Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #25

Hiya Bloggos!

Last week was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. A phone interview, prepping for an in-person interview, a hike, yard work, and a migraine meant there just wasn’t a whole lot of writing time.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise In Great Need of Ghosts
• Work on something fun!

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Nope. Sorry about that.
• Revise In Great Need of Ghosts
  • Yes! A got another revision done, and think I made some critical changes to help with pacing.
• Work on something fun!
  • Not really? With all the resume building and interview prep, revising Ghosts was my fun work.

Weekly Word Count: 0

I hate writing that. Even when word count wasn’t a big goal, it feels bad to say I wrote nothing in a whole week. But I was busy, and very very distracted. I could very well be unemployed at the end of this week, so you know. I’ve got a lot going on in my brain right now.

One thing that helped with that was a hike at Cape Meares. Two weeks off from my weekend hikes had me winded for most of the morning, and was a harsh reminder that it’s so easy to lose forward momentum when it comes to fitness.

Another thing that helped was bingeing The Great British Bake Off and Good Omens. I love them both and found them so uplifting when my world was very suddenly dark.

Revisions on the short story continue. I think I fixed the big problem and from here I think it’ll be about streamlining the story, cutting, and making the words sing. I think placing it will be tricky. It’s a quiet story that doesn’t really fit into any one genre. But that’s okay. I believe that writing stories for ourselves is the most important thing. I wrote a story that I wanted to tell, and either I’ll find an editor that loves it like I do, or I won’t. And that’s okay.

These past couple weeks have been a big lesson in accepting the things I cannot change. You’d think, having grown up at AA meetings, I’d know how to do that already, but it’s been difficult. I like having control (who doesn’t) and when life gets out of control, I tend to panic. I’m doing a lot of deep breathing these days.

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Finish In Great Need of Ghosts
• Read something!

That’s it. I want to keep it simple this week. Read something, edit a bit, talk on the blog. Pretty much just get out of my head and onto the page. I’ll be waiting for news about an interview this week, and if I don’t do something escapist I will go insane. I’d really prefer not to.

That’s it Bloggarts. This is all I’ve got for you. The adrenaline of this morning’s interview is ebbing and I am so very tired now. I’ll be around.

 

BZ

 

 

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Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #24

This week felt really long, Bloggos. And not in the best way. I got some pretty bad (and unexpected) news on Friday, and while I spent the weekend recuperating (I replayed Detroit Become Human ALL DAY Saturday) it’s safe to stay I’m still reeling a bit.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Polish In Great Need of Ghosts
• Work on something fun!

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yarp. You can read my review of Knight’s Shadow now!
• Polish In Great Need of Ghosts
  • Nope. Still waiting on some feedback and giving the story some distance.
• Work on something fun!
  • Yes! I wrote some tumblr prompts and worked a tiny bit on my giant fanfic series. It felt really good to come back to it after all this time.

Weekly Word Count: 1,178

I’m a little distracted today. I have a phone interview for a job I really want, and I’m trying to distract myself with writing this post. It isn’t really working. I read things, wrote some things, and played video games. That’s it.

Next.

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise In Great Need of Ghosts
• Work on something fun!

I think a week off is enough for me to return to this story with fresh eyes and try to iron out what the hell is wrong with it. The problem is that I like a lot of the story, so the problem areas aren’t super clear. That’s why I’ve been waiting for feedback. Maybe new eyes can enlighten me.

Sorry for the brief post. It’s really all I can manage at the moment. I’ll be back later this week, one way or another.

 

BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #23

Y’all. Last week felt long, but not in a bad way. I felt like I moved through the week like Quicksilver, speeding by and getting shit done in half the time it would normally take. I wrote a short story, edited it, watched movies, went to the zoo, played video games, and worked more than usual!  I used that momentum to my advantage.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Write 1k on In Great Need of Ghosts
• Finish listening to Knight’s Shadow
• Start reading Revenger

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yarp. Three actually.
• Write 1k on In Great Need of Ghosts
  • uhhh… yeah. Like, four times that.
• Finish listening to Knight’s ShadowYes! It was a really good listen, too.
• Start reading Revenger
  • Yes. It’s going kinda slow, but I’m about 75 pages in so I’ll give it a few more days.

