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Book Talk: What I Read in December
I already hinted at this one in my November reading list so if you’ve been following my reading journey in 2025, this last instalment of Book Talk for 2025 shouldn’t be a surprise. But in case you didn’t know, every December since 2020, I’ve been leaning into my annual, end-of-the-year round of existential dread and reading perhaps the most terrifying sci-fi series ever written. At least to me anyway. It’s a tradition, don’t worry about it. But there’s just something about the snow—and it finally snowed here last week—that makes me look at the night sky and think about the horrors that hide in it. I know that sounds unhinged.…
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On Writing Introverts: How to Write an Introverted Character Who’ll Steal the Scene
In the past, we’ve talked about character archetypes: your villains, your brooding anti-heroes, your morally grey favs—I could go on. But what we haven’t talked about is how to make the personalities of certain characters fun. And I know, you’re probably thinking: what’s she on about? To that, I say—here me out. In today’s blog, we’re going to take a closer look at a type of character that can easily come across as boring. Maybe it’s because we can’t have them say much or be reactive like other characters. Maybe they just don’t like to go out and so, at face value, you’d say that they don’t offer much. Not…
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How to Write Thrillers
I think there’s no secret that I love reading thrillers, mysteries—anything really with a good twist. So, as we’re exploring the different genres of writing and how you can become a better writer, I thought it might be interesting to talk about how to write thrillers. And like all the different genre guides we’ve covered so far, there’s actually a lot more that goes into writing thrillers than you’d think. Seriously, I’ve always thought that I couldn’t handle genres like murder mysteries and thrillers because of how amazing they are, but now—well, we’ve got the formula, so who knows? Maybe one day, after I’m done with my manuscript, the muse…
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On Writing Techniques: A Guide for Writers Everywhere
As you may know, I’ve spent the better part of this year trying to figure out how to edit my manuscript. That’s high-key why I’ve been talking about writing a book a lot. Because I’m living it, and it’s been…a journey (to put it lightly). And here’s what I’ve learned: no matter how brilliant your plot is, if you can’t execute it well, it falls flat. The difference between a story that keeps you up at night and one you abandon on page 50? Writing techniques. When you read a book that pulls you in completely—where you forget you’re reading words on a page—that’s not magic. It’s the result of…
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How to Set Your Goals When You Don’t Know What You Want
My youngest sister recently graduated over the summer; I wrote a blog for study tips for her if you’re interested. And since her graduation, we’ve been having a lot of conversations about what she wants to do next. She’s enrolled in grad school now, but she keeps coming back to the same question: what am I actually working towards? And honestly? I get it. Because here’s the thing—we live in a world obsessed with goals. Set your intentions. Manifest your dreams. Make a five-year plan. But nobody’s talking about what happens when you can’t even figure out what you want in the first place. You’re not lazy. You’re not unmotivated.…
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How to Write Fantasy
I’ll be honest, I’m not a fantasy reader. Apart from the classics, I don’t really have any fantasy books I’m into right now, and I think that might have to do with the fact that I feel like a lot of modern ‘fantasy’ books always have a more dominant subgenre that people seem to gush about. Yeah, I know. It’s a bit snobby, but that’s my vibe around. I feel the same about science fiction too, by the way. In my opinion, a lot of sci-fis these days are just meh. It’s hard to find a good one. And I guess these feelings around these two genres come from the…
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Book Talk: What I Read in November
November’s been quite happening if I do say so myself. Between school and a dramatic Black Friday at work, I feel like I’ve been tethering at the edge of glory. Or madness. And yeah, this analogy is the direct result of a few books I’ve been reading this month. But also because of my general romanticisation of the coming winter. And let me tell you, it’s been cold but not nearly as cold as I want it to be. I want the winds to beat against the floor length windows wrapping three quarters of my apartment. The fog to make it impossible for me to see if the bus approaching…