C.G. @ Paper Fury

10 Dreadful Things That Will Happen If You Read Too Much

21st May 2016 by C.G. @ Paper Fury

The bookworm life is fraught with peril. Anyone who denies this fact is either a) not deep enough into the dark jungle that is bookworm culture, or b) in denial, or c) trying not to scare you away. But will I cushion the hard, cold truth for you? NO, I SHALL NOT. I am here to give you FACTS and tell you how it IS and warn you of aaaall the dreadful things that are likely to happen if you read too much.

“What do you define as ‘too much’, Cait?” you ask.

Which is an excellent question so my lordliness will allow it. According to the internet, the average person (I think this is actually an American statistic, tbh) reads 6 books a year. So if you’re reading, like, even just 7 books a year — YOU ARE AT GRAVE RISK.

1. YOU DEVELOP A TERRIBLE HABIT OF THINKING.

The unfortunate part of submitting your little grey brain to tons of author’s ideas is — you’ll think about them. IT’S REALLY RATHER HORRID IF YOU COME TO CONSIDER THIS DASTARDLY PHENOMENON. People who think too much always die. They do. Look at history. Tons of marvellous, innovative thinkers who changed the world. And where are they now? DEAD.

Plus thinking too much is rather stressful because you notice people who don’t think and it bothers you a lot. You can’t stand people who don’t think for themselves. You end up throwing books at them and — GASP — risk damaging books. (Maybe risk damaging people? But let’s face it, that’s not a really worrisome issue.)

2. YOU ARE DEVELOP A HORRIBLE HABIT OF HAVING OPINIONS.

This is directly related to thinking too much. Don’t do it. No one is kind to those who have copious opinions on all the things. I mean, how dare you really.

3. BOOKS OFTEN CRUELLY TRICK YOU INTO BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYDAY ISSUES.

If you are a perceiving of bookworm, you’ll notice how books often subtle critique society in the form of an exciting fantasy story. So you might be reading along, enjoying a dragon eating a village or girl kissing a frog … and then suddenly — BOOM — you’ve been knocked in the teeth by real feelings about real issues. Discrimination. Sexism. Normalising violence. Wars and genocide. Slavery. Plagues. Illness.

BOOKS WILL MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT DEEP ISSUES WHETHER YOU ASKED FOR IT OR NOT. #rude

4. BOOKS COMPROMISE YOUR SAFETY AND GENERAL HEALTH.

This is a rather obvious one, but it bears saying copiously. Because you know that harmless looking to-be-read pile you have? HAHAHAH. NO. It’s most likely plotting your demise. And even if it’s not gotten to the animated state yet (it will), then you’re still at risk from the mountains of unread books just spontaneously falling on your head.

Bookshelves could topple in the night. You could get a papercut. You could drop a book on your foot. You could try to lie on your bed only to realise it’s covered in books and therefore get a backache.

Books are BAD for general health.

5. TBRS GROW WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Have you ever seen ONE book? No. Books do not live solo. They are pack creatures and they specifically go around hunting for more of their kind to join them. WORSE: they force us into helping this pack-mentality.

At first you’re like, “Well it’s a series, so I really ought to buy the entire set.” And it’s all fun and games. And then — BOOM — 2 years later you have 500 books and MORE BANGING AT YOUR DOOR SCREAMING TO BE LET IN.

6. YOU WILL WILL ALMOST ENTIRELY DEFINITELY LOSE SLEEP.

“One more chapter?” the book whispers deviously. You give in. You are in its clutches till 2am.

And even staying up late aside, what about those times the book just gets into your brain and you can’t stop thinking about it? And you end up thinking about it FOR DAYS AND NIGHTS AND YOU DON’T SLEEP ANYMORE BECAUSE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THIS LIFE DESTROYING BOOK.

7. ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS WILL DIE.

Your fictional friends, definitely. No bookworm can stand before me without battle wounds and emotional scars from losing a BFF (best fictional friend).

But also your actual-flesh-and-blood friends? They’ll probably die too. OF NEGLECT. Because of the 9383 times you said “You know, Marge, I’d really love to have coffee with you, but there’s this book I have to finish…” Whilst poor Marge withers and dies with no coffee. #PoorMarge

8. YOU WILL MAKE BAD LIFE DECISIONS WITH YOUR MONEY.

At first it’s simple things like “I don’t need that $30 shirt when I could by that $30 book…I mean, I already have one shirt? How many more do I need?”

Then suddenly it’s all “I DON’T NEED A HOUSE. I CAN JUST LIVE IN A BOOK IGLOO.”

Some people find themselves even sacrificing food money to use it for more books. I would like to inform you that I wouldn’t fall to this. You need cake to survive, people.

9. YOU WILL HAVE A LIFE CRISIS OVER SMALL BUT HIGHLY STRESSFUL THINGS.

For instance:

Whether your series are matching.
Should eat and read? Because food = yum. But potentially getting crumbs on your book = no.
Ebook vs physical?
Can you still socialise with people who dog-ear books or must you kill them and bury their body under the full moon of the autumn equinox?
Can you buy that bag? Is it big enough for books?
If you go to an author signing, how do you function? Do you take flashcards to remember WHAT WORDS ARE?
What do you do when your bookshelves are full?
How tall can you stack your TBR before you risk Eiffel Tower height?

The stress levels of the bookworm life are astronomically dreadful.

10. YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY FALL IN LOVE WITH PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT DON’T EXIST AND THIS THE MOST DREADFUL OF THEM ALL.

I mean, raise your hand if you TRULY have never wanted to go to Hogwarts? Or Narnia? Or Wonderland? Or Neverland? Or Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory?? BECAUSE I CAN SEE THE WANTING IN YOUR EYES.

