Colby R. Rice's Blog, page 19

Why You Think You Can’t Write A Novel – And Why You’re Wrong!

Calling yourself a “writer” is something that makes a lot of people nervous. It can feel like you’re asking to be called pretentious, or worse. If you’ve ever had the experience of meeting a distant relative at a family gathering and they ask what you do, you know how it goes.

“I’m a writer.”

“Oh! Anything I might have read?”

And the answer is almost invariably “no,” and so you know in their heads they’re thinking “Not a real job, not a real job.” It’s enough to cause a crisis of confidence, which of course contributes to the dreaded Writer’s Block. And when someone reads some of your writing and says “This is superb! Have you considered writing a novel?”, it’s easy to answer “no.” Because writing a blog post or an essay is one thing – a novel is a whole other ball game.

So many good writers shy away from the idea of writing a novel when that friend might really be onto something. If you think you can’t write a novel, you’re wrong. It may take time, and you may have a few false starts. But if you are ready to put the work in, you can overcome any obstacles – including the ones you put in front of yourself.

Excuse #1: “I know I can write, but I can’t write people.”

Writing characters is maybe the toughest part of writing a novel, it’s true. Even those of us who don’t think we’re creative can set a scene, can sketch out a narrative, but writing people is hard. Most successful novels will have at least one character who’s a lot like the author. Why is that? Because it’s easy to write yourself. Other characters are harder, of course. You can base them on your friends, but you want your friends to read the book and still like you, so that’s tricky.

What you need to do is sit and set out a profile of your characters. Their name, age, what they do for a living. Their personality. Refrain from making them too amazing – readers these days can spot a Mary Sue a mile away, and prefer someone relatable. Read over your profiles, and if they remind you too much of anyone, change the details until they’re their own person.

Excuse #2: “I know I can write, but I can’t handle rejection.”

Every author on the face of the Earth has received at least one letter of rejection from a publisher. J.K. Rowling famously received numerous rejection letters before one publisher picked up Harry Potter. One of them told her that she should get a day job because she was unlikely to make a living in children’s fiction. If writing is what you want to do, then you need to have a thick skin. You will get rejection letters – but they make the non-rejections worth so much more.

If you don’t want to leap straight into the lions’ den with publishers, then consider self-publishing to begin with. Book-printing experts such as Steuben Press will put your book together for you. You can then sell online or at book fairs, or give your books out as gifts. If you get good feedback from those, that should up your confidence. Never give up on the idea. Where would we be if Suzanne Collins had taken her first poor feedback as a sign to give up?

Excuse #3: “I know I can write, but the good ideas have all been had.”

We’ve all sat in front of a laptop, racking our brains for ideas, and the moment a good one comes up our internal editor rejects it. “No, already been done. There are enough books about vampires/wizards/astronauts…”. It is true to say that it gets harder to be original the longer time goes on. So the first thing to say to that is … don’t worry about having a truly original idea.

J.K. Rowling wasn’t the first author to write about a wizarding school. Stephenie Meyer definitely didn’t get to vampires first. And there have been more novels about a dystopian future than anyone could read in a lifetime. What you do need is a hook. Something that makes it a bit different. Play around with the lore a little; there is always something you can bring to it. A new setting, a unique power, a different threat. If you try to be 100% original, you’ll just end up with a book no one understands.

Excuse #4: “I know I can write, but I don’t have the time.”

Authors and actors alike have the same issue that stands in the way of their success. In the beginning, it doesn’t pay. And so they need to hold down a full-time job while finding ways to indulge their creative side. Where authors have an advantage over actors is the fact that an actor usually needs to break through while they are young. The film industry is very ageist. And sexist. And shallow.

On the other hand, when you’ve got your work backed up, you can take as long as you need to finish your first novel. If you snatch a few pages each lunch break, take a few hours at the weekend and some in the evenings, you can let it come together at its own pace. In fact, you may benefit from taking a little longer over it – this allows you to refine what you write and really consider where the story is going.

You can come up with all these reasons and more not to put your writing to the ultimate test. There are dozens of reasons not to try – but in the end, all you need is one reason to give it a go. If it works out, you’ll have the chance to make money doing something you love. And there is nothing better than that. Sure, when you’re on novel number 10, you’ll still get writer’s block. But it beats the hell out of doing a job you’ll never like, let alone love, for just enough money to keep your house warm.

