2025 Year End Review

Posted in Posts by Rachael C Marek

Here we are again.

The end of another year.

How?!

I simultaneously believe, every year, that I’ve done well with my goals and yet, still not done enough. Since I started my annual goal setting, I definitely feel more productive. There’s a way to measure progress and reflect on the year and see the incremental improvements, and yet as we reach December, every year, I am hard on myself. I always think I could have done more.

So let’s see what I did this year…

Writing Goals

Write a new script. I wrote a whopper, Man of Sin, which is currently sitting at 242 pages.
Write 16 new flash fictions. Completed in July.
Have at least one more script, in addition to Fate(s), be show ready. I rewrote Projection and I love it.
Write more fan fiction. If you know me, you would imagine it was going to be more Dragon Age. I planned on it, but shockingly, it was not. I started an entirely new project based on the show, Walker: Independence. That’s a story for another day.
Create a condensed, all in one place, idea journal. Check

Fails – I did not update my blog as often as I’d hoped, nor did I create a show bible for my tv series, The Demeter .

Reading Goals

Because I wanted to write more this year, I set my reading bar low – only 12 books this year. I’m still deciding on book twelve, so I’m sure I won’t finish it within the time frame.

Favorite book: Mila 18 by Leon Uris

Movie Watching Goal

For a couple of years there, I was trying to watch one new movie a week. Easy enough, you would think, but with so many good shows, gaming, and writing and reading to be done, it was a hard goal to maintain. I made a more tangible goal a few years ago, two movies a month. Much easier to hit.

Favorite Movies: Sinners and Superman (both available on HBO)

TV Watching Goal

Trying to keep up with all of the streaming services and their original programming is difficult when you have so many interests. My goal was to watch at least one season of 12 new shows = one new show a month. Officially, I watched 12 new series (some with multiple seasons), but didn’t finish one. It just didn’t grab me.

Favorite Shows: Interview with a Vampire (AMC & Netflix), Black Doves (Netflix), and Fleabag (Prime)

Duolingo

When we upgraded our phones last year, I downloaded the Duolingo app and set myself the goal of learning French, a language I had studied in high school and college, for at least a year and a half = roughly 547 days. As of today I’m at 617 days with a perfect streak of 11 weeks. Yay!

50th Birthday Celebration

We have little dogs with health issues, so we don’t travel often, or at all. Hawaii was 7 years ago now. ((weeps silently to herself)) I wanted to go on a trip for my 50th. London, to be specific. I started doing some research, looked at flights, and then one of The Sis’s favorite bands, System of a Down announced six North American show dates, two in Chicago with one of her other favorite bands, Avenged Sevenfold. It was a no-brainer. We were going to Chicago. Happy Birthday to me us!

I’ll share details of the trip soon, but it was so wonderful to get away and see new sights, meet new and old friends, and let The Sis enjoy, what she considers, the greatest concert she’s ever been to.

Well. There you have it.

Couldn’t ask for a better goal achieving moment for the year.

How’d your year shape up? Wanna celebrate any of the goals you made?

Here’s to a continuously more productive new year!

xx, Rach

28Dec2024

Bye Bye, 2024!

Posted in Posts by Rachael C Marek

Hi friends!

Yes, I’m still around.

For those of you who have been with me for a while now, you’ve probably noticed how I sometimes go radio silent from time to time – I lose track of time, or I don’t have anything to say, or I move out of state, or find myself overwhelmed by adulting – this recent bout of silence was not actually due to any of those things, surprisingly.

While celebrating my blog’s Tenth Anniversary, I became quite depressed by the state of my writing life. Reflecting on each year and discovering how little progress I was actually making towards my goal of becoming a professional writer, I decided to take a step back (way, way back).

During these last many months, I didn’t have anything to say that didn’t sound trite or like I was just trying to placate my own perceived failures. “Keep reaching for your goal!” or “It’s never too late to dream big!” blah blah blah…every time I sat down to say something to not just inspire all of you, but myself as well, I would just think, “It’s all bullish*t. Where have any of those positivity quotes and bits of inspiration actually gotten me?”