And how about the terrible, horrible moment when you relate to a character so so much that you either want to be their best friend, marry them, or adopt them (or all three, like, simultaneously) only to be punched in the feels with the realisation that THEY’RE NOT REAL, KATNISS. NONE OF THIS IS REAL.

(Cue gross sobbing.)

However! No matter how AWFUL and DREADFUL these things are…you can definitely avoid them.

Just don’t read too much! Simple! Be very careful about how many books you read and try not to be too emotional. Probably be a Vulcan. Take up another hobby too, like crocheting winter mittens for sharks. That’ll be best.

Safety first, fellow bookworms! Don’t let the books win this war or crush you flat!

care to add to my list? what are some other NASTY side effects of reading too much? have you ever experienced any on my list? do you need to cut back your reading habits, hmm?? stay safe, pineapples! don’t be a thinker!

Is It Possible To Read “Too Much”?

23rd Jan 2016 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 243 Comments

Once upon a time, I was sagely informed in that I “read too much”. I’ve been told this from humans I know and also from internet creatures. Cue outrage and horror on my part. HOW COULD I EVER READ TOO MUCH?! How dare that phrase even exist! Rise my dragons! Destroy this concept!

But since it’s a phrase that bothers me…I thought about it. I mean, once upon a time, I read less than 100 books a year. I recall giving mostly 4 and 5 star ratings. Is that because I was awesome at picking books back then? Or because I didn’t have a very high standard since I hadn’t read so much? Did reading less books make me nicer to books? And is that a good or a bad thing?!?

CUE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS.

I like to love books. It’s an amazing feeling to kersplat your face into a novel and just absorb the story like it’s the most delicious cheesecake the world has ever known. Books are friends. Books inspire. Books instigate thinking. Books are artistic. Books cause you to view the world from different angles. Books tell you secrets. Books…

I mean, need I go on?!

I am made of 70% books. (I think the rest is 20% cake and 10% paper cuts.) BOOKS. That is how much they mean to me! I EAT BOOKS AND I LOVE IT.

But I rate about 65% of what I read 3 stars or lower. (This is a rough statistic. Actually most of the statistics on my blog are pulled out of thin air. Trust them though. Because if I say it, it must be true.) So doesn’t that mean reading so much isn’t working for me?

All that’s left, obviously, is a PROs and CONs list! I know! I know! A LIST. I love lists.

P R O S

You get to live basically a thousand lives. And why would you knock that back, seriously?! WHY?!?
You can experience so. much. stuff. Like skydiving or being chased by Romanian crocodiles or eating cheesecake by a waterfall. The options are ENDLESS.
It helps you understand other people better. If you’re an unfeeling Vulcan like me…sometimes it’s nice to have humans laid out in black and white, with all their complexities explained.
Also, it gives you friends. REAL FRIENDS TOO. The fictional friends are awesome…but what about the bookworm community?!? Bookworms UNITE. When you’re a bookworm, it’s like being abducted by other dead-tree-reading-fiends. You can eat books and howl together. What is not to love?!
But I’m not going to underestimate the fictional friends too, because, daaaaang, what would I do without my fictional buddies?! Even if they pretty much ignore my existence even though I’m infatuated with theirs. Rude.
If it’s your passion, than that’s downright epic…because what could be better than simultaneously collecting ART and WORDS and STORIES?!? They are like the most important thing in existence! After cheesecake…oh gosh. Wait. Maybe even BEFORE CHEESECAKE. This is getting serious.
Your brain becomes like a library because you’ve read so. so. much.
Ergo you can recommend books very easily because you’ve read them all. This is helpful to slower reading bookworm friends. You can tell them where those Romanian crocodiles are lurking and whether they should skip or not.
Reading makes you smarter. It just does, okay? Ask me how to take care of a bee hive or how to do archery or how long it takes to travel the Oregon trail…AND I CAN TELL YOU THANKS TO BOOKS.
If you read a lot you’re equipped for any conversation. If a human says, “So this one time I was lost in Siberia –” and then you can jump in with “OH I READ THAT IN A BOOK ONCE” and — boom — you can have a great conversation! Because I’m positive this is how conversations work.

C O N S

Your brain gets so stuffed with books you forget other things. Like to how to bake bread or what your middle name is.
And also you can forget books because you’ve read so many. Guilty of that…no denying. Sometimes books blur together too so you aren’t really sure which character fits where or how that series ended.
Your standards get set MONSTROUSLY HIGH. And while it isn’t a bad thing to be in love with quality…it means you get more picky. Time is wasted on less-than-stellar books because you’ve seen it done better.
It can take up a lot of your time. Unless you like to swallow books hole and absorb the story through your stomach, then reading will take up most of your night. Or your day. I’m not picky. It’s just maybe you’ll miss out on other things if you read all the time. (Is this a con though? Wouldn’t you want to read versus going outside and risking being burnt to death by the savage sun? I mean — NATURE AIN’T SAFE, PEOPLES.)
Books can take over your house and you might have to live in a cardboard box outside. I’m on the verge of this happening to me. Of course this wouldn’t happen if you only libraried or kindled your books. But. Copious readers often lead to copious libraries. Which often leads to copious of despair over bookshelves.
Fictional life is better than real life?! Okay, I’m partially joking here! But sometimes you can get lost in fictional worlds and they are just so much more interesting than your world. Sometimes you can get jealous because fictional characters do so much more than you.
You become unsure if you’re YOU or if you’re actually Katniss. Or, you know, insert any fictional character there. I mean, is that habit or thought MINE or do I do it because I read it in a book somewhere?! (Again though…is this really a con? Surely it’s not a con that when someone says “frosting” I say “IT’S THE FINAL DEFENCE OF THE DYING, PEETA” rather dramatically.)

Why are all my pros and cons lists so evenly split? IT DOESN’T HELP ANYONE, CAIT.

I think the fact of the day, though is: read however much you possibly want. Because if it makes you happy, you should jolly well DO IT. (Unless serial killing makes you happy, or stealing avocados, or anything else morally wrong…then I don’t condone it, okay?) You can compensate for the negatives. For instance: I have a bad memory already, so I forget what I read fairly quickly…ergo I write reviews to remind myself of the book.

But ultimately, I’m in favour of happiness, okay?

I’m also guilty of wanting to know things. All the things? YES. ALL THE THINGS. And this is why I read, and I think that’s okay.

So can you read “too much”? The positives outweigh the negatives for me. But I won’t deny that reading copiously DOES have mildly bothersome drawbacks.

what do YOU say? can you read “too much”? do you suffer from any of the cons I listed about reading copiously?

YA Books Without Romance ~ I Promise You THEY DO TOTALLY EXIST

29th Dec 2015 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 267 Comments

I often hear fellow bookworms raise their voices in the agony of despair over how YA books focus on romance so much. We do have rights to whine because — YES, most YA books do feature a romance and a lot of time it is the focus.

But not “all YA books”. NEVER ALL OF THEM.

If anyone says “all YA books do [insert cliche/trope here]” then I honestly believe they have not read very many.

I am not a monstrously romantic person myself. Although I do like to ship* and I often find romances entertaining or squishily nice to read about. I also laugh at them a lot. I also yell at the book “YOU’RE 16 FREAKING YEARS OLD, CALM DOWN” because I’m an old hermit and have legal right to say these things now.

* The term “ship” unfortunately does not mean to captain a crew and become pirates. It means to root for two characters to have a “relationship“. See? SHIP.

So for those of us who are after a YA book that is devoid of the romance category — I AM HERE FOR YOU. I have a glorious list.

(There may be hints of romance. Attraction? But nothing develops into a full fledged googly eyes fest.)

THERE WILL BE LIES: This is about a…a lot of things. All of which are basically spoilers to say. BUT. There are illegal activities and a deaf protagonist and kidnappings and roadtrips. Zlich on the romance.

DEMON ROAD: Technically there is a secondary character who’s “in love” wiht the protagonist. But she a) doesn’t love him, b) NEVER loved him, c) in fact she detests him. Ergo, I don’t call it love. Demons and roadtrips and killer cars and friendship — and THAT IS ALL.

MAGNUS CHASE AND THE SWORD OF SUMMER: After the squishy cuteness that is Percabeth, I honestly expected Magnus and his sidekick, Samirah, to get together. BUT NO. Sam loves someone else! Magnus loves nobody! IT’S A MIRACLE.

IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY: The focus is basically depression and recovery and while there’s a girl in there alongside the narrator, Craig….it just isn’t a romance.

CHALLENGER DEEP: This one is about schizophrenia. There is absolutely NO romance in there…which I found really refreshing, because for once it focused on recovery and family and self — instead of smooching your problems away.

JACKABY: While the protagonist, Abigail, makes googly eyes at a local constable…their relationship never evolves past there. I would say zlich to the romance. Unless you count Jackaby, who is basically a Sherlock Holmes character, being romantically attracted to a duck.

SHE IS NOT INVISIBLE: This is about a blind girl who “kidnaps” her little brother to fly overseas and find their father. It’s an incredible book!! Also no romance! Because they’re finding their DAD.

MESSENGER OF FEAR: This book has no time for romance because it’s too busy creeping you out. No complaints, folks, noooo complaints.

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO: There is a boy and a girl in this story and I see potential. But they’re like 14 and sort of trying to live. There is no romance. They’ve got priorities.

CHARM & STRANGE: It’s a confusing mess of a boy who has….eh, who even knows. He is definitely mentally ill. But there is no romance here. Just howling.

EON: Fantasy, dragons, girl-posing-as-a-guy…you know the drill. Plus Eona has no time for boys when she’s got DRAGONS.

THE GIRL FROM THE WELL: There are ghosts. GHOSTS. And they kill people and there’s blood everywhere and the protagonist has exactly no love interest. NOT EVEN WITH THE GHOST.

THE MAZE RUNNER: People might argue that there is a romance…but I honestly don’t think so. In later books — yes. In the first book? Nada. Thomas and Theresa have history but that doesn’t equal attraction.

ROSE UNDER FIRE: BECAUSE ALL YOU DO IS CRY WHILE YOU READ THIS BOOK. THERE IS NO TIME FOR ROMANCE. ONLY DROWNING IN TEARS. I highly recommend this book. Go read it. Feel pain. Hate me for my recommendation. But secretly be grateful.

Because we need to ask the important questions here. Why? WHYYYYYYY. As an unromantic bean I do ask myself this copiously. For every 30 YA books I read, maybe 1 will have no romance. And as I’m reading, I’m so much more likely to care more about a) Katniss saving Prim instead of whatever-she-feels-for-Peeta, b) for Cinder to rule the moon, c) for Saba to rescue her brother Lugh.

DON’T GET ME WRONG. I do like those romances (particularly Saba and Jack…squeak!) but I’m not sure that every book needs a romance on top of the adventure.

