A Recap of My Previous Few Months

Somehow, another three months have passed by in a blur, and I find that I have all but abandoned this blog. Sorry about that…school got to be a very big priority in my life, and I found that I did not have the time or mental capacity to write and publish blog posts alongside that. With school over and more free time, I hope to begin to regularly publish blog posts on here again. This post will just be a review of the previous few months (February, March, and April), recapping what was going on in my life at the time as well as sharing my reading and writing progress.

February

Books I Read

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery – What can I say except for the fact that this book was very good. Being one of the books in the Anne series, I knew that I would like it, and I found that to be true, though it was not my favorite in the series. I find that I enjoy some of the earlier books better, yet it is still interesting to read about the adventures of Anne’s children.

Sister of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross – I had not heard anything about this book prior to picking it up at the library on a whim. It surprised me very much. It is a very good book, and I appreciate the fact that it is a stand-alone novel, as I do not always have the energy to commit to reading a whole series. The book is very unique, and I appreciate the sisterly aspects that it contains. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone on the lookout for an interesting and clean fantasy read.

Writing Updates

I did not get very much writing done in February, sadly. I feel like this month was at the height of my school, so I did not get very much done besides school assignments in that month.

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2024

A Writer’s Ramblings: Finishing Books Before Starting New Ones

Reviewing my February Goals

Survive school 🥲 – I did. Maybe just barely, though.

Read at least two books – Yes, just that.

Exercise regularly – Yeah, I was pretty good with this one. I did a lot of walking and such in the month of February.

Try out a new sourdough recipe – I haven’t gotten a lot of baking done lately, so, no I didn’t really try out a new sourdough recipe. I did make a loaf with olives in it, though, so I would consider this goal to be somewhat completed.

Write a short story – I did not get around to this in February.

What happened in February?

February was full of much school. Besides that, I went on many walks, went to a Christian concert with my sister and our church’s youth group, and participated in my church’s fish fry.

March

Books I Read

Maybe This Time by Kasie West – It should be no surprise to anybody who has read a few of my posts that I really enjoyed reading this book, as it was written by one of my favorite authors. I feel like it was the perfect spring read, full of flowers and that fluffy feeling that accompanies many of her books.

You: The Story by Ruta Sepetys – This one was a really good nonfiction! It had lots of practical writing advice that I will try to note while writing, as Ruta Sepetys is one of my favorite authors, and writing tips from her could not be a bad thing.

Writing Updates

I had a big spurt of writing in March, which was great. I love it when this happens, and I get to writing a whole lot of one of my books. This time, I wrote in my fantasy book and got pretty far.

I posted exactly 0 blog posts during March, and I also didn’t make any goals for March, so let us skip to the goals that I have for April.

Goals for April

• Make sourdough cinnamon rolls
• Walk every day
• Read one of the TBR nonfiction books
• Celebrate after finishing school!

What happened in March?

My school continued through March, yet many other things also happened, such as my working on my book and celebrating several family birthdays.

April

Books I Read

Entwined by Heather Dixon – This one was good. I did get through it fairly slowly. The storyline is fairly interesting, yet some scenes were slow. I did like the ending, and found it to be a very good retelling of a classic tale.

Writing Updates

I do not remember writing very much during this month. I was sort of stuck in one place in my book and was trying to figure out how to get through it. Let’s just say that my characters do not want to cooperate with my book’s outline, and it is interfering with the plot. I plan to go more into detail in a future post, however, please leave advice if you are a writer and also struggle with this.

Reviewing April’s Goals

Make sourdough cinnamon rolls – I did not. I still really want to make some soon, though.

Walk every day – I did, besides two days in which my family was traveling and I was in the car for the majority of the day. Even so, I think that I can claim to have completed this goal.

Read one of the TBR nonfiction books – I did not finish one, yet I did start one of them.

Celebrate after finishing school! – I did! I am so happy to be done with it for the year.

What Happened in April?

I finished school, which was one of the main highlights of the month. My family also went on a weekend trip to the mountains with another family from our church, and it proved to be a very fun adventure. At the end of the month, I also got a golden retriever puppy, as seen in the above photos. April was a very eventful month, it seems.

