Reflection: Nanowrimo 2021

Well. It’s the last day of Nanowrimo. I have five-ish hours to write about 1,200 words in order to reach my EXTREMELY modified goal. Originally the goal was the legit, old school Nanowrimo target: 50k. It became apparent very early on that I would not be making this goal. 

Given the past two years of Pandemic Bullshit™ and the fact that I haven’t written anything super long since I finished the Tavi rough draft in spring of 2019, I’m not surprised that this Nano was a major struggle. I expected it, honestly.

The fact that I could reach 15k on a single project in a month is a major win for me. Breaking 19k total for the month is a HUGE win. It’s more than I’ve written the rest of the year combined. I refuse to feel bad about such success. 

They say that comparison is the thief of joy, but we forget that it applies to not just the world beyond, but within as well. Comparing my output to years past is an exercise in disappointment, when really I should be celebrating this productivity that’s leaps and bounds beyond what I’ve done in recent memory.

I’m headed in the right direction.

Beyond Nanowrimo, I have MORE news! Say what?!

My microfiction piece “Unforgettable” made its way into the City.River.Tree. 2020 Anthology. I may have missed the email about the anthology’s release, and I’m just now realizing it. Whoops.

Point is! My story is available in print! And that always feels amazing! As indicated by all these darn exclamation points!!!!

Ahem. Anyway. That’s the news. If you’d like to read my story, you can find it online here. OR you can support a small, indie microfiction magazine and buy the 2020 Anthology. It’s like, $8. Just sayin’.

All right. That’s enough procrastination. It’s time to get these final words on the page. See you soon, Bloggarts.

 

BZ

Braindump Follow Up + November!

Sooooooo…. I left the blog in a pretty bleak spot for awhile there, didn’t I? Sorry, I guess. I should mention that after writing that post and feeling really shitty for a few more days, I made an appointment with my doctor to see a Behavioral Specialist. It was nice just to talk to someone and have my feelings validated. We came up with a care plan and I check back in next week to see how I’m doing.

So, how am I doing?

Okay? Mostly better. I’ve been really socially active lately, which has helped. And I started taking my vitamins again which I’m sure has also helped. But, I’m still agitated and my energy levels are still all over the damn place. Some days I just can’t stop and I’m productive and hyper and just through the roof. Other days getting out of bed to lounge on the couch feels like an achievement. I’m not really following the care plan we made, but I keep telling myself that’s okay because I’m doing (insert random creative thing) instead.

So, better. But still not good. I’m still angry underneath all this energy. Still completely disappointed with my community and my work, and generally unhappy in those regards. But, my social and creative lives are at least on the mend.

What I really wanted to talk about today is actually writing related! WHAAAAT?! It’s a November Miracle!

Basically, my brain kicked into writing mode in the last-ish week of October. I wrote over 4k words in that week alone, which is more than I wrote in any other month this year. And now it’s November and we all know what that means. Say it with me, “NANOWRIMO!”

National Novel Writing Month is here and I am off to an… okayish start. I’ve written almost 4k words on a new novel and have plenty of opportunities this month to get back on track. It’s No School November which means I have lots of bonus days off to write. I’ve joined Willamette Writers’ Author Cohort, which is a month long program that supports wrimos with a few workshops and weekly write-ins. I missed my first write-in because it was Trevor’s birthday, but that was 1000% worth it.

(I made French Onion Soup and a from-scratch Coconut Cake, complete with Coconut Buttercream frosting. I had never made a cake before and for some ridiculous reason felt starting with a three-tier cake on a weeknight was a sane idea. I felt like I was a contestant on The Great British Bake Off, and I even waved a cutting board over my “sponges” at one point. But, it all turned out delicious, even if the kitchen hasn’t quite recovered yet.)

Back to the book. It’s a brand new project that I am very excited about. It’s epistolary which I am learning is QUITE the challenge. I’m going to need that Author Cohort support group to get to “The End”.