I felt like quite the fraud.

So I avoided this space, a place I had dedicated 10 years to, to get my head back on straight, and it didn’t take long to discover a few things about myself:

I want to be a writer. Like really. I’ve been saying it for a while (and I actually do it most of the time), but it still holds true. It’s not just something I want to say I also do because my day job is crap and it’s a way for me to feel better about myself, like, “Hey! I have other aspirations beyond this, random stranger.” It’s how I want to spend my time. I want to be surrounded by creatives with similar goals and passion. I want some camaraderie and vested interest. That’s the circle I want to be a part of, not what I currently have via the day job because I’ve realized…
I hate my day job. Like really. It’s easy, mind numbing work, fairly stress-free and I only bring it home to b*tch with The Sis because she works there too. But I loathe going in (so does she, might I add), and am currently off on worker’s comp due to an injury, so there’s that. It’s a mostly friendly environment, I like quite a few of the people I work with, but it’s not a career, nor is it creative or inspiring. Recently, a coworker asked why I worked there. “You’re too smart for this place.” Well thanks! And maybe that’s why I’m unhappy.
I dream big (some might say too big. Me. I’m the one saying that.), but need to scale back the annual goal setting because I set myself up for failure each year because I want to do too many things all the time. I have too many interests. Too many goals. As I was writing down my list for the new year, I wrote that I wanted to write a novel, in addition to rewriting almost all of my scripts, creating a show bible, my reading/movie watching goals, building a website, researching my ancestry, playing the library of video games each waiting for their turn, relearning the piano, and continuing to learn French, while eating better, getting well so I can get back to yoga, doing more with The Sis and the puppers…I mean, c’mon. I’m out of control. Oh, and I have a Big Birthday coming up in less than 2 months, so there’s some planning required for that milestone.

((deep sigh))

I need a time manager.

I know I will never watch all the movies I want. I know I will never play all the games. Or read all the books. Or see all the sights in person. I may never even rewrite some of my own work. I have to learn to live with this, and for the most part I have, I just sometimes wish that the days were longer, or I was faster at doing some things to maybe make a bigger dent, but whatever, this is who I am.

So, you may be wondering, “What did she do this year instead of coming here?”

Well, I made, and exceeded, my reading goal. Favorite books this year were All Systems Red by Martha Wells (I’m obsessed with the Murderbot series) and Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett. So so good.

I made, and exceeded, my movie watching goal. Some of my favorites this year were the French sci-fi Vesper which needs its own series to expand upon, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem was adorable, Godzilla Minus One surprised me, and of course, Deadpool and Wolverine. It’s just a good time.

There was some great tv this year. Fallout was tops for me. Just good from start to finish, even if you haven’t played any of the games, it’s accessible. Arcane S2 was great, but I think season one was better. I discovered a different kind of superhero story in the British series, Extraordinary, and a hilarious Australian comedy from 20 years ago called Kath & Kim.

I’ve nearly finished writing a new screenplay, tentatively titled, Man of Sin. (Yes, I’ve been playing with a poster creator.) I’ll talk more about this later. This is the story that I think needs to become a novel. It’s taken on a life of its own, the characters are so cute together, and it’s currently sitting at 137 pages with no end in the direct vicinity. I’m hoping to have the first draft finished by new year. I also started a new chapter of my Dragon Age fanfic.

I’m almost finished with my first playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 which may have turned my head to become the best game I’ve ever played. Yes, it is that good. I’ll write about it next year, when I’m officially done. It’s going into the new tattoo. So yeah, you know I like it.

The Sis and I attended San Diego Comic-Con again this year.

And we had to come to terms with the death of our estranged father. That was…a strange time.

So that’s a peek into what I’ve been up to this year, and now it’s coming to a close. I can’t believe 2024 is at its end. It gets a little faster every year.

