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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.

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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬? 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.⁠⁣
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@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.⁠⁣
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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.⁠⁣
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Here's my full, honest review of the book:⁠⁣
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𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆⁠⁣
★★★★★⁠⁣
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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.⁠⁣
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“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.⁠⁣
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It’s like True Blood meets Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Highly recommend!⁠⁣
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𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕?

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

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲.⁠⁣
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But once you invite readers into your bubble, things can get dicey.⁠⁣
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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.⁠⁣
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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.⁠⁣
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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.⁠⁣
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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

𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.⁠⁣
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I wrote fan fiction in my early teens and finished a short story in 2011 that I only shared with a few people, but then I went through a period of unfinished drafts for years.⁠⁣
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Self-doubt crippled my creativity.⁠⁣
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Once it came time to really focus on my writing as a career, the pressure suffocated me. Sometimes, I'd go months without writing because the process became so miserable. It wasn't even fun anymore.⁠⁣
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I knew I couldn't let fear keep running my life and stealing my creativity, but it ran so deep, it wasn't as easy as simply flipping a switch. I began a personal development journey to learn how to deal with it.⁠⁣
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In 2018, after a lot of work on myself, I decided to challenge myself to not only finish another short story but this time — to 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, as well.⁠⁣
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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙧 will always have a special place in my heart because it's more than just a story I enjoyed writing. It's a milestone in a very personal battle — a battle that I won.⁠⁣
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It's proof that I can finish things.⁠⁣
It's proof that I'm stronger than my fears.⁠⁣
It's proof that I. Am. A. Writer.⁠⁣
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Your fear doesn't have as much control over you as it wants you to think it does.⁠ YOU are the one with all the power.⁠ You just have to learn how to wield it.⁠⁣
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𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳 (𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚) 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒊𝒐.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫...⁣
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When we finally open up the world of our story to the first readers, it can be both exhilarating and uncomfortable.⁣
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Negative feedback on something you've worked so hard on can quickly shake your confidence. (And frankly, be very disappointing.)⁠⁣
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But constructive criticism is a valuable part of the writing process. It allows us to see our stories through fresh eyes, strengthen our projects, and grow as authors.⁠⁣
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𝟺 𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂 𝙾𝙽 𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙲𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙸𝚂𝙼 𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚁 ⁠⁣
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⇢ 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞.⁠ Each creator is a unique mixture of experiences, perspectives, and tastes — just like each person who comes into contact with it. A person's relationship to a piece of art (such as a book) is highly personal.⁠⁣
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⇢ 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.⁠ There is no “right” answer when writing a book — there is only YOUR answer. What do you like? What feels best to you? It's your creative vision, so you get the final say!
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⇢ 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.⁠ Whenever you establish a relationship with a critique partner or beta reader, get clear on what your goals and intentions are around feedback.⁠⁣
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⇢ 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.⁠ Other people's opinions on your work are not a reflection of you, they’re a reflection of them. People are going to bring all of their own personal experiences to your work when they read it, which consists of many variables, none of which you have control over.⁠⁣
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Check out my full post "How to Handle Criticism as a Writer" on the @agoraforwriters blog where I expand further on these tips!⁠⁣
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𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒎?

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