Fun Bookish Things To Do At Home
Hi readers and writerly friends!
With everyone trapped at home and most fun activities deemed off-limits due to the pandemic and concern for public health, many people are going stir crazy. Not to worry, though! Us introverted book nerds have been waiting our entire lives for this moment. Oh to be locked indoors for weeks on end and amidst a sea of books to lose myself in…
Okay, that was nice about three months ago. I think even the most reclusive readers are starting to itch for even a little sunlight and the mildest social interaction. Okay, maybe things aren’t that bad here in Oklahoma. In any case, I can’t help but feel like its about time to set the books down and get into some bookish activities instead.
Attend a Virtual Book Event
Penguin Random House Virtual Book Convention Poster
If you’ve been around for a minute, then you might know that I am a big of a gamer *blush*. I prefer to play Blizzard games like World of Warcraft and Hearthstone. Now, you’re thinking, what does this have to do with books? Well, let me tell you, every year Blizzard puts on Blizzcon—a fun, fantastical nerd convention based around all the games Blizzard fans love. Too bad this year, it was completely canceled due to the pandemic. A lot of events were canceled due to the pandemic. But one this Blizzard has ALWAYS done is put on a virtual Blizzcon for the millions of fans who are unable to make it out to California for the 3-day convention. Much like Blizzard, many other bookish conventions have converted their conventions to online format for the safety and accessibility of their convention patrons.
Virtual book events come in many forms—it could be a book festival, book launch party, book reading, or even just a virtual gathering of virtual book lovers. Book events are fun ways to interact with fellow bookish people and authors. Although its because of terrible circumstances, many book events have been moved online, thus making such events more accessible to folks from all over the world. I hope once the pandemic is all over, convention planners can continue to find ways to keep events accessible.
Authors are also moving their book launches online and it’s a great way to gain access to your favorite authors and celebrate their launches with them. If your favorite author is publishing a book, check to see if they’re having an online launch party. Many publishing houses and organizations are coming together to create immersive virtual events to connect book lovers from all over the world. . And authors, this is a fantastic way to get closer to your readers and build meaningful connections with them while staying safe. Amy Landino, author of Vlog Like A Boss and Good Morning Good Life (Check out my in-depth book review here) had an in-person and online launch party, just before the pandemic started complete with a countdown timer and champagne. Author Alexa Donne, of Brightly Burning, and The Stars We Steal, has put on (and continues to put on) 1st page critique live streams on her YouTube Channel for her readers and aspiring writers. These are great ways to stay connected with your reader base and for readers to better get to know and engage with their favorite authors.
Here are some online book events you can join:
Author Kelly Yang’s writing workshops for teens on Instagram (July 1st and 3rd)
Books Connect Us Live, hosted by Penguin Random House Ongoing (Previous events videos are available.)
Lauren Jackson and Christina Orlando spotlighting sci-fi and fantasy media on Instagram (every Thursday.)
LeVar Burton goes live on Twitter to read books (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.)
Middle Ground Book Fest (August 1st)
Virtual Thrillerfest 2020 (July 7-11)
Worldcon New Zealand (July 29-August 2)
You can find more book events in this list on Netgalley and this one on Book Riot.
Watch film adaptations of your favorite books
Another bookish activity you can do within the safety of your own home is watching book-to-movie adaptations. While it’s true, most books are better than their on-screen counterparts, sometimes it can be fun and refreshing to see your favorite characters and stories come to live on the screen. You can watch the classics, rewatch your old favorites and check out the recent adaptations as well.
Here are some that I’m currently watching/planning to watch:
Pride and Prejudice (anyone else out there still need to watch this whirlwind romantic classis at least once a year?)
Heart of Darkness (Yes, another classic, but since I just read the book in one of my classes, I thought it might be fun to see how the movie adaptation compares)
Silence of the Lambs (I’m saving this one for spooky season!)
The Shining (I’ve never seen this adaptation, and I think its time to give it a go, once fall rolls around!)
