writer

PlannerGirl2020 – Planning It All Out

| marandarussell

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I’ve never really been one to do the whole planner thing, but I see how much fun others seem to be having doing it on Instagram and their blogs, so I decided to give it a try. Yesterday I bought a simple but cute planner and a planner sticker kit, because I figured the cute stickers would make me more likely to “stick to it” – pun intended.

I have already set up the Jan-March months and am going to keep track of my goals I set for my art, writing, and blog this year. Here are the goals I set:

  • Create at least 2 artworks larger than ACEO cards each month (I love doing ACEO art, but want to do larger artworks as well)
  • Submit poetry to a contest or publication at least once a month (to help with this I ordered the 2020 Poet’s Market guide)
  • Promote at least 2 Instagram posts a week
  • Post on my blog every other day (pretty much keeping my current schedule)
  • Make $1,000+ selling art in 2020 (this was my goal last year too and I think I may have met it or come close, but I didn’t keep track of it well)

I like being able to set goals I can actually control like most of the ones above, rather than abstract numbers of followers/subscribers that I have no control over, although I do set a new goal for Instagram and blog followers each year just for fun.

For 2020, I am aiming for 2,000 followers on my blog and 5,000 followers on IG. Of course, I would LOVE to sail past both of those goals!!!

Poetry – New Year, Same old Sh@#

| marandarussell

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I was going to try to write a cheery New Year’s poem…oh well, maybe next year.

“New Year, Same Old Shit”

200,000 crowns
could never satisfy
the heads of those
born unto
the spirit of entitlement.

Nor would 200,000 bodies –
as more than that
have already been
stepped over
or kicked aside
by royal feet.

(Poetry by Maranda Russell, Photo via Pixabay)

Poetry – Freakish Hybrids

| marandarussell

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Call us freakish hybrids
or tolerably ugly plebeians,
but it does not define us.

We are a kind of chaos
prepared for a carnival
in the olde grand style.

May it become the height
of supreme folly –
or the ridicule
of the whole world,
our lives play on
as the planet
turns and turns
and changes and changes.

(Original Art & Poetry by Maranda Russell)

Frustrations of Self-Publishing – New Book On the Way!

| marandarussell

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I spent hours yesterday and will likely spend more time today trying to format my new book for publishing on Amazon. The new book is a combination of some of my more colorful, playful artworks and poetry bits for kids. I used the art itself to inspire the poetry. I think the book will turn out great once I finally get the kinks worked out with the formatting.

One thing I really wish Amazon would do is to make it easier to format books using Word, especially if you use quite a few images in the book. For some reason, Amazon can not recognize when you split up content on different pages in Word, at least not when images are mixed in. It is pretty frustrating sometimes.

Once I get the book done, can proof the hard copy, and get it up for sale, I’ll definitely be sharing it with you all. I hope you will like it!

Poetry – Money for Liberty

| marandarussell

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(I wrote this new little poem the other day and have had a hard time deciding if it should just be shortened to contain the first stanza only, or if it is better with both. I figured I would share it with you guys and see if anyone had an opinion. Should I keep it as is with the two stanzas, or should I cut out the last four lines and have a much shorter, but perhaps punchier poem?)

He offered up money
for his liberty,
but could never quite reach
the asking price.

Though he bid
higher and higher,
the inflation would only
keep rising.