You just need to stop making excuses.

Stay indie, and rock on, write on,

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Colby’s Creative Journal (11/30/16): First Entry!

Welcome to my creative journal!

So, I’m giving YouTube a go, testing out ways to produce content, stay updated, stay focused, and also engage more in social media. I have NO idea if this daily creative journal is going to endure, but I’m enjoying it and giving it a shot.

Just trying to stay involved and accountable on my progress with my creative projects.

Check out my first entry below.

Daily Creative Journal, Day #1 (11/30/16)

Welcome to my creative journal!

So, I’m giving YouTube a go, testing out ways to produce content, stay updated, stay focused, and also engage more in social media. I have NO idea if this daily creative journal is going to endure, but I’m enjoying it and giving it a shot.

Just trying to stay involved and accountable on my progress with my creative projects.

Check out my first entry below.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 41-44 (10/3/16 – 10/30/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

DUDE, The Given is back in Amazon’s top 100 Free list (for New Adult & College) ONE MO’ ‘GAIN! This time it’s rocking out at #99, and I’m STILL feeling pretty darned good about it. Dancin’, dancin’, DANCIN’! 

Check it out here and see for yourself!

So yeah. Lol. This semester has literally DRAGGED me away from the blog kicking and screaming. It’s actually dragged me away from a lot of things kicking and screaming. Many things have been happening, both good and bad, constructive and destructive, in all areas of life. Still, I know that this is all the fire that will forge me into the person, creative, and professional that I need to be.

More below in Thoughts, Ramblings, Whatevs! But let’s get one MAJORLY OBVIOUS THING out of the way:

It’s NaNoWriMo 2016, y’all!

So get your butts in gear and get that novel banged out. No matter how crappy the first draft might be, you can always craft it into the work you want it to be.

So write on, rock on!

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS: Weeks #41-44 (10/3/16 – 10/30/16)

I’m not going to lie: October was a struggle. As I sank deeper into my graduate program, I struggled constantly with life-work balance, health (because the little one brings everything home from daycare), and the stress of not getting SUCKED into academia such that my art, and my time to make art, disappeared.

But unfortunately, that’s exactly what started to happen.

So I’ve had to take a step back, stop drinking the academic kool-aid, and reevaluate my priorities. What do I actually want creatively, and how can I go about getting it? How can I make progress towards my degree and fulfill the requirements, but also make room for my art and for growing my business in a physically sustainable way? (Because cutting down on sleep and not showering are not options for me.)

These were all questions I had to start asking myself as the academic agenda of the program began to swallow my life a bit. I had to remind myself that while the workload was heavy and academic perspectives are certainly important, I AM AN ARTIST first and foremost. I had to look in the mirror and remind myself that:

I possess a creative project slate with over 65 IPs and creative ideas for novels, prose, film, TV, and scripts, and another non-fiction creative project slate with over 100 IPs, courses, and book ideas for helping creatives to make a living with their art.


I’m an urban fantasy, dystopian, and sci-fi thriller novelist.


I’m a game writer and game designer.


I’m a director, film producer, and filmmaker.


I’m a blogger, course designer, writing coach, and creative entrepreneur.


I want to build a foundation that will help women and single moms make full-time livings as creatives and artists.


I am building a five-corner creative f’empire, Rebel Ragdoll, that encapsulates these five areas of deep creative interest and passion life.


I am building quantifiable creative skills in filmmaking, editing, VFX and CGI artistry, novel writing, screenwriting, and more that will help me to become a creative who may not be able to do it all, but who can do most of it.

I. Am. An. Artist.

These are things I’ve had to remind myself of as my blogging for The Bohemian Badass got behind schedule, as my novel writing fell to the wayside, as my screenplays and filmmaking ideas started to collect dust, as my new podcast still waits to be launched, and as I got dragged further and further away from why I came here in the first place.

I had to literally STOP, kick academia in the face, and say: “Enough is enough. Get the fuck off me. You’re are not ON the way, you are IN the way.”

So I’m currently renegotiating my time, energy, effort, and focus. I am reprioritizing and reviewing the 3-year creative plan that I wrote for myself earlier in the year before I got here. And omg, I am SO glad I did that! It’s totally helping to keep me focused and on track! I’m actually still on schedule to an extent, but it’s time to cut the academic anchor loose and find a way that it can support and propel my artistry forward, rather than stand in its way (as it’s currently doing).

