CONFESSION: I’ve been in a creative slump.
This is not meant to be a pessimistic post, I promise you. Blogging has been a joy for me; the people I’ve met, the books I’ve read, and the lessons I’ve learned have enriched my life greatly, but at the same time it is also difficult for me to keep up. Lately I’ve been feeling like my blog hasn’t been getting a good engagement.
I’ve also been growing tired of my bookstagram account @camilleareads and have taken a break from it. I used to post a lot of creative shots there but it’s hard to keep that rhythm steady when your posts don’t get much attention. Most days I think of just posting any picture because all I want to be able to do is share my life and talk about books without thinking if my pictures are pretty enough.
This means I might be more minimalist in the pictures I take as I want to focus more of my energy on Twitter and my blog.
My partner and I took a small trip to Baguio City, Philippines at the end of September! The break was EVERYTHING I needed. The place reminded me so much of home with its cool & crisp air, the misty mornings & chilly walks at night, and the food! I came home with jars of strawberry jam and strawberry wine. Yes, I was a very happy girl.
Goal: Finish 50k on WIP
Verdict: Reached 46,746
I had initially anticipated my Ghoul WIP to be 50,000 words but as I progressed further with the story, I realized that this wasn’t enough! At most, I believe, my story might end up with 60,000 to 70,000 words.
Goal: Read 10 Books
Verdict: Read 7 books, and 14 volumes of a manga!
I’m gonna say that should mean I’ve achieved my goal! I’m really happy with these numbers.
Goal #3: Read 2 non-fiction books
Verdict: FAIL!
Goal #4: Create four WIP aesthetics
Verdict: FAIL!
ANNOUNCEMENT!
I’m starting up a small bookish shop on RedBubble! I already have two designs uploaded but won’t be announcing the shop until I have one more done which will feature my own poetry! I’ll be announcing the shop via Twitter once everything is to my satisfaction.
BOOKS I READ
Tess D’Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
Tokyo Ghoul – Volumes 1 to 14 by Sui Ishida
A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
After He Died by Michael J. Malone
SEPTEMBER POSTS
OUT & ABOUT
How to Blog When You’re Not Reading by Inside My Library Mind
Magical Realism || Literature With A Hint of the Unconceivable by Mridula @ Ecstatic Yet Chaotic
Is it time for YA to move on from generic conventions by Krysta @ Pages Unbound
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer book review by Amber @ The Literary Phoenix
Why I Love Bookish Tropes by Beth @ Reading Every Night
Why Romance in YA can be Negative to Readers by Lu @ Lu Reads
What Makes a Good Sidekick Character by Laura @ Boats Against the Current
Why are one star ratings rare among book bloggers? by Jennilyn @ Rorouni Jenni Reads
Why are book tags and memes so popular? by Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books
Author/Reviewer Interaction Etiquette part II by Fadwa @ Word Wonders
Books vs. Movies || Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Kat @ Novels & Waffles
How was your September? What’s new in your life?
What are you looking forward to this October?
instagram || twitter || goodreads || facebook
If you enjoy my content, please consider donating to help me with medications and with running my blog!
Camillea Reads 
I look forward to seeing where you take this blog and your Instagram, so far I’ve liked all your previous changes so I’m sure it Will be great as long as it is something that you enjoy doing!
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I am so excited for your Ghoul WIP!!! I kinda wanna volunteer to beta it if you don’t have one yet mehehehe
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Omg, are you serious?? I’d love to have your on board, Kate!! I’m really in need of Filipino beta readers 🙂
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Yes, absolutely serious!
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Ooo, exciting! Curious about your shop 🙂
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Thank, Norrie! I can’t wait to share it with you all 🙂
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Totally understand about Instagram. I kind of like doing it, but it’s a lot of work considering I only have 200 followers. :p
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I feel the same about bookstagram. Spending a whole day on photos doesn’t seem worth it if only 50 people see them and they drive no traffic to my blog. Great job with your goals! I hope you have a good October.
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Fantastic job with your goals, you did so great! ❤ and that trip sounds fantastic, I'm glad to hear you had such a great time ❤
Thank you so much for sharing my post ❤
I hope you'll have a fantastic October!! ❤ ❤
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ooh looks like you had a pretty lovely september! (also, did you like gone girl? did you did you did you?)
& i’m sorry to hear you’re in a bit of a creative slump – i spent my summer slumping in all of the ways so i get the feeling. i hope you get over it soon, but till then there are so many other lovely things to focus on! hope your october is off to an excellent start 🙂
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omg I 10000% understand the creative slump!!!! I’m trying to write a book and I’m such a slow writer XD
also, Gone Girl was so good?? I didn’t think I’d like it at all, but then we had to read it for a college course and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were just so cruel and horrible to each other, but also weirdly likable???
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Hahaha yes! Have you seen the movie yet?? I’m getting Sharp Objects this month so I can start watching the HBO series for it.
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I haven’t seen the movie but I must make it a priority, PPL LOVE IT SO MUCHH
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I feel like I’m in a little bit of a creative slump at the moment too. It sucks but hopefully we’ll both come out of it soon. Congrats on how much you wrote towards your WIP, even though you didn’t reach your goal of 50K words you still wrote more than me this past month. 😀 Your trip sounds like it was a lot of fun, and you got through some great books as well.
Great recap, and thanks so much for featuring my post as well. 🙂 ❤
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Thank you, Beth!
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Your travel pics are beautiful and I’m glad to hear that the trip was everything you hoped it would be. I hear you on the creative slump too. I go through that a lot. I’m enjoying Instagram, but then again, I’ve only been doing it a few weeks so it’s all still shiny and new to me. Who knows how I’ll feel in a few months, lol. Congrats on your RedBubble store. That sounds so exciting, especially designs that feature your own writing.
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Oh gosh! Thank you so much for the link up 🙂 Also, I totally feel you about bookstagram. It’s fun to do when I’m in the mood for it, but such a hassle to keep up with/on top of. And this is coming from somebody whose hobby is photography. I guess I like taking the pictures more than actually posting them haha. Anyways, thanks for a great post! I hope you have a wonderful September!
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Thank you for sharing one of my posts 🙂 Those travel pictures are making me wanna take a break and see some stunning places too 🙂
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I’m sorry you’ve been having a bit of a creative slump! I was in the same position a while ago, and it was so frustrating, but eventually I just naturally came out of it. I’m sure it’ll be the same for you!
Your trip looks like it was fun though, and you definitely read a lot of books! I’ve been meaning to read more manga recently, and I’ve had my eye on Tokyo Ghoul for a while, so hopefully I’ll get to it soon.
Thanks so much for mentioning my post on sidekicks! 🙂
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You definitely should read Tokyo Ghoul! I ended up watching the anime first though, and I find the manga more in-depth. Thanks for stopping by, Laura!
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I’m not on instagram, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a hard market to crack. I also hear the messed with which posts you see on your feed so lots of content gets lost. Wish they’d just listen to users. Hope you have an enjoyable October.
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Thanks, Alicia! You too!
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