Grab your free resources for writers + creatives →

Join the library!

Lindsay Elizabeth

Fantasy/Romance Fiction & Creative Living

learn moreAbout
what’s newBlog
lifestyle goodsShop

my worksFiction
writers & creativesResources

Clothes, shoes, bags, and more!

November 10, 2020 by Lindsay Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

THE AUTHOR

HI, I’M LINDSAY

I write fantasy/romance fiction and help creatives navigate the challenges of chasing their dreams. On my blog, you’ll find advice on writing, overcoming creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

FREE RESOURCES

FREE SHORT STORY

Recent Posts

What to Do When Writing Stops Being Fun
Guest Post: How to Not Let Rejection and Criticism Crush Your Creativity
Guest Post: A Complete Guide to Critique Partners for Writers

Powered by Creative Market

shop

lifestyle goods

Stylish printables, apparel, and home goods for readers, writers, and creatives to help you stay inspired as you pursue your dreams.
SHOP NOW

MENU

looking for something?

Home○
About○
Contact○
Legal○

Blog○
Books○
Creatives○
Shop○

hey beautiful

I’m Lindsay, an author and creative living blogger. I'm sharing advice on writing, tackling creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

join the

free resource library

𝐈 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝟑𝟐 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡. ✨⁠⁣
⁠⁣
(Swipe for a photo dump from my birthday week which included a stay with my two wonderful besties @kristineiza & @midcenturyminnie at Disney World’s Grand Floridian — a ✓ off my bucket list!)⁣
⁣
I learned a lot this past year, but one of the main things I want to continue focusing on in my next trip around the sun is 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I have a tendency to live in my head and get wrapped up in the future — trying to avoid mistakes, worrying about what could happen, attempting to control things, waiting for specific outcomes — and it robs me of enjoying what is already in front of me.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Being mindful of this, I've been making an effort to catch myself when I'm getting stressed about something outside the present moment (and outside my control).⁠⁣
⁠⁣
As an ambitious (and generally anxious) person, this has been a big challenge for me.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Funny enough, one of the tricks that helps me stay rooted in the present is to take a quick trip to the future to ask Future Me what I'll miss about today.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
We can have an eye on the future in such a way that inspires us and moves us forward without the destination becoming an obsession that keeps us in a state of perpetual ”waiting" rather than living.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Everyone talks about enjoying the journey, but I'm only just beginning to understand what that truly means.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Every season of life has gifts, some that won't be with us when we make it to the destinations we're currently striving toward. In the future, we'll look back on certain aspects of our current lives and be nostalgic for them because we didn't realize they wouldn't be with us forever, or didn't even stop to realize what a gift they were in general.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝟸 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚂𝙴𝙻𝙵 𝙳𝙰𝙸𝙻𝚈:⁠⁣
⁠⁣
× What do I have right now that I'll probably miss in the future?⁠⁣
× How can I make the most of where I am right now, in this season of life that I'm in?⁠⁣
⁠⁣
❝𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙩.❞ — FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧...?⁠
⁠
Besides being awesome, they're also the inspiration for my merch — and all of that merch is currently 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚!⁠
⁠
From 𝟭𝟭/𝟮𝟲-𝟭𝟭/𝟮𝟵, all my printables are 15% off and everything else is 10% off.⁠
⁠
This week, I dropped my latest collection, which is inspired by my love of fairytales. Swipe ⇾ through to see all five designs, including one inspired by @drewbarrymore's iconic character (Danielle de Barbarac) in one of my favorite fairytale retellings, Ever After: A Cinderella Story.⁠
⁠
You can check out the fairytale and Marvel-inspired collections, as well as all the apparel, mugs, and printables for writers in my Etsy shop (via the link in my bio).⁠
⁠
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅/𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧…⁠
⁠
Recently, I had to get honest with myself and accept that I’d hit burnout on my WIP 1/3 of the way through my second draft.⁠
⁠
For a year and a half, I worked on Project Coastline without taking a break for more than a week or two, except when I moved, which was a stressful experience so it didn’t feel like a “true” break (in terms of filling up my creative well).⁠
⁠
I‘d been reluctant to take a real break because of how anxious I am to finish this book, but I had to remind myself of the importance of recognizing when it’s time to push and when it’s time to pull back — and not let my impatience get the better of me.⁠
⁠
Creativity ebbs and flows. Sometimes, it needs a little pressure and discipline. Other times, it needs a little space to breathe. Part of the process of living a creative life is becoming in tune with what your creativity needs each moment in order to thrive.⁠
⁠
𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝚃𝙾 𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙳 𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙽𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙶𝙰𝙸𝙽 𝚆𝙷𝙴𝙽 𝙽𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙰 𝙱𝚄𝚁𝙽𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙿𝙷𝙰𝚂𝙴⁠
⁠
⇢ Give yourself permission to listen to what YOU need and what feels good. Yes, there are difficult parts to anything (writing included), but once it stops being fun at all, you know it’s time for a break.⁠

