Russie Babbles: A Year in Review [2016]

Hello there, Darlings! 

Yes—the day has finally come. Welcome to the last day of the year! I’m pretty sure that most of the world’s already on the 31st day of December. It’s been long, it’s been (extremely) difficult, and it’s been challenging; but hey, we made it! That’s honestly what really matters. 

For the third time in a row, I’ll be doing a Year in Review. If you haven’t read the ones I did for 2014 and 2015, feel free to check them out! A Year in Review is pretty much just me talking about what went on writing-wise and whatnot during the entirety of the concerned year. I’ll be talking about the things I pushed through with, the things I didn’t push through with, and I’ll also be talking about what I’ve got planned for 2017. :) 

Aside from that, though, I might get personal too! Talk about how I’ve been doing in college so far and mention some personal goals that I want to achieve int the upcoming year. 

Without further ado, let’s begin! Click the ‘read more’ down there and let’s get this thing rolling! 

So, holy shit. 

I know I keep mentioning that I grew more in during one year compared to the other year and all, but yo. I think 2016 really takes the cake when it comes to writing. As you guys may know, I officially launched Coalesce last January. Coalesce has been something in development for the longest time. Getting to write more about it, to develop the characters involved, and basically just spend time on it was so, so amazing. For the longest time I’ve wanted a project which I could really call my own—my friends (who I’ll be mentioning later) have something like that, and now, I can finally say that I have something like that for myself. :) 

"And she's doing well so far."

Coalesce is something I really, really do love. It’s come such a long way, if I’m gonna be honest. It’s grown so much in 2016 (or at least that’s how I feel), and I want to make sure that it keeps growing and keeps getting better this coming 2017. I know that it’s taken such a long time for it to really start, and than I keep posting shorts here and there instead of actual chapters—but please be patient with me! I promise to get legit chapters and everything out soon. 

Now on the topic of Coalesce, I think now is an okay time to get into something a little more serious. With it growing so much and basically in need of more attention, more time, more dedication and what not, I think it’s fair to say that Coalesce will really be my main focus from here on. 

As for Transcendence and RRC’16, don’t worry! I’m not shelving those two, and I’m pretty sure Rothie doesn’t want to shove RRC’16 away, either. Personally, I just think that those two projects need more time and development and everything before we can really get them out. Especially Transcendence for me; what started out as a “what if” became way bigger than I expected! It was initially a fun idea that I’d write for from time to time. But eventually, it got bigger and characters grew deeper…

So while I focus on Coalesce this 2017, I’ll also work towards developing Transcendence and RRC’16! 

"We'll be back soon. I promise."

Now, for events: 

1. The Four Loves Celebration: The first celebration of the year! This will officially open tomorrow, January 1, and will last for the entire month of January. If you're seen the teasers, then I think it's pretty clear what the celebration will be about. 😉
2. The Fifth Blogsary: Yep, you read that right--the blog will be going on five years this August! No definitle plans or concepts yet, but I want to do something pretty great. 
3. Coalesce Relaunch: Before the first arc starts, I want to reintroduce everyone to Coalesce. This will probably just be few days to a week long and won't be as major as the other prior two, but still--please do look forward to it! 💛

So allow me to get a little personal here: 2016 was not easy at all. It started off pretty great with me turning eighteen and launching Coalesce over here, but...I don't know. After August, my activity started to dwindle down, and I think you guys noticed. RussDates would be late, I'd miss way more posts for the Russ Features section, and--it wasn't that good, pretty much. Things weren't easy towards the end of the year, admittedly. Academics was taking its toll on me, there were personal conflicts, and...well, I'll say that I got frustrated with myself this past December. 😅

There was a time where I got really annoyed, angry, frustrated with myself and being unable to really catch up to where my friends were in regards to their own creations. I think it was a week or two of me feeling bad until I finally decided fuck it and forced myself to start creating again. And believe it or not, it actually worked! 

This coming 2017, I want to keep growing, keep learning--just keep doing well. Stop comparing myself to others, stop being ridiculously unhappy with myself because it does take its toll on writing, creating, and whatnot. And I think I can do it, at least! 

Before I end this post, I want to thank three specific people--without them, I don't think I would have gotten where I am right now. They've helped me so much this past 2016 and I'm honestly excited to see where they and their stories go from here! 

1. Rothie: Giselle has been there for me since the very beginning, and I owe a hella lot to her. We've been through so much together, and she's witnessed me at both my worst and my best. You guys should really check her out and see how she's doing. I know she's got a lot planned for Mirage this coming 2017 and that excites me so, so much. 💜
2. Gela: Gela is one of my blockmates who runs her own book blog for book reviews! While she hasn't posted her works online, I've seen her ideas + what she can do and can confirm: they're ridiculously good. I mean it. (Gela, if you see this--you should start up a writing blog, too. 💖)
3. Erin: Erin is another blockmate of mine who is just. So talented. You guys seriously have no idea. Like Gela, she hasn't posted her works online, but I've seen + heard about what she's writing, and. She's got so much to share and I'm looking forward to what she has to bring. (Erin, if you see this--same message as Gela. Start a blog. 💙) 

And of course, there's you guys! Thank you so, so much for staying with me this past year despite the craziness, the weirdness, the harsh time and whatnot. It means so much and I'm happy that I'm able to keep sharing my stories and ideas with people who are willing to check it out. I owe it all to you as well as the three people I listed above. 

That's it for this post as well as 2016! May you all have a happy new year,  and may 2017 (as well as the succeeding years) bring nothing but joy and success. 😊