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Writer's pictureRose Rivers
Dec 10, 20236 min read

Guest Blogger-Lashun Williams

Hello there my lovelies! This week we're hosting a guest blogger— incredibly accomplished author, Lashun Williams, AGAIN! Her take on “your literary diet” will have you thinking about your expectations from yourself in 2024 and potentially realigning your goals! I found it very helpful and relatable, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


About Lashun:

Lashun Williams is an African-American writer of self-help, fantasy fiction, and romance novels. Her debut fantasy series, Element Princess, was published in 2013 under the pen name Jenaia Williams. She also published her short story Sea Comedies in DG Sentinel in 2023.


Lashun recently graduated with her associates in liberal arts from Southern New Hampshire University and she is continuing her education at Aurora University. She is in the process of completing her memoir and is investing her time in her creative projects. Lashun is also the founder of Greenhouse – A Human Healing Environment. In her free time, Lashun is searching for new types of coffee, watching video game playthroughs, and finding her next series to obsess over.


Where you can find her:

Instagram:


What else you can read/hear from her:

Editing Your Worlds blog, “Advanced Worldbuilding: How to Craft Your World Like A Pro”:https://editingyourworlds.com/advanced-worldbuilding/


My Two Cents blog: “Thirst for Self: A Writer’s Journey to Self-Discovery: https://www.roseraynerivers.com/post/guest-blogger-lashun-williams




And her book "Element Princess" is available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDOdoos


Thanks for reading my lovelies! I hope you enjoy Lashun's persprctive and I’ll be back next week!


XOXO

-Rose Rayne Rivers

 

Author: Lashun Williams

Title: Literary Diets: What Are You Consuming in 2024?

With the kaleidoscope of experiences and world events that happened in 2023, it’s easy to forget we writers need to return to ourselves and remember to “eat.” We need to consider our diets, watch the contents going in our foods, and not overconsume on the sugars and fatty goodness that’s recommended by others. Online, we’ve seen posts, comments, and statements claiming that Americans need more, the world needs ____, and that immediately returns me to myself. The online world lives and breathes content, commentary, and communication. And it also lives off recommendation. So, what does that mean for us writers that have different diets, those of us that don’t need recommendations or public opinion to thrive?


And hopefully, this post will help you recognize your literary diet and determine what you need to adapt, change, or end in 2024.


My Literary Diet

In 2020, my body required I change my actual diet. Suddenly, my declining health eliminated several foods, treats, and meals that became a detriment for me. To this day, I’m still limited in my options, but life isn’t so bad. I’m still a fatty, and my inner fat child still gets sustained. This change ultimately mirrored my experience earlier this year, when I determined my needs as a writer. I had to ask hard questions: “What do I need to be successful as a writer?” “What is success to me?” “What media and music do I need to listen to in order to feel fulfilled?”


I spent most of 2023 morphing my diet and I’ve discovered some amazing benefits. I found that doing these things helped enhance my literary diet.

  1. I took more online breaks – social media is like sugar. It’s addicting, almost overwhelming, and my body, mainly my eyes, needed a break from all the fast-paced news, pictures, and more. By cutting social media out of my day – limiting sugars – I was able to think better, be more productive elsewhere, and be more present with myself. These breaks were either a week or a month long, and truly, I didn’t miss anything.

  2. I read more – my love/hate relationship with reading was tested throughout this year, mainly this past summer. I asked myself, “Do I work best with readers? Should I be in a book club? Do I even like reading?” I joined a book community and even joined a writing community with a book club.

  3. I stopped listening to recommendations – Most recommended books and media are uninteresting, and I won’t have it. I simply won’t. Instead of following the BookTok trends, I followed my interests. Not only did I realize what I genuinely love to read, but my desire to read skyrocketed. Movie recommendations? I hardly watch new movies. I go for what I like. If this is the 18,000th time I watch the Mummy (1999), so be it.

  4. I allowed myself to transition – In the summer, I deeply wanted to get rid of all social media and work word of mouth. Something told me to give Instagram another try, so I did. Now, I’m active on there, I updated my FB author page, and I run my Substack. I changed from following money-making gurus and editors to appreciating autumn, coziness, and connecting with aspiring writers and professional authors. My different platforms cater to my multiple interests, and it’s enriched me so much.

  5. I stopped sharing – now, as a writer, getting your name out there is a great idea, especially through social media. However, I needed to collect myself. I determined what I wanted to share, and where. Now, I share with those that listen, and I’m not wasting my breath on something with wax in their ears.

  6. I participated in challenges – this mainly started this past summer. I participated in Author August 2023, a challenge hosted by Mariah Ankenman (@mariahankenman on Instagram) that sparked an inspiration in me I didn’t know I needed. In October, I participated in the Writer Friends Challenge 2023, hosted by Susan Leigh Needham (@susanleighneedham) and Sara Helynn(@thatsarahhelynn). Turns out, I adore challenges. This also helped me see what to post, where to post it, and showed me how much engagement I’d actually get from myself and from others.


Consider Your Diet & What Nourishes You

It’s never too late to change your diet, though it’s difficult to determine what you need and where. Every writer needs something different, whether that’s more punk rock music or less voices at a café. And these changes will come with time, morph and shift as you grow and become more of yourself than you were before.


I’d recommend considering the following things next year:

  • Check out your book list – what’s your To-Read pile look like? Are there books you actually intend to read, or is it filler? Clean out your bookshelf and make room for quality books.

  • Take more breaks – sometimes, the best writing comes after a six-month rest period. Other times, you might need to take a walk to figure out a plot hole. Consider yourself, your mental health, and your own perspective as a writer before doing anything else. Your diet may require more meat than veggies, or more protein and less fat.

  • Exercise your mind – sometimes, Pinterest offers me pins of unknown words and definitions. This keeps me on my toes and potentially gives me words to use on future projects – when I use an “unknown” word correctly in a sentence chef’s kiss.

  • Consider your surroundings – do you eat when you’re alone, at a table with others, or do you have a designated snack buddy? Determining where you sit in your life, whether that’s writing or not, can really determine what you like to eat. Regarding writing, do you like writing with a friend, alone, or with a designated buddy? Also, which places do you shop?

  • What’s your literary grocery store? – Where do you purchase your books? Where do you love investing your money? Where do you invest your time? Being a writer is much more than being at the keyboard, just like being a reader is more than having the ability to read. There’s a depth to you, and that depth needs identification and a personality. Which is you! Shop wisely.


End of Year Jitters

Some sufferers of perfectionism might expect 2024 to be their year. Take your time, sweetie. The best writers understand themselves, their niches, and talents, and they do what’s best for them. If you’re not looking to be the best, then don’t be. Be awriter. Your meals and diets are unique to you, so take in what you need, limit what you need less of, and eliminate the reasons for your stomach aches.


Rework your diet, spruce it up, and make your literary diet all about you. This year is about you!






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