Colby R. Rice's Blog, page 21

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 22 (5/30/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Wow. I think this week is probably going to be the week you guys get to watch me throw in the towel. At least temporarily. Until my life gets a little less hectic, that is.

So, updates. Well, things are pretty much a hot ass mess at the moment, and the world has got its teeth in my ass. Here are two linked things that have been going on. One of them is old news, but I haven’t shared it with you yet. A writer’s nightmare. And the other is related… a writer’s WORST nightmare.

So #1: I discovered LAST month that someone plagiarized my work and was selling it online!!!! Like, seriously? WTF. What an immoral P.O.S. I tracked the fool down, and Amazon removed the plagiarized work, but I still felt seriously violated. I’ll go into this experience with an entirely separate blog post, because I have some words of wisdom (in case you ever experience this yourself). But that’s one stupid thing that happened, lol.

I sat on this because I was literally in the midst of a situation that not only was coming from outside of my domain, but was also sucking my soul from my body. I just couldn’t focus on that, and the plagiarism, and moving my entire life from NY to AZ all at once. So once everything calms down, I’ll be able to get my thoughts together, process, and then explain the situation.

FYI, this is sort of what happens when your life is a constant whirlwind, and you don’t have much time to focus on yourself. Major personal shit sometimes slides by in the interest of taking care of other / others’ major shit.

Book Review: “Six Moon Summer” by S.M. Reine

Six Moon Summer by S.M. Reine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For the first few chapters, I was a little bored with the premise. Lol, like, “oh brother, here’s yet another tragically beautiful, thrown-int0-a-new-world misfit.” And I bucked a bit, not really feeling connected with Rylie’s somewhat aloof and stuffy character.

At FIRST. But hang in there. The book is a quick read, and everything picks up considerably, including the overarching mystery.

As Rylie begins to explore the mysteries of Camp Silver Lake and the mysterious werewolves in it, I got completely HOOKED. I love the way the story progressed, and the way the tension increased with every chapter. I also really enjoyed Seth & Rylie’s growing rapport, and the way the conflict between them ramped up with a sudden and surprising reveal. The descriptions of the werewolf transformation, the progression, and the lore were also fantastic. I love how Reine freshens up the genre with her personal take!

I love SM Reine’s work in general, and I came into her worlds through books she wrote later. But as her debut novel, “Six Moon Summer” was an amazing, super solid intro to what Reine can really do with well-known werewolf lore. The best part is that while the ending is satisfying and complete, it isn’t exactly “clean”, in that everything is perfectly tied up. There are some cliffhangers, and I DEFINITELY want to read the next book in the series to see what happens next!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially if you’re looking for a light entertaining read with plenty of action, character growth, tension, and romance… and did I say ACTION? (The action kicked all sorts of ass.)

View all my reviews

Write on, rock on, and READ on,

The post Book Review: “Six Moon Summer” by S.M. Reine appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 21 (5/23/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Have you ever just said to yourself, “I’m so done with _______ ?” Yeah. I had that thought this morning. I’ve been really trapped inside of my own head lately. I’ve been doing lots of reflecting, mourning, thanking, inviting in, and also letting go. Just lots of emotional shit, really.

I’m trying to let go a lot of negative experiences, people, lost dreams, disappointments, doubts, and unhealthy relationships (all kinds, not just romantic (incl. my relationship with self)). It’s not an easy process. It’s actually quite painful. Painful, but necessary, especially if I’m going to publish these five novels this year and officially establish my film / TV production house!

ALL of that is still on the table and on schedule, but this week has been a challenge, not gonna lie. I still wrote pretty consistently, but Life likes to full-court press me from time to time, as it does all of us when it’s our time. And it’s definitely my time, pretty much for the next month or so. I think this week and the next few weeks are going to go down in my personal annals as “that time when I got my ass whopped on the court”. Lol. Yeah. So, aside from being angsty as all get out, what’s been going on that’s got my panties in a twist?