As we close in on the end of the year, I’ve been forced to take a long look behind me: at all the challenges, trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and at my personal and creative journey as a whole. I have strong feelings and signs of progress, and that’s great.

Still, I yearn for more.

I want to leave the year not just with more knowledge and experience, but also with massive deliverables under my belt amongst the smaller ones. I want accomplishments I can hold, treasure, distribute, and monetize, if that makes sense.

I also want to be exactly where I want to be career-wise, money-wise, family-wise by the end of 2019, so all my thoughts are focused on creation, execution, and staying on task.

So I guess that’s my mantra for the end of the year and for 2017: get back to my production schedule, create high-quality novels, scripts, and films, nurture and grow The Bohemian Badass, and start making the Rebel Ragdoll f’empire the badass creative house it’s meant to be.

Move over, academia. Colby the Artist is BACK.

“Always forward. Forward. Always.”

— Luke Cage in Marvel’s Luke Cage

ANYWAYS, yes, lots of stuff going on. Reclamation, and such. But as usualy, this post is getting long so FINALLY here’s the:

LAST 4 WEEKS’ HAUL (10/3/16 – 10/30/16)

What I wrote these past 4 weeks:

I honestly got so lost in the ether that I didn’t keep track of my word count. BUT I did work on The Iron Maiden (Books of Ezekiel #3) and Rose n’ John Does (The Hitmen of Happily Ever After #1). 

What I read / watched / listened to these past 4 weeks:

I’ve been staying up on my usual podcasts, but one that has really risen to the top for me is the Indie Film Hustle Podcast with Alex Ferrari. All he does is produce knowledge and content on an insane level, and I’m learning SO much from him and his guests!

Check out his website here: Indie Film Hustle Website & Blog
Subscribe to his podcast here: Indie Film Hustle Podcast

I finished The Blacklist (Season 3), Luke Cage (Season 1), and am in the middle of both Jessica Jones (Season 1) and Daredevil (Season 1). I’m LOVING all the Marvel series right now. They are so well done, and they integrate the factual and sociological aspects of the Marvel Universe seamlessly. But what I love and what I find masterful is that while each series is a part of a larger universe, each manages to maintain its own signature brand, style, and palette. The characters are all unique in their histories, struggles, and cultural contexts as well, which is a pretty incredible feat.

Luke Cage in PARTICULAR made me feel so damned Black and that felt so damned good, lol! I also loved its historical and cultural gravity, the beauty of Harlem (where I spent a lot of my childhood), and the all-Black cast (which I actually didn’t even notice until some angry racists net trolls pointed it out). But that was a GREAT series.

Of all of them, though, my fav Marvel series at the moment is Daredevil. Holy hell, is it good. There are still other series I need to finish, though, like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. There are other series airing right now I need to catch up on, like The Walking Dead, Scandal, The Blacklist (AGAIN), and How to Get Away with Murder. And there are other series I need to start like Mr. Robot, Orphan Black, The Americans, Homeland, The Get Down, Atlanta, Queen Sugar, Queen of the South, Fear the Walking Dead, and Shameless (I saw the pilot and LOVED it).

There’s honestly so much good television out right now (and movies), that it’s impossible to keep up with, but I’m trying, lol! As for reading, I’m literally in the midst of reading six books right now:

The Successful Author Mindset by Joanna Penn
Mugging the Muse by Holly Lisle (this is my second time reading it, but it’s changed significantly)
Author Indie Survival Guide by Susan Kaye Quinn
Divergent by Veronica Roth
New Play Development by Lenore Inez Brown
Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers by Lee Lofland

Trying to finish these before the year is out, but we’ll see what happens!

What I’ve developed the past 4 weeks:

I guess despite my displeasure at having most of my time co-opted by academia, I was still on my hustle and flow. Getting it in, where it can fit in, I suppose, lol. So, yeah, I did quite a few awesome things in October, like:

Art directed and received the first two covers of the new fairy tale retelling series I’m working on: The Hitmen of Happily Ever After. I told you last month that I’d started the commission, but they are now FINISHED. (For the first two books, at least.) The covers and the branding? Fucking AMAZING.
Like I said last month, the series is basically fairy tales meets crime noir action. Like, happily ever after folks mixed with Sam Spade and Sin City. The first book will be out on February 14, 2017, exclusive to Amazon, so stay tuned!


