Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #43

Another quick week. I feel like I got a ton of work done, both in the library and in writing, and I had an awesome weekend celebrating my BFF’s 30th birthday.  A whirlwind week to be sure.

Last Week:

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise two chapters of Exodus
• Read a short story

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Nope.
• Revise two chapters of Exodus
  • Yes! And then some. More on that below.
• Read a short stor
  • Yep. I read a few out of Kameron Hurley’s new collection before I had to return it.

Weekly Word Count: 119

That’s more words than I expected since I was editing, but I feel good about the changes made. So good, in fact, that I kept revising until suddenly there were no chapters left to edit. I submitted the story to my preferred market for it last night!

Social activities took up the bulk of my weekend, which for once was exactly what I wanted. We sang karaoke, went to a pumpkin patch, and played video games with friends. It was a nice, relaxing fall weekend.

I’m not reading as much as I ought to these days, but I’ve been playing some video games and catching up on Letterkenny and the Great British Bake Off.

But, the big news, the news I’ve been skirting around this whole blog post is… The Cost of Rain has been ACCEPTED! I’ve signed the contract so now it’s just a waiting game until it’s published. I’ll have more details the closer we get to the publication date, I pinky promise.

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Begin outlining/brainstorming for Nanowrimo
• Read something!

Keeping it simple this week. I’m ahead of my goals for this month, writing-wise, so I have every excuse to take it a little easier this week. Besides, I can use this “down-time” to let my Nano project marinate and start coming together. I’ve built the playlist, which is always a great first step. Now to see where that takes me.

I read a graphic novel last night, and have two more I’m in various stages with. I’d like to get them each done this week, plus start my book club book and read at least one short story. I’m WAY behind on my reading goal, but that’s no excuse not to read as much as I can.

I’m battling some serious Dragon Age cravings right now, which is why I’m reading the graphic novels and eyeballing the novel tie-ins right now. I think another announcement about the next game will be coming out in the next month or so and I am so freaking excited it’s ridiculous. So I read things and wildly theorize and wait.

So, you know. Reading, writing, gaming, lather. rinse. repeat. I don’t know if I’ll be back on the blog this week. I don’t have a book review for you, but if I think of anything else to chat about, I’ll be here.

Til then, Bloggos.

 

BZ

Advertisements

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk# 42

After, like, two months of inconsistent output and an inability to do much of anything in a timely manner, last week felt like coming back to the gym. Harder than it should be, but oh so wonderful once I actually got to work.

(Full Disclosure: I rarely go to the gym and never feel good about it upon any sort of return. I used the metaphor because I figured it was relatable, not because it was something I ever actually experienced.)

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Read one short story
• Finish reading The First Wife’s Secret

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  
  • Yep. Reading Round Up and a book review for Vicious!
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Yes! It was easier than expected and I’m happy with how it turned out.
• Read one short story
  • No. The weekend was a lot busier than I expected.

• Finish reading The First Wife’s Secret
  • Yes. Through sheer force of will.

Weekly Word Count: 0

Again, it always feel shitty when the word count says zero, even when that was the plan. But, this was actually a really productive week. I did my editing, I read a book, I wrote a few blog posts, and went to a totally awesome library conference and even managed to sneak in some time to see some whales in the sunrise. I have zero complaints.

Oregon is so freaking gorgeous.

The revision of Exodus is off to a great start. Chapter one required some obvious cleaning up (mostly those pesky dialogue tags I seem to love in my earliest drafts) but nothing that broke my brain. Hopefully this will be the case for the entire project.

I’m thinking about what to write for Nanowrimo and I think I’m going to work on the sequel to Exodus. I had a spark of an idea today while I was driving home so we’ll see if it develops into anything actionable by November.

I should write a review for The First Wife’s Secret, but I’m kinda afraid to. I hated it. Like, the worst Goodreads rating I’ve ever given, hated it. And I’m not sure what the point of a review like that would be. It’s liable to turn into something pretty ugly and I don’t want that. Regardless of how I feel about it, the author put a lot of time and effort into her work and I don’t want to be a jerk about it. I don’t trust myself NOT to be a jerk about it, because I have a lot of feelings. So… there may not be a review this week, despite finishing the book.

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise two chapters of Exodus
• Read a short story

I sat here for a while struggling to come up with a fourth goal for the week, but figured if it was that hard to figure out, I probably didn’t really need to make it a goal. I sort of want to work on brainstorming and outlining the Exodus novella I want to write for Nano, but I really think I need to spend a bit more time back in the world first. Which editing will do nicely.

I have a bajillion books out from the library right now, one of which is Kameron Hurley’s new collection of short stories. Which I am DYING to read. So, yeah. I’m gonna read one of those ding dang stories this week. Pinky promise.

This weekend is my bestie’s thirtieth birthday, so I doubt I’ll be much use on Friday or Saturday. Thankfully Sundays seem to be my best day for writing work right now and I never have plans on Sundays. What a coincidence!

I may be back later this week with some news, which if you follow me on twitter or tumblr you already know about because I screamed it into the ether-net. But, I want to cool my jets a little and give this post its space before I share anything else.

Until then, Bloggarts!

 

BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #41

Oh, Blogland…

Remember that time when I thought I was back and then I wasn’t?  Oops.

Last Week…?

Weekly Word Count: 746

Well, there wasn’t a last week’s goals because I haven’t been holding myself accountable pretty much since June. I did do a bit of reading last week, which felt really good, so at least there’s that. AND I finished The Lament of Kivu Lacus! I knew I was close to the end, but didn’t think I’d manage to finish it in one morning writing session. Go me!

Let’s move on to the goals for this week!

 What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Read one short story
• Finish reading The First Wife’s Secret

Not anything too taxing here. I should be blogging quite a bit this week because I have the September Reading Round Up and a book review to share. I got a collection of short stories from the library so I ought to be able to read one of those no problem. I’m out of town this weekend for a work conference (which I’m very excited to attend!) so should have downtime in the hotel to finish reading this book club book before our Monday meeting next week.

The hardest bullet point here is the editing. You know how it goes. Editing blows. BUT, I do really want to get this project done and submitted so I think I’ll manage to make time for it Sunday morning.

Now that my BFF is back in town and managing Starbucks stores, I’m spending my Sunday mornings holed up with some coffee, headphones, and writing projects. Just like the old days. Thanks to my job’s early wake up call during the week, sleeping in isn’t as easy as it used to be. But, the husbando NEEDS his beauty sleep, so I get up and have some me time. Reading, writing, that sort of thing. It’s been quite the indulgence and exactly what I need to reset and prepare for the week ahead.

So, that’s where I’m at. Nothing too daunting for my first week back in the writing saddle. I’m feeling good about it, all things considered. I’ll be back soon Bloggarts to talk about all the reading I did in September.

Til then,

 

BZ

 

The Recap – September 2019

Better late than never, right?

September Goals

• Finish The Lament of Kivu Lacus
• Continue short story submissions
• Keep reading!

How’d I do?

• Finish The Lament of Kivu Lacus
  • No. But I did write a little bit (800ish words) which, given the last few months, feels like a win.
• Continue short story submissions
  • Yep! Stories are out.
• Keep reading!
  • Yes, kinda? I read three titles in September which is better than August’s zero. I’ll take it.
    

    

    

 Monthly Word Count: 750

September feels like fog. The first half in particular. The new job has been all-consuming and the only way to turn my brain off has been television and movies. Somewhere in the middle things in my brain calmed down enough that I started reading again which felt like coming home. I really don’t function on all cylinders without a book in hand. And with reading came the itch to write. It wasn’t much of an itch at first, I’ll admit. It was more of a fleeting idea, a thought there and gone again before I could latch on and do anything about it. But I was thinking about my writing again, and that meant everything.

October Goals

• Finish The Lament of Kivu Lacus rough draft
• Revise and polish Exodus: Descent
• Continue short story submissions
• Keep reading!

