Brooke Riley's Blog

An Update On My Current WIP

At the beginning of November, I decided to take on the Novel November challenge hosted by Pro Writing Aid. While I do not use the services Pro Writing Aid provides, they were hosting a free challenge to replace NaNoWriMo, which for those who don’t know was a challenge set forth to write 50,000 words in thirty days. To do so, all you had to do was write 1,667 words every day at minimum.

Novel November had a very similar premise. Write 50k words in thirty days. Earn badges along the way. It was g...

The Dichotomy of Reading

There are two main arguments that have been swirling around reading on the internet for a little while.

Argument One: Reading is rebellion. Reading is always political. When you read, you are reading to gain something. Anything else is anti-intellectual.

Argument Two: Reading is for fun. It’s to escape real life issues. When you read, it’s to not think about anything. Anything else is too complicated.

In the wise words of Freddy Carter during an interview for Shadow and Bone, “Why can’t it be both...

You Don't Have To Do Everything In The Morning

My mom said something to me the other day that really stuck with me. Something that made me realize I had been draining myself for a little while with a need to be productive from the moment I open my eyes.

For context, I go to my “9-5” much earlier than 9am. I have a very early morning job, which means I do have quite the space in the afternoon of free time as I get off earlier than most people with normal jobs do.

But, for some reason or another, I have begun waking up at 4am to squeeze in a wor...

Writing Diaries: Chapter Two

When you begin the pursuit of creative endeavors, there is always some sort of payoff. No, money doesn’t always begin rolling in at the beginning. But you feel satisfied. You feel like you’re on the right path. It gives you inner contentment that you’re doing what you love, whether it brings you money or not.

But there is never anything wrong with wanting to divert to a new path or pursue something different for the creative career you’re on.

Lessons are learned regardless of how you begin. And a ...

Writing Diaries: Chapter One

why has writing become so hard?

I’ve wondered how I’ve lost sight of the joy that used to fill me up back when I was fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, getting lost in the worlds of my own making. but the truth is simple.

that kind of writing was just for me.

when I first began writing a book, I didn’t have intentions to even publish it.

and then slowly, I shifted into wanting to publish a book.

I went through pen names and ideas and concepts and it all came back to self-publishing in the end.

but before I ...

Why I'm Returning To My Author Instagram

I know I said I was done with Instagram not even a full year ago. Back in March when I learned my book was pirated and used to train AI, I was devastated. I felt betrayed.

But now, the government has chosen to betray us further by making TikTok sell itself to American investors.

Why is this a bad thing? Well, perhaps it isn’t inherently a bad thing. But these investors have strong Pro-Israel ties. (Meaning that they probably take funding from Israel. Even if they don’t, this is bad news.)

Since the...

Writing Diaries: Prologue

I’ve published four books and written many more manuscripts, so you would think I would have it all together when it comes to writing.

But every time I’m gearing up to starting a new project, I find myself lost in the chaos of what to do. And here I am again, feeling a bit lost and confused of what to do. Not only am I struggling to decide on the book I want to work on next, but I’m also struggling to figure out how to figure out the characters and the concept without plotting too much.

If I plot ...

Goodreads: Why I won't be using it in 2026

Goodreads was the first “social media” platform I ever joined. I began my Goodreads when I was about seventeen or eighteen. Before I was an author, I used to write reviews on there. I had a screen name or username instead of using my name because, at the time, I had initially intended to write books under a pen name.

Then I decided to use my name. And when I became an author, I stopped writing negative reviews because that’s the common courtesy.

I deleted all my negative reviews, and eventually I ...

how to train your brain to not need social media in the modern age

You don’t need me to tell you how not to doom scroll when there are countless videos on YouTube and other platforms, but since I have been advocating for social media detox, I figured it would only be fair to share with you what I have personally done to resist the doom scroll.

Step One: Replace the Apps.

Look.

Let’s be really honest with ourselves right now.

We scroll as a distraction. There is nothing wrong with needing a distraction at different points of time. Why else do we create hobbies and o...

literature in the age of social media

To be in a different era of time when literature was viewed through a different lens. Where how many books you read in a week, a month, or a year didn’t matter because you weren’t competing with the people online. You read books to become someone else, to learn something outside yourself.

Literature was about expression and it wasn’t about quantity, but quality. I long for the days where I set a thirty-minute cooking timer and I sat curled up in my room, in a chair or in my bed near the window an...