#reading journal guide

[signourneybooks]

How I Go About Setting Up My Reading Journal

For a few years now I have been setting up my own reading journal in a bullet journal. I was never quite drawn to the official bullet journal method by Ryder Carroll but liked the options journaling in itself offered. I could never quite find myself in pre printed reading journals. Either it didn’t have quite what I wanted or I just didn’t have enough room for all the books I read in a year.…

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

y’know if there’s one good thing that came out of the book of bill, it’s that you can’t take it as canon and be a proponent of same coin theory at the same time

[mysterious-muggle]

reading journal pt.8 🕵🏼‍♀️

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Batty About Books' October Recap 🦇

🦇 Good afternoon, my bookish bats, and welcome to November! This year is rushing by, but my TBR pile just keeps growing! Is that my own fault because I keep grabbing ARCs and ignoring my buying freeze? Why yes, yes it is! Should I probably catch up on all the books I've purchased over the past year (plus)? Yes, but who has the time?

❓ What was your favorite book for the month?

📚 This month, I read 8 books! October's reads included:

✨ Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross @beccajross ✨ Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu @artofwendyxu ✨ The House Witch by Delemhach ✨ Courting Samira by Amal Awad @amalmdawad 💜 Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree @travis_baldree ✨ Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart @jenna_wolfhart ✨ Artifacts of an Ex by Jennifer Chen @jchenwriter ✨ The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall @linseyhallauthor ✨ The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur @a.m.bellefleur

🦇 I'm 91% into my reading goal of 100 books for the year!

💜 What book are you looking forward to most for November? Here's to another amazing month of cozy, adventurous, romance reads!

[paleode-ology]

I love words I love words I love them so much words words words rahashhahthahahrhdhhdjsjahdgahrhsh

[wishbowl]

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

H. JACKSON

About

This book is about Pippa, who decides to take it upon herself to unearth the truth about the infamous murder suicide case in her town as the basis for one of her research assignments for school. She starts off her project by interviewing Sal who is the brother of the supposed murderer and soon befriend each other so that they can solve this case together. 

Review

What can i say, this was the epitome of a YA murder mystery. If that was a word that needed a definition this book would be it. Now do i, me at age almost 21 lov this? Yes in the general sense of murder mysteries sure, but the YA genre is not my favourite. HOWEVER, if you were to ask high school me to read and review this book she would’ve loved this.

I feel like the book had a lot of good opportunities for plot development and implimented some descent twists nd turns but i feel like at the same time the book folds back on itself and ruins it at the same time by the protagonist figuring it out right after and turning out to be right. I think if i was a fifteen year old girl i wouldve loved to read about another fifteen-year-old girl who solved a murder all on her own but in saying that will i be reading the rest of this series? Probably not, at least no time in the near future.

[starseedpsychics]

A Journey of Gratitude: Reflecting on the Last Five Years

This blog post is FREE to all! Subscribe for total access and your permanent site-wide discount. Enjoy this free post!

Introduction As I sit in the serene stillness of the forest, surrounded by the whispers of the wind and the comforting embrace of nature, I am overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude today. The last five years have been a transformative journey, filled with growth, wisdom, and blessings that I could have never imagined. Today, I want to take a moment to share my reflections with you, in the…

[bertena]

The Benefits of Learning How to Communicate with Your Spirit Guides through Divination

In today's fast-paced world, many of us yearn for a deeper connection to something greater than ourselves. This longing often leads us to explore various spiritual practices and beliefs.

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us yearn for a deeper connection to something greater than ourselves. This longing often leads us to explore various spiritual practices and beliefs. One such practice that has garnered significant attention is communicating with spirit guides through divination. Spirit guides are believed to be non-physical entities that guide, protect, and support us on our…

[thefatfeministwitch]

Te Cards You're Dealt and the Weiser Tarot Journal by Theresa Reed | Book Review of Shadows

We are not always dealt the gentlest cards in life. Sometimes we’re dealt a very difficult hand. At some point all of us will be confronted by life’s inevitable tough passages: the loss of loved ones, a health crisis or illness, the endless thrum of national and global tragedies—as well as the empty nest, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, the loss of youth. When we’re going through…

[katariah]

caved into the consumerist hellscape just for today because i need something to stay alive for atm and sometimes that is your cyber monday packages coming in

[productivefairy]

Your guide to REAL selfcare

If you go on any social media and type "selfcare", all you recieve is pretty girls doing extravegant skincare, dior makeup and all. But the problem is everyone does the same thing and things just cant work same for everyone. Also, It doesnt feels authentic rather it feels like consumerism. So, I am gonna tell what to do so you feel the best.

