Hi Twisters! So sorry for disappearing again. I don't really have the best reason to offer you other than that BIANCA was supposed to WRITE SOMETHING! But, we've figured out a new system and she won't be writing anymore blog posts for a while. She WILL, however, be making our vlogs! Yup, you heard that right! She's going to be covering our daily life in the form of videos on our YouTube channel: Twisted Two. I'm very excited for what she's going to make and how those are going to turn out, and I hope you Twisters are excited as well! Back to the title at hand, we're so close to going to Japan! We've already been accepted into our school, we've got our tickets, we've reserved our hotel, we've got our suitcases, etc. Definitely we've got more to do, but every step is one step closer! We're actually headed out of the country on March 13th and we'll arrive in Japan the 14th. After that, we'll do our required quarantine for 14 days, then we'll move into our dorms afterwards. After the move in, we'll start school! You know when you're achieving something you only had as a dream and it's actually coming to life? Those imaginations sessions are actually physically happening? Well, that's 100% the high that I'm riding right now. It's honestly so electrifying! Once you're successful in one endeavor, you learn the traits, understand the steps and repeat it until you continue this pattern of success. Japan is literally right around the corner for us and we couldn't be more excited! We'll keep you updated on everything that's happening! If you want to help us, please consider donating to our GoFundMe! See you soon, Twisters! Charisma
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Hello Twisters!It's Bianca here. Today's topic that I want to talk about is losing motivation. I love projects. Big. Small. All of them. However, I tend to create an invisible wall of fear or uncertainty whenever there is a task or step in the project that I believe will be difficult to accomplish. This is a mindset that I subconsciously created when I was back in school and it takes a lot of effort to move past it. It's especially awful though whenever there are multiple projects that I have to do. Then it's almost like art or writers block. It is literally a mental wall that I built steadily myself. However, I just recently figured out how to overcome it. Proving someone wrong. Okay, this may not make a lot of sense, but here me out. When someone challenges me and says to me that I cannot complete something (for this example, let's say doing laundry) and it is not on my to do list of things I need to do, then I get this fire inside me where I am going to prove them wrong. But not just with laundry, oh no, I need to prove to them that I am far superior than they thought. I am going to exercise, clean my room, clean the kitchen, do the laundry, write my stories, and make dinner. See, if I'm going to watch my mental wall crumble, I better be watching the crumbs drown in lava. And it works! For me that is. So that's how I've gotten out of my slump these past few days. What about you though? How do you gain the motivation to work? Stay Safe, Stay Home and Until Next Time My Friends... AdieuHello Twisters!Bianca here. Today I wanted to talk about my book. This should probably go in 'The Smol Scribble' (my writing section of the blog) but I think what I have to say will interest and benefit everyone. First, this process has been extremely challenging. The first draft of my book was a short story for school. It was meant for a fun, light read for kids. It was short, simple, and educational. But I recognized that I wanted to traditionally publish it (as that was my dream) and that started a battle. So many battles. Battle 1 - Lengthening The BookMy book at the beginning was around 3K words, I think. But I hadn't touched it since 9th grade (it might have been 10th grade, I need to double check), so it needed some major editing, fine-tuning, and developmental edits. It was difficult conveying to my family that I needed to do this step and why I couldn't do a regular edit (proofread = regular edit). It needed much more. The story was off, I discussed with some of the kids that I worked with what they wanted to see in book 2 and 3 and so I needed to add some foreshadowing and plot to help span into the next two books. And a simple edit just wasn't going to do that. But how was I going to edit it? I strongly disliked the editing phase because 1) I didn't know what I was doing, 2) so many people were sharing with me their opinions that I couldn't hear my own, 3) I had an expectation to fulfill and that already creates an unhealthy mindset when you begin a project for fun, and 4) everyone's advice on children books (as my story is for elementary and middle schoolers) are so conflicting. Battle 1 - SolutionSo what could I do to fix this mess I put on myself? I had already messed up but completed somehow a couple of drafts that I was semi-proud of but all of them felt lacking. I was trying to work on a version of the story that would be around 30K words, so a traditional publisher would even take a look at it (30K words is the industry standard for middle grade books). I learned that, as an author, I can't have two audiences, its either elementary schoolers (ages seven to ten) with the word count being either 10K to 12K or middle schoolers (ages twelve and up), with the word count being over 30K to 50K. There was no home for my 3K little book that both elementary and middle schoolers loved. Then my mother said something that made sense, "Why not work on a version of the book for young kids and then later on make one for the older kids?" That struck a chord with me. It was a great idea. But I took it a step further. Why not just combine the appeal to both? I know it sounds like the same idea before, but what if I make a story