The baby has suddenly decided to change her schedule and to essentially make everything I’m doing (including this major move) as difficult as possible. Suddenly, she won’t nap more than 30 minutes, is super clingy, and wakes up at odd hours of the night. SIGH. I genuinely feel like she’s doing it on purpose, in that she’s reacting to the idea that my focus isn’t 100% on her right now (as I have to put a lot of physical and mental energy into packing). Not sure what to do with this except push on.
All the power cords for my laptop (which is essentially my command center) broke. And yes, I do mean ALL. This might not seem like a huge deal to most, but to a person who makes her living as a writer and blogger, this is considered the nuclear meltdown of all setbacks. (Aside from a total crash w/ loss of data w/o a back up. But I think we writers have gotten smarter in the past few years on that issue.) Anyways, I ordered a new cord, and it electrocuted me before shorting out and going dead. Lol, wtf. Cheap ass motherfucking cords, smdh, lol. I asked the seller for a refund, and I got radio silence, but we’ll see what happens. Then I ordered another one, certain that it would arrive before I leave for Tucson, and the seller has been delayed in shipping it. So now, it’s going to arrive AFTER I leave. This week has just been totally fucked, lol. Mercury must be in retrograde. In any case, I’ve been able to get some things done (as THANKFULLY I have a backup laptop), but it’s been super slow #becauseDellsstillsuck . Lol, ARGH!! It is what it is, I guess.
Packing and stuff hasn’t been moving as quickly as I would like for the above reasons and WAY more (including some crazy personal stuff). And of course, I’m plagued by just the general anxiety that comes with making a major life change, major move, and with starting a new chapter in my personal and creative journey. Etcetera.

So, yeah, lots of challenges, tears, cursing, and setbacks, but really, it’s all first world problems right now. They feel big at the moment, but in general, I’m fortunate. Things WILL work out. My daughter and I have our health, are of sound mind, and have all the basics needed for life. And though I’m not writing AS MUCH as I’d like to, I’m at least writing consistently at a minimum of 500 words per day. That’s still cool in my book. I know that as of this July, things are also going to change in a major way that will allow me to start focusing more on myself and my needs. My creativity, my growing creative career, and taking a long look at my creative goals is really helping me to stay centered until then.

As one of my best friends says, I’ll keep being relentless. Because I’m worth it, my daughter’s worth it, and my dreams are worth it. So, onwards and upwards, son!

So here’s what happened last week, and what will be (hopefully) happening this week:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: I finished 4,965 words of The Iron Maiden last week. More than last week, which is nice. I had a decent streak, but I missed two days of writing, and that really irked me. Whenever I miss writing days, all I can see / think about are the missed words, like “Damn, I could have written 6,000 words or even 7,000 words last week if I had just…”. Yeah. I know that kind of thinking isn’t good for morale, but I’m trying to keep my standards up. Lol. Ah well!

What I edited: Nothing. No time, really. As usual, I guess.

What I read / watched / listened to: Staying steady on The Barefoot Executive. It’s not as intellectually “explosive” as I would like, but it’s not a bad read, either. It’s just more of what I’ve been studying in my creative uni, but that’s not the book’s fault.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 20 (5/16/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Ok, so we’re coming down to the wire here. There are only two full weeks of preparation left (this week and next week) until the week of the big move to Tucson! Thankfully, though, I’ve divided packing and sorting up into smaller daily tasks, so I’m right on schedule, if not ahead of it.

But I’m still shaking in my boots! I’ll be moving to a totally new place, and I have no clue what to expect, really. The little one will be going to daycare, I’ll have a space to settle into and decorate, a school and schedule to get acquainted with, shopping to do, admin and adulting to handle (obvs, gotta get my resources and support systems in place), and a life to get in order all at once. PLUS writing as much as I can, of course. It’s all exciting and scary at the same time, but I know I’ll get through it.

As a heads up, the move week (May 30 – June 5) is going to be kind of cray, so while I’ll write a short weekly update on May 30, you may not hear from me so much on social media that week. June 6, I’ll be back full force on all channels, though.

ASIDE FROM THAT, I have some pretty BOSS ASS NEWS! Avec screenshot, ya’ll!

“THE GIVEN” REACHED THE TOP 100 LIST FOR FREE NEW ADULT & COLLEGE FICTION!

