Rachael Arsenault's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

Hey all! I hope the last month has been treating you well. I've been pretty busy with writing and personal life stuff, but I have a little article I'd like to share with you.

Over on Vocal, I published a little piece about date night ideas - just in time for Valentine's Day! The article is focused on date nights in Fredericton, New Brunswick, but the ideas I share might spark some inspiration even if you live elsewhere.

My article is also entered in a little contest, so liking and sharing it would help a ton!

Somehow, we managed to make it to the end of 2020. I don’t think I’m alone in saying it felt like this year would never end.

December was a quieter month than usual this year, but it still managed to be hectic nonetheless – getting stuff ready for the arrival of my baby, signing paperwork to officially tie the knot with my husband, navigating Christmas when I can’t travel to visit any of my family, etc. But it all turned out for the best! That being said, I’m more than ready to move on to a new (and hopefully better) year.

What I’ve Enjoyed
Books
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #2 by Matthew Mercer, Jody Houser, Olivia Samson, MSASSYK
One of my current favourite shows is Critical Role, so I am more than happy to consume these narratives in new mediums. The comics thus far do such an awesome job at capturing the characters of Vox Machina and their dynamics with each other, and I loved finally getting to meet Pike and Percy. Makes me wanna rewatch Campaign One!

Critical Role: The Chronicles of Exandria The Mighty Nein by Critical Role and Dark Horse Books
I guess I’ve been on a bit of a Critical Role kick this month. Well, no, let’s be honest: I’m always on a Critical Role kick. In any case, this book is GORGEOUS. Not only is all the art featured incredible, but I loved looking back on the Mighty Nein’s journey through this lens – the idea of framing the narrative through collected notes of Beauregard and other archivists is really fun and interesting. Hoping to see another edition of this capturing later events of the campaign sometime.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 7 and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 8 by CLAMP
While certainly not as nostalgic as going through the omnibus collection of the original manga, I’m enjoying this series nonetheless. It’s a quick read, and I’m intrigued by the new magic and how the plot is unfolding. Plus, even when things are serious, I always find CCS has a delightfully lighthearted, optimistic slant to it.

Articles
Researchers “Translate” Bat Talk. Turns Out, They Argue – A Lot
I don’t care what anyone says, bats are super cute. Also apparently much smarter than we previously thought, since their communication turns out to be super nuanced and individualized rather than broadly group based. Neat!

Why Detroit Residents Pushed Back Against Tree-Planting
A super insightful piece about the importance of community outreach and involvement in decision-making, no matter how beneficial a planned initiative might be. This quote puts it best: “However, environmental justice is not just about the distribution of bad stuff, like pollution, or good stuff, like forestry projects across disadvantaged communities. It’s also about the distribution of power among communities that have historically only been the subjects and experiments of power structures.”

What I’ve Created
Articles
How to Slow Down and Write the Quiet Moments in Your Novel
Just a quick bit of writing advice for anyone struggling to slow down their novel – or for underwriters! I really like putting these pieces together. It helps me think critically about my own writing and the techniques and strategies I use, while also helping other writers improve on their work.

7 Ways to Feel The Christmas Spirit When You Can’t Be With Family
I know I’m not the only person whose Christmas looked a lot different this year. It was the first time I spent the holidays away from my parents, and I definitely missed seeing my family – but I did my best to find ways to bring some Christmas traditions and Christmas joy into these much quieter, smaller celebrations with my husband. With that in mind, I wrote this piece to share some suggestions on how you can do the same.

What to Know Before You Publish Your First Short Story
All publishing can be daunting, and short stories are no exception. So I put together some advice to help guide people trying this out for the first time.

Other
2020 Reflections / 2021 Resolutions
I uploaded this blog post earlier in the month, but I thought it was worth sharing here, too. 2020 was a hard year, and I think it’s easy to get disheartened looking back on all the goals and plans we made that never came to fruition. However, I’m trying not to be down on myself – it was a wild year, and not one we could easily predict or prepare for – so I count any accomplishment as significant at this point. So if you’re looking for that kind of reflective positivity, please give this a read!

And that's that. It was a busy month, a weird year, and I'm ready to see what 2021 brings.