Weekly Word Count: 4,009

That word count really tells you how I spent my week. The week before was slow going for the story, with under 1k words but Monday and Tuesday I hammered out the entire rough draft. I’ve revised it to its third draft and sent it to some folks for feedback. We’ll see what they think and see if my brain comes up with anything else to fix about it.

I finished listening to Knight’s Shadow and have a full review forthcoming. I finished it just in time for a new Audible credit, so I’ll be starting the third Greatcoats book soon. I’m struggling with Revenger. I’ll give it this week, but if it doesn’t grab me by then I’ll shelve it for something else on my TBR.

There was no hike this weekend, with my hiking buddy out of town, so I arranged for my family to get together and spend the day at the zoo. The Oregon Zoo was wonderful! there’s still a lot of construction happening as they’re in the final stages of using a bond from 2008, but the new enclosures are so awesome! Elephants have a North Meadow, a central pond, a South Meadow, and an indoor area. It’s designed to encourage the elephants to move, much like they would in the wild foraging for food. All of the elephants were incredibly active, moving from place to place, eating and interacting with one another. And by interacting, I mean interacting. Seeing elephants heed the call of nature wasn’t something I ever wanted to see and now I can’t unsee it. So, hurray… There were a lot of other amazing enclosures and the plan for the polar bear, chimpanzee, and rhino habitats look amazing. I’m excited to go back once it’s all done in 2020.

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Polish In Great Need of Ghosts
• Work on something fun!

I don’t have any major projects scheduled until July. I didn’t anticipate that this story would be so close to done so soon. I’ll spend this week hammering it out and polishing it, and see where that takes me. Last night I had a big urge to reread my long fanfic series, or to read other fanfic. I miss it a bit, so I think I’m going to spend the next two weeks reading and writing some fanfic. For once, I have the time and the motivation, so I ought to make good on it.

I should be hiking again this weekend, somewhere on the coast. So I have that to look forward to, and a week of gaming, reading and writing fanfic. What’s not to love?

I’ll be back this week with the review fo Knight’s Shadow. I don’t think I’ll be back with anything else, but let’s keep our fingers crossed. Maybe I’ll get some publishing news.

Until then, Bloggos,

 

BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #22

Hey, Bloggos.

Another week down and the weather finally broke, giving us more sunshine than I knew what to do with. A mighty sunburn and a bought of dehydration later, I’m ready to talk about the week and what comes after.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Write 1k on In Great Need of Ghosts
• Finish reading Murderbot books

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yarp.
• Write 1k on In Great Need of Ghosts
  • Narp. Just over 700 words, so close but no cigar.
• Finish reading Murderbot books
  • Yes! And then some!

Weekly Word Count: 713

I finally wrote up my thoughts in the aftermath of finishing the rough draft of my novel. I think I needed to do that to get the last dredges of the book out of my mind and actually move on to the next project. I hope that’s the case. I want to move on and really dig into the new short story, but things just aren’t gelling yet. I get snippets and flashes, but nothing coherent enough to turn into a story. Yet. Hence the low word count.

But, when the writing slows down the reading ratchets WAY up. Last week I finished Rogue Protocol and read Exit Strategy, WicDiv vol. 8, In an Absent Dream, one short story, and listened to Evil Eye.  So, lots of reading last week!

I also went on a ridiculously gorgeous hike, and nearly gave myself sun poisoning. Apparently this desert rat doesn’t know what to do with excess sunshine anymore. I felt shriveled all day Sunday, and no matter how much water I drank I couldn’t seem to get enough. Dehydration is no joke, kids. This is coming from someone who typically drinks 60+ ounces of water a day. Thankfully I’m feeling back to normal today.

