20 Things I've Learned From My Sister

There's just something about having a sister that makes the world a little bit better. 

Today, my sister turns seventeen. She has made me laugh and cry and try to figure out how to be a better person. She inspires me to be better than I am. I couldn't be more thankful that God has given me a sister that has also become my best friend. 

Today I wanted to share with you 20 things my sister has taught me.

1. It's okay to be bold. 
2. Dancing around like a lunatic in public is okay...and very fun.
3. Taking risks is something that everyone needs to do sometimes.
4. You can still have a kind heart and stand up for yourself.
5. Not everyone is the same, and that's a wonderful part of life.
6. Anything can become an adventure.
7. Following your dreams is something that everyone should be allowed to do.
8. Happiness is determined by you, not what you have or the circumstances that you're in.
9. Everybody deserves a chance to be a friend.
10. The world is just waiting to be explored.
11. It's okay to indulge in doughnuts sometimes.
12. Dying your hair crazy colors is definitely rad. 
13. Having a creative spirit is good...utilizing it is better.
14. Even young people can make a difference in this world.
15. Being a friend is hard and it takes work. 
16. Apologies are necessary––sometimes even when you don't feel like you did something wrong.
17. Those boys who weren't here to stay aren't worth your time anymore.
18. And how to gracefully let go of them, even if it hurts a little bit. 
19. Friends come and go, and that's okay.
20. And most importantly: nobody will ever be able to compete with the friendship that I've found in her for the past 17 years (jeez) and in all of the years to come. 

Happy, happy birthday Merci! Thank you for all that you've taught me. I can only hope that I've taught you some things along the way too.

-Shi.

6 Books I'm Excited to Read in 2015

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A new year means more opportunities to read more books. (And hopefully meet my goodreads goal this year.) 

With that being said, I thought I would share with you some of the books that I'm looking forward to reading this year/plan to read this year. If you're looking for some new books to read this year, maybe this list can help you out, too!

1. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This is the number 1 book that I'm looking forward to this year. It comes out in October! Eepp! I absolutely cannot wait to read this one. 

2. P.S I Stil Love You by Jenny Han. This is the sequel to To All The Boys I've Loved Before and I'm so excited to continue on with this story. It comes out in June and I am so excited to see what else has happened to Lara Jean since we left her in the first book. 

3. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. This is the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and I actually have it on my bookshelf right now. I've been putting off reading it because when I first started it I couldn't really get into it. Hopefully, when I try again it'll come better. I loved the first, and hopefully the second will be just as good!

4. Shatter Me (Series) by Taherah Mafi. Again, I already have the first book, Shatter Me, on my shelf waiting to be read. I've started it twice, but haven't been able to really get into it yet. Hopefully this will be the year, and I will finally understand why everyone loves it so much.

5. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. I LOVE RAINBOW ROWELL and I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of Landline for m o n t h s now. This will be the year.

6. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. I've not heard a lot about this book, but one of the girls I watch on youtube (whittynovels) talked about it a bit, and now I just want to read it so bad. It's due to release on February 10! Hopefully, I'll be able to get my hands on it quick!

If you'd like to keep up with me and bookish things you can follow me on goodreads to stay in the loop. (I'll follow you back :))

Also––another shameless plug––if you'd like to order a copy of my very first book, Coffee Colored, you can do so here.

Let me know what you are looking forward to reading this year!

Blessings,
Shi.

Just A Little Reminder That We're All Human

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There's just a couple of things that I want to address after being on tumblr today.

1.  Just because someone's opinion is different from yours doesn't mean that they are "trash."
2.  If you want to call someone out for a comment you disagree with, telling them that they are "trash that needs to die" is not the best way to do so.
3.  If you want to be passionate about a social issue, be passionate about that social issue. Don't just be passionate about bashing people who are on the other side of that issue.
4. People who are in the spotlight (celebrities, families of celebrities, etc) are people too. They are people with opinions and thoughts and, most importantly, feelings. Don't hold them up to a standard that you aren't going to hold the people you actually know up to. They aren't perfect. Let them live their lives.
5. Remember––I'm begging you––that you are also a human. You are not perfect, just as I'm not perfect and the person you're bashing isn't perfect. Being human is okay. Remember that. Please. 
6. And just to reenforce this: opinions are opinions. They aren't right or wrong. No two people are going to view the world the same way; no two people are going to look at an issue the same way. That absolutely does not make one better than the other. Nobody is "trash."

