Month: May 2023

Bre Writes Book Reviews: The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg

This is the third book by Charlie N. Holmberg that I’ve read. She is slowly becoming my favorite author, and not just from her books, but from her podcast Your Mom Writes Books and her instagram.

That being said, I struggled to get into this book for the first few chapters. There was something in the writing that felt stilted to me, felt like it was trying too hard to be written in an older dialect of English. But thankfully, as the novel went on, the language relaxed and I could enjoy it more.

There were so many small things in this novel that I absolutely loved. But one aspect that really stood out that I had to really think about how awesome it was was the different point of views. For Enna, the main character with a soul, the POV was in close first, whereas for Maekallus, his few chapters, are in distant third that gets increasingly closer as he gains more of a soul.

The relationship that grows between the two characters is perfect in so many ways. There’s an old bit of writing advice that says “If your characters have to kiss to show us they’re in love, you’re doing it wrong.” This book takes that idea and turns it on its head. The characters kiss, but the romance takes a while to develop and it gives it a fresh perspective. There’s a bigger aspect than just a hinted at romance.

I really enjoyed the character of Enna and her struggles to do the right thing all while dealing with Maekallus and his shenanigans. Their relationship was so beautiful, so moving, that it was impossible not to root for them in the end. The ending was decent as far as the action went, but as a reader of romance, I was there for the romance.

The beauty of their struggles was so well written, and so well explored from both sides.

Without many spoilers, I have to say during one of their meetings, I literally said out loud: “Get you a man that flings snakes!” And then died of laughter.

I really enjoyed the book, but there are a few things that didn’t sit quite right with me. I’m going to try and write a review where I don’t give a ton of spoilers away, but I have to talk about the missteps and the beauty of the ending.

Holmberg sets up this big problem for our two protagonists, or what seems to be this big problem and mainly the reasons why these mistings (evil beings) are called to the human realm, and then it’s solved in a way that simultaneously feels right, and yet doesn’t feel right. I know the story is supposed to be a romance, but a little more than a subtle fix with the big bad would have been nice. More of a struggle for Enna and what she had to do would have been nice too. On the other hand, I love the ending for our two protagonists, so I can’t be too mad about it.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

I would have liked a little more explanation of the lore of the worlds. For a good part of the book, we hear about Enna’s grandmother’s notes. I thought they would be more essential to the plot, or Enna’s father’s role in the previous war, but that wasn’t that essential either. It was a great story, but I wanted more lore, more to anchor me in the world.

I would even take a sequel that explores those things more. The world was so rich it’s practically begging for it.

What should I read next?

Thoughts on The Writing Process: Fun

Writing can be a strange hobby to have sometimes. With all the talk of “publishing” and “editing” and “making money from your hobby”, it can easily become like a job.

Over the past year or so, writing felt like a chore. I got wrapped up in the expectation that I need to be making money from my writing. I got wrapped up in school and figuring out what to do with my degree. I got wrapped up in the perfection bubble and it paralyzed me for a while.

I used to be able to put out first drafts in months, but for a long time my writing has been stagnant. I even posted on TikTok a few months ago when I finished a project that it didn’t feel the same, that it felt hollow. Still, I’ve been chugging along, hoping the inspiration will come back.

In the last few months I’ve made writing a daily habit and it no longer feels like as much of a chore. But that’s not what this post is about. Habits are important, but there’s something more important than habits.

A few days ago, something clicked. Most of the pieces I’m working on are still first drafts. First drafts are supposed to be fun, they’re supposed to be quick and ugly and hastily written garbage, but most of all FUN!

Even the edits I’m currently working on can still be fun. So far, I’ve added a few songs, and a few more prophecies. It’s been an enjoyable process, because I finally realized I’m making it fun.

I can’t believe it took me that long to realize I wasn’t having fun, or letting fun in. Writing is a hobby before it’s a business. Writing is something I do for fun, and if it makes me money eventually, that’s fantastic.

I will be an author some day, but I am still allowed to have fun with my hobby. I’m allowed to not take myself seriously sometimes.

Here’s to more fun and more silliness.

Stay tuned!

April Results and May Goals

This year, April wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. Usually April is my worst writing and creating month, but not this year.

This year, I decided to embrace the mantra of “Fun!”. I often stress too much about little things and things that don’t matter. Thinking like that has made me regret a lot of things and miss out on opportunities, so now I have decided to change my outlook and find the fun in what I can.

