Bedtime Book Tag!

Erin over at The Book Archive tagged me to do this at the beginning of December and I'm finally getting around to it. This tag is perfect for me, considering it's physically impossible for me to fall asleep before midnight and I spend most nights awake until ridiculous hours of the morning.

A BOOK THAT KEPT YOU UP ALL NIGHT

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

This was one of those instances where I put the book down at 1 A.M, then picked it back up again five minutes later because I just had to finish it. 

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU SCARED TO SLEEP 

Can I pass on this one? I really don't get scared easily, and I honestly can't remember a time that a book has terrified me. 

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU GO TO SLEEP

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I've never actually fallen asleep because of a book, though I read this last year and despite loving the Muppet version, it was honestly one of the most boring things I have ever read. I know so many people love it, but it definitely wasn't for me. 

A BOOK THAT LEFT YOU TOSSING AND TURNING ALL NIGHT IN ANTICIPATION OF ITS RELEASE

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Even though my love towards this series has diminished over time, I was beyond excited for its release. When my preorder arrived I couldn't have been happier. 

A BOOK THAT IS YOUR DREAM BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND SHIP OF TWO SEPARATE BOOKS

Hmm. I just don't ever end up shipping characters from different books together. Something about splitting up current couples or taking a character out of their world makes me uncomfortable. 

A BOOK THAT WOULD BE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE TO LIVE IN

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I know this is a weird answer, but I couldn't stand to live in the Victorian period. I would absolutely hate it. It's full of patriarchal oppression, sexism, poverty and classism. There is no way I would ever trade places with Jane. 

A BOOK THAT REMINDS YOU OF NIGHT TIME

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

I know a lot of this book occurs at daytime, but when I think about it I always imagine Celaena creeping around at night. Midnight is in the title, after all. 

A BOOK THAT HAD A NIGHTMARISH CLIFFHANGER

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

To say why this cliffhanger was bad would be to spoil the entire series, but oh my god I would've killed for a few more pages (or chapters).

A BOOK YOU ACTUALLY DREAMED ABOUT

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

I've had multiple dreams about Harry Potter over the years. The one that sticks in my memory was where I was Voldemort's niece fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts. My brain does weird stuff sometimes. 

A BOOK MONSTER YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO FIND UNDER YOUR BED

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

I don't really get scared by reading books, but if the woman in black appeared under my bed I'm pretty sure that I would be completely and utterly terrified. 

I can't think of anyone to tag, so feel free to do this tag if you want to! Thanks again to Erin for tagging me! 

#WritersLifeTag

I've you've read any of my blog posts before you might know that I love to write, so it'll come as no surprise when I say that I got so excited when I was tagged in this. Rebekah @ Wings Made of Words was the one that tagged me and you should definitely check out her blog if you haven't already as she's amazing.

WRITE FUEL: WHAT DO YOU EAT/DRINK WHILST WRITING?

I don't eat anything specifically whilst writing but if I did, it would have to be Cadbury's Oreo chocolate. It's honestly like heaven in the form of a chocolate bar.

WRITE SOUNDS: WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO WHILST WRITING?

I listen so much music whilst writing that I'm probably going to do a whole post about this one day. I listen to a lot of movie scores/classical music when I write but there are pretty much songs of every genre on my playlist. For example, I've been listening to a lot of The Rolling Stones to get into the mind of one of my characters, but for another I've had Tchaikovsky on repeat. I also listen to a lot of musicals, rock, country and Disney (I'm not ashamed of this). along with practically every other writer out there, my go to track is Outro by M83.

WRITE VICE: WHAT'S YOUR MOST DEBILITATING DISTRACTION?

This is an easy question to answer: The Internet. Every time I go to write I get distracted by Twitter (or those Buzzfeed quizzes that are a wonderfully addictive waste of time). I do procrastinate a lot, but I do work on my WIP every day, even if it is just theorising a scene in my head that may or may not get written down.

WRITE HORROR: WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU WHILST WRITING?

I can't think of anything in specific, but probably those numerous occasions when I've got 50K into a novel to realise that I'm taking it in the wrong direction and have to start again. Even if that may be a good thing for the story I'm trying to tell, it really is frustrating.

WRITE JOY: WHAT'S THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU WHILE WRITING OR HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE THE SMALL VICTORIES?

Finishing a draft for the first ever time, without a doubt. I've only done this once, but last NaNoWriMo I wrote 100K in twenty nine days, finishing my WIP. You don't know how amazing it feels to say that I've actually completed a novel (even if it was a load of rubbish). Another thing that I love is when an idea I've been struggling with for months just clicks together. I don't really celebrate aside from giving myself a few days off, or by allowing myself to write furiously in solitude.

WRITE CREW: WHO DO YOU COMMUNICATE OR NOT COMMUNICATE WITH WHILE WRITING?

I don't really share my work with people much and at the moment I don't have someone that I talk through my WIP's with, but I'm very vocal in complaining to Twitter about how hard writing is. Though when I'm just trying to get a lot of writing done I shut myself in my room and don't talk to anyone until I'm done for the day.

WRITE SECRET: WHAT'S YOUR WRITING SECRET TO SUCCESS OR HIDDEN FLAW?

Okay, if you're looking for writing advice ignore what I'm about to say. The only time I've ever completed a novel was last NaNoWriMo. I wrote 100K in twenty nine days. The reason I wrote so much? I had mock exams and was procrastinating revision. Yup. That's my secret: write when you're not supposed to. Oh God, I'm such a terrible student.

WRITE-SPIRATION: WHAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU PRODUCTIVE?

I tend to get most of my inspiration either from Pinterest (my one true love), music or from reading/watching TV shows. Pinterest is probably the big one considering I spend an ungodly amount of time on there, and the board for my current WIP has 860+ pins on it. I'm also inspired a lot by history and mythology (the idea for my current WIP stemmed from the Hades and Persephone tale in Greek Mythology). If I'm ever feeling particularly unproductive, I go to these things.

WRITE PEEVE: WHAT'S ONE THING THAT WRITERS (OR YOU) DO THAT'S ANNOYING?

Um, one thing I find annoying is when certain writers assume that their way of outlining/writing is the only way to do it, and the best for everyone. What could work wonders for me might absolutely kill your novel. Everyone has a different writing process, and just because it isn't yours it doesn't mean that it isn't valid.

WRITE WORDS: SHARE ONE SENTENCE FROM A PROJECT. PAST OR PRESENT.

You honestly don't know how hard it is for me to find a sentence that I like which doesn't feature a violent murder or vulgar language (aka two of my favourite things). I should never, ever write for young kids unless they want to see mummy and daddy decapitated or something.

Anyway, this is taken from my current WIP currently called The Kingdom of Empty Souls.

“You don't just love a girl like Raena,” he said. “You burn with her.”

 So that was the #WritersLifeTag! Thanks so much Rebekah for tagging me! Honestly, I'm not sure who to tag myself, so if you want to do this please give it a go.