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

So, if you’ve made it this far, I just wanted to say, Thank You! for sticking with me these past 10 years and for being a wonderful community of the kind of people I want to surround myself with. I’m still not 100% sure of how I want to proceed here, I have a few changes in mind, but I hope you’ll stay for the journey.

I wish you all well, my friends! Stay weird and creative and inspiring, and hopefully 2025 will prove a fruitful year.

Happy New Year!!

xx, Rach

14Feb2024

Quote of the Week

Posted in Quotes by Rachael C Marek

So some of you may have noticed that I have not finished my 10 Year Retrospective. I wanted the final entry to be something a little different, and it’s still in the works, and will still be posted within the time frame for which it is relevant. ((wink))

I wanted to get back to The Routine. The “Plan”. I enjoy sharing quotes and reflecting on how they mirror what’s currently happening in my life, as this blog is sort of a diary as well.

“I’m not in the mood.” How often have we uttered this phrase? And not just in relation to our writing, but maybe our lives, in general. I’ve let a number of things slide or fall to the wayside for a little while because I just don’t want to deal with it. Even things that are relatively important.

Hi. My name is Rachael and I’m a procrastinator.

But many writers I know are too. It’s a common trait. Something that binds us.

We like the pressure, and yet, I think most of do better when we have some sort of schedule – some semblance of order.

I have, for some time now, had a plan in place, steps in which I would write or rewrite projects, create other content, in addition to the other checklist items that would help me build my creative network, etc.

Goodness. It sounds like a full time job.

If only.

This is why it’s important to work towards our goals, even when we don’t “feel” like it. We have a plan in place to keep us on track. Even if we only eke out a little each day, that small measure of progress is better than none at all.

I still need to share my 2024 goals (I’ll do that shortly as well) and I hope you’re doing better than I am currently. I can’t believe it’s the middle of February. I already feel behind.

So here’s to sticking with a plan versus waiting for inspiration to strike!

Wishing you all a goal achieving new year!

Happy Writing!

4Jan2024

First Quote of 2024

Posted in Quotes by Rachael C Marek

Happy New Year, everyone!

So those of you have been with me for some time will probably remember that I’m not a fan of the term “resolution”. I don’t want to resolve myself towards anything that doesn’t truly require that sort of sentiment. I prefer the more apt term “goal”.

I like that a goal can be set at any time, not just the beginning of a new year, although the start of a year brings with it a pretty decent measuring stick. I set my reading and watching goals at the start. My writing goals fluctuate throughout the year, although I try to give myself a handful to begin with as part of a plan to not be aimless.

They’ve been kind of the same for a while now…

It may be time to make some different choices…

Like the quote above states – just begin.

I mentioned in my New Year’s Eve post that I had extended some of my writing goals into January due to our move, and so it is my unofficial new year’s resolution, nope, still don’t like it, goal to reevaluate those particular writing goals in February. To put it out in the universe, I’ll share them with you then.

What do you want to achieve in 2024? Say it aloud. Write it down. Post it in view. Let’s make it happen!

Sending you positive vibes and best wishes for a productive and prosperous new year!

31Dec2023

Bye bye, 2023!

Posted in Posts by Rachael C Marek

I’m sure you’ve heard it a few times by now, maybe even said it a number of times yourself, but this year flew by.

But really, it did.

With yet another multi-state move, it feels as if most of the year was dedicated to either leaving one place or getting settled in a new one. I still don’t quite feel myself, and I still don’t know where some of our belongings are. ((sigh))

Now that we’ve found a place to live that we like, are both working steadily so that at least we have a sense of financial stability, and have some sort of routine, and now that the holidays are nearly over, I feel like, what I consider, normalcy is within reach.

Optimism.

Knowing that the move was imminent, I set low reaching goals for myself this year. And I made most of them. I initially set out to read 17 books, because that was what I had done the year before (not trying to be an overachiever) but by May I knew that was going to be unattainable, so I adjusted it to 10. I read 11 and actually, to focus on a writing goal, stopped reading all together this last month, so, in theory, I could’ve gotten a bit closer.

