The Recap – January 2023
Well, a little late is better than never. Let’s get right to it, folks! Last Month Write 2x/week Social Media Routine Return of Outings! post series Get submissions/queries back on track How’d I Do? Write 2x/week Yes! Sometimes even more! Social Media Routine Yes? I’ll admit that this goal wasn’t super clear to me when I set it. Did I mean a posting schedule? Automated sharing? I’m not certain what I meant, but I know that I’ve built a little routine that seems to be working? So, a win! Return of Outings! post series Oh, yeah, babeyyyy! You can find them all here. Get submissions/queries back on track Yes! It took a pretty healthy chunk of time at the start of the month, but things are rocking steady now. Monthly Word Count: 12,043 Y’all… I’m good with this. Just like so many of the weeks, January felt good. Consistent. Like I was just chugging…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #4
It is a frigid 37º outside right now, and with the wind it feels like 29º. But the sun is shining and the skies are a crisp, bright blue. Not a cloud in sight. On our drive home from our walk this morning we saw Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, which always feels like a special treat. What a lovely way to start the week! But before we can start looking forward, we gotta take a minute and look back on where we started… Last Week Write 3x this week Prep Newsletter Record Podcast Read a book How’d I Do? Write 3x this week Yes! I sat down to work on the novel exactly three times this week! Prep Newsletter Yep! There’s just a couple of finishing touches, but it will be out by Sunday afternoon, yesterday as of this reading – check your inbox! Record Podcast Yep! It’s…
You Wrote a Book… Now What?
Step 1: Celebrate that ish! You just did a thing SO. MANY. people dream about. How many times have we heard some version of, “I’d love to write a book someday”? Probably more than we can count. It takes remarkable committment and effort to work on the same project for months (maybe even years!) and actually finish it. Congratulations! Celebrate in whatever way is fulfilling for you — drinks, a special meal, a night out, or maybe just a little extra ice cream, as a treat. Now for the disclaimer: This is all merely suggestion. Try these various methods/ideas. Combine them, mix-and-match them. Experiment, until you find some variation that works for you. (This post also assumes that you’ve written a book length work with the intent to publish. If not, then just congratulate yourself and bask in the afterglow of creation, my friend.) Step 2: Put it away. No,…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #2
Not only was this a holiday weekend, but we also had a school dance I had to chaperone, so my entire routine is off-kilter. Hence, the late post. Let’s just get right to it, shall we? Last Week Write 2x/week Queries Finish reading a book Apply for workshops How’d I Do? Write 2x/week Yes! This week I sat down and worked at the novel two times. Each session was wildly different in output, but that’s why I track hours as well as word counts. Queries Yep! It was a bit of a chore, but I launched seven new queries out into the void. Finish reading a book Yes! I finished listening to American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse. Apply for workshops No? Here’s the thing. I researched workshops and retreats, and I found a couple that I could apply for, but none of…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #1
Good morning Blogland! It’s another chilly, damp, and blustery day here in the Pacific Northwest. From my desk I can watch the bushes in our front yard shudder and shake in the wind, and it makes me grateful for my cozy office. Speaking of! I’ve made some updates to the space, slowly but surely bringing the vision to life. I’ve added another bookshelf, this one to display beloved knickknacks and keepsakes, and to display my growing collection of magazines and books that contain my writing. It is surreal to have them on display and it makes me smile every time I see it. I’ve also added a rug and a hanging Turkish style lamp to the converted closet. All that’s left is to get the decor up on that wall and then this room is officially DONE! It only took seven years… Last Week Write 2x/week Send Newsletter Writing Admin/Submissions…
2022: The Year of Yes
Huh. For the first time in a long time, I don’t know what to say at the cusp of a new year. I still feel so close to all the things that happened in 2022 – many of them still feel in-progress! It’s difficult to separate them into one year versus the other in my brain. But, that’s what this blog post is for. A space to look back, assess, and then take the first quaking steps into the future. If you’re new to my blog (in the last few months or so), then please allow me to introduce you to this phenomena of the yearly reflection. I’ve been writing up annual goals and reflecting on them online since January 2012 (you can dig through the old site if you REALLY want to read 22 year-old B.’s thoughts). Over the years the format has streamlined, honed into something familiar and…
The Recap – November 2022
I’m tired, Blogland. I’m finally resurfacing after a long weekend, topped with travel mishaps and drizzled in a migraine. It’s been a doozy of the last few days and I damn near forgot what day it was. You know, as in tomorrow is December somehow. Like, fore real though. How is it December already?! Last Month Write 50k words (+/- 5k) Workout/Read 30 minutes a day Enjoy Family Time How’d I Do? Write 50k words (+/- 5k) Nope. Workout/Read 30 minutes a day Nope. Enjoy Family Time Yes? Total Word Count: 37,661 Ok. Real talk. I KNOW that almost 40k words in 30 days is impressive. I know that. I know that I should be thrilled with this kind of output, and somewhere deep down inside, I think I am proud and pleased with the work I’ve put in this month. But as of right now, all I feel is…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #47
Hey Blogland. I’m writing this from the breakfast bar of my dad’s house in Arizona. Just kidding! After an utterly hellish delay for an absurdly short flight, I’m writing this post from a terminal in Las Vegas. It’s my first visit to the gambling capitol and we’re here for the next ~6 hours while we wait for our connecting flight back home. The spousal unit is okay with that, because there are literally slot machines in every concourse. Meanwhile I’m suffering a stress relief migraine and nausea. But with nothing better to do until 5am, I thought I ought to at least try to get this blog post done. Last Week Nano – Keep Pace (43,342 words) Finish reading The Lost Metal Newsletter Prep Workout/read 30 minutes/day How’d I Do? Nano – Keep Pace (43,342 words) Nope. I’m about 5k words behind right now. Finish reading The Lost Metal Yes! It was…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #46
It’s a chilly, but clear day today. Everything is crisp – sights, sounds, smells. It’s all fragile and frigid and begging for care and consideration, even as the blue sky beckons through the window. Last week was long, Blogland. It felt longer than the whole rest of the month so far, and while I’m looking forward to this holiday week, I’m also exceedingly anxious about it. You know, the usual. Last Week Nano Catch Up (31,673) Finish Reading The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes Workout/Read for 30 minutes a day How’d I Do? Nano Catch Up (31,673) YES! Finish Reading The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes YES! Workout/Read for 30 minutes a day YES! Weekly Word Count: 14,402 I feel like it’s been a long time since I achieved all of my goals in a week. I also feel as though I should be much more excited about this accomplishment, but I’m…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #45
This week went by quick, a blur of late night writing, bedtime reading, and morning spent in the fog. Throw in a good friend’s nuptials and the spouse down and out with a sprained ankle, and I can hardly tell if I’m coming or going. Last Week Get word count back on track (20,004 words by end of day Saturday) Workout/Read 30 minutes a day Edit and post podcast How’d I Do? Get word count back on track (20,004 words by end of day Saturday) So. I got caught up on Thursday. I even had a tiny bit of cushion. Then Friday was a friend’s wedding, Trev got hurt (he’s okay!), and then Saturday was busy with helping out with the business since Trev’s out of commission for the next week or so thanks to his sprained ankle. So, now I’m behind again. I want to call this a mixed…