Blog Party Celebration

September 3, 2018September 3, 2018 Rachel32 Comments

A week ago, I posted a blog party invite as a heads-up to today. My birthday just passed and I’ve also reached 5,000 followers on the blog (which is now over 5,200 followers, which is unbelievable to me). So I decided to do a blog party to share the love and to connect with you all on a greater level!

Keep in mind, this is the first time I’ve done this. If all goes well and people respond to it well, I’d like to do this more often. I have a plan at least. We’ll see how it goes though.

But without further ado, here are the “rules,” so to speak:

In the comments below…

Introduce yourself and your blog name.
Share an interesting fact about yourself.
Link to one (1) blog post of yours – this can be your latest post, your favorite one, most popular, whatever. Just link to one and people can explore the rest of your blog from there.
Please be sure to check out blog posts from others. This is a way for all us to gain more exposure and meet new people. Please don’t just drop your link below and leave. Share the kindness and check out some other blogs as others will check out your blog.
Also, please feel free to respond to people in the comments and start conversations. By this, also check back on the post periodically to see if anyone has responded to your own comment.
Share this post around especially if you know any blogging friends who could use more exposure – the more the merrier!

And that’s about it. I’ll do my best to check out each and every one of your blogs for the day. Of course, while I’ll leave the comments open, I most likely won’t be checking blogs after this day is over. So get them in now!

Remember… one blog post and check out other blogs from people you don’t know. This is all about connecting.

Also, please feel free to mention in the comments what you think of this idea as a whole. Should I do more in the future? I guess we’ll see how many responses there are.

Again, thank you so much for 5,000 follows! I can’t believe my blog has come so far and that people care what I have to say. I’ve met so many wonderful people – bloggers, writers, gamers, friends – and I couldn’t be more proud. Thank you all so much.

Now let’s blog hop!

Happy connecting! Please share this post around for a chance for others to connect.

Birthday Invitation [Blog Party]

August 27, 2018August 26, 2018 Rachel10 Comments

Guess What?

I’ve decided to do something a little different on this blog. Hopefully this will become a regular thing every couple of months, but we’ll see how it goes.

I was trying to come up with a good enough reason to try this out and then decided – why not do it for my birthday? I’ll be a quarter of a century old on September 1 and have decided to throw myself a virtual “birthday party” on Monday, September 3.

Then something really cool happened on the blog. I hit 5,000 followers and it’s actually a decent amount over 5,000 at this point. Wow! So, this is in celebration for reaching 5,000 followers as well as thank you to all you lovely people who actually read this blog and care about what I have to say.

This blog party is first and foremost a way to give back to you guys and to gain more of a community. For you guys to share your blogs and engage with other bloggers. Find like-minded people and make new friends.

(Virtual friends. No one wants to actually socialize. We’re on the Internet for a reason.)

Please note, this is the first time I’m throwing a blog or link party. I’m kind of making this up as I go along and am just keeping my fingers crossed that it’s successful and it allows people to engage in a respectful and nice manner.

I know most people post blog parties and just go for it. I’m posting an “invitation” a week early because I want to get the word out there and… also, I’m still trying to figure out some rules and regulations. (It’ll still be a fun party, I promise.)

Check out the invitation below, send it to any blogger friends you know, and save the date!

In the meantime, if you have an questions, ask away in the comments. If you have any ideas or tips for me, let me know in the comments below. If you liked this post, please share it around.

July 2018 Wrap Up

July 30, 2018July 16, 2018 Rachel7 Comments

July 2018 Wrap Up | creative writing | blogging | reading | RachelPoli.com

Reading

Since it’s the summer I’ve been reviewing books twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. As always, you can check out my Reading List to see which books I’ve read and reviewed this month. You can also check out my Goodreads to keep up with what I’m currently reading… if I remember to update it.

Writing

My writing projects have been steadily going this month. With the help of Camp NaNoWriMo I’ve gotten in plenty hours of editing.

I’ve edited George Florence & The Perfect Alibi which brought me back to square one for the novel. I have to do yet another rewrite. So we’ll see how that goes.

I’ve also been editing my project for Patreon. This is exclusive for my patrons for now. My patrons get exclusive looks into my process and sneak peeks of the project. When it’s out in the world, patrons will get special goodies as a thank you for their support. If you would like to support me and my writing and see what this project is all about early, please check out my Patreon here.

Blogging

My blog posts have kind of taken a back seat since I’ve been working on a lot of maintenance and admin stuff for the blog. However, since I was on vacation last week, I ended up getting a little ahead in my posts again in preparation for being away. So, I’m slowly catching up with that.

Overall

July was a crazy month. More so because of real life. It was overwhelming at times but I powered through. Now onto August!

Posts to Remember

1. July & August 2018 Writing Submissions
2. 5 Elements of a Scene
3. 8 Types of Scenes

How did July treat you? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

Wrap Up: June 2018

June 28, 2018June 27, 2018 Rachel15 Comments

Reading

I got slightly ahead with my reading, so I was proud of myself for that. I feel like I’ve been in a little bit of a slump for a while. My Reading List has been updated as is my Goodreads, so feel free to check those out to keep up with what I’m currently reading and reviewing.