I made my movie watching goal of 24 movies and actually exceeded it by 10. I’ll post my annual review in January.

I got my first screenplay professionally read in order to obtain feedback. I started fleshing out a new script, Man of Sin. I’m excited to share the idea with all of you. I started building my network, and have made some progress already.

I didn’t make my writing goals yet, but I also knew with the move it would take too much out of me mentally to focus, so I adjusted my timeline into January. We’ll see where we are in a month. Eek.

I have bigger goals set for 2024 and I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be better at achieving them. As I’ve said a time or two before, probably because I shared a quote or five in a similar vein, start small, because even those small steps will eventually lead to grand results.

How did you fair this year? Did you achieve most or all of your goals? What are you hoping to tackle next year? If you’d like to share them below, we can try to help each other be accountable.

Hello, 2024! Let’s make you a good one!

I wish you all the very best! Happy New Year! Be safe and be well!

xx, Rach

28Dec2022

The Last Quote of 2022

Posted in Quotes by Rachael C Marek

I can’t believe we’re here again.

The end of another year.

2023 is on the horizon, and it sounds like the date in a sci-fi movie.

When you consider where your energy and focus were spent this last year, do you notice a pattern? Do feel it was time well spent, or are you now in the chastising phase at year’s end? As I’ve aged, like a fine wine (ha!), and after the Covid shutdown, it has become more clear what is important and what is not worth my time, like wondering/worrying if people like me.

What a tedious waste of time.

RuPaul says:

What other people think of me is none of my business.

Words to live by.

It used to be my goal wherever I worked to make sure I was liked, by everyone, even the hard asses. Actually, that was the most satisfying win. I would kill them with kindness, and whatever else I had in my wheelhouse. It worked on guests too. While that helped at the time to ensure a positive work environment (and better tips), it hasn’t really mattered in the long run. I’m not friends with any of those people anymore. I wasn’t even friends with most of them after I left the establishment, so what did all that worrying and effort truly gain me?

Deep down, I know it has something to do with legacy. I want people to remember me fondly, but the clincher is, because I haven’t remained friends with almost any of those people, all that energy was spent without any real reward.

What could I have done with it instead, I wonder?

I tell myself, now, that it was all training for working with people in Hollywood. There are a lot of personalities, sometimes all in the same room, and I have a well developed skill in dealing with them.

There’s no reason not to be who you want. There’s no reason not to chase your dreams. There’s no reason not to build the life you desire.

Don’t waste your energy on those things that don’t support the life you’re trying to lead. Take stock of your life and what drains you. You probably already know what those subjects are. I know I do.

So, what does this have to do with a new year? I know I have a love/hate relationship with resolutions, but I’m gonna make them anyway. How about you? Knowing where I should focus my attention will help in creating a more successful goal setting plan, and that’s what I wish for you. It’s about shifting perspective, and taking inventory of what matters and what you want to accomplish.

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season! And here’s to spending our energy where we want to in 2023.

13Dec2022

Quote of the Week

Posted in Quotes by Rachael C Marek

I wasn’t sure what sort of quote I wanted to share this week.

And then I saw this.

I’m still riding the struggle bus, but I can’t let that hinder me. I just have to keep pushing, and this quote reminds me of that.

With the end of the year coming to meet us, 2022’s resolutions are quickly going to become a thing of the past. When we make them, they should only be used as a measuring stick, but we all know we end up using them as a way to measure our self worth. As many of you know, I have a love/hate relationship with this type of goal setting. We can accomplish any task we put our mind to at any time.

A new year is not a magic reset button. Yes, I’ve said this a time or five before. I suppose it is some sort of starting line, but the beginning of a new year does not diminish the value of the work we’ve already done, nor should it amplify when we falter.

It’s just a date.

There are often times new deadlines to meet with the beginning of a new year, but beware the annual “set a BIG goal for the year” type of resolution. There’s a reason gyms are busy for like a month. A grand, overreaching goal is hard to maintain. Small, achievable goals that lead to the BIG one are less imposing and more likely to be reached, in all areas of our lives, not just the creative ones.

