Wild-Willow Creative

My Favorite Writing Essentials

December 20th, 2023
Finding the motivation to write is hard sometimes for me, especially with a full time job and life’s distractions. Here are some of my favorite products that help me overcome that writer’s block and help me plan ahead!
- A Typewriter Keyboard. It makes wonderful clacking sounds like a typewriter, has bluetooth connection, and has a whole lightshow that can be set to many different settings. My favorite is the rainbow lightshow around a key that comes every time you hit that key. This is the one I have and it is well worth the money for it’s accurate look and feel of an actual typewriter!
- Rosemary Tea! Rosemary is a known cognitive-function booster. You can mix rosemary leaves in with your favorite tea or make it like I do with a little bit of honey and milk. I always have better writing and reading sessions when I drink Rosemary tea because I can focus more and for longer moments. Be sure to only steep this tea for 7-9 minutes in hot water to avoid a bitter aftertaste.
- Speaking of tea, I’m obsessed with these mug warmers that I found recently. I was complaining about my tea and coffee always going cold by the time I remembered to take a sip in one of my writing groups on Discord and someone mentioned this mug warmer their partner got them! You can even use them to double as wax melt heaters if you’d like. This has upped my writing game significantly to always have warm tea at the ready whether I’ve been sitting there for 30 minutes or 2 hours!
- Now, I do well with long to do lists. I often add to them every couple hours as I think of more things I would like to get done. These to do list notepads have changed everything for me! They have beautiful designs (I love the leaf ones) and I can add the date, everything I want to do, and then list out my priorities and things that I need to do tomorrow instead of today. The dopamine hit of crossing things off the list is amazing. I’m not the only one, right?
- Next on my list of essentials is a simple spiral sketchbook. I type most of what I write but I enjoy having something next to me to quickly jot down notes or ideas for future scenes instead of breaking out of the page I’m working on to edit my outline. There’s something so rewarding about having your own notes written next to you that you can refer to while writing. I love this simple, affordable sketchbook. It’s small so it travels well and the pages are of a great quality!
- To go with your sketchbook, I have the perfect pen. I got hooked on these pens in a drawing class for landscape architecture in college. These 0.5 mm pens glide so smoothly over the paper and, in my opinion, have a beautiful look to each pen stroke. I will never buy another pen as long as they continue to produce these. I have them in blue, black, and red for all the things I could ever possibly need. I use them with editing, writing, and jotting down notes (blue for gentle ideas and red for absolute edits).
Those are my main items that I consider must-haves for me to have successful writing sessions. Writing consistently can be a challenge, but when I’m cozy and taken care of, it becomes a lot more fun! Let me know below what must-haves you want me to check out.

*A note, I do receive some commissions from these affiliate links that I’ve posted but it does not impact your price or take away anything for you, just helps support me as a writer!
eReader vs. Physical Books

December 16th, 2023

There are plenty of hot debates out there on whether reading physical books or using an eReader is the way to be a real reader.

As a life-long library girlie, I have mixed opinions. I love my eReader, I don’t go anywhere without it. I even once drove back to work in order to pick up my eReader because I couldn’t go a night without it. That being said, I love the smell of a new book. The sound and feel of pages turning is something that can’t be replicated on an eReader of any kind. I also can’t look at where I am in the book and gauge how much further I have for the author to completely destroy my world from an eReader. The percentage completed in some epub files just doesn’t hit the same! Physical books are easier on my eyes and have an added nostalgia factor that makes them the best option for me in most instances.

Now, if I prefer physical books in so many ways, why do I have an eReader that I take everywhere? At any given moment I am reading 3-4 different books. Some of those books are epub files and others are physical hardcopies. I often leave the physical hardcopies at home and bring the eReader along with me. The eReader just travels better, honestly. I travel and don’t have to worry about the size of the books taking up room. I don’t have to worry about water at a pool or in a hot tub with an eReader like I do with paper. My last major trip was a cruise and I decided I wanted to relax in the hot tub with my book. If I had been reading a physical book, I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere near water. It makes me nervous enough that I won’t enjoy reading while anxious about water splashing up or dropping the book. With my eReader that is much more water proof than the average book, I could move to the hot tub and enjoy my time there without being stressed and anxious!

I can download multiple stories and don’t have to worry about not bringing enough to read. I am certain I am not the only one with that crushing fear. I don’t have to worry about the paperbacks that I love getting obliterated in my backpack with everything else in there. With a case, eReaders are secure and small to travel with. They take up miniscule room but can carry 300+ book files in their memory at a time. I keep mine on airplane mode majority of the time and the battery lasts for weeks!

I know it sounds like I read more on my eReader than from my personal library at home, but I truly read more physical books when I’m home. I am an avid Book of the Month BFF and love receiving my beautiful hardcopies every month. I treasure each one. I treasure them so much, I only read them when I’m at home. I’ll take physical books to the office with me sometimes to enjoy on my breaks, but I don’t like to travel with them much further than that. I’ve had too many get stained or damp and never recover. I am not a reader that likes to abuse my books. I want them to be beautiful and pristine for many re-reads.

All in all, eReaders have their place in this world, just like audio books. As much as I prefer a wonderful paperback with cream pages to an epub file, I will continue to carry around my eReader religiously in case the opportunity to delve into a book arrives at any moment.
Review of Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova

December 16th, 2023

Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova is a brilliantly modern adaptation of the story within The Little Mermaid. She takes us through the chance meeting of Ariel del Mar, a sheltered pop star that just wants a taste of life outside of her father’s control, and Eric Reyes, an aspiring singer who is about to go on tour with his band for their big break. He invites “Melody” to be their merch girl on their summer tour and she accepts, running towards the experience to be an aspiring songwriter without the fame of her family following her. Without her signature red wig and makeup, no one but the band’s manager recognizes her. Will Ariel and Eric manage to stay apart throughout the tour, or are they destined to be together?

Zoraida Cordova blends modern times with fantastically hidden easter eggs for the true Little Mermaid fans to bring this story to life. She artfully takes us through the ups and downs of a budding romance with two less-than-enthusiastic lovers as they try to run away from each other. They’re running for good reasons, but each time they circle back and are reminded why they’re so perfect together. This cozy romance made me laugh and cry in so many ways.

As cliche as some of the tropes in this story are, this was a refreshing read. I devoured this book in two days and could not put it down. This story is the absolutely perfect blend of low-key Hispanic culture and my love for the story of the little mermaid in a punk romance kind of way. I read this book on a whim because I won a copy from their goodreads giveaway and I have to say I will be working to get my hands on the other three books in the Meant to Be collection.

I give this book a wholehearted five out of five stars. The classic fairy tale with a modern twist is always well-received for me and Cordova did a fantastic job at this adaptation. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fairy tale adaptations, especially if you’re looking for a cozy romance steeped in Hispanic immigrant culture.