Tag: 2020

Snapshot 12/31/20 // “The End.”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 3 Comments

Currently listening: “champagne problems” – Taylor Swift
Currently watching: 90 Day Fiancé S2
Currently playing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Currently reading: __________________________

I don’t remember much of December TBH. After the busy bee I was in November I took the time to relax and chill in December. I didn’t post as much as I usually do, since I didn’t have a discussion post this month or a writing update, and I took some time away from my WIP to clear my head a little bit in order to tackle it again in January with fresh eyes.

Christmas wasn’t the same this year. Last year was a bad Christmas and who would have known it could be worse. A lot of little things just adding up (we even lost power on Christmas morning) but I KNOW next year will be better. I KNOW IT, I SWEAR. Things happen for a reason. So, I’m going to just sit year till the new year indulging in laziness, anime and the entire plate of brownies my Grandma made for me. Cin, cin!!

December Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! Check, I did do a little bit!
  2. Become more interactive on social media! Check… I did a little bit, I swear. My handle is @jaiiiilynn4 for both Insta and Twitter if you want to connect!
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! No check, but I expected as much.

January (the month where 2020 was just a nightmare and now we are awake again) Goals:
(AKA my 2021 resolutions in general)

  1. Be healthier! In everything… honestly I have been garbage since Christmas. I’ll get back to doing my yoga in the morning, exercising at least three times a week, eating vegetables lol, positive thinking and leaving the old behind to move on to better things.
  2. Write! My WIP draft for The Lowell Sage is halfway done (and that is better than never started) and into 2021 I will keep writing. No deadlines, just keep going. Every year I keep getting closer.
  3. Get a tattoo! I wasn’t able to get my 2020 tattoo because of a global pandemic. So, dammit, this pandemic better be over so I can get it in 2021.

What I Read:

  • The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I was enthralled by this book. So much so I read it slowly and savored every damn chapter. Honestly. I started this around the beginning of November and finished it mid-December. That’s a long time for me to be continuously and consciously reading a book. The story is basically a love letter to readers and writers alike. It’s deep, touching, and resonating. That being said the story may not be for everyone, especially those who don’t like slower paced novels. But I’m also going to say it’s a beautiful book and I love love love love it so much. 5 STARS BABYYYYYY! All the way. I can’t. So many feelings and I just love Erin Morgenstern so much. So if you are a reader or a storyteller go read this book! I’m not going to spoil anything, just enjoy it 😉
  • ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. It was a good book. But, though I do appreciate Steven King, his writing style isn’t for me. It was a great story, realistic. I wasn’t scared per say but I enjoyed what I did read. It’s perfect reading for the fall and very outside of the usual genres I read. But I can see why it is a classic. I don’t think I’ll read it again but I am glad I read it. 
  • The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. I honestly have so many post it notes sticking out of this book. So many of the poems are so good, and healthy, and just give off all the vibes we need to hear and know. If you are looking for relatable, healthy and contemporary poetry pick this up right now.

What I’ll Be Writing:

  • Poetry- posted every Wednesday
  • Writing Is Hard | WIP Writing Update- posted in the middle of the month
  • Snapshot! Monthly Recap- posted the last day of every month
  • Announcements- posted as needed

If you want more information about any of the above, you can check out the About page on my site or just click here.

My Round Up of December Posts:

I learned and did a lot in 2020. I grew so much and learned so much about myself. I’m taking all of it and throwing myself into 2021. Throwing. Myself. Full force.

Down with 2020. Up with 2021! Be on the look out for some changes to the blog in the coming month. Jai is getting her shit together lol, haha! 😀

What are your resolutions for the new year?

2021 can be about making all the changes you want to become the best you. Together let’s stick to them to make this a much better year. This is the beginning. Make it count.

Till next time,

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“my death”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 3 Comments

the dirt under my nails
tells no lies.

the tears have dried
in the corner of my eyes.

my heart beats
with love for all its ties.

i will not
go easy
from this world.

i will fight
blood
and bone
to live

and even after
the last breath
leaves my lips…

i will still live on
through all the survivors,
especially those
i have not
even realized
my light
has touched.

with each
end
always
come a new
beginning.

