From Paper to E-Ink: One Month Later

One month ago, I gave in and went over to the dark side. I bought myself a Kobo Touch e-reader. AN extremely cute white one with a silver back.

Right now, the contents of it look something like this:

• 14 Novels (Purchased)
• 2 Novellas (Free)
• 2 Writing-related books (Purchased)
• A bunch of library books (Borrowed)

I never expected to love my Kobo as much as I do, which is a lot. I've had to make myself leave it at home when I go to classes so I don't spend the entire day reading.

That isn't to say that I've given up on physical books-- I've read 4 of them in the last month. But that's probably nothing compared to the 13 books (or 42 hours according the the reading stats) that I've read on my Kobo!

I was a little nervous about buying an e-reader because for a student like me, I couldn't really afford to spend so much money on something I might not even end up using, but I can now say that I don't regret the purchase a single bit!

Pros:

• Very portable and pocketable-- I'm able to read on the go whenever I have a little bit of time, and I won't have to worry about pages/covers getting bent in my bag. Also, convenient for reading while traveling, especially when you're a fast reader like me.
• Books by indie authors far more accessible-- I hate reading on my laptop/phone screen, and buying a paperback by an indie author wasn't always possible for me.
• Occasional lower price makes me more willing to try out titles I wouldn't have bought otherwise.
• Can borrow e-books from library, and no late return fees!  

Cons: 

• No pretty book to display on my shelves.
• Pretty book covers slightly less pretty in black and white.
• Have to charge the e-reader (what if the power runs out at a cliffhanger?!)
• It's not necessarily cheaper for some of the titles I want to read-- sometimes the ebook will cost around the same or more than a paperback. 

 So,  while I can say that I won't be making the move to 100% e-reading, a good chunk of my reading will probably be done on my Kobo, especially as I can borrow e-books from my library!

Do you prefer reading physical books, or on an e-reader?

Hello Writerly World!

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I haven't been published, I don't have an agent-- hell, I don't even have a completed manuscript. But what I do have is lots of determination to finish a manuscript (or ten) and get myself published.

Okay, that was kinda cheesy. I'm terrible at introductions, but let's try again anyway.

Hi, I'm Darcy and I'm an university student who writes YA fantasy fiction when I should be studying. I've been writing on and off for years, but it's only in the last year or so that I've gotten serious about wanting to be published and really starting to hone my writing skills and reading a lot of writing advice. I've come a long way from the 13 year old kid who thought a vampire prince romance she wrote with her friends was the Best Thing Ever, but I've still got a lot to learn.

The point is, I don't really have many writerly qualifications that qualify me to sit here and give you advice on how you should write. So, this blog will not be a how-to-write-blog.

This will be a how-I-write blog.

I'll be sharing tips and tricks that I've learnt, things that inspire me, and writing related thoughts every Monday and Thursday (NZST). Expect to see posts about the way I outline my novels, to reviews, to things in Chinese history that pique my interest.

At the end of the day, no matter how many times I complain on Twitter about it, I love writing. I may not love every single word I commit to paper (or word document), but I love learning and improving.

So hopefully, this blog will help someone who loves to write as much as me!