I’m really close to finishing this short story. I’m working on the final scene today, though I think it may take multiple sessions to get down. It’s very heavy, depressing stuff and the story is dictating the pace. Which was actually a bit of a relief. Usually, when my routine has been gutted and I’m reeling, I’m avoiding my writing and wracking up the guilt. This time the story was nowhere to be found. It didn’t want me to work on it, it didn’t call for me and make demands. What a nice change of pace.

Exodus has been neglected long enough. It needs some tweaks and polishing and then I want to submit it. As a novella, finding markets for it is challenging, but my dream market for it is open right now so I REALLY need to get on this project. Luckily the writing is clean, it just needs a little work streamlining it to be the best it can be.

As ever, short story submissions will continue until there’s nothing left to submit. It’s nice always having this bullet-point completed.

My reading habits are back. I finished reading Vicious on Friday and I’m almost done with The Last Tsar’s Dragons. I expect I’ll finish it tonight. My TBR pile from the library is absolutely out of control and I’m sure I’ll have to return some things because of holds, etc. I also have about two hours of reading left in our book club book and plan to finish that while I’m at a library conference next weekend.

There is no shortage of books in my life. Hallelujah!

Hiking season, while technically still possible, has come to a mutually decided halt. We’re hermit-ing up, longing for hot chocolates, hot toddies, and all things fall. It’s my favorite time of year and I’m excited to share it with all my favorites.

With some luck and a lot of self-discipline, I should be around the blog a lot this week. I need to do a Reading Round-Up and get back on track with my weekly goals. There’s also the matter of the book review of Vicious. So, yeah, expect to see me a bit this week.

Until then Bloggos!

 

BZ

 

The Recap – August 2019

Woof. I uh… maybe fell off the map there for awhile. I’m sorry y’all. Work started on August 12th and I’m just now coming up for air. My new job (high school librarian) has been taking ALL of my bandwidth. I’ve barely been reading. I’ve watched a lot of television which we all know is unusual behavior for me, because it’s all my brain can really handle.

But, I dealt with the submissions stuff today and have edits for The Audient Void to work on. I’ve been reading/listening to audiobooks and the day-to-day of work is starting to even out. Hopefully that means I’ll begin working on my writing again soon.

August Goals

• Polish Exodus: Descent
• Continue short story submissions
• Read one short story a week
• Finish Whales rough draft
• Keep reading!

How’d I do?

• Polish Exodus: Descent
  • Nope. Not even a little bit.
• Continue short story submissions
  • Yes. Admittedly, it’s mostly been waiting, but even at my lowest, I didn’t let submissions stagnate.
• Read one short story a week
  • Definitely not.
• Finish Whales rough draft
  • Close! I think 1k more and it’ll be done. It’s just a really hard, emotional 1k. Also, renamed The Lament of Kivu Lacus.
• Keep reading!
  • No. I didn’t finish a single title in August. That’s really disheartening.

Monthly Word Count: 1,234

So yeah. Writing-wise, August was a low point for sure. It was a blur, and I don’t have much to say other than I’m ready to move on. It’s a little late in the month to set goals, but I’m not going to let that stop me!

September Goals

• Finish The Lament of Kivu Lacus
• Continue short story submissions
• Keep reading!

I need to keep things simple for the rest of the month and keep my goals SUPER small. A thousand-ish words, continue submissions, and keep reading. That’s it. That’s all I need to do to feel good come October first. I can do that.

Right now I’m reading Our Dark Duet, as well as listening to Saint’s Blood. I need to read some more short stories and get back on track for my reading goal. I am REALLY behind, let me tell you. Hopefully soon I’ll have a book review for you guys.

Until then, Blogland.

 

BZ

 

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk 32

Bloggos,

Yesterday was my first day at my new job. Permit me a moment to gush.

I am now a high school Library Media Assistant. I’m the only library staff in the school, which means when it comes to the library, I’m in charge. It’s a big job, like, a really big job. And I couldn’t be more excited!

Over the month of July I had a lot of time to think about what the library might look like and what my priorities would be once I was in the building. Today I spent the bulk of my time working in the front office answering phones and directing families to the gym to get registered for the school year. BUT, I was able to sneak away and poke around the library a little bit.

