you like? Do you prefer paper or PC? Maybe you’re an absolute weirdo perfectly valid person deserving of love who writes on their phone.

Do not let anyone tell you what you should like. Writing is, after all, art. You should choose the tools you use for your art all by yourself. And hopefully, you’re going to be spending a lot of time writing. You should be as comfortable as possible while you do that.

So that’s it. If you’re a new writer, I hope this post helps you create a space in your home and out to write. If you’ve been a writer for a while, I hope this post inspires you to update where you’re writing if it needs it.

Next week is the start of Preptober, so get excited for some extra content. Banned Books Week also begins next week. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the next month is what I’m trying to say.

See you then.

Preptober starts in just a few days! Jump over to Ko-fi and grab a copy of my preptober planner. Don’t forget, I’ll be posting additional posts all month to walk you through each Preptober page together.

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My Fall reading list

I used to do this every season, posting a list of books I planned to read. I got away from it because I’m as fickle as the wind and more rebellious against myself than anyone else. Putting a book on a reading list seemed to be a sure sign that I’d be reading anything except that book including the backs of Monster drink cans. 

But I really want to give it a try again. Maybe because Fall feels like back to school, and I love a good reading list. 

Also, there are some events in Fall that will dictate my reading to a point. Banned Books Week is in October, so I want to read certain things for that. Then there’s Halloween and Nanowrimo. As such, much of what I read for the rest of the year will be horror and writing related.

Oh darn, my two favorite things. 

So here’s what I plan to read this Fall. The list might be a bit aspirational, since we just got a new family member who’s taking up an awful lot of my time and attention.

I’m not including my holiday books, because that’s just five books I read every year. Some of these books are new, some are new to me. Some are old favorites. And of course, if something comes out or I get offered an ARC this might get adjusted. But as of right now, here’s the plan for Fall reading.

The Roots Grow Into The Earth by Bert S. Lechner 

I should already have finished this book by the time you’re reading this. I should in fact have a review of it up on Haunted MTL. It’s a pretty chilling read so far. 

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is a no-brainer. I might not have loved Daughter of Dr. Moreau, but I have adored every other one of her books I’ve gotten my hands on. 

Holly by Stephen King

Dad wrote another book, of course I’m gonna read it. And, it’s about my favorite character from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider. It’s like this book was made for me. 

The ruin of all witches by Malcom Gaskill

This is a nonfiction book about a witch hunt in Springfield Massachusetts in 1651. I don’t think I need to explain why I want to read this one.

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

I just thought this would be a really fun book to read for Halloween. I’m a sucker for a good historical ghost story. 

Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou

I really love reading a Maya Angelou book for Banned Books Week. Which is in October this year, by the way. No idea why they moved it, except the current state of banned books in America is scary. 

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

I read this every year for Halloween. It’s cute, the artwork is delightful, and it doesn’t feel like Halloween without it. If you’ve never read it yourself, I cannot suggest it enough. 

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

I am a sucker for a good horror comedy. This book is basically about a haunted Ikea. I am stoked to read this one by the fireplace with some apple cider. 

Wild Mind and Thunder and Lighting by Natalie Goldberg

In November I crave inspiration from my favorite writers. Rereading some of my favorite Natalie Goldberg books will help me get inspired for Nanowrimo. 

The Magical Writing Grimoire by Lisa Marie Basile

Lisa Marie Basile is easily my favorite witchy writer. And this book has so many great practices for writers and witches. I plan to work through it in November and December. 

Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

We’ll finish up November with Christmas and Yule, which means I’ll be starting with my favorite Christmas book of all time. 

If you don’t already read this book every holiday season, I cannot suggest it enough. It’s the best way for a literary lover to get into the holiday spirit. 

So that’s it. I’ll be checking back in December to see how many of these books I actually read. And now it’s your turn! What do you plan to read this Fall? Let us know in the comments below. 

My Preptober planner is available now! And it’s full of new pages for character creation and world building. Check it out in my Ko-fi store.

 

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Prose poetry in genre fiction

Writing is a beautiful art that comes in as many forms as the people who do it. Novels, music, script writing, poetry. Within each are myriad genres and subgenres, themes and structures.

I write speculative fiction, for the most part. Horror, science fiction and fantasy stories. I do not write poetry. At least, not any that I’d consider publishing.

