Top Shelf Librarians December Episode – OUT NOW!
This month the Top Shelf Librarians say sayonara to 2022 and gear up for what’s looking like… an interesting 2023. Things are getting wild in the Top Shelf Librarians recording studio, gang. Heather’s got 99 problems, and Bluetooth’s one. Brittany’s chock-a-block full of advice, from recommended social media (hint: it’s tumblr) to the best foods to eat when you know you’re just gonna barf it back up in fifteen minutes. We say goodbye to the Goodreads Challenge, discuss our 2022 faves, and Heather vows to Betty Crocker This Shit in the Cooking Corner Formerly Known as Matt’s. By now you know that things usually get weird on the show, but in 2023, we’re choosing violence. Buckle up. Listen Here!
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…
The Recap – December 2022
It’s New Year’s Eve, as of this writing. A chilly, rain-showery day where the sun peeks out for just a wink before retreating behind clouds again. Yesterday was a busy one, spent working an event with the spouse’s business. Today I’m sore from lifting and moving furniture and decor. A perfect excuse to sit and do some of the blogging/writing admin I’d been procrastinating. Last Month Write 20k words on the novel Read a ton Get back into workout routine How’d I Do? Write 20k words on the novel No. Not even close. Read a ton No? I read three books, which was nowhere near the number I had in mind when I set this goal. That said… I’m really happy I read three books! Get back into workout routine Hahahahaha Monthly Word Count: 1,639 I learned a lot this December. I learned that November Brittany is riding the high…
Top Shelf Librarians – October Episode OUT NOW!
It’s a little late, and I do apologize, but there were scheduling conflicts, illnesses, and technical difficulties to overcome. All that said, it’s another doozy of an episode, so enjoy! You can listen here, or over on the Listen page! The Library Pros™ will be back in December, so until then, Happy Holidays and happy reading! BZ
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #44
This one’s gonna be quick, Blogland. I’m not at home, I don’t have access to my whiteboard, and as of this writing it is WAY past my bedtime. Let’s get to it! Last Week Nanowrimo Prep Weekly Nano Word Count Goal (8,335 words) Record Podcast Workout/Read 30 minutes a day How’d I Do? Nanowrimo Prep Yes? Yes! I’m prepped and things are progressing. Weekly Nano Word Count Goal (8,335 words) Lol. No. Record Podcast Yes! Workout/Read 30 minutes a day No, but not like, totally horrible either. Weekly Word Count: 5,258 So, here’s the deal. The first week of November is a shitshow, okay? I’m currently writing this from a hotel room I’m sharing with a coworker while it dumps freezing rain beyond the window. And it’s 11 o’clock at night, after a long day of driving, socializing, and wrangling 22 teenagers. Phew. Add to that the PDX Book Fest…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #39
Look, I’m keeping this brief because I’m sleepy and stressed about the week ahead, for reasons that will become all too clear as you read on. Enjoy my impending nervous breakdown! Last Week Victoria Revision #2 Read 20 minutes a day Write 1500 words Record podcast How’d I Do? Victoria Revision #2 I made good progress, but did not finish it. There’s still a bit of work to do. Read 20 minutes a day Yep! You can read about how the Trevor Project reading challenge went in my September Recap. Write 1500 words Nope. Record podcast Yes! It will be out on schedule, this Friday! You can catch up on the most recent episode here. Weekly Word Count: 381 Hey man, it ain’t zero, which is about all I care about when it comes to word count right now. When it comes to revision, word count just isn’t a good metric by…
The Recap – August 2022
Oh, Blogland… How is it September already? Surely that’s illegal? It ought to be illegal for summer to go by without my enjoying a single hike! I want to talk to time’s manager! August Goals Read + Revise Victoria Read 4 Books Survive this month How’d I Do? Read + Revise Victoria Yep! I have read it through (twice!) and finished the first round of revision! Read 4 Books Hahahahahahahaha. No. Survive this month I suppose that, since I am typing this, I am technically alive, which would suggest survival. Sanity is a separate matter… Total Word Count: 2,497 If July was lovely, then August was…. bustling. Between twitter pitch events, day-job responsibilities ramping up, a writing conference, a family reunion, and a pretty ambitious set of goals, it’s a miracle I’m upright! It’s also been hot as balls this month and when I tell you I am sick of sweating… Anyway.…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #5
Let’s get right into it, shall we? Last Week The Lament of Kivu Lacus line edits Spend at least 2 hours with Victoria Send Tavi to Beta readers Read The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik How’d I Do? The Lament of Kivu Lacus line edits Yes! I dreaded opening this edit letter — my first professional one — for fear that it would be rife with revisions and basically confirm what I secretly knew all along: I’m a shit writer. Yeahhhh that didn’t happen. It was ten minutes worth of work, mostly adding commas (which made me proud — you usually have to cut those!), and changing a word here or there. So, that’s done, we’re all in agreement and now I just wait for the final formatted version. Spend at least 2 hours with Victoria Yes. But until now I thought I hadn’t met this goal because I wrote it down EVERYWHERE else as 4 hours… Send Tavi to…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #4
Another week, another blog post. It’s been so long since I consecutively posted that this feels… strange? And yet, familiar? Even before the pandemic, I wasn’t always the most consistent poster and I don’t want to make you think I’m entirely reformed — I’m sure I’ll fall off this wagon eventually. But the pandemic just really through a wrench in all my routines, like it did for everyone. It’s just weird to feel like I’m recovering when the pandemic doesn’t seem to be. I’ll not look a gift horse in the mouth — ADHDetour — That particular idiom comes from the practice of aging horses by their teeth. If someone gave you a horse and the first thing you did was check its teeth to figure out how old it was, that’d be hella rude. So we have a saying about not doing that — ADHDetour — For now I’m…