Creative Writing Nerdery
- meowolds
- Aug 30, 2021
- 13 min read
Updated: Jun 28
For all things nerd-related to my published works!
(Also follow https://www.facebook.com/megan.olds.779/ for regular updates, and see my publications and their rationales on the writing portfolio portion of this site!)
Novels
the Inditers
(Also: I have noticed that the Inditers now shows up on Barnes and Noble's website, which is awesome!)
(Will include original post from when I published it as soon as I can find it again)
Playlist - Of Monsters and Men, Walk the Moon, Banks, CHVRCHES, Bastille, and U2
1-year anniversary post - there are no endings
(Will include 2-year anniversary post here as soon as I can find it again)
3-year anniversary post - the little things, Holly
I'd be bald by now if I lived in the world of the Inditers
4-year anniversary post - Psalm 45:1, Zane and Athena
5-year anniversary post - alternative playlist (Gaslight Anthem and U2)
6-year anniversary post - poem from Athena’s point of view after the events of the Inditers, thank you to people like Of Monsters and Men (poem is from my upcoming, at the time, collection of poems No Longer in Parentheses)
7-year anniversary post - a summary of some of the Inditers’ themes, including a quote from it on friendship and a meme
Me as Athena for Halloween 2024
(See also Big Hero 6 in “Some Favorite Books [and Other Media]”)
Wither
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - Of Monsters and Men, Bastille, Coldplay, Churchill, twenty one pilots, Colony House, and Imagine Dragons
That time Wither made me eligible to join the Illuminati (funny and scary at the same time)
*See also the comments on my “Shakespearean insults” post that is under the Miscellaneous section of this page. I laughed out loud.
1-year anniversary post - healing for Cartney
Me as Cartney for Halloween 2020
2-year anniversary post - lots of love for Mato!
3-year anniversary post - two quotes, and a bit of commentary on the inside cover's artwork
4-year anniversary post - how this novel was one of my Church projects; a Spanish coincidence; two quotes; and Smashing Pumpkins
5-year anniversary post - Mato with the voice that told him to save Cartney, and a couple quotes on healing from trauma and avoiding anger
6-year anniversary post - quote from “Empire” by Of Monsters and Men, and a poem summary of the book
the Passion Tree
(Also: I have noticed that the Passion Tree now shows up on Walmart's website, which is awesome!)
Cryptic quote-drop before it was published
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - Meese, Hunter Hunted, Echosmith, Howie Day, The Police, A Silent Film, and Passenger
1-year anniversary post - healing after abuse for Piper
I'm an ironic hopeless romantic, not a matchmaker like Auntie or Wen
2-year anniversary post - artwork of Chelsie and Wen
Like Piper, I can’t cook. Auntie --- and Star, who is from Glow --- can, though!
Post about sexual assault awareness and empathy through the Passion Tree and Glow; also included are poems by me and e. e. cummings
Related Studio C sketch to one of my main characters Piper’s story themes of love and diabetes!
3-year anniversary post - alternative playlist (Lifehouse and The Smiths), and The Choice
4-year anniversary post - 1 John 4:18, trusting God and people again, Garden of the Gods rock tree, and how love isn’t supposed to be scary
Alongside Grace Under Fire: Celebration of Life Day 2024, with a quote and an inspirational meme
5-year anniversary post - appreciation for Kristjan, and tree paint-by-numbers
Glow
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - Eve 6, Ingrid Michaelson, Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness, Passenger, Saint Raymond, Bad Suns, Fitz & the Tantrums, Royal Teeth, Ben Rector, Coldplay, and Owl City
Post about Safeway and I being kindred spirits because of Bonnie Raitt parodies (which has to do with my Glow MC Derby and the place that he works at during the beginning stretch of the novel: a fried-chicken, fast-food place called Chick It Out)
Challenge of attributing a movie quote to any other fictional character than it was meant for originally (mine are a Friday quote for Derby and a Dirty Dancing quote for Fallicia!)
