Brain Dump 2026: April

Kayjah Taylor
4 days ago
5 min read

Hello hello hello! It's been a while, hasn't it?

2026 is going as rapidly as every other year, and I hope you all have found success and progress so far. What have you been up to and into? Anything new or interesting happening these days?

By the time you're reading this, I'll be 28 years old, so it's the perfect time for a dump of all the things I've been up to.

If you've read my previous brain dumps, you already know this is going to be a long one, so buckle your seatbelts!

Writing Projects

Am I still working on Never-Ending Nightmares (NEN for short)? Absolutely! Has life delayed my progress?

ABSOLUTELY.

I'm still chugging along! It seemed redundant to rush editing for the due date when the whole reason I'm rewriting the book is because I rushed the first time. So, we are going slow and steady! I'm definitely happy to say that I have the artwork for the cover! When I tell you it is absolutely amazing, I tell no lies; it is gorgeous. I am so happy with the results I could die, but alas, I must finish the book first, lol.

I have also still been writing a lot of brief scenes based on prompts I find (mostly on Pinterest) during my doomscrolling. Those small excerpts have been feeding my creativity as I continue to edit and readjust NEN.

I am also working on another side project. It's romantasy, but more of a self-indulgent project. Honestly, I'm still not sure if it will see the light of day, but that goes for pretty much anything I write.

Video Games

I distinctly remember in another brain dump talking about how I would stop buying video games and finish the ones I had. So, let's start this off with all the games I recently bought that I shouldn't have. (Yes, you may boo me; I deserve it).

Dredge

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Slay the Spire

Hades

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Death Stranding

Halo Infinite

Perennial Order

Persona 5: The Phantom X

That One Otter Game

Okay, that looks like a lot now that I'm looking at it in list form, but I SWEAR they were all on sale for a decent price each! I'm a Taurus; I can't resist a sale. Look up any of these games and let me know if you find them as interesting as I apparently did.

Anyway, onto the games I am currently playing.

Dave the Diver: This game is like Stardew Valley, but underwater. A cozy game where you are a diver who helps run a sushi restaurant. You meet different people along the way, and it is so cute. The cutscenes are my absolute favorite in this game! They're very Gen Z coded and I live for that. I don't know how close I am to the end, but I'm enjoying every moment!

Stardew Valley: The coziest un-cozy game to exist! Sometimes this game makes me feel like I'm accomplishing so many things at once. Other times, I get so frustrated that I have to take a break. Pros and cons, this game has a chokehold on me! Great for single or multiplayer, I've been working on a solo run and a run with my best friend, and it's safe to say we're both obsessed.

Luckily, this update is way shorter than the last one . I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign, but I did take a three-month break from gaming to work on NEN, so I'll count it as a win.

Currently Reading / Recently Read

I am wildly ahead of my goal this year, which is a first. As I'm writing this (on April 4th), I am about 26 or 27 books into my 40-book goal. I'm not sure if that's EXACTLY the number because some of my book tracking apps are missing a book I tried to input and some aren't. Is this a sign to write a list manually? Who knows?

I will definitely give a lot of credit to audiobooks. I've realized that while reading books is amazing and great, audiobooks allow me to 'read' and do other things at the same time! Aka, I can listen while at work, doing dishes, on car rides, etc. The flexibility of audiobooks is something I wish I had discovered a long time ago.

Here is the list of books I'm currently reading:

The Good Lie by A.R. Torre (12%) : This is the book I'm most interested in right now out of the three. A main character with a secret, a tie to a recent murder, and a mysterious man who seems intrigued and similar to her. This one I'm listening to on audiobook, and the narrator is doing a great job so far! Can't wait to get more into it.

Born in Fire by Nora Roberts (27%) : I used to read Nora Roberts a lot in my early 20s and recently bought two of her books on Kindle. I recently read another one of hers, and this one has a similar vibe. I like the ties to Irish heritage and folklore (although I don't know how true any of it is). Also, the relationship between the two main characters is electric, even if sometimes I can't tell if they're actually upset or not.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (5%) : I don't know why I started this book on a car ride, but it was definitely an experience. I already know the names in this book are going to kill me once I get later into the story. For now, I actually enjoy the writing style. I'm curious to continue this one, but because it's a physical book and pretty lengthy, I haven't found the time or energy to dive back in, but I will!

Miscellaneous

In my last brain dump, I mentioned doing digital art and tarot readings. I haven't done much of either recently, but I have found a newer hobby that I'm appreciating more.

Coloring!

I had brief stints of urges to color in my later college years. It was a way to slow my brain and force myself to relax, and it helped for a little while.

Now, at least 70% of the time, you will find me hunched over my desk and coloring at the end of a long day. They say there's a right time and place for everything, and it seems the time for coloring is now. I have done only a few pages (because they're so tiny and detailed), but am happy to end this post with some pictures!