Basically what happened in France is breaking my heart. Remember that what is most important right now is to send out love and understanding to all those that were affected by this tragedy, no matter what caused it. Terrorism is real. The world needs love. It needs Jesus.

I love you all and I hope that you are safe and blessed.
Shi.

11 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Writing

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I've been writing for about forever. 

For as long as I can remember, I've been dreaming up stories in my head and trying to put them into words. It's just who I am. 

It wasn't until about two years ago, though, that I decided to really pursue this as a career. 

It's not like writing is that easy, I realized. There's a lot more to it than just what I assumed when I started. Over the past two years of doing my "serious writing" I've learned a lot. 

Here are 11 things I wish I knew before I started writing:

1. Not everything you write is going to be good. I'm a perfectionist and, unfortunately, not everything that I write is perfect. (Actually, none of it really is.) Some of it will be good, and some if it will not. That's just the nature of it.
2. Coming up with stories isn't that easy. Trying to come up with different, unique plot lines and characters is a lot harder than I thought it would be. 
3. You won't finish everything you start. There have been many projects that I've given up halfway through. Maybe I'll get back to them one day, and maybe I won't. It's okay either way.
4. Your first draft isn't going to be what you send to publishers. Editing is a necessary evil in this business. The thing about writing is that it takes time for it to be good. You could write and rewrite a hundred times before it's where you want it. That's okay too.
5. You have to be careful which publishers you let have your book. I got a call from a publisher about Coffee Colored in September-ish last year, and was so ecstatic. But then they asked me for $2,000 and I looked into reviews of them and found some shady stuff. Needless to say, they don't own the rights to my book. Be careful not to be deceived. 
6. Your first book isn't likely to get picked up by a publisher. It's probably not likely that your first book will get published (it could, don't get me wrong), it's just that usually, your first book isn't up to "publisher standards." Writing takes a lot of practice. 
7. Self-publishing is awesome. I never thought that I would self-publish. I thought I would just take my time trying to make my books perfect and exactly what publishers were looking for so that I could end up in the rows of Barnes & Noble. And while that is still definitely something I am pursing, I have also found self-publsihing to be very rewarding in the meantime. ((Shameless plug) You can buy Coffee Colored here, if you'd like.)
8. It's okay if you write fan fiction. Personally, I don't, but I do read it. And let me tell you: I've read some fic that is better than some published novels that I've read. Don't let people discourage you from writing fic if that's what you want to write. It's totally a totally valid genre.
9. Reading a ton is the key to good writing. The more you read, the more you will learn about how to write. It's been so helpful for me to read other books and study how those authors write. It's helped me improve my writing so much. (It's even okay to read fic, especially good fic, because that can help you improve as well.) 
10. NaNoWriMo is an excellent motivator. I wouldn't have finished either of my two books if it weren't for NaNoWriMo, honestly. Coffee Colored was mostly written in November 2013 (although I didn't finish completely until January 2014), and Scavenger Hearts (which will hopefully be available soon) I wrote completely in November 2014. (I'm working on editing it right now.) ((p.s. don't forget that it's okay if you don't reach 50,000 words. 50,000 words does not a make or break a novel. As long as you're happy with where it ended, then you've done it.))
11. The most important thing to do when you are a writer is to write. This seems like a no duh type of thing to say, I know. But the fact is that writing is really, really hard. It seems glamorous and oh yeah, I can totally write a book, but it's not that simple. Writing takes time and dedication and discipline. Set aside time everyday to write, and you will reach your goals much quicker.

If you have anything that you wish you would have known when you started writing, let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear how you've all grown as writers. :)

Blessings,

Shi.