Anna Aden Writes

This may be repetitive of my quarterly review.  Project Status Project #1: Finish book 2 in my main series On track/in progress Project #2: Publish my novella Completed Project #3: Review romance conference material On Hold Project #4: Review Jericho conference material On Hold Project #5: Google Drive Review & consolidate tentatively completed for now. Project #6: Genre exploration On Hold Project #7 Watching Instructional videos: On Hold Project #8 Complete LinkedIn Learning course On Track/In progress Project #9 The cover design course On Hold Breakdown Project #1: Finish book 2 in my main series I've completed this round of edits, and it's looking good. I just need some tightening here and there. At the moment, I'm on a break but I hope to resume it soon. I have also outlined a plan of what I need to focus on. New issues, risks, blockers: None at the moment though I'm taking a short break.  Project #5: Google Drive Review & consolidate After a few false sta...

2026 Goals Realistically based on my past performances, I'm carrying forward the two main goals. I tend to grossly underestimate the time given, and overload myself. It makes me feel productive to have many goals. :) Anyway, I've been carrying over my goals from 2023 where stretch became actual. Without further ado. Finish my main novel-in-progress book 2 : This needs more draft passes than I am willing to admit, but I'm working on being realistic and seeing how much effort things take me. Draft passes, then editorial-copyediting/proofreading-which can take up to 3 months, cover design and all that. I rarely consider those steps in my goals. Publish my novella : I want to do this in January but I'm thinking of reader magnets and all that stuff. It was a world to sharpen my 'commercial' writing skills. I have three shorts associated with it. If I do write those, it may be delayed. Am I going to put them on my PadlockStack (Substack) or blog or some reader magnet?...

Yes, I'm back again. The Substack thing didn't work out and I'm going to get email list which will alert when I have new content for  those who like reading the blog.  Abode Illustrator 2023 release by Brian Wood I got this book out and yes, I know 2024 is out but I thought this was good enough. My main goal is to make my new book cover using illustration. There are 16 lessons and one introductory one which I call lesson 0. A Quick Tour Of Adobe Illustrator (2023 release)  The introductory lesson is suppose to be a quick tour around the software with an image at the end. This is mine below. It was supposed to take only 30 minutes but took me longer, over three days but I didn't time it. Above is the result and a lot of things I had do to over and over again before it sunk it.  However you can register the copy and get a digital version with the lesson files. I didn't because I need to run through it. I could have done this with social media - youtube and other platf...

Day 2 - If you could live anywhere, where would you choose? Where I am right now in London. It's a boring answer however I am happy living where I am with family close by and in a magical city. If I could have a second home, it would be in the somewhere in the tropics with mangrove trees and a beach. A third home may be a ranch in the Rockies, or somewhere.  That was simple so catch you all in day three. 

Current novel-in-progress Still writing and not much progress to give but I hope things get quicker. I'm still in the first half of ACT TWO, which is the middle. So basically about 35% of the book is written, and I still have 65% to go. So I'm working steadily toward that.  Other hobbies  I've started doing graphics again and hopefully will be about to design my own covers. I went on a course a year ago but forgot everything since I didn't have time practice and was still writing the book, and you can see above the book is still only 35% into the next draft.  However I attended a few writerly conferences and was inspired about book covers and the amount of effort that when into them. I've always wanted my covers to look attractive and show what the books were about but I realised they also needed to be a marketing tool. I mean I knew that but hearing it said over and over again by different publishing industry people made it drive home.  I love courses and found ...

Dear Everyone, So what first? I hope everyone is well and keeping safe and healthy. We are entering a new lockdown but since working from home, life has been restrictive so it doesn't have much of an impact apart from the clothes shops and non-essential shops have closed. However business owners have been more innovative this time.  So restaurants apart from the larger brands and chains have taken to stacking up chairs and tables giving a takeaway service. Some places like stationary shops are open - probably due to courier services etc. Like what is really unessential and who gets to define.  Konditor was open but seemed to be lots of business with pre-orders especially mince pies, they had stacks of orders on the counters.  However the streets are deserted but that could equally to do with the cold weather. It was freezing.  Current novel-in-progress in Focus I've written about five pages not sure how many words since I use long hand, that's right, I hand write som...

