Stepping out of your comfort zone
In this Edition:
NOTE: This blog post should’ve been posted on July 18th.
Quote
Update
Motivate: What’s holding you back?
Book review: MAYBE SOMEDAY by Colleen Hoover
Book discussion: July book club picks
Final thoughts
Update:
This past weekend (in July), I didn’t get enough sleep. I went to bed late and got up early because we did one of our mini trips we’d previously planned (before we came to our senses), a trip to Dollywood/Pigeon Forge. (We have a final summer trip planned for next weekend, and I hope I survive it.)
Anyway, one of my favorite parts of this trip was staying at The Inn at Christmas Place, a Christmas themed hotel. I don’t usually like staying away from home, but this place was magical.
I stayed up after the girls went to bed, wrote a little, and explored the Christmas decorations. I then would wake up early, go down to the lobby while my family slept, get a large cup of “Christmas Blend” coffee, and sit by a heavily decorated/huge Christmas tree. It was very pleasant. (More on this later.)
I don’t have editor news, which isn’t unexpected. It could be months before I have anything worthy of mentioning.
The new novel (THE LOVE PENTAGON) is going well. I’m working on it whenever I get a chance. As I might’ve mentioned, my goal was to keep this novel at or below 90,000 words. Well, I’m now over 92,000 words and have a lot more to go. I want to panic about this, but I’m not. I’m getting the story down as it is in my head, and then I’ll shape it and edit it down.
I’ve discovered I work better when I have something to shape rather than trying to make it perfect from the start. I can only edit what I have. I cannot edit what I don’t have.
Motivate:
When I was sitting amid Christmas decorations in July, I started thinking about how happy the décor made me. We restrict holiday décor to, well, the holidays, and I usually like it that way because it makes them special. If we had Christmas décor up year-round, it probably wouldn’t be as special.
Some items should be restricted to preserve the magic, but there are other things in life that we might restrict when we don’t necessarily have to because of social pressure or societal norms. You might not wear your hair a particular style, wear a certain outfit, or XYZ because it’s “just not done.”
I’m not about to say you should commit sins or illegal acts, but I am suggesting that you should question what your holding back on or what you’re not doing simply because you’re scared to do it.
If it makes me happy to decorate my house in a winter theme, but someone else thinks it’s silly, I have to decide which is more important to me: my happiness or someone else’s opinion of what I’m doing?
I used to want to “go with the flow.” I didn’t want to make waves, didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and I didn’t want to do anything someone else would think was unusual. My opinions were based on what others would think of that decision. As I get older, I realize I’ve held myself back. My enjoyment is more important to me that someone else’s opinion of me.
Again, not advocating for dangerous or destructive behaviors here. It might make you happy to eat 5 Snickers every day. (This example comes because I’m craving Snickers). Someone might look down on you for eating 5 Snickers every day, but I’m not suggesting your attitude should be, “Screw you! I will do that thing that makes me happy despite to consequences!”
But for those choices that shouldn’t really matter to anyone but you, consider doing them. If I want to pull out Christmas décor any time of the year, I’ll do it. It doesn’t hurt anyone, but it might enhance my life.
Final thoughts below.
Book Review:
Maybe Someday
by Colleen Hoover
I can’t seem to stop my Colleen Hoover kick. The real reason I end up reading Colleen, aside from her being a NYT bestseller & writing well-regarded romance and me wanting to explore those big sellers because of my own writing, I tend to batch my reads. And if I like an author’s work, I like to exhaust those works. If they’ve written one outstanding novel, maybe they’ve written more than one outstanding novel.
I’m itchy for a good suspense/thriller, but until I finish this Women’s fiction/romance (it’s heavy on the romance) that I’m writing, I will continue to immerse myself in this genre.
Anyway, onto MAYBE SOMEDAY…
As usual, the official summary of the book is below, but here are my thoughts/impressions:
This book was intriguing from the start, but it didn’t hook me until over 20% in, and then, I was hooked. I finished this book quicker than I usually do because I had to know what happened. I found myself irritated that my reading time would get interrupted. BUT the novel destroyed me. It was definitely worth reading, but it affected my mood, put me in a melancholy state I had to recover from.
This is an unusual love story where feelings are torn, and the heart goes in 2 directions, but it’s lovely.
Music is a strong part of this novel as well. Colleen Hoover teamed up with Griffin Peterson, singer/songwriter, to create a soundtrack for this book. The songs and lyrics that are explored in the novel are available to listen to as you read. So when the main characters write a song, you get to hear it. Since the songs mean so much to these characters, it makes for a dynamic reading experience.
You can find the songs in a few places online: here’s the link from Colleen’s website.
I definitely recommend this book, but be prepared to have feelings.
Goodreads summary:
Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope….
Maybe someday…
Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…
Current read:
Trying out MAYBE NOT (a part of the same series as MAYBE SOMEDAY). It’s pretty short, but honestly, I’m not too enthused. Not sure if I’ll keep going. I’m more curious because I’m already invested in the characters more than being sucked into the book for what it is.
Celebrity Book picks for July:
Reese’s Book Club Pick:
HONEY & SPICE by Bolu Babalola
Category: Coming of Age/Diverse Romance
Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she’s made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships”, players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell,” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink.
They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won’t be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?
Oprah’s Book Club Pick:
NIGHTCRAWLING by Leila Mottley (STILL LISTED)
Category: Literary Fiction
A dazzling novel about a young Black woman who walks the streets of Oakland and stumbles headlong into the failure of its justice system—the debut of a blazingly original voice and “a soul-searching portrait of survival and hope” (Oprah Winfrey)
Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club:
THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick
Category: Magical Realism/Literary/Women’s
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.
It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.
From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?
Final thoughts:
Is there something you’ve stifled because of someone else’s stated opinion or fear of what someone else’s opinion might be? Consider the impact of that decision.
Don’t hold yourself back.
This is why I started signing all my emails with “Much glitter”. It makes me happy. If I don’t think it’s going to hurt me professionally, I’m going to do it, even though it’s not typical, even though other people aren’t doing it or might not even like it. I do.
Shine the way you want to.
You don’t need someone else’s permission.
Until then, much glitter,
Melissa
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