⇢ Get to know the difference between constructive pressure/discipline and destructive pressure. How does it feel in your body? The former will help you focus, the latter depletes you.⁠

⇢ Get rid of the noise. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to be creative. If you start comparing yourself to others too much, distance yourself from other voices for a while so you can reconnect with and get grounded in your own voice again.⁠

⇢ Refill your creative well, whatever that means for you at the moment. Maybe it’s reading/watching other fiction in your genre, maybe it’s focusing on other things that have nothing to do with writing. What are you feeling drawn to?⁠

⇢ Trust the process. It’s not going to be a clean, linear journey, no matter who you are.⁠
⁠
𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒕? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐-𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒕?

𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞

𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 "𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫" 𝐡𝐚𝐭?⁠
⁠
One of the coolest things to happen in 2021 (and in my life in general, tbh) is having one of my products included in an official @nanowrimo giveaway. As someone who's participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) multiple times, I'm still pinching myself!⁠
⁠
This weekend, they're running a series of giveaways for some really cool writerly goodies. All you have to do is donate to their nonprofit programs and you'll be entered to win the prizes featured during that timeslot as a thank-you for your donation.⁠
⁠
To see the full schedule and support their Double-Up Donation Weekend, head to nanowrimo.org.⁠
⁠
Good luck, everyone! 🖤✨⁠
⁠
𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒂𝑵𝒐𝑾𝒓𝒊𝑴𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓?

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Life is, by nature, filled with uncertainty. Even though we know this on a logical level, it's easy to get lulled into feeling like we have some sense of control and know what to expect.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Recent events have made it impossible for us to ignore the truth of life's inherent uncertainty. And it's disorienting.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
There's a lot I've had to process (and am still processing) about everything that's happened/is happening, and part of that is grieving the way the world was — along with my perspective of it.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I'm working on the acceptance stage. Letting go. Adapting. Recalibrating.⁠ And welcoming the lesson in truly living in the present.⁣
⁠⁣
𝟹 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝙷𝙴𝙻𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶⁠ 𝙼𝙴⁣
⁠⁣
× 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚: Allowing myself to dream again and practicing doing so without expectations or attachments. Saying "this or something better" about things I want has helped me find that comfortable middle ground that leaves me open to surprises.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
× 𝗗𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚: Working on ⁠the things I feel most called to and really sinking into the *experience* and journey rather than my expectations for the final product / destination / reward.⁠ I'm also bouncing between different creative projects to keep things fresh.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
× 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Prioritizing the routines that create a noticeable difference and help ground me — 10-minute morning meditation, yoga, eating well, working out, personal/spiritual development. Also, honoring my negative emotions when they come up rather than stuffing them down with toxic positivity.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
P.S. Totally unrelated, I'm very very excited for fall/spooky szn.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖? 🖤

