Life Updates

I've been sitting here for the last three minutes or so trying to think about what to blog about this week. Then I started beating myself up a little bit, telling myself as a writer I should always have something to write about. I have countless novel ideas I'm eager to get to, but when it comes to blogging, I'm fairly new at it. Blogging to me is a diary that you're willing to share with the world.

Once I started thinking about diaries, I decided to just make this blog about my life, to share some things that are new. I've never really kept a diary. I've tried many times, but I haven't been able to consistently work on it like I have a piece of fiction. I don't know what it is; I honestly think it's because I feel the unnecessary need to write an entry every day even though there's not something interesting to write about every day. It's not that I live a boring life (no one does), it's just that the way I was forcing myself to write it was making me feel like a boring person. Some of the entries were literally what food I ate that day and that was it.

So I should probably start with any writing updates because writing is a huge priority in my life. I write and read a little every day, and right now I'm writing an eating disorder dystopian novel. I don't know the title yet, and I'm not going to give away the idea, but I'm enjoying writing it so far. Because I struggled with an eating disorder, I'm incredibly passionate about spreading body positivity. I'm also starting a public speaking thing about eating disorders and the appearance ideal, so I thought what better time to finally start that dystopian book I've been thinking of writing for so long? I like that this book is a challenge. I'm used to writing romance and young adult and realistic fiction. While this dystopian is mocking society today, it's still worldbuilding. And worldbuilding is no easy task. It's set in the future, and I have to tackle the issue I want to tackle by making up a society that doesn't exist. I'm loving it so much, but I have a feeling this book is going to become Revision Central once the first draft is done. I have nothing to complain about right now though because all I'm doing now is writing it. And as any writer will tell you, that's the fun part :)

I'm also enjoying summer right now. I work a student job at Michigan State University where I go to school, and basically I get paid for doing little office jobs. I have tons of time to write and read and do stuff I want to do too just because there's not a lot that needs to be done. It's a really good job to have and I'm grateful for it. I'm also hoping for some beach days and stuff. Because I live in Michigan, the weather has been on and off, some hot days, some cold. I'm planning on having a picnic sometime next week.

Another class just graduated from my past high school and I think it's crazy how time flies. I'm also a little jealous because I didn't get graduation or prom because of COVID. I'm even more jealous at the young people, until my mom gets at me for calling myself old and therefore calling her elderly by default. Haha.

Another thing is I have a boyfriend now and he's the greatest. We're getting close to a month now, so it hasn't been long at all. But I have a good feeling about him. He's twenty-three so he's a little older and mature and knows what he wants to do. He has a plan for the future and I love that, and we both respect each other's passions even though my passion is writing and his is cars; two very different things. I guess I can't explain it. We just get along well, and I hope it lasts. I'm not going to jinx it or anything because I've had a lot of short term things not work out. But I'm happy right now with him and that's all that matters. I saw him last night. I showed him around my subdivision (we went on a walk) and then we got pizza and continued binge-watching Ozark; we're already on season 4; we're close to having binge-watched the entire series together now.

Let's see. What else?

I don't know. I'm trying to make progress with writing this summer and relaxing a lot. I guess the next thing off my bucket list is a nice summer trip with some friends. Maybe Michigan Adventure or a road trip. I miss my college friends and hope to do something with them soon.

I totally recommend this writing prompt to literally anyone. I guarantee even if you think you're boring or don't have a life, once you do this exercise, it makes you realize just how much of a life you do have. Even if you're saving your money this summer and staying home, there's still plenty that can happen close to home. I hope reading this was at least a little interesting. I know that writing it out made me feel better.

Oh, this is a good way to end it: I'm also starting a writer's group with a couple girls from my class so that'll be good. Writing, food, and new friends are three things that I say definitely go together. I'm excited to see how that goes. We're planning on meeting at Starbucks. We started talking about our struggle with staying motivated to write in the summer.

So if you're struggling with that too, I can tell you what we said. We talked about having a schedule to write a little bit every day. For me, I make a set time for me to write. I'm always a little hesitant and lazy to start, but once I pick up my pen and start going, I have to force myself to stop. Don't think you aren't a writer just because you don't feel like writing. No writer ever feels like writing one hundred percent of the time. The good writers make themselves write because they have to do that in order to put themselves in a position to be able to get in the zone.

I even got in the zone while writing this.

I dare you to try it.