So why is this a big deal? BECAUSE: 

It’s the first time this has ever happened since my books came out in 2013 – 2014,
I did NO marketing on The Given (I suspect Amazon and the pre-order set up of The Iron Maiden had something to do with this),
It is MEGA DIFFICULT to get placed in the top 100 of ANYTHING on Amazon nowadays, especially in a market that’s as competitive as New Adult Fiction.
It’s MEGA DIFFICULT x 10 to get placed in the top 100, ESPECIALLY if your book is FREE! (Because let’s face it, everyone has caught onto the permafree strategy. So there are thousands upon thousands of books to compete with now.)

This accomplishment, while relatively short-lived (I think it lasted all week practically), really made me open my eyes to the marketability of my series. For a long time, my books idled with the occasional random spike up the ranks. And I knew a large part of that was because I just wasn’t able to keep up with reader demand. There is such a huge gap between the release of my first two books, and the release of this third one, mainly due to me having to raise my daughter from home (and then having to do it alone quite unexpectedly).

So for a long while, I was really discouraged. I didn’t stop writing per se, but I sort of just chugged along to go along. Then, as I decided that I deserved to love what I do and revel in my passion for writing (the past three or so months), my writer’s journey became super enjoyable. I’m writing way more now than I did since seeing that little pink line, and I’m really loving my art again. Then, to wake up and see that my book hit the top 100 charts? I was frickin’ ecstatic!

But, more importantly, I’m glad to see that people ARE interested in my work and premise. They ARE reading. They ARE buying and selling through, and they ARE waiting for the next book. I just need to publish more and become more diligent with my marketing efforts! Moving from full-time stuck-at-home mom to full-time creative is definitely going to help me up my writing speed. So, now? ONWARD and UPWARD!

In any case, here’s what popped off last week, and what will pop off this week in Colby’s world:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: I wrote over 4,500 hundred more words for The Iron Maiden, over 1000 words for my blog, and about 400 words for my book review on Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. So, a lot of writing, considering the circumstances. STILL, I know I can do even better. I’m still trying to master 2000-3000 prose words per day, every day.

What I edited: Nothing, really. Focusing on writing, writing, writing.

What I read / watched / listened to: I listened to all my usual podcasts and caught up with quite a few episodes. I’ve also started a “Book Marketing” notes section on my phone so that I can take down tips and notes as I listen. #nerdalert

Also, I FINALLY FINISHED Mockingjay! WOOOOO!!!! Honestly, it dragged and dragged and dragged ALL the way through Act II, but then Act III EXPLODED with action (quite literally), and I was hooked until the very end of the book. Really glad I didn’t drop the book as planned. I wrote my review of Mockingjay here, so check it out if the spirit moves you!

What I researched / developed: I did some HEAVY background and story development for these five books coming up in The Books of Ezekiel saga. For The Iron Maiden (book #3), I re-ogranized my scenes by POV to make sure I have a solid plot and storyline for it (and I do! Yay!!). Book #4, Blood & Ink, has a solid push to it, but I still need to tame the flames around all of my ideas, so to speak, and find some plot direction.

Book #5, The House of Death, is still a little amorphous at the moment, mostly because I have to come up with a more solid “push” for the main storyline. I’m sure that by the time I finish The Iron Maiden, things will look a bit more organized. I’ve pretty much laid out the entire general structure of book #6, Chase the Devil. The general plot of book #7, The Last Descent, is forming as well. Feeling pretty good about my progress so far.

What I learned: This must be the week of breaking free, because in addition to finishing Mockingjay, I also finished the Your First 10K Readers course, lol. I’m so glad to be done with this hefty course, and BOY did I get a lot out of it! But now, it’s time to move forward with my learning, so onward and upward!

THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE

What I’m writing: More of The Iron Maiden! The more I write, the more things come together and stick, so I’m trying to keep my mind in that world every day.

What I’m editing: Nothing much. Don’t have much time for editing, actually.

What I’m reading / watching / listening to: I’m still reading Lee Lofland’s “Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers”. It’s a pretty hefty (and AWESOME) book, so it’ll take a month or so to get through. In the meantime, I’m going to try and breeze through The Barefoot Executive this time around!

