April Is Nearly Upon Us!

April Showers, Brings May Flowers, 

That Is What They Say, 

But If The Flowers Turned to Towers,

 You'd Make A Writer's Day

Hey all you Elysians! (Not sure why the above thing, but there you go) As our ‘Tyrant king’ Bethany has proclaimed, we will be doing fiction for the month of April! Which means, Camp NaNoWriMo!

Procrastination, Deadlines, and Goals (Prt 2)

Goals

What are goals? There are goals in sports, squad goals, relationship goals and more, but what does goal really mean? A goal is simply defined as the object of one’s ambition, or effort. It is anything you strive to achieve. In sports, you strive to put the ball in the “goal” thus achieving your ambition and completing a goal, both in the game and out of the game. Squad goals and relationship goals are both just things you put effort toward seeing in your friendships and relationships.

Blog Announcement: April's Post Theme

Greetings Fellow Humans! 'Tis I, King and Tyrant Bethany Vela, here to announce our post theme for next month!

In honor of Camp NaNoWriMo April will be a month long series of fiction-focused posts, designed specifically to assist our young fiction writers of today! All next month we will be sharing with you daily tips tricks and general helpfulnesses to get you through that novel and its inevitable aftermath.

Sympathy vs Empathy: The Difference and Why Writers Should Know It

Empathy and sympathy. Two words that are very similar, both in sound and meaning, but have a few very important differences. Today, I’m going to be highlighting and explaining those differences, and why it’s so important for us, as writers, to know the difference.

Entrance to the Inspiration Archives

I have a confession to make. I am, in fact, one of those lazy un-diligent people who doesn't write on a regular basis or schedule. I am actually the kind of writer *gasp* who waits for inspiration to strike. I know, I know, writing at least weekly is a good thing to do, but I don't always get around to it. (Thanks for the tips, James.)

Motivation for You

Sometimes you just can't seem to find the motivation to write.
Sometimes you have no motivation. Period.
Sometimes you . . . just can't.

Writing When You Mentally Can't

We all know the feeling. The dread of looking at the blinking cursor, a blank sheet of paper, and not knowing what to write or say. A lot of the time we just trump it up to motivation but there’s some of us who can actually say it’s more than that. We mentally can’t. The motivation and the desire to write for a _____amount of time is there, but they just can not find the strength to fight the mental blockage that’s keeping their brain from fully functioning.

I am one of those people. And I am here to tell you that it’s hard, but not impossible.

Jesus Loves Me: Your Writing Matters

Jesus loves me–this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;

These are the opening words to what most of us know as a children’s song. The author, Anna Warner, intended it for just that: she wanted to write a comforting song for a sick child. Little did she know that that “children’s song” would have a profound impact on millions of people around the world.

The W. E.

The Writers of Elysian.

The W. E.

This blog makes me happy. These initials make me happy. Funny how they come together so perfectly, almost as if they remind me of something else.

W. E.

Whit’s End.

How Do I Start Writing?

Having trouble figuring out how to get started on your writing hobby/career?

Think you want to start writing but are overwhelmed by every category, style, genre, or career path that has to do with writing?

No worries, I wouldn’t freak out just yet. Start small. If you don’t know what you want to do with your writing, start with a smaller project and work your way up.

Divinely Inspired: Preserving A Constant State of Inspiration

These days it’s hard to find inspiration to write. When I was younger, I could look at the first thing I saw, and a question would pop into my head. A little, ‘what if’ if you will. I could find inspiration in anyone and anything, it wasn’t hard for me, and I would always love to grab a paper and pencil and write for hours.

Procrastination, Deadlines, and Goals (Part One)

“Oh no I've done it again,” You scold yourself. Your nervous habits get the best of you as you run your hands through your hair and glance away from the screen, up at the clock. Or maybe, rather than check the clock, you check the word counter and you’re several hundred words away from where you want to be. Or maybe you’re not sitting at the computer typing at all. Maybe you’re in the kitchen eating when you told yourself you’d start tonight.

“How did I get to this place again?” You cry in disbelief.

Unqualified

Today, I’d like to talk about how I’m unqualified to be a writer.