2021 started off pretty hectic, both in my personal life and the world at large. As I predicted in my 2020 Reflections / 2021 Resolutions post, I didn’t get a whole lot of reading and writing done this month. But hey: I was busy doing a bunch of adulting and paperwork, I was struggling through my last few weeks of pregnancy, I was recovering from a C-section, and – oh yeah – I was taking care of my newborn baby. So I think it’s fair to give myself a bit of leeway.

So, without further ado, here’s the small but wonderful selection of things I’ve enjoyed and created this month!

What I’ve Enjoyed

Books
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Aaaah, this was so good! I’d been seeing this book all over Twitter for a while, so I was stoked to finally actually get my hands on it. And it didn’t disappoint! Yadriel, Julian, and Maritza are a delight, and Yadriel and Julian had amazing chemistry together. Also, a trans protagonist, queer romance, and Latinx culture all made for a fresh read amongst the standard fare of contemporary fantasy and paranormal romance.

The World of Critical Role by Liz Marsham and Critical Role
Yet more nerdy indulgence – you didn’t think I’d completely leave it behind in December, did you? ;D This was a Christmas gift from my husband, and I’ve loved reading through it and getting more insight into the history of this amazing show and its incredible cast.

Articles
Portraits of Matriarchy: Where Grandmothers Are Still in Charge
An interesting look into a very different society from the one I grew up in, as well as the ways in which colonization and Westernization have impacted the traditions and values of the Mosuo. It’s also an easy read, full of gorgeous photos and insightful captions.

How Modern Mathematics Emerged from a Lost Islamic Library
I’m not much of a mathematician, but this article is still full of things I love: libraries, history, and dismantling Eurocentric ideas about history.

What I’ve Created

Articles
How Many Times Can You Defy Death in D&D?
Working on this was pure, nerdy self-indulgence, and it’s given me some ideas for fun character builds (though certainly nothing as extreme as the end result I came up with here). I definitely want to tackle more pieces like this!

Other
Is it too cheesy to say my favourite thing I created this month is my son? Too bad: It's true 😋


So that was January. Quite the way to start out the year – here’s hoping the rest of 2021 is less intense, but has just as much awesome reading material to offer. :D

How did you kick off the year?

I know February is the shortest month of the year, but this February felt especially short. Even still, I managed a decent amount of reading! It helps that I've been reading library copies of ebooks on my phone so I can snuggle the baby while I read. Also, I've learned that I can read anything - not just kids books - to help lull him to sleep.

What I’ve Enjoyed

Books
A Phoenix First Must Burn
I really, really enjoyed this anthology – I loved the variety it offered, and new spin some of the stories put on familiar tropes or subgenres. Definitely something for everyone in here. I highly recommend you check it out if you’re ever in the mood for some SFF short stories.

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
AMAZING! Not only was the plot of this story really intriguing and well-executed, but the characters were all extremely well-developed and I LOVED the magic system and world-building. Give me more giant rideable crows, please! Plus, Serapio and Xiala’s relationship was wonderful and heartbreaking. The inclusion of multiple queer characters doesn't hurt, either.

Articles
A 3000-Year-Old Painter’s Palette from Ancient Egypt, with Traces of the Original Colors Still In It
A super fascinating peek into Ancient Egyptian history and culture, as told through the symbolism of paint colours in art.

The Lost World of Socotra – One of the Most Alien-Looking Places on Earth
Super interesting look at the history and ecology of one very strange island. I loved the photos included in this article – makes me wish I could visit Socotra and witness its bizarre beauty for myself!

What I’ve Created

Articles
4 Tips For Titling Your Book
I’ve always struggled to come up with titles, and I know I’m not alone. So I decided to put together a quick little list of tricks that have helped me over the years!

5 Strategies for Overcoming a Reading Slump
I’ve struggled with various reading slumps throughout my life, including recently during quarantine. So I put together a little list of some strategies I’ve found helpful. Hopefully they’ll help you, too!


And that was February. I really enjoyed the work I read this month, and I'm glad I managed to find time to write a little, too. Now to see what next month and the anniversary of the pandemic have in store.