Wuthering Heights (okay, so I’m into the classics, what gives? 😂)
Jenn from The Bibliofile compiled a list of book to film adaptations coming out this year.
Join a virtual book club
I actually started a virtual book club with my guildies from WoW! If you’re looking for some bookish company while you’re stuck at home, joining a book club is a great way to go! You can chat about books with other members through Discord, Skype, Twitter, and Zoom! (We prefer to use Discord, but you can use just about any social media service to stay in touch with bookish friends!)
Here’s a screenie from my guild’s book club channel in Discord! I blocked out names and profile pictures for the privacy of my friends, but you get the idea! Our first book we’ll be reading is Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux, just in time for the Shadowlands expansion release in October 2020. 📚
Here’s a list of virtual book club lists from Time, the New York Times, Hugo House and The Nerd Daily:
Create a book journal/scrapbook
Over the years, journaling has grown in popularity and for many is a relaxing and cathartic exercise. A book journal is a great place for you to scribble down all of your bookish thoughts, favorite quotes, bookish pet peeves, favorite authors, book lists, mini reviews, reading trackers, and any other bookish musings. It’s you own little bookish corner, so just have fun with it!
The creative possibilities are endless here. You can create one from scratch with any notebook or use free printables available online! It doesn’t have to be elaborate or fancy ad long as it works for you! Etsy is a great place to find beautiful reading journals.
If you need some inspiration or help starting a bookish journal, here are a few useful links:
“Tips and Tricks to Start a Reading Journal in 2018” from Page Flutter
“31 Bookish Journal Prompts to Inspire You For a Month” from Book Riot
“Bookish Bullet Journal Supplies for Readers” from Book Riot
Start a Bookish Youtube Channel
Maybe all this extra time indoors is just the push you need to get you started with your new book-related hobby—making videos for your Bookish Youtube channel! If you’re anything like me, you hate being on camera, but don’t let that stop you from chatting about the books and authors you love. You can talk about books, do book reviews, record reading vlogs, do bookshelf tours, and tons of other fun, bookish activities for your internet friends to see. You can use a phone or laptop camera to record and free video editors such as Windows Movie Maker or DaVinci Resolve to edit the video. Audio editors such as Audacity work great as well, if needed. You can check out more of my favorite free content creation resources in my online course, How to Create A Stunning and Highly Marketable Website.)
Read an interactive novel
Take your book adventures to the next level by reading an interactive novel or chose your own story book. Interactive books allow you to engage with the story in ways that regular books just can’t. They allow you to steer the plot in different directions and towards several possible endings. Check out Bustle’s list of interactive books for adults.
You Are A Cat! by Sherwin Tjia.
Lost In Austen by Emma Campbell Webster.
To Be or Not To Be by Ryan North.
I remember how I got into the Starcrossed trilogy by Josephine Angelini by playing through an interactive novel on Figment when it was still around. In the book, Helen wakes up night after night of being trapped in a maze. The interactive novel on the Figment website consisted of readers making their way through the maze. It was so interesting and engaging and certainly brought my reading experience to the next level. R.I.P. Figment. 😭
Match books with objects or create outfits based on your favorite book characters
If you’re on book twitter or Bookstagram, you might have come across the #booksasoutfits trend where people match their clothes with books. It’s a fun way to play around with color schemes and dress up since most of us are stuck indoors lately. You can match books with anything, and you don’t have to share it online—just have fun with it! Likewise, you can dress up as your favorite character and see how you can bring their fictional styles to life with your own wardrobe.
Lauren Kiss’s YA book cover-inspired outfits.
Many bookish YouTubers have made videos following this trend. Lauren Kiss made one called “YA Books as Outfits.”
Create some awesome book art
This might be easier said than done if you don’t consider yourself artistic at all. But this is supposed to be fun so just dive in and don’t think about it! Book art can be almost anything—doodling in the margins of books, creating bookmarks, drawing your favorite characters, or making jewelry inspired by characters and elements in your favorite books.