Knowing yourself:-

You can only do yourself a favour if you know yourself and the best way to do that is JOURNAL.

If you are new to it, then you can search journal prompt ideas on pinterest and make that a part of your routine. It helps so much.

Do shadow work. Go on pinterest and do the same thing.

Dont be ashamed of yourself, rather accept yourself and change for the better. When you'll journal then you will get to know tons of good and bad things about you but our brain loves to focus on negative things so u might get stuck on that.

Record your likes and dislikes. Which books you loved, which dramas you adore, which food makes you comfy and which movies you wasted your time on. Record these things, this is just so fun and helpful when you feel "bored" or sad.

Being Mindful:-

Most of the time, the problem is not that big but our thoughts just traps us and we feel that problem is bigger than it might so take a step back and try to not overthink about past or future.

I know this is easier said than done but meditating helps a lot with mindfulness.

When you watch a movie or drama or even ytube video then just do that. Dont scroll reddit reading the "discussion" thread of the episode or try to find instrumentals on spotify for reading books. Just do one thing at once.

Dont multitask. Just take a task and then focus on that. (This might not work for neurodivergent people.)

Do 5,4,3,2,1 grounding technique. Identify

5 things you can see 4 things you can feel 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste.

Cut negative people off

This is so hard because you feel mean for doing this but once you cutoff toxic people who just drags other people down and all they talk is negativity then your life become so much better.

Cut off all the negative content you watch and limit the time you spend on social media.

Do your future self a favour

This is truly the best selfcare.

Study hard cause' your future self will thank you for letting her be the top student

Learn some skills. Read those books. Watch that documentry. Do things that will make your future self proud.

Some selfcare ideas

Organizing and planning

excercise or take a walk.

Reading books.

Cleaning your room

Watching fun movies

Studying about yourself. Knowing what products suits your skin and your hair. What color brighten you and what makes you look dull. What haircut looks good on your face and what clothes flatters on your body.

Get your nails done.

Listen to your fav album while painting, baking, or gardening.

Do your hobby without feeling presurrized. No you dont need to read 50 books a year, chill out and enjoy while doing it.

Dairy writing. Its so fun to read what your day looked like on a random tuesday after 2-3 years.

Explore new things in your hometown. Maybe there is a new cafe that opened 2 weeks ago or there is a hiking trail you are not aware of? its always fun to do that.

[zwei-rhunen]

fuuuuck this 'Under the Sea' MSQ lmao

[reimenaashelyee]

The Creator's Guide to Comics Devices is OPEN!!! comicsdevices.com

An online library of visual-narrative devices that are used in the medium of comics and other sequential art.

Happy Halloween! I'm really excited to be finally launching* what is maybe one of my most ambitious, largest work yet. This online library is the next phase of a research project that began in May 2020, when I first mused on how comics as a field doesn't have a resource that catalogues devices used in the medium. Like, theatre has devices, so does literature, and film! So why shouldn't comics? I always had an interest in comics studies and analysis. I love reading, making and thinking comics. However most of my knowledge was intuitive - I learned comics from osmosis and experience. This is true for many of my peers. Speaking about comics as a creator is hard, because we don't have a robust system of language. When we had to speak, many of us tend to reach for the language developed for film by film practitioners. If there is language specific to comics, it's either scattered in multiple blogs or hidden away in academic journals. The Comics Devices library is meant to aggregate everything and everybody into a single hub! After exploring some multiple resources, alongside some original, independent research, here is the first edition! * The Comics Devices project is still a work-in-progress! It's not final, nor will it ever be. This is why I am seeking contributors to help build this library. Translations, comics examples, etc. There is a lot of work to do! If you are interested, reply to this post or submit an expression of interest on this page.  Have fun everyone!! (Now time for me to melt x_x)

[benevolentscars]

Finished reading "Anything Can Happen" which is a book I started 1000 times in my childhood but had the hardest time following, and I lovveeeeddddddd it. Just following thru the life of someone who always sees the bright side is just, wholesome. It really is a warm cup of tea in book form.

Talked w my dad abt it and learned its the same author as "Thanks to Noah" which is a collection of dog short stories which IS one of my favorite books I read 20 times as a kid--and the connection is so easy to see now I learned it. Its the same wholesome "life is good" feeling.

