Writing Rissa

Currently Reading:

[secondlina]

No transphobes allowed, only transborbs.

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[dark-romantics]

there’s something so fucking magical about bookstores and libraries

[writingrissa]

My Reading/Review style:

I read voraciously...or not at all.

I will love be loving a book/series and something about it will make me mad and I'll put that book down and forget about it for a while. Not quite a DNF, I'll finish it eventually...or not (i.e the ending of Iron Flame (I may or may not ever read Onyx Storm).

That being said, life is to short to read a book you don't enjoy. I do DNF books.

If I enjoy a book, it's a five star read for me. If I gave it less than five stars there is probably something specific I did not like or that bothered me. If I didn't mention it in the review, ask me (I'll probably remember what it was).

Cry Meter: 🥹 Watery eyes, 😢 There were tears, 😭 Sobfest

Please talk about books with me!!!!!

[writingrissa]

Rissa Reviews: Before I Let Go

"Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn’t solve or save everything.

It couldn’t save their marriage."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cry Meter: 😢 (there were tears)

Favorite Quote: (I couldn't choose one, I may update later)

I'm not sure how to start this review...partially because I haven't written a book review in a very long time, but also because this book truly blew me away.

Before I let go drew me in right from the start, I started it while traveling home from BRBF (where I got it signed by Kennedy Ryan herself!) and this book immediately had me in a chokehold. I was trying to read in the dim blue lights on a late flight (I gave up after reminding myself that this is why I wear glasses now), today kept pausing work to read a bit, read through my lunch break, and finally finished it at home after work.

This book was poignant, and beautiful, and real. It was my first Kennedy Ryan read and I am immediately a fan!

As per usual, more below the cut

Everything about this book fully captured me; Yasmen and Josiah's separate struggles to come to terms with everything that has happened, their attempts to move on or move forward, the love and care they have for their children, their parallel journeys towards healing, and the strength of their friendships and relationships.

I have not experienced everything Yasmen has been through, but I have been depressed and it is something I still struggle with to this day. Everything about her struggle, her attempts to heal, and the nuggets of wisdom from Dr. Abrams resonated very deeply with me.

I really appreciated that Vashti wasn't villainized just because of her brief relationship with Josiah and I appreciate even more that her feelings weren't a sacrifice to Yasmen and Josiah's love for each other.

I LOVE the positive representation of therapy and medication. And that that positive representation didn't just come from Yasmen, but also from Kassiam, from Josiah's friend who encouraged him to seek therapy, and (eventually) from Josiah himself.

I wish that Josiah had paid more attention to Deja's attitude toward her mother and actually tried harder to get to the bottom of it instead of just telling himself he should. And I'm surprised that therapy for Deja wasn't broached sooner after Kassim started.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by Kennedy Ryan.

[transmascmarypoppins]

why is this post completely broken in every way imaginable

[cecilsrandomeverything]

Broken notes… deactivated account… removed image….

Finally, we have them all.

[spacefinch]

In addition: OP’s name is just… gone. No “[insert username]-deactivated[insert a bunch of numbers]” as is the standard for deactivated blogs.

Just the world “deactivated.” Look upon their post, ye mighty, and despair.

[chatblancofficial]

It’ll be almost impossible to find this post unless it wanders across your dash.

[black-quadrant]

Reblog this triple-dead post for something good to happen to you this week.

[spotforme]

not even notes..

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

Hey. Things are going to get better.

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

You cannot prevent it.

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

Yes I am threatening you with a good time.

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

Have A Good Day, Bitch

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

[ashstfu]

i just want to lay in bed and read books all day and not participate in life

[1000-life-hacks]

[libraryladyintraining]

You better believe it!

[onetobeamupart]

Daine the Wild Mage of the Immortals quartet, the original blorbo.

[afrohairinspo]

[paralives-news]

Paralives is out May 25th, 2026 in Early Access!! which means…some features will be available right away and others will be added overtime as free updates ⚙️🛠️

[writingrissa]

I’m so excited for this game!!!! As a long-term simmer, I am so excited for a fresh and new game and perspective.

[magpie-to-the-morning]

I don’t WANT a career. I want to cuddle and sleep and eat and read and create and love and be loved.

[bigandlong]

If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.