So while we may be chastising ourselves for not making all the goals we set for ourselves this year, remember, the year’s end does not mean failure for if we choose to continue to work towards our dreams/goals you can be sure that we are going to make things happen!

26Jul2022

Writing Tip Tuesday #6

Posted in Tips by Rachael C Marek

I’m not sure how I first came across this idea of SMART Goals, and if you’d like to learn more beyond my summary, a search will provide you with lots of information. SMART is an acronym for a system to help you achieve better results. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound.

I am all about the goal setting. Those of you who have been with me for a while now know this. If there’s a better way to go about achieving them…I’m all for it! And I thought you might be too.

It’s one thing to write down your goals – an elusive idea of possibility – and to have an external deadline, it’s usually what I need, to feel some pressure, it’s another to create a plan of attack, one that will help you visualize the path to success. To get down to the nitty gritty of goal setting, we have to be honest with ourselves and what it is we truly want.

Whether it’s a writing goal or another creative endeavor, choosing the goal we wish to pursue generally has a number of precursors, and a lot of forethought.

So here are the steps:

Specific: What do you want to accomplish? Why is it important to you? Be, as the word suggests, specific in the goal you wish to achieve.

Measurable: How will you know when it’s accomplished? What is the finish line to achieving this goal?

Achievable: Is attaining the goal realistic? Is it reachable? This is about being grounded in what is possible. Of course, I would never deny anyone reaching for the stars, we are dreamers, after all.

Relevant: Is this the right time to pursue this goal? Is it worthwhile? I’m not overly fond of the use of the word “worthwhile”. What I am fond of is the opportunity to achieve one’s goals. Dream big!

Time Bound: Set a target date. Find an external deadline. I like them. It offers a window of opportunity, something to work towards. I have often found that a hard line in the sand is a great way to feel the compulsion that only such a constraint can provide. A little fear. A little stress. They’re great motivators.

One of the notes I made, in addition to those above: Beware of goal setting that allows someone else to have power over it.

Good advice.

And then, like the image above, you can celebrate when you accomplish your goal. If you’ve used this method before, please share your thoughts. If you have any other goal setting tips, please share those as well.

Wishing you the best of luck!

Happy Writing!

16Jun2022

Mid-Year Goal Check

Posted in Posts by Rachael C Marek

It’s June.

It doesn’t really feel like it, as the sun has only been out a few times this year so far. By now, in Vegas I would already be complaining about the heat, longing for cooler days, and here I am on the flip side, wishing for a day above 65 degrees.

Apparently, according to long-time PNW residents, this never-ending gloom is unusual. Like, hasn’t happened in 72 years. Didn’t they something similar last summer during the heat wave? Either way, I’m so happy we could be here to experience it. ((insert eye roll))

The lack of noticeable change in the seasons almost made me forget where we are in the year. Halfway through. Time for a check in on those annual goals.

You may recall I mentioned making them more “manageable” at some point.

Yes, this coming from the woman who wanted to watch a movie a week, read two books a month, read three screenplays a month, all while working full-time, having two dogs, writing, managing an Etsy shop, a desire to cosplay, starting a business, and so much more, in addition to all the other normal life stuff.

Yeah, hi. No wonder every year I was disappointed with my progress. I was out of control.

I decided to cut back this year, and having made it to the half way point, I am able to reflect with better clarity and rationale and say with all honesty, more attainable goals are so much more beneficial to my overall well-being.

This is something I’ve had to remind myself of, a lot – goals are just things to aspire to, not necessarily achieve. It’s a way to stay accountable. They are not meant to act as a measuring stick in order to judge the merit of our character based on whether we actually accomplished everything on our list.

*By the way, that’s all me. I’m guessing at this point, all those quotes I’ve shared have done their job.

We all want to make progress. We want some way of measuring how far we’ve come. Hence the goals. But when they are wildly out of reach when you have other responsibilities, the lack of reaching them can really hit our feelings of self-worth. That is so not the point.