And yet learning about poetry has been a cornerstone of my writing education. It’s something that I love, and something that I think improves my writing every day. Even my horror writing. Especially my horror writing.

The reason for this is that I practice prose poetry. This is a piece of writing that has a prose structure, but with an emphasis on poetic elements. Word usage, pacing, sentence structure. These are the elements that I focus on to make my writing read more like a poem. 

It just doesn’t normally rhyme. 

I use prose poetry in my writing for several reasons. The first is that I enjoy it and I like writing it.

The second is that it’s the best way I’ve found to write descriptions in a meaningful and entertaining way. 

Consider a scene in which a character is introduced to a haunted house. We could simply describe the place. We could write about the broken front steps, the peeling paint on the front door, the cracks in the windows. That’s fine, it gets the job done.

But what if instead we talked about steps that sang a funeral march when mounted? Windows that looked out over the street with nothing but darkness and madness beyond them? What if we talked about the paint that peeled off like flesh seared by unfriendly flames? 

Isn’t that more interesting? 

Many genre authors use this method to their advantage. One fantastic example is the book This is How You Lose The Time War. It’s a fantastic science fiction love story that reads like a poem. Another example that’s a little more classic is the Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury. These books are lyrical, and a treat to read.

Which isn’t to say that you’ve got to write your whole book like that. If the front steps have already sang a mourning song to us, we don’t need each hallway to howl like bitter wolves. I mean, they can. But a little bit of this style can go a long way. 

I highly suggest giving prose poetry a try in your writing. Here’s an exercise to get you started. 

Take a scene from your work in progress that’s heavy on description. Maybe a fight scene, or the first introduction of an important character or setting. Write your description of this battle, person or place. Then, write it like a poem. Here are some tips.

-Play with word usage. We all know that some words mean the same thing with completely different interpretations. 

-Don’t discount sentence and paragraph structure. Sometimes simply moving to the next line can have an impact. Consider this example. 

She ran through the field and up the stairs. Her brother didn’t follow. 

She ran through the field and up the stairs.

Her brother didn’t follow. 

The second example feels more ominous. It feels more like we should have some concerns regarding why her brother didn’t follow. 

– Metaphors and similes are your friends. Especially in horror, this can be fun. Blood blooms like a rose around a bullet hole. Bones crack like kindling. Wind gnaws at the door and windowpanes with ice teeth. No, ice fingers. 

Take some time with this, and have fun. Because of course, writing should be fun. And I’d love to know if you try this technique. Let us know in the comments how it goes. 

Don’t forget, my Preptober Planner is updated for 2023 with new character creation and world building pages. You can get it now on my ko-fi store.

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It’s not important until you make it important

There’s a person I follow on all social media. Her name is Molly, the art witch. I love her. I want her to be my auntie. 

I’ve learned so many wonderful things from her about art, expression, finding joy in life, and witchcraft. One of the best things I’ve learned from Molly is this. Nothing is sacred until we say it is. 

Now, she was talking about grimoires and other magical tools. And this was great news for me as a beginner witch who was being far to methodical about my grimoire. It was incredibly freeing, realizing I could have a grimoire that didn’t look anything like the books I grew up seeing on Charmed. I’ve since crafted three full grimoires, and have two active ones for my continued learning.

But I didn’t come here today to talk about grimoires. I can if you want me to. Let me know in the comments.

Today, though, I want to talk about something else. Tuesday was the ninth anniversary of Paper Beats World. It was a terribly important day for me, filled with big positive emotions. Do you know what I did?

I went to work, because I had to work that day. 

I have launched ten books and three seasons of podcasts. I’ve had a handful of mini milestones in my writing career aside from those. And on most of those days, I have done just about the same thing.

I’ve taken some pictures, posted them on social media, and gone to work. 

What in the hell am I doing? 

I think for the longest time, I’ve been expecting other people to make a big deal out of these days, these milestones and achievements. But that’s a lot to put on anyone. My darling husband is as supportive as they come, and even he didn’t do much more than congratulate me. But really, what else was there for him to say? 

Especially as indie writers, our successes seem lackuster. Our books come out to little fan-fair. Instagram didn’t turn pink when AA came out. No one was waiting outside a book store to snag a copy of Quiet Apocalypse before they went to work. 