Finished my sample production book that I was working on! Of all my classes, I’m taking one that is actively putting “deliverable” portfolio stuff in my hands. It’s called Theatre Management, and it’s divided into two parts: Stage Management and Arts Administration. We finished the Stage Management portion, and I got a full-on production book out of it for my portfolio! The final book included a ground plan, a calling book, a blocking book, a prop list, a production calendar, and lots of templates like daily schedules, info sheets, and more. It was challenging, but I feel really happy about the end results.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 37-40 (9/5/16 – 10/2/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

DUDE, The Given is back in Amazon’s top 100 Free list (for New Adult & College) AGAIN! This time it’s rocking out at #74, and I’m feeling pretty darned good about it, not gonna lie. Check it out here and see for yourself!

And YES, I’ve been gone here another three weeks, so now I’m back with a big Bertha update! Yup, I did warn you that I probably couldn’t be on here every week from here on in, and it seems I predicted right! Here’s how things’ve been shakin’ out for the past three weeks.

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS: Week #37 (9/5/16 – 9/11/16)

Not much to say here. It was pretty much business as usual! Just chugging along, trying to keep up with grad school, teaching / grading, my creative projects, my dramaturgical project for this year, and other professional obligations and opportunities!

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS: Week #38 (9/12/16 – 9/18/16)

Again, this was also a pretty “uneventful” week, and I use that loosely. Chock-full of grading, mommying, and grad schooling, but it was pretty calm and everything was relatively under control.

My one major discovery was that my M.O., which is to treat grad school like a 9-5 job, is working out EXTREMELY well. I do have to do work at home on occasion (I consider this overtime, lol), but for the most part, this separation between work and home really helps my mental, emotional, and physical health. It is not a separation or gap that I’d choose to close, like, ever.

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS: Week #39 (9/19/16 – 9/25/16)

Lol, boy. Week #5 of school, and this is the week where things start to unravel. At this point, I’ve been chugging along pretty consistently, but with massive overload, a rambunctious toddler, and no real break, wellll… things went off the rails a bit. Not only was I exhausted, but the little one was also sick. So I had to do a lot of shifting around in order to take care of her and my work and myself.

Needless to say, I was only slightly successful as I fell behind for two straight days on work. Which basically is equivalent to falling behind on an entire week of grad school, imo. This week was just a hot ass mess, but I made it through!

I do need to get on that babysitter swag, though.

Aside from this, I did come to an important realization about myself, and that is that I have my priorities fixed pretty firmly in my life. And I’m happy exactly where they are. For me, the number one priority is my daughter, her health, and her safety. Grad school and everything else can just wait, lol.

Ah well! Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep pace next week. I have a fat stack of over 150 mini essays and quizzes to grade, plays to critique and develop, theory to read, a blocking assignment due for theatre management, and a journal presentation due. We shall see what happens! (Though I have high hopes.)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS: Week #40 (10/3/16 – 10/9/16)

Week #6! This was basically about me getting BACK on my feet after the kid’s sickness and my subsequent exhaustion. I was still warming up my engines for full throttle, but I’m back on my flow. I’ve also restructured my schedule and am actively trying to get more sleep, which did me WONDERS.

But most importantly? This past weekend was all about meeeee. Literally. From Friday at 5 PM to Sunday at 6 PM, I was literally chillin’ like a villain. Got a lot of creative work and relaxing done, and ended my week on a high note due to the sweet sight of The Given being BACK in Amazon’s top 100 for New Adult & College fiction!!

BOOM! YESS!!! Perseverance, yo. And sometimes, you really just need to take some time for yourself.