Here’s what I’m working with:

Honestly, I was prepared for a lot worse. The bones of the space are fantastic, and there are some details that I really enjoy. There’s also a lot of really old books and a woefully unbalanced collection. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I can see it. I have a vision and the beginnings of a plan are forming. I’m ready to get to work!

Speaking of…

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Work on Whales

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yep! Three even, including a book review!
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
  • Nope. Whoops.
• Work on Whales
  • YES! I got some great quality work in and I couldn’t be happier.

Weekly Word Count: 1,234

I was much more productive this last week than I expected to be. I started the week off with a cold, so it was slow going for a while, but I rallied at the end of the week and managed to get a healthy writing session in. I also deep cleaned and organized most of the house, which feels really nice going into a whole new job this week.

Outside of writing, blogging, and cleaning, I did a whole lot of nothing. I watched the new season of Veronica Mars, a passed out watching Duck Tales, and watched more Great British Baking Show. So, yeah. Media consumed.

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Work on The Lament of Kivu Lacus

I think this must be getting boring by now. It’s the same shit every week. But you know, don’t fix what ain’t broke. Or some such.

I don’t have super high hopes, mainly because it’s my first week at work and all my thoughts are absorbed with all things library. Which I think is fair. Also my best friend just moved back to town, so I’m sure there will be social expenditures this week as well.

There is a hike coming up this weekend to Mount Hebo. I don’t know much about it other than, once at the top, you’re supposed to be able to see all the way to the ocean if it’s a clear day. Sounds like the exact thing I want to do with my Saturday morning.

So, yeah. There’s the plan. We’ll see what I make of it. I don’t have much blogging planned for this week, but hopefully I come up with a good reason to come back before next Monday.

‘Til then, Bloggarts.

 

BZ

 

Goals Summary 2019 – wk #31

Hey Bloggos! I haven’t completely forgotten you, I promise. I may not have made it to last week’s Goals Summary, but I still set some goals for myself later in the week. I also came down with a pretty wicked little cold over the weekend, and I spent all day yesterday one the couch, battling a fever with a binge session of the new season of Veronica Mars. Now I’m nursing a very light, subtle migraine and hoping I’m in tip-top shape come Monday. Because that’s when I (finally) start my new job!

Last Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Work on Whales
• Revise two chapters of Exodus: Descent

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Narp.
• Work on Whales
  • Yarp. Only a very little.
• Revise two chapters of Exodus: Descent
  • Narp.

Weekly Word Count: 333

I honestly don’t really remember what was going on week before last. There was a vacation over the weekend and lots of reading. I watched some movies and in general tried to enjoy my free time instead of guilting myself into being miserable.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Work on Whales

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yarp! A book review made for a decent week on the blog.
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
  • Nope. Not even a little bit.
• Work on Whales
  • Nope. Not even a little little bit.

Weekly Word Count: 0

This weekend was busy with social events and visiting the in-laws. The week flew by with chores and some reading. I binged some tv shows too, I think. Trev was sick, which then got me sick, and over all there isn’t much more to be said. I wrote a book review, though, so that’s nice!

What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Revise one chapter of Exodus: Descent
• Work on Whales

I know it’s getting a bit repetitive, but until there’s progress in these areas I can’t really move on to anything else. I woke up this morning feeling quite a bit better and almost set to revising the second chapter of Exodus, when my burst of energy fizzled out and I took a nap instead. Apparently better isn’t the same as well. Hopefully I’ll continue to feel better through the week and manage to get some work done.

I’ve started bingeing The Adventure Zone: Amnesty, which is time I could spend listening to audiobooks, but hey, it’s TAZ. I kinda can’t say no.

So yeah. I’m reading and editing and writing this week. I’m all caught up on my favorite shows, I’ve watched enough movies, and read enough nonfiction. It’s time to get back to fiction, both reading and writing.

I’ll be back soon with another Veronica Mars book review, and then I’ll finally be able to post the reading round up.

Until then, Bloggarts!

 

BZ