It’s safe to say there’s something for everyone in the artsy/bookish world. You can paint the edges of your book’s pages to add in some colors and vibrancy. Or you can take an old book and make found poems out of the already-constructed sentences inside. You can make some amazing book sculptures with folded book art! If you’re into baking, you can make book-inspired cupcakes or try making a 3-tier cake inspired by your favorite trilogy. This totally counts as book art and it’s a yummy win-win!
This beautiful lakeside #wtj painting was done by @thepinkdoodler on Instagram. Check out the book-paintings all the artsy/bookish people are doing on Instagram with #wtj (stands for Wreck this Journal, created by @emma.wtj and friends.)
These lovely watercolor book paintings are were done by @rabiosa.art on Instagram. She says books hold up surprisingsletter-for-updatesly against watercolor. And the words make a lovely texture/pattern in the backdrop of any sheer watercolor painting. Likewise, she finds poems between the lines and couples them with her paintings which is such a fun idea! So, next time you want to bring some life to an old book, consider finding poems in the existing writing or making a beautiful landscape over the words.
And that’s it for my list of fun bookish things to do at home! These are just some of the things you can do, so if you think of some, comment below and let me know! I hope you enjoy this post and hopefully it gave you some ideas about how to spice up your reading life. What bookish things do you do at home? Thanks for reading! And if you liked this post, consider signing up for my newsletter for more bookish and writerly content.
Bibliography
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Spring Break For Writers: 10 Rules For Writing Your Book In The Woods
I had planned to write this blog post as a summer vacation trip idea for writers. However, with COVID-19 flipping everyone’s plans on their heads, it’s hard to say whether or not summer vacation will even be possible this summer. If you still want to get out of the house and write in the wilderness, keep reading for some social-distancing-safe tips for writing in the woods! If you’ve read my blog post on writing at the beach, you might see some overlap with a few of the tips, but what can I say? Some of these were just too good to leave out! If you haven’t yet read the post, click here to check it out!
Of course, we’re all trying very hard to keep a safe distance from each other, and with regular travel out of the question, we’re quite limited as far as summer fun in the sun goes. If you’re an introvert and/or a writer, this might not be the worst time in the world for you, and in fact, I have been enjoying the extra time at home! However, I too am starting to go a little stir crazy after being cooped up in my house for months on end (and not of my own volition).
Secure a stellar view
First things first: you’ve got to find a forest nearby. Obviously, you want to be safe, both for pandemic and general forest safety reasons. But check around to see if there are any camping sites you can visit safely during this time. Some parks may still offer campsites to visitors as long as they keep a safe distance from other park patrons. If you live near a more rural area, then this may not even be an issue for you. Just be mindful of park pests, bugs, and bears!
You want to find a nice, secluded area if possible. The serene sounds of the forest will help you stay focused while you work on bringing your next fantasy novel to life.
Brilliant campfire. Photo by Ringku Singha.
Set up goals for the trip
Of course, a writing vacation must entail some amount of writing, but it’s likely you will want to plan other things to do when you’re not writing, as well. Consider planning hikes, stargazing, and fishing trips if there’s water nearby. Additionally, you should outline your goals for writing. Consider your project and decide how much you actually want to get done on your trip. Then, cut that amount in half. If you end up completing more of the manuscript than you initially thought, awesome!
Get down and dirty with nature
Go hiking, fishing, swimming in the river. Cut up your own firewood and build a campfire. Test your survival skills and try to build your own shelter. Put all of the techniques you learned, from watching Naked and Afraid, to good use while you’re in the woods. If you’re writing a fiction based in the wilderness, having first-hand experience will increase the believability of your story and worldbuilding within. Additionally, pretending fend for yourself in the wild will immerse you in the moment and enrich your experience.
Illuminated tents at night. Photo by Cameron Vaughan.
Soak in the stars and solitude
There’s something so serene and calming about being out in the woods. Use this opportunity not only to stay focused and productive but also to employ some mindfulness. For most writers, it’s not everyday that they get to just sit out under the stars and write the night away. Be present during you trip so you can make the most of it.