Writing

I got behind on my writing again. I’m so happy Camp NaNo is right around the corner because I definitely need that extra push to get going.

I was supposed to write Brave and continue editing/rewriting George Florence & The Perfect Alibi. I started off strong at the beginning of the month, but the past couple of weeks have been crazy in real life and my writing just kind of tapered off.

Blogging

My posts have been plentiful and ahead of schedule, though there’s a lot of maintenance work I should have done and just didn’t. So there’s that.

Overall

June had a lot of “in real life” stuff going on, but I got the bare minimum done of what I needed to do work-wise. June had a lot of family and friend days, which is perfectly fine with me. Though the month definitely went too fast.

Posts To Remember

1. Should Book Bloggers Post “Bad” Book Reviews?
2. June & July 2018 Writing Submissions
3. A Reading Routine

How did June treat you? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

Privacy Policy Updates

June 6, 2018June 3, 2018 Rachel4 Comments

We interrupt this blogging program to give you a quick update…

A new regulation based in the EU was passed called General Data Protection Regulations, or GDPR. Even though I’m not based in the EU, this effects me because I may collection data from people who are based in the EU.

Due to this, I’ve added some slight changes to the blog in order to be compliant to the new law. It’s nothing major, but it just covers some basic questions people may have and also covers myself as well your private information.

Cookies

Now when you come onto my blog, there may be a banner that appears at the bottom of the screen. This is informing you that my blog uses cookies. Cookies are small pieces of data that’s stored on your computer/browser.

Cookies are used automatically but you are able to opt out of them on your internet browser’s settings. Just keep in mind that cookies are needed for some things to function properly on this website.

Privacy Policy

This is something that’s been long overdue. I’ve known for a while I should put a privacy policy on my blog and got around to it. Now that the GDPR is in effect (the deadline to be compliant was May 25, 2018), I got my butt into gear and finally added one.

A privacy policy is what it sounds like. It discloses all the ways my blog gathers and uses your private data as you explore and use my blog. It’s set in place to explain to you your rights and to protect your information.

Some of this private data is collected automatically and some I collect based on your consent – for example, if you sign up for my newsletter, you’re allowing me to have your name and email address.

For more information on this and any other disclaimers such as affiliate link usage and more, please read my Privacy Policy here. If you have any questions, you can contact me or ask in the comments below.

Just please keep in mind that this is a learning curve for me as well. I am not a lawyer or legal consultant of any kind and cannot give legal advice. Thanks!

We now return you to your regular programming. See you tomorrow!

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If you liked this post, please share it around.

Wrap Up: May 2018

May 31, 2018May 23, 2018 Rachel18 Comments

Reading

I read 4 mystery books this month in honor of Mystery Month. You can check out my Reading List to see which books I read and reviewed. I also got a bit ahead in reading books for June.

Writing

Honestly, I didn’t get as much writing done this month as I had planned to. While I was outlining Brave for Wattpad back in April, I was super excited to write it. Then when it came time to actually write it, I didn’t have much motivation. I’m going to see what I can do with it though and hope I can still publish it when I said I would.

I’m still retyping/rewriting the next draft of George Florence. I thought it’d be fairly quick, but I’ve been editing my edits as I go along as well as adding in more description and such. Plus, I changed the way the victim dies, so… that kind of changed pretty much the whole story. Again.

Progress is progress though, I won’t complain.

Blogging

I’ve gotten all of June planned and most of the blog posts written. I’m hoping to finish that up soon so I can start looking ahead into July.

Overall

May went by too quick. It wasn’t until May 15 that I realized I only had half the month left to finish my stuff and I had barely started any of my writing at that point. It wasn’t a bad month though, I’ll take it. Like I said, I’m still making progress.

Posts to Remember

1. 12 Types of Mystery Genres
2. 12 Ways to Kill off Your Fictional Characters
3. How To Research Properly for Your Mystery Novel

How did May treat you? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

May 2018 Goals

May 1, 2018April 30, 2018 Rachel16 Comments

2018 May Goals | Creative Writing | Blogging | RachelPoli.com

Reading

I plan on reading four mystery novels for Mystery Month! There will be more information on that later, but there will be four mystery book reviews this month.

Writing

May is going to be another busy writing month. I’ll be working on multiple projects again.

1. Write Brave – This is my next Wattpad project. I outlined the novel last month and now I’ll begin writing the first draft.

2. Rewrite George Florence – I edited the second draft of the first book of my mystery novel series last month. I changed a lot in the story (the main death, actually) so I have a lot of rewriting to do. The good news is, after about 7 years working on this book, I finally figured out a title!

3. Write Perplexed – I’ll be writing another mystery short story for this collection.

I’ve done pretty well try to make it so each month I have an edited, outline, and/or writing project, but this month is all about writing. We’ll see how it goes.

Blogging

Blogging will resume as normal. It’s Mystery Month, but as I said, there will be a post on that in a couple days. I’ll be finishing up my May posts and then begin planning for June.

