Goals Summary 2023 – Wk #5
How are we already five weeks into 2023? That doesn’t feel real! I’m already seeing daffodil and tulip shoots peeking their heads out for some sunshine. It’s going to be spring before we know it, which means I need to get serious about some goal setting! Last Week Write at least 3x this week (~3,500 words) Read a book Keep up on blog posts How’d I Do? Write at least 3x this week (~3,500 words) Nope. Only two writing sessions this week. Read a book No? I have three books I’m actively reading at the time of this writing, all of them very close to being done. I’ll probably have three books done this coming week. Keep up on blog posts Yep! There was a lot happening on the blog this week, as usual for the first week of the month, but they all posted and were shared in a…
On Writing Communities
When we think of writers, what do we picture? For many of us we see a cluttered desk in a home office, papers strewn every which way while a person sits staring at a computer screen with a permanent frown. The coffee on the desk has long gone cold, and this book isn’t writing itself. If you’re in my age bracket, you might actually just picture Johnny Depp from Secret Window. (Side Note: If I had a lakeside cabin with a cleaning service that I could run away to, I don’t think I’d be murdering anybody. That’s a sweet set up, mon frere.) The point is, when we think of the writing life, we picture a life of solitude, torment, and frequently alcoholism. I largely blame this on Ernest Hemingway, but I’m liable to blame just about any literary complaint on “Papa,” which is a topic for another post. Truthfully,…
It’s Saturday.
Which, historically, means very little for the blog. I don’t write any special posts or even tend to spend much time on the site. Saturdays are personal days. I don’t write, I might read, but mostly I play video games and lounge around with the spousal unit. Especially since the pandemic. Today though, is a very different kind of Saturday. There’s the usual Saturday Morning “Coffee at Your Table” through Willamette Writers, where a bunch of writer types hang out on Zoom and shoot the shit. I’m helping run those meetings these days, and I couldn’t be happier about it. They are one of my favorite traditions to come from the COVID era. But after that I need to return some pants to Goodwill, buy dog food, and then there’s the Willamette Writers Salem Chapter meeting in a nearby park. It’s the first in-person meeting for my chapter since March…
#WilWrite22
In some ways, it still feels like I’m processing the conference. It’s blurry, a mishmash of faces and conversations – most organic, some crafted during certain events. There’s a pocket in my backpack full of business cards and scribbled names and email addresses. All folks I want to keep in touch with. I have a lot of emails to write… The conference kicked off (unofficially) Thursday night with a Writer’s Fair, that was open and free to the public (w/proof of vaccination and masks). It was an extremely casual look at local writing organizations (Wordcrafters in Eugene, SFWA, Astoria Writers Guild, etc.,) with a little social hour complete with a full-service bar and appetizers. We also celebrated the release of The Timberline Review, and heard some WONDERFUL readers! I wore my best “Summer Speculative” look and got to meet my critique partners Nan C Ballard and Laura Cranehill IN PERSON!…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #31
I’m off to a slow start this morning. I’m back home after an amazing weekend at the Willamette Writers Conference, and though I’m happy, my brain is, well, mush. So let’s take a bleary look at last week’s goals and see if I can come up with something to shoot for this week. Last Week Prep elevator pitches for Something Sulfurous and Victoria Prep additional Something Sulfurous pitches for #DVpit Draft packing list/pack for #WilWrite22 Enjoy #WilWrite22 How’d I Do? Prep elevator pitches for Something Sulfurous and Victoria Prep additional Something Sulfurous pitches for #DVpit Yes and No. I didn’t really prep formal pitches/elevator pitches for Something Sulfurous or Victoria. I talked about them more organically with fellow writers than I expected, which I’ll talk more about in my Conference Wrap Up post later this week. However, I did participate in #DVpit and did get an agent like on one of them, which I’ll talk more about later in this…
The Recap – July 2022
*Waves goodbye to July while “Slipping Through My Fingers” by ABBA plays in the background* July Goals Read at least 4 books Write at least 5,000 words of fanfic Fill the well How’d I Do? Read at least 4 books Yes! I read exactly four books in July! Write at least 5,000 words of fanfic Lol. No. Wrote a little over 2k words though, so at least it’s something! Fill the well Yes! I think. I’ve spent time outdoors, with friends and family, and doing simple little things that bring me joy. Playing video games, drinking iced coffee, tending to my plants. It’s been a very calm month, personally, and I’ve been basking in the serenity. Total Word Count: 8,607 July was a lovely month. There were fireworks, lots of time spent with delightful books, and even more time spent writing weird little stories with little to no concern about their…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #30
This week has been a blur of good news, revision, and video games. I have no complaints. Last Week Finish + submit The Secret Ingredient Finish The Hard Decisions Read a book Prep July Newsletter Write 3500+ words of fanfic How’d I Do? Finish + submit The Secret Ingredient Yes! This story came together much more easily than I expected. Revision was straightforward too! It’s now on submission at the market that inspired it, so fingers crossed! Finish The Hard Decisions Yep! This story is still a weird one to me. Another one of my stories that doesn’t really seem to fit anywhere. But I’ll keep sending it anyway. I’ve learned that lesson well this week. Read a book Yes! I finished reading A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver, and you can hear all about it on the next episode of Top Shelf Librarians! Prep July Newsletter Yes! It is done and should have…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk 25
Yes, yes. I’m aware that it’s Sunday. I know! I know I usually post these summaries on Mondays. But my “week” starts on Sunday, so I always write these things on Sunday, I just don’t usually post them until Monday. So, psych! I gotcha! Honestly, though, I don’t know if I’m just ahead of the of the game because I’ve been stuck in the house all week (Trev tested positive for COVID on Wednesday), or if I’d be this motivated (writing-wise) even if I could run to the grocery store. Quarantining sucks, but I’m making the most of it, I guess. It’s been a doozy of a week, so let’s get into it! Last Week Revise >30 chapters of Something Sulfurous Write >500 words of Victoria Revise and submit The Finest Creation of an Artful God Keep working on fics Record Podcast Episode How’d I Do? Revise >30 chapters of Something Sulfurous No. BUT,…
Goals Summary 2022 – Week #2
Hoo boy. It’s been a week. Let’s just jump right in, shall we? Last Week Revise at least 10 chapters of Tavi Spend at least 4 hours with Victoria Read Things in Jars by Jess Kidd How’d I Do? Revise at least 10 chapters of Tavi Yep! The revision process continues to go smoothly and make me very happy. But, we’re quickly approaching the middle, so we’ll see if that holds. Spend at least 4 hours with Victoria Oh… oh no. I spent about an hour on Victoria this week. I’m having a pretty hard time getting my butt in the chair for this project. Read Things in Jars by Jess Kidd I mean, I did read it, I just haven’t finished it yet. I’m planning to get some serious reading time in tonight, and might have to finish it on my lunch break tomorrow. Weekly Word Count: 1,045 So,…
A Weird Week
It started out fine, if a little stressful. We rushed to checkout chromebooks to every student, just in case we needed to make the move to distance learning. It was a mad-dash day, but it went pretty well all things considered. I’m proud of that work, and the people who helped make the day a success. Then Wednesday hit and I didn’t feel right. Not bad, per se. Not necessarily sick, but I felt like I’d smoked a pack of cigarettes in my sleep. As the day wore on and the feeling didn’t abate, I made the decision to leave work and be safe. Two years into this pandemic I had my first COVID test on Thursday. I don’t have results yet, but after a few days of mild body aches, some tightness in my lungs, and stuffy/runny nose, and absolutely exhausted, I am feeling much improved today. I don’t…