ANYWAYS, yes, lots of stuff going on. But this post is getting long so FINALLY here’s the:

LAST 4 WEEKS’ HAUL (9/5/16 – 9/25/16)

What I wrote these past 4 weeks:

worked on the plotting and writing of The Books of Ezekiel as a whole (particularly The Iron Maiden and Blood & Ink). Specifically, I FINISHED developing Micah Burke’s storyline in The Iron Maiden, which felt like a major accomplishment. I’m still working my way through Acts IIB for Cotch and Johnny, and through the end of Acts IIB and III for Caleb, Cotch, and Johnny. Zeika’s ready and rearin’ to go, lol. Lots of words written and lots of story developed for The Iron Maiden and Blood & Ink. I’m really trying my best to stay on top of this massive project!
wrote over 5,000 more words (approx) for The Books of Ezekiel
also wrote a bit of a fairytale retelling series that I’m debuting next year: The Hitmen of Happily Ever After!
wrote FOUR one-minute, three-minute, and five-minute scripts for the Dreamer135 Project: Like a Dalí, Pass, Escape, and Legacy
wrote and published three new blog posts for The Bohemian Badass

What I read / watched / listened to these past 4 weeks: The third season of the Blacklist just came out on Netflix, so I’ve been literally eating that alive, lol! It’s one of my favorite shows! I also started / continued reading Divergent. I wish I were more drawn into it than I am, but it’s entertaining enough to continue one with at the moment.

And more recently? LUKE CAGE, SON!!! Literally, he is the man of my dreams. But so is Cottonmouth. I guess that says a lot about me, lol!

What I researched / developed these past 4 weeks: Ah yes, when a girl does not bother to update her blog for over a month, quite a bit gets done! I’ve been working like a mad woman on the edges and fringes of each day to bring my projects and creative training to fruition. In this past month, I:

commissioned and received the remaining four covers of the second season of The Books of Ezekiel series! And boy are they looking HOT as hell!! Super excited, y’all! I’ll be doing cover reveals as a part of my marketing campaign.


drafted blurbs for the next four Books of Ezekiel novels. The blurbs suck at the moment, but each provides a great jumping off point for the future drafts I’ll have to write.


FINALLY set up all the up and coming BOE books for pre-order through Draft2Digital and Smashwords! It looks and feels so cool to have 7 novels under my name, and I can’t wait to start delivering them to readers.


commissioned covers for the next series on my release schedule: The Hitmen of Happily Ever After! I’m really psyched about this series because it’s a fairy tale retelling that you’ve never seen before! Basically it’s fairy tales meets crime noir. Like, happily ever after folks mixed with Sam Spade and Sin City. We got mafia dwarves and turf wars and Brooklyn has become Booklyn, y’all. I’m SO excited, and I can’t wait to introduce you to this world in Jan 2017!


actually FINISHED my creative cork boards for my campus office and for my home office (which is basically my bedroom with a desk, lol!


used the cork board to do some righteous worldbuilding for The Books of Ezekiel series, The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, the Undaunted series, The Godsman series, and the ForNever Files series


mindmapped themes and topics for a trilogy that’s been niggling at me, called the SENTIENT trilogy


developed MOST of Act I for the first book in the Undaunted series, and did some character development as well!


increased my skills in stage management and added more elements to my sample production book, including a prop list, production schedule, a ground plan


started building an in-depth science-fiction and fantasy Worldbuilding course for The Bohemian Badass


updated the website for my secret erotic / paranormal fiction pen name. I’ll be ready to start a saucy, sassy blog there in a couple months, though I’m still struggling with what to say, how to say it, and how to brand myself. This identity is still very much under construction!


created two “Plot Like a Badass” Scrivener and MS Word templates (only available at The Bohemian Badass) that help me plot my novels. These templates are SO useful, and I’m definitely going to add them to my “Plot Like a Badass” course that I’m putting together. I may also offer these templates as opt-in downloads for others who need help plotting!


started developing MY MASTERS’ THESIS! Which was ingeniously brainstormed by a fellow colleague of mine (who is awesome and badass to the max), because they saw two interests that I had and brought them together, like, right before my eyes! I’m so amped about this project! Anyways, ready for it? Ok: I’m going to dramaturg Shakespeare’s Macbeth into a modern, noir, pulp, graphic novel!! Like Sin City meets Shakespeare… and it’s gonna be fucking awesome! I might even make this a series, where I do this for most of his works! Anyways, I’m going to use my final papers in my classes to explore this topic in more depth so that I can get a head start on this project and really make it rock ass!! This project really feels right to me, and I’m so grateful for my amazing colleague who literally saw my interests from an objective perspective and pretty much handed me the project. This is a franchise in the making for sure!


started working on my dramaturgy production project for next semester. I’m a little early on this, but I know I’m going to need all the time I can get to work on this theatre production that’s coming up. It’s a really cool production, and I’m in the midst of reading the script and touching base with the director. Very proud to finally call myself a dramaturg, and I can’t wait to jump in feet first!


finally did some housekeeping, which included updating my CV with all my current creative projects, service projects, and dramaturgical endeavors, updating my 3-year creative plan (and I’m right on schedule, which is exciting!), and just general housekeeping and adulting stuff that’s important to my creative career.