That is all I have to share with y’all today. Please let me know what you’ve been up to lately in the comments, as I have also been bad about keeping up with all of y’all’s posts. I will hopefully be back next week, so goodbye until then!

~ Rebekah

A Writer’s Ramblings: Finishing Books Before Starting New Ones

Judging by today’s post’s title, you may have put together that this will be a very rambling and ranting post. I will be going on about the difficulties that I am currently facing in my writing journey. Any tips or advice from other writers would be greatly appreciated in the comments! 🫶💕

So, my predicament is that I have way too many ideas for various stories that I really want to write. Some may think “What’s wrong with that?” I am positive that the people who have those thoughts have never actually experienced this, or they are not writers themselves. I am currently working on about four novels at the moment (I say about four because there are four that are current works in progress and one that I started a while ago but that I will probably throw out) with three more novel ideas that I want to start writing immediately.

The problem is that I have very little patience to stick with just one project. I am currently switching between these four different books, while more story ideas come to me regularly, demanding to be written soon into new books. And, I really want to start writing these new book ideas, but I also want to finish one of the books that I am currently working on. It doesn’t help that I am a bit of a slow writer. 😐

My sister always gets annoyed with me for starting way too many books at the same time, but what other options are there? If I just focus on writing and finishing one of the books that I am currently working on, I will just keep thinking about the other book ideas that I have, books that I want to start writing, and soon my motivation to write the book that I was working on will be gone. But, if I keep starting new books, I know that those new books will end up the same way that my current WIPs are.

The books that I am currently working on include a fantasy book that I am working on with my sister, another fantasy book that I am writing, a contemporary novel that I am writing in a notebook, and the second book in my dystopian/post-apocalyptic duology. As I said, I have a few more book ideas that I really want to start, but I don’t want to just set aside my other books while pursuing these shiny new ideas, that will most likely end up like the books that I am currently working on.

I am very much a mood writer…aka, I write what and when I feel like writing. I don’t necessarily feel like this is a bad thing, but I believe that too much of it is. I try to write regularly, but I don’t get around to writing massive amounts every day, as I am still a student and I have many other responsibilities and other projects that I have to do each day. And, sometimes, I will write a whole bunch of one book, only for it to sit untouched for months after that.

Well, I guess that is all I have to say. I would love to hear if anyone else struggles with this, and if so, what do you do to combat it? Thank you soo much for reading today’s post (I hope it wasn’t too boring). I will be back next Monday with a brand new post, and have a lovely week! Bye for now!

~ Rebekah

Monthly Wrap-Up: December 2023 (+ Reviewing and Setting Goals for the New Year)

Happy 2024! It’s really strange to write that…I don’t know how it is possibly a new year already. I thought that I’d start the year off with a review of December, look at my 2023 goals to see what I have completed, and talk about a few things that I plan to accomplish this year in 2024!

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Books I Read

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – This book is so sweet and definitely one of my favorite classics. I read it twice this year, so you can trust me on that statement!

Snow in Love by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, and Kasie West – I am not a big fan of novellas, but these short stories were super cute. I didn’t read the last one, but thought that is still include this book in my post. As you can probably guess, the Kasie West one was probably my favorite, but the other two were also sweet.

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter – I thought that this one looked cute, so I had wanted to read it for a little while. My sister got it for me for Christmas, and I sped through it in little more than a day. Besides some of the language and stuff, I really liked it.

Writing Updates

I was all over with my writing this month. I started off working on my new fantasy book. Then, I got into my contemporary book, A Songwriter’s Summer, for a day. After that, I remembered my dystopian duology, and started writing the second book in that series. Besides those novels, I also wrote a short story. I don’t know what my focus should be in January. I am very much a mood writer, just as I am a mood reader, so I normally go with writing when I feel like it, making for a very unorganized approach to my work. I think that I will make my fantasy novel my main priority in January. I’ve started on a playlist for it, and will probably work on an aesthetic as well. If you’re interested in learning more about my fantasy novel (that has yet to acquire a name) let me know!