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬? 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
@authorkkhavari's just published her urban fantasy serial "Blood Print" on Amazon's new Kindle Vella platform, where you can read serialized fiction (formatted like a TV show with episodes that are released weekly). If you're a TV lover (like me), you'll probably dig this format as much as I do.⁠⁣
⁣
You can read the first three episodes of any book for free, and new accounts also get 200 coins for free that you can redeem on anything.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Here's my full, honest review of the book:⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆⁠⁣
★★★★★⁠⁣
⁠⁣
I had the privilege of beta reading “Blood Print” by K. Khavari ahead of the official release and was blown away by the story she’s crafted. As a lover of contemporary fantasy, I was immediately drawn to the concept and Kate delivered on so many things I look for in the genre: intriguing mythology, mysterious and complex characters, and an unpredictable story that kept me guessing.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
“Blood Print” is a fresh take on the vampire trope. Science and technology play a big role in the story and bring an interesting, modern edge to the vampire world. The story’s pace is a nice, steady unraveling, but there were plenty of twists and turns that kept me on my toes, all underpinned by rich character development, especially where Ali and Smith are concerned. Just when you think you know everything about them, they surprise you. The ending left me excited for more from the world, the characters, and the story.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
It’s like True Blood meets Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Highly recommend!⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕?

Over the last year and a half, I fell out of pract

Over the last year and a half, I fell out of practice with a lot of my self-care routines.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
One of them was consuming personal growth content. I just needed a break while processing everything that was going on in the world.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
A book I'd started reading in late 2019 before I took a break was "The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living" by @ryanholiday. Every day, he shares a quote from a Stoic philosopher and a short passage with his interpretation of it.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
❝⁠Where can you find joy? What's the true measure of success? How should we manage anger? Find meaning? Conquer grief? The answers to these questions and more lie at the heart of Stoic philosophy.❞ — THE DAILY STOIC⁠⁣
⁠⁣
This week, I decided to start reading a passage a day again. I love the practical, thought-provoking ideas and observations that I can ruminate on throughout the day.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
If you're looking to cultivate a more mindful state of being, this book's daily, bite-sized wisdom is a great start (or addition) to the process.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒔 (𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔) 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖?

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
But once you invite readers into your bubble, things can get dicey.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Even though we know criticism is an inevitable part of the process (and even necessary for our growth as writers), it can still trigger negative feelings like self-doubt.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
One of my dear friends, @c.rann.writes, is a brilliant author who knows these feelings all too well. We’ve had some long, deep conversations about our struggles with it and she’s shared some excellent advice in her guest post on my blog, like the quote above.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
If this is something you experience, you’ll definitely want to head to the link in my bio to read her guest post "How to Not Let Rejection and Criticism Crush Your Creativity" for shadow work techniques that will help you navigate this challenging part of the creation process.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
𝑫𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒎 (𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎) 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚?

Thank you to @daniellethewriter.co for tagging me

Thank you to @daniellethewriter.co for tagging me (a million years ago) in the #writerlyintrobyfacts tag!⁠ I'm verrrry late to the party, but I'm here! It still counts, right? 😅⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲: Romantic urban and high fantasy.⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱: Mostly non-fiction, but when I do read fiction, it's usually the same as I write. (*Dos Equis pose*) ⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Impossible to choose.⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Twists, passion, complex characters and world-building, layered stories, lots of sarcasm.⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?: Happy for now.⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗿: Hybrid-- plantser!⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Indie publishing empire that leads to TV and/or movie deals.⁠ ;)⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀: Nora Roberts⁠, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gilbert.⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 14-year-old fangirl meets Elon Musk.⁠ I obsess over my characters, make copious mood boards and playlists, and get in my feels. But, I'm also a workhorse who makes super detailed outlines, spends years developing projects with complex world-building and plots, and always tries to push my work to the next level.⁠⁣
⠀⁠⁣
𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: My laptop, Scrivener, Evernote, Pinterest, Google, YouTube, and Spotify.⁠⁣
⁠⁣
If you feel like doing this, too, consider yourself tagged by me!

Copyright © 2021 · Lindsay Elizabeth · Hello You Designs