What I learned these past 4 weeks: I actually made time for two pretty in-depth and awesome courses (outside of grad school) these past three weeks!

LIVE Assistant Director Training w/ Charles Huston: this was a free, all-day training offered on-campus by the Film, TV, and Theatre department here at U of A (which is amazing) by a really seasoned Assistant Director. This badass training allowed me to get an in-depth look at how to assistant direct a film! It was amazing, because not only did we get lots of templates, handouts, and in-person demos, but our teacher Huston gave us a LOT of wisdom and gems that it took him decades to learn. Even simple things, such as how to stagger-schedule and direct extras on a set were such nuggets of info. I came away from the training having learned a LOT; I’d typed ten pages of notes, literally. Being an AD looks challenging and hard as hell, but realistically, I’m going to be working on my own small to medium budget films, and I’ll more than likely have to do a LOT of the tasks an AD would.


Film Editing Pro Series: this was a three-video mini course designed to teach us some very basic tips and tricks to use in the editing room. I got SO much value out of the course, though, like notes upon notes, that I immediately ended up buying their full course (The Art of Action Editing)!

I also ended up purchasing TWO additional courses (and acquiring one free one) that I will be adding to my personalized 2017 Summer Filmmaking Institute:

Filmmaking Hacks: Secrets to Shoot and Market Your Indie Film: a nuts-and-bolts filmmaking course from the Indie Film Hustle Podcast guy, Alex Ferrari. He was giving a discount for all the loyal IF hustlers out there, so I got his filmmaking course for just $12! And the dude does not disappoint. He gives you a really great blueprint for making your film, from development all the way to post production!


Skript2Skreen: this website and free course was recommended to me by a great friend of mine who saw it being advertised on No Film School. The site owners are still developing and uploading a lot of their materials, but so far, this site looks really jam-packed with actionable info about making films. They approach the process in five parts: development, pre-production, production, post-production, and marketing. They also have a really PHAT resources page! Right now, only the development and resources portions are accessible, but it’s more than enough to keep you busy until they finish working on the rest of the site!


The Art of Action Editing: yet another course from the Film Editing Pro guys! After having taken their mini-course version, I was chomping at the bit for their fully-fledged course. This course teaches you how to edit pretty much on any software platform, and they teach you how to edit in the genre I love and want to direct in: ACTION. Guys: I’ve already looked at the course, and it does NOT disappoint. I cannot WAIT until my holiday / summer breaks roll around wherein I can dive SUPER deeply into this one!!

THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE (10/3/16 – 10/9/16)

What I’m writing: working on The Iron Maiden, both plot AND actual word count. Still moving forward, one step at a time, especially now that I’m getting the other four covers back for the remainder of this arc of the series!!! I’m also trying out a staggered 5,000 words a day plan, wherein I work on four different writing projects at once with the following breakdown: 

Project #1: The Iron Maiden – 2000 words a day
Project #2: Asylum – 1500 words a day
Project #3: Forgotten – 1000 words a day
Project #4: Red n’ Dead – 500 words a day
Project #5: A 1, 3, or 5 minute script per week

Real talk: I have trouble focusing on one project, as my inner editor and butterfly-nature both always catch up to me to ruin my fun. I have to hop from one thing to another in order to satiate (or evade) both.

My mind is also always working on multiple things at once and needs to be able to switch gears from one project to another. SO, I came up with this new plan.

I want to see if this will actually work with regard to getting me to write 5,000 words per day. Can’t make any promises, but I’ll give it a shot! I’ll probably sit down to 500-word sprints at first and then build up from there. This is all a little ambitious, I know, but I’m still trying to develop a process that both ups my word count, keeps me writing consistently on the same projects every day, but that also works for me as a cray-cray creative. We’ll see what happens.

