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Tag: updates on the writing life

Updates on the Writing Life

November 14th, 2022
Mondays are my favorite. A lot of people hate Mondays for a host of reasons, however, for me it’s always like sunrise, like dawn, a chance to get up and get moving, to renew or start a new.

Today, I find myself at odds because I am currently taking part in Nanowrimo and still haven’t written anything beyond 12,392 words.

I should be at around 23,338 words and most preferably 24,000 words but I am still halfway and easily distracted by other things like Dave Chapelle’s monologue on SNL and K-Dramas on Netflix. So, in line with new beginnings and the possibility of a strict regimen to accomplish the goal of writing fifty-thousand words this month, I am looking forward to:
- writing at dawn ( between 6:30am and 7:30am)
- writing before I go to bed between (9pm and 10pm)
I don’t know how well I’d adhere to these timelines, because I struggle with consistency when it comes to my writing and it’s the one thing that makes NanoWrimo such a daunting task, because I write sometimes mid-work breaks, or as I read a book and come across a line or phrase that I love, sometimes in a matatu- so just sitting down and getting my mind to know that ‘hey we are writing now,’ is a struggle.

That’s all for now on my writing updates.
Updates on the writing life

August 26th, 2022

It is 9:17pm as I start typing away and I know it will take me twelve minutes to finish writing what I have to say and hit that publish button. However, my love for referencing time in my blog posts stems from writing in my journal every evening and including the snippets of activities I did during the day.

So, here I am having embarked on a new writing project hoping that the part of me that is a bunch of opinions gets an outlet. I set up another blog this week called Achieng Writes.

I received my September book haul comprised of six books bought from Text Book Centre.

There are two things I am doing more often to improve my writing and that’s: one- writing every morning from nine to ten o’clock and two- taking down more notes, snippets of ideas from k-drama, music and my latest fascination are podcasts.

I started drafting a new book and from the very beginning, it oozes nothing but romance and my younger sister read the first chapter and since then I have been unable to look at it without seeing the sneer in her face!

This year, one of my goals was to publish at least two books and I recently published Laana: Daughter of the Middle World and so far, I still struggle with marketing the book and balancing the networks I have established who always buy my books. The greatest feat for me was connecting with Nuria Bookstore- both a physical shop and online store here in Kenya, to enhance accessibility to readers.

As we move into September, I find myself more at peace reading books written by other writers and taking time off my latest draft. In so doing, I am also listening to more music and the album I have on replay is Chike’s The Brother’s Keeper– the one song that speaks to my worries being Pour me a drink
Updates on the Writing life, June scares and July expectations

July 4th, 2021
I choose to be happy on this day. It’s a sunny Sunday with highs of 26 degrees Celcius. I woke up today at 6:34AM to do laundry and finish braiding my hair and since then, I have been listening to songs on my playlist and drinking cup after cup of coffee. I am officially on my fourth cup.

We are 4 days into July and June was a scary month for me, for I realized how weak my body could be and the mere mention of being on supplements to keep me safe scared me. However, I did manage to get in more sleep and read more books but write absolutely nothing when it comes to my WIP. What I excelled at was watching Korean Dramas on Netflix late into the night and working on my work reports.

I would absolutely recommend the following dramas: Warm & Cozy, Man to Man, Healer, I am not a Robot and Tomorrow with You.

From March I have been buying more books to read and my June and July book hauls demand attention and I look forward to reading them in the coming months.
I am also looking forward to starting a professional certificate course to further improve my skills and knowledge in my field. It feels great getting back to some kind of structure and I can’t wait to see this through.

On future projects: The Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship call for applications have been released and I’ll do what I always do, submit my application and keep my fingers crossed. I have been working closely with my Mentor/Professor who always critiques my writing to see to the release of the next book “A Hundred Little Things” in the first week of August.

My expectations for this month are:
1. To improve on how I take good care of my body, from eating healthy ( more food rich in iron and calcium)
2. To think positively of myself and what I do.
3. To wrap up most of my work projects.
4. Visit family and friends
5. Have a weekend road trip- just to see another town, experience somewhere other than where I am right now.
6. To watch some more K-Drama. My absolute favorite being Nevertheless– because in a way, Na-bi reminds me of a water-sign. She’s been hurt but she is still hoping for love, and with Park Jae-eon, she knows he’ll disappoint her but she is willing to give it a shot.
Updates on the writing life

December 7th, 2019

It’s almost ten o’clock and it’s been raining here since four in the morning.

I’m on my fourth cup of tea this morning as I read Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan.

The past few weeks have involved a lot of supervision on my part at work given that there are ongoing construction projects in the schools I’ve been visiting here. It’d be awesome to have pupils resume learning in January 2020 and they move from studying in tin houses to permanent brick classrooms with proper ventilation.

One of the biggest highlight of my writing life has been meeting friends, strangers who become family and a host many more as I sell copies of my book. I still struggle with making my writing a bit bigger, however, it’s always a thrill to write something personal on each copy that I sell to people.

friends who support my writing

I am learning that writing, publishing and selling books are three very different processes and whereas I may be comfortable with one or two, getting the experience of all is far much better.

It’s made me more understanding or tolerant of book publishers 🙂

So, here’s to more writing opportunities and experiences in the coming days.

Have a lovely weekend!
Updates on the Writing life

November 1st, 2019

Hello November!