Blog Posts on Books and Hooks

I got back into blogging in December after a break for the fall semester of school. I am very pleased with my posting in December, for I had fun writing the posts and reconnecting with y’all.

Reviewing the Past Three Months

My Favorite Reads of 2023

Crochet Christmas Decoration Ideas // A Collab With Skylar

A Day in My Life // December 13, 2023

On Christmas Morn: A Poem

I didn’t set any goals for December, so now we’ll skip to my January goals.

Goals for January

• Get new glasses
• Write something every day
• Exercise every day
• Try out a new sourdough recipe
• Begin memorizing the Our Father prayer in Latin

Photos from December

Our tree on Christmas morning.

Peppermint bark! 😋

Shortbread cookies, one of my favorites.

My mom’s dog, Bingo. My brother covered him up with the rug, so I had to take a photo!

We know that this wouldn’t be complete without a few sky photos, so here they are.

My lunch while on our day trip! I got a BLT and mac and cheese

Road trip breakfast! Nutella and Ritz crackers…a delicious combo.

What Happened in December?

• December was an overwhelmingly busy month, full of social gatherings, preparing for Christmas, and lots of outings.
• My family went on a really fun day trip to a cave tour and then a fun Christmas-themed train ride. It was really a lovely day, and from driving to eating lunch, I had fun!
• Christmas, of course! My family also visited some relatives a few days after Christmas, which was nice.
• Other Christmas festivities included a couple of Christmas parades, a Christmas party at my church, and my little sibling’s Christmas pageant!

Reviewing My 2023 Goals

Finish my new book’s first draft ❎ I was talking about “A Songwriter’s Summer”, which I did not finish this year. I did write some, but definitely not the first draft.
Improve my schedule ✅ This one sort of fluctuates based on my life at the time, though I think that it has improved in all.
Get 300 followers on Books and Hooks ❎ I did not, sadly. My current follower count is 218.
Read one classic a month ❎ I almost completed this one. Only in October did I not read a classic.
Read one faith-related book a month ❎ Like the previous goal, I almost completed this one. There were only a few months that I did not read a faith-related book.
Read at least four books a month ❎ Again, I was pretty good about this one until my school started for the fall and I got behind on my reading.
Improve with piano ✅ I feel that I did improve this year!
Continue my Duolingo streak throughout the whole year ✅ I did and am currently on a 519 day streak.
Do a gratitude jar every day ❎ I was pretty good about filling up my gratitude jar for the first month or so of the year but neglected it after that.
Run 223 miles (at least) ❎ I only ran about 100 miles in 2023. My miles always spike in the summer, and then taper off in the colder months.

Goals for 2024

I still find it strange to type 2024.

• Get a job
• Finish my fantasy novel’s first draft (and share some posts about it)
• Read at least 10 non-fiction books
• Exercise regularly
• Graduate high school
• Get my driver’s license
• Write more short stories
• Try out new sourdough recipes (focaccia, cinnamon rolls, and English muffins are a few I’d like to try!)
• Learn to solve a Rubik’s cube.

Whew, 2024 looks like it will be quite an eventful and significant month! I would love to know if you will be having any milestones in 2024.

That’s all for today! I hope that your December and Christmas were nice, and I’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to in the comments.

What did you do in December? How was your Christmas? What are some of your 2024 goals? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

~ Rebekah

What’s Your WIP Writing Tag: Dystopian Novel

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog if you’ve been here before, or welcome if this is my first post of mine that you are seeing. I am so glad you’re here!

I recently finished the second draft of my dystopian novel, and I thought that I’d share a bit about it! (Thank you so much for all of y’all’s kind and encouraging comments on my last post!!)

So far, I’ve just given off some small details for this book, as well as made an aesthetic for the whole novel, and two aesthetics for the narrators, Elizabeth and Flora. I guess it’s time to give y’all more info!

I saw this tag on Diamond’s blog a little while ago, and I thought that it would be a good way to introduce everyone to my dystopian novel.

The rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you & link to their blog.
• Link back to the creator, Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus, & add the tag graphic. 
• List the rules. 
• Answer the questions. 
• Feel free to add snippets!
• Tag as many or as few people as you wish & let them know they’re tagged. 
• Add a clean copy of the questions at the end of your post for the “tagged.”

