Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #22
I spent some high quality time at the Oregon Coast today. I’m sore, my skin is flush with fresh sun, and I am more than a little sleepy. So let’s just get to it, shall we? Last Week Write at least 2x Edit & schedule Podcast Send Newsletter Read something How’d I Do? Write at least 2x Nope. Edit & schedule Podcast Yes! The newest episode of Top Shelf Librarians is out now! Send Newsletter Yep! It hit your inbox last night. If you haven’t signed up yet, do it now! Read something Yep! I finished listening to an audiobook this week. Weekly Word Count: 703 Well, that’s not nothing. But those words didn’t go toward the novel… Ughhhhhhhhhhh. Okay, but seriously. It was a horrifically busy week and I knew that my odds of getting anything meaningful done were slim. That three out of four goals were completed should…
The Recap – May 2023
Not gonna lie… this month feels like it dragged on for.e..v…e….r…… May is hell month in the education world, where everyone is burnt out and over it, wishing that everything would just slow the eff down as it inevitably hurtles toward a finish line everyone wants and no one is ready for. So, yeah. A great time to try and write a book! Last Month Finish the novel Return to blogging schedule How’d I Do? Finish the novel LOL. No. Return to blogging schedule Yes? I feel like I made a pretty good effort at getting the blog back on track. Total Word Count: 5,544 This was an absolutely unhinged month. I feel like I only have glimpses of the things that happened, or the stuff that I did. I can’t grab onto any one thing as concrete. Other than my Story Hour reading, mainly because it was recent and…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #21
The long weekend (plus a migraine) has thrown my routines for a loop. Several things are behind schedule, this post being one of them. So let’s get down to it! Last Week Write 3x Record Podcast Prep Newsletter Read Something How’d I Do? Write 3x Lol, no. But I did brainstorm the next scene, so that’s something? Record Podcast Yes! Prep Newsletter No… more on that in a minute. Read Something Yes! Weekly Word Count: 0 Okay… So, I was maybe a bit busier than I really acknowledged when I set these goals. I was pretty overwhelmed last week. Overwhelmed enough that I asked to take a break from my critique group until school is out, because I just have too much going on. Overwhelmed enough that I got a migraine this weekend that basically obliterated my to-do list. Hence, no newsletter went out on Sunday, as planned. Good news?…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #20
It’s Monday. We’re here today, together, to talk about goals. And accomplishments. And fun things. And things that make me want to vomit from anxiety. You know. The usual. Last Week Write at least twice Read something Edit and Post The Saga Saga: Volume One How’d I Do? Write at least twice No, but… I wrote once for two whole hours and wrote more than I did all last month. Read something Yep! Edit and Post The Saga Saga: Volume One Yes! You can listen to it now! Weekly Word Count: 2,256 Last week was a very busy one, with commitments sneaking up on me and taking all sorts of time. And yet, I feel like I accomplished a lot last week. I finally had a breakthrough on the novel, and I’m feeling like I can move forward with it once again. The end is very close now… I also read a…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #19
It’s Monday morning. You know what that means! We have things to talk about, so let’s get to it! Last Week Write at least 2x Writing Admin Catch up (Queries + Submissions) Read Something How’d I Do? Write at least 2x Yes! While it wasn’t for as long as I’d like, or ended in a thrilling word count, my butt was in the chair, noveling, twice this week. Writing Admin Catch up (Queries + Submissions) Yes! I’ve got a pretty good process in place for both querying and submitting short stories, so this only took a couple of hours. I’m glad to get back on track! Read Something Yes! I actually read two somethings! Dragon Age: The Missing #4 and Steering the Craft by Ursula LeGuin. Hooray! Weekly Word Count: 1,828 Now, that’s what I’m talking about! I love weeks where everything gets done, where all my red-inked goals become…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #18
Well, will you look at that! A blog post? On time? Last Week Write at least 1k words of the novel Send Newsletter Edit and Schedule Podcast Timberline Review Edits How’d I Do? Write at least 1k words of the novel Lol, no. Send Newsletter Yes! The April Newsletter is in your inbox! Unless… I mean. You’re signed up, right? Edit and Schedule Podcast Yep! The newest episode of Top Shelf Librarians is out now! Timberline Review Edits Yep! Weekly Word Count: 455 Considering that I didn’t even set my goals until Thursday, I am not mad about this. Operating amid renovation chaos is a new, not-so-fun challenge, but I think I’m beginning to adapt. The good news is that there is power in my office once again! Because, lemme tell ya, it is damn near impossible to get any work done in the dark. So, What’s Next? Write at least 2x…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #17
Well, this isn’t ideal. But, better late than never, yes? Last Week Write 3x Record Podcast Finish reading something Newsletter Prep How’d I Do? Write 3x No. But I did write once, which is better than prior weeks. Record Podcast Yes! Finish reading something Yes! Newsletter Prep Lol, no. Weekly Word Count: 1,150 Look. Two out of four isn’t the worst. There was a lot on my plate last week, and if you’ve read the most recent Recap, you know that April just wasn’t a gret month for productivity. Or schedules. Or, you know, the writing life in general. Honorable Mentions There was some good last week though. I wrote a little, read a little. Saw friends and had a delicious meal outside of our half-demolished house. I spent time in the sun at the Terroir Creative Writing Festival, sharing lunch, a car ride, and good vibes with my critique…
The Recap – April 2023
Hi. This is a little later than I’d like, but not as late as last months’ Recap so… Improvement? Last Month Reestablish Routines Read Short Fiction Write 3x/week Finish the book? How’d I Do? *yeets self into the sun* Total Word Count: 1,150 Okay, in all seriousness, I realize now that I had no business setting any sort of goals last month. The fact that I wrote any words at all (and on the novel to boot!) feels like a miracle. I kinda sorta re-established some routines, but then they got immediately screwed over again by a terrible migraine (hence why this post is so late). So, I guess, I’m just like, happy I made it through? Before I move on though, let me yell about something really quick: Life Beyond Us is OUT NOW! The reviews are coming in (from Grimdark Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Foreword Reviews and more!) and…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #15/16
It’s been a wild, whirlwind couple of weeks, so let’s just skip the niceties and get right to it. Last (?) Week Write 3x Edit and Schedule Podcast Read Something Survive the week How’d I Do? Write 3x Lol. No. Edit and Schedule Podcast Yes! The new episode is out now! Have you listened yet? Read Something No. Or at least, I didn’t finish reading anything. But I am reading again so that’s good news! Survive the week Yes. I am here, writing to you, so I did in fact survive. Weekly(?) Word Count: 0 Look. It was a busy week by any standards. Add the whole displaced from our home stress, and really… how did I think I’d accomplish anything? There is some good news though! We decided last Sunday to move back home and just cope with some discomfort for a few weeks until our hot water heater…
The Recap – March 2023
A week and a half late isn’t the worst, right? I mean, with everything going on, I’m lowkey surprised I wrote a blog post at all. But I did! And now you get to read it. What a crazy, random happenstance! Last Month Write at least 3x/week Read 4 books Keep on schedule How’d I Do? Write at least 3x/week Nope. I averaged two writing sessions a week, which isn’t bad. Just, not the goal. Read 4 books Yep! I actually read eight titles last month. Keep on schedule Yes? As well as I reasonably could given the crazy house situation we’ve found ourselves in. Total Word Count: 16,090 Okay. I’m struggling here. That word count is nutso good. Like, I am STOKED about that number, but all month I felt like I was dragging my feet and standing in place. I felt unmotivated and stuck. How can I write…