Photo by Eyasu Etsub on Unsplash

To each and every one of you I’m sending all the love and light your way for 2021. I’ll see you on the other side 😉 Let’s make it count.

©2021 Jai Lynn

This post “my death” appeared first on Jai Lynn.

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“the bell poem”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 7 Comments

red ribbon
an evergreen spruce
and multicolor blinks
of lights
in the dark.

a quiet
isolated
white snow
expanse
outside the window.

hot chocolate
sugar cookies
and carrots
by the fireplace
on the other side.

simple…
for this
Christmas
is not the same

but
i still
believe
that when
the silver bells
ring
in the night
i will
hear.

a lot
is different
this year
but the
holiday spirit
will always
be in our hearts
for next year
and every year
that is
yet
to come.

we
will all
be together
again soon.

Photo by Stéphane Juban on Unsplash

Merry Christmas everyone! Keep the hope ❤

©2021 Jai Lynn

This post “the bell poem” appeared first on Jai Lynn.

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Vignette #36 “This Christmas”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 11 Comments

Christmas won’t be the same this year.

The thought is visible in the smaller tree in her living room. There was a time when the pine tree had stood ten feet high adorned with garland and popcorn trimmed all around its edges. Ornaments of all sizes and shapes would be strung out around its branches. The lights would change from pure white to multicolored and back in blinks of time. Now her tree is only 5 feet. There is no garland. There are no lights. Just one single ornament she found lying in an old drawer, by chance, to put on.

There are no presents under the tree. In random and rushed trips to the post office everything had been mailed weeks ago. She still isn’t sure if some of the presents reached their recipients. She hopes they did. The only thing left under the tree now is a snow white cat, sleeping soundly.

There is no music playing this Christmas Eve. The house is quiet, so quiet that even a mouse stirring would jar her enough to make her jump. There is nothing baking in the oven. Only take out containers in the kitchen garbage.

She nurses her second cup of egg nog. It’s really more rum than cream but there is no one around to argue with her. No uncles telling her jokes. No aunts wrapping her in warm hugs. No cousins to jump around and make fools of themselves with. No brother to even tease and laugh with like every other year past.

Christmas won’t be the same this year. She takes another sip of her drink.

But there is still hope, she tells herself as she looks at the empty fireplace. A year from now she will buy a fifteen foot tree, even if it doesn’t fit in her house, and she’ll throw every string of light she owns around its edges. Not an inch of pine will be left uncovered as she’ll drag the ornaments down from the attic by herself if she has to. All year she’ll save up and use wily ways to figure out what everyone on her list wants as a gift. That fifteen foot tree will be too small to hold everything she’ll find. The music will be as loud and roaring as the fireplace, and the whole house will smell of hints of garlic, drops of lemon and eventually sugar cookies.

She puts down her drink.

Good things are worth waiting for. Next year, she knows, will be the most magical Christmas yet.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

©2021 Jai Lynn

This post “This Christmas” appeared first on Jai Lynn.

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Snapshot 11/30/20 // “Victory.”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 2 Comments

Currently listening: “Sympathy For The Devil” – The Rolling Stones
Currently watching: The Office S8
Currently playing: Hollow Knight
Currently reading: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

November was a month. Honestly, I don’t have much to say lol. When I wasn’t at work, I was still at work at home. Writing. I didn’t do much else. I didn’t even finish reading one book this month. Wow. That is a first for me. But… I did it. I WON NANOWRIMO FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

50,000 words of my draft for my WIP The Lowell Saga is complete.Whew. No where near done with the first draft. But I’m getting there. Little by little. Word by damn word. As for whether I finish the draft this December… I’m going to try my hardest. 2020 hasn’t beaten me yet.

November Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! Check.
  2. Become more interactive on social media! Check. I was pretty consistent, for me, with updating on Twitter.
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! Failure, but I’m not worried. My WIP was the focus this month because of NaNo. AND I WON THAT MAJORLY.
  4. Continue to eat healthier! Check. Not perfect but not as horrible as I could have been. So that’s a win in my book.

