#year of creative habits

[tahbhie]

So you want to write a novel before 2025 runs out, huh?

10 actions you should include in your list to make that dream a reality.

1. Practice Time Blocking  

Trust me, you need it. Allocating specific blocks of time for writing can significantly boost your productivity and help you stay focused. Emphasis on ‘stay focused’.

2. Have an Idea Reservoir or Tank 

Create a dedicated space to store all your ideas during brainstorming sessions or whenever inspiration strikes. I recommend Google Docs and Notion to keep everything organized and easily accessible.

3. Watch More Movies and Read New Books 

There's no better way to expand your horizons than consuming diverse media. This is such a great way to spark fresh ideas and provide new perspectives for your writing.

4. Listen to Writing Podcasts and Join Helpful Newsletters  

Stay updated and inspired by listening to writing podcasts and subscribing to newsletters that offer tips, advice, and industry news. It changes everytime. Who says 2025 would be any different? It's best to be prepared. 

5. Create a Playlist 

Arrange your favorite tracks in a way that suits your writing mood. Music can be a powerful tool to set the tone and mood. It helps you feel relaxed and aid scene projections. It also enhances your creativity.

6. Join an Active Writer's Community 

Yes, it's that important. Whether it's an online forum or a local group, being part of a community provides valuable feedback and critique. Engaging with fellow writers also offer support and motivation.

7. Build Your Social Presence  

I feel this isn't addressed enough. If you want people to get invested in your work, start promoting your book and what you do even before it's finished. Share your journey and let people fall in love with your process and personality.

8. Write a List of Comfortable Spots  

Identify and list the places where you feel most comfortable and productive while writing. Having a go-to spot can help you get into the right mindset.

9. Research Writing Tools 

Explore various writing tools and find the ones that work best for you. Discard the rest to avoid clutter and distraction.

10. Invest in Writing Courses  

If you can, take courses that will help you improve your craft. Courses are now made into digestible sections, covering an important segment of writing in elucidating details, which saves you the hassle of paying high figures for a course.

Lastly, go easy on yourself 

Understand that some days will be unproductive, and others will exceed your expectations. This doesn't make you any less of a writer. Love yourself for what you do, appreciate your work for what it is, and value your effort no matter the outcome. You need to love your work first before others will.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Happy new year fams 🥳🌹

[lucky-clover-gazette]

halfway through my 20s, i’ve definitely picked up this pattern where i will every so often have a “baseball bat year” in which i realize i’ve stagnated and very suddenly and determinedly decide to change major parts of my life for the better, then i reap the rewards of that hard work for 2-3 years, and then it’s baseball bat year again because there’s always more and i want it all. it’s called baseball bat year bc i just eventually realize that i need to be bonked really hard with a baseball bat and get things moving again

[lavellander]

the thing is I absolutely never write anything in order, not even things that are short enough to not have chapters, and I have no idea how people write long fanfic and post parts of it before it’s all done. like how do you force yourself to write sequentially. what if you changed your mind on smth later on but you can’t go back and add in the proper lead up and/or foreshadowing. I need that whole thang done and in front of me before I could ever even THINK about posting any of it

[icewindandboringhorror]

a quite simple outfit, trying to use the little blue and white apron thing (which is actually a dress I think, that I just leave un-buttoned in the back and added an apron-like tie to lol)

[plasma-studios]

Pov an angel made mortal

- You must learn to hurt.

Pain is a collector and your old master had long forbade greed. You will be unfamiliar. You must forget the lessons of the old. You must take caution: Pain is unavoidable. It is a mark of no higher being taking up the inherent agony of being from you. If you feel it, your expulsion has been finalised and there is no longer need to beg. It will serve nothing.

Pain is a collector, and that cannot be collected is all the more valuable to collectors; remember, better a glimpse of agony than being frozen into oblivion. You will be raw and unlearnt, a hatchling its first thrums of pain. You, who has not felt Pain before, will catch her attention. You must learn, and learn fast.

- Stay in the shadows.

You may forget your mortality upon the light’s temptation. Remember that light is as volatile to fallen angels as blood is to those not.

- The Day will never be the same.

You no longer have the thousand eyes to witness It. Remember the pain of them being torn out. Remember the Day’s glory is no longer yours to witness. It was once your sister but you have been forsaken. Remember It can no longer recognize you as its own because you are no longer Its. Just as It is no longer yours. Remember that Fallen means you have lost all but a fraction of the ability to see. You must accept this loss.

If you continue to wallow, the Day might take pity on you and give you a crumble more. Your new form would crumple under it. Remember the Icaruses burning up under the Sun. You will drive yourself to madness if you insist upon the day you remember.

I know, you will be unaccustomed to the warm mass. Your forrmer master would have never allowed you the vessel of flesh. I imagine it must feel rather full to a form of empty air. But understand that have been irreversibly altered, and that is not a terrible thing to be. For what was once forbidden is now open to you.

Before, you siphoned off your mighty master. You had no need or want for the power you could draw with blood. It would’ve burned you regardless. But you are made of it now. There are powerful things you can do with blood. Being able to bleed, is a gift.

- You must never trust.

The power that once allowed you naivety has been vanquished with your service. Trust not mortals, nor Gods, not monsters, nor angels. No one. There are collectors as mortal as any human but they are still collectors. And you, my dear, are a lovely forsaken morsel made so much more tempting by your Fall.

If you decide to stay the night, be sure to check the interior first. The signs of a hoarder may also be signs of your benefactor having the habit of collecting mementos from their unusually well travels. Be careful that you are not the next.

- There may be other Gods offering their patronage.