[jae-felidae]

Oh hey! Haven’t seen this in forever! Didn’t reblog it when it came across me before, not gonna skip it this time, I need some good vibes.

[mal-studyblr]

hey quick PSA but “reading before bed to wind down” only works if you’re normal about books btw. if you aren’t you are going to end up awake at 2:52am after finishing the whole book just trust me on this one

[readaroundtherosie]

i regularly read before bed which actually just means bed time is 3am

[poetryofmuses]

"what do you do for a living?" Oh I am a professional hopeless romantic and I read books and cry in my free time.

[blogbibliophilia]

[writingwithfolklore]

Writing Resources to use instead of AI

For coming up with character names:

Behind the name (my absolute fav)

Allows you to choose the origin of where you want the name to be from, whether you want a more feminine vs masculine vs androgenous name (as voted by users), random surname generator, and clicking on the name gives you important info like if there are any famous people with the same name, where it’s from, how common it is, and how people tend to see it, etc.

You can also search their name database by letter or meaning or origin, so if you know you want a character who has a name/surname that starts with an A from Ireland, there’s a whole list for you to choose from.

Census sites

Especially useful if you’re looking for a name from a specific place and/or time period. Just search “(country) census (year)” and you’ll find a database of real people who lived in that place at that time. No one can ever call your names unrealistic again.

For coming up with place names:

Fantasy name generator

This site can basically come up with any name for any person, place, or thing you might ever need. There are also specific generators for different fandoms if you’re looking to make an OC in an established world.

For finding that one word on the tip of your tongue:

One Look Thesaurus

This is my go-to. Not only can you find synonyms like a regular thesaurus, but you can also describe words like “unhappy smile” or “quiet laugh” to find the more specific word you’re looking for.

For coming up with ideas:

Word cloud

When I need to inspire a new idea, I write down all the things I’m interested in (hauntings, academia, lesbians, etc.) and put them into a word cloud to shuffle them next to each other. Sometimes seeing a concept in a new context can spark new ideas!

WWF Discord

This is my discord channel (shameless plug) for when you need to brainstorm off other people but don’t have anyone irl to talk to. We’re also happy to read and give feedback on writing, answer writing questions, or just chat!

For visualizing places and characters:

Pinterest

Pinterest can at times be a bit too sterile for my tastes, but if you use the right words, you can find more realistic photos of places. For example, adding “aesthetic” after basically any word will bring up a more broad collection of photos to help you flesh out places.

This is also a great way to find photos of people and fashion to help visualize characters. I’m bad at describing clothes, so I usually collect photos of outfits to help me know what my characters are wearing. Searching up “character inspiration” will collect more interesting photos and drawings of people who might not exactly be of our world.

(However, to make Pinterest not show you AI results, you have to go into your settings and check the “reduce AI” box. Luckily, it does mostly work.)

Death to Stock

Like pinterest but completely AI free (hooray!) Only drawback is that you have to pay a monthly subscription (about $20 CAD).

Cosmos

Very similar to pinterest but slightly more "artsy". I'm not super familiar with this one but I believe all the photos are human and you can save them and create collections with a free account.

Dupe Photos

Royalty-free stock image site with very Pinterest-core photos!

Minecraft

If you haven’t built your entire fictional city in Minecraft instead of writing, why not? It’s fun.

The Sims

This one is dual purpose because you can not only create your characters in Create a Sim, but you can design their houses. If you really want to go for it, you can bulldoze all the lots in your town and build your world from scratch.

For checking grammar:

Grammar Girl

Easy to follow definitions and examples, and if you learn better by listening, every article comes with a podcast to follow along with instead.

Grammar Monster

This one is my favourite for checking grammar rules because there’s tons of examples in graphics that helps for any situation.

Reedsy

Among other things, reedsy can connect you to professional editors within your budget.

For writing advice:

One Stop for Writers

This one was recommended from my discord channel and has all sorts of tutorials and resources for the writing craft.

My Blog Directory

Another shameless plug, but if you need writing advice on something specific, you can search through my directory to see if it’s there. If it isn’t, you can always send me an ask about it!

For an alternative to Google Docs:

Ellipsus

Think google docs but without AI. Yay!

(will update this list with any more suggestions or resources I discover 😊)

[just-a-readthrough]

A great resource