Feels good to be reading again~

[honeytonedhottie]

long list of self care practices⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🍈

brush ur hair

make urself a warm drink (tea, hot chocolate etc)

light a candle

go outside and get some fresh air

dance to a song that u rly love (look at me/heart-shaker by twice)

put on a face mask

stretch ur body

do a guided meditation

journalling (shadow work/writing in ur diary)

have a bubble bath (or use a bath bomb or bath milk)

say ur affirmations

binge watch a comfort show

take a break from social media/ur phone

read a rly rly juicy book

paint ur nails

use ur gua sha

oil ur hair or do a hair mask

eat one of ur favorite meals

take a long nap

give urself a pedicure

take care of ur lips (exfoliate, lip plumper, whatever u like to do)

hydrate

do guided yoga

listen to ur playlists

lymphatic drainage massage

[bookishdiplodocus]

The Neurodivergent Writer’s Guide to Fun and Productivity

(Even when life beats you down)

Look, I’m a mom, I have ADHD, I’m a spoonie. To say that I don’t have heaps of energy to spare and I struggle with consistency is an understatement. For years, I tried to write consistently, but I couldn’t manage to keep up with habits I built and deadlines I set.

So fuck neurodivergent guides on building habits, fuck “eat the frog first”, fuck “it’s all in the grind”, and fuck “you just need time management”—here is how I manage to write often and a lot.

Focus on having fun, not on the outcome

This was the groundwork I had to lay before I could even start my streak. At an online writing conference, someone said: “If you push yourself and meet your goals, and you publish your book, but you haven’t enjoyed the process… What’s the point?” and hoo boy, that question hit me like a truck.

I was so caught up in the narrative of “You’ve got to show up for what’s important” and “Push through if you really want to get it done”. For a few years, I used to read all these productivity books about grinding your way to success, and along the way I started using the same language as they did. And I notice a lot of you do so, too.

But your brain doesn’t like to grind. No-one’s brain does, and especially no neurodivergent brain. If having to write gives you stress or if you put pressure on yourself for not writing (enough), your brain’s going to say: “Huh. Writing gives us stress, we’re going to try to avoid it in the future.”

So before I could even try to write regularly, I needed to teach my brain once again that writing is fun. I switched from countable goals like words or time to non-countable goals like “fun” and “flow”.

Rewire my brain: writing is fun and I’m good at it

I used everything I knew about neuroscience, psychology, and social sciences. These are some of the things I did before and during a writing session. Usually not all at once, and after a while I didn’t need these strategies anymore, although I sometimes go back to them when necessary.

I journalled all the negative thoughts I had around writing and try to reason them away, using arguments I knew in my heart were true. (The last part is the crux.) Imagine being supportive to a writer friend with crippling insecurities, only the friend is you.

Not setting any goals didn’t work for me—I still nurtured unwanted expectations. So I did set goals, but made them non-countable, like “have fun”, “get in the flow”, or “write”. Did I write? Yes. Success! Your brain doesn’t actually care about how high the goal is, it cares about meeting whatever goal you set.

I didn’t even track how many words I wrote. Not relevant.

I set an alarm for a short time (like 10 minutes) and forbade myself to exceed that time. The idea was that if I write until I run out of mojo, my brain learns that writing drains the mojo. If I write for 10 minutes and have fun, my brain learns that writing is fun and wants to do it again.

Reinforce the fact that writing makes you happy by rewarding your brain immediately afterwards. You know what works best for you: a walk, a golden sticker, chocolate, cuddle your dog, whatever makes you happy.

I conditioned myself to associate writing with specific stimuli: that album, that smell, that tea, that place. Any stimulus can work, so pick one you like. I consciously chose several stimuli so I could switch them up, and the conditioning stays active as long as I don’t muddle it with other associations.

Use a ritual to signal to your brain that Writing Time is about to begin to get into the zone easier and faster. I guess this is a kind of conditioning as well? Meditation, music, lighting a candle… Pick your stimulus and stick with it.

Specifically for rewiring my brain, I started a new WIP that had no emotional connotations attached to it, nor any pressure to get finished or, heaven forbid, meet quality norms. I don’t think these techniques above would have worked as well if I had applied them on writing my novel.

It wasn’t until I could confidently say I enjoyed writing again, that I could start building up a consistent habit. No more pushing myself.

I lowered my definition for success

When I say that nowadays I write every day, that’s literally it. I don’t set out to write 1,000 or 500 or 10 words every day (tried it, failed to keep up with it every time)—the only marker for success when it comes to my streak is to write at least one word, even on the days when my brain goes “naaahhh”. On those days, it suffices to send myself a text with a few keywords or a snippet. It’s not “success on a technicality (derogatory)”, because most of those snippets and ideas get used in actual stories later. And if they don’t, they don’t. It’s still writing. No writing is ever wasted.