Side Note: I had a (very mild) migraine this weekend as well, which did not help matters in the slightest.

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Write 1k on In Great Need of Ghosts
• Finish listening to Knight’s Shadow
• Start reading Revenger

So, lots of reading and writing this week. There’s no hike slated for this weekend because my hiking buddy is out of town. But, I’ve made plans to go to the Oregon Zoo and check out the Mikkeller Brewing pop-up in Portland this weekend. I won’t let a Saturday go to waste, especially not one that’s supposed to be so nice. Unfortunately that means the zoo will be crowded, but I can’t help that.

As I’m sitting here, writing this blog post, I keep getting little snippets of my newest story. I think the gears are finally turning up there in my head and I might finally make some progress on this story! I really like what it’s trying to do and be, so I’m feeling pretty hopeful and a little excited right now.

I finally broke down and paid for an Audible subscription. There’s just too many audiobooks I want to listen to that I can’t get (easily) through the library. One of those titles is Knight’s Shadow, the second book in the Greatcoats series. If you’ll recall, I listened to the first one at the end of last year, and tried to read the sequel in a hardback with little success. I shelved it for more pressing reads, but now I’m listening to it and loving it so far.

But, I still need a paper book to read, and Revenger by Alastair Reynolds is next on my TBR pile. I’ve read some pretty mixed reviews, but I’ve also never read anything by him before, so we’ll see how it goes.

I’ll talk at you soon with the Reading Round Up for May.

Until then, Blogland.

 

BZ

The Recap – May 2019

May was a weird month, yo. It started out with this mad dash to get the book done, and then screeched to a crawl as I relaxed and struggled to find my writing legs again in the aftermath.

May Goals

• Finish Tavi rough draft
• Continue short story submissions
• Read a short story each week
• Keep reading!

How’d I do?

• Finish Tavi rough draft
  • YES!!!!!!! It took a concerted effort to get it done on schedule, but I did!
• Continue short story submissions
  • Yep. I received a few rejections this month, but everything is back out and waiting for evaluation.
• Read a short story each week
  • Not quite. I read four short stories, but there was an extra week in May and I didn’t squeeze one in during that week.
• Keep reading!
  • Yes! Since I finished Tavi I’ve read/listened to 10 titles! Keep an eye out for the forthcoming Reading Round Up to learn more.
    

    

    

    

Monthly Word Count: 20,205

The last leg of writing Tavi was… exhausting. I was a woman possessed, the final chapters gripping me by the collar and dragging me along with them. Words came faster than I could rightly keep up, until the very last few scenes, where they slowed and demanded I pay strict attention to what came before so I could shore up any loose ends. I haven’t gone back to read it yet, but I felt really good about everything came together at the end. If you want to read more about the whole “writing a book” thing, I have a post for that.

Short story submissions continue to continue. This month was a little bit tough because I had a story out for 120 days and received a form rejection on it. I raged a bit at that and I’m still salty whenever I think about it. I’m not convinced I’ll submit to that market again, especially since I bought an issue of their magazine and wasn’t super impressed with what they were publishing. But, I also know that if I have a story that fits their call for submission, I won’t self-reject or hold that story back just because I’m a bit miffed at the magazine. That’s just childish.

I’m (still) waiting to hear back about my story that was held for further consideration. There was a bit of movement at that market recently, with a slew of rejections and a couple of acceptances, but mine is still waiting. I’m trying not to get my hopes up which I’m obviously failing at since I’m talking about it here. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I’m slowly finishing up Transcendent, with only three short stories left to read. I should have read one more this month, but I just didn’t get it in. Probably because my hike utterly destroyed me this weekend.

