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Whitney Cason Amazon Author Profile
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#WriterGoals for 2019
Found this really cool post by Skylarity, and decided to give you all a little peak into my head in regards to my writing goals for 2019 :)! Share your goals as well!!
What are your writing goals for 2019?
- Write more on my blog, write more short stories and prose, just writing all around
How many books do you plan to release in 2019?
- 1 poetry collection, possibly 2 fiction books
Care to share the titles of your upcoming books?
- A Soul’s Journey….the others you will have to wait for 🙂
Will you be experimenting with a different genre in 2019?
- Hmmm….I’m not sure yet, but this might be intriguing
What genre?
- I guess i’m going to have to figure that out.
Why fiction?
- It gives you the opportunity to step into a whole new world. To be inside my head when I’m writing is truly a sight to see…lol.
What’s your favorite part of writing?
- Researching how to make my writing worth reading.
Would you ever consider becoming a full-time writer?
- Yes. It’s actually my ultimate goal.
Not even if the pay is “right?”
- Yes. I’m willing to supplement with things that won’t cause me a lot of stress. I’ve had enough professional stress to last me a lifetime.
When writing, do you think about awards, prizes, etc? Or are you focused strictly on the process?
- I have spoken into existence that I will be a best-selling author one day. I even want to make my series a movie adaptation. But for now, I’m focused on the process and getting better.
Of all the books you will write or have written, which book do you think will sell the most copies?
- I believe book 1 sold a lot. I’m still a newbie so I am surprised I even sold as many as I did; but I hope to sell more books with my second fiction novel. Speak positive vibes into the universe and hopefully it shall ring true.
What’s the title of your latest book and where can we find it?
#BlackGirlMagicGoals: Shonda Rhimes
My third shoutout for this month goes to none other than the TGIT queen herself, Shonda Rhimes.
This amazing woman needs no introduction, but I have to stan for a bit on just how awesome I believe she is. There isn’t much that Shonda hasn’t done in this lifetime so far, and it seems like she’s not stopping anytime soon.
Shonda has referred to herself as a “titan”, and given meaning to saying the word “yes” when the opportunity strikes itself. I’ve watched Shonda since 2011 when I began watching Scandal, and I’ve been glued to her work ethic and personality since that moment.
Here are my five favorite facts about Ms. Rhimes:
- She is the writer and executive producer of 3 of my favorite shows of all time (and also about 4 others)
- She owns her own production company, Shondaland, where she has 9 shows that she has been apart of executive producing.
- She wrote a best-selling novel titled Year of Yes! (Again, I have that in my collection)
- She has been nominated and won awards in several different categories, including NAACP awards and an Golden Globe. She’s also been nominated for 3 Emmy’s.
- She has her own TED talk (which you can view here).
I can’t say enough how much I LOVE this woman and how much she’s given to TV and been an inspiration to young women worldwide. From her creative imagination to her titan-like abilities, she is truly what you would call magic in every way.
Photo cred: Google Image Search
#BlackGirlMagicGoals: Issa Rae
For the month of February, want to showcase each week 1 woman who inspires me and who I admire to be like one day. These are women I see and watch slaying in their respective arenas everyday, and they are the definition of what #BlackGirlMagic really means! First up, Issa Rae! 🖤
Ive seen posts where people ask about if they could see themselves in a TV character, who would it be. I always think long and hard about the answer, but I’d have to say that Issa is definitely me, all the way down to the awkwardness, lol.
When I first found out about her, it was when Insecure was first premiering on HBO. At first, I didn’t know what I was going to expect from the show, but I just knew I had to watch and see what it was all about. From season 1, episode 1, I’ve been hooked and Issa has been my spirit animals! She was possibly the most relatable woman I have seen on TV, because she makes being an awkward Black girl seem really cool after all. I never thought I could see myself in another person or their fictional character, but I immediately identified with Issa and even some of the situations that went on in her life in her role in Insecure (you wouldn’t believe how many times I screamed at the TV, “OMG that is my life!” when I watch the show).