Please understand that this isn’t a pity party. Nor is it me talking down about myself or other indie authors. Most of the content I was most excited for this year didn’t have a massive party when it launched. Silver Nitrate came out, no one was dressing up as film monsters and waiting in line to get their copy. Old Gods Of Appalachia is about to start season four. We aren’t seeing a bunch of stoked fans dressed up as dead miners. Instead fans of these things, myself included, simply got the book. We listened to the podcast. We celebrate the stories that we love by consuming them, then posting pictures of the covers on social media and raving about how cool the story was. Quietly.

The point is that no one is going to celebrate your successes as much as you do. These days don’t have meaning, unless we make them have meaning. And yeah, it’s kind of hard to make them have meaning, even if it’s something you’ve waited years for. 

I had to go to work on Tuesday. I actually got sick and had to leave work, spend the rest of the day on the couch on Tuesday. But most launch days, the world just has no intention of stopping. There’s still pets that need cared for. Laundry, dishes, day jobs. These things do not and will not go away. 

But we are achieving things, damn it! We are launching books, we are signing contracts. We are getting our first good reviews and holding the copies of our books for the first time. We as indie writers are winning all the time. And damn it, I’m going to take more time to celebrate those wins. 

So sometime soon I’m taking myself to my favorite coffee shop. I’m getting a Fall coffee, and sitting down with my laptop to look over my own site. To revisit the memories, advice, lamentations and everything else I’ve poured nine years of work into. After all, I start this blog while I was still working on Broken Patterns. It is a very real documentation of my entire writing career. 

This is how I’m making this anniversary sacred, how I’m making it special. And I’m vowing now to never pass up another opportunity to celebrate a writing win again. 

So how about you? What do you do to celebrate your writing milestones? Let us know in the comments. And I’ll see you again next week. 

Don’t forget, Preptober is officially just a month away. I have a brand new updated for 2023 version of my Preptober Planner available now on my Ko-fi shop.

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Nine years of Paper Beats World

There are moments in our lives that we should pause for. Life is so incredibly fast, and it just feels like it’s getting faster every year. Holidays, anniversaries, birthdays. These are the times we want to slow down, and just see how far we’ve come. 

Today is one of those days for me. Because, as of today, I’ve been writing Paper Beats World for nine years. 

Yup, nine. I kind of can’t believe it either. 

So much has changed since then. As this is technically a blog, I hope you’ll let me indulge in some self reflection. I’ve changed careers, changed faiths, changed my last name. We’ve moved three times. 

The world has changed since I started PBW. A pandemic, a horrible president, a less horrible president, societal shifts for better and worse. And through all of this, I’ve been writing my little stories. 

It’s the only way I know to keep myself sane, really. Creating my little worlds in which things work out well, people make sense, bad guys get what they deserve and good guys win. 

Most of the time.

And through all of these changes, you’ve been here. More of you than I ever thought possible. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to get to talk to you every week. I hope that you find value in what I have to say. Or at least get a chuckle out of it. 

Since I’m assuming most of you are here for the stories, I wanted to give you an idea of what you can expect in the next year. While life changes and these plans might go awry, this is at least what I have planned right now. 

Woven, my first series about a boy who weaves visions and a girl who spins light, is out of print right now. I am planning a relaunch of the whole series in 2024, maybe starting in May. But I want to make sure I do it right this time. I’m blessed with a second change here, and I want to be sure to give the series the time and attention it deserves. And the covers it deserves. 

Station 86 fans, I have better news. I know it’s been a while, and I really want to thank you all for your patience. 

The next Station 86 story will begin in January. It’s significantly longer than any other Station 86 book has been so far. I sincerely hope that it’s worth your wait. 

Finally, we’re in the middle of the second season of AA. It’s a quirky little horror scifi podcast about found families, aliens, and monsters that go bump in the basements of grocery stores. Just in case you haven’t heard it yet. We are blessed to have some terrific voice actors, and it’s a really good time. 

Finally, what can you expect here on Paper Beats World? Well, in a word, you can expect more.

More book reviews, more writing advice, more prose poetry. I want to give you an opportunity to let me know in the comments what you’d like to see more of here. Do you want more poetry content, more political rants, more reviews? Do you have writing questions? Do you want to hear more about the business side, the creative side or the lifestyle side of writing? Let me know. 

Finally, to thank you all for sticking with me for nine years, I’m doing something a little extra special today. Right now, today only, (Today being August 30, 20230) all of my books available on Smashwords are free. 

