In 2021, I had grand plans for my writing. I was going to write short stories and send them to magazines. I was going to edit two novels and maybe start another one. I was going to get my writing career in motion – because that’s exactly what a 19-year-old college student needs to be … More Coping With Zero Inspiration
It’s that special time, once again, when I reflect on everything that’s happened in my life recently. Today, it’s the second semester of my freshman year of college. My first semester of college was… interesting. And if you recall, I also had an interesting (read: emotionally draining) month of March as well. I can tell … More A Freshman Year In Review
I am not a procrastinator. Or, ya know, I used to not be and then I came to college and realized how much I really, really, really would rather binge watch an entire season of Jane the Virgin (I’m now on season 4) than do my psychology discussion boards. I think we all have good … More Procrastinating: A Complex Art in 2021
My latest post, How to Love a Friend Who is Struggling, happened to be my 100th post! Nearly two years ago, I started The Paper Trail because I thought I needed to. It was a foolproof plan: 1. Start a blog. 2. Somehow, it will become popular. 3. My platform will grow. 4. Through *magic* … More Happy 101st Blog Post!
It seems like everyone around me is struggling to stay afloat. And that includes me. It’s probably a combination of midterm week (which has lasted half of March and the entirety of April), still being in a pandemic, the lack of warm weather (which is stupid because it’s springtime – where’s the warmth?!), and absolute … More How To Love Someone Who Is Struggling
At the mature age of twelve, I decided I was going to be an author. Well… at the mature age of ten, I decided I wanted to be an author (and even thought up a whole publishing company scheme with my friend), but it wasn’t until seventh grade that I actually wrote any of my … More It’s Okay to Not Know (A Message Mostly for Me)
It’s been a hot second since I’ve last had an objectively bad week. Sure, last March my international trip got cancelled because of covid and I was stuck in a London airport filled with deep disappointment and sadness. Last May, my high school graduation was cancelled and my primary education ended with zoom calls and … More What To Do When You’ve Had a Bad Week
I want to revisit a point I brought up in last week’s post: mind and body are not separate. I think this theme has been playing out in my life for a long time, I just didn’t realize it’s prevalence until I forced myself to slow down. I mean, let’s think on this. How many … More Living as a Whole Being to Avoid Self-Sabotage
In case you missed it, I took a couple weeks off from writing for my mental health. For most of March, I didn’t do any of my usual writing, allowing myself the space to find joy in words and sentences again. To be honest, I still feel worn out. Perhaps another day, I could analyze … More March in Review: Taking a Breather
One of the key tenets of a stable writer is being able to write consistently. But there’s a fine balance between inspiration and discipline that is hard to get right. For instance, how do you tell the difference between low motivation and writer’s block? What about lack of inspiration and lack of commitment? Poor self-discipline … More Writer’s Burnout (& Life Burnout?)
The Paper Trail 