A side note on high expectations, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism

Obviously, “Setting a ridiculously low goal” isn’t something I invented. I actually got it from those productivity books, only I never got it to work. I used to tell myself: “It’s okay if I don’t write for an hour, because my goal is to write for 20 minutes and if I happen to keep going for, say, an hour, that’s a bonus.” Right? So I set the goal for 20 minutes, wrote for 35 minutes, and instead of feeling like I exceeded my goal, I felt disappointed because apparently I was still hoping for the bonus scenario to happen. I didn’t know how to set a goal so low and believe it.

I think the trick to making it work this time lies more in the groundwork of training my brain to enjoy writing again than in the fact that my daily goal is ridiculously low. I believe I’m a writer, because I prove it to myself every day. Every success I hit reinforces the idea that I’m a writer. It’s an extra ward against imposter syndrome.

Knowing that I can still come up with a few lines of dialogue on the Really Bad Days—days when I struggle to brush my teeth, the day when I had a panic attack in the supermarket, or the day my kid got hit by a car—teaches me that I can write on the mere Bad-ish Days.

The more I do it, the more I do it

The irony is that setting a ridiculously low goal almost immediately led to writing more and more often. The most difficult step is to start a new habit. After just a few weeks, I noticed that I needed less time and energy to get into the zone. I no longer needed all the strategies I listed above.

Another perk I noticed, was an increased writing speed. After just a few months of writing every day, my average speed went from 600 words per hour to 1,500 wph, regularly exceeding 2,000 wph without any loss of quality.

Talking about quality: I could see myself becoming a better writer with every passing month. Writing better dialogue, interiority, chemistry, humour, descriptions, whatever: they all improved noticeably, and I wasn’t a bad writer to begin with.

The increased speed means I get more done with the same amount of energy spent. I used to write around 2,000-5,000 words per month, some months none at all. Nowadays I effortlessly write 30,000 words per month. I didn’t set out to write more, it’s just a nice perk.

Look, I’m not saying you should write every day if it doesn’t work for you. My point is: the more often you write, the easier it will be.

No pressure

Yes, I’m still working on my novel, but I’m not racing through it. I produce two or three chapters per month, and the rest of my time goes to short stories my brain keeps projecting on the inside of my eyelids when I’m trying to sleep. I might as well write them down, right?

These short stories started out as self-indulgence, and even now that I take them more seriously, they are still just for me. I don’t intend to ever publish them, no-one will ever read them, they can suck if they suck. The unintended consequence was that my short stories are some of my best writing, because there’s no pressure, it’s pure fun.

Does it make sense to spend, say, 90% of my output on stories no-one else will ever read? Wouldn’t it be better to spend all that creative energy and time on my novel? Well, yes. If you find the magic trick, let me know, because I haven’t found it yet. The short stories don’t cannibalize on the novel, because they require different mindsets. If I stopped writing the short stories, I wouldn’t produce more chapters. (I tried. Maybe in the future? Fingers crossed.)

Don’t wait for inspiration to hit

There’s a quote by Picasso: “Inspiration hits, but it has to find you working.” I strongly agree. Writing is not some mystical, muse-y gift, it’s a skill and inspiration does exist, but usually it’s brought on by doing the work. So just get started and inspiration will come to you.

Accountability and community

Having social factors in your toolbox is invaluable. I have an offline writing friend I take long walks with, I host a monthly writing club on Discord, and I have another group on Discord that holds me accountable every day. They all motivate me in different ways and it’s such a nice thing to share my successes with people who truly understand how hard it can be.

The productivity books taught me that if you want to make a big change in your life or attitude, surrounding yourself with people who already embody your ideal or your goal huuuugely helps. The fact that I have these productive people around me who also prioritize writing, makes it easier for me to stick to my own priorities.

Your toolbox

The idea is to have several techniques at your disposal to help you stay consistent. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket by focussing on just one technique. Keep all of them close, and if one stops working or doesn’t inspire you today, pivot and pick another one.

After a while, most “tools” run in the background once they are established. Things like surrounding myself with my writing friends, keeping up with my daily streak, and listening to the album I conditioned myself with don’t require any energy, and they still remain hugely beneficial.

Do you have any other techniques? I’d love to hear about them!

I hope this was useful. Happy writing!