that is short that resonates with the younger kids, but is long enough and cool enough for the older kids. I still kept the premise of the appeal the same, I just changed my mindset. And after I created the mindset to run, I closed everyone out and I wrote. Because I could not afford to look or think about other things that would get me distracted. I needed to work. In short, I changed my mindset and I stayed focused. How To Apply The SolutionBut everything is easier said than done. So what if you find yourself in the situation, what should you do? Changing your mindset is hard. I tried to work on it for a month and a half (that's how long I was stuck on the 30K draft before scraping it altogether) and it was agonizing. I didn't like working on it, it was actual work, and it wasn't fun anymore. So I walked away from it. Not forever, no, that's no what you do. I walked away with it in mind. Since I couldn't see clearly where I needed to go, I decided to change the view. Ask people you trust about the situation. But don't blatantly ask them, "I'm stuck at this one part of my story and I don't know where to move, what do I do?" Depending on who you ask, you will get the help/answer you need or you won't. And sometimes, you don't want someone's opinion on your story (especially if you are still editing it, you want people's opinions after you edit), rather you want to know what they would do in your situation. (Or, at least, that's what I wanted to know.) So what I did was create a scenario for them with something they can understand and relate to. That way they could give me a response on what they would do and how they would do it. For me, the hard part came with their response and my response to theirs. What was I hiding from? What are you hiding from? Are you hiding behind favoritism and fear? (I was.) Are you telling people no to their ideas because it didn't fit in your own? (I did.) Are you stopping people in the middle of their sentences stating why that wouldn't work? (I did that too.) But that isn't going to help you at all. I hid behind fear and favoritism for my book because I loved how my book was already, even though I knew it wasn't perfect and ready for publication. However, since I loved it too much, I wasn't willing to hear anyone's critiques on how it could be improved. Other people's ideas are exactly what you want to hear when you're in a rut. You can't tell people 'no that's not going to work' because you don't like the idea. Half of all my good ideas comes from when me and another person expand of those ideas that presumably 'weren't going to work'. And since I felt I knew the industry and my book inside out, I refused to listen to anyone who even shared their opinion about it. Because I believed, that since I spent several hours every day for the past year looking at information, that I knew more than them and that I knew everything that I could know about the industry. In reality, I don't know enough about the industry and I was so scared of people telling me that I was doing it wrong that I became so focused on telling people they were wrong instead of listening to them. What I'm trying to say is, know who you are, where you want to go with your book, and recognize and listen to people. But only for a moment. You need to know and figure out when someone is helping and when someone is hurting you. I'm afraid I'm still working on that part. To Be Continued... Battle 2 - The IndustrySince this post is already so very, very long. I'm going to be splitting this series into sections. Battle 2 is going to be about the industry (and why I dislike it so much), Battle 3 is all about self-publishing (which I may or may not split into two parts), and Battle 4 is about Kickstarter. Looking back on all of this, I recognize how far I am in the process, because right now, I'm on battle 4. There will always be an easy way to do things, but trust me, not all easy ways are the right way. Listen to your heart and if you don't like your options, make a new one. Stay Safe, Stay Home and Until Next Time My Friends... AdieuHello Twisters~Bianca here. Remember how two weeks ago my focus hasn't been top notch? Yeah, it definitely has seemed to be in a standstill. When I'm watching a show? 10 out of 10, it seems that I've got 20/20 vision with that stuff. My brain is on POINT. But with regular and important stuff? My brain skipped a heartbeat and a town because it apparently isn't working. So as I was looking at previous (and unpublished) blog posts that have never seen the light of day, I laughed with tears. I had a Miraculous Ladybug blog post where I was going to scream about Hawk Moth (probably still will). Charisma even did a full-blown post about 90's anime that she hasn't posted (but it's been in the works since 2018 ... I'm going to ask her to publish that one). Another one is about Japanese Sign Language, which I absolutely love and I will definitely talk about that in the future. But that's been about it. Life has been a roller coaster (of enjoyment, I have been thoroughly enjoying my time) and I have been able to do a lot more than I thought I could (like crochet), so I'm really grateful for that. And that's all about me :) Anything new happening with you? Stay Safe, Stay Home and Until Next Time My Friends... AdieuNo FocusHello Twisters! Today has been so interesting. I have not been able to focus on anything for long periods of time. I drew, wrote, drew some more, took a nap (twice), watched a tv (twice again), and then I hung out with family. I've even searched Google three times just while writing this post. :') Life. Well, that's pretty much what's up with me. Editing my story, drawing stuff (it's all been random), working on my business (I'll do a separate blog post about that), and watching shows. Stay Safe, Stay Home and Until Next Time My Friends... Adieu HAHAAAA!!
WHO HAS ONE OF THESE?? *looks at everyone else who's got 1) a school schedule, 2) their life figured out, etc.* O-oh... well, then. Um. WHATEVER. But no seriously. Having a school schedule is important. VERY important. Even at this very second that I'm writing this, I have a pile of school that I need to accomplish because I procrastinated it. And this is all because I didn't have a schedule. I still don't have a schedule! Gladly, though, I'm going to start using my planner ('cause I buy them every year) and make a list and FOLLOW IT. No matter how distracted I get (I get SUPER distracted Twister's, it's not even funny), I'm going to get when I have on that list completed and finished by the end of that day. Not gonna lie, this is a lot for me to handle. Some how, my mind doesn't like having anything to do. Even if it's something that I want to do, I get distracted. I procrastinate. And. I. Don't. Know. Why. It's frustrating, knowing that even if I try really hard to focus, 50% or more of my mind will want to wander out to go look at Instagram or something. I want to study. I want to be committed. I WANT to be that person everyone turns to if they need something. And that's not going to happen if I'm like this. Anyways, it's just really annoying and I'm sick of being like this. So, yeah! I'm going to start working out a school schedule and figure out my life right now. I'm not going to stop posting, oh no! I'm just going to be doing stuff in real life that'll, hopefully, change my life in the right way. The way that's best for me. The long anticipated schedule for this blog! (I was waiting for this for a LOOONG time, and I'm so happy to be finally able to finalize something that'll actually work!)
And there ya have it Twister's!!! Our finalized schedule!! Super excited to implement it! We'll begin to follow this on the week of February 5th. Post-wise, we are going to be uploading all the posts on their respective days at 6:00 AM CST. Also, I have said previously, our blog is still kind of under construction. We're finalizing our pictures and rewriting things that desperately need to be rewritten. We'll probably do a blog post where we've finally say "IT'S ALL DONE!!" and celebrate with virtual cake or something, I don't know. Somethin' will happen. Additionally!! (There's so much that I want to say, I'm so sorry!) Bianca and I might still post from outside of our schedule if we deem necessary. Bianca has told me that she's got a post coming up that she wants to put out before our schedule commences, so that's probably going to happen. So be on the look out for that. Alrighty, Twisters, there ya have it!! Our official blog schedule! See you soon on the beginning of a grand adventure!
Happy New Years, Twisters! It's a new year and that means new goals and a whole lot of new opportunities~ This past year, I regret doing so little regarding everything I did. School, I could have put a whole lot more effort into that, my Japanese class, I could have had a higher grade than my 96%, and I could have used my Bujo a lot more. Also, I regret not posting on the blog when I had the chance. I spent so much of my free time on YouTube or on Instagram that I didn't even have the decency to say, "Just A Quick Update!". That is why, this year, I'm going to change a WHOLE lot in my life. My Goals:
And those are my resolutions! I'm so ready for this year. I feel as though it's going to be a great year and I really think that my goals are actually achievable. What are your goals for 2018? Tell us in the comments below! School, for me anyway, starts August 17th. Unbelievable right? We've had 3-ish months of summer and, to be honest, I am so glad to be going back to school. I've missed it really badly. Why did I miss it? Because I wanted to be busy, I wanted to keep myself occupied and when someone gives you no chose but to occupy yourself, I find it very encouraging (especially if I want to do it!). The best part about school is that I'm taking mostly 10th-grade classes. Biology, Geometry, Honors English, Art in World Cultures (ELECTIVE), HOPE (this is P.E.), Civics (Charisma and I could've taken this in 8th grade but my parents didn't want us too), and Digital Literacy (it's required. Trust me, I tried to get out of it....). :D I'm going to be so busy! :D
My Japanese is going well, although I would like better sources for vocabulary and grammar (those are the two things I'm currently working on). Or maybe, I don't know, a teacher? As some of you might know, it's my goal to take a college course for Japanese at my local community college while in 10th grade. That is why I must get all A's on my report card. I'm an over-achiever when it comes to school. If I don't get an A or a B, I will be absolutely shattered, but I would still tell my parents that I got a low score, because they'll either help me, remind me of my goal, tell me to get help from a teacher if I'm really struggling with a certain concept, and a whole lot more. I'm digitally editing a character that I drew! And let me tell you, *laughs*, I don't have anything fancy. No SAI, no Wacom Cintiq or Intuos, no Photoshop. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. All I've got is my handy-dandy, scanner, Paint (which is already installed on every computer), and my imagination. And truthfully, I am terrified. This is the scariest experience of my artist life. (I have several lives: Writer's Life, Artist's Life, Blogger's Life, Over-Achiever's Life, Crocheter's Life, Reader's Life, OTAKU's Life, Family Person's Life, and Outstanding-Amazing Friend's Life. I have nine lives unless someone can see more of my lives that I can't see... One might say I have nine lives. :D) Since I've never done this before (and since I have ZERO LAYERS. I didn't know what layers did before, but now I know that layers ARE A BLESSING!!! Do not take those beauties for granted!) I'm watching my sister (who is digital editing too) while she gives me tips, and I'm re-doing everything for the Umpteenth time. Though, I will survive. I read a variety of good books this summer (don't worry, I'm gonna do some Book Reviews before school starts) and now I have found my favorite Female author: Katy Towell. I love her so much, that reading the two books she published were satisfaction for a week. Her books are all the scary, friendship, terrifying-suspenseful moments I could ever want in a book! :D Her website is called Skary and, I believe, she's working on another book (oh am I excited!). I've had one for a while know but, I'm finally on Miiverse! I've put several posts from my gaming experiences on Demo's and full games, although they're all from Nintendo. I've posted some Style Savvy: Trendsetters and Fashion Forward, some Pokemon X and some other games as well. I'm trying to earn the money to buy some games (Animal Crossing: New Leaf is NEXT on my list. Unless someone convinces me otherwise), yet that's taking a whole lot longer than anticipated. So yup! This is life. I hope all of you have a great rest of summer break! You read right. We're going to audition to be a part of High School Musical 4. And, boy, am I excited. And nervous. And really happy. Okay, I'm have a lot of feelings towards this, but hey, I'm gonna give it my best go and I'm going to love EVERY MINUTE. And if you didn't know that they're doing auditions, you should go do it (btw, you need to be around 14 - 17, have the Disney Applause app, find a song that fits your vocal chords--only do a verse and the chorus--, and practice the script. More info about auditioning here). I've always wanted to be a part of Disney, it would amazing if Charisma and I were part of the cast. :3 School's going really good. I've got a A's in everything but science (I've got a low B which I need to start getting a high B.... because bad things are going to happen if I don't). I'm trying to get done with school around May 18th, which, if I do, would be GREAT. The only thing I'm having trouble with is my Geography assignment. I have to plan a dream vacation. Sounds easy, right? Well, I still think it's kind-of easy, but I've been hitting some bumps. I've got to plan this vacation down to the slightest detail and that's going to be really hard (mean finding pictures of certain places, I have to record the weather, the average precipitation, etc.). And my maximum budget is 10,000 dollars and the minimum I have to spend is 8,000 (keep in mind I can't go over budget, 5% can be spent for gifts/souvenirs and 10% can be used for food, while the rest must be used for hotel, airline tickets, car rental, etc.). You get the idea. I'm still having my major writings block (wanting to write something, but avoids writing at all times, you can read my small post at My Writing Journey). Although, early this week I was able to write a small bit for a new story. That made me really happy. I'm actually really surprised that I wanted to write this blog post, because I've been wanting to do it for a long time now. Learning Japanese Yup! I'm still at it. I've master hiragana, I'm working on katakana (although I need some more index cards... -_-) and I'm working on kanji (slowly, but I'm getting there).
The site's that I'm using (apart from the first Learning Japanese):
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Who We Are We are twin sisters who like to do almost anything! Inspiring people to get out their creativity is our forte and we strive to travel on magnificent journey through words on a page. Exploration is the doorway to opportunity and the endless possibilities of helping and reaching out to others is something that we endeavor to create. This crazy blog of ours is one of the many ways we hope to achieve that goal.
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