Jilly S. Riser

I finished editing my current Wattpad projects! One is fully scheduled and ready to go. The other is almost ready, but missing three chapters that still need to be written. Those are three chapters I'm hoping to write today. They aren't long, so I don't think they'll take a lot of time to write. All I have to do is focus.

This should have me scheduled out for the end of the year, which means I don't have to start scheduling more Wattpad content for at least two months unless I really want to get ahead of the game. I haven't decided yet, but it's so nice to not have the pressure on me so I can focus more on words.

I'd also like to start formatting for print/ebook sales. I might save that as a project to be completed before next summer. Then I can focus my summer time on marketing and sharing with all of my energy.

Overall, I feel pretty hopeful. I might make some cocoa tonight and get all cozy at my work space. It feels like a cocoa night.


Currently...
Playing: "Secret of Mana". "Mario RPG". Streaming on Twitch: "Stardew Valley". "Grandia". "Persona 3: Reload".
Reading: "Atlas Shrugged" audiobook. "The Games Gods Play" print.

Yesterday was super hard, but I did end up doing a bit of editing so I could schedule some more chapters for Wattpad. Yay! It's not much, but it's something and that something makes me feel awesome.

Today, I've already written about a thousand words. I've only been going for around an hour, so this is huge.

My back is throbbing. It hurts. So much.

I'm standing at the kitchen counter in an effort to try and give it some relief. It's sort of helping. I'm not sure how long I can keep it going, though.

But I'm going to try. Oh yes, I'm going to try.

Three more days at my day job and then I can focus on writing for the summer. Writing and rebuilding my self-publishing empire.

This is going to be a slow process. I have to remember this is okay. Slow is fine. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon, etc. etc.

Even if my brain wants to go fast.


Currently...
Playing: "Pokemon Sword". "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney", streaming on Twitch. "Valkyria Chronicles". "I am Setsuna". "Kingdom Hearts". "Animal Well".
Reading: "The Sun and the Void" ebook. "A Court of Silver Flames" audio. "Carrie Soto is Back" print. "The Bad Weather Friend" print. "Crown of Midnight" audio.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 13. Psych, Season 5. Greek, Season 2.

I started organizing my thoughts onto paper more. I'll be working on that today as well and trying to come up with a game plan for deadlines. I also need to format my books for publication. I'm desperately trying to find balance still between my every day life and my writing life. I'm making a lot of progress when it comes to learning about myself. How I function, how I motivate myself, and what my priorities are. I'm also working on attitude adjustments.

Mental health is tough. It's a long term disease that needs a lot of tender care and patience. I might have mentioned before that my patience is not awesome. Neither is my memory sometimes. I can remember a lot of random facts, but I can't remember if I've shut the garage door as soon as I leave the driveway.

Anyway, I expect a solution right away for my problems. I'm used to finding solutions quickly and moving on. I do not do well with problems that need time for the solution to succeed.

Right now, I'm habit stacking the following changes:

- Staying awake throughout the whole day.
- Keeping in control of my food intake.
- Making sure I get enough movement in.

Most of those are physical health related, though they do make a big difference on my mental health too. A big difference! Once I feel comfortable with these habits, I'll be working on another set.

The sun is shining, and that helps a lot.

My agenda for today:

- Make up character sheets for a project.
- Work on some scene cards.
- Write some words.
- Reread an old project.
- Research formatting.



Currently...
Playing: "Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes". "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", streaming on Twitch.
Reading: "Star Scrolls" ebook. "The Christie Affair" audio. "Doomsday With My Dog Vol 1" print.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 13. Psych, Season 4. The Traitors UK, Season 1.

I focused on my physical needs rather than my creative ones, and I'm glad I did. Today I feel so much more energetic and relaxed. I'm also a lot busier today, so I'm not sure how much creating I'll get done. The goal is to hold onto the energy until I can do something with it whether that be today, tomorrow, or Sunday.

Even if I'm not creating today, I would like to read my projects so I can stay fresh with the ideas. I have a lot of plotting to do as well, and some binders to put together. I love holding onto physical notes for when I get lost. I'll do a detailed post about that sometime, along with taking lots of pictures.

Currently...
Playing: "Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes". "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", streaming on Twitch."Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade", streaming on Twitch.
Reading: "Star Scrolls" ebook. "Their Fractured Light" audio.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 13. Psych, Season 3. The Traitors AU, Season 1.

I'm feeling very energetic this morning. I'm not sure if it's the day off, the solid night's sleep I had, or a combination of both. Probably the combination of both! It's the kind of morning I wish I could spend at home in my writing cave. It'd be so easy to get lost in the words and enjoy my afternoon in solitude. Alas, that isn't in the cards for me today (unless someone gets sick and I have to come home from the day job, but I don't think that's going to happen nor do I want it to).

I can only hope that this energy stays throughout the day so that when I get home, I can do the writing instead. That has been the trickiest part in my routine: figuring out how to get words out with the day job. I have probably mentioned this before. Sorry! The point of this blog is to be a creative way to empty out my thoughts about the writing process in the hopes of decluttering my head while also being transparent and honest about the process. I'm sure I'll repeat myself a few times.

