Colby R. Rice's Blog, page 6

CEFJ #94 OMG, What Do I Even Call This Episode? Grad School Doomsday, Perhaps? (2/18/19)

GRAB “The Lock In”, Book #3 of The Books of Ezekiel: http://books2read.com/TheLockIn

GRAB “SOULS & SHADOWS”: 25 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance novels for just 99cents: https://books2read.com/u/4AJgrJ

JOIN the “SOULS & SHADOWS” Advanced Review Team: https://www.subscribepage.com/SoulsandShadowsArcRecruitmentSignUp

Um, let’s keep it real: this semester is currently dragging me by my wig and leaving ZERO edges, and I’m not happy about it. Grading is WAY too much (just keeping it real), my thesis is giving me nail-biting anxiety (whereas it should be super fun and enjoyable), and guess what?

My graduate program? The MFA that I’m working so hard to achieve?

Yeah. The theatre department and the University of Arizona just CANCELLED that shit.

Yes. I said they cancelled / ended the MFA program. As in, after we graduate, my MFA program will be no more. Basically this was a “one and done, get at me son” sort of thing. Of course, the administration announced the end of the program much more delicately and politically, but it is what it is: SUPER messed up.

Let’s talk about it, fam. I’ve been gone for three weeks over my stress, and I am still getting through one step and project at a time, but it’s finally time to get real on what’s been going on. Because the first 7 weeks of 2019 have honestly just been trying me to the max.

Let’s get into it. xoxoxo

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fa...
My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com
My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage
Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice
My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice
My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice

CEFJ #93 Dear Superfans, I LOVE YOU + Developing My TV Series, “When in Rōhm” (1/31/19)

GRAB “The Lock In”, Book #3 of The Books of Ezekiel: http://books2read.com/TheLockIn

So, I’ve been away for 17 days… UNACCEPTABLE! Lol! But I’ve been doing SO MANY awesome things like finally releasing “The Lock In” (my newest novel) for one, and working on my cyberpunk noir TV series adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Roman history tetralogy.

And I’m calling it “When in Rōhm”.

YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?! #imbrilliant lol.

Check out my latest podcast to see what I’ve been up to this January. 2019 has gotten off to a beautiful start, and I’m not slowing down now! xoxo

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fa...
My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com
My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage
Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice
My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice
My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice

CEFJ #92 Awesome Kick off to 2019! (1/14/19)

PRE-ORDER “The Lock In”, Book #3 of The Books of Ezekiel: books2read.com/TheLockIn

Hey ya’ll!

Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you guys after the kick-off of the new year, but I’ve also been getting LOADS done. I’ve even reached a bunch of milestones across grad school, novel writing, publishing, marketing, AND at The Bohemian Badass. Not bad for the first two weeks of 2019, I think!

CEFJ #91 Happy New Year! + My Creative Goals for 2019! (01/02/18)

Happy New Year, my Badass Boos!

Sooo… I have a total of 145 separate goals that I’ve planned for 2019. I don’t necessarily get into every single one here, but I do layout a master plan for how I’d like 2019 to go. I’m SO excited about what this year will (hopefully) bring, and I hope this podcast will get you amped about your 2019 goals as well!

VLOG VERSION

MY CREATIVE GOALS FOR 2019!

PRODUCTIVITY GOALS:

Develop a solid schedule that works for me and my creative output / process while also keeping me healthy, happy, and balanced
Develop even DEEPER focus to finish projects on time!
Hit 1,000 fiction words per day with my writing regimen
Hit 500 blog / non-fiction words per day with my writing regimen

HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND FITNESS:

Maintain a steady 4x a week exercise regimen
Maintain a delicious, steady, low-calorie, nutrient dense diet of mostly veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins via smoothies, buddha bowls, healthy breakfasts, soups/stews, and wholesome snacks for the whole of 2019
Be able to jog for 40 minutes straight by training for it weekly
Sleep WAY more (8-9 hours per night) + naps.

EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL HEALTH:

Engage in ACTIVE positive self-talk
Continue filling my blessings jar
Keep graduate school away from my spirit and my art
Continue a daily spiritual practice, through meditation, prayer, or just focused breathing
Deepen my spiritual practice through a study of chakras, astrology, tarot, scripture, and other practices
Continue going to therapy and do the work of unlearning bad habits and toxic mindsets

CREATIVE UNI:

Take as many courses as possible in TV Writing, Screenwriting, Directing, Filmmaking, Entrepreneurship, Business Marketing, Book Marketing, Creative Writing, and Game Design / Programming.

GRADUATE SCHOOL:

Use every aspect of grad school to build my business and forward my creative career as an ARTIST, not as an academic
Stay focused on what I am here for; staying in charge of my own destiny
Prioritize my needs, acknowledge my limitations, and set clear boundaries
SELF FIRST!
Take advantage of my waning responsibilities in grad school as an opportunity to build up other areas of creative entrepreneurship and creative interest
Finish and submit Masters’ Report
Finish and submit Masters’ Thesis
Finish History of Musical Theatre course
Finish teaching The Haunted Screen 150B course
GET YOUR MFA DEGREE IN MAY 2019!!