It’s been a while since you came around and the leaves are falling, it is chilly and in most parts of Kenya, we have heavy rainfall and everyone is wondering how they made it through the year. It’s good that you are here November, I kinda missed you, not that you are important as such…it’s just that you come with a worldwide challenge that I like to participate in.

I love a challenge, sometimes…not all times, so how about writing 50,000 words in 30 days? Eh, sounds like fun, right?

So, here’s my way of saying welcome November and I really hope I get some writing done, so I have improved focus and better writing skills at the end of the month.

Have a wonderful month!

Be kind.

Live. Love and laugh…
Updates on the Writing Life

April 1st, 2019

It’s my favorite day of the week and my working hours have come to an end. So, I am celebrating it by drinking some tea as I contemplate the tasks that await me tomorrow.

I am listening to Hozier’s Nina Cried Power as I write this and take small sips of tea, waiting for the sun to set.

How’s your week started out?

On reading: I have been reading this book on creating more interactive environments for students and educators that encourage learning and collaboration. It’s an insightful read so far and I have taken more notes than I ever did in my Abnormal Psychology course in University. Check out their work history and projects on their website: here

On writing: I was home this weekend and accompanied my Mom to a bookshop and there was no way, I’d walk in and out of a bookshop without getting stationery. So, I was drawn in by a set of pencils and erasers and when I buy a dozen pencils, it means…I am writing.

On travel and work: I managed to visit a school scheduled in my assessment list last week and I found the ride quite pleasing- though you can feel the motion while in the waterbus, you cannot feel an ounce of it on the ferry, so if you ask me…I’d take the ferry any day!

Have a great week!
Updates on the Writing Life

November 27th, 2018
I’ve written 25,000 words this month for NanoWrimo and it feels too good to keep it all to myself.

Inasmuch as there are three days left to the end of this month and I could probably write up some few words, I am not all to keen on it because I haven’t been in the frame of mind to pen the words as I would love to.

After an intense week of work and nursing a pregnant stray dog (I named her Daisy) I have this idea for a short story series that may be what I need to finally keep working on my manuscript.

On Reading: I am currently devouring “Happy Singlehood” by Elyakim Kislev

I am also listening to a couple of albums that I can’t seem to get enough of as I write late into the night:
- Being Human in Public by Jessie Reyez
- Selfless by Kiana Lede
- Jubilee Road by Tom Odell
I’m looking into other channels of ebook publishing aside from Amazon KDP, Draft2Digital and Smashwords- that would offer me diverse options on what I share and how I share my work.

Have a great week.
Updates on the Writing Life

October 26th, 2018

I have been counting the days to the end of this month and somehow, knowing that we’ve got five days left has me feeling a bit anxious.

When it comes to writing, I could say that this month’s been gracious and I have written one short story series, This Love and managed to wrap up September’s short story series Swazuri.

I also managed to ship a few copies of my books and sold them to friends, and their feedback has been much appreciated.

However, the one question I’ve constantly been asked this month is “when is your next book going to be available?” In the first week of hearing this question, I was more relaxed and quick to give the Writer answer “soon,” but as time went by, I felt choked by it, more like I was failing readers by not releasing a book immediately and in an attempt to please my Mentor, I emailed him the manuscript of Sifuna and he said “it’s rubbish!” Can I just say that there’s no one whose neck I’d love to wring as much as my Mentor’s?

He was right.

I will not aim to please because it’s my name on the book cover. I am the one who is sharing a story with a reader and inviting them to invest in it, so there’s no way I am going to produce something that I know to be incomplete.

Kyle Glenn/ Unsplash.com

So, I started by saying that I was counting the days to the end of October, and this is solely because I am participating in NanoWrimo (check out my profile) hoping to see where my love for this new novel idea will take me.

That’s all there is to say and I’ve got Hillsong’s So Will I ( 100 Billion X) on repeat as I attempt to create an outline for this upcoming writing project.

Have an awesome weekend!
Updates on the Writing Life

August 4th, 2018
Saturdays are slowly becoming my update days. I cannot seem to shake off the urge to post about updates on both my writing and reading life. A friend told me that I have a very rich reading and writing life but need serious intervention on a social life. My response to that is:

Photo Credit: TeePublic/ Google Images

So, I had some funk milkshake at Urban Coffee today- it’s a new coffee joint at Mega Plaza here in Kisumu and I cannot walk by the sweet aroma of brewed coffee, so if I’m ever around that place, I sit down for a cup.

On reading:

As I was making my way home, I kept thinking of the dramatic shift my interest has taken especially with regards to the books I’ve been requesting to read off NetGalley. I met my Goodreads 2018 Challenge, having read 188 of 180 books. The past two weeks have seen me scout for more books on Business/ Investing/Leadership/Social Inclusion/Multicultural Diversity and Mental Health.
- I just read Jiwe – a short fantasy tale by Kahiki Enjani Strokez. A Kenyan Writer and if you’re into fiction that serves an African theme, then- check out my review here.
I’ve completed all my reports for the week and cannot wait to get started on these two books this weekend:

On Writing:

Let’s just say that things have been looking up with the final revision of Sifuna and now I am scouting for other online outlets where I can post the books for ease of reading.

TMI

I’ve been listening to the album Cage to Rattle by Daughtry

I’m on my sixth cup of coffee this evening

I cannot stop obsessing about Erkenci Kus– this Turkish Telenovela I stumbled upon on YouTube.