What I’m researching / developing: I think I’m going to force myself to stay firmly in the world of The Books of Ezekiel at the moment. (Inspiration has no master, though, so I may just come up with more series ideas too! We’ll have to wait and see.) At this point, I can sort of foresee how 2016 is going to turn out production-and-publishing-wise, so by focusing on and then finishing BOE, I can get a head start on the four other IPs I’d like to launch in 2017.

What I’m learning: This week, I’m aiming to knock out three short courses:

The Supermom Sanity Challenge  by Mariana Ruiz: this class helps work-from-home and stay-at-home moms to better organize their time and get more work done even while they have crazy kids running around at home. Can’t miss this one, for obvious reasons!
The Profitable Teacher mini course by Teachable.com: this course teaches entrepreneurs how to narrow down their course ideas and build their own profitable online courses from the ground up! And, lastly:
Audience from Scratch by Bryan Harris: this mini course teaches you how to focus on your mailing list and subscriber / customer base!

So what about you? Are you gunning towards any major or minor goals this week? Any huge changes coming up? Leave your thoughts and comments below!

Writing on, rocking on, and forever journeying towards creative badassery,

The post Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 20 (5/16/16) appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Book Review: “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let’s start with the real…

For about 50% of this book, I was really annoyed and, dare I say it, bored as hell. I felt as though a lot of the story dragged, mostly because Katniss spent a lot of time being a head case rather than pushing the action of the story. This fact was only underscored by the fact that The Hunger Games has always been a first-person narrative, and when our hero is stagnated, so are we, unfortunately.

A lot of the war against the Capitol actually happens off-scene, and Katniss hears about it second- and third-hand from various sources. In the meanwhile, though, she’s stuck in 13 being traumatized and useless, and we get to be stuck with her. GRRR.

Now with the awesome…

Then, as seems to be Suzanne Collins’ style, Act III EXPLODES with action, where we face mounting odds, higher body counts, and the unthinkable losses of some our favorite characters. I was tormented, honestly. Digsuted. Shocked. Riveted. And just broken. As we sped towards a super climactic ending, I couldn’t stop myself from zooming through the pages. It made the first 60% of the book worth slogging through.

In the end, though, the harrowing consequences of all the loss and strife hit us over and over. The war is won. The vicious Snow has expired, and the methodical, cruel Coin exterminated by Katniss’ impeccable aim. And Katniss? We see a girl deeply scarred and disjointed at a soul-level, who is trying to hold onto and rebuild her reality all at once. She is pretty much alone to swim in her grief and trauma, imo. Pot-war, she’s been abandoned by both Gale and her own mother, who are off dealing with their own lives, demons, and emotional backlash. The only one truly by Katniss’ side, as usual, is Peeta, who seems healed of his brainwashing by the Capitol but who is still healing the scars from the war as a whole.

The ending of Mockingjay is not truly a happy one but merely a blank slate upon which the current survivors try to rebuild. As they stumble towards something resembling peace and prosperity, the specter of war haunts them all, certainly, and us, too. A cautionary lesson. One that will probably never truly be learned.

View all my reviews

Write on, rock on, and READ on,

The post Book Review: “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 19 (5/9/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Nothing too new to say here, except that I’m now 23 days out from moving to Tucson, and I’ve got butterflies! I feel like all of my days are on a cray cray loop.

Wake up, write, baby morning routine, breakfast, baby play, clean, baby nap, work / write / pack / sort / shower, lunch, baby play, clean, work / write / pack / sort, baby walk + mommy exercise, baby play, dinner, clean up, baby night routine, baby play, bedtime.

This is my schedule. Every. Friggin. Day. TALK about stir-crazy? I’m the fucking POSTER CHILD of four-walls-closing-in-acitis, lol! Thank God for baby walks outside, that’s all I can say!

And it’s all I can do to fit in all my errands, packing, AND writing… and those are on good days. On days where she is grumpy, tired, sick, teething, cray cray? Fuggedaboutit, lol!

