Month: January 2021

Life, Writing

Hindsight…

AJ Niblock

This month has been pretty great so far. I’m taking the time and settling into my new routine for the year. (Just in time for it to change again as my daughter might finally get to attend in person school again, which we are both super excited about). However, as I’ve been working on my new goals for this year, I’ve also been reflecting on what I actually accomplished last year. Despite the superbly weird year that it was, it wasn’t all bad.

Here’s what I actually managed to accomplish…

  • Read 40 books (I’ve underlined the ones that were high points in the year for me).
    • The Library of the Unwritten
    • The Starless Sea
    • The Destined Queen
    • Bright Lights, Big City
    • Night and Day
    • The Shadow of the Wind
      • I adored this book. I don’t want to give away the plot but it’s about love and revenge. It’s soooooo good. READ IT.
    • Fledgling
    • Beautiful Darkness
    • Grand Union
    • Locke and Key Vol.1
    • Batman Arkham: Black Mask
    • Mastiff
    • Predator’s Gold
    • This Mortal Coil
    • Scythe
      • I sat down to read this and didn’t get up till I was done. Imagine being and working for grim reapers in a society where people don’t die anymore…..
    • The Stone Sky
      • This is the third book in a series. If you haven’t, read them all. The series is amazing and this was the perfect end to it.
    • The Girl in the Spider’s Web
    • The Left Hand of Darkness
    • When You Reach Me
    • Cursed
    • The Lovely Bones
    • Follow Me to the Ground
      • This book definitely falls into the “weird tale” category of fiction. It’s bizarre and amazing. I can’t explain it; it’s too weird. Read it.
    • The City We Became
    • This Savage Song
    • Magpie Murders
    • Lost Boy
    • Practical Magic
    • The Invention of Hugo Cabret
    • The Dreaming Vol.2
    • Walk Two Moons
    • Our Dark Duet
    • The Constant Rabbit
    • The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Vol. 1
    • Black Market Unicorns
    • Word by Word
      • This is a non-fiction book about how dictionary entries are completed. I found this whole book fascinating, and the author is funny. Great read!
    • The Lost Plot
    • Wayward Son
    • The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Vol. 2
    • Born a Crime
    • Shatter Me
  • Wrote and published my second novel
    • If you haven’t heard, the second book in my series is out now on Amaon! Buy your own copy here:
    • Black Market Unicorns
  • Wrote 12 short stories (click the links to see last year’s short stories)
  • Finished a cross stitch gift for my sister
    • I stitched her some flowers with a snarky saying. It’s one of my favorite projects I’ve completed. (You can see it below this list).
  • Moved
    • We moved from Kansas to Washington, and even though it was rough, we did it! We are settled in now and everything is going pretty good here. I just can’t wait for the schools to open because my daughter is getting cabin fever!

All in all, it wasn’t a bad year. It was challenging, I’ll give you that. Anyway… let’s move on…

Happy reading and writing this month!

prompt, Writing

January 2021 Writing Prompt

AJ Niblock

It’s a new year! And it’s already off to a tense start for a lot of us… I’m trying to focus on the positive. For my family, some good things have already happened this year.

The biggest news for us is we sold a house that we’ve owned for a few years, but we haven’t lived in for 5 years because of moving. I’m so excited to not be a home owner! I know that might sound strange to some, but I’m a worrier. Living across the country from the house and trying to rent it out and care for it has been stressful for me. I’m glad it’s over.

In addition to that, not much has been happening. I’ve been setting my goals and personal projects up for the year. My goals for 2021 are:

  • 1. Read 45 books
  • 2. Complete my third novel (it’s about 2/3 of the way drafted already).
  • 3. Write 12 short stories (return to my blog every month for the short story of the month)
  • 4. Finish my flower needlework project
  • 5. Finish my Grimm Fairy Tale Cross Stitch

I might add to my goals as the year progresses, but for now, I’m starting small.

If you come here to read the prompt and short story every month, let’s get started!!!

The first prompt for the year is:

I sat down next to her on the couch. It was time to start telling the truth. But I couldn’t just dive into the heart of the matter, so I started with the little things. I told her…

Complete the Story

Just like last year, here are the requirements for my short story every month:

  • A. Using the prompt, write a story of at least 1000 words and post by the end of the month
  • B. All 12 stories for the year will be related. They will be in the same “world.” (If you read last year, I wrote about a magical family of sisters and their extended family).

Happy reading and writing this year!!!!