SO I MADE A LIST OF HYPOTHESIS TO WHY ROMANCE IS SO PROMINENT IN BOOKS:

The author really wishes they’d found a Nice Adorable Person when they were 16 so they’re writing in their own dreams. Total legit. Do you know how often I write about cake? A. lot.
It creates tension. Tension is good for books. It’s great that the protagonist is fighting zombie sand stuff physically…but how about giving them tension emotionally? Good writing tip, dudes.
A lot of teenagers think about romance. I mean…I THINK??? I’VE HEARD???? When I was 16 I wrote an epic fantasy with man-eating-horses and murder and torture and bleeding and fun stuff like that. I’m sure that’s…normal too.
Publishers want what will sell. Which makes sense because they’re earning a living too, right? And people have snabbled up romances since forever. THEY SELL.
People like to read about other humans’ lives working out. It’s like the most basic story telling! Protagonist defeats the bad guy! Saves the girl/guy! Rides into the sunset! Lives happily ever after with a small herd of babies to raise and name alphabetically! IT’S HAPPINESS. Storytelling has told us this since Eve met Adam, okay? Although they sucked at the whole “ride into the sunset happily” and instead cursed of all mankind. Plot twist.

I, personally, do not have a problem with YA books being romantic. Even if it’s not my favourite thing! I do think it’d be nice if non-romance-orientated books weren’t so blindingly hard to find. I do think it’d be nice if more books promoted the fact that you can be happy without a significant other.

BUT NOT “EVERY” YA BOOK HAS ROMANCE. HA! I just proved it.

how do you feel about romance in YA books? do you enjoy it? do you wish there were more non-romance focused books? ADD TO MY LIST OF NON-ROMANTIC BOOKS!!

What To Do When You Think Your Writing Woefully Sucks

23rd Apr 2015 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 42 Comments

Self doubt absolutely sucks.

When one is a writer and is suddenly struck with that paralysing notion of “OMG WHAT IF EVERYTHING I’VE EVER WRITTEN IS AWFUL?” it’s rather hard to bounce out of it. Have you been there, done that? Me too, my friend, me too.

So. How do we climb out of the “I suck at writing and everything is woeful” hole? What is the golden secret?!

Lucky for you (pfft, I’m joking, lucky for me) I have gathered a conglomeration of writers to discuss these doldrums. I turned my highly powerful puppy-dog-eyes on these fabulous fiends, and they’ve contributed to my post. I’m quite excited to do another collaboration post after the gloriousness that was my 2015 YA book predictions! SO ENJOY. That was a requirement by the way, decreed by your queen. [Me.]

CAIT @ PAPER FURY

I’m going to be super short and sweet I’m always so sweet because everyone below is amazing and sums up my thoughts so well. Doubt sucks, but an important thing to remember is: EVERYONE GOES THROUGH THIS! You’re not alone! Also keep in mind:

If you think you suck, then it means you have excellent taste in art and want to improve. That’s GREAT.
Taking a break or hiatus from your novel is not a bad thing.
Don’t compare yourself to published authors. They aren’t working on their books alone! They’ve got hoards of professional input and (trust me) it changes everything.
Remind yourself why you’re working on this project/novel. Plaster a big sign on your bedroom wall, do WHATEVER IT TAKES, but just keep the reason you’re passionate about your book on your mind.
Definitely eat chocolate. Like, totally ignore the rest of my list, and just eat chocolate. It’ll work.

KARA @ DIARY OF A TEEN WRITER

Literally the BEST thing to do when you’re feeling down about your writing is to take. A. Step. BACK. Because, if you’re all like me, and you’re constantly hovering between those states of this-is-the-best-thing-ever to why-did-I-even-want-to-be-a-writer-oh-gosh-this-sucks, then you’re not really going to be looking at your writing from a balanced, complete perspective. Sometimes the best cure for feeling down about your writing is space. Go for a walk. Watch a TV show. Read a book. See a movie. Eat some chocolate. (I highly suggest this last one. Very beneficial.) BUT, in saying that, don’t let yourself wallow in self-pity for too long, either. Accept that your writing is not going to perfect–as hard as this is for perfectionists like me–and come back to your writing with the attitude that, hey, it might not be the best, but I can always work on it to make it better.

KATE @ THE MAGIC VIOLINIST

This is a tricky topic for multiple reasons. First off, because all writers deal with writer’s block and self-doubt. There’s no avoiding it, I’m afraid. You will encounter it at some point in your life. Second of all, because there’s no one way to deal with it. We’re all unique and handle our writing troubles differently. But hopefully I can at least give you some ideas on how to tackle this gloominess.

When I’m feeling down about my writing, I try hard to balance stepping away and not getting lazy. We all need breaks sometimes, so I’ll take a couple days to read and watch Netflix and recharge. But I can’t wait for too long, otherwise I’ll procrastinate. After those couple days of relaxing, I make myself sit down and write something. It could be anything–a blog post, fan-fiction, a poem, or just a piece of freewriting–but it has to be something. It doesn’t even have to be good. Usually just getting back into the habit of typing on my keyboard is enough to give me that push I need. Don’t worry if you’re feeling down. You’ll be back to normal in no time!

ALYSSA @ THE DEVIL ORDERS TAKE-OUT

You know when people say write the book you want to read? The book you want to read is of course perfection itself. The book you write often isn’t.

When my writing isn’t where I want it to be, I do one of two things. First, I can power on — but switch tactics. Sometimes this means boiling my writing down into a query or a synopsis to get at its essence, or separating it into different documents, or calling upon my wonderful CPs and betas to talk it over. The feeling might be just nerves, but more often it’s a legit problem in my writing. Changing perspectives lets me see what’s wrong and hopefully dig my way out.

The other option is to step away. Not just from the project I’m struggling with, but all writerly things, so that I can recharge completely. Getting a new stack of books is a prime example, but I also dabble in fanfiction, graphic design, and knitting. Yes, knitting. I’m actually knitting a scarf right now. (A scarf with holes, but that’s beside the point.) No, I’m not knitting the names of my enemies into it.