But such is life. Things aren’t always easy, but I’m blessed, loved, and supported, and on my way up… so how much is that worth? I’d say, a hell of a lot. #SoGrateful Anyways, let’s talk about:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: Nearly 3,000 words this week. Not pleased about it, but it is what it is. I also pushed the release day of The Iron Maiden back to July 6, which will hopefully give me enough time. Schedule’s so hectic w/ the baby + major move coming up, but I’m still committed to my writer dreams!

What I edited: A friend of mine is a finalist in a super MAJOR (and I mean, life-changingly major) writing contest, so believe it or not, I’ve been working with him on his final submission. Been reading, critiquing, and editing… and hopefully being helpful! I SO want him to win this!!

What I read / watched / listened to: The usual podcasts. I’ve been eating them ALIVE, and am now diving into a lot of back episodes, which is exciting (because I’m a nerd, lol)! I also have created a little notetaking space on my phone to take note of programs, software, marketing outlets, and other tools of note that are available to indie authors. It helps to record these things as I listen, so BOOM, bitches!

Also read more Mockingjay… it’s getting kinda fast-paced again, but the story is certainly NOT going in the direction I thought it would. Thirdly, I’ve officially picked BACK up Lee Lofland’s “Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers”. It’s a book that has always been super awesome, and I started reading it like 2 years ago and then just never finished. Well, now’s the time! It’s a great guide for writers of thrillers and cop stories (like moi), well-written, and SUPER educational. The author also writes on his own personal stories as a detective, which is so compelling! Highly recommended, but of course, you can read my rave reviews in a month or two when I actually write it.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 18 (5/2/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

SO! This past week! The short version? Creativity on FLEEK, bitches! And my life game? UPGRADING.

Update’s a little late this week because there’s so much that’s been going on! To start, the countdown to Arizona has begun! Woot! We’ll be moving within a month, and so lots of things are happening: packing, sorting, carting stuff and old clothes to Goodwill. Out with the old and in with the new. So yeah, that’s happening!

Also, I have just been BUBBLING. OVER. WITH. CREATIVITY. And ideas! For plot twists, new IPs, development for blossoming IPs, and more. But we’ll get to that in a bit.

I’ve been thinking a lot about all the changes I’m making and want to make before my 30th year is over: in terms of career, health, life, travel… and obviously my creativity and the way I navigate it is a huge part of that. Lol, I mean, I’m even trying to figure out what kind of “word count per day” is comfortable for me, so that I can churn out books more regularly but also engage in my other interests. Filmmaking, screenwriting, gaming (and game development), directing, producing, and learning all the new skills that come along with being a dramaturg are all super important to me.

Bruh… who the hell does that? Can we say “focus”? Lol!

Am also realizing that my energies ARE in fact finite. At least while I’m home with the little Queen, that is. When I’m killing it on my word count, for example, I have little left over for developing The Bohemian Badass. Or I’ll SLOG through my selected course at my creative uni, rather than fly through. And vice versa, and etcetera. Consequences of grown ass womanhood, I suppose. But they say that whatever you focus on will grow, so I guess everything is growing a little more each day, even if they’re not all growing at the same pace!

Am also really enjoying and vibing with my friend circle right now, because all my friends are not only awesome people, but they are also doing big as fuck things: one has just become a finalist in the James Patterson co-author competition. Another is working on one of my FAVORITE shows, “How to Get Away with Murder”. I’ve got a lot of actor friends performing on the silver screen, on Broadway, off Broadway, just killing it with their craft. Tons of friends getting PhDs and tenure track positions after graduating from the number one university in their fields. Lots of friends starting families and being kick-ass parents. One of my best friends is the head of a major women in comics movement, paneling at NYCC, getting invited and recognized by big players in the field like the National Book Foundation, the Melissa Harris Perry show, and way more. And of course, there are other friends I haven’t even mentioned yet, but they know who they are!

Just badass bosses doing badass boss things. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by greatness all the time and to be consistently inspired by everything my peeps do. It makes me even more determined to get these five books published this year.