Now, I know what you’re thinking:

“What?” 

“Why are you being so hard on yourself?” 

“C’mon, who says you’re not qualified?”.

While I appreciate both your confusion and your compliments, let me tell you something: I’ve never been qualified. To be honest, none of us are. 

Hold on! Before you click off this post, thinking that today’s going to be nice long tear-down session, give me just a moment, my friends. I swear I'm a nice person, y'all. All will be explained in due time. 

The Name's Block..... Writer's Block.

You sit down. The paper is stark and clean, begging​ to be marred by dark ink. The letter keys are waiting to create a harmony of tapping as your eloquent words flow out of you in a beautiful gushing stream….

but suddenly, the keys are hard to press down. The pen is now heavy in your fingers. And the persistent beeping of the clothes dryer has awakened your wrath and you will arise in fury and destroy it with your war hammer!

You've got writers block, and there's no denying it.

Broken Dreams

Note: This is our blog's very first guest post. If you would like to submit an article for us to consider, please email us here. ~ Writers of Elysian ___________________________________________________________

A few years ago I excitedly told someone about my goal of becoming a published author. I valued his opinion, but he responded by saying, "That's nice, but it'll probably never happen," and then walked away. I was heartbroken. I wasn't a five-year-old saying I wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up; I was a young adult saying this is what I've chosen to pursue in life. 

So what do you do when your family and friends question your career choice, or tell you it's not possible? I started by praying.

Words: Thumper and Hawk Nelson

“They've made me feel like a prisoner

They've made me feel set free

They've made me feel like a criminal

Made me feel like a king”

3 Reasons You Should Write Every Day

About six months ago, I decided I wanted to start a blog. I set up my platform; I decided on my content; I even bought a domain, but it didn’t take off. My problem? Consistency. I wrote when I wanted to, or when I had nothing else to do. And that never happened.

On the Hunt: A Safari for Writers

10 Ways to Gain a Continued Sense of Inspiration

It's all a hunt, a search for the words to say. Writing is a journey, a safari of the imagination. You have to go somewhere. And if you don’t start going somewhere, you never will.

Finding Time To Write

Finding Time To Write

          Hello once again, fellow writers, wordsmiths, poets, bards, and creators! It’s the start of a new week! Where’s the time gone??? Anyways, I’ll dive ‘write’ in (hehe).
Don’t know when you should write, how you can fit it into your busy schedule? Think you couldn’t possibly fit it in, ‘like’, ever?
Well, I’m here to help you out. So here goes…

Writing (Even When You Don't Want To)

Greetings everyone! *Sips tea* Today you get to read a post by the 'ol tyrant herself. I hope you enjoy it, because as it turns out she's a baby dinosaur, and they eat people when upset. Anyhow, let us begin!

What to Expect From This Blog

A Post By The Collective Writers of Elysian

Introduction 

By Bethany H. Vela

Welcome, fellow writers, to Elysian!

To start things off we thought we’d give you a grand tour of the place, as well as let you know what kind of posts and content you can expect from each of us individually. I won’t take up all your time, however, because not only are we going to use this post to show you the ropes around here, we plan on introducing ourselves through doing so! Now that I’ve said my part, it’s time mine compatriots said theirs! So take it away, my friends! Enjoy the rest of this post.

~Bethany H. Vela

Are We Ready?

I remember being there. Visiting my youngest sister in her room. Even with the vibrant colors decorating the bed, I could still feel the stone cold walls of her confinement. Seating myself against the wall, I

called her over to pin her long, thin black hair into her favorite Asian braid. After tieing up the loose ends, I held on as

Which Blog Host Should I Use?

Have you been wanting to start a blog for a while, but you don't know where to start? I was in that same boat about six months ago. I knew I didn't

I Found My Passion

Hello, writers, wordsmiths, poets, bards and creators!

My name is Kirstie, and I love writing (well, since this is a writing blog…), 

I have been writing...

The Elysian

Welcome to the fallen world, where all the lost reside. 

Allow us to light a candle, and let us be your guide.

Tread careful if you wish to, walk lightly if you can, but here the rivers flow full of ink, so take a pen in hand....