life

Switch it Off.

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The internet and social media can be great tools to leverage when writing a new novel. However, today we will talk about the benefits of shutting down your devices and stepping outside of the box when it comes to getting ideas/information for your next novel.

I often catch myself scrolling for hours on end reading comments and looking at different social posts to pass the time, but I realize that in some cases it is doing more bad than good – and not just for the stress on my eyes.

I encourage you to go outside and clear your mind with a daily walk. Listen to your favorite songs, podcasts or even find a new podcast for whatever you are searching for. Are you writing a new crime thriller? Find a crime related podcast channel, or do you need daily motivation or need to start your day with a meditation find a podcast for that as well!

There is so much good you can do for yourself by unplugging and focusing on yourself. And if you truly care about keeping your followers on your social media updated schedule your Facebook and Instagram posts for free with Facebook Creator Studio! That way you can still enjoy your time to yourself.

Now, I understand I am recommending you to unplug but you will need a device to play music and listen to a podcast. But there are ways in which you can hide notifications and even delete apps on your homepage without deleting their contents. iPhones also have the ability to ‘Focus’ where you can silence certain notifications.

So once again take certain times in the day or designate a day to yourself to unplug and see the benefits for yourself! You might find it helpful for your lifestyle and it will become a habit in your everyday life!

How to Bring Back Your Writing Motivation

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You haven’t been motivated to write lately…so what do you do? Take a little break and spend more time on yourself or find ways to bring back the motivation? There is no wrong answer here, but we will dive into both of these answers to see where you may or may not stand. 

Spend More Time on Yourself

Don’t worry if writing is getting harder, it might just be a way of telling your brain you need a well deserved break. So our recommendation is to do just that! Think of some things that you have been meaning to do but just haven’t had the time. Go meet up with friends, hit up the local fair or farmers market or head to the movie theater or go to a new restaurant. By taking your mind off the things that you are “expected” to do just might be exactly what you need to get back into it!

How to Spark Motivation

You’re on an intense deadline and you can’t seem to find the right words. Have no fear, more often than not there are ways to spark motivation. Dive a little deeper into what you’re writing about, is it a new thriller, romance or sequel to your book? If you are writing about a specific genre one great way to get inspired is to do what your characters are doing (within reason of course). Head to a romantic restaurant or a  place like where your characters met. Live the life of your character for the day and see what ideas arise. Try and make your real life about what you’re writing, or trying to write, it might be easy for the words to fall out!

Happy Writing!

Carve into Literature

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You can always add a little book inspiration with whatever you do! Including Halloween! Pumpkin carving has always been a must do fall activity in my house and each year we like to spice it up with a creative theme of some sort. This year…book inspired jack o lanterns!

How fun will it be for you to share your favorite stories with others as your pumpkin lights up the night? 

Here are a few of my inspirations taken from a couple of my favorite stories throughout my childhood:

  • Harry Potter
  • Harry Potter
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • The Hunger Games
  • Winnie the Pooh

Don’t be afraid to be creative! Come up with your own inspiration through your favorite book or character.

 Feel free to comment your ideas below!

Happy Spooktober!

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Blushing Language

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We all know the writing motto: show, don’t tell.

But don’t we all get overwhelmed when we think we need to show everything? Are there certain categories of showing emotion or a character’s feeling towards something versus telling? Well, you can answer those questions because we’re going to share a quoted post. The original author is MIA but we do want you all to know – it wasn’t our idea. We’re simply adding a bit of input!

How to write ‘they blushed’ without writing ‘they blushed’:

  • They took a step backwards.
  • They shifted their weight from one side to the other.
  • They hid their face in their hands.
  • They shifted their glance to something else in the room, all around the room for that matter.
  • Their eyes widened.
  • They crossed their arms.
  • They leaned into themselves.
  • They scratched the back of their head.
  • Utilize hand motions. When people are nervous or embarrassed, they tend to use their hands to declare their frustration.
  • Quirks! Each character should have their own quirks even before you begin writing. It’s their go-to and displays some of their negative traits sometimes.

 

Top Tier Polearm

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glaive.jpg

Glaive

  • It is a European polearm. It’s decorated with a single-edged blade at one end of the pole. The blade is similar to that of an axe head – not a straight blade or as curved as cutlasses or swords.
  • Some of the blades were crafted with a small hook somewhere on the blade-end of the pole. Sometimes on the opposite end of the blade. This was used to catch riders. (This is a running theme in our weapons of choice!)
  • The glaive was a highly rated weapon in the polearm class/other hand-to-hand combat weapons of the time. This rating occurred in 1599.

All Aboard!

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Italian Boarding Sword

  • The Italian boarding sword was a tool used by sailors or pirates. When ships collided and one crew needed to get aboard another vessel, this sword was used to cut rope with ease or hack closed doors.
  • Although considered a tool, it was also used as a weapon. It could pierce a victim and the fighting style is very similar to fencing (except with a shorter blade.)
  • We are accustomed to seeing sailors and pirates with curved blades (cutlasses for example) but this particular sword has a straight blade.
  • It is also called a Genoese boarding sword because of a captain who hailed from the Republic of Genoa.

The Iron Claw

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Zhua

  • Zhua literally translates to claw. And this weapon represents that entirely. It is an iron claw attached to a 6 ft. pole. Sometimes it bears a weight at the bottom to be used as a bludgeon.
  • Some of the better reasons to use a zhua in battle is to disarm someone of their shield or grabbing riders off their horses.
  • This is an ancient Chinese weapon and was a known weapon of Sun Tzu, a warrior and general.

Whipping a Blade

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urumi.jpg

Urumi

  • It’s a sword. It’s a whip. It’s very easy to hurt yourself when wielding this weapon.
  • Before dabbling into the art of the urumi, one is supposed to have knowledge with a sword. It’s meant to be the last weapon learned in a certain type of martial arts.
  • This originated in South India/Sri Lanka in the Sangam Period, or the 3rd – 5th century BCE.
  • The Urumi is best used against multiple enemies, if swarmed in battle.

Hand-Wood

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Macuahuitl

  • If you couldn’t tell from the pictures above, the macuahuitl is a club with blades made from obsidian (okay, we didn’t expect you to know that.) Obsidian was used in creation since it was known to produce a sharper blade. It came in two different sizes: a larger club and a smaller.
  • The name is derived from the Nahuatl language (a native tongue of Mesoamericans.) It can be translated to “hand-wood.”
  • Clubs are usually a close-combat weapon, so this weapon falls in that category as well. It was distributed throughout Mesoamerica. Aztecs, Mayans, Mixtec, and Toltec were some of the civilizations who utilized this weapon.
  • This weapon could inflict a fatal laceration. Or used in ceremonial matters.