SOPHIA @ RAVENS AND WRITING DESKS

Do you other writers ever just look at this beautiful, heartbreaking, mindblowing, complicated world, and think – I’m supposed to turn that into WORDS? It’s kind of ironic that something so glorious as our planet and the people who inhabit it could make me feel so depressed about my ability to write, but it does. I wonder: How will I ever become skillful enough? How have my favorite authors become skillful enough? WHERE IS THE MAGIC POTION?

You all know, obviously, that there is a magic potion and it is called Practice, but it’s still so easy to get overwhelmed, especially with the idea that all those fabulous authors out there write better than you. (They’re so good, how will I ever get published, I might as well stop writing.) (Bad idea.) The greatest cure I’ve found for this kind of writerly jealousy and despair was an old post by Maggie Stiefvater wherein she shares with us an old excerpt of her childhood writing. Because if I know that MAGGIE used to write that mediocrely, it makes me feel a heck of a lot more confident about my own writing.

Another thing I do to help me when I’m feeling down about my writing is – short stories! The awesome thing about short stories it that they’re short. (No, duh.) You can jot a couple pages down and feel accomplished, and they help get your mind off your current larger project. It’s especially nice to write a short story in a different genre then your main project.

ALLIE @ LITTLE BIRDIE BOOKS

Firstly, I must have some sort of cake (or brownie, I’m not picky) and it must be chocolate. I then proceed to have a carefully constructed ritual of sobbing while eating said cake. Let it never be said writers cannot multi-task!

Then I begin the deconstructing: why am I feeling down about my writing? Am I comparing it to other people’s? If so, I tell myself to GET IT TOGETHER. Not everybody writes the same way and that’s the beauty of being a writer. You get to share your unique voice and ideas with the world. The entire selling point is that it’s something different. So be proud of that. Don’t try and emulate someone else, because then you lose the magic.

If I’m just feeling like my writing isn’t up to standard in general, then I’ve probably lost my mojo/love for the story (this is an incredibly technical term, obviously. Mojo, from the Latin: to be unable to form coherent sentences or thoughts, causing one to eat much cake). The best fix I have for this is going back over and reading my story. From the beginning. I put myself into the mind-set of the reader and just binge. While I’m reading I edit (always useful), but it’s mostly SUPER helpful in inspiring me. I get so many new ideas and start to see my characters in a new light and, really, it just refreshes the story for me. It helps rekindle my love for it and remember why I started writing it in the first place. And that then puts my writerly gears back in action.

Aaand a third and final tip: FORGET ABOUT IT. I don’t mean abandon it entirely. I mean forget about it for a week. Or two. Or a month. Put it off your radar and kick back and relax. It’s not going anywhere and you’ll be surprised how much taking a break will inspire an awesome comeback. Sometimes we get stressed and worry if we don’t write then the world might end and someone will forbid us from ever eating chocolate again. But it’s not true. The world will keep going and taking a break will make you and your story come alive again.

Failing that, return to step one.

SKY @ FURTHER UP AND FURTHER IN

We’ve all been there. WHO WROTE THIS AWFUL MESS OF WORDS AND GIBBERISH? That’s when you realize: Oh. I did. When this happens, what’s a writer to do?

1.) Take a step back. Let your writing simmer for a while. When you come back, you may have fresh perspective. And if you don’t, that’s when you get to edit your writing and hack it to pieces.

Which leads me to…

2.) Kill your darlings. Or, in this case, your not-so-darlings. If you can pinpoint what it is that’s making you go EW about your writing, then fix it, that will probably help you get your face out of permanent cringe mode.

3.) CONFIDENCE IS KEY. Find a piece of writing you do like. Read that. Remember: you. are. awesome. Even if you think some of your writing isn’t awesome, there’s always the next novel. The next sentence. The next word. Believe it or not, you can write awesome things. You’ve got this.

MIRRIAM @ WISHFUL THINKING

Here’s the thing – every writer is going to be down about their writing, at some point. Nobody ever cruises along on a surface of perfection, Nobody writes 10,000 words every day, and nobody leans back in their chair and thinks, “Yep. That’s it. I won’t change a thing.” Personally, I go through phases. I write steadily in the grand scheme of things, but I’ll have a few days or even a week where I feel dry, and the most I can manage is a sentence or two here and there. (Nothing makes you feel more pathetic, as a writer.)

Fortunately, I’ve learned some helpful tricks over the years.

It’s okay. You don’t have to write every day. You can take a break and read a book or watch a show or go for a hike or draw a picture. It’s good to take a break from things now and then, even if it’s only a small one.
Try reading books or watching movies/TV shows in the same genre as what you’re writing, if you lack inspiration. This is a trick that always helps me.
Turn off the music. I have a dozen tailored playlists on iTunes, but sometimes when I’m really stuck, I just need to turn the music off.
Look at why you’re stuck. One of the main reasons I get stuck is because I’ve written something wrong – a character’s name or personality, a plotline that doesn’t need to be in there. Somehow, my subconscious knows that I’m doing something wrong, and it shuts down on me. Look back over things.
Get a second opinion. I have close friends who read what I write and are enormously helpful with this kind of thing – find someone you trust and have them read what you’ve written. Hear them out.

And in the end, curling up with Netflix and a cup of coffee is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. You can write tomorrow.

CHLOE @ THE BOOK HUGGER

I’m sure many of you have experienced the dreaded feeling of believing that your writing isn’t has good as someone else’s. It makes you want to rip whatever you’re writing to shreds. But do not fear! I have tips for you on how to defeat this monster.

