Sara Raasch's Blog, page 68

Dark spring.This week has been rough. Anxiety out of control....

Dark spring.

This week has been rough. Anxiety out of control. Meh life things. I don’t really have an uplifting conclusion to this post cuz I yet again woke up with that completely uninvited crushing elephant of anxiety on my chest.

I think I might go buy a hammock today cuz why the hell not.

#authorsofinstagram #iris #anxiety

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Hey I can actually do my hair.I got to do one of my favorite...

Hey I can actually do my hair.

I got to do one of my favorite activities today: build a world with eager, excited writers. We took the most obscure things we could think of—garden gnomes; a frog playing a banjo; and a hidden world—and created truly epic, sweeping worlds full of political intrigue, secret identities, and forbidden romance.

I adore this exercise, both because it’s super fun seeing everyone get REALLY INTO seemingly crazy worlds (I swear, you’re gonna see a book someday about fascist banjo playing frogs bent on eradicating all snakes), and because it reminds me how this stage of the process should be. Freedom to create. No requirements. No judgment. Just fluidity and absurdity and creativity.

#authorsofinstagram #writing

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Shelfie as I sit on the floor, pondering plot tangles.What...

Shelfie as I sit on the floor, pondering plot tangles.

What books do you display most prominently?

I love gushing over my friends — I have a whole shelf of @kris10writes books, and others like @natalie_whipple’s VENGEANCE CODE and @oliviahinebaugh’s THE BIRDS THE BEES AND YOU AND ME are always face out.

#bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #bookshelf #shelfie

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Not a bad view, gray skies and all.I’ve been trying an insta...

Not a bad view, gray skies and all.

I’ve been trying an insta theme — quote pics on Monday’s, rotating selfie/non pics on Wednesday’s/Friday’s. It’s helped me post regularly, which has been nice. But like all social media seems to do, it’s starting to grate on my soul.

Are the pictures good enough quality. Can ppl tell I have no photography skills. Is the lighting okay. It isn’t okay. Oh god it’s horrible. And the selfies — do I look okay in this pic. This angle is so unflattering. But I shouldn’t worry about attractiveness right, I should be comfortable in my own skin but I’m not and I hate full body shots and I’ll just post another face pic instead.

Suffice to say, this insta schedule is not working for me.

While I liked forcing myself to post regularly, these mind games are exhausting. So I’m going to try to find a different balance — maybe post twice a week, no theme required.

Do you keep an posting schedule? What tips and tricks keep you Insta-sane?

#authorsofinstagram #cincinnati #instagram (at Newport, Kentucky)

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Never fails: if one person on my timeline goes to Europe, four...

Never fails: if one person on my timeline goes to Europe, four more will go too, so my feed will be inundated with gorgeous Venetian sunsets and French pastries and Spanish architecture and ugh it’s just not fair, it’s not, I’m bitter I’ll admit.

If you could go on a fabulous insta-worthy vacation to any fictional place, where would give you the best pics? I’m gonna be totally self-serving and say Winter, because OMG the icy wonderland shots would be unbeatable.

And if you like this gorgeous chakram (totally not a chakram but imma say it is) necklace, use code SaraR30 at @littleskystone to get 30% off your first order!!

#bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #snowlikeashes #travel

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This is the sign my local shelter puts up for the cats who are a...

This is the sign my local shelter puts up for the cats who are a bit more nervous than others, and I think it is BRILLIANT.

Every time I see it, I grab whoever’s closest to me and go “You see what they did? They used a word that evokes nervousness but in a positive way. I want a FEISTY cat. I want all the feisty cats!”

And whichever poor victim I’ve spewed this on will undoubtedly go “Um. Okay.”

But it’s such a good word, isn’t it? They took what could easily be a negative trait (nervousness, anxiety, aggression), and made it not only positive, but intriguing, all with one word. FEISTY.

What’s a word that you love?

#amwriting #authorsofinstagram

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Sky on fire.@kris10writes and I just started another round of...

Sky on fire.

@kris10writes and I just started another round of edits on SET FIRE TO THE GODS, and impossibly, I haven’t hit that “ugh I hate this book” stage. I mean sure, it gives us headaches you wouldn’t believe (gods are problematic in any world turns out), but omg, you guys. YOU GUYS. There are so many scenes I am DYING for you to read, moments packed with sexiness and sweetness, intense, destructive heartbreak, and ALL THE EPIC FIGHT SCENES.

This book is something special. Some magical combination of world and characters and getting to do all this with someone I would readily walk into an arena alongside.

One year, people. One year and SET FIRE is yours. #amwriting #authorsofinstagram #sunset #setfiretothegods

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I seriously considered climbing a nearby tree to get a straight...

I seriously considered climbing a nearby tree to get a straight down shot of this FLOWER CHAKRAM but I’m not *that* committed to insta pics.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve seen a bookish symbol? I see chakrams ALL. THE. TIME. Most notably in a bank’s logo one time??

#bookstagram #flowers #snowlikeashes

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Drafting a new project and chanting this like a battle...

Drafting a new project and chanting this like a battle cry.

#amwriting #authorsofinstagram #quotemonday

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Throwback to the overcast Atlantic shoreline, the icy gray...

Throwback to the overcast Atlantic shoreline, the icy gray water, and the salty wind; the feeling of standing on numb bare feet in the cold March sand, letting the ocean’s infinity stoke inspiration and calm.

One of the projects I’m currently toying with starts on a beach much like this. I pride myself on being #firenation (when you all get to read SET FIRE next year, Ash is my ultimate Fire Nation homage)—passion and life, loyalty and intensity, strength and heart. But I’ve noticed water crops up in my books just as often as flames—rivers and seas had strong themes in THESE REBEL WAVES. Steadiness and persistence, calmness and strength, potential and threat.

What elements make common appearances in your books?

#amwriting #books #authorsofinstagram #beach

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