Here’s how I did in April.

April Results

Writing

Edit Another Arc of Book 1

April simply wasn’t the month for editing. Not because of the usual reasons of April being filled with grief, but because other projects demanded my attention and seemed more fun. I did as much as I could, but I needed a break from editing. With any luck, in May I’ll return to it with more gusto.

Camp NaNoWriMo/35K in book 3.

While I didn’t do really any work in the book I was supposed to be working on for Camp NaNoWriMo, I did manage to get more than 35K in all the projects I’ve been working on. I’m still counting it as a goal reached, because 35K+ spread through everything I’ve been working through this month has been spectacular.

Poetry

Poetry as a goal was hit and miss. I did finish my poetry class for my bachelor’s program and did write/edit a good grip of poems. I did work on a few poems at the beginning of the month and make decent progress, but in no way did I work on Poetry every day like I had planned. Still, some progress is better than none.

NYC Midnight

This goal is a double add on goal. I had the NYC Midnight 100 word Micro-fiction contest planned, but forgot to put it as a goal. That went well, with only 24 hours to write and edit 100 words and tell a story. Another competition that came back as a surprise was the NYC Midnight Short Story Competition. My submission from January got 5th place which meant I got to go onto Round Two. I submitted that story and had so much fun with it. Things are starting to get exciting in the writing world for me.

Personal

Exercise

Exercise was a little better in April. I started making a conscious effort to go out for a walk when I could and get some kind of exercise in. It was nowhere perfect and nowhere where I wanted to be, especially as the month wound down. When I did exercise, I did pick up the pace more and added a little jogging to my usual walks. It makes me feel a little better and so far it has seemed to help me reach my goals quicker. I used to hate running, and I still do, but not as much.

Journal

As much as I wanted to make this a perfect month, it didn’t happen. There were days where it was impossible to make it to the page for one reason or another. A few were travel related, another was work related. Overall, in April I missed 4 days. Hopefully, in May I won’t miss any.

OTHER NEWS

In other news, as I mentioned, I finished another class for my bachelor’s program. This effectively means I have two left. I’m getting closer to my dream and I couldn’t be more excited. I am looking forward to what the next few classes hold and possibly what might be coming after that.

I have a creative project in the works that is getting closer and closer to being done and being out in the world. I can’t say much right now, but once I can I will be shouting it from the rooftops and blasting it all over wherever I can.

My dental work is finally done, with the permanent implant in, so no more horrible plastic whole mouth fake tooth retainer. I could not be happier, even though my mouth still feels “naked” after weeks without the retainer. I’ll eventually get used to it.

I have picked up another creative hobby in singing and while I’m not as good as I was in high school with daily practice in the choir room, I do feel like I’m finally finding my voice and not trying to imitate others. That’s a big milestone for me. While no one may hear me for a while, I do enjoy singing in the car as I drive to and from work.

Word Count: 45,696

May Goals

Writing

Edit One Short Story

I have a massive list of short stories to be edited, even though I have done more than I thought with the last few NYC Midnight competitions. I would like to work through another one this month and add it to my list of completed works for the year. 2023 is the year of editing, even if I didn’t do much of it in April.

Edit An Arc of Book 1

May means it’s time to get back to the serious work of editing. I didn’t do much in April, for a lot of reasons, but now I’m ready to get back to it and keep the progress moving forward. With any luck I’ll be able to make it through a few chapters in May.

Finish A Project (of any kind)

I have a lot of open projects that I’ve had for a long time. I think the oldest project I’m working on right now I’ve been working on, on and off since 2015. I would like to get some of my older projects done and out of the way so I can start something new. Knowing my luck and the class I am currently in, the project I finish might be related to school, but I’m ok with that. It will be some kind of fiction. Perhaps I’ll even finish two or three projects.

Personal

Exercise

I feel like now almost halfway into the year, I am starting to build a better routine. While I haven’t been able to get out every day and exercise, I at least think about it and make a plan. I don’t always stick to the plan, but I’m hoping in May I’ll get out more and notice more positive changes in my body.

Journal

April was not the best month for journaling, but I hope May is better. I feel so much better when I get my thoughts out of my head and down on paper. There are several days when it gets repetitive, but the journaling still does help. I would like to not miss any days during May and then keep the trend going for the rest of the year.