*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.
Hours Check
- Reading: 15.5 Hours
- Four books, two of which were short story collections (both of which I HIGHLY recommend), one was a poetry manual, and the other was a wonderful Urban Fantasy novel by K.D. Edwards.
- Willamette Writers Meetings: 18 Hours
- During the summer months, I can go to some of the weekday meetings I miss out on when school’s in. I love the Tuesday morning meeting in particular and make a point to attend as often as I can… when I don’t sleep through my alarm. 8am is early in the summer, okay?
- Podcast: 12 Hours
- Man. That’s a lot of time spent getting caught up. Really looking forward to keeping this on schedule as we move into the fall months. Speaking of, are you caught up?
- Working Out: 6.5 Hours
- Not much, but definitely an improvement! Getting back to playing Beat Saber on occasion, and swimming has made movement interesting for me once again.
- Website Management: 14.5 Hours
- Y’all. This thing doesn’t run itself. Writing blog posts, updating the Latest page, and writing up a Newsletter each month takes t i m e.
- Short Story Submissions: 4.5 Hours
- I submitted FOUR NEW short stories this month! My goal for the YEAR was TWO!!!! I doubled it in a month?! And I’d already reached the goal, so I’ve actually tripled it so far?! WHAT?!?!?!
- Queries: 2.5 Hours
- Querying is a slow, slow process gang. So, so slow.
- Miscellaneous Submissions: 7.5 Hours
- I applied for several grants/fellowships/scholarships because why not? The worst they can tell me is “no” and my intention for the year is to REACH. I am reaching!
- Poetry: 2 Hours
- I spent some time experimenting with poetry this month, and enjoyed myself. I do not have any aspirations to be a poet, however. They’re just fun word experiments for me.
- Three Lessons Learned at the Taco Bell at the Edge of the Universe: 4 Hours
- Yes, that title is insane. No, I will not elaborate.
- The Magic in the Snow Globe: 2 Hours
- This story fell out of my brain so fast and so complete that I wrote almost all of it in one sitting on my phone! The last story that came to me so urgently and completely just sold to Wyldblood Press!
- The Secret Ingredient: 6 Hours
- This one put up a little more of a fight, but I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s a sweet little Fantasy Romance that I wrote with a specific market in mind. I hope they like it.
- Hard Decisions: 2 Hours
- This story just needed a final polish revision. I think it turned out great, though it’s another of those stories that will be hard to place. It doesn’t stand firmly in any one genre and deals more with emotion than action, so I worry about it. But so far, even my emotional little stories find homes eventually.
- The Lament of Kivu Lacus Proofs: 1.5 Hours
- The first round of proof passes came across my desk this month, which is VERY exciting! Getting to see my weird, second person, emotional SF story in a bookish shape was incredibly cool. September can’t get here soon enough!
- Fanfic: 5 Hours
- … Where did this time go? I didn’t write much fic this month… but I apparently spent a decent chunk of time writing what little I did. Huh.
Total Hours: 103.5
Look, I’m tired just from doing all this math. And yes, I used a calculator. This was a lot of time on all kinds of projects. I feel very much like a professional writer right now. Gonna ride this blissful wave while it lasts.
August Goals
- Read + Revise Victoria
- Read 4 Books
- Survive this month
I’m feeling ready to take a look at this book. It follows that, since the drafting process was so different from any of my other books/stories, that the revision process will be different too. Normally I’d wait substantially longer to revise something. I need the distance after months of living and breathing the book. But this book wasn’t like that. It didn’t consume me the same way Something Sulfurous did, and I think that’s because it’s a retelling. So, I’m going to dive in and see just what I’m working with.
My TBR is never-ending, so I’m sure I’ll find something to read soon. Contenders are Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse, Gallant by V.E. Schwab, and For the Throne by Hannah Whitten. Also, Distant Trails by Nan C. Ballard which is available for pre-order NOW!
Where July was calm and lovely, August is shaping up to be… a lot. Between work booting back up, the Willamette Writers Conference, and a family reunion I’m basically out of free time until work start the last week of August. Then it’s back to the grind and routine of school. *sad kazoo sound*
And keep in mind I’ll be submitting short stories, querying, AND pitching during all of this… I’m tired just thinking about it!
I’ll be posting on social media a lot while at the conference, so follow along there, and then I’ll be back on Monday with the usual Goals Summary.
Until then, Bloggarts!
BZ