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?

It does not yet (that’s why I have just been calling it “the dystopian novel” when I talk about it on here.) I want the title to be something relating to hope, or seeing the best in various situations because those are both main themes in this book.

Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?

Elizabeth will do anything to save her niece after tragedy has struck her family. Flora’s life seems perfect from the outside. In a world destroyed by disease and war, these two teenagers live completely separate lives, but they both long for something: the truth. After Elizabeth’s niece shows signs of having the dreaded disease, and Flora’s sister goes mysteriously missing, they are thrust into an adventure that unites them, while they both follow their own paths.

Lol, I know that this isn’t that good (I made it up just now) but I hope that it gives y’all some insight into the story!

Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?

I don’t yet. I think that I’ll maybe work on Canva to create one because they have some good templates.

How did you get the idea for this story?

I started writing this book years ago, and I honestly forgot where the original idea came from. I had the idea a long time ago, and it has morphed a lot into what it is now.

How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?

After finishing the second draft, the word count is about 50,000, so it’s a bit shorter than I expected. I am planning to make this a duology, as I have an idea for the second book already. I think that this second book will be slightly longer than the first one.

Who’s your favourite character so far?

I really love my two main characters, but all of the characters are interesting in their own ways. I love the way that Bridget (Elizabeth’s niece) seems to find the good in every situation, and I like another character (who will stay unnamed) for their caringness.

What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?

Maybe finishing the first draft! Finishing this second draft was great, but I was anticipating it so much and expecting it. However, when I was approaching the end of my first draft, I didn’t realize that it was almost done, and I was so surprised and amazed when I finished it!

Any special person(s) who helped create it?

Not really, but of course, all of my blog’s follower’s support and comments really help! I appreciate it so much!

What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?

There are a lot of scenes between Elizabeth and her niece that I really love writing. Their conversations are interesting to write. I also loved writing the ending scene.

Can you give us a snippet? 

Not yet. 😄

Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?

A lot has changed while I have been writing this novel, and it’s totally not the same as I first envisioned it. The first idea I had was nothing like the current novel, but I really like all of the changes that have taken place.

Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?

No, I don’t think so. I do like this Sabaa Tahir quote that says, “Half of writing is dreaming. Let yourself dream.” I don’t think that it has really helped shape the story, but it is something that I like to keep in mind.

When and where have you done most of the writing so far?

I normally write on one of my family’s computers at our table…nothing crazy. Or, I’ll write on my phone.

Where do you get inspiration for this story?

There are many different things that I draw inspiration from, especially my daily life and conversations. I like to just observe things around me and I have gotten a lot of inspo from that.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a very big plotter! I like to have the novel all planned out before writing it, with a detailed outline, and I like to make all of my character profiles before starting on it.

Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?

Not really. I will usually put on some music, and then just sit down and write! Sometimes I’ll make some tea or get a drink or snack while I write, as well.

Are you thinking of publishing this story?

I probably won’t end up publishing it at all.

What things have you learned while writing this story?

I’ve learned that taking breaks is not a bad thing and that they are crucial for a good book. There were a few times that I was just really not having the motivation to write, but I also didn’t want to take a break. I have learned that sometimes it’s good to just step away for a while and then come back a little bit later with some new motivation.

The questions:

1. Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?
2. Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?
3. Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?
4. How did you get the idea for this story?
5. How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?
6. Who’s your favourite character so far?
7. What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?
8. Any special person(s) who helped create it?
9. What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?
10. Can you give us a snippet? 
11. Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?
12. Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?
13. When and where have you done most of the writing so far?
14. Where do you get inspiration for this story?
15. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
16. Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?
17. Are you thinking of publishing this story?
18. What things have you learned while writing this story?

I won’t nominate any specific people, but if anyone’s working on a book, I’d love to see this tag on your blog!

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Thank you so much for reading! How did you like this post? Would you like to see more writing-related posts on my blog? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

That will be all for today. I’ll be back with another post on Monday! Bye until then!

