5 Goals Every Writer Should Set for Themselves

Even if you write for fun and that is all, it is still important (and fun) to set goals for yourself and motivate yourself to keep going. I love making goals for myself and here are 5 goals that I think every writer should have!

 

  1. To Finish That Story! – Whether it is a book or a short story you are trying to tackle, don’t procrastinate it, just finish the story! Remind yourself that the words don’t have to be good, just get them done and on the page. You don’t want to be a writer who starts things and then never finishes, because that is only setting yourself up for bad writing habits.
  2. To Write Every Week – I wanted to put to “Write Everyday” but I know for most of us (myself included) that is a struggle. However, still try to aim to write everyday if you can! Writing every week is a manageable goal and is really important because you want to keep that brain full of creativity. Whether you write 50 words or 6000 a week, some words are better than absolutely no words!
  3. To Read… A Lot! – Again, reading every day can be hard, but try to read as much as you can each month. Even if it is only one book a month that is still progress! You are still exercising your writing muscles by reading anything as little as one page of a book. Just keep finding books and stories you enjoy and keep reading. Here are some craft AND fiction books I recommend:
    • Stephen King: On Writing by Stephen King
    • Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
    • Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
    • Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
  4. To Connect With Other Writers – This is a goal I always set for myself each week, because I always want to be connecting and interacting with other writers. It helps make you feel not so alone in your passion, and can also be a way to gain valuable information from those on different walks of the writing path from you. I highly recommend jumping on social media to find writers like you, or finding a local writing group that you can join! This will make the world of a difference and even if it might be out of your comfort zone, will be worth it in the end. Here are some places where you can find some writing friends online:
    • Twitter
    • NaNoWriMo/Camp NaNoWriMo
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  5. To Search for Your Voice and Style – This is a really important one because without your own unique voice and style, you won’t be able to reach your full potential as a writer. When you are first starting out it is natural to mimic a favourite author of yours until you find your own voice and style, but as you write more and more your voice and style will start to filter through. It is essential for you to harness all that and dive deeper into it so that you understand how you write because then your readers will too!

Those are my 5 goals that I think every writer should make for themselves and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post and also my social media links below 🙂

Last Blog Post: Reading + Writing Update!

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Twitter:@zoermathers

Instagram: @zoematherswrites

Tumblr: @zoematherswrites

Pinterest: @zoermathers

Reading + Writing Update!

While I usually like to start off each month being productive and getting ahead of all the things that was not the case for this month… Despite that, I still have a few things I can update you guys on so here is my reading and writing update for the week!

I have actually been pretty on top of things reading wise this week which is nice for a change. That is because I have been re reading Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy for the millionth time. Last Sunday I finished the second one, P.S. I Still Love You, so I have spent this week getting through the third, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, which I actually just finished today! Next I plan on diving into Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi because I have had this book since it first came out in March but just haven’t read it yet which is not acceptable. I cannot wait to jump into this book because I adored the first three in this “Shatter Me” series, and I know I will love this one too.

As for writing…well I didn’t end up continuing with my Camp NaNo project until Saturday when I finally sat down at pumped out 1116 words. To be fair, I wanted to take the first day of May off just to relax and recoup, but then I ended up getting really sick and was unable to string together a single sentence, much less a thousand words a day. So I took a few extra days off but then when I sat down to write yesterday it felt so good to be back in my story, despite the hot mess it is. However, while I was sick, I did end up editing two short stories I have been working on for a bit so at least I wasn’t entirely unproductive, right?

That is all for my reading and writing update and I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget to check out my last blog post, and also follow my writing accounts so I call follow you back 🙂

Last Blog Post: Reading + Writing Goals – May + June 2018

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Twitter:@zoermathers

Instagram: @zoematherswrites

Tumblr: @zoematherswrites

Pinterest: @zoermathers

 

Legend by Marie Lu Book Review (Spoiler Free)

I recentlyLegend_Marie_Lu_Book_cover finished Legend by Marie Lu and I really enjoyed it. Don’t worry if you haven’t read this book because this is a spoiler free review but I definitely recommend you go and read this trilogy because it is so good!

If you didn’t know, Legend is about a boy named Day, who is a convicted criminal with more of a backstory then people think, and a girl named June who is highly looked up in their government. They both have two entirely different lives but when June sets out to take down Day she realizes he may not be the criminal everyone thought he was and shocking truths unravel about their government that she couldn’t even think of.