Don’t read other young writers’ writing. If you are a young writer, do not read other young people’s writing. This will probably reinstate the self-doubt and end up comparing yourself to others.
Take a break from your piece. Or from writing altogether. Sometimes it’s good to let something sit for two days or two weeks or two months. Whatever seems like the best amount of time for you. Then, when you go back, it will be fresh and your brain won’t be as clogged.
REMEMBER: YOU ARE STILL LEARNING. This tip is especially for younger writers, but also can be targeted at anyone. You are not a professional, paid author. You need to remember that you are not 100% experienced yet and do not have all the skills you’d like to eventually master.
Do not compare yourself with published authors. If you are doing this, just first, STAHP. These authors are published for a reason. They are far more experienced and have gone through a lot to get their books in print. You are not their equal, and therefore cannot compare your writing with theirs.
And lastly, remember: you’re fabulous.

phewf, that’s a lot of info to wade through, but i hope you liked it, my bathymetric blogglings! do you agree with these tips?! do you DISAGREE with any?! totally share in the comments, i want your thoughts! and add to my list: what do you do when you think your writing sucks??

How To Get More Comments On Your Blog

27th Mar 2015 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 206 Comments

Comments are awesome. I love comments. They make me feel that blogging is worthwhile! It’s not much fun having a conversation if I’m the only one talking right?!*

But have you ever sat down and kicked your heels because you CAN’T figure out how to get more comments?

LET ME HELP! I’ve gone from having a blog with 5 comments maximum per post, to over 50 comments per post. It is awesome. (And I appreciate everyone’s comments so so much.) It didn’t “just happen”, though. I worked really hard.

So what’s the secret?!

Oh, oh, I’m so glad you asked, my botanical blogglings!** I have a most wonderful post for you.

* Although my voice and opinions are, of course, beautiful.
** I do not, in any way, think you are plants. I just like alliteration. Unless you are a plant, in that case, congratulations for being the most intelligent plant in the universe. I acknowledge your leafyness.

1. GO COMMENT ON OTHER BLOGS

If I can only give you one tip, THIS IS IT, MY FINE FRIENDS. Go comment on other people’s blogs! Visit! Leave meaningful comments. Follow a ton of blogs. When you join in linkups, go and visit a dozen other blogs. JUST GO TALK TO PEOPLE. It works.

In 2013, I averaged about 5 comments a post. In 2014, I started commenting on a bunch of blogs. I followed. I commented regularly. I was a pesky barnacle with friendly things to say. Now in 2015, I average on 50 comments a post.

But pleasepleaseplease don’t just say “Cool post!” and leave a link to your blog. That’s not what I mean. It’s okay to leave a link to your blog, but make sure your comment is about THEIR blog. (Short comments are okay, too. You don’t need to leave epistles! Just be meaningful.) Also, when you follow a new blog, do tell the blogger! It’s totally fine to introduce yourself and your blog and leave links.

There are tons of blogs who do “Bloggers Commenting Back” which is basically I-comment-on-your-blog-and-you-comment-on-mine. It spreads the love and encourages conversation. IT IS AWESOME.

2. REPLY TO COMMENTS

This is really important because you acknowledge your audience! You’re saying, “Hey you! That’s a smart and intelligent thing you just said and I appreciate your opinion.” Everyone wants to be acknowledged.

It’s also furthering the conversation!

I, for one, have been really ticked off (totally curled into my corner of sadness) when I’ve commented faithfully on blogs and had the blogger ignore me. It’s like talking to a wall. Why would I bother?! I quit that blog and focused on talking to people who actually want to talk to me.

3. ASK QUESTIONS IN YOUR POSTS

You could just say “pie is the best, life is pie, there is only pie” and end your post there. OR, you could say “pie is the best, but chocolate cake is glorious too, ack, decisions…which do you prefer?” The latter invites discussion and comments!

People love having opinions! (HELLO. We are bloggers. Why else do we blog?!) They love to express these opinions. I get specific about my questions in my posts. I write a list of questions at the end of a post for people to reply to! If I can’t think of any “discussion questions” then I know my post is too one-sided.

4. CARE ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

This comes out in tone and phrasing of your post…and I think it’s important! I like to read blogs where I don’t feel like my opinions is going to be discarded instantly. And you can usually tell from the tone of the post. If the blogger has gone off on a discussion/rant and are constantly underlining how right they are and how perfect their opinion is, I know they’re not going to care about mine.

When you blog, make sure your audience feels welcome to speak their minds in the comments. Don’t write like you have the only opinion in the universe. (It helps if you present multiple opinions in your post, too, for readers to mull over.) Be genuine about wanting feedback or critisim or other opnions. You don’t have to agree with the commenters, but you do need to be respectful of their opinions. Just because it’s the internet doesn’t mean you can be rude. NOT EVER.

5. HAVE A SIMPLE COMMENTING PLATFORM

This is REALLY important, peoples! There is nothing more frustrating than reading an awesome post and going to comment and realising…oh. I can’t because this commenting platform is weird/confusing/descends-from-martians.

The main thing you want is to have anyone and everyone be able to comment. You want a commenting platform that, ideally, doesn’t need you to sign in.

COMMENTING PLATFORMS TO AVOID:

Google+ – This one is ridiculous because you can ONLY comment if you have a google+. Lots of people don’t! (I don’t.)
Blogger – Oftentimes blogger is set so only blogger uses can comment. You can change this in your “comment settings” and have it so anyone can comment. (I totally recommend doing this if you’re on blogger.)
Free WordPress – this is the same as blogger, usually it only let’s WordPress users comment. If you have a blog that ends with wordpress.com, you’re limiting your commenters to wordpress users only. BAD IDEA! Lots of people are on blogger and still want to comment! [EDIT: Apparently I was mistaken for this and it’s not true! So IGNORE ME. ha. ha.]

BETTER PLATFORM OPTIONS:

IntenseDebate – Installing this one is quite easy and there are great tutorials! It allows anyone to comment without signing in. YAY. Downfalls are, if you switch commenting platforms later on, you lose comments. (I lost all my ID comments when I went from blogger to wordpress self-hosted.)
Disqus – Disqus is pretty darn awesome in appearance and fastness. Speedy! YAY. You can have an option to NOT sign in, too, but you have to switch that setting.
WordPress self hosted – This is what I have and, obviously, it’s awesome. (Although, truthfully, I still have people tell me WP eats their comments or they disappear or whatnot, so it’s not perfect.) I love this one because you don’t have to sign in, and I’ve got it on a setting so that everyone gets emailed my replies. I also use commentluv so I can easily find commenter’s blogs and visit!

So there you have it…you know all my secrets.

It’s not hard! It does take a bucketload of work though. And, hey, it’s okay to fall behind or make mistakes or slack off. Just know: if you work hard, you’ll get the comments.

And there are always posts that are going to do better than others. Sometimes it doesn’t even make sense why some posts get comments and others don’t. JUST GO WITH IT. (Although if you ever find the secret to writing the perfect post, let me know. I want in on that.)

SO. like i said…discussion questions are important! can you add to my list?? on your blog, what do you do to get more comments?? which posts do you find to super-uber well? and which seem to sink? do believe in commenting-back? OH. and are you okay with being referred to as a plant? LET ME KNOW ALL.

Cait @ Paper Fury
…is currently feeling very proud and professional because she only used two gifs in this post instead of, like, 9428 of them, because she realises she probably uses too many. But, pfft. Over-gifing is liable to happen tomorrow so WATCH OUT. Also to everyone playing the game in yesterdays post, Cait plans to announce scores tomorrow! Currently she’s reading Snow Like Ashes.

10 Books Your Inner Con Artist Wants You To Read

10th Mar 2015 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 148 Comments

I have a very small addiction to books (and movies) about con artists and thieves and spies. Don’t panic! I’m not on the wide road to a life of espionage. I never even get library fines, okay?!* Lately Deborah and I have been fangirling over crimey capers and she suggested I post about it. It fit in well with these week’s recommendation prompt. I couldn’t resist!

Although I am cheating on this list. (Do I ever follow the rules? I mean…really? Do I?) and I’m adding in a few movies because I haven’t read enough heist books. I NEED TO READ MORE.

* Although I do own Loki shoes, so that says something about my devious nature.

This Week’s Prompt: Ten Books For Readers Who Like [insert topic here]

\\ Click on the covers to go to Goodreads //

1. CURSE WORKER TRILOGY by Holly Black

The Curse Workers is one of my top favourite trilogies ever. OKAY! I know I say that a lot, but this is different! It’s hilarious and supernatural and and stuffed with compulsive liars. Everyone is a villain (and they’re all mildly forgivable and adorable). Trust NO ONE. Plus the protagonist, Cassel Sharpe, is part Indian (well, it’s hypothesised, he doesn’t know his exact heritage) so yay for epic adventures with cultural diversity!

2. HOW TO LEAD A LIFE OF CRIME by Kirsten Miller

Despite sounding like a how-to book for dummies, this is AMAZING. It’s not just about cons and stealing, it’s about the psychology of evil. Seriously if you have not read this yet, YOU ARE NOT LIVING PROPERLY.

3. HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter

I loved this book! Was it original? Well…no. If you’ve seen any con movie, then you’ve covered the basic plot of this book. But it is about 15-year-olds being insanely and disgustingly talented and smart. It’s awesome to read books about characters who ooze smartness and make us feel like a bumbling failure, right? Right. GO READ IT. (I haven’t finished the trilogy, but I will. One day.) Also: it’s highly quotable and hilarious..

4. AS RED AS BLOOD by Salla Simukka

I’m really incredibly excited because book 2 arrived in the mail today and YAY I GET TO FIND OUT WAHT HAPPENS NEXT! But, I digress.

This one isn’t by the point of view of a con artists: it’s a money heist. It’s still incredible though and features an unwilling detective and a subtle dose of fairy tale retellings (you can figure out which) and occasionally people get murdered, which is all fantastic. Gotta love books.

5. Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 // movie trilogy

I’m pretty sure this is what started my love of con artist plot lines. Genius plots? Incredible twists? Hilarious lines? WATCH THESE MOVIES. They largely deal with casino cons, but they blow stuff up (always a bonus). In Ocean’s 12 (movie #2) heads off to Amsterdam so they can steal stuff. It also has a moment where Julia Roberts plays Tess Oceans who plays Julia Roberts. Yup.

6. LEVERAGE // TV series – 5 seasons

I ADMIT IT: this was my latest fangirling obsession! I love this show an astronomical amount. Give it all the stars! All the flailing! It covers hundreds of cons, that range to hyperventilation-worthy to downright funny.

It’s has a Robin Hood vibe where this team steals from rich and cruel companies and gives back to the people they’ve basically “robbed”. They’ve got a mastermind, a grifter, a hitter, a thief, and a hacker. They’re all geniuses and act like a big dysfunctional family.

7. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN // movie

This is set in the 1960s where Leonardo Di Caprio plays a con artist who poses as a pilot and runs around the world being a million people at once and spending a lot of money he doesn’t own. HE’S ONLY 16 WHEN HE STARTS CONS! He’s also rather a genius because one con needs him to pose as a lawyer and, without studying, he passes the exam with top marks. It’s good, peoples, trust me.

