There’s a quiet heaviness to digital life, especially at the end of the year. Maybe it’s the unopened emails piling up, apps you keep meaning to delete, or just the sheer number of tabs blinking at you, each a tiny reminder of something unfinished. It’s easy to tell yourself you’re just “behind.” That if you had more discipline, more organization, more willpower, you’d have everything sorted out by now.

Hello everyone! I’m Kim Laila and this poem is part of my “Stars” collection. I think that the stars hold different meanings for everyone, and in my collection of poems I tried to understand what the stars mean to me. I found contradictory meanings, but somehow they made sense to me, and I’m proud of the poems I wrote to explain them. Thank you so much for clicking on this note, and I hope you will like my work!

Struggling to keep readers hooked? From pacing that never pauses to clichés that scream “lazy writing,” many novels stumble over the same mistakes. This guide breaks down the most common pitfalls—setting, dialogue, pacing, and more—with dry humor and practical fixes to help you level up your storytelling.

Think your story is fine? Maybe. But if your characters are wandering aimlessly, nothing bad ever happens, or every scene is a lecture in their backstory, you might be sabotaging yourself. This guide covers four common fiction writing mistakes—too much backstory, lack of focus, missing conflict, and overcomplication—and how to fix them without crying into your keyboard.

Every writer hits the same potholes: slow openings stuffed with infodumps, point-of-view gymnastics that leave readers dizzy, and characters who suddenly act like strangers. These aren’t signs your writing is failing—they’re proof you’re drafting. The trick isn’t avoiding these problems; it’s recognizing them before your reader quietly backs away from the book like it might explode.

It’s easy to feel like you need to “do more” to belong or contribute, especially online. But sometimes, all it takes is one small act.

Too much conflict is like feeding your story espresso—suddenly everyone’s hyper, nothing makes sense, and someone’s probably crying in the corner. Every subplot should matter, or it’s just glitter in soup. Too little conflict? Snooze. Too much? Congratulations, your characters are now juggling flaming swords while doing calculus.

Why is losing weight so difficult? On the surface, the answer seems simple: eat less and exercise more. Yet year after year, many people find themselves stuck in the same place—carrying extra weight despite repeated efforts to change.

Crutch words are the shortcuts our brains take when writing—comforting, familiar, and wildly overused. They show up in every draft, from beginners to seasoned writers, and learning how to spot them is one of the fastest ways to level up your editing process.

Inspiration has a talent for disappearing the moment a blank page appears. One minute you’re convinced you have a great idea; the next, your brain is silent and the cursor is blinking like it knows something you don’t. This isn’t a failure of creativity—it’s a timing issue. Stories don’t vanish when you sit down to write; they hide. The good news is they’re easy to coax back out once you stop waiting for inspiration to behave and start giving it a little structure to work with.

If you’re tired, you’re not broken. If you’re sensitive, you’re not weak. If you’re quiet, you’re not invisible, even if it feels that way sometimes. There’s room for you in a community that moves at your pace and lets you be your whole self. If you’re building it slowly, gently, imperfectly, you’re doing it right.

Dragons can soar through the sky, and witches can brew storms in teacups—but if your hero still trips over the front step or burns toast, readers will relate. The secret to great fantasy? Ground it in the everyday. Make the magic extraordinary, but let the emotions, habits, and tiny details feel real. That’s the mix that keeps readers hooked.

When characters talk, something should change. Feelings shift, information slips, or someone leaves the conversation mentally replaying it at 2 a.m. If nothing changes, it’s not dialogue—it’s polite noise. Effective dialogue isn’t about clever lines or sounding deep; it’s about pressure. Someone wants something. Someone else doesn’t. That tension is what turns a conversation into a scene worth reading.

Ever start reading a scene and suddenly you’re in someone else’s head, wondering if you accidentally borrowed someone else’s brain? Congratulations, you’ve stumbled into head-hopping. It’s confusing, frustrating, and the fastest way to make your readers check out. Let’s fix that before anyone throws your book across the room.

Building community doesn’t have to mean big gestures or spending lots of time socializing. It’s okay if progress is slow. Even thinking about connecting is a step forward. Try one of these ideas this week, or pick the one that feels right for you. Remember, you’re not alone, and your words matter. Your people are out there.

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) is named after Virabhadra, a fierce warrior born from Shiva's grief and rage. But this pose isn't about violence—it's about righteous action, fierce compassion, and the strength to stand up for what matters. Warrior II teaches you to be powerful without apology. The key to sustainable Warrior II alignment? Press your front knee out toward your pinky toe (not letting it cave inward), and actively engage your back leg by pressing through the outer edge of your back foot. Both legs work equally—your back leg is your foundation, not decoration. From your strong legs, lift your torso vertically while extending your arms actively. If you can't breathe deeply in the pose, something needs to adjust. This pose trains your nervous system to feel grounded power—not aggressive, not passive, just clear and strong. Includes modifications for knee pain, hip tightness, and building sustainable strength in this foundational standing pose.

Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) asks you to do two opposite things simultaneously: ground down AND reach out, stay stable AND expand. In the yoga tradition, the triangle represents the trinity—past, present, future—and the balance point between stability and expansion. The key to Triangle Pose alignment that most people miss? Press through the outer edge of your back foot. This activates your back leg, levels your hips, and creates the foundation you need to expand without toppling over. Both legs work equally—your back leg is your anchor. Reach forward first with your front hand, not down. Keep your spine long and side body extended. Your bottom hand just rests wherever it lands—shin, block, or floor. If you're pressing hard to hold yourself up, you've gone too far. Triangle teaches your nervous system how to stay grounded while expanding, how to reach in multiple directions without losing your center. Includes modifications for tight hamstrings, finding stability in the pose and more.

It's dark. Your body feels heavy. Your mat might as well be on another planet. You tell yourself you're lazy. But what if Ganesha - the remover of obstacles - is blocking your path on purpose? For your protection. Ganesha doesn't just remove obstacles. He places them. He's the guardian of thresholds, closing doors that shouldn't be opened yet. In winter, your body produces more melatonin, shifts toward rest, slows metabolism. This isn't weakness - it's wisdom. The obstacle isn't tight hips. It's the story that you must practice a certain way. That rest is lazy. Includes a 15-minute Ganesha flow: slow cat-cows, child's pose, gentle twists, legs up. Winter practice honoring the threshold.

You know when January hits and everyone's doing hot yoga five times a week, promising this is the year they'll master crow pose? By March, the mat's gathering dust and guilt's the only thing we're practicing. The gods saw this coming. Ancient mythology is an instruction manual for being human. Biggest lesson? Everything has its season. Think about Shiva's dance, the Tandava. He flows between creation and destruction, in rhythm. He doesn't force spring seeds to bloom in winter's frost. We've been sold this idea that sustainable yoga practice means showing up daily, pushing through resistance, constantly leveling up. Spoiler: That's not sustainable. That's capitalism in stretchy pants. A sustainable yoga practice isn't about discipline. It's about rhythm. Your winter practice should feel completely different from summer - that's essential. The burnout cycle happens when we ignore natural rhythms. Next week: Ganesha at winter's threshold

Looking for a little creative permission slip to end your week? We’ve just dropped a new quick-win resource: the Dreamspace Way Anti-Hustle Cheat Sheet!