I thought this was a strong first book for this trilogy and I was satisfied with the outcome and how the story came along. Each character had their unique voice and I didn’t feel like they were blending together which is very important when you are writing a book in more than one point of view. This book totally spun a different way then what I thought and it was a really fun ride that I hope continues in the next two books! Overall I loved this book and think everyone should read it! 4.5/5 stars.

Book Haul!!! (May 2016)

I just recently was on a short “vacation” because I had a few extra days off school and obviously over those few days I accumulated some books. Luckily not an over alarming amount but just three books which I think is a pretty good amount. Please comment any books you recently got or are going to get soon! Oh and it would mean a lot of you checked out my last post How To: Write a Novel and comment if you want more blog posts like that!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in her newest series. I have seen this everywhere on YouTube and it has gotten so many amazing reviews that I was dying to buy it for myself and now I have and I am so excited to read it! I am not really sure what it is about but I know I will love it.

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead which is the third book in the Vampire Academy series. I recently finished the second one so I got the third one to continue on because I am really enjoying the series! I like how easy it is to read and I am excited to see what happens next.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is the final book I purchased and is the first book in the Shatter Me trilogy which is absolutely amazing. I also recently read all three of these books but I borrowed them from the library so I finally got myself a copy of the first book and I am so excited to have it. Hopefully soon I will be getting the rest of the trilogy…once I get some money again.

Thanks for reading my book haul, I hope you liked it!

Review blog: mylifewithbookss.novelblogs.com

Instagram: @chasing_jace

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan Non-Spoiler Review

I just finished The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan today which is the first book his new book series so I decided to do a non-spoiler book review!

The Hidden Oracle is about the god Apollo, who is cast down to Earth by Zeus after angering him. The problem is that he has no godly powers and he is ordinary and utterly normal. At the same time something evil is on the horizon and Apollo has to learn to use what he has to stop it along with a few other companions. We even get to see some of the characters from his previous series!

I was really excited to start this book because I love all of Rick Riordan’s books. I have to admit I was a bit nervous that it wasn’t going to meet my expectations but I really enjoyed this book! There were slow parts but it is the first book in a new series so I didn’t really mind. It was so great seeing the old characters but I also loved meeting the new characters and getting to know a few better. Another bonus was that there was a lot of diversity in this book which I thought was great and I hope more authors add more diverse characters in their books. I think overall I would give this book a 4/5 stars just because while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t the strongest book ever. I would still recommend it to middle grade readers or anyone who loves his other series!

Reading Update

I haven’t poShatter-Mested in a few days so I decided to update you guys with what I am reading and my reading plans! Comment below what you are currently reading because I would love to know!

So right now I am working through Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi and I am really enjoying it! I have only read 2 days worth of it and am on page 150 but I am hoping to get to at least 200 by the end of the weekend. I know that doesn’t seem like much but I usually don’t read much on the weekend. I love reading at night and when I don’t have school I tend to watch movies all night…Anyways back to books. Once I have finished Unravel Me, I am hoping to jump right to the last book, Ignite Me!

That is all for my mini reading update 🙂

Instagram: @chasing_jace

 

May TBR!

There are 6 more days April so I decided to share with you guys all the great books I have planned to read in May!

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead is the third book in the Vampire Academy series that I am currently reading. I am starting the second one today so hopefully and most likely, I will be getting to the third one soon! I am really liking the series so far just because it is really easy and fun to read!

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi is the second book in the Shatter Me trilogy which I am also reading at the moment. Shatter Me was such an amazing first book and every page had me absolutely captivated. The characters are super detailed and real and every single word on every single page sounds like poetry. It’s so amazing and you neeeed to read this trilogy!

Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan is a short story about some of the characters from the Percy Jackson world which I love. I have read this before so this is just a re read so I can add some more books on my ‘Books read in 2016’ list. I mainly read this book during my English class when I have like 20 minutes to silent read and I am really enjoying re reading this!

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is the last book on my TBR and is also the second book in the Red Queen series (or trilogy, I don’t know). The first book, Red Queen, has a lot of mixed reviews but I was one of the people who really enjoyed it. I found it super easy to read, the characters were easy to like and overall I thought it was a great story. It may not be the most original story out there but that doesn’t mean I don’t like and I can only hope the second book is even better!

