Tag: books

Wrap-up: 20 things that made my 2024

On By Alice StrathernIn Miscellany, Personal

Every year is unique, and that’s such a beautiful thing. You never know what will come your way. Isn’t it great that you discover new interests out of “randomness”? Isn’t it wonderful that you also get to celebrate milestones? All events, no matter how big or small, are worth noting.

Every discovery, every win, reveals a piece of our journey in life.

Here’s my traditional list of 20 things that made my year.

  1. Celebrating my son’s milestones as a toddler
  2. Completing 200 pages of my new book
  3. Visiting Spokane for the first time
  4. Visiting Barnes & Noble for the first time
  5. Switching to Threads
  6. Reading “A Radical Awakening” by Dr. Shefali
  7. Reading “The Power of Now” by Ekhart Tolle
  8. Reading “Aura” by Carlos Fuentes
  9. Discovering binaural beats
  10. Enjoying a great meal at Major Tom
  11. Trying a baked Alaska for the first time
  12. Bashar
  13. Discovering bandcamp and getting into vaporwave music
  14. FM Skyline
  15. Jared Pike’s dream pools
  16. Music inspired by dream pools
  17. Liminal spaces
  18. The pleasure of reading Long Reads
  19. Rick Rubin’s podcast
  20. Having meaningful conversations with Meta AI assistant on Instagram

Creative Fears: What if People Criticize Me?

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset, Personal

One of my creative fears as a writer was being criticized.

I used to doubt my storytelling skills. I thought that, as soon as I hit the “publish” button, I would receive comments at how “meh” my plot and characters were. As I was getting ready to release Kaleidoscope Eyes, my first novella, I feared I’d only get one-star reviews.

Truth is, this is my current rating:

In the age of rates and reviews, I’ve learned that remaining true to my calling is what matters the most. I’m writing, I’m sharing, and I’m constantly improving. Even while experiencing all kinds of fears, I decided to put my novella out there. I was aware that some people would like it, and others not so much.

So how do you deal with that fear of criticism? In my experience, there’s no step-by-step formula. However, if I could mention one thing that has been useful for me, that would be a mindset shift: let reviewers tell what they want to say, either positive or negative. Let them be. Having a piece of work in the public eye involves getting all sorts of comments. That’s inevitable.

Ask yourself is their feedback is useful to you in any way. If so, then implement them in your next pieces of work.

External opinions are out of your control. All you can do is staying committed to deliver your best work possible every time you share/publish online or in any other format.

Dare to be disliked. Your work is not for everyone, and that’s okay.

When Your Creative Intuition Says Make it Anyway

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset

What if you followed your creative intuition wherever it led you? Imagine if you did so fearlessly and without overthinking your every step.

An aspect of the creative process involves dealing with self-doubt. “What if I fail?” “What if this doesn’t make me any money?” In an attempt to make those questions go away, it’s common to talk to peers or mentors and seek their approval. While this action in itself is alright, it’s also important to validate your own voice and instincts. Otherwise, it’s someone else deciding your next moves.

Even after getting feedback, the doubts are still there. “What if what I’m creating is irrelevant on social media?” “What if no one interacts with my content?” There’s that need for external validation again.

It happens to me too.

As an author, I keep an eye on newly released books. I can’t help but notice that there are some genres that get more attention than others. Sometimes I wonder if it’d be a “safer” bet to embrace one of those hot genres and see how that goes. My struggle sounds like this:

“Wow, other authors are making it big in that genre. Should I go for it too? Nobody else seems to be writing in the genre I do. Would switching to popular trends be beneficial? I could also get more engagement on social media. But still…I’m not so sure.”

It’s exactly in the middle of that inner debate that creative intuition kicks in. That’s when I need to be real and ask myself: “does this genre truly align with the type of story I want to tell?” Most of the time, I find that I’m more excited to work on a book idea that wouldn’t fit into any of the popular trends.