December (the month where Christmas happens) Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! My last chance this month to finish that first draft before 2021 hits us in the face. (Or hopefully gently caresses us instead…)
  2. Become more interactive on social media! My handle is @jaiiiilynn4 for both Insta and Twitter if you want to connect! I did better this past month but still want to continue the habit so I’m listing this goal again.
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! I’m calling it now, this probably won’t happen cause I’ll be busy with my WIP but I don’t want to forget this goal so I’m putting it down again.

What I’ll Be Writing:

  • Poetry- posted every Wednesday
  • Writing Is Hard | WIP Writing Update- posted in the middle of the month
  • Snapshot! Monthly Recap- posted the last day of every month
  • Announcements- posted as needed

All of my fiction writings are independent of each other and stand alone so no need to read any of the previous work to understand. If you want more information about any of the above, you can check out the About page on my site or just click here.

November Round Up of Posts from Nifty People:

My Round Up of November Posts:

My Thanksgiving this year was small but still lovely. My step dad and I made an apple pie and it was the most delicious pie I had ever eaten in my life! We might need to make it a tradition. All in all I’m grateful for everything I do have and will keep looking forward to a brighter tomorrow. December could be brighter!! Let’s cross our fingers.

How were your Thanksgivings, if you celebrate? How was November overall for you guys? Did you meet your NaNoWriMo goal if you participated?

Let’s chat in the comments below!

Till next time,

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NaNoWriMo, NaNoCryMo | A Pros & Cons Discussion Post

~ Jai Lynn ~ 10 Comments

Okay, okay if you are reading this and you are a writer then likely you are more than knee deep into this little thing called NaNoWriMo right now. We are either singing our victories or mourning our losses at this point.

For those of you who don’t know what NaNoWriMo is it’s basically a little event that takes place for the entire month of November where writers tackle writing that dreaded first draft and meeting a goal of 50,000 words by the 30th. But that’s not set in stone, any word count goal can be set or any other writing goal for that matter can be desired to be reached by the end of the month. Here’s the website for those interested in more information.

For this month’s discussion post I want to talk about some of the GREAT things about NaNo and some of the NOT so GREAT things. So without further ado…

PROS

(AKA The Bright Side!)

Taking Action

The whole foundation of NaNo is built on this simple concept. If you want to write a book, then write the book. No more procrastinating! No more daydreaming! Just do it already! Life is too short to not chase after your dreams and NaNo pushes you to start running.

Setting Up a Habit

Our habits become us. For real. They are the hardest things to make and the hardest things to break. To reach the traditional goal of reaching 50,000 words by the end of November that equates to about 1,667 words written per day. For me a month ago that was daunting. For me today it is still daunting. But the point of it is to get you used to making writing a daily part of your life! For all aspiring authors it’s essential 😀

Finding a Community

Other writers exist out there!! (Amazing concept, isn’t it? We are not as alone as we think lol!) And so many of them participate in NaNo!! I’ve been using Twitter and my blog a lot to document my writing/NaNo journey this year and everyone has been so kind to me!! The sense of community and support I’ve found here on WordPress has been amazing. On Twitter too I’m starting to break out of my shell there more and interact. Writers are not alone. I am not alone. You are not alone. We can do this!! Also, to anyone reading this right now who needs some inspiration and support, I’M REACHING THROUGH MY COMPUTER SCREEN AND SENDING IT TO YOU ❤

CONS

(AKA The Dark Side…)

Pressure

Oh yes, one of my favorite things. (*she types as she is, legit, crying inside*) Writing 50,000 words is not easy. When writing is not fun, it is stressful. Or usually both at the same time. Especially when you have a deadline. Everyone has a different writing speed and all writers can’t be fit into one neat little box. Artists in general, for that matter, are always OUTSIDE the box. Or making a new type of box. Or floating around and have no box. Or hanging out in a crate. Or are breaking the fourth wall. You know. WE HAVE NO LIMITS.

External Validation

Everyone is different. Every story is different. But when you’ve only written 1,000 words and your friend is banking on 15,000 you can feel a little defeated. Comparing ourselves to others in today’s technological and social media savvy world is too easy. We can get so hooked on other people’s progress that we lose our own. Remember you should go at your own pace and your story is just as important as someone else’s. Be proud of what you yourself accomplished.