Make sure to pack all the essentials
There’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and realizing you’ve forgotten something you knew you needed to pack. I’ve made a little mini list for writers to ensure they’ve got all the right tools in their toolkit for writing in the woods.
A comfy set of clothes for hiking in (don’t forget the boots!)
your Story Binder and a pencil! (if you’d prefer using a laptop in the woods, bring a solar charger so you never run out of power!)
a notebook to jot down random ideas and inspiration
a novel in another genre for leisure reading
Bug spray. Don’t forget the bug spray.
You might bring the anti-itch cream too, just in case…
Family walking through campsite at golden hour. Photo by Jon Cartagena.
Bring a friend or family member
If you’re quarantined with others, it can be hard to keep from biting off each other’s heads after being stuck in the house for months on end. Instead of being irritable, allow everyone to get some fresh air in the forest. Even just a change of scenery can work wonders for your relationships—both with loved ones and with your writing. On the flip side, if you’re quarantined alone, consider taking a solo trip into the woods! Just be sure to leave the horror books/movies at home if you’re travelling solo!
Limit your exposure
If you do end up bringing your electronics with you into the wilderness, make sure to set them down. It’s nice to capture the beauty of nature in the occasional Instagram photo, but don’t let notifications and DM’s keep you from achieving what you initially set out to do—get closer to finishing your novel, and experiencing the beauty of nature through your own eyes instead of a camera lens.
Write, rest, repeat.
Like I mentioned earlier, you will want to have plenty of activities planned, including writing and not writing. If you want to make the most of this trip, then take everything in moderation. Make time for writing and make time for resting. Then repeat. To have a meaningful AND productive writerly vacation, all it takes is a little discipline.
Make time for cold ones and fireside chats
Sitting by the fire is a fantastic time to get introspective. Chat with others if you’ve taken a family trip or write some poetry beneath the stars. Don’t forget to pack an extra cooler with your favorite booze for those late-night, fire-side chats. Consider sharing your favorite creepy stories or having a heart-to-heart with loved ones whom you might have taken for granted during this chaotic time.
Don’t get stuck rewriting.
It’s probably the hardest piece of advice in this entire blog post, but seriously, don’t get stuck rewriting. Work on writing only while you’re travelling and save the editing for later, once you’re home and once you’ve completed the first draft. I know it can be so hard to quiet our editor brains, but we have to if we want to write effectively. Remember, the edits can wait, but the writing can’t. Stay focused and happy writing.
That’s it for my 10 rules for writing in the woods. If you want to check out my blog post on 10 rules for writing on the beach, click here! Leave a comment telling me what you thought and if you’ve ever done any of these, or if you have any tips of your own be sure to let us know below!
Thumbnail photo by Gabriel Sanchez.
—Payton
Romantic Spa Day for Writers: Reserve A Relaxing Retreat and Recharge Your Creative Battery
Hi writerly friends!
One more week of romance posts for February and then we’re back to our regularly scheduled postings. This week in Reader Life, I’m giving you guys a guide to planning your perfect writerly spa get away! Couple it with your Romantic writing retreat for an amazing writer vacation! Next week, I’ll give you guys my list of the top 10 mushy romance songs so be sure to check that out!
Of course, you can make sue of these tips alone or have a partner participate!
Take a bubble bath
I mean it. Take a bath. While you may not be used to taking baths opposed to showers, they have been proven to be stress-relieving and relaxing. Pop in a bath bomb or some flower petals, light some candles, and grab the bubbles because you’re getting ready to have you-time!
Get and give massages
Sitting at a desk, typing for hours on end leaves the back, shoulders, and neck feeling strained. Book yourself a professional massage, couple’s massages or get with your partner and trade massages. Listen to relaxing music and put on some candles to set the mood.
Wind down with wine
Make sure to drink responsibly of course, but once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from writing and sit down with your favorite glass of red or rosé. Grab your current read or pop in ear buds to enjoy an audiobook while you wind down with your wine.