This includes Twelve Little Christmas Stories, Quiet Apocalypse, and all four Station 86 books.

Thank you again for being here. And rest assured I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

After all, I’m still too young to take up stamp collecting. 

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When and how to update your time management plan

Confession time again. Here’s a big one, folks. 

In the past few months, I have really been struggling with productivity. And I hate it. I hate not being where I want to be for the year. I should have already finished the book I’m writing. I should have done another draft of the nonfiction book. And there’s the book I wrote last year for Nanowrimo that I’d really like to be editing right now. Then, of course, there are all of my other responsibilities that are slacking. 

A recent change in my day job schedule forced me to sit down and look at how I’ve been spending my time. And I realized that I had to make some changes. 

Now, what do I mean by a time management plan? This is the way you schedule your time and the tasks you need to accomplish. 

My time management plan worked for a long time. These days, it’s not. So it’s time to make a new one. 

There are a lot of reasons why your time management plan might not be working for you anymore. So it’s a good idea to consider how you’re doing things every six months or so. Here are some reasons your time management plans might have to change. 

Your priorities will change

Life changes. You change. Your priorities are going to change. Maybe you’ll get a new job or promotion. Maybe you’ll be inspired by a new life path. Maybe your family grows. Maybe you feel like you’re being called to do a different kind of work. 

Whatever the reason, your goals are going to change. your priorities will change. And that’s good. 

Your obligations will change

Some changes to your life are ones you cause intentionally. Some changes are totally out of your control, but now you’ve got to deal with it. 

Maybe your family grew in a way you weren’t expecting. Or you have a loved one dealing with an illness. Maybe you yourself have fallen ill. 

There are any number of ways life can start asking more of you than it did before. Some are blessings. Some aren’t. All need to be taken into account. 

Your goals will change

When I started working on AA, my goals changed. My workload changed. When I decided to drop everything last year and write a completely standalone novel for Nanowrimo, my goals changed. When I realized I had three novels and a podcast season sitting unfinished on my desk, my goals changed again. (To finishing them!) 

When I realized that I was miserable most of the time, as I did recently, my goals changed as well. 

As your goals change, what you do to meet those goals will have to change. 

Your energy level will change

This is the one that’s really been getting me. I just don’t seem to have the energy I used to. I don’t have the patience I used to. Part of that’s getting older, I’m sure. Part of it’s being angry at the world and majority of politicians. 

But this, honestly, has been what’s dragging me down. And I’m sorry to say, it’ll probably happen to all of us eventually. And while that sucks, it’s just part of getting older. 

When you’re rethinking your time management style, it’s important to be realistic. Consider not just how many hours you have in the day, but when your good hours are going to be. 

Here’s what I did when I realized I wanted to redo my time management. 

Step one: Pull out a planner or a virtual planner. Start by filling out out all of the requirement on your time that you can’t change. For most of us, this starts with our day jobs. School and work obligations are usually not something we control. So that goes in first.

Next, consider when you need to rest and commit time to self care. You need to sleep. You need time to cook meals and make sure you have clean clothes. You need time to play, to have completely unstructured time. Even if it’s just taking thirty minutes during a day off work and not planning anything for that time, that is so important. 

Now you have a better idea of how much time you have to focus on your passion projects. And yes, even after all this time, writing is still my passion. So, when are you going to work on your passion? 

I take an hour of writing time in the morning before work. This is pure creating time, not time spent on social media or other business writing work. 

I spend the evenings with my husband and pets, caring for our home and each other. 

So, when does the writing business work happen? Well, I’m blessed with two days off a week, so I spend one day working on that. Social media graphics, marketing, submitting, all those good things. I do try to get some writing done that day, but I try to keep everything at no more than five hours. 

The final day of the week is spent taking care of my home, spending time doing fun things with my family and running errands. 

This is all a lot slower than it used to be. I need time to write for pleasure and therapy. I need time to read for pleasure too. Hell, I’m a witch. I need time to contemplate the moon. I need to take my dog to get his nails clipped and stop for coffee after. In short, I need to plan my life so that I have time to live it. And when I take some time to update my time management, I allow myself to keep living well. 

Don’t forget, I just updated my Preptober Planner for the new year! Check it out now on my Ko-fi shop.

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