Life

Life’s a bitch sometimes. Yeah, as humans we are no stranger to the universe throwing us random curveballs. We have no control over what happens to us in life, only how we react to it. It’s okay to have set backs. It’s okay to miss a few days of writing if your mental health is plunging. It’s okay to not write if your house randomly gets set on fire. Please. You will make up for it later, even if you don’t reach your goal by the end of NaNo. You win by just trying in the first place, and striving to reach the goal!

That all being said I do love NaNoWriMo for all its virtues and all its vices. I believe that this one is even going to be my best one yet. For the past three years I’ve never met my NaNo goal because life got in the way but this may be my year. Don’t want to jinx myself but fourth time might be my charm. My monthly WIP update will be coming up soon within the next week and I’ll provide all the juicy details. Till then, I want to hear about how NaNo is going for you guys!!

So tell me, what are our word counts? Are we feeling inspired or insipid?

Based on your experiences what more pros and cons would you add to the list above?

Stay strong my friends and may the muses be with us!

Sending you all the love and support you need,

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Snapshot 10/31/20 // “The Circus, At Night”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 6 Comments

Currently listening: “Season of the Witch” – Lana Del Rey
Currently watching: The Haunting of Bly Manor
Currently playing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Currently reading: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Cloudy skies and misty air are lingering outside my window as I type this, and it fits. October and I have been on the same wavelength all month and I am here for it. A lot of fun fall activities fell into my life these past few weeks and finally I feel good. My life feels like it is starting to come together, and honestly perfect timing because NaNo is right around the corner. Or rather by the time this is posted… knocking at the door.

October Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! Check! My word count is up and I am so happy!!! I don’t want to jinx anything because I’m superstitious like that so I won’t share too much but… that first draft is getting WRITTEN. Mark it, guys. Making history over here, lol 😀
  2. Become more interactive on social media! Check! I’m doing it! I’m doing it!
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! Failure…. but I’m working on it. I did more than I did last month at least! (like opened one new tab, lol…) It will probably be a failure next month too if I’m being real with NaNo going on, but not giving up!
  4. Read & finish three books! Check! Not exactly all three books that I planned but I finished my two re-reads Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. As well as Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. All fantastic reads that I highly recommend! I’m about a third of the way through reading Salem’s Lot by Stephen King and enjoying it so far! Waiting for those twists!
  5. Rewatch The Haunting of Hill House, and revisit Supernatural S4 and Gilmore Girls S1! Check! Supernatural and Gilmore Girls are like my mac and cheese and buttered biscuits. I also finished The Haunting of Hill House and loved it just as much the second time around! The Haunting of Bly Manor I’m more than halfway through and can I just say, I love Victoria Pedretti? Like, I really do. I hope by the end it hits me as much as Hill House did and right now I’m expecting it too.
  6. Watch Halloween movies! Check! Halloweentown, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Over the Garden Wall, and Corpse Bride, among others. Even Hocus Pocus. Okay, okay I relent. It’s a classic and I’m a little less bitter about Binx now. (SPOILER) He’s happy in heaven and now that I’m no longer seven I accept this conclusion. (SPOILER END).
  7. Go apple and pumpkin picking! Check, check! Even though I got EATEN and I mean EATEN by mosquitos (my ankle swelled up like a balloon and got infected, yuck!) it was so worth it. I had a blast! I posted some pics on my Insta if you are curious!
  8. Make Halloween cookies! Check. And they were delicious.
  9. Eat healthier! Mostly check. I had three bad days this entire month, but that is less than September. The other 28 days I followed the moderation plan so this is a win. Building healthy habits never felt so gooooood! One day at a time. One cookie at a time. One brussel sprout at a time!
  10. Look at the ocean one last time! Check and it was magical ❤ (I also had pumpkin spice ice cream for the first time and damn, it’s good! )

November (the month where I am alive and dead at the same time) Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH IT’S ON NANO. I’M CALLING YOU OUT. My username is JLynn047 if you want to be friends and cheer each other on!
  2. Become more interactive on social media! My handle is @jaiiiilynn4 for both Insta and Twitter if you want to connect! I’m gonna try to rage on Twitter all month about my writing frustrations (and hopefully victories!). Feel free to commiserate (and revel hopefully!) with me!
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! I’m calling it now, this probably won’t happen cause I’ll be busy with NaNo but I don’t want to forget this goal.
  4. Continue to eat healthier! Moderation and NO stress eating. (Even though I will probably be emotional and stressed all month but I will resisttttttt through mindfulness and sheer force of will.)