In other news? I’m also getting ready for NaNoWriMo 2016!! So amped! And the novel I’ll be aiming to make progress on is the first novel in “The Hitmen of Happily Ever After Series”: Rose n’ John Does. Literally CAN. NOT. WAIT.

What I’m reading / watching / listening to: Still reading the Divergent trilogy; after wading through some semi-filler in the first book, it’s finally getting good, so that’s pretty awesome. Probably also reading more plays, if I’m going to be really honest. I should also add some scripts in there, but a girl can only do so much!

Podcasts: Honestly, I also listen to BUNCH of podcasts now, so I literally toggle between them whenever I’m walking or doing mindless housework. I’ve added the Indie Film Hustle podcast, the Cinematography podcast, and the Film Thrive podcast to my playlist recently, and so far, I’ve not been disappointed. I’m pretty much becoming a podcast junkie. I should delve back into the On the Page and the Children of Tendu podcasts as well; they’re both amazing shows.

TV / Film: I really need to finish out certain shows (like House of Cards and OITNB), and just sit down and have a movie / tv binge night, but wow. It’s so hard to find time. There’s so much good TV and so many great films out there! How do you eat an elephant, though? One bite at a time.

What I’m researching / developing: I’ve finally gotten my “topic research list” straight for my novel series, so I’m focusing on knocking out those topics with tons of books. To be clearer, I need to do more research on folklore, legends, police procedurals, dreams, the brain and neuroscience, and WAY more. So all that research will be starting very soon! 

I’m also getting more acquainted with database software so that I can start creating comprehensive and accessible databases for all the information I’m collecting!

What I’m learning: I’m still deep in my studies of theatre, performance, and dramaturgy, PLUS I have some school- and pro-related opportunities coming my way soon. So all of that is taking over my life right now. Still, we’ll see if I can’t sneak another creative course in there on the side! If not, there’s always the winter holiday break, spring break, and summer (all of which I’m VERY much looking forward to)!

PHEEEWWW! That was a lot. I talk (write) a lot, lol. But whatevs, I have a lot to say!

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 34, 35, and 36 (8/16/16- 9/4/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Ooooh boy! So it was a huge mistake to neglect to post for the last 3 weeks, because HOLY FUCK BALLS do I have a lot to report! Lots of stuff happened, including some awesome creative slaying but also… some intense tearful moments and breakdowns?

Yah, I’ll get into it.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 33 (8/15/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Today’s post is going to be mercifully short! Yaaay!!! Over the past week, it’s clear that I’ve slowed down to enjoy life and savor the fruits of my labor. Spent a lot of time with the little one and we explored many kid-friendly places around town, namely the library and the Children’s Museum. So much fun! She had a blast, and I got to just chill out for a minute, color, and be a kid right along with her!

And yes, I WILL be buying some coloring books in the next week or so… coloring is so soothing!

Generally, my creative overloading has lightened significantly in the past week to make room for the other pleasantries in life. Family, friends, nature… ICE CREAM. Speaking of, if you’re ever in Tucson, I highly HIGHLY recommend you go to this AH-MAY-ZING vegan ice cream shop called Cashew Cow. Holy crap. I’m in love with their coffee ice cream. But they have many flavors, and all their ice cream is made with NO dairy, only cashews, and it is delicious. And it leaves you gas-free!

And no, I’m not a vegan, but damned if I’m going to eat any other kind of ice cream from here on in!

When I have the money, I’d love to be an investor for this place. They only have one location so far, and I KNOW the owner would make a KILLING in NYC, LA, Seattle, Portland… omg. And not to mention getting the Cashew Cow brand into wholefood stores? MY GOD. Not only a Cashew Cow, but also a CASH Cow, y’all. #dontsleep #investorsgetyourmoneyup

Anyways, yes. Ice cream. Lol! Skipping through life! Being delightful as fuck!

It felt strange taking a little time off, but it allowed me to focus on my health, mindspace, and on my bond with my little one. But as of today, the Colby Creative Cray Choo-Choo train will be pulling out of the station again because I have to #adult like hell this week. And write. Getting geared up for classes, pulling my apartment together, doing some shopping (yummy food and yummy outfits), making and sitting appointments, talking to all my friends back home for the last time in a while, GRADUATE ORIENTATION… !!!! Just stuff. Plus writing. Plus business bossing.