Lol! Anyways, I guess this month is just a reflective month as I try to finish up a lot of projects, bask in my circle, and position myself to blast into Q3 (July 1) with all rockets firing! So, wow, yeah… that update started off boring as fuck and then got long and awesome. Boom! And we march forward with:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: Holy fuck did I kill it on The Iron Maiden this week. Nearly 12,000 words and counting. I’m determined to churn out at least 2,000 words per day until I feel like this ish is DONE. (Actually, I’ll be pulling 2,000 a day regardless, because #writergoals and #lifegoals.) I’ll also probably be moving the release date back. Sorry, boos. I HATE disappointing readers, but that doesn’t mean that The Iron Maiden ISN’T coming. IT IS! It just means it’s coming 4-6 weeks later than planned. Bear with me… I want to make it the best book I can!!

What I edited: Lots of The Iron Maiden, actually. Specifically getting a logical plot progression in order where the story’s a little cray cray.

What I read / watched / listened to: My usual podcasts. More of Mockingjay. Mockingjay actually picked up a bit, so I don’t dread finishing it, but I’m still only able to do about one chapter per day. Guess it’ll just take me a lot longer than usual. But I’ve committed to finishing it for one other special reason: I’m going to write a special short story fan fiction set in the world of the Hunger Games. (More about it below!) Um, I’ve also found a pin on Pinterest that lists out forty-one thriller and suspense books that I now just HAVE to read. So there’s that. So many books, so little time!

In other news, I’ve put all of my binge-watching of my favorite shows and missed movies on hold until I have a baby-free schedule on my hands, lol. To try and catch up otherwise would make me feel extremely frustrated, as my little one is determined to distract me.

What I researched / developed: Bruh. Not only did I develop the worlds and books for three existing IPs this week, but I also created EIGHT, yes, EIGHT new IPs! Holy moly. Five of them are awesome spin offs of an IP that I’m particularly crazy about, which I’ll start writing and releasing next year alongside the ASYLUM trilogy (and hopefully, the FORGOTTEN trilogy). But as I mentioned above, one of the IPs I’m working on is a special project set in the world of The Hunger Games.

The special project is a collection of short stories. It just pays homage to the trilogy that kicked off the world’s more general acceptance of female-led stories. And these short stories inside me just HAVE to be written. (My ideas for them are pretty cool, actually, imo.) The collection is going to be free (obviously, or I’d get sued) and available on both my website, WattPad, and on fanfiction.net. I’m having covers made for each story and everything (fiverr.com, yo)! Not trying to pimp Collins’ work. I’m just showing respect, spreading the love, and inviting folks into my interpretation of and expansion on the series. The collection’s going to be called Famine.

What I learned: Finished a big fat chunk of Nick Stephenson’s Your First 10K Readers course, and it’s freaking phenomenal. I’m flying through it as quickly as I can, taking notes and creating action plans so that I’ll be ready to rock it in Q3!

THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE

What I’m writing: More of The Iron Maiden. Running to the finish line!

What I’m editing: More of The Iron Maiden, and focusing very closely on PACKING and MOVING (to AZ) so that I’m not in a last minute rush. I still have some tech stuff to do on my websites, but I’m starting to realize that I’m not superwoman, lol. One thing, one day, one week at a time.

What I’m reading / watching / listening to: More Mockingjay.

What I’m researching / developing: Undoubtedly, the development of new IPs and growth of existing IPs will just unfold naturally. Apparently, my subconscious is just working in overdrive right now, so I guess things will surface as they surface. As usual, I’ll keep ya’ll posted!

What I’m learning: Still trying to finish Your First 10K Readers, so that will be the focus for this week. It’s a huge course, but worth every minute, and every penny!

Writing on, rocking on, and forever journeying towards creative badassery,

The post Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 18 (5/2/16) appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 17 (4/25/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

So my word count for this week was ABYSMAL, and to be honest, I struggled with the notion that not only should I cancel the pre-order of The Iron Maiden, but that I should also just cancel my author writing life, lol.

But I’m not, obviously. There’s no way I’m going to let my reading community, or myself, down!

Still, I’m definitely on an emotional rollercoaster where my author career is concerned. I was feeling mega-frustrated because I felt I had no time to really get into a writing space, what with being 24/7 with the little one, and all. I was (and still am) also struggling with my enjoyment of my craft. These feelings honestly were brought on by my type-A nature that is always goal-ifying everything in my life. Goal #1: Write 5,000 words a day. Goal #2: break 1 million words a year. Goal #3: publish 10 books next year.

