Jaclyn Paul's Blog, page 7

Recent reads (January-February 2019)

In What I Read Last Month, I recap the previous month’s reading and shamelessly copy and paste from my Goodreads reviews. You can read previous months’ What I Read… by clicking here. Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links, but despite wanting to support writers by buying books, I get most of mine from the library.

This is kind of a lazy version of What I Read Last Month. I’ve been trying to find a balance between brevity and substance in all my writing lately: in my emails, my blog post...

Year in books: 2018

Every year, I try to compile a ranked list of my reading. Sometimes I even remember to post it publicly! This is by no means precise, but I always have fun remembering all the books I read and looking for any trends (or blind spots).

I didn’t read any fiction that blew me away in 2018. The books at the top of my list were all good, but I would’ve loved another reading experience like The Hate U Give. I guess the relative scarcity makes those books all the more special.

Random stats

Just for f...

Business Diaries #1: where I’m at in January 2019

This post is part of Business Diaries, where I document my journey to grow a business around my blog The ADHD Homestead. You can read the full series here.

I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of my writing business in future posts, but first an introduction:

I founded The ADHD Homestead in 2014 with a dedicated but tiny audience. I felt committed to the blog, but didn’t immediately couple it to my professional identity. Who knew if it would take off, or if I’d be able to stay the course?

Several y...

2018’s surprise successes & 2019’s few-but-mighty goals

Remember that long list of goals I posted last fall? And how I said I usually don’t do big goal lists because I think they’re a terrible idea?

I stand by all of it. Maybe it works for some people, but it never has for me. I get excited about the actual goal-setting, but I have a lot of trouble keeping track of my goals after Day One.

That’s not to say I don’t have accomplishments to celebrate in 2018, or plans for an even better 2019. And I want to share those with you!

I hope to continue mai...

What I read last month: November 2018

In What I Read Last Month, I recap the previous month’s reading and shamelessly copy and paste from my Goodreads reviews. You can read previous months’ What I Read… by clicking here. Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links, but despite wanting to support writers by buying books, I get most of mine from the library.

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

DNF

It’s rare for me not to finish a book. I’m vain about my Goodreads Challenge, yes, but I also have ADHD and feel sensitive about unfi...

I deleted my Facebook data. It was harder than I anticipated.

Almost a year ago, I stopped using my personal Facebook profile. The contempt and incivility around the 2016 election left a bad taste in my mouth. Subsequent articles I read about how Facebook can affect our beliefs and relationships further soured me on the experience. Beyond that, though, I noticed how good it felt to take a break. Despite all the validation I sought from Facebook, I deeply appreciated the time I spent away from it.

I’d taken a big break once before: I deactivated my accou...

Fall 2018 goals update

Remember the goals I outlined in September? Even though it seems like just last week, I have to remind myself almost half of my work time has already passed me by.

It’s been a busy time: I took a solo trip to the beach to read and write. My brother-in-law got married in Florida and we visited family there for eight days. I started writing a new novel and further pondered my desire to create a spin-off app for Order from Chaos.

I set a lot of goals, knowing I probably wouldn’t accomplish all o...

What I read last month: October 2018

In What I Read Last Month, I recap the previous month’s reading and shamelessly copy and paste from my Goodreads reviews. You can read previous months’ What I Read… by clicking here. Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links, but despite wanting to support writers by buying books, I get most of mine from the library.

Looks like I haven’t posted on this blog since last month’s book reviews…oops! My personal blog plays second fiddle to my professional gigs over at Inkitt and The ADHD Homeste...

What I read last month: September 2018

In What I Read Last Month, I recap the previous month’s reading and shamelessly copy and paste from my Goodreads reviews. You can read previous months’ What I Read… by clicking here. Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links, but despite wanting to support writers by buying books, I get most of mine from the library.

September was a good month for books. I read two-almost-three novels, all of which I’d recommend to others. I haven’t made enough time for magazines, though, which is a bummer...

Contest reflections: BookLife Prize 2018

I’m not aiming for a rant here, but I want to take a few minutes to talk about the BookLife Prize.

Before entering an unfamiliar contest, especially one that charges an entry fee, I Google it to look for consensus. Do most people seem to respect this contest, or are there a lot of red flags? Is it worth paying for, or can I enter a similar contest for free?

My research on the BookLife Prize left me undecided. A post on Writer Beware, along with a few other comment threads, gave me pause. On t...