Christine Smith

Know the Novel – Part Two: Within the WIP // A Writer’s Tag

Post published:November 1, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:3 Comments

I cannot believe we are here in November. It is the month of writing, and if you're diving deep into the rush of story creating, this tag is for you! Welcome back for Part 2 of the Know the Novel tag, writers! You may be just gearing up to start your story today or have been at it for a while (we're halfway through FicFrenzy, I can hardly believe it!) or are taking a calmer approach and writing in your own time. But whatever your November looks like, I hope you're allowing some time to honor your dream and give…

Know the Novel: Part 1 // Introducing Unwind the Shadows

Post published:October 10, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:14 Comments

Fall's FicFrenzy is nearly upon us! Soon I'll be taking advantage of the motivation fall always brings me to type madly away at a new project! Sooo today I'm answering the Know the Novel prompts to introduce you all to the thing that may or may not turn me into a hermit for a month. I'm so excited, guys. Last year, I didn't heavily join in on Fall's FicFrenzy due to life and health and other priorities taking precedence, which is perfectly fine. But boy, do I miss the mad rush of immersing in a first draft for the entirety…

Know the Novel – Part One: Introduce Your WIP // A Writer’s Tag

Post published:October 1, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:18 Comments

OCTOBER IS HERE. And not only has one of my favorite months of all time graced us with its presence, but it also means gearing up for writing for a lot of us writers which also means... *drumroll* Know the Novel time! I'm pretty sure we writers thrive in the fall. And by thrive I mean stock up on an unhealthy amount of caffeine and candy and hole away in our writing caves for a month at a time only emerging at odd hours to mumble something incoherent about wordcounts and probably needing food. It's great. But if you're a…

I live! // An Update, Know the Novel, & FicFrenzy

Post published:September 3, 2024
Post category:Life Writing
Post comments:20 Comments

Hey, friends! I do in fact LIVE. And I'm poking my head in from my hiatus for a little life update and to announce some exciting upcoming things. Whew. It's been quite the past couple of months. In my last post, I mentioned that I needed mitral valve replacement surgery. I am very happy to say that is over and done with! I had surgery on July 19th and have been recovering ever since. It wasn't all smooth sailing, but God was so good through it all. Strangely, the surgery itself was the easy part. I felt so much peace…

Mid-Year Update // Seasons, Rest, Surgery, and A Hiatus Notice

Post published:July 16, 2024
Post category:Life
Post comments:9 Comments

Happy July, friends! I am a bit (read: a lot) in shock that we are here at the halfway point of the year. But this seems like the perfect time to reflect on the year thus far and share some updates. 2024. Goodness, it is blazing by. So far it's been both a lovely year and a stressful one, but that's one thing I've been learning through this year: the most beautiful things are found in the hardships. So what has 2024 looked like thus far? It's been a creative one. After a writing break in December, my two co-writers…

Storytelling is Worth Fighting For

Post published:June 11, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:14 Comments

Stories—one of the most impacting creations we've been gifted on this earth. Stories have been changing lives and shaping the world since the creation of time. Stories are powerful. And it is such a privilege to tell them. But sometimes (many times) it's not always easy... The writing community is swarming with memes about the struggles of the writing life, with jokes about how we'd rather move to Antarctica to raise penguins than make progress on our WIPs, with endless conversations about how hard writing it is. Because it is. Writing is hard. It takes so much energy, so much…

Why I Love Found Family

Post published:May 21, 2024
Post category:Reading
Post comments:10 Comments

Found family—it is a highly popular trope...and may be considered overused at this point. But there is a reason it has become so huge and continues to be well-loved. And because I have Thoughts and Feelings on the subject, today I wanted to take a little bit of time to talk about it. I don't think it's any secret that Found Family is my favorite trope of all time. My first full awareness of my deep-rooted love for it and realizing it actually had a title was ages back when I first discovered the TV series Leverage. That show about…

Book Review // Tattoo of Crimson by Sarah Chislon

Post published:April 25, 2024
Post category:Reading
Post comments:12 Comments

I’ve got a very fun book to talk about today set in an alternate Regency England with fae—an utterly delightful combination! I’ve been very much into historical fantasy as of late, so you better believe I jumped on this gaslamp fantasy tale set in an alternate Regency England world. Also FAE, guys. One of my uttermost favorite things. I am alllll about them fae stories. SYNOPSIS Society, suitors, and…serial murders? As much as she desires to please her family, gently-bred herbalist Jessa Caldwell has no intention of making a suitable match—not when she’s seeking the truth about the taint of…

13 Years of Blogging // Grateful for Community

Post published:March 14, 2024
Post category:Writing
Post comments:31 Comments

Today marks a pretty exciting day. As of today, I've been blogging for 13 whole years. And goodness, I'm feeling so grateful for all that time and the friendships I've built through it. I will never forget much younger Christine sitting at her desk one early spring day excitedly typing up her first ever blog post. Though she had been writing for the majority of her life, she was at the very first sparks of diving into it seriously, into getting a platform going and studying the craft and writing regularly and making writer friends. She had no idea what…

Fantasy Month // Favorite Fantasy Reads

Post published:February 5, 2024
Post category:Reading
Post comments:9 Comments

February is Fantasy Month! Happy February, friends! I know February often brings on some lingering winter blues. It's situated in that awkward space where the newness and excitement of winter have long since worn off and yet spring still feels far too distant. Poor February gets a bad rep. That's why the most illustrious Jenelle Schmidt started February is Fantasy Month! Because not only ~alliteration~ but what better way to add some life in February than celebrating one of the greatest genres out there? (I'm not biased or anything.) Over on her blog, Jenelle is posting all sorts of fantasy-themed…