Etcetera. Somewhere along the way, I had to let go of some goals, at least temporarily, so that I could actually reconnect and enjoy my writing and my creation process. Otherwise, my passion will die on the vine. Anyways, I’ve had a series of blog posts just a brewin’ inside of me around this very topic, but have postponed them specifically so that I can use my limited time to focus on finishing my novel. But I WILL discuss the “goal release” and “falling back in love with your craft” process at some point, most likely at the end of this quarter. It’s an important topic to talk about, especially with the wonderful transparency of the indie pub industry, where you can look into the amazing successes of other authors and want to emulate their success and flexible lifestyles.

Doing this for love, though, is definitely a first and foremost priority for me. I’ve been wanting to pick up Susan Kaye Quinn’s “For Love or Money” again, and finish reading it, but of course, I’m eyeballs deep in two other books, and am trying to finish those first, lol!

In slightly cooler news, I feel as though my cup is getting full on learning in some areas of my creative education. What I mean is NOT that I’ll ever be done learning, but that I’m now seeing a lot of the same info being replicated by both the big cheese authors in indie publishing AND by the big cheese online marketers in other fields. This is a great sign because repeated information means that my learning on this front is coming to a crawl (temporarily), and thus, I can reduce my class taking and increase my execution and action!

I’m not quite ready to execute JUST yet. There’s still a lot of preparation to do. But by the beginning of July in Q3, I’ll be ready to go full speed ahead with my author goals and business goals!

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: More of The Iron Maiden, but my word count was a hot mess. It’s already going WAY better this week, but I’m aiming for 5,000 words a day. Obvs, I’ll update ya’ll on whether or not that’s worked out, lol!

What I edited: LOTS of author branding stuff got done, which I’m super happy with. I created a favicon and lots of website and branding stuff for my secret pen name. Also updated the favicon on THIS site, if you haven’t noticed!

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 16 (4/18/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Not really too much to say here. The week started off strong, as usual, and then it relaxed. A lot. But not in a bad way. Spent some more great time with family, and that felt awesome, especially since I’ll be moving back across country in about 50 days! :*-( This lax work week did help me to get some cool stuff done, but it also helped me to take this creative journey of mine in stride. Recharged my batteries, got a boost of inspiration… all was well.

Fam visits are over, though, so it’s time to continue the slow haul up the Hill of Manuscript Completion, lol. Wish me luck! This is what went down and what’s goin’ down in Colby’s world:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: More of The Iron Maiden. Getting down to the wire here. CAN SHE DO IT?! Yep.

Book Review: “Lifelong Writing Habit” by Chris Fox

Lifelong Writing Habit: The Secret to Writing Every Day by Chris Fox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is, like the others Fox has written in this series, AWESOME. And super inspirational. I already have a daily writing habit, but as I have so many ideas, so many responsibilities, and three growing brands, I currently lack focus. Lack of focus eventually turns into overwhelm and then into red-alert shut down, lol. Lifelong Writing Habit really takes you step-by-step through the psychology and practicum of changing your habits as a writer. These lessons can help you develop a lifelong writing habit, or a lifelong ANYTHING habit, really!

I also enjoyed the less “concrete” action steps of visualization (though they are few). While Fox usually sticks with the concrete and tangible ways to solidify a writing habit, he always takes a minute to address the more intangible blocks that we writers face: self-doubt, lack of motivation, and amorphous dubious writer goals– all of which contribute to a writer’s dwindling word count and motivation. Fox hits all points in his series.

In terms of Fox’s writing style, one thing that I LOVE about this book (and his others) is that he jumps RIGHT into his step-by-step process. No fluff and no muss. He also makes his advice actionable and digestible, so that if you want to read straight through the book and THEN apply his action steps later, he includes his suggested steps in an appendix for your convenience. Another winner in Fox’s Write Faster, Write Smarter series, not to be missed!

View all my reviews

Write on, rock on, and READ on,

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