Today I had a virtual meeting with WilWrite and then have a Walk ‘n’ Talk with a writer friend this afternoon. I’m hoping to get some solid writing time in the few hours in-between.  I also FaceTimed with my mom and am about to eat lunch. All in all, a chill Fall Saturday.

Oh. There’s also news. I GOT MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL SALE! 

 

My story The Lament of Kivu Lacus will appear in a Science Fiction anthology in Fall 2022! It’s an honor to share space with some of the amazing authors included in this collection and I am SO excited to see how this book comes together! As I learn more about the book and the release details, be sure that I will be screaming about it. I’ll keep you all updated – pinky promise.

Anyway. That’s what’s up. I’m hungry and it’s almost 1pm. Time for lunch!

Later, Bloggarts!

BZ

In Which I’m a Vampire Hunter?

As I may have mentioned, my planned NaNoWriMo project this year is a Pioneer Oregon Weird Western. There’s going to be lots of strange things in this book (a talking horse chief among them), but a big part of it is going to be vampires.

Now, I LOVE vampires. I was a goth kid in high school and a rabid Anne Rice fan. I am no stranger to vampire literature and film. But, if I’m going to write this story well the first time around, I need to know what the eff I’m talking about. I’m reading Pioneer nonfiction and historical documents as research so I figured I ought to research vampires as well.

All right, I’ll admit it: I just want an excuse to read and watch as much vampire content as I can between now and Halloween. Guilty as charged. I have a list of 67 films to watch and have started reading short stories in between all my other reading. I’ve been posting mini reviews on my personal Facebook page and thought you all might be interested in reading them.

First up in Vampire Research Reading™ were Fragment of a Novel (1816) by Lord Byron and The Vampyre (1819) by John Polidori.

The first was Byron’s product from the friendly writing competition between Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Polidori, and Mary Shelley. You know, the one where she came up with the idea for Frankenstein?

The second was inspired by Byron’s above fragment, and is generally believed to be Polidori talking mad shit about Byron who he’d recently had a falling out with.

Both are painfully Victorian. I thought Byron’s was actually more intriguing but he didn’t finish it soooo no points for him.

Polidori’s story features hapless women, pillars of virtue all, falling prey to a literal monster while the main character does nothing because he… Took an oath? That drives him crazy maybe? Or he just mopes in his room for a year to avoid being faced with the literal monster stalking the nobility. Jury’s out on that one.

Anyway, like three young women die and so does the main character. Bland AF vampire wins by faking his own death and tricking the gutless main character.

4/10 to both. Not enough spooky.

Then I read Varney the Vampire (1845)(excerpt) by James Malcolm Rymer and The Mysterious Stranger (1860), which was originally published in German by an anonymous author. It was later translated and pubbed in the UK in 1860. Hope that anon got paid, but knowing Britain, probably not.

Varney is… Not great. More fun than my prior readings, more in line with what I expect when I think of vampire stories. A terrifying figure steals into a room to drink the blood of a fair maiden, etc., Etc., But the writing is… Bad. It was originally published in serials and the best way to make money off serials is to keep.

Fucking.

Writing.

Forever.

So it’s pretty wordy and unpleasant.

5/10. Seein’ some progress but still not digging it.

The Mysterious Stranger suffers from the same issue that plagues most Victorian works — it takes it’s sweet ass time developing the moody atmosphere and explaining in excruciatingly flowery language the appearance, dress, and disposition of everyone on stage.

Once it actually gets where it’s going (terrifying figure steals into a room to drink the blood of a fair maiden) it was actually rather enjoyable. A lot more action on the page and we see the introduction of both a vampire killing ritual and the use of mist as a vampiric mode of transportation.

Themes weren’t very palatable, however. Brash maiden longs for an adventuresome life free from the monotony of an arranged marriage to a boring noble fop, falls victim to a vampire’s eerie charm, subsequently almost dies. After following the direction of some guy she sorta knows, she takes the steps (unknowingly) to destroy the vampire. She then realized how brash and ungrateful she’s been all along, has a change of heart, and marries the boring noble fop after all.

Gag.

5.5/10. More fun, laying the groundwork for some cool shit. Still mostly boring.