Lava Tube Cave, 20 minutes south of Bend, Oregon

Speaking of, I did a lot of hiking this month! A trip out to Central Oregon, an extremely muddy (and fun) hike at Cape Falcon, and then a long, sunny hike to the picturesque Marion Lake made May a wonderful, surprisingly outdoorsy month. I hiked a total of 15.7 miles this month! Ok, Marion Lake was technically June, but whatever. It was gorgeous and I have lots of pictures to share.

I’m also beginning to see the effects of these weekly hikes. Calf muscles are making themselves known, my thighs are getting slimmer, and my cardio is already greatly improved. There’s also the sunburns turning to tans and a remarkable mental clarity and reduced migraine intensity I hadn’t anticipated. Aside from the sunburns, all good things.

June Goals

• Finish In Great Need of Ghosts
• Continue short story submissions
• Read one short story a week
• Keep reading!

Right now, I’m not so sure the new short story will be done by the end of the month. It’s been very slow going, and I don’t know if it’s because my brain hasn’t quite recovered from finishing Tavi or if this story’s challenging prose is slowing me down. It’s one of the most craft-forward stories I’ve ever tried to tell, and I’m loving every minute of it. It’s just very very slow so far. 

Marion Lake, Willamette National Forest

As usual, submissions will continue and continue and continue until something sticks.

I still love reading short stories and have no desire to cut them from my reading. I’ve got a handful of collections checked out from the library right now, so I should be able to get this one done no problem.

I also have a huge TBR stack from the library on my entryway table so there should be plenty of reading and reviews this month. When I’m not reading or writing, I’ll be outdoors. I’m pretty much living for my Saturday hikes, so expect more pictures in the weeks to come.

Sorry this post was a little late, but the good news for you is that you get double the posts from me today! I’ll be back real soon with my weekly goals summary!

 

BZ

 

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #21

Whoops. Memorial Day got me all confused, I nearly forgot to post my Monday update! I’ve spent the entirety of my day snacking on the couch while I explored Ancient Egypt in Assassin’s Creed: Origins. So much relaxation!

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Start a new short story
• Read Madhu’s pages
• Finish reading Beneath a Sugar Sky

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Nope. Sorry about that.
• Start a new short story
  • Yep! It’s coming along rather slowly at the moment.
• Read Madhu’s pages
  • Yes!
• Finish reading Beneath a Sugar Sky
  • Yarp, and then some!

Weekly Word Count: 465

Starting a new story is always a risky thing. Some come out the gate strong, knowing who and what they are. All they need is for me to sit down and devote the time to typing. Other stories are full of false starts and halfway there’s before the true tale unfolds and finally comes together. This new story is one of the latter kinds. It knows what it wants to be, I just have to keep trying until I get it right. I’m hoping slow and steady will do the trick.

I did a ton of reading last week. I finished Beneath a Sugar Sky, and read both All Systems Red and Artificial Condition. I even eked in the first 50 pages of Rogue Protocol. So, that’s part of why there was no second blog post: I was too busy reading! I also watched some nature documentaries, because nothing quite equals relaxation like David Attenborough’s voice.

There was also the matter of a very muddy, pleasantly tiring hike to Cape Falcon on Saturday and the fact that I worked six days last week. Looking back, I was surprisingly busy.

Aaaaand, this week is going to be more of the same.

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Write 1k on In Great Need of Ghosts
• Finish reading Murderbot books

This week is a busy one at work again, working another six days. Throw in a hike on Saturday and all the reading I want to get done before the end of the month and, well. It’s gonna be a busy damn week.

The good news is that I have a playlist built for the new story and like the most recent direction it’s headed. I think some of the previous work I have for it can even be incorporated, so that’s good! As long as my butt is in the chair, I should see some good progress on the story this week.

I want to finish Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, read the newest Wic+Div, and read two short stories this week… I’m tired just thinking about it. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are my best bets for writing, with reading time happening before bed. And I have another hike this weekend, Marion Lake, which is up in the mountains and comes with its own falls. It promises to be chilly and gorgeous. Expect photos once again.