RESESRCH, WORLDBUILDING, & SHADOW DEVELOPMENT:

Research and work on the story bible of the ASYLUM trilogy
Research and work on the story bible for THE WORLD OF NEVER AFTER (includes The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, The ForNever Files series, and the Godsman series)
Research and work on the story bible for THE BOOKS OF EZEKIEL series
Research and work on the story bible for THE FORGOTTEN trilogy
Research and work on the story bible for the SENTIENT trilogy
Research and work on the story bible for the WHEN IN ROME TV mini-series
Research and work on the story bible for the IMMORTAL TV series

THE BOHEMIAN BADASS:

Blog at least 1x a week at The Bohemian Badass
Podcast at least 1x a week at The Bohemian Badass for “The B-Badass Podcast”
Send 2-4 newsletters per month to our Creative Badass community
Finish and release the “Metaphor Maven” course suite
Finish and release the “Plot like a Badass” course suite
Finish and release “Writers UnBlocked” course suite
Finish and release the “Breaking Badass” Challenge course suite

THE DOLLHOUSE:

Continue to publish short-form video content for The Dollhouse vlog and blog and podcast
Create and grow The Dollhouse’s “Single Mom Creative” community
Support and love on single moms trying to hustle their ways to creative infamy!

MARKETING & COMMUNITY BUILDING:

Submit free book lead magnets to all free e-book sites
Optimize Patreon page for Rebel Ragdoll
Build out the websites and blogs for current businesses and brands
Build out the social media outlets for current businesses and brands
Author Relationships:

Continue to forge really awesome rships with authors through select author collaborations and targeted NL swaps
Do massive USAT bestseller list push w/ boxset


Grow my OFFWORLD Community
Research & activate marketing strategies for social media outlets

CREATIVE PROJECTS I WANT TO FINISH:

Novels/Novellas

Co-written USAT boxset novel


The Books of Ezekiel

The Lock In (BOE #3)
Hollow Point (BOE #4)
Nom de Guerre (BOE #5)




2054 Series

Novella #2 of the 2054 series
Novella #3 of the 2054 series




The Hitmen of Happily Ever After

Loosey, Goosey (HOHEA #1)
Rose n’ John Does (HOHEA #2)




The Godsman

The Godsman, #1
Forge of Death, #2




The ASYLUM Series

Sodom, #1
Lustrum, #2
Sanctum, #3

Screenwriting

The Monster Between Us, #1
Sandman, #2
Untitled Sandman Screenplay, #3

TV Writing

Ezekiel TV Workbook + Bible + Pilot
Immortal TV Workbook + Bible + Pilot
The Camille TV Workbook + Bible + Pilot
Surrogate TV Workbook + Bible + Pilot
Inherit the Earth TV Workbook + Bible + Pilot
When in Rome (Wenin Roam) TV Workbook + Bible + Pilot

Playwriting

Morien (full-length musical)

The Bohemian Badass

Self-care Journal for Artists and Entrepreneurs
Badass TV Series Development Checklist (at canva.com)
Plot like a Badass course suite


JOIN COLBY ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fantastical-journey-of-a-black-female-sci-fi-writer/

My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com

My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage

Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice

My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice

My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice

CEFJ #90 Creative Achievements for 2018! (12/31/19)

2018 is OVA, BABYYYY!!!

And thanks for tuning into the round up and wrap up of my Epic, Fantastical Journey of Creative Achievements for 2018!

So, THIS. YEAR. WAS. ON. FLEEK. Publishing? On point. Directing? Super fly. Dramaturgy? Total domination (even though I didn’t want to, lol). Not to gas my head up, but I really bust my rump this 2018, and I DEFINITELY saw the fruits of my labor, and I’m super proud!

I have recorded these achievements on a vlog and a podcast, but you can also choose to just look at the bullet points below for a quick summary of what I got done this year!

Vlog Version













Bulleted Summary of My 2018 Creative Achievements

My 2018 round up is divided into a few sections, so check out the Table of Contents below to find the one you might be interested in!

Table of Contents



Novel Writing and Publishing for 2018 TV Writing & Series Development for 2018Research, Worldbuilding, and Shadow-development for 2018Directing for 2018Dramaturgy for 2018Reader & Author Relationships for 2018
Marketing & Platform-building for 2018Professional Development for 2018, I: My Personal Creative UniProfessional Development for 2018, II: Graduate SchoolMy Media F’empire: Rebel Ragdoll in 2018 New Adult Noir(e)Rebel Ragdoll PressRebel Ragdoll ProductionsThe Bohemian BadassBrands & Subsidiaries in Development and Up to Bat: The Blackheart Boulange, The Dollhouse, ChickRogue StudiosRebel Ragdoll Personal Achievements for 2018







Novel Writing & Publishing Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

finished and published The Camille (novella)finished and started editing The Lock In (BOE #3) (novella)co-published and launched the 2054 anthologyco-published and launched the UPRISING box setbecame an Amazon bestselling author in SEVEN categories!wrote for / worked on The Books of Ezekiel series, the ASYLUM series, The Godsman series, The Camille novella series. The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, and The One Percent series







Worldbuilding, Plotting, and Development Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Researched, developed, did worldbuilding, and developed story bibles for: The Asylum series The World of Never After (covers The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, The ForNever Files series, and the Godsman series)The Books of Ezekiel seriesThe Rapture seriesthe 2054 AnthologyThe Morien serialized novel seriesThe Immortal serialized novel seriesThe Camille serialized novel seriesThe Surrogate serialized novel seriesPrepared cover production spec docs for series covers







TV Series Development and Writing Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

started development on the Morien TV series (drama)started development on the Ezekiel TV series (sci-fi/fantasy)started development on the Immortal TV series (urban fantasy)started development on The Camille TV series (sci-fi)started development on Surrogate TV series (survival horror)started development on When in Rome TV series (a TV mini-series adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman History Tetralogy)designed a TON of TV writing worksheets, templates, and courses for my personal use & for The Bohemian Badass







Directing Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Directed ALLIES (spoken word performance)Co-directed GENERATOR: DEATH OF KING ARTHUR (full production) Directed MORIEN within the GENERATOR: DEATH OF KING ARTHUR (full production) Co-directed ERASED (full production) Directed SEEKING BETTY (10-minute play)Directed DELETED (10-minute play)







Dramaturgy Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

DEVELOPMENT DRAMATURGY:finished a one-round development process for LOST SOULS + dramaturgical protocol (10-minute play)finished a three-round development process for THE PARASITES + dramaturgical protocol (10-minute play)finished a three-round development process for THURSDAY + dramaturgical protocol (10-minute play)
finished a one-round development process for JAZZ + dramaturgical protocol (full-length play adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel)
finished a one-round development process for BLOOD + dramaturgical protocol (full-length original play)




PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY:actively dramaturg’d THE PARASITES during our 5-week rehearsal process for ERASED actively dramaturg’d THURSDAY during our 5-week rehearsal process for ERASED







Rebel Ragdoll F’empire Achievements for 2018



Publishing, film/TV production, game design, and creative skills education… all in one!



Helping amazing creative single moms one inspiration at a time



Where you can get your grade A dark & gritty reads in the genres you love!



The Blackheart Boulange



The podcasts at Rebel Ragdoll!







The Bohemian Badass Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Infrastructureset up accounting and financial management software for The Bohemian Badassapplied and GOT LLC status for The Bohemian Badassfilled out the majority of my business plan for The Bohemian Badass, including doing competition research and researching my target market and audienceset up SEO for The Bohemian Badass through Google Analyticsfinished the REST of the legal pages for The Bohemian Badass: Badass Privacy & Comments Policy, Badass Copyright Policy, Badass Terms & Conditions Policy, Badass Cookie Policy, Badass Return & Refund Policy, Badass Affiliate Links Policy, and added them to the websiterenewed domain name



Branding chose branding, colors, fonts, and graphics templates for businessrebooted & re-designed the full website for The Bohemian Badass, including deciding on the content, categories, webpages, and general layout for the brandBranding & Buildingoptimized website for mobiledeveloped a dope Affiliate Marketing strategy and opened accounts at select Affiliate sitesinstalled WooCommerce online store



Content CreationThe “Breaking Badass” Challenge: fully outlined the challengeThe Self-Care Journal for Artist-Entrepreneurs: designed the content for the journal and FINISHED the basic templates and layout for the journal!The Bohemian Badass Scrivener Templates (for courses and lead magnets): worked on the Plot like a Badass template; updated and FINISHED the Badass Horror Novel Scrivener Template, the Badass Horror Screenplay Scrivener Template, and the New Novel + Plot Builder TemplateThe Bohemian Badass Podcast: recorded, uploaded, and posted episode #5 (1 podcast)The Bohemian Badass Blog: recorded a MailerLite tutorial for an author; and then turned it into a blog post (1 blog post)Created, edited, finished, and polished a bunch of worksheets, workbooks, and writing tools, including: Log Line for Your Life WorksheetMastering Your Genre WorkbookHorror Film Development WorkbookHorror Film Story Grid TemplateHorror Film Character Development WorksheetsHorror Film Site/Situation WorksheetsHorror Film Case Studies STUDY GUIDETV Series Development ChecklistTesting Your TV Show Concept WorksheetsTV Series Development Workbook TV Series Bible Template WorkbookPlot & Character Arc Planner for Your TV EpisodeFive-Act Planner for Your TV EpisodeMysteries & Reveals Planner for Your TV EpisodeThe Elements of a TV Series Franchise STUDY GUIDETV Series Pitch, Proposal, and Bible Development STUDY GUIDEScreenplay Development WorkbookSequences & Beats Checklistfinished the script breakdowns for “A Quiet Place”, “Alien”, and “Aliens”generated over 600 of blog post ideas, over 200 different info products, and organized them into MASSIVE spreadsheetplanned out monthly blog content theme for the next 6 months (Sept ‘18 – Feb ‘19); worked hard on filling in editorial calendar for 2018finished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course, Part I: The Anatomy of a TV Series, including the Study Notes and TV Series breakdown templates, TV Series Development checklistfinished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course, Part II: Developing Your Badass TV Series, including the TV Bible template and development workbook, created a TV Series Plot Development worksheetfinished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course Part III: Developing the Pilot, including the Perfect Pilot worksheets, TV Dev Act Plannerfinished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course, Part IV: Writing the Pilot, includingdesigned an awesome coaching program for The Bohemian Badasswrote a “best practices” sample guide for ARC recruitmentwrote a “best practices” sample guide for List Engagement







New Adult Noir(e) Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Wrapped up the December 2017 “25 Days of Box Sets” giveaway, which was SUPER successfulCreated an awesome lead magnet and landing page for New Adult NoireUpdated New Adult Noir(e) websiteRan two FREE BOOK promos for January 2018 and February 2018Ran two AUTHOR EXCLUSIVE PROMOS for April 2018Put NEW ADULT NOIR(E) on hiatus for the rest of 2018







Rebel Ragdoll Press Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

published a novella (The Camille) and a new start to a brand new seriesre-uploaded e-book covers and new e-book files to all distributors for both THE GIVEN and THE TAKENpublished the paperback version of THE GIVENpublished the paperback version of THE TAKENstarted publishing process for THE LOCK IN (BOE #3)applied and GOT LLC status for Rebel Ragdoll Pressfinished marketing plan and model for Rebel Ragdoll Press







Rebel Ragdoll Productions Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

went shopping for film scheduling and budgeting softwareengaging in gaining directing experienceworked more on my film trilogy, SANDMAN







Other Rebel Ragdoll Brand Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

The Blackheart Boulangeupdated, designed, and edited The Blackheart Boulange, The Blackheart, Bakery, and The Blackheart Boudoir websitesupdated some websites and did some backend website developmentdecided to put The Blackheart Boulange on hiatus until fall of 2019 / fall of 2020



MYSTERY Romance/Erotica/Lifestyle Author Brandwent brand kit shoppingworked more on developing a brand identitydeveloped a preliminary visual business modelstarted developing blog posts for brand



The Dollhousegot back and approved logos for Badass Black Single Momreserved the domain name for this brandcreated and uploaded 5 video content pieces for the brand







Marketing & Community Growth Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

learned a LOT about marketing through mostly hands-on experienceinvested in and collected a bunch of industry research materials for science fiction and fantasy markets at Amazon.comMarketing Plans & Marketing Models created standing marketing plan for co-published box sets and anthologiesfinished designing full marketing model for my Colby R. Rice brandfinished designing full marketing model for my Rebel Ragdoll Press brand Co-Launches & Co-Publications:co-planned and co-launched the 2054 cyberpunk anthologyco-planned and co-launched the UPRISING box setCo-Launches:



Marketing:General: did some exploring of social media outlets; updated squeeze pages and pop-ups for New Adult Noir(e) and for Colby R. Rice; updated websites as neededPatreon Page Launch: updated Patreon page with ALL new posts, revamped Patreon description, and launched it! (I still need to update my milestones/goals + reward levels)Scored an Instafreebie special promo for GHOSTS OF KOA!FINISHED a complete reboot of my author marketing funnel!



Reader Community:Reader Interaction: noticed a significant uptick in reader engagement, retention, and feedbackReader Demographics: finished my reader survey, and now I have a great idea of who is in my reader community (nearly 400 respondents took the survey)Growth & Culling of Reader Community: added 16 members to my Dark Council list (rabid fans!), 7 members to my Dark Council FB community, and 5 members to the Offworld FB community; removed all cold subscribers and add back active subsGrowth of Patreon Community: I have TWO Patrons now!



Co-Creator Community:Author Community: community has grown through my online interactions with authors, the 4-author collaboration, and New Adult Noir(e) Author Community; engaged in many individual author promos and NL swaps



Blogging / V-logging: recorded, uploaded, posted 37 new episodes for the Epic, Fantastical Journey of a Black Female Sci-fi Writer Podcastadded 1 episode to Unapologetically Melanated Media Crit vlogrecorded and posted 5 new episodes for creative single mom vlog







Professional Development, Part I of II: Graduate School & Teaching

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

officially reached the 5/6 mark of my graduate program!! I am ALMOST DONE!finished all my final four grad classes (Theatre & Culture II; Period Styles – Architecture; The Dramaturg & the New Play Process; Experimental Dramaturgy)managed two TAships at once in the spring (Pop Entertainment 160D; The Haunted Screen) and one in the fall (Pop Entertainment 160D); graded a BUNCH of paperslearned a HELL of a lot about international horror film history, re: the aesthetic movements and the industriestaught five full lectures, one on Gothic Architecture, one on Blackface Performance, one on Aristotelian drama, and two on Suzan Lori ParksFINISHED my Artist’s Manifestojob prep by brainstorming all my skills and experiences and trying to figure out how to monetize those skills

MASTERS THESISfinished and submitted prospectus for Shakespeare MFA thesis, which will become the necessary background research for my modernized adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman history tetralogyfinished a first read through of Shakespeare’s Roman History Tetralogy, which will also be the foundation for a TV show adaptationfinished my Masters thesis plan for a TV pilot adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman History tetralogy + a TV Bible + a dramaturgical casebook







Professional Development, Part II of II: My Creative Uni



GENERAL TV series development and TV writing (via my summer study)Novel, anthology, and box set promotion (via hands-on experience)



MARKETING 5 New Ways to Get Instagram Followers in 2018 MASTERCLASS (Later)How to Create a Proper Marketing Plan for Your Next Book” masterclass (Reedsy & Draft2Digital) masterclassHow To Master Amazon Data To Sell More Books“Mastering Amazon Data To Sell More Books” masterclass (K-lytics)



ENTREPRENEURSHIP How To Build a Business with Your Current Skills (Tiffany the Budgetnista)Publish Your Thing: Audience Magnet Arsenal 2.0Publish Your Thing: Create Your Own Service & Coaching Business Alreadysat the Publish Your Thing: Make Your Site Remarkable Alreadysat the Publish Your Thing: Visual Arsenalsat the Publish Your Thing: Launch Your Engaged Group Alreadysat the Publish Your Thing: Create Your Profitable Funnels Already5 Shifts to Turn Your Expertise Into a Profitable Business That Transforms LivesYouTube Jumpstart Course (Jesse & Kong)Author Success Method course (J Thorn)“5 Shifts to Turn Your Expertise Into a Profitable Business That Transforms Lives” masterclass (Rosetta Thurman)“Your Lifestyle Service Business Course” classes“From Prospect to Paid Client” Masterclass
CREATIVE started learning Unityfinished the script breakdown for “A Quiet Place”The Creative Penn PODCASTThe Sci-fi Fantasy Marketing PODCASTThe Indie Film Hustle PODCASTHow to Create a Binge Worthy TV Show WEBINAR (Screenwriting U)Learned to use Dragon Naturally Speaking SoftwareThe History of International Horror FilmsCreating a Binge Worthy TV Show, MODULE #1: Developing Your SeriesThe Perfect Story (JA Huss) masterclassShonda Rhimes Teaches TV Writing masterclassThe Business of Fashion Course (Business of Fashion)Marc Jacob’s Fashion Design Masterclass (Masterclass)Diane Von Furstenberg’s Building a Fashion Brand Masterclass (Masterclass)Mira Nair Teaches Independent Filmmaking (MasterClass)Spike Lee Teaches Independent Filmmaking (MasterClass)



PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT The Happy Black Woman PODCAST







Self-Care, Wellness, and Glow Up Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Self Care Upgrade: recommitted myself to self-care FIRST, sleeping better, more common spiritual practice, created and maintained a self-care, exercise, and food diary, kept my self-care in mind if not at the forefront of my day-to-day experiencesPhysical Health Upgrade: LOST 16 LBS!; celebrating new body; eating better, regular exercise regimen, better physical care, LESS MEAT, MORE VEGGIES (on a trial basis) and am doing my research on meal planning; got real info on nutrition; started a slow transition into a mostly veggie dietSpiritual Health Upgrade: maintained a relatively regular spiritual practice & deeper spiritual awareness; learned to trust my intuition and divine guidanceDeep Focus: reminded myself of how to take one thing at a time and to focus on it until it is done (has worked really well)Hobbies and Play: started lightly dabbling back into some hobbies (drawing, crocheting, coloring, fashion design)Hired My Village… because single moms NEVER have to do it totally alone if they don’t want to!

Creative Achievements for 2018!

2018 is OVA, BABYYYY!!!

And thanks for tuning into the round up and wrap up of my Epic, Fantastical Journey of Creative Achievements for 2018!

My 2018 round up is divided into a few sections, so check out the Table of Contents below to find the one you might be interested in!

Table of Contents



Novel Writing and Publishing for 2018 TV Writing & Series Development for 2018Research, Worldbuilding, and Shadow-development for 2018Directing for 2018Dramaturgy for 2018Reader & Author Relationships for 2018
Marketing & Platform-building for 2018Professional Development for 2018, I: My Personal Creative UniProfessional Development for 2018, II: Graduate SchoolMy Media F’empire: Rebel Ragdoll in 2018 New Adult Noir(e)Rebel Ragdoll PressRebel Ragdoll ProductionsThe Bohemian BadassBrands & Subsidiaries in Development and Up to Bat: The Blackheart Boulange, The Dollhouse, ChickRogue StudiosRebel Ragdoll Personal Achievements for 2018







Novel Writing & Publishing Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

finished and published The Camille (novella)finished and started editing The Lock In (BOE #3) (novella)co-published and launched the 2054 anthologyco-published and launched the UPRISING box setbecame an Amazon bestselling author in SEVEN categories!wrote for / worked on The Books of Ezekiel series, the ASYLUM series, The Godsman series, The Camille novella series. The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, and The One Percent seriesNovel Writing WORD COUNT for 2018:







Worldbuilding, Plotting, and Development Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Researched, developed, did worldbuilding, and developed story bibles for: The Asylum series The World of Never After (covers The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, The ForNever Files series, and the Godsman series)The Books of Ezekiel seriesThe Rapture seriesthe 2054 AnthologyThe Morien serialized novel seriesThe Immortal serialized novel seriesThe Camille serialized novel seriesThe Surrogate serialized novel seriesPrepared cover production spec docs for series covers







TV Series Development and Writing Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

started development on the Morien TV series (drama)started development on the Ezekiel TV series (sci-fi/fantasy)started development on the Immortal TV series (urban fantasy)started development on The Camille TV series (sci-fi)started development on Surrogate TV series (survival horror)started development on When in Rome TV series (a TV mini-series adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman History Tetralogy)designed a TON of TV writing worksheets, templates, and courses for my personal use & for The Bohemian Badass







Directing Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Directed ALLIES (spoken word performance)Co-directed GENERATOR: DEATH OF KING ARTHUR (full production) Directed MORIEN within the GENERATOR: DEATH OF KING ARTHUR (full production) Co-directed ERASED (full production) Directed SEEKING BETTY (10-minute play)Directed DELETED (10-minute play)







Dramaturgy Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

DEVELOPMENT DRAMATURGY:finished a one-round development process for LOST SOULS + dramaturgical protocol (10-minute play)finished a three-round development process for THE PARASITES + dramaturgical protocol (10-minute play)finished a three-round development process for THURSDAY + dramaturgical protocol (10-minute play)
finished a one-round development process for JAZZ + dramaturgical protocol (full-length play adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel)
finished a one-round development process for BLOOD + dramaturgical protocol (full-length original play)




PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY:actively dramaturg’d THE PARASITES during our 5-week rehearsal process for ERASED actively dramaturg’d THURSDAY during our 5-week rehearsal process for ERASED







Rebel Ragdoll F’empire Achievements for 2018



Publishing, film/TV production, game design, and creative skills education… all in one!



Helping amazing creative single moms one inspiration at a time



Where you can get your grade A dark & gritty reads in the genres you love!



The Blackheart Boulange



The podcasts at Rebel Ragdoll!







The Bohemian Badass Achievements for 2018

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Infrastructureset up accounting and financial management software for The Bohemian Badassapplied and GOT LLC status for The Bohemian Badassfilled out the majority of my business plan for The Bohemian Badass, including doing competition research and researching my target market and audienceset up SEO for The Bohemian Badass through Google Analyticsfinished the REST of the legal pages for The Bohemian Badass: Badass Privacy & Comments Policy, Badass Copyright Policy, Badass Terms & Conditions Policy, Badass Cookie Policy, Badass Return & Refund Policy, Badass Affiliate Links Policy, and added them to the websiterenewed domain name



Branding chose branding, colors, fonts, and graphics templates for businessrebooted & re-designed the full website for The Bohemian Badass, including deciding on the content, categories, webpages, and general layout for the brandBranding & Buildingoptimized website for mobiledeveloped a dope Affiliate Marketing strategy and opened accounts at select Affiliate sitesinstalled WooCommerce online store



Content CreationThe “Breaking Badass” Challenge: fully outlined the challengeThe Self-Care Journal for Artist-Entrepreneurs: designed the content for the journal and FINISHED the basic templates and layout for the journal!The Bohemian Badass Scrivener Templates (for courses and lead magnets): worked on the Plot like a Badass template; updated and FINISHED the Badass Horror Novel Scrivener Template, the Badass Horror Screenplay Scrivener Template, and the New Novel + Plot Builder TemplateThe Bohemian Badass Podcast: recorded, uploaded, and posted episode #5 (1 podcast)The Bohemian Badass Blog: recorded a MailerLite tutorial for an author; and then turned it into a blog post (1 blog post)Created, edited, finished, and polished a bunch of worksheets, workbooks, and writing tools, including: Log Line for Your Life WorksheetMastering Your Genre WorkbookHorror Film Development WorkbookHorror Film Story Grid TemplateHorror Film Character Development WorksheetsHorror Film Site/Situation WorksheetsHorror Film Case Studies STUDY GUIDETV Series Development ChecklistTesting Your TV Show Concept WorksheetsTV Series Development Workbook TV Series Bible Template WorkbookPlot & Character Arc Planner for Your TV EpisodeFive-Act Planner for Your TV EpisodeMysteries & Reveals Planner for Your TV EpisodeThe Elements of a TV Series Franchise STUDY GUIDETV Series Pitch, Proposal, and Bible Development STUDY GUIDEScreenplay Development WorkbookSequences & Beats Checklistfinished the script breakdowns for “A Quiet Place”, “Alien”, and “Aliens”generated over 600 of blog post ideas, over 200 different info products, and organized them into MASSIVE spreadsheetplanned out monthly blog content theme for the next 6 months (Sept ‘18 – Feb ‘19); worked hard on filling in editorial calendar for 2018finished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course, Part I: The Anatomy of a TV Series, including the Study Notes and TV Series breakdown templates, TV Series Development checklistfinished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course, Part II: Developing Your Badass TV Series, including the TV Bible template and development workbook, created a TV Series Plot Development worksheetfinished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course Part III: Developing the Pilot, including the Perfect Pilot worksheets, TV Dev Act Plannerfinished creating a rough draft of the Badass TV Course, Part IV: Writing the Pilot, includingdesigned an awesome coaching program for The Bohemian Badasswrote a “best practices” sample guide for ARC recruitmentwrote a “best practices” sample guide for List Engagement







New Adult Noir(e) Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Wrapped up the December 2017 “25 Days of Box Sets” giveaway, which was SUPER successfulCreated an awesome lead magnet and landing page for New Adult NoireUpdated New Adult Noir(e) websiteRan two FREE BOOK promos for January 2018 and February 2018Ran two AUTHOR EXCLUSIVE PROMOS for April 2018Put NEW ADULT NOIR(E) on hiatus for the rest of 2018







Rebel Ragdoll Press Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

published a novella (The Camille) and a new start to a brand new seriesre-uploaded e-book covers and new e-book files to all distributors for both THE GIVEN and THE TAKENpublished the paperback version of THE GIVENpublished the paperback version of THE TAKENstarted publishing process for THE LOCK IN (BOE #3)applied and GOT LLC status for Rebel Ragdoll Pressfinished marketing plan and model for Rebel Ragdoll Press







Rebel Ragdoll Productions Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

went shopping for film scheduling and budgeting softwareengaging in gaining directing experienceworked more on my film trilogy, SANDMAN







Other Rebel Ragdoll Brand Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

The Blackheart Boulangeupdated, designed, and edited The Blackheart Boulange, The Blackheart, Bakery, and The Blackheart Boudoir websitesupdated some websites and did some backend website developmentdecided to put The Blackheart Boulange on hiatus until fall of 2019 / fall of 2020



MYSTERY Romance/Erotica/Lifestyle Author Brandwent brand kit shoppingworked more on developing a brand identitydeveloped a preliminary visual business modelstarted developing blog posts for brand



The Dollhousegot back and approved logos for Badass Black Single Momreserved the domain name for this brandcreated and uploaded 5 video content pieces for the brand







Marketing & Community Growth Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

learned a LOT about marketing through mostly hands-on experienceinvested in and collected a bunch of industry research materials for science fiction and fantasy markets at Amazon.comMarketing Plans & Marketing Models created standing marketing plan for co-published box sets and anthologiesfinished designing full marketing model for my Colby R. Rice brandfinished designing full marketing model for my Rebel Ragdoll Press brand Co-Launches & Co-Publications:co-planned and co-launched the 2054 cyberpunk anthologyco-planned and co-launched the UPRISING box setCo-Launches:



Marketing:General: did some exploring of social media outlets; updated squeeze pages and pop-ups for New Adult Noir(e) and for Colby R. Rice; updated websites as neededPatreon Page Launch: updated Patreon page with ALL new posts, revamped Patreon description, and launched it! (I still need to update my milestones/goals + reward levels)Scored an Instafreebie special promo for GHOSTS OF KOA!FINISHED a complete reboot of my author marketing funnel!



Reader Community:Reader Interaction: noticed a significant uptick in reader engagement, retention, and feedbackReader Demographics: finished my reader survey, and now I have a great idea of who is in my reader community (nearly 400 respondents took the survey)Growth & Culling of Reader Community: added 16 members to my Dark Council list (rabid fans!), 7 members to my Dark Council FB community, and 5 members to the Offworld FB community; removed all cold subscribers and add back active subsGrowth of Patreon Community: I have TWO Patrons now!



Co-Creator Community:Author Community: community has grown through my online interactions with authors, the 4-author collaboration, and New Adult Noir(e) Author Community; engaged in many individual author promos and NL swaps



Blogging / V-logging: recorded, uploaded, posted 37 new episodes for the Epic, Fantastical Journey of a Black Female Sci-fi Writer Podcastadded 1 episode to Unapologetically Melanated Media Crit vlogrecorded and posted 5 new episodes for creative single mom vlog







Professional Development, Part I of II: Graduate School & Teaching

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

officially reached the 5/6 mark of my graduate program!! I am ALMOST DONE!finished all my final four grad classes (Theatre & Culture II; Period Styles – Architecture; The Dramaturg & the New Play Process; Experimental Dramaturgy)managed two TAships at once in the spring (Pop Entertainment 160D; The Haunted Screen) and one in the fall (Pop Entertainment 160D); graded a BUNCH of paperslearned a HELL of a lot about international horror film history, re: the aesthetic movements and the industriestaught five full lectures, one on Gothic Architecture, one on Blackface Performance, one on Aristotelian drama, and two on Suzan Lori ParksFINISHED my Artist’s Manifestojob prep by brainstorming all my skills and experiences and trying to figure out how to monetize those skillsMASTERS THESISfinished and submitted prospectus for Shakespeare MFA thesis, which will become the necessary background research for my modernized adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman history tetralogyfinished a first read through of Shakespeare’s Roman History Tetralogy, which will also be the foundation for a TV show adaptationfinished my Masters thesis plan for a TV pilot adaptation of Shakespeare’s Roman History tetralogy + a TV Bible + a dramaturgical casebook







Professional Development, Part II of II: My Creative Uni







GENERAL TV series development and TV writing (via my summer study)Novel, anthology, and box set promotion (via hands-on experience)



MARKETING 5 New Ways to Get Instagram Followers in 2018 MASTERCLASS (Later)How to Create a Proper Marketing Plan for Your Next Book” masterclass (Reedsy & Draft2Digital) masterclassHow To Master Amazon Data To Sell More Books“Mastering Amazon Data To Sell More Books” masterclass (K-lytics)



ENTREPRENEURSHIP How To Build a Business with Your Current Skills (Tiffany the Budgetnista)Publish Your Thing: Audience Magnet Arsenal 2.0Publish Your Thing: Create Your Own Service & Coaching Business Alreadysat the Publish Your Thing: Make Your Site Remarkable Alreadysat the Publish Your Thing: Visual Arsenalsat the Publish Your Thing: Launch Your Engaged Group Alreadysat the Publish Your Thing: Create Your Profitable Funnels Already5 Shifts to Turn Your Expertise Into a Profitable Business That Transforms LivesYouTube Jumpstart Course (Jesse & Kong)Author Success Method course (J Thorn)“5 Shifts to Turn Your Expertise Into a Profitable Business That Transforms Lives” masterclass (Rosetta Thurman)“Your Lifestyle Service Business Course” classes“From Prospect to Paid Client” Masterclass
CREATIVE started learning Unityfinished the script breakdown for “A Quiet Place”The Creative Penn PODCASTThe Sci-fi Fantasy Marketing PODCASTThe Indie Film Hustle PODCASTHow to Create a Binge Worthy TV Show WEBINAR (Screenwriting U)Learned to use Dragon Naturally Speaking SoftwareThe History of International Horror FilmsCreating a Binge Worthy TV Show, MODULE #1: Developing Your SeriesThe Perfect Story (JA Huss) masterclassShonda Rhimes Teaches TV Writing masterclassThe Business of Fashion Course (Business of Fashion)Marc Jacob’s Fashion Design Masterclass (Masterclass)Diane Von Furstenberg’s Building a Fashion Brand Masterclass (Masterclass)Mira Nair Teaches Independent Filmmaking (MasterClass)Spike Lee Teaches Independent Filmmaking (MasterClass)



PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT The Happy Black Woman PODCAST







Self-Care, Wellness, and Glow Up Achievements for 2018!

ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY:

Self Care Upgrade: recommitted myself to self-care FIRST, sleeping better, more common spiritual practice, created and maintained a self-care, exercise, and food diary, kept my self-care in mind if not at the forefront of my day-to-day experiencesPhysical Health Upgrade: LOST 16 LBS!; celebrating new body; eating better, regular exercise regimen, better physical care, LESS MEAT, MORE VEGGIES (on a trial basis) and am doing my research on meal planning; got real info on nutrition; started a slow transition into a mostly veggie dietSpiritual Health Upgrade: maintained a relatively regular spiritual practice & deeper spiritual awareness; learned to trust my intuition and divine guidanceDeep Focus: reminded myself of how to take one thing at a time and to focus on it until it is done (has worked really well)Hobbies and Play: started lightly dabbling back into some hobbies (drawing, crocheting, coloring, fashion design)Hired My Village… because single moms NEVER have to do it totally alone if they don’t want to!

CEFJ #89 Still Being Creative + Combating Holiday Blues. Let’s Talk About It, Fam! (12/24/18)

Hi all! So this week has been far more lax than usual because I’m trying to honor my body, mind, and spirit with self-care, rest, and reflection during this holiday season. I’m still getting things done, but am pacing myself, and giving myself a LOT of time to think.

In my downtime, though, I feel the spirit of solitude and sadness as I long to be with my family on the East coast. So, how am I staying creative, resting, AND combating holiday blues? Well, join me in this episode to find out!

VLOG VERSIONS

 JOIN COLBY ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fantastical-journey-of-a-black-female-sci-fi-writer/

My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com

My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage

Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice

My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice

My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice

CEFJ #88 NOVEL #3 IS FINISHED!!! + Other Awesome Achievements (12/17/18)

It’s been two weeks since I’ve been on here, y’all, but guess what?! I JUST FINISHED MY THIRD NOVEL!

Yes, the third novel in my Books of Ezekiel series is DONE! I’m in the editing phase and aiming to have it released by Monday, Dec 30. Not only that, I finished my semester in graduate school on a really strong note. From there, I’ll be starting my work on:

* adapting Shakespeare’s Roman History tetralogy into a TV mini series

* finishing up the plotting, outlining, and worldbuilding of my co-written novel for the USA Today Beseller List-aiming box set I’m apart of

* finishing up some awesome filmmaking courses

* finishing my Master’s Report: developing a 6-show season comprised of classical stage plays, but adapted for a more modern and diverse audience, and,

* CELEBRATING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS!

This had been such an amazing, productive, blessed, and incredible year, and I cannot WAIT to do my quadrimesterly and yearly round ups. Feeling super happy and proud right now, and I can’t wait to share the rest of these weeks’ updates with you!

VLOG VERSIONS

 JOIN COLBY ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fantastical-journey-of-a-black-female-sci-fi-writer/

My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com

My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage

Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice

My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice

My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice

CEFJ #87 The Power of Finishing Energy (12/3/18)

Heyoooo! I’m BACK, and I’m ready to tackle December with what I call “finishing energy”, i.e. taking projects that are mostly completed and bringing them to their final states! So I’ve been working on wrapping certain projects up in the past week, and I’ll be doing even more of that in December.

To boot, I’m also in a space of *extreme* gratitude re: my experiences in graduate school. By taking a perspective of “experience itemization” (trying to look at every single experience I’ve had in my MFA program and figuring out what skills I gained and what portfolio pieces I’ve developed), I’ve actually really discovered the deep value of my MFA. Furthermore, I’m understanding how far I’ve come personally, and how much I’ve developed as an artist and a person.

Anyways! Let’s get into it. There are quite a few projects on my plate to finish, so check out the podcast to find out!

VLOG VERSIONS

 JOIN COLBY ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fantastical-journey-of-a-black-female-sci-fi-writer/

My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com

My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage

Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice

My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice

My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice

CEFJ #86 The Past 6 Weeks = On Creative Fleek! (11/26/18)

So it’s been forever and a day since I’ve been on here! Six weeks to be exact, and a lot of things have unfolded in my life since then. Mainly, I’ve been focusing on finishing up this semester of graduate school, and that (alongside a few select creative projects) will continue over the next five weeks as well.

Still, there’s plenty of novel writing, screenwriting, and learning about filmmaking and musical theatre that’s been going on. Mainly, I’m aiming for a December 20th release for “Hollow Point, Part I: Fraternity”, the next novel in my dystopian-urban fantasy series, The Books of Ezekiel. So let’s get into it!

VLOG VERSIONS

 JOIN COLBY ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

The Podcast: http://www.colbyrrice.com/the-epic-fantastical-journey-of-a-black-female-sci-fi-writer/

My Author Website: www.colbyrrice.com

My Novels: http://bit.ly/ColbyRRiceAmazonAuthorPage

Support the F’empire on Patreon: http://patreon.com/colbyrrice

My FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColbyRRicePage/

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColbyRRice

My Instagram: https://instagram.com/colbyrrice