As part of my research I also watched a few documentaries about Vampires.

• Secrets of the Dead: Vampire Legend – Season 15, Episode 1
• Monsters Among Us: Vampires: From Folklore to Literature parts I + II – Season 1, Episodes 1-2

I found these on the Kanopy app through my public library and enjoyed them very much. The first one was pretty cool because it approached the vampire myth from an anthropological viewpoint, so it almost felt like an episode of Cold Case Files. The second one, while I enjoyed it, was much more lecture-y and felt like something I’d watch in a Horror Lit & Film class. Might not be as interesting for general consumption, but I liked it.

Expect these sorts of mad-dash little reviews to be a recurring thing this fall while I consume ALL THE VAMPIRE STUFF! Hopefully you enjoy it.

BZ

State of the Author

Good morning, Blogland.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing since I last posted. Like, a lot a lot. So I figured I should jot it all down and give you all an update as well.

Current Projects:

• Bell Biv Derailed
• In the Librarian’s Garden
• Sanura Trine
• Twins and the Haunted House
• The Shadowboxer
• Tavi
• Top Shelf Librarians Podcast

(Please note that these are all working titles and no I am not taking criticism at this time)

Bell Biv Derailed: I finished the rough draft of this story on Wednesday. I first got the idea in 2018 when we visited Munich and rode the metro every day. I finally sat down to write it in March of this year. That was one writing session. Then one while I was in Seattle, and then Wednesday. A total of three writing sessions and almost 2k words. The story is not remotely anything like the original idea, but I really like how it turned out, even though it’s super weird. The bones are quite good, I just need to dip into the horror a bit more and work on tension control. It’s a horror/comedy which is always tough to write AND intended to be Flash Fiction (<1,500 words), so we’ll see how it turns out. For now, I’m letting it marinate while I work on some other revisions.

In the Librarian’s Garden: I’ll be revising the second draft today. I spent most of yesterday afternoon revising the rough draft and feeling pleasantly surprised. This is a story I started at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were first really locked down. I put it on pause to focus on Tavi, and when that went south, I came back to it in September. BUT, that’s when my school district caught on fire and one of the major plot points of this story is that a school burns down soooooo that felt bad and I put the story in a mental drawer. Then November came around and I decided that, instead of writing a novel for Nanowrimo, I’d write short stories. I had enough of them lying around unfinished and I figured I ought to do something about that. So I finished the rough draft of this piece (and others). When I read it in January I hated it (and the others too) but looking back at January I kinda hated everything so I’m glad I didn’t pitch it in the bin. It’s actually a lovely, quiet little cottage-core piece of fantasy fiction that gives me warm fuzzy feelings when I read it. Dunno where the hell I can possibly submit it, but that’s a concern for when revisions are done. Today’s goals are tightening things up (it’s a bit meander-y) and upping the emotions in order to earn the ending.

Sanura Trine: This is another story I wrote during Nanowrimo. And honestly…? I don’t really remember much about it. I mean, I remember what happens in it, but I don’t really remember the writing. I remember being frustrated by it and feeling like I was treading water when I wrote it. I felt lost and disconnected from the piece and really struggled with it. I don’t know if it’s good. I do know it’s entirely too long (like 7k words or something ridiculous like that). So, I’ll take a look at it see what needs to happen. I remember liking the intro which was very sarcastic and anti-corporation but that tone vanished once the characters started interacting, sooo… We’ll see where it ends up. This story is not a super high priority for me at the moment and will probably sit for awhile longer.

Twins and the Haunted House: Another of the Nanowrimo projects. This thing is a beast. Another horror story (obvs), this one plays with overlapping First Person POVs and unreliable narrators. An unreliable narrator is something I’ve ALWAYS wanted to write, but it’s so damn hard! Especially because I’m more of a discovery type writer. I have to write the rough draft to figure out what the hell is going on, which makes writing a big fat liar on the first go-around pretty much impossible. I only have about 2k-ish left to go (I’m very close to the end) but it’s still HUGE at over 8k words as is. I don’t have plans to return to this right now. It’s a horror piece set in the dead of winter — middle of summer is not a good time mentally for me to sit down to this one. Consider it on pause until Christmas break probably. Since it’s seeming like it might reach novelette or novella territory instead of short story, I’m not exactly eager to get back to it, haha. More words = more revision.