After watching Insecure, I began to do my googling and found out a little more about the awesome woman they call Issa Rae:
- She started off on YouTube with her doing a series titled, Awkward Black Girl.
- She has a NYT best-selling book, titled the Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (yes I bought it!!)
- She has been named one of Forbes 30 under 30
- She was Golden Globe nominated (LIT!)
From the moment she premiered her show, I knew I had to keep watching the show, but her moves also. I saw that she had a book out so I bought that. I added her to social media because I wanted to see her process, how she interacted with fans and if she ever dropped any nuggets of encouragement along the way. Right now, she’s going into season 3 of Insecure and also has about 2 other shows that are being worked on by her that are coming to television.
Issa Rae is the epitome of #GOALS and I aspire to be in her position one day. She’s been nominated for some of the best awards (Golden Globes, NAACP Awards, etc) and her resume is only beginning to become longer and longer with amazing roles. She writes, she acts, she even executive produces. Issa is truly #BlackGirlMagic personified!<<
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Would You Rather Win with the Team or on Your Own?: Collaboration vs. Competition
In the African American community, it is so common to see so many people excel in different business ventures and entrepreneurial endeavors that they have branched out on and it makes me wonder to myself, is it possible that people can achieve satisfaction from collaborating with their peers, as opposed to being in competition with them?
What would have happened if two people would have come together to make that happen, instead of having so many different avenues of the same business running at the same time. I believe it is because more people thrive off healthy competition with one another; as opposed to collaborating and sharing the spotlight with someone else.
People who are individually competing in something are naturally going to want to overshadow anyone else they are competing against, because they want to make sure they are seen as the number one person. This reminds me of the “crabs in a bucket” mentality; where we constantly step over and manipulate each other, just to be the person at the top.
Humans live for the validation of others, believe it or not. Even when you do not realize it; you live for some form of validation in your hard work and dedication to a task. Even when you don’t expect it, a kind gesture, a thank you or some written recognition goes a long way when you have put in the time, dedication and effort t to get to a certain place with someone and you competed and won.
I also believe there is some level of competition within collaborating with others; however, when sharing a project with someone, it is just that. It is a shared and joint effort, and therefore the work and end product is presented and shared amongst the group. No one person is anticipated to be outshined by another person, because that is not hte purpose of a collaborative effort. The point is to allow all parties to have an equal and conscious effort into completing the task.
So, again I say, we all have plenty of opinions on whether or not competition is good or bad for you; however, I like to think when using competition in a positive framework, it can be utilized in a morale-boosting way in a professional workplace and things of that nature. I also like to think that collaborative efforts are just as creative and deserve just as much credit as welll. In the end, it all depends on how or what your personal rewards-based system runs on: do you enjoy collaborating and sharing the positive efforts with other peers, or do you live with a competitive mindset on getting things achieved?
Check out this awesome TED talk by the wonderful Luvvie Ajayi!!
Click the link below to watch!
https://www.ted.com/talks/luvvie_ajayi_get_comfortable_with_being_uncomfortable
So, I’m 30; Now What??
Now that I’m officially “in my 30’s” I have felt a very blatant and noticeable shift in my perspective and energy. I feel the strong desire to make some hard decisions about my life and where it’s going. I’m not sure if it’s just the aura of the new age; however, I am feeling my “get ish done” mode being turned up to overdrive in a matter of days.
There have been so many things on a personal level that crossed my mind as I reflected on turning 30. Things I either need to sit and talk about with my husband, or just things that I feel need to change within myself.
As the days continue to pass and I embark on this new chapter, one thing I hope to see in my life is a manifestation and growth of new and exciting opportunities, life changes not only for myself, but for my family, expansion, business ventures, maybe even a change of scenery. Who knows; but what I do know is I’m ready and waiting for what great things will come my way!
