hi there! sure, it'll depend on what you like so here's a mixed bag of reads i've enjoyed, with some of my all-time faves scattered throughout:
- stay true by hua hsu
- kitchen by banana yoshimoto
- murder on the orient express by agatha christie
- abigail by magda szabo
- my brilliant friend by elena ferrante
- the secret history by donna tartt
- say nothing by patrick radden keefe
- pachinko by min jin lee
- beloved by toni morrison
- the dutch house by ann patchett
- never let me go by kazuo ishiguro
- giovanni's room by james baldwin
- scent of apples by bienvenido n. santos
- the history of sound by ben shattuck
- tinker tailor soldier spy by john le carré
- my life in france by julia child
- kitchen confidential by anthony bourdain
- gone girl by gillian flynn
- dune by frank herbert (but dune messiah must be read immediately after!!!)

hi hi!! happy saturday!! first of all i would say i'm no expert (more of an overly passionate enthusiast) but thank you, i'm so flattered!! 💖💖💖💖

i think this will depend on your preference, but a5 is usually a good size to look into for bujos (about the size of a paperback book) but something smaller that might also work is an a6, which is what i use for my daily pages! i use an a5 when i know i'll be writing or scribbling a lot so i'd start with an a5. i also prefer a blank journal, but most of these come in ruled, grid, or dot grid if that's more your vibe.

that said, a couple journals i like to use and have used before are:
- midori md (my fave - nice paper quality, lots of options i.e. they have an art version with thicker paper, etc., very versatile)
- stalogy 365days
- maruman mnemosyne (has an elastic band closure, pricey but great paper quality but unfortunately no blank version yet, only dot and ruled)

this jet pens guide also has some great recommendations: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Notebooks-for-Note-Taking-Journaling-Drawing-and-More/pt/647

i would browse around with these also and see what sounds like it's your style!! it'll be a lot of personal preference and trying and sampling to see what you like, but it's fun when you find what works for you <333 good luck!

hello! i have a lot of writing inspirations!! i definitely get a lot of them from the books i read - i read a lot of classics just because i like how otherworldly the language feels sometimes which i sometimes try to emulate in my own writing. i think there's a lot to learn about tone, setting a scene, and cluing in a reader about what they might not know from a lot of classic literature that i think is so interesting and make note of the most. some of my favorite authors are toni morrison, ann patchett, gillian flynn, kazuo ishiguro, and donna tartt.

i also like movies a lot!! i like setting scenes a lot and feel like my style can be somewhat cinematic, so i draw a lot of inspiration from the flow of movies in that way. i like watching things that make me laugh - i think comedic timing is such a great skill that can lend so much to more serious and dramatic work as well. the way that comedy builds to a punchline has taught me so much about building up tension and drama to ultimately a climatic moment! i also sit around a lot at cafes reading and writing on my down time, so sometimes i pick up a lot of inspo from the people and conversations around me along with how people talk and word things from there.

as for fics that i recommend, i think i'll have to take some time to compile those and at some point i'll have to come back with a definitive list since there are so many from authors that i admire!! i think someone whose zest for writing and enthusiasm that i really appreciate and enjoy is from my friend merm, who writes for the all for the game fandom, so i would recommend her fic ("must've known you in another life" by constant craving). as for kpop fics, another author that comes to mind is from my friend bev, whose writing is always very poetic, which is something we've bonded over in our writing! if you haven't read it, "粉红少女在梦中醒来 pink girl wakes up from a dream" by bevmantle is one that i love a lot. also, not a fandom i write for, but my friend bunny wrote a really great tonddo fic ("the wall between us" by edgeofthewall) that i really enjoyed. there's also one &t fic that is top of mind, but i don't think it's been revealed yet, so that's tbd for now :] there are definitely others that are escaping me at the moment, but i'll try compiling a list one of these days!

also throw yourself to the sword by me huhuhu i loved writing it so we're going to include it here yay!!

hi there! first off that's awesome that you want to start!! the first thing i'll say is there are a lot of pages within my journals that i don't share that are messy and ugly and where i word things terribly so that's all part of the process along with the pages that turn out beautifully!

in the journal i have my morning pages, sometimes i just write down random thoughts or lists as they come to me and from a lot of those thoughts, i eventually expound on them in the journal where i write longer reflections. i have a pretty stressful and busy job, so i find journaling to be the time i try to set aside for myself daily to slow down even if it's for a couple of minutes. i think the important part is to not put a lot of pressure on yourself to write something perfect or profound, but to allow yourself to just write something, anything, even if it's about what you ate or something random you saw on the street. i think people tend to think of journaling as a place to have these vast epiphanies for themselves in life or to rant about their feelings, but it can also be light and easy - i have a lot of entries where so much of it was talking about a croissant i had or something or how i went on a walk in the park!!

so in sum, i think the process is: make it something for you and a thing you make part of your day and routine so you don't have to put so much weight on it when you finally do it. i bring my small journal everywhere and it's handy to write in while i'm at a cafe or waiting around somewhere. also make sure to be kind to yourself and give yourself some grace! it'll be fun when it's what works best for you!! i have a friend who just writes lists and that's how she journals so there's really so many ways to do it. good luck!!! 💖💖💖

hello :] sure! the royalty au is more like an inspired by bridgerton and also very very loosely, portrait of a lady on fire (except it won't devastate me. important.) ncej au. it was prompted for fth by my lovely friend hal and we brainstormed a couple of ideas together and without spoiling too much, the premise is essentially that euijoo is the second son of an earl and nicholas has been commissioned by euijoo's mother to paint his portrait which is the kicking off point, but there are other plot points and tidbits i don't want to reveal too much of yet!! (for instance, nicholas' background, which is more than just a mere commoner painter. important later!!!) but it's very much centered on romance, sort of bridgerton-esque setting with dukes and lords and kinda regency era except it's a fictional country yknow. but kind of that vibe more than euijoo ruling over a kingdom etc