The summer is flying by. I don’t know how to feel about that. On the one hand, I’m really happy. Keeping busy, getting a lot of quality work done, and generally getting that sneak peek at what a full-time writing life would be like.
I really like it.
This always happens to me. Every break, every vacation, I get a taste of this freedom and it tastes so fucking good. But it’s always temporary. Short-lived. I know that in about a month I’ll be back to the day job. And that’s hard. I genuinely like my job. I like my co-workers and my work and the kids. I do.
But if I could afford to quit? If healthcare didn’t rely on my employment? I’d drop it in a heartbeat. Because nothing I’ve felt working at the high school can compare with the peace and contentment that comes with sitting at this desk, a fresh glass of home-brewed iced coffee condensating nearby, and writing.
I would do it forever if I could. But, at least as of this writing, I can’t. So I guess we should move on and talk about goals and progress or whatever.
Last Week
- Post 1 chapter of fanfic
- Read a book
- Go to the beach
- Continue The Hard Decisions revision
How'd I Do?
- Post 1 chapter of fanfic
- Yep!
- Read a book
- Yep! I finished reading Boys, Beasts & Men by Sam J. Miller and HIGHLY recommend it if you enjoy speculative short stories. Miller is a master.
- Go to the beach
- No…
- Continue The Hard Decisions revision
- Yep. The project is now sitting comfortably on a 5th draft, and is awaiting feedback from some betas before I move forward.
Weekly Word Count: 5,090
Honorable Mentions
As you might have guessed from that word count, there was quite a bit of writing activity this week. I’m honestly kind of struggling to remember everything that I worked on this week. Let me consult my planner.
Ok. So. As you can see, there’s entirely too much happening on this page. I wrote some fanfic, read a bunch, worked on a slice of life fantasy story (which may have fizzled out – TBD), wrote a Taco Bell story (yes, you read that right), wrote a flash fiction piece, and then subbed a couple things, kept up with queries, applied for a couple fellowships…
Yeah. It was a bonkers week. But the weird part is I don’t feel tired or burned out or like I did too much. Honestly, there was a point on Saturday where I was straight up bored. Turns out, when your spouse starts a business with your best friend, suddenly you have no one to hang out with when they get busy. Didn’t think that one through enough, methinks.
But, that’s all right. Especially if it means I sit at home and write weird little stories in a single sitting. I expected to feel more… lost without a project. I thought it was going to take time for me to get used to the freedom of not knowing what to work on, that I would need to really hunker down and consume media in order to “refill the well”, so to speak. And instead it’s been some light reading and writing all kinds of weird little stories and poems and just playing with words again. It’s been fun.
What's Next?
Great question. I don’t really have an answer because all the projects I started this week, I basically finished. So…
- Post 1 chapter of fanfic
- Read a book
- Finish slice of life fantasy story
- Finish The Hardest Decisions
And that’s the week ahead. I’ve got some meetings with friends over the course of the week, which is nice, but there’s also some work sprinkled in there too. But still, a good week ahead with some outdoor time penciled in. Summer might be going way too fast, but at least I’m not letting it slip through my fingers.
I’ll probably be back sometime this week. I don’t have a post planned, but I’m sure something will come up.
Until then, Bloggos.
BZ