What I Read:

–Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. Everyone needs to read this book. I don’t care if it’s not your genre. I don’t care if your TBR list is huge. I don’t care if you don’t read. I don’t care if you are a nihilist. This book is bigger than us. It should be on the essential reading list for humanity. Everyone knows the Holocaust. It’s THE most iconic tragedy in the history of civilization. Dr. Frankl, the author of this book, experienced this terrible blight on humanity first hand. He had the option to escape, but he chose to stay with his parents who couldn’t leave and in turn all of them ended up in a concentration camp. A lot of us, thankfully, today will never know those horrors first hand. But he did. And he survived. His experience shaped the motivation and learnings in this psychology book. The main point that I took away was that man needs meaning to survive and he finds that in either 1) his vocation 2) a person or 3) courage in the face of an unimaginable situation. Meaning, meaning, meaning… what is the point of this life? Why are we here? Nihilists will argue that everything is random, there is no meaning. Some think the point of life is to chase happiness. Some think power is everything. But Dr. Frankl alludes the more you chase those things the harder they will be to find. If your life has meaning then you have the will to go on, and the success and happiness will follow. If you think everything has no point and that all is random what’s to stop you from bringing about another Holocaust? There’s no point right? Deep down we all know that not to be true. We are human, we feel, we live, we suffer. We suffer and suffer and suffer. Would it make you happier to reason it towards nothing, or everything. I only glazed over the key points here and there is so so much more. If I haven’t said it already, just read the book. 
–Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. This one was a reread, one that I hadn’t exactly planned on but one that happened anyway. This book just screams October. I read it for the first time last year and you can read my original review here. Looks like I did end up re-reading it like I mentioned in my review last year, haha!! I didn’t disappoint my past self. Maybe I will just end up rereading it every year. Who knows? Pretty much all the same feelings, but what is different this time is that I think I understand the book even more. Its nostalgia, its structure…. and its view of the universal personal conflict of being human. There is just something about this book. Something… Maybe next year I’ll be able to tell you what it is when I probably end up reading it again.
–The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I love this book, so much. My soul and this book …. I can’t even articulate it. I just love this book, so much.

What I’ll Be Writing:

  • Poetry- posted every Wednesday
  • Writing Is Hard | WIP Writing Update- posted in the middle of the month
  • Snapshot! Monthly Recap- posted the last day of every month
  • Announcements- posted as needed

All of my fiction writings are independent of each other and stand alone so no need to read any of the previous work to understand. If you want more information about any of the above, you can check out the About page on my site or just click here.

I might do another discussion post… depends on how much time I’ll have (not much…) but we shall see. Never say never and inspiration might strike again!

My WIP post this month will also be very heavily NaNo related FYI just so you guys are forewarned! I might check in with mini updates for NaNo every now and then too besides my big monthly WIP update but I haven’t decided yet. (More like anxiety rearing its ugly head that I am taking on too much and perfectionism screaming DO IT ANYWAY…) Well…

October Round Up of Posts from Awesome People:

I read so many fun, thought provoking and inspiring posts this month! To my fellow bloggers, great work guys!!

My Round Up of October Posts:

To NaNoWriMo my fellow writers! May productivity rain and may we all survive the storm!! ROARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Oh, and btw… Happy Halloween 😉

Till next time,

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Snapshot 9/30/20 // “Feathers, Feathers Everywhere”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 7 Comments

Currently listening: “seven” – Taylor Swift
Currently watching: Gilmore Girls S1
Currently playing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Currently reading: Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Empty hallways, weathered books, slow breezes, Ancient Greek letters, philosophical thoughts and feathers floating down from the sky all tied into one month. That is what September means to me. Whenever it rolls around, as you can see, I tend to get moody.

Or totally rapt up in a dark academia aesthetic. Same thing.

September Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! Check. I’ve actually written a lot this month and am up to over 4K for my first draft! I wasn’t even planning on doing that much but it happened. Guyssssss, things are happeningggggg.
  2. Become more interactive on social media! Check! I was slightly more interactive than last month sooooo…
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! Failure. Failure. Failure. At least I am being honest.
  4. Be more present/observant in my life! Check? Yes, unfortunately I may have been too present in my life this month, and it was a hard emotional month for me because the stress at work and in my personal life was getting a little too much. And if you are like me and tend to hyper fixate on things and over think to your wits end then… Yes, that happened. But at least I kept writing.

October (the month of EVERYTHING I WANT RIGHT NOW) Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! This should be no surprise. It’s been on my goal list since the beginning of the hELL year of 2020. I want to finish this first draft, and no better way than a last minute sprint in the last 3 months of the year. yay.
  2. Become more interactive on social media! My handle is @jaiiiilynn4 for both Insta and Twitter if you want to connect! I’ve recently had some inspiration and have a few ideas I’d like to showcase. Look forward to it guys in my beloved month of OCTOBER. I love October.
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! Who knows if this will happen? I will probably get distracted by writing my WIP but just in case, I don’t want to forget this goal so I’m keeping it on here.
  4. Read & finish three books! My reading these past few months has been dismal. I want to change that and there are three books I’ve been dying to read when October rolled around. And now it’s here. Two are rereads: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. But the last is new, Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. I’ve never read it before and I really want to. Really. Want. To. So much so that I am legit staring at it right now as I type this.
  5. Rewatch The Haunting of Hill House, and revisit Supernatural S4 and Gilmore Girls S1! I have been rewatching episodes of Supernatural here and there, but since it’s October now I feel like NOW IS THE PERFECT MOMENT to watch more. I watched my first episode of Supernatural ever on a Halloween many years ago. So the month and the show are tied together in my head. Gilmore Girls just makes me feel happy and good and safe and so I’m going to keep watching that too since I restarted the series from the beginning this September. The Haunting of Hill House though I have been craving since summer began and now, totally on the opposite side of the spectrum from Gilmore Girls, I want to be scared and haunted and filled with dismal longing. Or maybe I just want to see those feelings reflected in someone other than me. (September was tough, guys. My mental health sucked. But I’m getting better now.)
  6. Watch Halloween movies! I always rewatch Halloweentown, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Over the Garden Wall, and Corpse Bride without fault every October. This year I might even try Hocus Pocus again. Listen, I was traumatized as a child at the end when (SPOILER) the black cat died/passed on. Traumatized. I was seven, he was my favorite character and then he died at the end. That stuff sticks with you. Maybe this year though, I’ll give it another chance. Maybeeeeeeeeee…
  7. Go apple and pumpkin picking! This is one of my favorite fall activities that I do every year. Along with bringing out the boots and flannel. I’m going to be dressed for success and carrying home a ton of deliciousness that will keep me happy all month. All about the little things, my friends, the little things.
  8. Make Halloween cookies! I didn’t make my Halloween sugar cookies last year so I’m damn well doing it this year. Dammit.
  9. Eat healthier! Lol, right after I say I’m making cookies. Listen, healthy eating is all about moderation. I’m going to be eating cookies and apples! September I had a lot of stressful days and I ate a ton of garbage I shouldn’t of. Binge eating is a curse. Don’t do it. This month my Mom is teaming up with me to eat more healthy and not let our emotions control our eating. So far we are seven days strong. The key is to eat the healthy food first and only eat one cookie instead of the box. I can totally do that, and I also have a partner in crime. A burden shared is a burdened lessoned, I think that’s how it goes.
  10. Look at the ocean one last time! My August birthday wish was to go to the beach one last time but unfortunately we never got there. I hope this month, even if I can’t swim and am wearing a scarf, I can see the ocean one last time and say my goodbye. At least until next summer.

I have a lot of goals this month but most of them are just there to remind myself to have some fun and enjoy life. I got so lost in September; I’m finding myself again in October. I’m calling it now. IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT MONTH. Done.

(I will Robin Williams, I will, I promise!)

