Taking A Look At Your Goals
When you're reading this you're probably wondering why I would be talking about goals. Aren't goals only supposed to be discussed in January when everyone is going over their New Year's Resolutions?
Of course not!
Re-evaluating goals on a frequent basis is a great way to see how you are progressing while also keeping you motivated.
So, I thought I would take look back on my time here on the blog while also seeing how I would like to continue moving forward.
Things I Have Accomplished
First of all, I have to say I've loved this space. Writing a blog once a week has really improved my writing skills, my typing(I can type so fast now!), and my creativity which is one of the main reasons I started the blog. Sure, there are some weeks where a post is more difficult than others, but at the end of the post, I am happy with what I accomplished.
At the end of last year/beginning of this year, I created a vision board (I highly recommend reading this post) to help inspire completing my goals. One goal in particular included this blog. Under the umbrella of this main goal included smaller goals which I included in my Goodbye 2020 Hello 2021: Accomplishments, Announcements, Updates, and More post.
So let's break down how I'm doing so far.
The New Schedule
At the beginning of the year, I made a statement saying I would post every Monday at 9 a.m. along with a post of some sort related to writing. So far, I have stuck to this schedule, and haven't missed a posting yet! I would say this a great accomplishment as most people give up blogging within the first 3 months.
Monday's seem to work great for me as I have the weekend to edit the post before uploading to ensure it's the best it can possibly be for you.
The Content
When designing the blog, I wanted to keep it relevant to my writing since I was about to release my first ever children's book, Princess Gabriella and the Never-Ending Kiss. I structured it to where I would have regular posts relating to certain topics or stories. This was the best decision I could have possibly made as it really cemented the atmosphere of Kali Kuzma Author and Storyteller.
Book Reviews
I decided to add book reviews to the blog in hopes of supporting another goal of mine...read more books this year. I used to love reading as a child, but fell off the band wagon in college. The book reviews have helped reemerge my love of reading. I'm currently rereading the Harry Potter series just for fun which is something I haven't done in a long time. Check out the other books I've read!
Random Generator Stories Challenges
These are ultimately my favorite/most frustrating posts here on the blog. Usually, once a month, I go a to random generator which chooses a word, sentence, or phrase I must include in my story. Depending on what I'm given I try to let it influence the direction of my story. Especially when it comes to the sentence and phrases.
These are extremely fun to come up with, and often times I have to brainstorm for a few days before I begin the writing process. At the same time they can be extremely frustrating because I could go on and on which means tons of time is spent writing and editing. These tend to lead to very long posts. But I guess that is why it is called a challenge!
My favorite story is my very first Random Generator Short Story called The Heirloom.
Often you hear authors saying how the character's lead the direction of the story. This was the case with The Heirloom. It wrapped up so perfectly, and I couldn't have asked for anything better thanks to the characters. Here are some of my other short stories!
Topics Relating to Self-Publishing
I started this blog to document my journey of self-publishing along with other tips and tricks to help inspiring authors go through the process on how to publish their first book. These are more informational compared to my other posts, but some of my most viewed. How to Become a #1 Best Seller as A First Time Self-Publishing Author is my most popular post to date!
I love to look back at these every once in a blue moon to remind myself what I should do the next time I publish a story.
5 Frustrations to Watch Out For When Self-Publishing Your First Book
Taking Inspiration and Making It Your Own: How To Write Your Own Story
Self-Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing: How To Choose What's Best For You
Judging A Book By It's Cover: Do You Have A Cover That Sells?
Step By Step: How To Publish Your eBook on Kindle Direct Publishing
What Are Editorial Reviews and Do You Need Them To Become A Best Seller?
Updates on Upcoming Projects
So far my writing has really focused on the blog, but I do have some current projects I am working on. These are usually found in my newsletters which I try to send out bi-weekly or a monthly basis depending on how busy I am. If you haven't subscribed please do! Here's one of my past updates!
And More...
This section includes anything related to some sort of writing or story telling. This category has grown a bit since starting the blog including Guest Blog Posts, Friend Adventures, Childhood Memoires(coming soon), writing challenges, and fun vacations.
I'm happy I added this to my structured blog posting schedule as sometimes I want to mix things up and this allows me to do just that. My favorite of these includes The Phrase YOLO, A Chicken Dinner, and The Irish Mafia: A Trip to Ireland just based on the title alone which I find hysterical.
Here you can find the guest posts:
Here you can find Friend Adventures:
Here you can find Writing Challenges:
Here you can Read about fun vacations:
Here you can find other posts:
Other Writing Goals
I have done some great things when it came to the blog, but what about my other writing goals?
Dream Journaling
On my vision board I have a goal to dream journal daily. In the past, I have dreamt every night including some very strange dreams I hope to write about one day in the future. So with dream journaling my hope was to write some of these down so I don't forget.
With my new job and schedule it seems as if I sleep better through the night leaving me dreamless come morning. Or if I do have a dream it is work related which isn't very exciting. This doesn't mean I haven't been dream journaling though! When I do have a strange dream I write it in my dream journal. I'm very close to filling out the complete book, but luckily I have another one I can start to fill out once complete. I hope to have the other book half way filled by the end of the year.
Launching My Children's Book!!!
Out of all my writing accomplishments this year this is the best/biggest of them all! I launched my first ever children's book Princess Gabriella and The Never-Ending Kiss which became a number #1 best seller in less than 36 hours on Amazon.
Looking back I can't believe this happened after a year of hard work and dedication. If you haven't gotten a copy you can get the eBook version here and the physical copy here.
Upcoming Projects
I do have other projects in the works including the sequel in the Never-Ending Series, a low content book, being featured on a podcast called Tales by the Fireside, and launching my short story Team Lightning Against the Virus on Kindle Vella.
For the blog, I hope to continue how I've been while also adding new and exciting ideas.
Final Thoughts
I can't believe how much I have accomplished in such a short amount of time. This is why I love to do check ins when it comes to my goals. Come December I will do another check in to see how things are moving along. If you haven't stopped to think about your goals, I suggest taking some time and writing down everything you have accomplished even if it is small. I promise it will help motivate you to continue growing and accomplishing the things you want in life.
Remember if you haven't subscribed please do! I promise it's fun here on Kali Kuzma Author and Story Teller.
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