So, yeah. That’s the plan. Write, read, work, repeat. Sound good?

I’ll try to finally write that Post-First Draft post this week. I think I wrangled my thoughts into something like coherence. I guess we’ll find out!

Until then, Bloggos!

 

BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #20

Hey Bloggos,

Last Week

• Enjoy a week off

Weekly Word Count: 0

Last week felt long. Like, really really long. I had so. much. time! I played video games, went to see Snow Patrol, cleaned the house, played more video games. We beat Overcooked and started on the DLC. I tried to catch up on my reading. It was nice, but I was also very restless. I didn’t feel like I ever really relaxed, until I crossed over the Cascades and started my hiking weekend.

We started with a breakfast in Sisters then drove through Bend and to the Newberry Volcano National Monument, where we explored a Lava Tube Cave. I’d never been in a cave before, and having just read The Luminous Dead, I was understandably nervous. Turns out, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

If you ever have the opportunity to see a cave, you absolutely should. It was an amazing experience, an all new sensation for me that has left me feeling inspired and in awe.

After that was lunch in Bend at a restaurant called Spork, where I ate Lomo Saltado and could have died with joy. We’ve made Lomo Saltado in my house a few times and it’s definitely a household favorite and comfort food. But I’ve never had “real” Lomo Saltado. Turns out, ours is pretty dang close and it’s all delicious. Then we went to Prineville to meet our friend and get settled at her place for the night. We ordered pizza and watched the new What We Do in the Shadows tv show. We binged all eight episodes over the weekend and I am obsessed with it. I can’t wait to share it with Trevor. If you liked the movie, I’m here to tell you that the show is even better.

The next morning was the big day: The Painted Hills! It’s something I’ve always wanted to see, a natural wonder that I honestly forgot was in Oregon. I don’t know if I’ve ever talked about my passion for geology here, but I’m a bit of a rock nerd. And this weekend my rock nerd was a kid in a candy shop!

It was supposed to rain, but instead it was sunny and I was a dummy in a tank top getting a sweet, sweet sunburn. But I’m not even mad. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful place; I’ll take a little pain for it.

We had lunch in one of the tiniest towns I’ve ever seen, called Mitchell, where there were three cafés, a feed store, a grocery story, and one brewery. It was adorable in a very dusty, hard-working, Old West kind of way. It reminded me of home and going to the feed store with my papa. It reminded me that I do have love in my heart for the desert. It made me want to take a hiking trip back home. Maybe next spring?

And then I came home last night and had a great evening in, playing games and making food with the husbando, preparing for the week ahead. Overall, it was a relaxing and productive week in its own right. I’m glad I made myself take a break.

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Start a new short story
• Read Madhu’s pages
• Finish reading Beneath a Sugar Sky

I’m going into this week feeling a little lost at sea. I’m not sure where to start, but I do feel like I have the energy and focus to work on something. It’s just a matter of figuring out what that project will be. I have a couple ideas, but we’ll see where the week goes.

Madhu and I exchanged pages before I left for the weekend. She’s already read mine and replied, and since we have a Walk ‘n’ Talk™ scheduled for Thursday afternoon I need to read hers soon.

I’m on track to finish Beneath a Sugar Sky either tonight or tomorrow and would really like to read All Systems Red before the week is out as well. We’ll see how that goes depending on how much time I spend writing this week. Since I want to revisit Exodus: Descent for revisions this summer, reading all these novellas will prove quite useful.

Submissions are still out. I’m beginning to hear the Jeopardy! theme whenever I have a quiet moment and the dread starts to build. I should hear back on at least one story either this week or the next. Fingers crossed.

I don’t have any book reviews primed for this week, mainly because I’m reading novellas and short stories right now. But, I do want to share my thoughts on the drafting process of this book, so might do a sort of recap talking about the experience. Either way, I’ll come back later this week with something to share.

Until then, Bloggarts,

 

BZ