Tag: amwriting

Quarterly Goals: Spring 2018

April 12th, 2018

Hey y’all! So I started a new day job (need those moneys) and I completely forgot that the new quarter started. That means it’s time to see what my goals are for this next quarter and that it’s time for me to humiliate myself publicly with how much I sucked this last quarter. Let’s see how I did!

1. Rewrite TFG 1 up to 50K words

–I did this! I did more! YAY!

2. Meditate at least 5 times per week

–Nope. Didn’t do this one. Probably would have been a better quarter if I had.

3. Exercise at least 3 times per week

–Nope. Didn’t do this.

4. Keep blood sugar under control

–I’ll count this one, but I’m not sure if I really succeeded.

5. Declutter and donate unneeded clothes

–Nope. Definitely didn’t do this.

6. Have a “spa day” at least once per week

–I’ve been good about this. Done.

7. Reschedule developmental edit for TFG 1

–Done and done!

8. Read all books on reading list

–No, didn’t do this.

9. Review Chinese language skills at least twice per week

–Pfft! No.

10. Keep up Four Gods Friday segments

–Nope. Sorry guys. 😦

And that’s…4 out of 10. Yep, I sucked hardcore this quarter, but I mainly blame my major schedule shift and the new day job. You know what that means? It means I have to kick some ass this quarter, let’s see what I have to accomplish!

1. Complete TFG 1 and send it through professional developmental edits (round 2)

2. Start 2 weekly segments again on blog/instagram, including Four Gods Friday

3. Restart mental health routine

4. Dance (for exercise purposes) at least 3 times weekly

5. Keep blood sugar under control

6. Eat healthier and learn more recipes to cook

7. Revamp author platform

8. Read more!

9. Get my hair cut/colored

10. Outline TFG 2

That’s all for this quarter. Let’s hope I can succeed!
March 20th, 2018

I wanted to take a photo of my altar set up for the first day of spring! I try to meditate in the mornings before I write to get me in the proper state of mind. Green Tara, Saraswati, Ganesh, and Guanyin are still here, and I’ve added a Fenghuang to welcome warmth and the birds back. I’ve put a rose quartz, clear quartz, citrine, and amethyst crystals to channel good energies in (3 out of 4 of these crystals are from the Children’s Museum and remind me of the good memories I had there). Tara is sporting the mala I use for her mantra and the newest additions in the center are a tree incense burner and a goldstone turtle to represent Xuanwu, who I believe protects me and the space, as well as gives me the inspiration needed to write #thefourgods since Gen is based off of him. I hope it’s warmer where you are than it is where I am and that your first day of spring is filled with joy and magic! 🌸💐🌼 #writerslife #firstdayofspring #amwriting #meditation (at Indianapolis, Indiana)
February 5th, 2018

Lazy writing day! I’ve been on a semi-hiatus from social media because I really need to get my butt in gear and finish TFG 1. My personal life has also been crazy, but this new head wrap is my favorite thing and is a great reminder of what needs to be done…while staying extra comfy! 🏵☺️📖 #writersofinstagram #writersofig #amwriting #headwrap #dreamsdontworkunlessyoudo
Quarterly Goals: Winter 2018

January 12th, 2018

Hi, everyone. So I think I finally cleared the flu of death
hurdle and I’m back on my feet and writing again. Today I’ll be reviewing my
quarterly goals from last quarter to see if I failed miserably or passed with
flying colors. I’ve been dreading this post because I had a rough quarter, but
let’s go ahead and see how I did:

1. Win NaNoWriMo through combination of TFG edits
and new WIP.

-I did this one. I didn’t do as well as I normally do with NaNo and I
learned that word count goals squeezed into short time frames don’t work for
me. I work better if my word count goals are spread out over time.

2.
Keep up Four Gods Friday.

-I did this one, too. I wasn’t as
consistent as I would have liked, but considering what life threw me last
quarter, I’ll count this as a win.

3.
Host a giveaway.

–
I did this one! This actually went really well
for me, so I’m definitely going to do more in the future. (Not next quarter,
though…)

4. Maintain blood sugar.

– As far as I know, I succeeded here. I’ve had a
few hiccups, but nothing too major.

5. Do a promotion for The Moon-Eyed Ones.

–
I did this one! This actually included an author
event in Carmel, Indiana and I did some cross promotion with some other indie
authors that may include some surprises on The Moon-Eyed Ones front. This one
is definitely a win.

6.
Practice/review speaking and writing Mandarin
for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week.

– Ha, nope. Did not do this one,
though I have had some chances to speak it while at work. Still a fail, though.

7. Maintain exercise regimen.

– I did this. I sort of fell off
the train at the end of the quarter, but overall I kept up my activity. Win
here.

8. Start knitting again.

– Did this!