What are your plans for May? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

Wrap Up: April 2018

April 30, 2018April 29, 2018 Rachel12 Comments

2018 April Wrap Up | Creative Writing | Blogging | RachelPoli.com

Reading

I’ll admit I didn’t get much reading done this month. Two of the reviews I posted were books I had already read at the beginning of the year and never wrote reviews for. I was on vacation for a week and Camp NaNo took up a chunk of my time. I’m sure I’ll get back into my reading habits next month though.

In the meantime, check out my Goodreads and Reading List on this blog to keep up with what I’m reading and their reviews.

Writing

My writing was pretty successful this month. Thanks to Camp NaNo, I outlined my next novel project, edited the next draft of my mystery novel, finished my Short Story Sunday stories for the rest of 2018 and got a head start on 2019, and wrote a mystery short story. All this resulted in over 80,000 words for Camp NaNo.

I feel pretty good.

Blogging

Blogging was slow. I was really into it at the beginning of the month and then I lost my groove after being on vacation. I thought the break would do me some good and while it did, I felt like taking an extended vacation from blogging. So I’ve only done the bare minimum for the blog pretty much this entire month.

Though I think I’m ready to get back into the swing of things for May and beyond. I ordered my new blogging planner (mine is July – June for some reason) so I’m eager to start filling that one up.

Overall

April was busy, but not in the way I expected it to be. I got a lot done and spent a good amount of time with friends and family, so who’s to complain? It was a great month and I’m sure May will be even better.

Posts To Remember

1. April & May 2018 Writing Submissions [Writing Contests]
2. A Million Dreams [Life]
3. Editing/Rewriting A Novel During Camp NaNoWriMo

How did April treat you? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

Prepping The Blog For Vacation

April 11, 2018April 7, 2018 Rachel21 Comments

I’m going on vacation again! It’s kind of weird to be going out of town about a month after a weekend getaway. I rarely travel so it’s been weird, but fun. This time though I’ll be away for an entire week.

I had 100s of blog comments and tons of notifications from most social media just from being away for 4-5 days. Trust me, I appreciate it. In fact, I loved it! Still, I can only imagine what may happen when I’m away for 8 days.

Prepping The Blog for Vacation | Blogging | Creative Writing | RachelPoli.com

I always schedule my posts in advance because it makes life easier for me. I’m never rushing to get a post done or wondering what I should write about next. I plan the posts a month in advance and (try to) write them a month in advance as well… at least the ones that are able to be written in advance.

Knowing I was going on vacation for a week and also it being Camp NaNo, I knew April was going to be busy and fly by pretty quick.

My blog posts for April have been written and scheduled. Buffer is full with my social media posts. The only thing I can’t really do is read, comment, and share the posts on your blogs. Sorry, but I won’t be reading them for a week.

I’m sure I’ll be popping in the comments once in a while and I’ll be on Twitter and maybe Instagram on occasion, but I won’t be allowing social media to take over my time away from the screens to be with my family.

Until the 19, plan on hearing from me scarcely. It’s going to be weird for me, but I need a break from blogging, writing, Camp NaNo… all of it.

I’m off to go soak up the sun, relax, and enjoy myself and my family. I’ll see you all next week and I hope you enjoy the blog posts I’ve scheduled until then!

What do you do when you leave your blog home alone? How do you prep? Let me know in the comments below. If you liked this post, please share it around.

April 2018 Goals

April 2, 2018March 14, 2018 Rachel20 Comments

Reading

I’m finally a little ahead in my reading again! Books reviewed this month are books I’ve already read and the reviews are waiting to be published. The books I read this month will be for May, which I’m excited for. Be sure to catch up with all the book reviews I’ve done on my Reading List page.

Writing

It’s Camp NaNoWriMo time! As usual, I overbooked myself. Camp is so flexible with projects and word counts that I decided to get as much done as possible. Of course, I had forgotten I’m going on vacation in the middle of the month… Still, any progress is progress so I’m keeping my goals. Challenge accepted.

Write George Florence – This is a rewrite of the current draft I’m on, I edited the draft last month. So I’m basically just re-typing it.
Write Perplexed – My goal to write one more short story for this mystery collection.
Write Short Story Sunday – For the past couple of years I’ve been using Camp NaNo to write the flash fiction for this blog in bulk. I have 27 more stories to write for 2018 so I plan on finishing them all.
Outline Brave (working title) – My next Wattpad story is another fantasy, though it won’t be anything like The Scribe. There will be dragons and it’ll be great.
Publish Take Over – My second Wattpad story will be going live today! I’ll leave a link here when it is. Please read and enjoy.

So, yeah. April is going to be a busy month when it comes to writing. I created a calendar and decided what to work on each day and I calculated the daily word count out so I can miss a week due to my vacation.

Wish me luck.

Blogging

Due to all the writing I’ve planned for myself, I’ve already gotten my blog posts for April all written. I even got a good chunk of May done so I can finish May up in my downtime from writing. I can start light planning on June in the meantime as well. For the most part, my main focus is going to be writing.

What are your goals for April? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.