It's that time of year again for goal setting. I always struggle to find that balance between pushing myself and creating unrealistic expectations, but no matter what, I'm far more driven if I've written them out. For each of these goals I've also set some deadlines and broken them down into steps, like a to-do …
Author: Erica Rue
Nanowrimo: Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel
It’s been a while, but I’m back with the annual nanowrimo update! As usual, I didn’t do the normal nano, but instead of (light-heartedly) calling it a failure, this year, I’m embracing the “nano rebel” label. Though I intended to step back from blog posts this year, I hadn’t intended to go quite so long …
About the Science: The Island Experiment
I have to say, nature is even wilder than the imagination. I really enjoyed dreaming up creatures to inhabit the island, but real life had plenty of inspiration for me to draw from. If you haven’t read the book yet, be warned that there are spoilers below! Grab a copy of The Island Experiment (Kepos …
Another Nanowrimo Failure
I’ve got to say, failing nanowrimo this year was pretty rewarding. I only did a week’s worth of actual writing, but I’ve done a lot of book and writing related tasks that were absolutely necessary, so I have no regrets. Here’s the wrap up of what I learned. Final word count for the month (all …
Nanowrimo Bujo: My Novel Bullet Journal
I’m super excited to share this because I think it will help me write faster and more consistently. I might end up completely wrong about this, but either way, it’s going to be a fun experiment. I’m going to participate in nanowrimo this year. Despite having a bunch of publishing tasks for The Island Experiment …
Plotting Tip: Pen and Paper
I took an unintentionally long hiatus from my blog posts during October. A combination of being sick all month, not sleeping because my son’s also been sick, and a hard deadline of getting The Island Experiment (Kepos Chronicles, Book 3) to my wonderful editor, I’ve been at capacity. Now that the book is off my …
3rd Quarter Goal Check In
There are three months left in the year, and I have a lot left to accomplish. I need to implement beta reader feedback, send my book to my editor, implement her feedback, format it, get proofs, and publish it. I also want to get a draft of Book 4 down. Looking back at my goals, …
How to Sew a Simple Fabric Bookmark
I bought my first (and only) sewing machine on a whim. It was a Black Friday deal on Amazon in 2015. I’d always wanted to be able to sew, and my mom had helped me make a few things in the past, but really, it was wishful thinking. I had no immediate plans to sew …
How to Beat Writer’s Block
Writer’s Block is built up in the mind of every writer, kind of like the monster under the bed. It scares us. It hinders us. It saps our productivity. Except I don’t really believe in Writer’s Block. Like the monster under the bed, I think it’s a story. Hype. Meant to scare writers like you …
Try New Things
Today's a short post because I spent my blog post writing time messing around with GIMP. For those who don't know, GIMP functions a lot like Photoshop, but it's free. I have no regrets. As an indie author, I'm used to doing a lot of things myself. I don't have a publisher to do editing, …
Erica Rue 