The Shadowboxer: This is another weirdo story. I’m beginning to wonder if I have any other kind? It’s a story that asks what evil is, how does it manifest? It’s a story about women, victimhood, and taking their power back. It’s also non-linear, features a POV from a floating cloud of sentient evil mist a la Lost, and a HUGE gap in time. Again. As a discovery writer, this is VERY HARD. There are three POVs one distant past, one near past, and one present and they all will intertwine to tell the story. In theory. That’s the goal. I put it aside last summer because I was struggling so much. I think this is a story that requires me to level up a bit. I also think that with this many POVs, it probably isn’t a short story and I’m kidding myself by approaching it as such. But, I’ll worry about that when the draft is done. Which won’t be for awhile. I would put this farthest down the priority list. It’s the hardest, I have the least words written for it, and I want to read more non-linear narratives before digging back into it. Consider it paused.

Tavi: Man. This book. I love it and it really is quite good, even in its second draft. But revising it is just SUCH a big job. I honestly think that’s what all the above is really about. I’m procrastinating the big scary project. Which, as far as procrastination techniques go, writing more fiction is the BEST ONE EVER! But, this book is the best thing I’ve written. I truly believe that. This is a book that I could query with, that could push my writing life into the next stage. And I think that has me running scared. So… we all know what I gotta do. I need to sit down, reacquaint myself, and get back in the trenches. My original goal was to have Tavi query ready by October 1st. I think that timeline is a little tight now. But, I think if I get started on it by August 1st, I can have it JUST about ready by November 1st. Take November off to draft a new project for Nanowrimo, then finish any remaining edits by January 1st. I’m spitballing here — I don’t really know how long it will take me. It turns out, I’m really bad at revising novels. My last novel revision attempt turned into scrapping the whole thing and rewriting it as a novella series. But that won’t happen with Tavi. She’s too complete, too strong of a character. This book feels very real, and not too far off from something I might pick off a shelf. I just need to make it the best I can and stop being such a chickenshit about it. This is my top priority after I finish revising In the Librarian’s Garden.

Top Shelf Librarians Podcast: Yep, we’re still making the show. We are actually recording tonight so expect the June episode sometime next week. Sorry it’s late, but I’ll get into why in the episode so stay tuned!

Stories Currently on Submission

• Lifelike
• A Lullaby for Mattie Barker
• The Lament of Kivu Lacus

Lifelike: My oldest story. I got the idea for it when I was still at community college taking creative writing classes. So… pre-2012. But I finished it in like 2017 or 2018. It’s a flash fiction piece about a haunted painter. It gets to the final round of consideration frequently, but no takers so far. I’m beginning to lose confidence in the story, mainly because I’ve been subbing it for so long and it doesn’t really reflect the quality of my work any more. I have leveled up well past it. I guess I could rework it, bring it “up to date”, but I don’t have any inclination or motivation to do so. I’ll keep sending it out and it’ll either eventually stick or eventually find its way to the Yuck Trunk folder. *Shrug*

A Lullaby for Mattie Barker: A much more recent piece that I finished in summer of 2019. It went through some extensive revisions in December and I submitted it to a local writing contest. It was a finalist, but did not place. So now it’s out, looking for a home. It’s another hard one to place. It’s a ghost story, but not horror. It’s historical fiction set after WWII, but also features an LGBTQIA+ main character. It’s quiet, not a lot of action. But it’s poignant and lovely and good. I just don’t know who wants lovely, quiet, heartbreaking ghost stories about queer characters.

The Lament of Kivu Lacus: This is the best short story I’ve written so far. It is a 2nd Person narration about marital issues, isolation, terminal illness and grief. I love this story so so much. It makes it to the final round of consideration consistently, so I just need to find it the right home. Again, another hard piece to place. The Science Fiction element is subtle, more setting than science, and 2nd Person is not a popular POV choice. But it’s my favorite bit of writing I’ve done. I love it very very much.