Plus buying books, of course!

Anyways, here’s:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL (8/1/16 – 8/7/16)

What I wrote: More plotting for all the character storylines in The Iron Maiden. That’s pretty much ALL I did. My goal is to finish EVERYONE’S plot by the end of August.

What I read / watched / listened to: FINISHED How to Get Away with Murder, and while I love the series, the resolution of the main plot felt pretty weak to me.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 32 (8/8/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Every time I sat down to write this, I kind of groaned, because this week? I’m just not feeling it. Lol! The week itself has been pretty good, and I usually looove writing these posts, but there’s sort an eau-de-sans-fucks around me this week, lol.

Probably because I’ve been slowing down a bit recently. By choice. Sampling some of the sweeter things that life has to offer aside from work, like spending oodles of time with my friends, and going out for ice cream, and hanging out around town, just to name a few things! Lots of abundance and luck has come my way too, which is so lovely and relieving after a challenging (but still awesome) summer.

So I’m super SUPER grateful.

As per my goals I mentioned in my last post, I’ve transitioned into a very loose half-and-half schedule, wherein half my time is given to writing and story development of my novels and creative projects and the other half of my time is given to developing courses, blog posts, and epic content for The Bohemian Badass business. I’ve also started, in a SUPER small way, gearing up for opening the film production arm of Rebel Ragdoll, Rebel Ragdoll Productions. That won’t happen until about Jan 2017, but I’m doing teeny tiny little things between now and then to make the opening of RRP more seamless.

In general, though, I’ve chosen to slow down a bit and be more flexible to all the things happening this year. This is especially important as the days tick down to the start of a brand new MFA grad program, teaching job, and career direction, lol. Plus writing novels. Plus trying to grow the media empire. Plus creative projects, side gigs, and applying for scholarships. Plus creative hobbies. Plus taking care of health. Plus toddler. Plus my awesome, amazing FRIENDS! Cuz they rock.

Did I mention that now I’m teaching not just one class this semester, but that I’m now teaching TWO? Whaaaa, lol! How’d that happen?

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 32 (8/8/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Every time I sat down to write this, I kind of groaned, because this week? I’m just not feeling it. Lol! The week itself has been pretty good, and I usually looove writing these posts, but there’s sort an eau-de-sans-fucks around me this week, lol.

Probably because I’ve been slowing down a bit recently. By choice. Sampling some of the sweeter things that life has to offer aside from work, like spending oodles of time with my friends, and going out for ice cream, and hanging out around town, just to name a few things! Lots of abundance and luck has come my way too, which is so lovely and relieving after a challenging (but still awesome) summer.

So I’m super SUPER grateful.

As per my goals I mentioned in my last post, I’ve transitioned into a very loose half-and-half schedule, wherein half my time is given to writing and story development of my novels and creative projects and the other half of my time is given to developing courses, blog posts, and epic content for The Bohemian Badass business. I’ve also started, in a SUPER small way, gearing up for opening the film production arm of Rebel Ragdoll, Rebel Ragdoll Productions. That won’t happen until about Jan 2017, but I’m doing teeny tiny little things between now and then to make the opening of RRP more seamless.

In general, though, I’ve chosen to slow down a bit and be more flexible to all the things happening this year. This is especially important as the days tick down to the start of a brand new MFA grad program, teaching job, and career direction, lol. Plus writing novels. Plus trying to grow the media empire. Plus creative projects, side gigs, and applying for scholarships. Plus creative hobbies. Plus taking care of health. Plus toddler. Plus my awesome, amazing FRIENDS! Cuz they rock.

Did I mention that now I’m teaching not just one class this semester, but that I’m now teaching TWO? Whaaaa, lol! How’d that happen?

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 29, 30, and 31 (7/18/16-8/1/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

OH. MY. GOSH. So I’ve been away for far FAR too long, but for very good reason:

I’ve been working my ASS off. Like literally. Doing what, you ask? No worries, I’ll get to that.

But FIRST, I’m going to celebrate the eight STRAIGHT weeks that The Given spent on Amazon’s top 100 Free New Adult & College list! I just checked the listing now and saw that sadly, The Given is now at #104, but that’s ok. I’ll take 8 straight weeks with no complaint, and plus, who knows? Maybe it’s just a temporary dip!