Hello everyone, Not much happening apart from still working at home. Apple Store Covent Garden Went to Covent Garden and it's empty. Nobody, like probably about twenty people walking down Neal Streets, when before there used to be hundreds of people rushing up and down, in and out of shops. It felt like an early morning Saturday before the shops opened though it was Friday midday. I got to the Apple shop and they are very serious about the CoVID 19 protection. First they request you sanitise your hands, like they are serious, as in actually asking you. Most shops or stores just have a sign. After which they take your temperature... Yes, they have one of those high tech air thermometers, once you are given the all clear, you are allowed into the store.  Then you sit down while they get the stuff for you, so no loitering and browsing in the store touching stuff and getting free internet for the fun of it. Nope, Apple is highly organised. Got what I needed and was soon on my merry way...

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a good time, I saw the 2020 watching the London Fireworks and digitally with family! With 2019 behind us and lessons learnt, we move forward to 2020 and a new decade unless you use another type of calendar and believe me there are loads around!  So with celebrations we move into the New Year. My 2020 Goals This time I'm just going to focus on three top goals though there is plenty I want to do. Normally I overwhelm myself with about ten but I think streamlining is the way forward for this year. 1. Complete my novel-in-progress fit for publication This is carried over from 2019, and I'm committed to finishing it in May but it's something I want to complete this year. If you have been following my blog, you'll also know I've done a few workshops and courses. The last one was the Faber Edit Your Course where I got a reader's report with some comments.  2. Fitness and Weight loss This comes up every s...

I'm reviewing goals posted on the blog nearly a year ago just to see how far I've come. I also did a quarter one review if you are interested see it here https://dabwrites.blogspot.com/2019/03/2019-goals-quarter-1-january-march.html But these were the goals I posted on the 6th of January. https://dabwrites.blogspot.com/2019/01/16-daily-writing-journal-short-2018.html 2019 GOALS 1. Get a new role - this is urgent and top priority  I got my role so that is one I cross off. 2. Publish Leyton and Angelica's story This is still outstanding and if you've followed my editing journey, you'll know it's been a very rocky road. 3. Do at least three CPD - for career development - I was a bit lax last year because my employer supplied them.  These are Continuous Professional Development which I need to keep up my skills. I probably have but not in formal way like going to for courses and things. 4. Romance? Maybe. We'll see. I had one in 2...

Goal:  Complete all 260 drawings in How to Draw Anything by Mark Linley Start date: 28th April 2019  Completion Date:  19th May 2019 Background:  This is just based on me always borrowing or buying drawing books and never actually going past a few pages. https://dabwrites.blogspot.com/2019/04/guilt-free-planning-finished-manga.html Reflection and review of goal What went well. I got over the boring bits, and I continued. I always focused on the end, and even though my own drawings never looked close to the one in the book, or Mark Linley's drawings, I just kept on! What didn't go well. Typically nothing changed from my last drawing project. I was very self-critical, even feeling guilty that I wasn't trying to make my drawings look like the ones in the book. I keep on having the nagging feeling to go back and redraw until I reached perfection, or at least near enough. It always felt it wasn't good enough but I had to push through this to complete t...

Goal: was to complete all the 131 drawings in this book, and I finally finished all the drawings in the  'How to Draw Manage in Simple Steps by Yishan Li. It got complicated towards the end, and I got a bit bored but I pushed through.  Below are my copies of the final illustrations. Start Date:  9th March 2019   Completion Date:  27 April 2019 Background: I love picking up instructional books, there is something empowering about them and I feel my life would change but more often than not it's just a 'pick me up' to be tossed in the corner and never used again (if I bought a copy), or returned to the library - unused. But having discovered an article called a guilt-free plan, I decided to start small and use this book to see.  https://dabwrites.blogspot.com/2019/03/daily-writing-journal-guilt-free.html  I put in all this post, including a plan. Reflect and review of goal What went well. Once I'd outline a plan I felt committed to doi...

Nothing interesting this week as work has been very busy and by the time I get back all I want to do is have dinner, unwind and then go to bed. Travel is back to normal I'm back on my normal bus route, so it's cheaper now and less eventful. I just posted Liverpool street as an image. Mastery by Robert Green This is another book,I picked up from Director Boss while he was sorting out his cupboard, and I borrowed it. So I'm going to work my way through it, to be honest I'm unconvinced. It gives the same old self-help power rhotic but hey, who am I to turn down an offer to be a MASTER? Apparently it gives all the secrets away and helps in the pursuit of mastery. That is a tall order for any book to offer. However since I'm not buying it and can borrow it for free, I'll read it. It only costs my time. However note I do have a health amount of scepticism reading these types of books.  However what really irritates me about these books is that everyone ...

