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 #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…
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…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #12
Gang. This week? Absolutely nuttters. Nothing has gone as expected, and as someone utterly reliant upon their routines, it’s been A LOT. Let’s dive in, shall we? Last Week Write 3x #StoryADay Read a book Return to Routine How’d I Do? Write 3x Yes! #StoryADay As of this writing, I am two days behind, but I’ll get caught up – I pinky promise! Read a book Yep! I finished reading The Fire Opal Mechanism this week. Return to Routine Yes! Somehow, impossibly, I’ve stuck to the routine this week. Weekly Word Count: 4,645 Look, for any other week’s metric, this is a bomb-ass week. But this was my last “normal” week of the month and I really wanted to cross the 10k mark on the book. It would have been the most advantageous jumping off point for my spring break writing retreat. But… That spring break writing retreat has quickly…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #11
Yes, this post is on time. No, it is not a miracle. My weekend was actually fairly normal, and it was so, so so so nice. What isn’t normal is that I have a little bit of news to share before we dive into the meat of this Goals Summary. Announcement! IT’S RELEASE DAY, babeyy! You can read my short story “In the Librarian’s Garden” TODAY at Tree and Stone Magazine! A quiet story about finding yourself and your true home, it holds a very precious space in my heart. I really hope you enjoy it. You can read it (and other stories) online here. (It officially releases later this afternoon. I’ll post on socials about it.) Or, you can support a young magazine and buy an ebook copy here. Thanks so much for your support, and for reading! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Last Week Write…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #10
Hi. I’m sorry this is so late. These past two weeks have completely smashed my routines into little, shiny fragments. And without my routines, things like accountability posts tend to fall by the wayside. You’ll also notice that, again, there’s no Outings! post this week. Yeah. I’ll get into the reason for that in a bit. But first, let’s look at some goals. Last Week Write 3x Keep reading Tidy up office (for realsies this time) How’d I Do? Write 3x Yep! It wasn’t all on the novel, but my butt was in the chair three times last week! Keep reading Yep! Tidy up office (for realsies this time) Hahahahahahahahaha *sobs* Weekly Word Count: 5,309 Okay, so if all the writing wasn’t on the novel, what was I working on? Well, there was a big chunk of words spent on an emotional support chapter of fanfic. And then another chunk…
Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #9
Today is a slow day. A day spent sleeping in and watching robins hunt for worms in the front yard. We were out late last night, singing karaoke with friends until the bar closed. Like we’re still in our twenties. We are not. Trev’s had the worst of it, while I feel fine other than a slightly sensitive stomach and hoarseness I haven’t felt in a long time. I love karaoke, y’all. Like, a lot a lot. And when I go, I go hard. If I’m not a little raspier the next day, did I even have fun? Point is, we had fun, and we’re paying for it now. So while it’s quiet, let’s talk about goals, shall we? Last Week Write at least 3x Send Newsletter Keep reading Edit + Schedule Podcast Tidy up office (lol) How’d I Do? Write at least 3x Yes! It wasn’t all on the…
The Recap – February 2023
February’s come and gone in a flurry of snow days and frozen cul-de-sacs. I spent the dreariest of months consuming television and movies, reading an insane amount of all kinds of books, and writing. An actually decent amount of writing. But don’t just take my introduction as proof! Let’s look at the stats! Last Month Write at least 3x/week Read 4 books Keep on schedule How’d I Do? Write at least 3x/week Nope. I wrote two times a week, every week in February though! Read 4 books Yep! Actually, I doubled it – I read EIGHT books in February! Keep on schedule Yes? Aside from not writing the three times I week I wanted to, having a set schedule for writing, blogging, and marketing has been critical to my consistent output this month. Total Word Count: 11,787 In true February fashion, the month went by in a blur of snow…