planning – Jessie Kwak

[Podcast] Kobo Writing Life Podcast: #344 – Committing to Your Writing Practice with Jessie Kwak

Post published:May 28, 2024

I recently had the pleasure of joining the Kobo Writing Life Podcast to chat about all things writing and publishing! As an author of over fifteen books, including series like The Nanshe Chronicles and The Bulari Saga, as well as standalone thrillers such as From Earth and Bone, my expansive career has touched on many aspects of the publishing world, and I had lots of amazing advice and insights to share. During our conversation, we covered a wide range of topics, including ghostwriting, writing sci-fi and paranormal thrillers, and time management as an author. I also shared what inspired me…

[Podcast] Adapting To Change With Jessie Kwak – The Creative Penn

Post published:October 2, 2023

I had the pleasure of joining The Creative Penn podcast to talk about adapting to life as a freelance writer and author after experiencing an injury. In this episode, I share my journey and offer tips for managing work and energy when life throws unexpected challenges your way. We discussed a range of topics, including: Adapting to changing circumstances: How I navigated my career shift after my injury and the lessons I learned along the way. When medical situations affect your author business: Practical advice for handling the impact of health issues on your work. How changing appearances affects us at a…

A look back, a look ahead

Post published:December 19, 2021

I've been thinking a lot about work these past few months. It's in the zeitgeist, as we collectively as a society realize we can't keep hustling at 125% day in and day out while the world goes up in flames around us and we pretend everything's fine. It's on the minds of several of my ghostwriting clients, who are coaching their own clients through burnout and trying to find meaning in their lives. And it's been on my mind as I juggle writing thoughtful posts about burnout for said clients — while kickstarting From Big Idea to Book, racing up…

What I did (kind of) on my personal retreat vacation

Post published:October 6, 2016

Well, I promised that I would report back after this weekend's personal retreat to let you know how it went. The short answer? Not as planned. After one day, my retreat was cut short due to an emergency. It’s all perfectly fine now — don’t worry — but I didn't have the uninterrupted days of relaxation, planning, and work that I'd hoped for. That's disappointing, of course, but it's also life. It doesn’t matter how much you plan — in the end you still have to roll with the punches. I'll admit, I started writing this post with a bad…

On Medium: An Evernote Productivity System for Creatives

Post published:June 29, 2016

I've had a few people ask about my to-do list/productivity system recently, so I decided to write an in-depth post about it. It's basically an Evernote notebook that I set up based on David Allen's Getting Things Done method – essentially, a digital version of his series of folders and notes. In it, I plan out my tasks for the week and keep track of all the bigger picture projects I have going on in my life. As a bonus, because it's in Evernote, I can link to other notes and subfolders within the program. (I love Evernote.) For a long time…

New To Freelancing? The 3 Things I Wish I’d Known

Post published:June 23, 2016

Hey there! This post is part of a series of freelancing advice articles from various bloggers, coordinated by invoicing app Invoice2Go. If you're looking for a simple way to invoice through a phone app, definitely check them out. And as for all the usual disclosures: I'm not getting a cut of any sort – I just dig this project of theirs as a way to support the freelance community. :) I hate making mistakes. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a tendency to be way too hard on myself when I did something wrong – even if no one else noticed or…

9 Ways To Invest in Your Writing Business

Post published:June 8, 2016

(Fun fact!: 500,000 Venezuelan bolivares used to be worth about $300 USD. It is now worth $0 USD because they reissued their currency. Change your unstable currencies in the airport *before* you fly home, kids!) I like to set a theme for each year — particularly for my freelance writing business. This year’s theme? Pruning back the wrong opportunities, and investing in my business. Of course, I’ve been investing in my business all along. I joined the Freelance Writers Den. I took classes with people like Carol Tice and Ed Gandia. I invested in the software and tools, like Freshbooks…

How to Set Goals You’ll Actually Keep

Post published:December 14, 2015

(Note: I originally wrote this post last year for GovLoop, but as the year’s end has rolled back around I think it’s still relevant. I’ve adapted it for this blog.) The new year is a traditional blank slate for most people, but despite our best intentions most of us don’t keep our New Year’s Resolutions much longer than January. The problem with the usual way of making resolutions is that they’re not often made in the context of our lives. I’m as guilty of that as anyone, so I want to propose a new way: rather than simply picking a goal…