Upon your expulsion your link with your previous God would have been severed. Though He forbade greed there are plenty other Gods who possess it.

You should know that, once you accept, your new God will change your body to something they deem more fitting for worship. You must ask yourself if you are ready to change once more.

- If you wish to seek revenge, I’d advise you to research apotheosis.

Inspired by @.recklessfiction

[cozidreamsreimagine]

New Year's Resolutions? Nah, Try This Instead ✨

Ugh, New Year's resolutions. They're like that fruitcake your grandma makes – well-intentioned, but mostly just disappointing. Instead of setting yourself up for failure with unrealistic goals, try a different approach this year.

Ditch the Pressure, Set Intentions

Instead of rigid resolutions, focus on setting intentions. What kind of person do you want to be this year? What values do you want to embody? Maybe you want to be more mindful, more creative, or just more chill. Intentions are about direction, not perfection.

Small Steps, Big Impact

Forget those grand, sweeping changes. Focus on small, sustainable habits that align with your intentions. Want to be healthier? Start by adding an extra serving of veggies to your day. Want to be more creative? Commit to 15 minutes of doodling each morning. Small changes add up, fam.

Ready to ditch the resolution pressure and embrace a more mindful approach to the new year? Check out my shop for designs that inspire growth, self-reflection, and a whole lotta good vibes. ✌️

[vampirismadvocate]

Just remembered that when writing for funsies I can be incredibly self indulgent and no one can judge me in a way that matters. How freeing.

Anyway. Barely disguised self-insert time

[riot-grrlboy]

I started writing again recently and I’m going to add that back as a part of my personality

[daisywords]

the worst part about being a pianist is that you can't just...simply take your instrument with you

[decidentia]

Just a note to say thanks for bearing with me. ♡

[sunahjewelry]

Finishing up the yearly studio clean up and have been spending some time organizing photos from the last year. It’s fun to look back on all the work I completed in 2023. A lot of mistakes but also a lot of good creative work as well. I was taking note of the works that stood out to me as I scrolled through my photos and realized most of the pieces I really liked were all custom orders. Creating something based on someone else’s color preferences is a nice way to shake things up creatively. Even though I try to be broad with my color-ways and patterns, I do tend to work in palettes I personally gravitate to. Something I’ve been thinking about for this year is trying to push myself to think outside my norms in terms of color combinations. I’d love to maybe try reworking some older designs in a new color. It’s hard to think outside of your own personal preferences!

[silhouettecrow]

365 Days of Writing Prompts: Day 243

Adjective: Eminent

Noun: Sickness

Definitions for those who need/want them:

Eminent: (of a person) famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession; used to emphasize the presence of a positive quality

Sickness: the state of being ill; a particular type of illness or disease; the feeling or fact of being affected with nausea or vomiting

[vidyaandassociates]

Ring in 2025 with Success and New Beginnings!

A new year marks the beginning of endless opportunities! Step into 2025 with courage, passion, and a heart full of dreams. Every moment is a chance to learn, grow, and strive for excellence. Let this year be your journey to achieving your goals, conquering challenges, and embracing personal and academic success. Start your transformation with expert guidance from Vidya and Associates. Believe in your potential, take bold steps, and make 2025 the year of triumph and growth! #NewYearMotivation #2025Goals #DreamBig

[folatefangirl]

Top Fiction Reads of 2024 (because I actually read enough this year to justify it)

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: Really can't understate how good this book is and how rereadable the entire series is because of how it is structured and written. I'm avoiding spoilers and whatnot lol. Anyway it's my favorite of the series and made me cry.

Dungeon Meshi manga by Ryoko Kui: Absolutely fantastic story that also isn't that long of a read. I highly, highly recommend it. I haven't enjoyed an anime/manga series this much since Fullmetal Alchemist and Fruits Basket. And yes, it is definitely more expansive than the anime.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke rank about the same for me and those who have read both can probably guess why lol. Delightfully twisty and something I'll probably reread again/get physical copies of when I can. Unfortunately, reading them contractually obligates me to avoid mentioning spoilers.

4. Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan as well as The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic: I NEED THE SEQUELS NOW. *ahem* 5. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske: Admittedly there is probably recency bias here since I just finished it but it made me laugh a lot and was very enjoyable so whatever. It deserves a spot. 6. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan: Purely because the last chunk of the book goes hard and it's an incredible bit of plotting. I'm finally finished with it after taking forever with the first third of the book and now understand why everyone was so eager for me to get to Book 3.

Honorable mentions that were good and/or really good re-reads:

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Spy Family Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

The Invasion by K.A. Applegate

Avi Cantor Has Six Months to Live by Sacha Lamb

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (will probably read the sequel at some point)

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Honorable mentions that were a good way to pass time but probably won't be reread:

The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer (won't re-read but will continue the series to see if they ever kiss, dammit. reminds me a bit of reading the Mercy Thompson books)

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (read this to recommend it to my niece; I liked the audiobook)

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (recommend this to any child you're trying to convince to read something that isn't Harry Potter)

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen

Squeak by Vera Valentine (trust me on this one. it's very weird and very funny)

[w04hxo]

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[mechitecture]

Sometimes you just need to get out. See something new. Maybe, in my case, drive veeeeery slowly down old roads in older neighbourhoods to enjoy the scenery, the century trees, the older build styles... the very modern take on the older build styles... the people who don't care about fitting in with the architectural style of the neighbourhood.... And then sometimes you find something like this

More than anything else, I have to ask: what is that roof line

(There is a greater than 0 chance I'm going to try and build this in the Sims at least. Although... I don't know if even the Sims will let me replicate that roof line in the middle there)