8. THE ITALIAN JOB // movie

I haven’t seen the original (do not glare at me, it isn’t nice) but this is fantastic. It takes off after a con goes wrong and the team have to get revenge on the member who betrayed them. They steal a lot of gold. They speed around in minis. They hatch crazily brilliant plans. Sometimes they punch people and everyone is rather sassy.

9. NOW You SEE ME // movie

This is an incredible movie (although the ending is bizarre and not…in a good way). It stars the Incredible Hulk…um, SORRY. I mean Mark Ruffalo and a team of very narcissistic magicians/con artists.

It’s perfection with cons disguised as magic until, um, the end where it goes bizzare and unrealistic. But pfft, who needs a solid ending if the beginning is awesome? (Don’t answer that.)

Interesting Fun Fact: One of the main actors for this movie, Jessie Eisenberg actually reads the Curse Worker audio books! Awesome, right?!

10. INCEPTION // movie

Stealing art is too mainstream, so this gang steals DREAMS. They extract secrets from your subconscious and it really is a mind twisty movie. Again, it stars Leonardo Di Caprio, so I think the guy really really wants to steal something, but has to live vicariously instead.

Also the soundtrack is gorgeous. If you write books then this is definitely inspiring background music. (It’s by Hans Zimmer who is incredible.)

Obviously I’m always on the look out for more awesome YA heist and con artist books. Look at my pathetic list! I have not read nearly enough.

YA Con/Heist books I need to steal…erm, READ:

now i know i cheated on this prompt rather ginormously…so HELP ME! recommend me some awesome con/crime/heist/thieving YA books! go wild in the comments my thieflings. also have you read/watched any of these? thoughts? link me up to your TTT post too, if you like!

Cait @ Paper Fury
…is currently so proud of herself for being on top of her TBR! She has only 13 books that need reading! What is this?! She’s reading up big in preparation for abandoning all and writing a new book. Just must finish those darn edits first…She’s only got 10K to go. It’s TORTURE. Currently she’s reading The Sin Eater’s Daughter and is mildly disappointed.

The 10 Types of Writers

7th Mar 2015 by C.G. @ Paper Fury 167 Comments

If you’ve ever wondered what type of writer you might be…I am here to tell you.

Or, well, you’ll tell yourself after you take the super handy quiz I made below. Inspired from doing a 10 Types of Book Bloggers quiz ages ago. Enjoy!

1. THE TURTLE

The easiest way to describe you is: SLOW. You are a strict adherer to the saying “slow and steady wins the race”. You don’t write quantity, you write quality. And it definitely shows (you little genius). Your books are probably long and detailed because you won’t rush this baby.

2. THE SHINY IDEA CHASER

You could fill an entire ROOM with the story ideas you have. You get inspiration from anything! (The shower is notoriously inspiring…where is your waterproof notebook??) You have pinterest boards and word documents and sticky-notes and notebooks and notes on your phone and…and…okay. You just have a lot of (awesome) ideas. You just need time to write them all!

3. THE INTENSE PLOTTER

You have got this sorted. There’s nothing like a 10,000-word outline and a 6-book plan, right?! You know what’s going to happen way before it happens. Sometimes people accuse you of not being spontaneous, but pfft to them. Your books are complex, tight, and delicious.

4. THE NEED FOR SPEEDER

You write fast. Super fast. 10,000-words a day? Pfft. You’ve done it copiously. You write fast and furious and, coincidentally, you don’t write a lot. Your creative well gets depleted fast and you take long breaks to search for inspiration.

5. THE NAONOWRIMOER

You function best on a deadline and with a large cheering-squad. NaNo hits off 3x a year and you’re there for each one. You struggle and revel in the deadline simultaneously. WORD WARS? You’ve got a battle axe.

6. THE ONE-HIT-WONDER

So there was this one time you wrote a book. Aaaand, that was about it. You’re constantly reworking said book. (It’s going to be amazing one day but just…not…quite…yet.) You either would like to write more (if you had the time) or you’ve got a been-there-done-that philosophy and you’re off snorkelling the Mariana Trench.

7. THE PROJECT PROCRASTINATOR

You really suck at the whole “apply seat of pants to chair and WRITE”. But what about pinterest? Twitter? Better do your emails? And you’ve got like 24020 other things to do as well BUT YOU DO LIKE TO WRITE! You just…um…get distracted. Doing write-every-day challenges really motivates you. But, let’s face it, you do more fangirling (dream cast? mini-movie trailers? interviews? drawings?) over your characters than actually writing about them.

8. THE LITERARY AXE-MURDERER

fKilling one character is cute. You kill HUNDREDS. If someone gets out of your book alive they’re seriously lucky (and probably suffering PTSD from your abuse). Your spare nothing. Toughness is life. Okay, so maybe you’re a little crazy, but you know how to break a reader’s feels.

9 THE MULTI-TASKER

That writer’s working on one project? Aww, so adorable. You handle 6+ at one time. Plus you’re doing edits on a few manuscripts, beta-ing for a friend, casually writing a dozen novels, and, oh, plotting 2x dozen more. You’re like an octopus.

10. THE SECRETEST

Shhhh! All your projects are SECRET. Most people don’t even know you write. It’s not that you’re embarrassed, per se, it’s just that writing is incredibly personal to you and you don’t want to show it off until it’s as good as it can be. You would probably die if someone read your unedited work. Well. Scrap that. You’d die if someone read ANY of your work. But you have the world oh-so-curious.
Also! I created a quiz for you! If it doesn’t show up, you can find the link here.

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