Things are hard enough as it is. Why torture ourselves further?

I’m happy to report that I’ve made some of my goals. This is big for me. I’m usually eyeballing December 31st with skepticism. I know it’s judging me. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but having achieved some smaller and some larger goals, I feel a bit more confident moving forward.

And that’s all we need sometimes. A boost to our self-esteem.

Here are a few of the goals I’m happy with so far:

My screenplay, Fate(s) is done. I will not touch it again without compensation. Pop the champagne! The troublesome child is ready to go out into the world!
I completed the first draft of my fifth feature, Projection. Gotta say, I’m pretty satisfied. A rare state.
I’m polishing up the next chapter in my fanfic series to get that off my mind. I’m sure more ideas will come knocking soon enough.
I chose to only watch two movies a month instead of one a week. I’m currently sitting at 20/24. Not too shabby.
I limited my book reading challenge, and not understanding how the library hold system works, it had been a while, ended up meeting that goal early on: 17/15.

My other goals were to get a new job (check), create a new writing space (partial check), and meet with a screenwriting coach (check). This I will cover separately.

More manageable goals are really the way to go. A feeling of accomplishment can really help the whole state of being and help on the long journey of our creative path.

How are your goals shaping up this year? Let’s celebrate our accomplishments and cheer one another on!

Happy Writing!

4May2022

Quote of the Week

Posted in Posts, Quotes by Rachael C Marek

Almost 7 years ago to the day, I shared this quote. This knowledge, to some degree, makes me sad.

7 years?!

A new goal?! A new dream?!

While I absolutely agree with this quote, I am reminded that I still haven’t reached said goal from 7 years ago.

Now, while I haven’t done everything in my power to achieve my dream of becoming a professional writer, the passage of time is a harsh reminder that I have wasted a lot of it. Call back to a previous post. The time does, honestly, fly, and it flies with even greater speed the older you get. I have been spouting words of positivity and chasing your dreams all this time and simultaneously been dragging my feet.

I finally took the next step I’ve been talking about to work with a screenwriting coach. Before I speak with her directly, she has asked me to fill out a questionnaire that will save time in the “getting to know you” phase. There are some questions that are making me come to terms with my journey as a writer.

I am a procrastinator.

This is not newsworthy. I’m well aware of this problem, and even though sometimes I think I’m doing better…BAM! I discover I’m not. Hi. 7 years.

I have fear.

I’ve discussed this a time or two. Fear of the unknown. Fear of success. Fear of actually getting the thing I want because then what do I do? That’s a bad joke. But the nervous energy of the potential/wish fulfilling change is real. So many of us are comfortable with the known mundane.

I need accountability.

Because I’ve had to rely on a day job in the interim, often times that schedule takes precedence over all else. Bills have to be paid. This is a sad part of reality for all creatives before they can work full time at their passion. Beyond the job we have families and a slew of responsibilities that usually push our creative outlets to the back burner. The unsatisfying nature of some of our day jobs leave us tired and emotionally drained. Also, there’s no one to answer to at this stage.

The only one I’m letting down at this point is me.

At a day job, there’s accountability. There’s a hierarchy. A dependency. It’s what I want from my writing, to be responsible for only that.

So why this quote, you may be wondering? Given the above. Because as I now officially take the step towards accountability with a career coach, swallowing my fear and putting procrastination in the corner, I have to remind myself that age is just a number and taking this goal seriously, finally, is worth the effort.

With age comes a shift in perspective, obviously not everyone benefits from experience (i.e. the current state of things), but I know my sense of humor has changed. I find all sorts of random things fascinating thanks to exposure, and all that has affected my writing. Sometimes I think, I’ve had to wait until now to become this writer because I wasn’t ready before.

The story I’m running with started out as a fluffy romance piece, and now it has depth. Without some life experience under my belt, it never would have become what it is today. I have to remind myself of some of the quotes I’ve shared over the years, one of them being: