Tag Archives: writing

Slow Down

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When was the last time you stopped doing what you were doing to take a deep breath? Many people can be as busy as a bee, with almost no time to live, as the days seem to fly by quickly. Whether you are a teen tackling the challenges of high school and the future ahead of you, a young adult trying to figure out life as you enter adulthood, or an adult tired of the same constant cycle of sleep, eat, and repeat, many people can agree that life can be so busy sometimes that we forget to stop and slow down. It is often said, “Stop and Smell the Roses,” meaning slow down, enjoy life, and savor the world around you, but I feel like people forget to do this all the time nowadays. People are too focused on getting that promotion, getting those grades, doing well in life, and dreading the future, that they don’t focus on the now. As a high school student nearing the end of my high school life, I also find myself focusing solely on the future too much. The school work has gotten busier tenfold, and I haven’t been able to balance between my school life, my friends, my hobbies, and taking care of myself, so it’s gotten really stressful. I’ve been so focused on good grades, new friends, finding a job, and becoming the best version of myself, and trying to do this and that, that I forget how to slow down sometimes. The song “Slow Down” by Laufey embodies this message, and I recommend listening to it if you ever feel like life is too stressful as a reminder to stop and slow down. The song highlights the narrator’s young adult life and how she’s grown now and is living life independently, and everything happened in the blink of an eye. I found that stopping to breathe in the middle of studying, doing homework, or doing chores, even for a short moment, can help ease the stress. Yes, getting those grades is important. Yes, getting that promotion is important. Yes, doing well in life is important, but your health is also important. It’s okay to put everything aside for a little bit and take a nap, do something you like, hang out with your loved ones, or even do nothing. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so take a moment to stop and take a deep breath.

How To Pass Your Permit Test

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Turning 16 years old can be a checkpoint or a milestone in some people’s lives. After all, many changes come along with turning 16. For example, permit life. It’s a time when many teens are working hard to get their license by driving with instructors, parents, etc. If you’re 16-17 years old, it is guaranteed that you have heard people in your grade begin talking about getting their permit/license or practicing for their license. However, before getting a license, it is required to get a permit first by passing a permit test. Some people may be confident in taking the permit test, and some people may not. When I took my permit test, I was extremely anxious and worried that I had waited all that time in line for nothing, but don’t worry. Here are some tips that I can give as a teen who passed the permit test on the first try with 45/47 correct. 

Study the Handbook

This is the most important thing you need to pass your permit test. This is your study guide—your golden ticket. If you just study the handbook, it’s almost certain that you’re going to pass. This is because the handbook is basically what you’re being tested on for the permit test. The handbook covers the basic rules of driving and the things you need to know before driving really well. If you study the handbook well, you don’t need to do anything else, and you can do well. You can find the handbook on the DMV website and download it as a PDF. You can also find audio readings online that you can listen to as you are reading.

Practice Quizzes/Tests

Take as many practice quizzes as you can. When I was studying for my permit test, I did lots of practice quizzes and practice permit tests, and these helped a lot. Before I started studying, I took a practice test to see where I was at and took note of what I got right and wrong. Then each time I studied, I did practice tests and quizzes along with it. There are many of these online. Just search up “DMV Practice Test/Quiz,” and just take as many tests as necessary. You can even download apps from the App Store. For me, I used this app called “DMV Practice Test” with a green logo and a car. The app also had the handbook, which I thought was useful. Then it had a section of practice quizzes and a section of practice tests. These were so helpful, and they helped me pass the permit test. 

Although these tips are useful, it is also crucial to get good sleep and eat well before the permit test, especially if you are really waiting in line. It is hard to focus when you are tired, and it makes it way easier for your brain to work during the test. But remember, even if you fail the permit test, you can always try again, and you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Trust me, don’t stress too much; you’ll be fine. Good luck!

Why Journaling Matters

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You see journals everywhere. People post it all over social media, and your therapist might even recommend it! Even the most historically significant individuals, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein, kept journals. The reason behind this isn’t just because it’s trendy – it’s because journaling is a powerful tool used for improving well-being, self-growth, and creativity. 

  1. Journaling Helps Clear Your Head

Imagine after a long day, you’re feeling all sorts of emotions: anger, sadness, anxiety,  and you have no one to talk to or just don’t have the energy to talk to anyone. Journaling can help with that. Especially at this time in the world right now, things can get very chaotic and overwhelming, and this can take a toll on your health. Life is already full of surprises, and it’s extremely easy to feel all sorts of emotions. Journaling helps you navigate those emotions. When you just want to express your feelings or vent, you can do that in a journal. Bottling your emotions can be harmful  – think of a balloon. A balloon can’t expand forever, and eventually it can’t take too much and it’ll burst. That’s the same case for us. We can’t hold onto things forever. We can’t just store all our emotions in our heads because it’ll end up building up, and eventually, we’ll explode. Journaling helps release stress and anxiety, and it’s fantastic for improving mental health. 

  1. Journals Help You Express Yourself

When you’re journaling, you’re taking your thoughts and feelings and writing them down in your journal.  You’re not doing it to impress anyone or anything, so it shows your true self and a real you. Your journal is your canvas, and you can write anything in your journal. You don’t always have to write about your day if you don’t want to. You can just write a letter to yourself or make a page just about you. A journal is about expression. It can even help you discover yourself. Every time you journal, it encourages you to reflect on your thoughts, which can help you discover things about yourself that you didn’t think about previously. For example, let’s say you journal after you got into an argument with someone dear to you. Journaling encourages reflection, so maybe as you’re journaling, you start to realize, “Was I too harsh?” or “Maybe I overreacted.” This allows you to think differently and helps you navigate your problems because it gives you a new perspective. You can think about how to handle things differently. When you’re journaling, you’re being vulnerable, and this pushes you to learn about parts of yourself that you might not have noticed before. 

  1. Journals Are Like Time Capsules

If you start journaling now and get into this consistent habit of journaling, you’ll have so many journal entries to look back on when you’re older. You can read back on your old journal entries and reflect on how far you’ve come and grown as a person. Your journey might be sad or happy, but it shows how things have changed or stayed the same throughout your life. Maybe you’ll become a completely different person, and your journal is a reflection of that. Your journal is living proof of your growth as you navigate through your life’s triumphs and challenges. 

So, how do you start? Well, it’s simple, really. All you need is somewhere to write on. You can use your notes app on your phone, an app for journaling, a notebook, or pieces of paper, and you can even use Google Docs. Anywhere you want, as long as you can write on it. Next, try to be consistent. Personally, I am not consistent with journaling because I find it difficult to stay consistent. However, if you want to try to stay consistent, it is suggested that you set a schedule for journaling. It can be when you wake up every day or before you sleep, and it doesn’t matter if it’s 5 minutes or 30 minutes, there’s no limit. It’s okay if you’re not consistent with journaling. Just write whenever and whatever to your heart’s content.

Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers.

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Scorpions is a Newbery Honor book by Walter Dean Myers.  This novel tells the story of Jamal Hicks, a twelve-year-old boy living in Harlem.  Growing up in a challenging environment, Jamal faces tough decisions and growing pressure from his peers.  His older brother, Randy, is in jail for murder.  Randy’s absence leaves a void in Jamal’s life that other people seem to be trying to fill.  Jamal is approached by a member of Randy’s gang, the Scorpions.  He wants Jamal to take charge of the gang’s drug dealing business.  Jamal feels torn because he wants to stay out of trouble but he also needs money because his family is struggling financially.  As Jamal’s life becomes increasingly complicated and dangerous, he relies on his friendship with a loyal and thoughtful young man named Tito.  Tito helps Jamal as they navigate through difficult situations.

One of my favorite things about his book is its message about friendship and trust.  I appreciated the loyalty between Jamal and Tito.  They are just young kids trying to do the right thing in a world that keep throwing hardships and challenges at them.  This book shows the importance of having someone who has your back, especially if you are a kid dealing with things that no young person should have to deal with.  I like the way this book teaches to do the right thing even when it seems like the whole world around you is corrupt.  Unfortunately, this book has some inappropriate language and a bit of violence.  The story as a whole is also somewhat frightening and depressing, so I would not recommend this book to children.  However, older readers could benefit from the messages of this insightful book.

Book Review: The Catcher in the Rye

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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is often considered a classic coming-of-age novel, centered around a teenager named Holden Caulfield who has just been kicked out of yet another prep school. The story follows Holden as he wanders around New York City over a few days, trying to make sense of the adult world, his own emotions, and the loss of innocence.

The book is famous for its first-person narration, which is written in Holden’s distinct voice—full of slang, sarcasm, and a lot of complaints. He constantly talks about how “phony” everyone is and seems to be angry at just about everything. Some people really connect with that sense of disillusionment, especially during adolescence, but honestly, I found it kind of exhausting. Instead of feeling sympathy for Holden, I mostly just felt annoyed. He’s clearly going through something serious, like depression or grief, but the way he expresses it made it hard for me to really care about what he was saying.

I think part of the reason I didn’t enjoy the book is that not much actually happens. It’s more of a stream-of-consciousness story than a plot-driven one. Holden drifts from one place to another, meets a few people, and talks a lot about how much he dislikes things. The themes—like growing up, identity, and loneliness—are important, but I personally felt like the book didn’t explore them in a way that held my attention.