Did you know there’s a real star called Mira with a comet-like tail in the sea monster constellation Cetus? (Therefore, this concept also relates to my character Matt in the Inditers!)
Giving characters animal companions is so fun! (Such as Fox and Cat from the Inditers and Comet from Glow.) Especially dogs in particular can act as wingmen with a sixth sense! An excerpt from Glow is included here and also a callback to the movie The Lake House. Have fun!
Related Studio C sketch to Derby’s mom being a therapist!
1-year anniversary post - light, a Colony House song, and random facts about Glow
MarioKart excerpt and real sibling banter
2-year anniversary post - alternative playlist (Bastille, Bastille and Haim, Beck, Cage the Elephant, COIN, Depeche Mode, Hall & Oates, Neon Trees, Saint Raymond, The Unlikely Candidates, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Coldplay, Dean Lewis, Dinner and a Suit, Ed Sheeran, Frank Turner, Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch, Passenger, Hunter Hunted, Imagine Dragons, Vance Joy, and MisterWives)
Glow fear and attraction can produce similar symptoms excerpt
3-year anniversary post - a testimony, #MaleMentalHealthMatters, and how to choose a guy to date
Sweethearts
(See also my post for International Women's Day 2022 featured under the entry for Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu on the "Some Favorite Books [And Other Media]" section of this site.)
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - I Fight Dragons, Wild Party, CHVRCHES, Bleachers, Sara Bareilles, Tessa Violet feat. lovelytheband, MisterWives, Sheppard, Striking Matches, and The Knocks feat. Foster the People
Alternative resources and inspirations
That time that my Halloween costume was entirely based around CHVRCHES’ Love Is Dead (one of the big inspirations for this book) in 2018!
International Women’s Day 2023 - quotes from Pres. Monson, Willa Cather, and Sweethearts, and a video from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
International Women’s Day 2024 - advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment (and I also included a related Cyndi Lauper meme), songs by MisterWives and CHVRCHES, and a meme from one of my favorite movies, Big Hero 6
International Women’s Day 2025 - We Can Do It!, two book recommendations, my poem “Women” (from No Longer in Parentheses), and #TogetHER
Milo from Sweethearts vs. Gilmore Girls: pretending to be British and botching it!
Swan Island Dahlias in Oregon - looking for names I know (like Milo) everywhere I go!
To go along with the Hunky Dory joke… (Pokémon edition)
1-year anniversary post - quotes and memes on emotional abuse/toxic relationships
2-year anniversary post - alternative playlist (Ripe, twenty one pilots, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, The Cranberries, Dido, Lauren Mayberry, lovelytheband, Matchbox Twenty, morgxn, American Authors, A R I Z O N A, COIN, Jukebox the Ghost, New Order), and Amazon genre humour
Grace Under Fire
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - Smashing Pumpkins, Saint Raymond, MS MR, Owl City, Of Monsters and Men, American Authors, COIN, Paramore, and Alice Merton
*Note: YouTube playlist only does not include "They're Playing My Song" by Monatomic, "Spark" by Fitz & the Tantrums, and "Misery Business" by Paramore because no clean versions of them exist publicly. Listen to them at your own risk!
My real research in Seattle!