9. Have TFG 1’s developmental edits over 50%
complete.

– This one is a big, fat failure.
My editor and I discussed it and we both decided TFG 1 needed to be rewritten
completely from the ground up before I do another developmental edit. While I’m
15K into the rewrite, that isn’t anywhere near my goal. Biggest, fattest
failure ever.

10.
Post new extras for The Moon-Eyed Ones.

– Did this one!

11.
Get more active on Instagram.

– I count this as a win. I’m still
not super active on Instagram, but I’m more active than before. Baby steps, but
it’s still a win.

                                                               ***

All righty, so that’s 9 out of 11.
I didn’t do as bad as I thought, but TFG’s edits make up the bulk of this list,
so I feel like I did worse than I actually did. So now that I’ve recovered from
the sick, let’s see what my goals are for this quarter and if I can do better.

1. Rewrite TFG 1 up to 50K words

2. Meditate at least 5 times per
week

3. Exercise at least 3 times per
week

4. Keep blood sugar under control

5. Declutter and donate unneeded
clothes

6. Have a “spa day” at least once
per week

7. Reschedule developmental edit
for TFG 1

8. Read all books on reading list

9. Review Chinese language skills
at least twice per week

10. Keep up Four Gods Friday
segments

That’s all for now! I’ll try to get
a Four Gods Friday post up for y’all later today, and I hope to improve the
content of the segments this quarter. I’m also open to requests, so if there’s
anything you guys want to know (spoiler free, mind you) or see in the segments,
just let me know! I’m also going to be planning some things for the upcoming
Lunar New Year holiday, so stay tuned!
#FourGodsFriday: An Intro to Daoism

December 8th, 2017

For this #FourGodsFriday, I wanted to show you all a great intro to Daoism that I found. Throughout the book, Gen grapples with understanding and coming to terms with Daoism, his relationships and role in the universe, and what that means for him as a prince and an immortal. I’d also like to make clear that although many of the gods in the story are labeled as Daoist deities, the Four Gods themselves are actually Chinese folk and tribal deities that existed long before Daoism came onto the scene 2,500 years ago, but later made their mark on the Daoist pantheon. There’s a great explanation in the video and Laozi said himself, “The Dao that can be spoken is not the true Dao.” Which means that no matter how us human beings try, we can never truly explain Daoism or the Dao in its entirety. It is all encompassing and just is. And that’s what Gen is trying to find in his path to morality and divinity. Check out the video for a better explanation. See you all next week!
October 13th, 2017

Even I need a reminder sometimes. #wordsofwisdom #writerlife #amwriting
Quarterly Goals: October-December 2017

October 4th, 2017

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Instead of doing the usual WAW segment this week, I decided to go ahead and post my quarterly goals for the coming quarter and do a recap of how I did from July-September. Let’s get to it!

1. Rework TFG 1 and have it ready for the professional developmental edit by October 1st.

-This got done, but barely.

2. Start Writing Advice Wednesdays and Four Gods Fridays Q&As.

-I did this!

3. Maintain blood sugar.

-Did this, too!

4. Keep exercise regimen.

-More or less kept this one, though I’m not as diligent as I’d like. Half win.

5. Do a promotion for The Moon-Eyed Ones.

-I’m going to count this one as a no.

6. Post more extras for TFG.

-Didn’t really do this one, either.

7. Continue work on TFG 2.

-Did this!

8. Read and finish at least 2 books on reading list.

-Fail. I didn’t even finish 1. 😦

9. Practice/review speaking and writing Mandarin for 1 hour at least 3 times per week.

-Pfft. Fail.

10. Have a personal spa day at least 1 day per week.

-And I failed here, too.

So…that’s 4 ½ out of 10. Boo. I failed this quarter, which means I need to get my butt in gear this quarter. Let’s see what goals I want to accomplish!

1. Win NaNoWriMo through combination of TFG edits and new WIP.

2. Keep up Four Gods Friday. (I’m probably going to phase out WAW due to lack of response and interest. I may do a Chinese Word Wednesday or something for TFG vocab. We’ll see…)

3. Host a giveaway.

4. Maintain blood sugar.

5. Do a promotion for The Moon-Eyed Ones.

6. Practice/review speaking and writing Mandarin for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week.

7. Maintain exercise regimen.

8. Start knitting again.

9. Have TFG 1′s developmental edits over 50% complete.

10. Post new extras for The Moon-Eyed Ones.

11. Get more active on Instagram.

And that’s all I’ve got! We’ll see how I do once 2018 hits!
October 2nd, 2017

What’s a better way to celebrate the upcoming #midautumfestival than #mooncakes and NaNo prep? 😊Is anyone else out there celebrating? #amwriting #writerlife #nanowrimoprep #中秋节快乐