Never Have I Ever: Writer Edition

Hello and happy Thursday! How’s everyone doing? I hope your week is going well!

I’m here today with a fun post! I saw this on Isabelle’s and Victoria’s blog, Bookworm Hollow! They nominated any writers who see it, so I’m doing it now because it looks like fun! Thanks!!

Rules:

• Link and thank the blogger who tagged you.
• Include the graphic somewhere in the post (or make your own!) 
• Answer the questions truthfully and honestly.  
• Tag 3 bloggers. 

Never have I ever:

Started a novel I didn’t finish.

Yes…many! Especially when I was younger, because I’d start on different books and then have new ideas, and I’d stop writing the current one I was working on.

Written a story completely by hand.

I did when I was younger. It was a short book about a girl whose town gets attacked, so she has to live on this island by herself. I gave it to my mom…I wonder if she still has it. 🤔

Changed tenses midway through a story.

I don’t think so. I normally just write books in the present tense, so I don’t have a problem with changing tenses! I just feel like writing in the present tense is more normal for me.

Not researched before starting a story.

Yes, I think so. Then, when I was writing, I’d have to stop and research. 😄 I’m better at researching before now, though!

Changed my protagonist’s name halfway through a draft.

How about changing the name when starting on the second draft? Because that’s just what I did. In my dystopian novel, one of the narrator’s names has changed…😅

Written a story in a month or less.

I’ve written some short stories in less than a month, but not a novel or anything. I think that this novella for my English was written in about a month.

Fallen asleep while writing.

I don’t think I’ve done this one. I don’t normally write a night.

Corrected someone’s grammar irl/online.

Yes. I’m that annoying person who will correct grammar a lot.

Yelled in all-caps at myself in the middle of my novel.

I don’t think so! Sometimes, though, I’ll write notes to myself in my book.

Used “I’m writing” as an excuse.

Guilty. 😅

Killed a character that was based on someone I know in real life.

No, I haven’t, lol. I don’t really base my characters off of real people in life. Sometimes, I’ll take inspiration, though, from people. But, I have no real enemies, so I haven’t killed anyone based on a person in real life. Do be warned that you could be incorporated in my novel, though, everybody. 😄

Used pop culture references in a story.

Yeah, I think so, but not a lot. I have used some specific brands and people (actors, bands, etc.) in my writing.

Written between the hours of 1:00 am and 6:00 am.

I’m not one of those crazy writers who are up in the middle of the night writing, but I do get up sort of early. I usually get up at five, but I don’t always write when I first wake up. I probably have written before six, though.

Drank an entire pot of coffee while writing.

I don’t really drink coffee.

Written down dreams to use in a potential novel.

I don’t think I’ve written them down, but I have remembered some to use in a novel.

Published an unedited story on the internet/blog/wattpad.

Last year, I wrote a short novel for my English class and published that on my school blog, chapter by chapter. I think that I published them unedited. I went back and edited them afterward, though.

Procrastinated schoolwork because I wanted to write.

I’m not one to procrastinate a lot. I usually like to get my school done first, so I don’t have it hanging over my head while I write.

Typed so long my wrists hurt.

Yes.

Spilled a drink on my laptop while writing.

Nope! I share the computer with my family, so I would probably get in a lot of trouble. That’s why I’m not allowed to have drinks by the laptop while I’m using it.

Forgotten to save my work/draft.

I use Google Docs, so I think it automatically saves. That would be horrible if I lost all of my writing! 😢

Finished a novel.

The first draft. I am currently working on the second draft of my dystopian novel. I don’t think I’ve ever fully finished a novel. (I did the historical fiction for my English, but that was a novella, so I don’t know if it counts.)

Laughed like an evil villain while writing a scene.

Yes…

Created maps of my fictional world.

Yes, but it was no work of art. I just used a pen to draw a simple map.

Researched something shady for a novel.

I don’t think so, but I have researched a lot for my writing. I don’t know about shady but definitely some weird and random things…

I nominate any writers who read this post!

Thanks for reading! Are you a writer? How would you have answered these questions? I’d love to chat in the comments! Hope you have a good day, and see y’all on Monday!