The beautiful creative woman’s journal by MatrikaS

“I defeat every demon when I write.”

This is the seven-word story of my life. There is nothing that I cannot overcome if I write about it. Whenever I find myself struggling to make a decision or overwhelmed with an irreparable loss, I take refuge in writing. This is the reason journaling is a huge part of my life. 

I collect beautiful journals when I am travelling. I have an enviable collection of journals, each dedicated for a particular reason. There are some professional journals, some personal journals and some travel journals. When I got the beautiful, creative woman’s journal by MatrikaS last month, my happiness knew no bounds because I never owned a journal that is designed for the creative woman in me. 

First of all the bright red color of the journal attracted me to it. There was a golden feather drawn on the cover. The most beautiful and motivating word was written beside the feather: write.

"Peace is the space

Between the words, I write;

It is during those

soft, satin moments of writing

I find a mine of peace

Tumbling from my heart

Onto the paper."

I caressed the cover of the journal and knew that it is going to be a prized possession of mine. A journal that is specifically designed for the creative woman is one of the best things I can own. It will inspire me to write, to dream and to be creative in every possible way. 

"I take a sip

Of the world around me,

Savor every little flavor

Inhale every little emotion

Then, I sit in front of the blank page

And let myself bleed."

And this journal makes the writing experience blissful. The creative woman's journal, my muse and I make a stellar creative combination. 

"I’ve met you

Through my poems

In several worlds;

Distant daydreams

Yet, so sublimely close

Countless conversations

Yet, not a single word exchanged

How beautiful you are my muse!

You beautify even the mundane scribbles."

The creative woman’s journal is my place to dream without inhibitions and to put order to my chaotic thoughts. I always had a dream of visiting old city bookstores and it was therapeutic putting my dreams on the journal. 

Apart from ruled sheets, there are also white doodle sheets in the journal where I can enjoy doodling and sketching. Nothing is more enjoyable than to doodle and scribble your heart away. The cool It's time to sticker provided in the journal made it more fun.

There are 8 beautiful coloring sheets in the journal made of elements inspired by nature. It was a delightful surprise and without any ado, I started coloring one of the pages. The butterflies in the page were beckoning me to color them with the brightest hues. It was such a stress relieving activity.

The journal is full of surprises. There are amazing stickers in the journal that made me extremely happy. Some stickers like bucket list, I want to learn to…, My current fav times, it’s time to… will help me prepare some cool lists. There are also some stickers like do it now, believing in magic, this too shall pass that are extremely motivating. The best thing is that I can also color the stickers.

The journal also has two pages dedicated to Books to be read and Places to be visited. As I love reading books and travelling, these two pages will be my favorite.

There is so much to love about the creative woman’s journal by MatrikaS. Here are the reasons why this journal is so special to me:

·        It is the perfect place to lose myself in my dreams.

·        Conversations with my muse are more delightful.

·   It revives my childhood hobby of sketching and doodling.

·        The coloring sheets alleviate my stress.

·        I can make plenty of lists…bucket lists, books to be read, places to be visited, movies to be watched, my favorite songs, best moments of the year and so on.

·        It has a cute pouch that will help me store little notes.

·        It has elastic for safe locking.

In the hectic and mundane days, this journal is like a whiff of fragrance in my life. It makes my life colorful and nudges me to dream bigger. What can be better than this for a restless dreamer like me?

My words and creativity have found a beautiful hamlet. I know, after a couple of years, I would love to revisit this special journal to see how my dreams have shaped up. 

If you are a creative soul like me, I am sure you would love this journal too. Check out the beautiful paper products of MatrikaS on their website. Also, check out their Facebook page to stay updated on their latest offers and products. 

Unleash the storyteller in you via Sweek

Being a writer and a bibliophile, the apps that are dedicated to writers and readers always catch my interest. I came across Sweek on a lazy Sunday afternoon when I was going through some new Apps on the Playstore. The tagline of Sweek is: Stories never end! I must say that this tagline tempted me to download the App and check it out.

Sweek is a free, online platform for reading, writing and sharing stories all over the world instantly. It is an ideal destination for a person who considers himself/herself both a reader and a writer. The App is very user-friendly and has some interesting features.

Sweek : A great platform for budding writers

You need to create an account in Sweek, so that you can explore the stories and start writing your own story. You can write multiple stories and manage them easily on your dashboard. 

To start a new story, you have to mention the story title, write a short description on what the story is about and upload a cover image. Once you finish doing these steps, your story will be visible on the New Stories section on the App. Then, you have to write the first chapter. You can add as many chapters as you want. You don’t need to write all the chapters in a day or a week. You can update your story monthly, weekly or daily, according to your wish.

If you ever harbored a wish of writing a story serially, you will absolutely love Sweek. Bloggers who enjoy writing blog series can also try Sweek for a larger readership. 

When your story will become popular, it can be seen in the Popular or Featured section of the App. The users of Sweek do not hesitate to drop their honest feedback. So, if they like your story, you will surely receive comments on your story.

Sweek: A relaxing place for readers

There is a wide range of classics available on Sweek. You can read the evergreen classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, A Tale of Two cities, etc. You can explore the numerous classics and read them at any hour of the day. 

If you want to read some new stories, you can check out the featured and popular section of Sweek where you can find some interesting stories written by writers from all over the world. If you are fond of any particular genre, you can search for stories of that genre in the categories section.

The stories of Sweek are categorized into Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture, Biographies, Religion & Spirituality, Chicklit, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction etc. 

Sweek is a perfect hub for writers and readers. Now, read and write to your heart’s content on your phone. Don’t keep those stories locked within you. Share them with the world through Sweek and enjoy honest feedback on your work. Unleash the storyteller in you today!

You can download the Sweek App on Android and iOS. 

Keeping promises to myself : Winning NaNoWriMo 2016

In the last week of October, I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo 2016 and write an entire novel of 50 K words in the month of November. It was a difficult challenge, but from a very young age, I get attracted towards challenges. The thrill of overcoming a challenge excites me.

I sketched the plot in the last week of October and embarked on a new journey of writing the book titled "Is it me you're looking for?" on 1st November. I was full of energy on the 1st week of November and managed to write 18 K words within 7 days. 

However, it was the 2nd week when things became really tough as I faced an emotional crisis and was also overburdened with tight deadlines. The pace decreased as a result. 

In the 3rd week, I had many social commitments such as friend's wedding and family functions that also made it hard to continue writing the novel along with the regular workload. 

However, it was the 4th week when I pulled up my socks and decided that, come what may, I am going to finish the novel I am working on. And on 29th November just before the clock struck midnight, I hit the 50 K mark and completed the 1st draft of my novel.

I validated my work and was awarded this beautiful certificate by NaNoWriMo.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as I received the certificate and realized that I had finally kept a promise to myself. After a long time, I gifted myself something that I will always be grateful for. This one month of discipline, hard work and not giving up had shaped me both as a writer and as a human being.

Generally, I take 4-6 months to pen down the 1st draft of a novel. For the first time, I did it in one month. This itself is a huge motivation for me. Now I can't wait to go back to the novel after taking a week break and read what I have written so that I can edit it accordingly. 

Thanks to all you lovely people who wished me all the best when I shared on my blog that I am going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. Blogging took a back seat last month due to this, but December will definitely be full of blogging. I have so much to write and share in my most favorite space.