False Spring
It’s February. A month ago I posted about an ice storm that had me homebound for five days. Today the sun plays peek-a-book with a bank of steely, rain-laden clouds. I witnessed a magnificent rainbow just outside my window mere minutes ago. It’s gorgeous, blustery, green and gray day. In February. It also happens to be the Super Bowl, which I care little about. I’m staying home instead of attending the traditional family gathering, so the house is mine today. As of this writing, I’ve already revised fifty-one pages today and plan to do an additional 45 pages before I call it a day. I’ve spent time with my writing friends, co-working via a Discord video call, and I’m hoping I can FaceTime my mom before the afternoon wears on much further. And of course, I’ll read a bit and maybe do a chore or two before my evening work…
The Ice Storm Days
I haven’t left the house in five days. For some folks, I know that can conjure feelings of claustrophobia. Feeling stuck or trapped or hemmed in. But as I sit in my home, watching the thin snow solidify into a dangerously slick pack of ice, I’m feeling grateful for this pause. If you’ve read my more recent posts, then you know 2023 was a rather trying year for us. There were a lot ups and downs, with very high highs and the lowest of lows. And I’ll be honest – this is my first year in a LONG time where I didn’t have at least a week off at the holidays. With both Christmas and New Years falling on my normal weekend, I was feeling more than a little toasty rolling into 2024. But, this arctic storm has brought a sort of relief. Five unexpected and uninterrupted days off. I’ve…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #39
Well, hello there, October! It should come as no surprise that I’m rather fond of the Spooky Season, and even the moderately cool temperatures that come with it. I’m looking forward to wearing my jean jacket and my doc martens, to watching The Crow and indulging in a Chai Latte every now and again. But before all of that, lets talk about the last week of September. Last Week Finish the book Prep newsletter Record podcast How’d I Do? Finish the book YES! Which you probably already know if you read yesterday’s Monthly Recap. Prep newsletter Yep! It should be in your inbox now. If you haven’t signed up, now would be a great time. You don’t want to miss out on book reviews and original fiction direct to your inbox, do you? Record podcast Yes! And I got it edited and scheduled already. It’ll be live on Friday! Are…
The Recap – September 2023
It’s officially October, the spookiest of seasons, when my goth little heart is happiest. Yet today the sun is out, the temps just north of chilly, so it seems summer and autumn are still doing their waltz, trading leads as they see fit. I’ll cling to these last few sunny days, before winter settles in to smother me once more. September Goals Finish Novel Complete at least the first revision Keep up w/submissions and queries How’d I Do? Finish Novel YES! YES YES YES YES! The rough draft is finally, wonderfully DONE! Complete at least the first revision HA! No. Keep up w/submissions and queries Yeah. Things are slow in September as publishing shakes off the last of its summertime slump. But, I made sure things went out as rejections trickled in. Total Word Count: 11,442 That word count should be a pretty clear indication of how I feel about…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #38
Fall is here. I welcomed it with a date night to our favorite restaurant. We had the walleye special, which was incredibly nostalgic for me as I grew up eating fried walleye, and had a couple of my favorite adult beverages (caipirinha – kinda like a Brazilian margarita, but BETTER). Then we went home, I cut a few sprigs from my herbs and used them for my bath. Now, I am not typically a bath person. There’s a lot of reasons for this, but largely I just get bored. Bubbles only entertain me for so long, I don’t trust myself with a library book near water, and I don’t sit still well. Baths are actually the opposite of relaxing to me. But, I wanted to try an herb bath. I was relaxed from the cocktails and I’m reading an ARC right now, so if the book gets damaged, who cares?…
Goals Summary – Wk #36
Ok, so this title is a little bit misleading. I didn’t have any goals last week, so I won’t exactly be summarizing them. I had goals the week before that, which I could talk about, but other than managing to send out the Newsletter, not a whole lot happened this past couple of weeks. What happened was a lot of gaming, as the spousal unit and I splurged to get a PS5 so we can couch co-op Baldur’s Gate 3. Hence, no progress last week. We’ve been gaming for 3+ hours each night after dinner, and I have no regrets. So, I let myself take a little breaky break and enjoy our couch and tv and just generally having the house back to do these sorts of things. Comfortably. It’s been delightful. But, I still have a ticking clock on this novel, and I’m getting very close to finishing it.…
The Recap – August 2023
Well, hello there! This post is late, but not so late that it’s embarrassing, right? That’s what I’m telling myself this morning. I’ve had a lovely walk with the dog, got coffee out as a treat, and done some of my “chores” for the week ahead. Seems like a perfectly good time to get back to blogging, don’t you think? August Goals Complete 1st revision of the novel Submit “King Tide” Get the Podcast back on schedule How’d I Do? Complete 1st revision of the novel Lol. No. Submit “King Tide” Yes! It has since been retitled “Like Fractured Seashells”. More on this in a second. Get the Podcast back on schedule Yes? And not quite. There was definite progress toward this, but I didn’t quite reach the finish line. Total Word Count: 4,924 I feel good about last month. I know enough about myself that any change to a…
The Recap – July 2023
Yes, I’m aware this post is late. I’m sorry about it, but there just wasn’t much I could do about it. See my most recent post to learn more about where I’ve been this past month. Otherwise, I’m just gonna dive right in. July Goals Finish the book Finish “King Tide” Start book revisions How’d I Do? Finish the book Nope. Finish “King Tide” Yes! Start book revisions lol no. Total Word Count: 5,565 So. I have some thoughts about this. First, that I’m not completely unhappy with that word count. It’s the most I’ve written since March. So obviously something was working. But, I couldn’t maintain it through the rest of the month. Things petered off fast as the start date for my new job loomed closer and closer. Between that and the house renovations, I only had so much bandwidth for creative endeavors. And by “so much” I…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #27
Well, will you look at this! A blog post and mostly on time. What a crazy, random happenstance. Let’s get to it! Last Week Write at least 3x Read something Edit + Schedule podcast How’d I do? Write at least 3x Yep! Read something Oh, yeah. Edit + Schedule podcast Definitely! Weekly Word Count: 5,565 So… uh. Yeah. That happened. This last week really felt like I’d settled into my vacation and my brain was ready to get to work after a week of relaxation. I wrote exactly three times, and each session was more productive than the last. If you’re paying close attention, you’ll see that my short story “In Debt to the King Tide” is no longer in the drafting stage. I finished writing it last week and am knee deep in revisions. I’ve also made some really good strides on the novel and am creeping up to…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #26
So, you’re probably thinking, “B. You didn’t set any goals last week. Or, for the last four weeks, actually… where have you been?!” And firstly, yeahhhhhh. Sorry about that. You can read up on my absence in my recent Monthly Recap post. And secondly, joke’s on you, I DID set goals last week! I just forgot to post about them. So, there! Last Week Write something Read something Enjoy my “summer” How’d I Do? Write something Yep. Wrote a bit on that short story I’ve been stewing on for forever. Read something Read a lot of things, actually. Like, four things. Enjoy my “summer” It’s been pretty chill so far. Lots of gardening and reading and drinking iced coffee. I dig it. Weekly Word Count: 1,267 So, yeah. I did stuff. We also had a LOT of work done on the house last week, which can account for some of…