Tea Talk Tuesday : Madison from The Book Worm Blogger

     

This week, Madison has taken over the blog and is telling us a little bit about herself. I have known Madison since I was in 4th grade and when she started her own blog I was so happy to have such a close friend to talk about anything and everything blog related! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I'm 15, and I currently go to West Potomac High School. I just recently started to blog, and I am falling more and more in love with it everyday. I love to dance, and I was on the JV Dance Team, which was such a privilege. I also adore words. Books and writing pretty much make up my life. I have a loving and awesome family made up of my mom, my dad, a little brother, and two little sisters. They are so supportive of everything I do, and I seriously couldn't have asked for anything better. I am also blessed to have such close and inspiring friends who keep me in check. 

How long have you been blogging and what motivates you to write every day?

I've had my blog for I think almost a year now, but I didn't really keep up with my blog until around December of last year. I'm honestly not really sure why all of the sudden I started blogging a lot, but I think it had a lot to do with [Sydney's] blog. For me, blogging is kind of like an online journal. I use my blog to not only give reviews on books (which is something I absolutely love doing), but also to kind of write about my life and what's going on. I want to be able to look back and see what I have done in my life.

How do you handle school and your blog?

Handling school and my blog can get pretty tough at times, especially now that finals are coming up. I usually wait until I finish most of my homework before I actually write my post, but I have everything planned out beforehand. I'll sit down on weekends and take a look at my week and decide what would be best for me to write throughout the week. That way I'm not sitting for an hour trying to come up with an idea for my blog when I probably should be finishing up an essay.

What are some of your favorite posts that you've written?

Since I'm kind of just starting out with blogging, I don't have a ton of posts, but my favorites, have to be "Motivation for the Month: May," "Night Before Our Stars, pt. 2," "Weekly Fangirl Fetish: Eleanor and Park," and "Weekly Fangirl Fetish: When Godly People Do Ungodly Things." 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

The sad thing is, I really don't know what I want to do with my life when I get out of high school. In 5 years, hopefully I'll be at a fairly good college studying Business Administration and English. It sounds really boring, but I want to be able to get a secure job that will allow me to write on the side, so that hopefully I will be able to become an author when I get older. And I've always loved marketing, so Business Administration doesn't sound so bad. 

What would be your dream job and why?

My dream job would either be an editor or an author. Obviously writing is my passion, and I love to read as well, so getting paid to read aspiring author's works or write as an author myself would be amazing. If I were to become an author, I really want to write a story that means something, probably targeted towards young adults.

What are you most looking forward to about sophomore year?

There are actually a ton of things I'm looking forward to sophomore year. For one, I'm moving back to South Carolina and I'm going back to School of the Arts for Creative Writing, which is just so surreal for me. It is such a blessing from God. I am super excited to see all of my old friends and be able to go to school with them again. I will also get to write every day again, which will be SO nice after taking a break for a year. Of course, I will also be able to start driving, which is weird and really freaky to think about. Also, I won't be a freshmen anymore, so no more bottom of the food chain for me!

What are some of your essential pieces in your closet?

Some pieces of clothing that I absolutely adore include a neutral colored skirt, a polka-dot sundress, brown oxford high heels, and my Hogwarts sweatshirt (she adds sheepishly). I love the skirt because I can wear it with literally every shirt I own, and there's this black design on the bottom to keep the skirt still neutral but more exciting. The sundress is so comfy to wear, yet it still looks like I put more effort into my outfit. I adore the high heels. I usually wear them to church, but they go with any of my dresses and they are just so adorable. I think the sweatshirt is pretty self-explanatory. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, so naturally the sweatshirt goes anywhere I go. It's nice because I can just throw it on when I get cold, and it has super warm and comfy material.

What books would you recommend to read this summer?

It depends on what you personally like to read, but I really enjoyed Rainbow Rowell's books, Eleanor & Park and Fangirl. I also suggest The Great Gatsby if you haven't read it, because the whole novel has a very summery feel and is a great read. If you're looking for something more inspirational this summer, I suggest anything Beth Moore, Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagen, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (this one covers a bit more depressing subjects), and Stargirl by Jerri Spinelli. (Stargirl is a much easier book at a lower reading level, but it is extremely well written.

What is your favorite part about dancing and writing?

This answer is going to be extremely cliche, but my favorite part about writing and dancing is that I feel at home. When I'm on the stage performing or I am sitting with a journal and pen in my hand is when I feel most comfortable and confident with myself. I can be a fairly shy person and I don't really share my thoughts very often, but I can become someone else when I write or dance, which helps me share what I have to say to the world. My favorite part is when I am writing/dancing, and I am so involved in the story I am sharing that I lose myself in this little world that I created. It's the best feeling.

What is your favorite part about going to SOA?

When I first showed up at School of the Arts in the 6th grade, I was kind of a mess. I had no idea what I loved to do, I was pretty far from God, I was trying too hard to be someone I wasn't, and I didn't have a ton of friends. School of the Arts really helped me turn around my life. I am able to do something I love for an hour and a half every day. I love how I am able to focus on writing, and I am learning how to become a strong and original writer. It's so amazing that I got the privilege to go to a school like that. I also feel like everyone is so much more accepting of other people, and moving to Virginia for a year definitely helped me appreciate that. Going to a more accepting school allowed me to grow as a person and understand who I am - I was allowed to be an artist who preferred to look at the world differently, and I loved that. The teachers understood that everyone was different, and I find that so rare nowadays. I also got to be around people that shared the same passion as I do, and that helped me find common ground with potential friends. School of the Arts helped me find my voice through both writing and through the atmosphere the school provides, and I am so thankful for that.
{Madison went to the same school I currently go to and I have missed her so much this past year! If you're new to the blog, School of the Arts is a school in which you audition into, and choose one of the 8 majors : Visual Arts, Strings, Piano, Vocal, Band, Theater, Dance, and Creative Writing) You spend 90 minutes every day in your major and can attend starting at grade 6, all the way to your Senior year.}

Where can we find you on social media? 

I'm on Twitter (@TheBookworm123), Instagram (thebookwormblogger), and Pinterest (balletshooz, under the board ~blogging~).

As Madison is a fairly new blogger, go and show her some love and add her to your Daily Reads list! 

xoxo