Yoga for writers
Like I said about the massages, writing can be strenuous work when you’re doing it for hours on end. Hop up from your desk every couple of hours and do some yoga! Kaitlin from Ink and Quills has come up with an amazing, yet simple 30-minute yoga routine for writers and I am obsessed with it! Click here to check it out!
Aromatherapy
If you’ve paid attention to the previous items on this list, then you know what I am going to say. Using candles and diffusers are a great way to keep your writing space smelling fresh and aromatherapy has been said to improve focus and productivity. Plus, the smell of lavender is just the best, so why not?
And that’s it for my 5 romantic spa tips for writers! What did you think of this list? Have you treated yourself lately? If not, try out some of these ideas and let me know what you think! Comment below and as always, thanks for reading!
Further Reading:
Thumbnail photo by Breakingpic.
—Payton
4 Romantic Writing Retreats For February
Photo by Nathan Dumalo.
Hi writerly friends!
Today we’re discussing Romantic Writing Retreats. What are these, you ask? Well, with most Romantic retreats, couples go off on a sort of mini-honeymoon to rekindle their love for one another and become acquainted with the romantic side of their relationship. However, since this is a romantic writing retreat, its going to go a little different. Of course, you can bring your partner, and kill two birds with one stone—not your partner, duh!—by revitalizing your romantic passion with each other, and renewing your passion for writing with this list of romantic writing retreats!
Photo by Valeriia Bugaiova.
Exotic getaway
Of course, staying in Thailand or Morocco is great, and if you can then by all means. But you don’t have to break the bank to have a refreshing and inspirational vacation. One way you can bring a little of the unknown into your writing space is to design your home with themed décor to match your destination or take a mini-staycation to a themed hotel. According to Daily Break, there’s at least 14 themed hotels to check out and they’re more entertaining than the local sights they’re build around. Unexpectedly, my favorite on the list is number 12, the Library Hotel Love Room in New York, New York, but unfortunately, I’d probably get more reading done there then actual writing, if I’m being honest.
The good thing about exotic getaways, mini-staycations, and mini-honeymoons as a writer is it gets you out of your everyday writing space and gives you a change to welcome new inspiration from your environment.
Writing in the woods
In a few weeks, I’ll have another blog post called “10 Rules for Writing in the Woods” and I’ll be sure to link back to it from here, but until then, consider planning a mountain hike or woodsy afternoon trip to do some deep thinking (and writing) with nature. Be sure to charge up your laptop all the way and don’t forget the bug spray!
Writing on the beach
Similar to writing in the woods, I already have a blog post called “10 Rules for Writing on the Beach” which you can read here. The beach, especially in the cooler months, can be such a lovely and inspirational place to get some great writing done. Rejuvinate your love for the written word by writing wave-side for a few hours. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.
Photo by Nadia Valko.
Rainy Day Writing
If you’re like me then, you identify as a pluviophile, or someone who loves rain more than sunlight and enjoys the peace of mind and refreshing nature of rainy days. What’s better than writing, for us, than combining our two loves—writing and rain? Take a trip to Seattle in the fall or take the day off when the next rainy day happens in your city, and take the time to write in the rain. Throw in a cozy blanket and a cup of coffee and I think you’ll have found writer heaven!
And that’s it for my romantic writing retreats for February 2020! I know it’s not much, but changing up your writing space just a little, or getting out into nature for a bit does wonders for the creative process. It will prove to be an inspiring mini-adventure (how many times can I combine the word “mini” with something else in one blog post?) and will help you to rekindle and refresh your own love of writing along the way.
What do you think of these tips? Have you ever gone on a romantic writer retreat? Have you ever gone on a solo retreat? Of course, you can bring your partner, but if you really want an effective writer retreat, consider going it solo and see how much time you enjoy spending writing with the trees or from the comfort of a fun hotel room! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading!
Further reading:
10 Rules For Writing Your Book In The Woods (COVID-19 Social-Distancing Safe Summer Vacation Ideas!)
Spring Break For Writers: 10 Rules For Writing Your Book On The Beach