That said, I understand why some people really like this novel. It was groundbreaking when it first came out, especially for its honest portrayal of teenage confusion and alienation. And there are moments that are thoughtful—like when Holden talks about wanting to protect kids from the harshness of the adult world, which ties into the book’s title. But for me, it just didn’t live up to the hype. I found Holden hard to relate to and the story repetitive.

I’d give The Catcher in the Rye a 5/10. I can respect its place in literary history and see how it might resonate with others, but it just wasn’t for me. If you’re into character-driven stories and don’t mind a narrator who’s more about feelings than action, you might still find it interesting.

Book Review: Lord of the Flies

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Lord of the Flies is a classic allegorical novel by William Golding that explores the dark side of human nature. The story begins when a group of British schoolboys are stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. At first, they try to create their own society, complete with rules, leadership, and a sense of order. But as time passes and the boys’ civilized behavior begins to break down, the island turns into a place of chaos, fear, and violence.

What makes this book so fascinating—and disturbing—is how quickly things fall apart. Without adults to guide them, the boys are left to figure out right and wrong on their own, and it doesn’t take long before power struggles, fear, and savagery take over. The conflict between Ralph, who represents order and democracy, and Jack, who symbolizes primal instinct and the desire for control, shows how fragile civilization really is when it’s not supported by structure and values.

One of the most powerful ideas in the book is that evil isn’t something that comes from outside—it’s inside all of us. The “Lord of the Flies,” a pig’s head on a stick left as an offering to a mysterious “beast,” becomes a symbol of the darkness living in every human. The real horror of the story isn’t monsters or ghosts, but what people are capable of when rules disappear and fear takes over.

As the story progresses, the island transforms from a tropical paradise into a nightmare. Innocence is lost, friendships are broken, and the line between civilization and savagery completely disappears. The ending is shocking, but it also leaves you thinking about how thin the line really is between order and chaos.

I found Lord of the Flies intense, haunting, and incredibly thought-provoking. Even though it’s about kids, the themes feel very adult—power, fear, violence, and the struggle to stay moral in an immoral world. Golding’s message is unsettling, but important: when left unchecked, our darkest instincts can take over. I’d give this book a 8/10 for its chilling message and powerful storytelling. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in psychology, leadership, or how quickly society can fall apart under pressure.

Book Review: The Bell Jar

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The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath that explores mental health, identity, and the pressure to conform to societal expectations, especially for women in the 1950s. The story follows Esther Greenwood, a bright and ambitious young woman who wins an internship at a prestigious magazine in New York City. On the surface, Esther seems like she has everything going for her, but internally she’s struggling with depression, confusion about her future, and a growing sense of alienation from the world around her.

One of the most powerful aspects of this book is how it portrays mental illness—not in a dramatic or romanticized way, but with raw honesty. Plath’s writing pulls you inside Esther’s head, where her thoughts become darker and more fragmented as she spirals into a deep depression. The “bell jar” in the title is a metaphor for how Esther feels trapped, like she’s stuck in a glass container where she can’t breathe or connect with the world around her.

What makes The Bell Jar stand out is how well it captures the feeling of disconnection and pressure to fit into roles that don’t feel authentic. Esther is expected to be excited about marriage, children, and a stable life, but she’s unsure if that’s what she really wants. That inner conflict between personal ambition and societal expectations is something a lot of readers can still relate to today.

Esther’s journey is painful and honest. She undergoes various treatments for her mental health, some of which are disturbing, and she struggles to find a sense of meaning or identity. But the novel doesn’t end in complete despair—there’s a sense of survival, even if things aren’t neatly resolved. That balance between darkness and hope is part of what makes the book so impactful.

I found this book emotionally intense but deeply moving. Plath’s writing is poetic and sharp, and she captures what it feels like to be lost in your own mind better than almost any other author I’ve read. The Bell Jar is definitely not a light read, but it’s an important one—especially for anyone interested in mental health, feminism, or literature that dives deep into human emotion. I’d give it a 7/10 for its raw honesty and unforgettable voice.

Avatar: The Last Air Bender: a Netflix Series Review

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Recently some friends and I  binge-watched Netflix Avatar: The Last Airbender. We all sang along as soon as the theme song started. It’s not the same without the sing-along. I haven’t had so much fun in a long time since school started, and we have all been busy grinding away at our test prep and homework. 

We were happy to see all the characters we recognized, like Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko.

The characters were all so different but very relatable. We saw characteristics that we have and would use in day-to-day situations. Sokka’s fun and goofy jokes got us double over with laughter. At the same time, Zuko’s intense moments reminded us of the emotional rollercoaster we’re all on sometimes. Honestly, it felt like we were right there. These characters were so relatable that it got us thinking about things that happened to us in real life.