Quote from Poster Girl by Veronica Roth in relation to Justin, and testimony/resources about Jesus, His grace, and our showing grace within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Collusion as Pokémon
(Aside from a couple book recommendations if you liked Grace Under Fire…)
Quotes from A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen and Winter War Awakening by Rosalyn Eves in relation to Simone and fire
(Aside from a couple media recommendations if you liked Grace Under Fire…)
Quote from The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye in relation to personal integrity
1-year anniversary post - alternative playlist (The Unlikely Candidates, Awolnation, Jimmy Eat World, Nirvana, Silversun Pickups, Alicia Keys, Broods ft. Tove Lo, Garbage, Green Day, New Politics, Paramore, Shake Shake Go, Shawn Colvin, Matt Nathanson ft. LOLO, Bastille, Bastille & Dylan, Love Thy Brother ft. Ariel Beesley, MS MR, Broods, Coldplay & The Chainsmokers, Echosmith, Lime Cordiale, twenty one pilots, Ariana Grande, The Cranberries, and Portugal. The Man), and a Dharma & Greg meme about anger
Bhakti
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - Banners and Young Bombs, Florence + the Machine, Of Monsters and Men, Banners, SHAED, Kate Bush, Vance Joy, and Sigma feat. Birdy
My India-inspired Halloween costume in 2017
(Photo and makeup credit: my college roommates Yazmin and Laura!)
Quote from Margaret D. Nadauld in relation to women of God
Animal In You quiz
Excerpt: anyone else feel like Lakshmi sometimes?
Excerpt on belief in an afterlife & a poem from No Longer in Parentheses
Quote from C. S. Lewis about the divine in all of us (also for my short story “Karen” from my anthology Never Too Late)
Belladonna in relation to Christianity’s Satan and Isaiah 14:16-17
1-year anniversary post - favorite minor characters, which for me include unplanned-beforehand Brig!, & how I imagine him in the Naraka scene
Free
Post from when it was first published
Playlist - Rosa Linn, Magic Giant, MisterWives, MAGIC!, Nanna, Of Monsters and Men, morgxn, Bridgit Mendler, girl in red, Adele, Ingrid Michaelson, and Bastille
*Note: YouTube playlist only does not include “Plug In...” by Bastille because no clean version of it exists publicly. Listen at your own risk!
Set Fire to the Rain inspirational, rise-above-abuse meme
Soul garden meme, and quote by W. B Yeats about magic
What the main setting of Free (Twin Falls, Idaho) looks like in real life!
Collections of Poems
Kaleidoscope Pinwheel
(Various poems such as "Love," "You Are My Sunshine," and "For Me" were teased to friends only before the collection's release.
Sometimes, I have also conjoined poems from this tome with talking about subjects in my other books, such as "The Voices Behind #MeToo" in conjunction with sexual assault awareness in the Passion Tree and Glow.)
Post from when it was first published
1 -year anniversary post - bokeh Christmas lights on the front and back covers
2-year anniversary post - what poetry means to me
3-year anniversary post - highlight on the poem “Peaceful Love”
No Longer In Parentheses
(Various poems such as “Welcome Home” and “Palm Sunday 2023” were teased to friends only before the collection’s release, “Sweet Prayer” and "Bloodclot" were posted publicly in relation to Grace Under Fire, “At One” was posted publicly in relation to Free and Earth Day 2025, and “Thank You I” I posted on my locker at work.)
“Everyone’s Stories” and Kwame Alexander quote
Post from when it was first published
Upcoming: One Step at a Time
(Poem shared ahead of time: “America, January 2025”
Teased to friends only: “General Authorities,” “General Conference April 2025,” and “March 29, 2025”)
Anthologies of Short Stories
This Is For You
Post from when it was first published
Playlists
- "Another Place" - Bastille https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0B0E7SB36C31q2hdPJGAy952F46REg_t
- "Spectrum Fever" - Of Monsters and Men and Ed Sheeran https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0B0E7SB36C3dlghaviFP6udt0Kex8ZMt
- "Candice's Story" - Vaults, Ed Sheeran, Goo Goo Dolls, Owl City, and Sarah McLachlan https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0B0E7SB36C1NEccg3HdOKAQkGCbiZDo6
- “This Broken Perfection” - Kodaline
- "Our Own Secret Victory" - PVRIS
- "Lei Lines" - flor https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0B0E7SB36C05D2G4GnBVZYqKZprb4VF1
- "Petals" - Dreamcar, AFI, and flor
- "Glitch" - Silversun Pickups, Green Day, Bastille, twenty one pilots, Motion City Soundtrack, Foster the People, and Echosmith https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0B0E7SB36C1cISTDB8wc1a1efBbMLu8N
- "Smothered" - Colony House, the Fray, and Young Rising Sons https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0B0E7SB36C1iS939LYgKb1TMnWlCIB4U
For "Speak"
- Juneteenth 2020 post
- Juneteenth 2022 post
- Some media recommendations; plus, April is Arab-American Heritage Month and National Poetry Month!