What I Read:

–If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. With September always comes one of my favorite aesthetics of all time, dark academia. The two in my mind are just intrinsically linked and I have no regrets. This book has a psychological, in your head, murder, but also Shakespeare! spin that I just immensely enjoyed. The story revolves around a group of seven conservatory trained actors and the various works of Shakespeare they preform throughout. They all have their roles, the hero, the tyrant, the villain… and it isn’t long before that role starts to take on their real life. So of course there is a dramatic murder. I loved the story resonance throughout the book and how the characters roles shifted with their arcs. The tale was beautifully rendered but I admit this book won’t be for everyone. If you enjoyed The Secret History then this book is right up the same alley. One of my favorite quotes that really portrays the essence of the story is “How could we explain that standing on a stage and speaking someone else’s words as if they are your own is less an act of bravery than a desperate lunge at mutual understanding?” (pg. 114) and that line really hit me in the face. Why do I write if not for my words to reach someone else and, even though we are in different spaces, reach some sort of recognition or shared feelings? To know we are not alone. It’s so human.

What I’ll Be Writing:

  • Poetry- posted every Wednesday
  • Writing Is Hard | WIP Writing Update- posted in the middle of the month
  • Snapshot! Monthly Recap- posted the last day of every month
  • Announcements- posted as needed

All of my fiction writings are independent of each other and stand alone so no need to read any of the previous work to understand. If you want more information about any of the above, you can check out the About page on my site or just click here.

I posted a surprise this month! My discussion post about why Autumn is a GREAT thing was totally unplanned and totally an impulsive decision that I just jived with. The best part being all the responses I got!! Who knows? I might think up more discussions for the future. Thank you guys for commenting and sharing your thoughts, really. Each one means the world to me ❤

September Round Up of Posts from Stupendous People:

To my fellow bloggers, this section is for you! Great, beautiful work this month guys ❤ There are many different types of posts above and all of them are 100% worth a look!

My Round Up of September Posts:

I found feathers everywhere this month. At first black feathers scattered here and there, showing up when I least expected them. Then white feathers appearing in droves as I walked around my neighborhood. Even the other day I found a blue feather. September was hard but I want to believe that there was a reason for it. I know there was a reason for it. Maybe October will let me know…

Either way, I’ll be sitting here sipping my tea, analyzing philosophical musings, and wondering where this journey is leading. Oh and, as always, searching for the magic.

Till next time,

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Snapshot 8/31/20 // “My Horoscope Might Have Been Right, Lol”

~ Jai Lynn ~ 4 Comments

Currently listening: “august” – Taylor Swift
Currently watching: Gossip Girl S1
Currently playing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Currently reading: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

August did seem to slip away like a bottle of wine. And I really did need the wine this month. Life has been chaotic at work since a lot of things are changing. COVID is still a thing. Boys are stupid. Weather has been violent lately. All in all August was not easy.

When I read my horoscope at the beginning of the year saying that August was going to be a bad month I just pfffffffft it. August is my birthday month, it’s summer, there is no better part of the year to me. Well. My horoscope was right. This August was a doozy. I’m just writing it off as 2020’s fault because anything that can go wrong this year seems to. It’s not my beloved August’s fault. Next year will be better. I pray.

August Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, and outlining my WIP! Check.
  2. Become more interactive on social media! Check. My activity was about the same as last month but given what a hell of a month this was this is definitely a check.
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! No check here. I didn’t have time this month to submit anywhere.
  4. Be nicer to myself. Check? Maybe? I don’t really know. Honestly, I feel like everything I know is a lie at this point and the world is on fire.