Recent Publications

• That Which Illuminates Heaven
• Unforgettable
• The Cost of Rain

That Which Illuminates Heaven: A story about a sentient space ship that plays matchmaker for her Pilot and Chief Engineer.

Unforgettable: A feminist retelling of Samson and Delilah in fewer than 300 words.

The Cost of Rain: An old woman and her horse traipse across a desert to make a deal with the devil.

Upcoming Projects

• Hunting Dr. Squatch

Hunting Dr. Squatch: Look. The title is dumb and makes me laugh and probably doesn’t even have anything to do with the story. It’s my Nanowrimo project, an all new novel, and it’s a Pioneer Oregon Weird Western. All I know is that there are monsters, a badass frontier lady, and a gay guy. I just got a mountain of books from the public library to start research this summer, so if my goodreads starts to look a little funky, that’s why. It’s still pretty nebulous up there, but I have my main characters starting to make some noise and clamoring for my attention, so I think I’ll be ready to start by November. Which means I REALLY need to get to work on Tavi.

So, yeah. That’s where I’m at. That’s what I’ll be working on and thinking about pretty much through the end of the year. I’ve also scoped out a potential writing conference to go to in October, specifically about women writing women in the west? Seems pertinent given my Nanowrimo project. We’ll see.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed hunting down gifs and images for each project. Now then, I’ve wasted enough time. I need to do some revision and then hopefully get the office cleaned up before we record tonight.

See ya around, Bloggarts!

BZ

The Recap – November 2020

Hahahahahahahahahaha. What even are goals in this shit-heap of a year? I definitely didn’t set any (official) goals going into November. But, I still managed to get quite a bit done. Let’s talk about it. I basically have to thank Willamette Writers for all of my success in November. I signed up for their Month of Mastery program, which was a virtual community support for Nanowrimo. Basically, throughout the month of November they offered three workshops and weekly “cohort” meetings. There were several cohorts with various themes that met at different times each week, and you could go to any of them. This meant that I was thinking/talking about writing at least three days a week, and actively writing two days a week, beyond any discipline I managed to dredge up myself. Now, I didn’t have a novel to write this Nano, and I didn’t want to do a Nano Edmo (editing/revision month), so I decided to set a custom goal for the month. I had five short stories in various states of doneness. I wanted to get at least three of them done and/or write 20,000 words. Thanks to Willamette Writers, I achieved both of those goals! I finished three stories and very nearly finished a fourth. Plus a little bit of fanfiction sprinkled in.

Total Word Count: 20,795

Thankfully, Willamette Writers is considering doing more of these Months of Mastery, so I look forward to participating even more. I made writing friends and acquaintances, and even have a new weekly writing group, where we join a zoom call for two hours just to write together on camera. It’s awesome! All because I was willing to spend a little bit of money to get my writing butt in gear again. And it seems to have worked.

So, thanks Willamette Writers!

What else can I catch you up on? I have a story being held at a pretty big name magazine and I’m slowly dying from the anxiety of waiting to hear back about it. Like, the fact that it’s made it to the Editor-in-Chief’s desk (“awaiting final assessment” was what the email said) blew my mind. This is a magazine that has published Rebecca Roanhorse and Sam J. Miller (among many many others). A magazine that has won awards, and so have the stories its published. I. Am. Freaking. Out. But in a very very calm way. It’s all internal. Outside I am the coolest of cucumbers. So, in order to stop thinking about this, let’s talk about December!

December Goals

• Revise Nano Stories
• Submit to The Timberline Review
• Work on Santa Sarita
• Keep Reading!