- Juneteenth 2023 post
- Juneteenth 2024 post
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2025 post
- Everyone Is Welcome Here Day (2025)
- Juneteenth 2025 post
For "Departure" and "Come Up For Air"
- International Suicide Prevention Day 2019 post
- International Suicide Prevention Day 2020 post
- International Suicide Prevention Day 2021 post
- International Suicide Prevention Day 2022 post
- International Suicide Prevention Day 2023 post (#IllBeYour988 #AllThingsThroughChrist)
- World Mental Health Day 2023 - “The Anonymous Ones” from Dear Evan Hansen
- International Suicide Prevention Day 2024 (things I recommend to stay alive: hugs, prayer, things you love, and music)
For “Candice’s Story”
- 1-year anniversary post of This Is For You - Liz Lemon Swindle painting that looks a lot like Candice
For “This Broken Perfection”
- Bereaved Mother’s Day Awareness 2023 post
For "Glitch"
- Schizophrenia: some media recommendations, but also #StopTheStigma
- Not all glitches are bad (Disney)
2-year anniversary post - alternative playlists for “Smothered,” “Glitch,” and “Come Up for Air” (Vance Joy, twenty one pilots, Passenger, Imagine Dragons, Cage the Elephant, lovelytheband, Green Day/Bastille, Cold War Kids, and MisterWives), and a recommendation of Insurgent by Veronica Roth for “Smothered”
Never Too Late
Post from when it was first published
Playlists
- "All the Things I Never Told You” - Walking on Cars and Bad Suns
- “Match Strike” - Night Riots
*Note: Does not include "Burn” by Ellie Goulding because no clean version of it exists publicly. Listen at your own risk!
- “Titus and Poppy” - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, A R I Z O N A, and CHVRCHES & Marshmello
- “Forever and a Day” - AURORA, Bastille, and Smith & Thell
- “Lily of the Valley” - Oh Wonder, MisterWives, and Roger Hoffman
- “Pie Pals” - flor
- “Kissing Death” (from “Karen”) - MS MR and SHAED
- “Beauty for Ashes” - Of Monsters and Men
”My Kind of Perfect” playlist not included because no clean version of “Words” by AMZY exists publicly. Listen at your own risk!
- “Lady in Waiting” - Ingrid Michaelson, Death Cab for Cutie, and Motion City Soundtrack
- “persephone’s pirouette” - Vaults
- “Love Me True” - MS MR, Passenger, and MisterWives
- “A Rose for Saiorse” - Of Monsters and Men, PVRIS, boygenius, The Band Camino, and The Naked and Famous
- “Forget-Me-Not” - Coldplay and Adele
- “Joy to the World” - Imagine Dragons, Oh Wonder, Ingrid Michaelson, Colony House, and Smith & Thell
For “God Only Knows”:
- IG/FB reel–length dance to “Make It Out Alive” by morgxn for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention and The Trevor Project June 2025
For “Lily of the Valley”:
- Media recommendations for and themes of the story, as well as a related environmentalist Audrey Hepburn quote
- 1-year anniversary of Never Too Late - Paige Payne painting and plant memes that fit Lily to a T
For "Joy to the World"
- Dialogue about how grief doesn’t always mean moving on, especially if the person that you lost was your significant other --- quotes, media recommendations, and an inspirational meme
For “Overbooked”
- The eternal struggle
- Media recommendations for it and for “Forget-Me-Not” and “Rewrite the Stars (And Stripes),” as well as a meme of how long my TBR list is
Coming Home to Me
Post from when it was first published
Playlists
- “Sharon”- The Interrupters, twenty one pilots, and Shake Shake Go
- “Come What May” - The Mowgli’s, Lauren Mayberry, Fitz & the Tantrums, and Sheppard
*Note: YouTube playlist only does not include “Uncharted” by Sara Bareilles because no clean version of it exists publicly. Listen at your own risk!
- “Gooseberry Snow” - A Silent Film and twenty one pilots
- “Dreaming Out Loud” - AURORA and Royal Teeth
- “Blessing in Disguise” - Foster the People
- “Love Outside the Lines” - Broods
- “the Rachel Clause” - flor and the Postal Service
- “Trust in the Lord” - Matt Nathanson
- “Charmed, I’m Sure” - flor and the Naked and Famous
- “Natural Disaster” - Magic Giant and Nanna
- “Patience Becomes a Virtue” - Passenger, Fitz & the Tantrums, Carolina Liar, and X Ambassadors
- “True and Blue Piper” - MisterWives
- “Alienation” - Morning Parade
- “Not So Broken” - lovelytheband
- “the Endower” - Atlas Genius, Hunter Hunted, and Dinner and a Suit
- “Love, All”- Of Monsters and Men and flor
- “Ivy League” - YUNGBLUD
- “Love Á La Mode”- Grouplove
For “Dreaming Out Loud”:
- International Pride Day 2025 - my song-quote poem from One Step at a Time called “Transition,” illustrations against bullying and advocating that Jesus wouldn’t kick trans people out, and a misheard PVRIS lyric
Miscellaneous
If you need help with Kindle Direct Publishing, I'm your girl!
My mom said to make friends...
Inside jokes with God
Quote from The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
"Do you have any regrets in writing your books?"
Authors are bound together by Harry Potter
Quote from Willa Cather
To read or not to read
“…The Word was God” – John 1:1
Emily Dickinson, & some mixed-feeling thoughts on publishing companies today
#GiveThanks Day 5 (initially made in 2020 but not posted on here until now)
#afightstack against childhood cancer
#SweetStack (prompted by author Tiffany Odekirk) for Valentine’s Day
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry name generator
I couldn't find my post for this anymore, but there is also a funny cartoon for Emily Dickinson I once found while doing research for a paper on her!
Quote from Fair Coin by E. C. Myers
Quotes from songs by twenty one pilots
“Romances with a body count” quote from A Summer Mismatch by Kaylee Baldwin
“Words are…our most inexhaustible source of magic” Deathly Hallows: Part II (movie) quote for Harry Potter Day 2022
F(read)om
My opinion on the difference between romance novels and erotica/smut
Book crushes
In Defense of What the Modern World Calls Purple Prose, Which Is Not Always the Same as Actual Purple Prose
Sometimes, my New Year’s festivities include starting novels!
Me in writing versus speaking because of anxiety
Seriously—why are we banning books??
How to come up with the coolest fantasy character names
Why I read (in original poem, meme format --- this poem is from my poetry collection No Longer in Parentheses)
How book nerds pick spouses
English major/lit memes
My journey as a writer (and superhero story writer)
Shakespearean insults are the best!
Library excitement and book nerdery
Sarcastic English major meme
Match the quote to the book
More Emily Dickinson fandom from Bastille
Read books! Cats love them!
(Added note April 2025: rabbits, too!)
More English major and reading jokes and comics
A love of books and writing (memes)
Memes about: pretending you’re a protagonist in a novel, individuality (MisterWives quote), advocating for banned books and #freadom (including Samira Ahmed quotes), and not judging a book by its cover
Emily Dickinson introduction meme
Two for one: accreditation even in casual fiction—a writer’s responsibility—and a testimony of the Book of Mormon
“Love everyone” political memes
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