When doubts get the worst out of you, I want you to remember that…

Continue reading “When Your Creative Intuition Says Make it Anyway” →

20 great things about 2023

On By Alice StrathernIn Inspiration

A great year is ending. Since 2020, I’ve been posting 20 things that have been making my year wonderful.

I’m really pleased to see that there’s a little bit of everything. This time, even food made it. Whoa. At the end of the day, experiences are what matters most. I’m glad I could capture most of them.

So here’s 20 great things about 2023.

  1. Celebrating my son’s second birthday
  2. Having my mom around for two months
  3. Creating art with my mom
  4. Playing my mom’s favourite childhood game with her
  5. Writing 100 pages of my new book
  6. Having fun in my writing classes and meeting some great and inspiring women.
  7. Seeing Depeche Mode live for the third time in my lifetime.
  8. This specific video from the concert. You can actually hear me scream!
  9. Enjoying Memento Mori, especially My Favourite Stranger and Soul with Me.
  10. Reading Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
  11. Reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  12. Getting to know Kurt Kobain through his personal diaries
  13. Trips to the zoo on Sundays
  14. Paul McCartney’s lyrics
  15. Tuna and salmon poke bowl
  16. Janet Jackson’s music
  17. Rediscovering some old songs I’ve always loved: Happy Together, Kiss the Rain, I Can Dream About You, The Hustle, Reasons, Hold Me Now, Don’t You Forget About Me.
  18. Sade’s music. Anything she sings is powerful.
  19. Alicia Keys’ music
  20. Discovering Neo Soul and Nu Urban Jazz.

Things that made my year – 2022 edition

On By Alice StrathernIn Miscellany, Personal

We’re getting closer and closer to the end of 2022. Where did the time go? Funny how time flies when you’re having fun.

Here’s a list of things that made my year:

  1. Celebrating my son’s first birthday.
  2. Having my mom around for two months and celebrating my son’s birthday with her.
  3. Publishing my debut novella Kaleidoscope Eyes.
  4. This interview about my novella.
  5. Realizing that, as independent author, learning takes place every day, and it’s scary and fun at the same time.
  6. That it’s important to focus on the step in front of me, not the entire staircase.
  7. Learning about Amazon Ads for authors.
  8. Writing #LetrasDesnudas.
  9. Joining Té de Querer for some great writing workshops and making new friends.
  10. Publishing three articles on Excélsior (Mexican newspaper, all available in Spanish): Carta para la niña que se convertirá en mujer, Promesas de hoy para un mañana seguro, and Urge modelo de salud con perspectiva de género.
  11. Discovering the Curious Fox podcast.
  12. Rediscovering The Chase Jarvis Live Show.
  13. A great podcast in Spanish, Hablemos Escritoras.
  14. Joining Good Reads as an author.
  15. Learning that Depeche Mode is releasing an album next year.
  16. Finding joy in writing my newsletter.
  17. Listening to some great artists: Neo Soul, Toni Braxton, Sade, Tom Jobim, The Human League, Spice Girls, and Alicia Keys.
  18. Castella tarts.
  19. Tuna and salmon poke bowls.
  20. Janet Jackson’s album “Control”.
  21. Learning the meaning of surrender.
  22. Tara Brach’s talks and meditations.
  23. Waiting Game by Junior Boys.
  24. Toda Tercafeira by Soul Quality Quartet.
  25. Deciding that my new NFL team is the Seattle Seahawks.

 

Grateful for all the lessons learned. Grateful for the wonderful people who walked with me every step of the way. Grateful for all discoveries. Looking forward to 2023!

The creative process to write books: a series of changes

On By Alice StrathernIn Mindset, Personal, Writing

As I published Kaleidoscope Eyes, I’ve been thinking about the creative process to write books.

There’s all kinds of strange highs and strange lows. On the most challenging days, blocks fill you up with negativity: “Is this good enough?” “Is anybody going to be interested in this?” “Why would someone want to read an unknown author?”

