This Is What Happens When You Have A Shiba + A Bichon.

“I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the world turns and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you. I love you. With all my heart, I love you.”

— Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

Donnie Darko. Such an amazing movie.

Photo by Derek Story on Unsplash

The concept of dragons was thought of before dinosaurs were discovered

Favorite Reads of 2017: The year has come to an end and so it’s time to present you my favorite reads. At the beginning of the year, I choose to not participate in the reading challenge because it had all become about quantity. If you’d like to see the full 2017 reading list, click here.

08/24/16

Even if you can't see it yet, you add something important to this world. Every time you smile at someone, you make a difference. Every time you create something, whether it's fanfic or vent art, you make a difference. Every time you listen to someone, you make a difference. Every time you make someone laugh, you make a difference. Every time you do someone a favor, you make a difference. Every time you help someone out, you make a difference. Every time you speak up, you make a difference. Every time you express yourself and let others express themselves, you make a difference. Every time you take care of your pet or your loved ones, you make a difference. It may just be little things - but little things add up in the long run and it's good that you're here!

Writers: Your Skills May Need Time to Catch Up to Your Vision

Are you endlessly frustrated with most things you write? Do you find writing difficult, nay, impossible? Do you get the most fabulous ideas, only to find that executing them is incredibly challenging? That’s actually a good sign.

If you’re a new writer, and you have good taste, ambition, and originality, it’s going to take a while for your skill set to catch up to your vision.

If your story is difficult to write, it’s not a sign that you should quit or change your idea. Keep writing, keep reading, keep practicing, keep studying, keep learning, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing.

I repeat: If writing is hard for you, it does NOT mean you are a bad writer. If your story is difficult to write, it does NOT mean your idea is bad.

It means you have a complex vision and you haven’t developed the skills you need to pull it off yet.

Many times, you’ll gain those skills in the very process of writing your story. Other times, you’ll have to put down that story for a few weeks, months, or even years until your skills catch up.

The process can be slow, but your abilities will catch up with your ambition if you keep writing. So keep going forward. It’s cool if you get discouraged: That’s part of the process, too. But please don’t quit.

One more thing: Don’t throw away or delete anything. Keep all your writing, including ideas and first drafts that went nowhere. I have stories I started five years ago that I’m just now able to carry out as I had originally intended. If you get that you didn’t have a bad idea, just a skill you haven’t developed yet, then you’ll be less tempted to throw away your writing in frustration or shame. And in the future when you develop the skills you need, you’ll be really glad you have them to go back to.