My day job is highly physical, so by the time I come home my body is usually exhausted. My brain is ready to do this, but the rest of me is asking for five more minutes of sleep.

Today is the first day in a while I haven't woken up feeling exhausted. I'm hoping to replicate the results so I'm rested tomorrow as well.

Currently...
Playing: "Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes". "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", streaming on Twitch."Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade", streaming on Twitch.
Reading: "My Life as a Villainess - All Routes Lead to Doom! Vol 1" ebook. "This Shattered World" audio. "Star Scrolls" ebook. "Daisy Jones and the Six" ebook.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 13. Psych, Season 3. The Traitors AU, Season 1.

I finished editing my project yesterday, and I started reacquainting myself with another one. This second project, I added 3000 words onto it over the course of a handful of chapters. It's one of those books where there is A LOT going on, and it's going to get long fast. Very. Very. Fast. I'm just touching the surface of the storyline and I'm already about 40k into the book. For context, the average general fiction novel is about 70k long. Fantasy epics are around 150k. Writers track progress based on word counts, usually. Page length is trickier because that has more to do with formatting than anything else.

Today, I would ideally like to do another big chunk. However, we'll see what actually ends up happening. I have to work the day job today, and I have some things to take care of around the house. I'll settle for a small chunk. As long as I make SOME kind of progress, I'll be happy.

Currently...
Playing: "Octopath Traveler II". "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", streaming on Twitch."Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade", streaming on Twitch.
Reading: "My Life as a Villainess - All Routes Lead to Doom!" ebook. "This Shattered World" audio. "Star Scrolls" ebook. "A Clash of Kings" graphic novel.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 13. Psych, Season 2. The Traitors AU, Season 1.

Last day of the day job for a bit. Then I'm on holiday break! I'll go over my break goals later. For today, I'm just happy and feeling energized and ready to get this day conquered!

I wrote about 1k in words yesterday on one of my personal projects. It was really nice to do something for me, and there were even a few sentences I liked! Holding onto the joy of writing is important. I also ordered some supplies to create some binders for my projects. I like having a hard copy of notes. I know in a digital world it might be strange, but there's something nice about paper, pens, and being able to touch it. I'll hopefully be taking some pictures over the next week for Instagram. And I'll hopefully be disciplined enough to stay on top of the project so I didn't just waste all of my money.

Currently...
Playing: "Octopath Traveler II". "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", streaming on Twitch.
Reading: "Gardens of the Moon" ebook. "Daisy Jones and The Six" print. "Sea of Silver Light" audio.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 10.

Yesterday, I pulled out all of my binders that I keep my notes in. There haven't been any notes added to them for a bit, but I am hoping to get back on track with that soon. I mostly wanted to keep stock of what I've got organized and what I still need to get. I'm happy to say I don't need too much stuff. I just need some dividers and card sleeves. And some peace and quiet, but that's a whole other story, hehe.

Today, I'm going to work on outlining more thoroughly with my scene cards. Should be fun! Assuming I'm going to have the energy for it. Today, I'm feeling better physically as well as mentally. We'll see how long this lasts. I still have to get through the day job, and that can always change so many things.


Currently...
Playing: "Octopath Traveler II". "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", streaming on Twitch.
Reading: "The Star Scroll" ebook. "Daisy Jones and The Six" print. "Sea of Silver Light" audio.
Watching: Amazing Race, Season 9.

I made it through the day! And I wrote a huge 6k in words! This is AMAZING and I'm hoping to keep this flow going so I can finish my project for my client next week. Then it's time to channel all of this energy back to my own projects! It's a balancing act, but I've found that I do best when I do one project a day rather than try to squeeze in a little bit of multiple things.

I did get more details from my brain on my new project. I got character names, roles, and personalities! Very exciting and I might have to write my intro for it up quick before moving on. We'll see!

Currently...
Playing: "Breath of the Wild". "Sea of Stars", streaming on Twitch. "Cafe Enchante".
Reading: "Dragon Prince" ebook. "River of Blue Fire" audio. "Stargazy Pie" ebook. "Unhoneymooners" audio. "Star Bringer" print.
Watching: "Stranger Things" season 4. "Barry" season 1.

I had a wonderful day off from working. I didn't really read as much as I would have liked, but I did play a lot of video games. Overall, I feel like I got a good deal of resting done.

Today, I am going to attempt words. Small bits of them and on my own projects. I need to do some outlining for the chapters that are coming next. I am not good at outlining everything before I start working. I do little pieces at a time so I remember what I'm doing, but I don't commit to anything because the story is ever changing and flowing.

So small bits of writing, small bits of outlining. That is the agenda for this week as a whole.

Currently...
Playing: "Breath of the Wild". "Final Fantasy XVI", streaming on Twitch. "Grandia". "Persona".
Reading: "Dragon Prince" ebook. "City of Golden Shadow" audio. "The Visitor" audio. "Daughter of the Drowned Empire" ebook. "The Memory of Animals" print.
Watching: "Stranger Things" season 4. "Barry" season 1. "American Born Chinese".