This is a review of goals/resolutions I set in January in the below blog post.  t https://dabwrites.blogspot.com/2019/01/16-daily-writing-journal-short-2018.html  and basically I'm just going to write under my reviews under the headings. For some reason, I only listed 9. 2019 GOALS Quarter 1 January-March Review. 1. Get a new role - this is urgent and top priority Achieved  I was on a contract and it came to an end. It took me sometime because I was wrapping up in my old role, then I fell ill, (you can check out those blog posts). It was hectic but I had strong support around me so it worked out well. I was hoping my contract would be extended but it wasn't as I really liked where I worked so it was tough but I got there in the end. I was blessed to get a new role! 2 Publish Leyton and Angelica's story The editing is currently in process - check out my Sunday posts, I probably have to do a better schedule. I hope to publish in the late Summer, early fall. ...

I'm always on the lookout for a good planning tool to help me do stuff. Like I have plenty of things outstanding and I'm not even going to bother going into detail. However I was try and maintain a bare minimum. NOTE I ONLY PLAN WHEN I NEED TO. I need to say this because the world seems obsessed with planning. So techniques I've found useful have been to state the goals do the steps backwards. Yes backwards from finish to start rather from start to finish. I used this  method for getting a job, for example this was the last two outlines I had. I learnt this from a free-life coaching website which I can't remember. It was when everything on the internet was free, so I'm talking about a good ten years ago.  Steps to job-hunting First day sign contract references and  qualifications taken up resignation (always a scary one) conditional job offer interview  send out applications  daily job hunting - I'd also name the sites here. I'd also...

Still in bed and feeling worse off and frustrated from the nagging cold symptoms. I feel terrible for the third day running. Normally I can shake off these colds or flu or whatever.This is the worse ever. I totally understand why the elderly and very young get flu jabs. I need to take more care of myself - I mean in terms of my dieting - not weight loss more what I eat. And other things. This has been a horrible experience. Normally I tank myself up with a fresh ginger concoction or hot lemon and honey but nothing has worked this time around. Writerly Goals for 2019. Yes, I'm a month off should have done this in January, or who knows I may have touched on it before. If I have it's changed or being reviewed. I don' really plan these posts so it's however I'm feeling on the day or what I want to talk about. Anyway my goals. Publish two stories either in novel/novella form Write a spin off short story to two books - the first from Another Chance, secon...

So rather than bang on about how I'm not writing or suffering from writer's block I shall be reviewing my goals. SHORT 2018 REVIEW I published two novellas on Amazon I lost 6kg which is about 13 pounds I organised decluttered my clothes and books, and organised my wardrobe and bookshelves I went on a weekend break with  Momma G I had a stressful holiday in Spain - normally I'm recovering from over-work.  2019 GOALS Get a new role - this is urgent and top priority  Publish Leyton and Angelica's story Do at least three CPD - for career development - I was a bit lax last year because my employer supplied them. romance? Maybe. We'll see. I had one in 2017 - not so good. But maybe again. Lose another 5-6kg so about 13-15lb. I'm currently 79kg which is roughly about 174 pounds. So I'm looking at becoming about 160 pounds. Revise all my creative writing courses exercises & grammar If I'm good, maybe treat myself with another writing cou...

  Hello Everyone, So with this goal, I figured a needed a plan or steps. I’ve started with working backwards - it’s like working destination first and then how to get there. Then I worked out the potential pitfalls and risk areas.  Steps Work from Goal Plan On Sunday, weigh myself at Virgin Active aim to be 81kg - yes still keeping with the one pound target.  Sunday morning walk to Virgin Active to get weighed - and have a nice hot tub and steam room.  Walk up stairs for a week instead of taking the lift/elevator  Walk to up a hill after work at least three times a week.  Do twenty minutes light cardio at least three times a week - sheduled - Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Avoid deserts at work all week, and no cakes or pastries at the weekend either.  Plan lunches and dinners in advance - at least a day ahead.   Risk Areas and Potential Pitfalls   These are potential obstacles and barriers to ac...