Each episode is more exciting than the next. We all kept saying let’s just watch this last one, then go to the park but it dragged on till the 5th episode, and my mom finally told us to get out and get some air. 

The Avatar: The Last Airbender animation is so beautiful. As a person who loves art, when I watch any movie, I focus on the art, especially if it’s animated. Of course, The Avatar did not disappoint. The animation is beautiful, and the storyline is just as good. It’s relatable, and I felt myself rooting for the good guys and wanting them to win. It reminds us that we all need family and friends to cheer for us. Whether you’ve been frozen for hundreds of years or are living your everyday life, you need that support system that will cheer you on to do the right thing and save the world from your evil opposition. The show defintely has a knack for making you feel like that more than you want to. 

It makes us talk about how important family, friends, and the support system help pull us through all the hard times.

The protagonist in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang, is only 12 years old biologically, but chronologically he’s 112 years old. He acted like a 12-year-old boy in these episodes.  He’s portrayed as a reluctant hero who spent a century suspended in an iceberg before Katara and Sokka discovered him while fishing. The three of them went on a quest to master the elements and save the world from the Fire Nation. 

This short review does nothing to prove to you how great the series is as it is animation, so watching it makes me appreciate the beauty of the art. As the writer, I love how the story tries to make it relatable to the typical person watching the show.

Being High school students, we are all busy and move through the bustle of everyday busy life. Still, it is good to remember to spend time with family and friends and just relax and catch up. A movie or series like Avatar is a great excuse to do just that. 

Happy binge-watching!

Bella H.

7 Worldbuilding Element Ideas

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Whether you want to write a story, draw some art, make a game, and more: worldbuilding is the core of your creative energy. But where to begin? Here are seven ideas to inspire you on your journey!

  • Urban Fantasy

Using the best of both worlds, in a setting like this you can have a character who texts and performs alchemy, who goes to college and also goes on quests. The possibilities are endless!

  • Floating Islands

Need I say more? The land of this world is locked in a stagnant, floating position above the ground. Cities are connected by bridges. The ground world is overrun with poisonous flora and fauna. Will anyone ever leave?

  • Timezones…Literally

In different parts of the world, time moves slower and/or faster compared to other regions. Going on a week-long vacation in one region can mean a 2-year disappearance in the other…

  • Dragons with Different Hoards

In most fantasy worlds, dragons hoard gold and treasure fiercely, fighting off intruders who come to invade. But what if they guarded other things: a library of books, a garden of precious fruits?

  • Gravity Seasons

As our weather patterns change over each year this world’s gravity changes. It may become more or less intense, or even switch directions…?

  • Energy Parasites

Taking the form of a firefly, these sap the energy from people, causing them to become increasingly demotivated, tired, and pliant. Hopefully, the characters notice before it’s too late…

  • Raft Cities

In this world, a flood spilled over the land thousands of years ago. From the materials of the plants and animals who have adapted to this water world, the humans of today survive on rafts floating on the endless waves. They are no longer the apex predators: what is beneath the surface is far more powerful…

Hopefully one of these inspired you to create your own fantasy or sci-fi world!

10 Tips to End Your Writer’s Block For Good!

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These tips have helped me get out of writer’s block and start writing again, and I hope they’ll do the same for you. If you need help, try following some of these suggestions:.

  1. Take breaks: Sometimes, the best way to overcome writer’s block is to step away from your writing and do something else entirely. Walk your dog, watch a movie, play with your cat, or read a book.
  2. Change your environment: If you feel stuck, try changing your writing environment. Move to a different room, go to a park or a coffee shop, or simply switch up your sitting position.
  3. Free-write: Set a timer for a specific time and write whatever comes to mind. This can help get your creative juices flowing and overcome any blockages.
  4. Brainstorm with a friend: Talking to someone about your writing can help generate new ideas and spark inspiration.
  5. Write a different part of your story: If you’re having trouble with one particular section, try writing another aspect of your novel or story.
  6. Use prompts: Try writing prompts to get your creative mind working again. These can be found online or in writing prompts books.
  7. Try a new genre or style: Experimenting with new forms of writing can help you get out of your comfort zone and find new inspiration.
  8. Keep a journal: Writing in a journal can help you reflect on your life and experiences, providing a wealth of material for your writing.
  9. Reading other authors’ work can help you get new ideas and improve your writing skills.
  10. Reward yourself: Lastly, it’s essential to recognize and reward yourself for making progress. Make sure you celebrate your accomplishments with a treat or a relaxing activity.

If you struggle with writer’s block, don’t worry – you’re not the only one. Writer’s block is a common problem that can occur at any time. However, the tips above should help you start writing again and maybe even wholly eliminate “writer’s block.”

Bella H.