That is my TBR and I hope you liked it! (Leave a comment on another post you would like me to do)

Instagram: @chasing_jace

How I Read

image1 (3)

I had been in a reading slump for about a month now because after Lady Midnight it seemed as if I would never read a book as amazing as that ever again but I think I finally managed to pull myself out so since I have been reading again, I thought I would share with you guys my reading routine and how I like to read

I tend to do most of my reading in my bed, right before I go to sleep because there are less distractions but occasionally I will read on my couch that I have in my bedroom because it is equally as comfy. I just fluff up some pillows, make some tea and dive into my book. I usually read anywhere from 20-100 pages in one sitting. It just really depends on how I am liking the book. If the book is meh I might be able to get through 30 pages but if it is still boring I will most likely just set it down and pick up another. When I read I switch positions a lot…I may start by just sitting regularly but by the end I am either on my stomach or lying on my back with my leg thrown over the back of the couch. I just find those positions more comfortable rather than just sitting for some reason.

That was a quick summary of how I read and if you want to check out my last post it was an original book tag I created so you should definitely check it out!

Current Read: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Instagram: @chasing_jace

 

March Wrap Up!

Hey! Sorry I haven’t posted in forever but I am back now! So in this blog post I have decided to discuss the books I read in March and I am pretty pleased with how many I read. I read a total of 4 books this month which is pretty good considering I was busy for a good majority of the month and also the fact I am a slow reader…lets just continue on with this blog post!

The first I read in March was Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. Lady Midnight is the first book in a new series by Cassandra Clare called the Dark Artifices. Lady Midnight is a continuation of the amazing Shadow world Cassandra has created and it was amazing! This was by far my most anticipated book of 2016 and it did not disappoint me! 5/5 stars

Next book I read and finished in March was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This is an interesting book because while it is similar to Harry Potter it is its own thing. In Rainbow Rowell’s other book, Fangirl, Cath writes fanfiction that is called ‘Carry On’ and so basically, this entire book is the fanfiction she wrote which I found very entertaining! 4.5/5 stars

Third book I read last month was Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I love Stephanie Perkins ‘sort of trilogy’. It contains Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After. Three different love stories but they all intertwine in the end which I LOVE! I have read all 3 of these books many, many times and I feel like I enjoy them more every time! I flew through Lola and the Boy Next Door and it was just an amazing, easy read to kick off my spring break. 4.5/5 stars

Last book I read last month was Opposition by Jennifer L Armentrout. I was a little bit late on the Lux series because I thought I would not like it but guess what, I ended up loving it! Opposition is the last book (book 5) in the Lux series and I thought it was really good but I was hoping for more. Other than the fact I was still expecting more than what I got, I thought it was a great book and it ended the series nicely. 4/5 stars

That is all for my March Wrap and I will be back soon with another blog post on my April TBR!

Instagram: @chasing_jace

 

January Wrap Up!

Today is January 28 which means there are only 3 more days of January left so I thought why not share with you all the books I read this month! So I read a total of 4 books this month which for me is pretty good since I can be a slow reader. Anyway, here are the books I read in the first month of 2016…

The first book I read this month was Winter by Marissa Meyer, the last book in the Lunar Chronicles which is a sci-fi fantasy series that you must read. I got this book for Christmas and I was highly anticipating it in 2015 so I flew through it and read all 800+ pages. It was an amazing, epic finale that was done right.

The next book I read Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout, the first book in YA paranormal series called the Lux Series. I have been putting this book off for a while and I am so glad I finally read it because I couldn’t stop. It was such an easy read and I relate to the character so much and it was just wonderful.

I also read Onyx by Jennifer L Armentrout which is the second book in the Lux Series and it was definitely just as good. The main character, Katy sometimes gets on my nerves but I still find myself relating to her a lot which probably would make her my favourite character.

The last book I read this month (and still currently reading) is Opal by Jennifer L Armentrout, yes the third book in the Lux series but I am just flying through her books! The series has 5 books but I wish it would just continue on, and on, and on…no but seriously please pick up the first book sometime and read it because the books are just so mesmerizing and fun, it is worth the read and you will not regret it!

Okay, that’s all I will be posting for today so I hope all you have a great day and I will be back with another blog tomorrow morning. 🙂

Instagram: @chasing_jace