While writing my novella, I went through stages where I thought my work had no potential. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to finish the job for not having a compelling story. Self-doubt was a huge obstacle.

However, part of the creative process to write books involves finding ways to overcome those blocks and stay tuned to your creative seasons. I’d like to share my experiences here.

Continue reading “The creative process to write books: a series of changes” →

20 things that made my 2021 interesting

On By Alice StrathernIn Miscellany, Personal

We’re just about to finish 2021, a year full of life-changing events. I’m grateful for all the experiences I had, and all the opportunities that came my way, especially for writing.

New priorities redefine the way I live my days, but there’s always a chance to make room for all the things that matter to me. I’m confident 2022 will teach me how to become better at it.

Here’s the list of 20 things that made my 2021 interesting.

  1. Getting pregnant and giving birth to a baby boy
  2. My mom’s visit for two months
  3. Publishing an article on women’s empowerment in Excelsior, one of the most prestigious newspapers in Mexico. (The article is available in Spanish only).
  4. Collaborating as a blogger in Apocrifa Art Magazine. I wrote about indie authors, creative entrepreneurship and writing life in general. (All articles are in Spanish).
  5. Taking a course on creative writing for the first time in my life. It was wonderful.
  6. This video on the importance of being yourself. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever watched on YouTube.
  7. Reading more in Spanish. This year I read El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera, Ficciones, Cuentos Naturales, Plagio, La Ciudad Oculta 2, and Mucha Madre.
  8. Discovering the following musicians: Chet Baker Quartet, Debussy, and Vangelis.
  9. This song
  10. Finishing my book!
  11. Dave Gahan’s Imposter album
  12. Depeche Mode’s photo book
  13. A playlist I made to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day
  14. Discovering that I want to explore folklore through dancing. Watching Amalia Hernandez’ ballet was inspiring.
  15. Deciding that, someday, I’d like to become a judge at the Olympic Games
  16. Playing Mario Kart again
  17. Meditation as a more regular practice
  18. Writing about beginnings
  19. Writing more in Spanish
  20. Buying books for my son

An author’s mindset for the editing process

On By Alice StrathernIn Thoughts, WritingLeave a comment

I recently wrote about the editing process when you are a new author. This time, I want to talk about an author’s mindset when working with an editor. Interactions will vary from person to person, but I think it’s worth noting a few aspects before the work starts.

What do you need to know about this professional relationship you’re in the process of developing? I attempt to answer with a few thoughts and my own experiences for you to have an idea.

Continue reading “An author’s mindset for the editing process” →

How to approach the editing process when you’re a new author

On By Alice StrathernIn Beginnings, Writing1 Comment

Last month, I experienced one of the greatest moments of joy that a writer can savour: finishing a manuscript. Seeing every chapter full of life, dialogues and monologues was glorious. Celebrating such an accomplishment was certainly meaningful; however, the work doesn’t stop there. The next immediate action is seeking an editor.

I did my own rounds of editing, but I’ve always known that, when it comes to ensuring that your story flows properly, a fresh pair of eyes is a must. This is the first book that I’m self-publishing, and it’s crucial to invest in its quality so that the world can enjoy it.

Continue reading “How to approach the editing process when you’re a new author” →

New Year: Planning your progress

On By Alice StrathernIn Beginnings, Writing2 Comments

The beginning of a new year is one of my favourite seasons. Everybody is genuinely trying to be a better version of themselves. I think this is a noble cause. We can affect our environment a little bit by bringing some positives vibes.

At the same time, we wonder how long we’ll be able to maintain our goals and turn them into a reality. While it’s a long journey that requires a lot of energy, I recommend focusing on solutions rather than resolutions to obtain realistic results.

Here’s a few more thoughts and my list of personal objectives for 2020.

Continue reading “New Year: Planning your progress” →