September (the month I used to dread but now enjoy) Goals:

  1. Continue researching, world building, prewriting, plotting, outlining & WRITING my WIP! Been doing this and will keep doing this till I finish my first draft this year! Gonna get it done. Gonna get it done. I believe in myself. I believe in myself. Yes. This is me telling the universe what I want & therefore hopefully sending out the vibes so I can get it done. (INSPIRATION COME AT ME, I’M READYYYYYYY)
  2. Become more interactive on social media! My handle is @jaiiiilynn4 for both Insta and Twitter so let’s connect! I definitely need to do better. And if I keep putting this as a goal and making this a habit I. DETERMINEDLY. WILL. GET. BETTER.
  3. Continue making submissions with my writing! Same as above. I. DETERMINEDLY. WILL. GET. BETTER.
  4. Be more present/observant in my life! Life get’s hectic but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be grateful for every damn day we have. You never know when or what can happen. I want to pay more attention to what’s around me. I want to expand my world. As a writer being observant is an important skill to have to make your writing as authentic as possible, and as a human there is nothing more valuable than being more present in your own life. No matter what happens good or bad. I do believe there is a reason for everything that happens and since time machines don’t exist (yet) we have to savor this moment… because this moment right now will never come again.

What I Read:

–American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I felt different after reading this book. Or, to put it in other words, I felt changed. The way I read it was a little disjointed, with time gaps between some chapters or bunches of chapters. Life got in the way. But this book in its way is also about life, the soul, religion, belief and America. Oh, America…. one day I’ll read this book again and maybe my review will make more sense than this paragraph I’ve cobbled together (is it just me or do a lot of books tend to leave me blubbering speechless with weird rambling reviews…?) this August of 2020 in one of the weirdest time periods of my life – and probably everyone’s life – but for now this will have to do. I enjoyed this book, it changed something in me (gave more levity to my life and grasp on what I value and how I think about things in relation to others) and that’s how you know a book’s good whether you liked it or not. I encourage others to read it if you haven’t already. It’s a weird story but a great one and an honest one I think...(which is honestly my reading vibe 98% of the time). Yeah, yeah, yeah…. Shadow too… I love Shadow. If you need any other reason to read it at all just read it for Shadow. Then that’s good enough for me. But if you really want to understand my garbled mess here then you MUST read the book. It’s very human, or whatever being human means to you. I think you will find that here in this book. Yes.. that’s the right way to put it…
–More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn. This book was all the good vibes after the seriousness of American Gods. I needed its slice of life, its sweet moments, its simplicity, its music (and there is so much music in thisssssss) and its healthy romance. There wasn’t any love triangle and there was barely any shenanigans with side characters competing for either MC’s affection. It was more wholesome and I loved that. It makes me want to have my own Luke Greenly to share songs over text with. He’s a down to earth, sweet, BRITISH, caring guy that I am here for. Vada I loved too. She is strong, and she knows who she is and what she wants and she is going TO GO GET IT. Go Vada!!! Go out there and get what you want. Life isn’t just going to hand it to you. Hard work builds the foundation and then one day you’ll make it. Man, did I just make a cute YA romance into a philosophical lesson. Probably, blame Neil Gaiman.
–Geekerella by Ashley Poston. I need to read more contemporaries, like, for real. I ADORED this. So MUCH. Geekerella is quite clearly a retelling of Cinderella but for nerds. If that doesn’t sell you already… well. It has falling in love over texts, it has celebrities, it has PUMPKINS, it has cute dogs and badass best friends and everything someone needs in their real life. Friendship, love, adventure and a little magic sprinkled on top. So go read it. Now. Especially if it feels like your life is on fire. Especially.

What I’ll Be Writing:

  • Poetry- posted every Wednesday
  • Writing Is Hard | WIP Writing Update- posted in the middle of the month
  • Snapshot! Monthly Recap- posted the last day of every month
  • Announcements- posted as needed

All of my fiction writings are independent of each other and stand alone so no need to read any of the previous work to understand. If you want more information about any of the above, you can check out the About page on my site or just click here.

August Round Up of Posts from Wonderful People:

Each of these posts resonated with me in some way. Some are serious, some are funny, but all are beautiful. Keep doing great work out there guys!!

My Round Up of August Posts:

August was a double edged sword. Good thing I like swords. I really believe that through this hell of a month something great will be happening (eventually). How were your months? Did you get a lot done? Do you remember anything fun you did? This month was a blur for me. I feel like I’ve been running with no destination and no end in sight. It will be okay. I keep telling myself and I’ll tell you too. If you had a hell of a month too, I promise it will be okay.

Everything’s okay in the end.

That’s a quote from something I read and since I am a writer (a woman of words) I trust quotes. And wine. Just kidding.

Till next time,

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