Yep. You read that right. I’m working on my giant Mass Effect: Andromeda fic series again. I’ve already written two new chapters, so I’m hoping to just keep busting those out until I can finally put Sara and Reyes to bed. That way I can get back to Dragon Age, haha. I have about 500 words to cut from a short story to get it in shape to submit by the end of the month. I’m making good progress and expect to have it done by the end of the week. I’m basically giving myself a week with each of my Nano stories to revise them and see if there’s anything worth submitting. Kinda fun. I also only have another scene or two in another short story and it’ll be done drafting. I’ll be able to revise it in January. So lots of writerly things happening! And I have less than two weeks left of work until winter break!!!!! Hell yeah! Things are looking up, Blogland! Until next time. BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #47

The end of the year is creeping up. Does anyone else feel like they’re running out of time?

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Read Gideon the Ninth
• Write 5000 words

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yarp. The Circe book review is up now.
• Read Gideon the Ninth
  • No. But, I read two graphic novels and finished an audiobook, so I’m not sad about it.
• Write 5000 words
  • Hahahaha… No.

Weekly Word Count: 649

I hit a major inspiration block in writing this week. I don’t know if I’m just burned out, if work is too stressful, or if this just isn’t the right project for Nanowrimo, but I’m not being very productive this month. I keep bouncing between the novella and fanfic, and then bouncing between fanfic projects. Then, when I feel totally uninspired, I play video games instead.

I like the idea of writing, I feel that familiar mental swirl of a story taking form, but I lack the motivation to actually put ass to chair and make it happen. I’d rather read, play video games, or watch Disney+. It doesn’t help that my family will be here in a week and there’s still a lot of chorin’ to be done.

Let’s just blame it on stress and move on.

I finished playing Uncharted 4 and Beyond: Two Souls. I liked them both, a lot, and am glad to have played them. They were both right up my alley and long overdue.

I decided to withdraw Lifelike from a market that had it for over six months. The website hadn’t been updated since April and the email for the editor was no longer valid. I think it’s safe to say that wasn’t going to get picked up. Exodus: Descent was rejected today, but it was a personal rejection, which is always nice. Both stories will be submitted somewhere else by the end of the week.

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Finish Gideon the Ninth
• Write 3000 words

Keeping it pretty straightforward again. I have no idea what writing project I’ll work on, and honestly, I don’t much care. I just want to write before the holiday sneaks up and steals all my time. We’ll see if anything demands my attention.

I’m just over halfway through with Gideon the Ninth now. I expect to have it done in the next couple of days. I finished listening to City of Ghosts and will have the book review up before the end of the work week. I want to start listening to the sequel, Tunnel of Bones sometime this week too.

So, yeah. Lots of reading, writing, cleaning, and working. We’ll see where that takes us before the holiday season swallows me whole.

Talk at you soon, Bloggarts.

 

BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #46

Ah geez, here we are again, late on a Tuesday. But, we’re here and we’re ready to talk about the week.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Finish reading Circe
• Write 5000 words

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yep. Reading Round Up is out now!
• Finish reading Circe
  • Not technically. But I did just finish it before writing this so… hurray?
• Write 5000 words
  • Hahaha no. Writing ground to a halt over the long weekend. Whoops.

Weekly Word Count: 3,414

That’s not a bad word count. At least if it wasn’t non-Nano season.  But it is Nano season so, uh, that’s not so great. I needed at least 5k to stay on track, but I’m feeling really unmotivated with this story. I don’t know if it’s all the distracting video games right now (Uncharted 4, Beyond Two Souls, Jedi: Fallen Order) or if I’m really just not ready to tell this story.

There’s also the fact that my weekends are pretty full this month. November is always a struggle for me, creatively, because it’s the holiday season and there are birthdays to boot. My social life doesn’t mellow out until the late winter and that’s when I can really start pumping out words. Which means I really have to hunker down and focus if I want to hit 25k this month.

In personal news, I’ve started a new medication to potentially help prevent my migraines. I’m skeptical, mainly because I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I’ll know in the next couple of weeks if it helps or not. Fingers crossed.

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Read Gideon the Ninth
• Write 5000 words

Well, here we are. Reading. Writing. Lather, rinse, repeat. The two blog posts will be a cinch this week because I’ll have the book review for Circe. If Gideon the Ninth is as gripping as it sounds, I might even have that review to write too. And I’ve only got two hours left in the City of Ghosts audiobook. Reviews could abound.

I’m not too optimistic about the writing, but I won’t give up. I can come back to it and keep going out of sheer force of will. That’s my usual m.o. anyways.

I don’t have much by way of plans this weekend, other than cleaning and prepping for holiday visitors. Writing and reading should definitely happen.

I’ll be back soon Bloggarts with the Circe book review!

‘Til then,

 

BZ

 

Goals Summary 2019 – Wk #45

Fall is fading fast, succumbing to the darkest nights and the frosty air of winter. I’m not ready for it and can already feel the toll on my mood. I hate how early it gets dark after Daylight Savings Time ends. I’m off work at 4:00pm. The sun should not be setting while I’m walking out to my car. That’s some bullshit. It makes me tired, even more so than usual, and generally unmotivated.

Not that I let it stop me this week.

Last Week

• Publish two blog posts
• Read Persepolis
• Start Exodus: Defeat

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Yep. The October Recap is up and at ’em.
• Read Persepoli
  • Yep. It took some concerted effort. While I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t call it binge-worthy.
• Start Exodus: Defeat
  • Yep! Nanowrimo started on Friday and so the words are flowing once more!

Weekly Word Count: 3,499

I don’t really have much to say about the week. It was Halloween and school went by really quick because of it. I sang karaoke on Friday night and celebrated the husbando’s birthday over the weekend. I still managed to get some good writing in and am looking forward to continuing the trend this week.

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Finish reading Circe
• Write 5000 words

I think that’s it. Lots of reading and writing this week. I have the Reading Round Up for October to share this week so that’ll be the blog post. I’m having difficulty with Circe already. I think I’m like 30 pages in and I’m bored. So much telling to start with, which, you know, is supposed to be bad or whatever. I’m going to keep trying. If I could read The First Wife’s Secret then I can read this book.

I don’t have any major social plans this week, which is nice. There’s a Willamette Writers meeting on Wednesday and lots of events at work, but my home life this week should be calm. Hurray!

I’ll be back, probably on Friday, to talk about all the things I read in October.

Til then, Blogland.

 

BZ

 

The Recap – October 2019

And just like that, October came and went. It was filled with pumpkins and rain and friends and all those cozy fall things. It was also a busy work month and a busy writing work month. Which probably explains why it went so quickly.

October Goals

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

How’d I do?

• Finish The Lament of Kivu Lacus rough draft
  • YES! This story took a long time.
• Revise and polish Exodus: Descent
  • YES! It’s out for submission right now!
• Continue short story submissions
  • YES! Three stories are out and The Cost of Rain was accepted this month!
• Keep reading!
  • YES! I read five titles this month, which is a huge improvement over the last couple of months!
    

    

    

    

    

Total Word Count: 865

Holy Crow y’all. My whole month is in the black! When did that happen? I felt like a did a whole lot of nothing this month, but the whiteboard doesn’t lie. I got shit done! I think this earns me a happy dance.

I really gotta work on this unrealistic expectations thing I have going. Even when I’m working hard and making progress, I always feel like I haven’t done anything. I need to relax y’all.

But, November is hardly the month for relaxation. Nanorwrimo, birthdays, holidays, family visiting… Yep. There’s the stress. Found it.

November Goals

• Write 25k words
• Read 10 titles
• Continue short story subs

Short and sweet and oh so challenging this month, y’all. I love this time of year. I love the weather and the clothing and the general good feeling of spending time with loved ones. But man, I’m exhausted just thinking about the month ahead.

The biggest stressor is probably my family coming up from Arizona for Thanksgiving. Now, let me be absolutely clear: I AM SO F*&%ING EXCITED to have them spend the holiday with us. I’ve been looking forward to it for the better part of six months. We’ve gone down to AZ for the holidays a few times now, and I love seeing everyone, but this is different. This is my nuclear family coming up and seeing my house for the first time, eating our food, and sharing my space and life during my most favorite time of year.

I don’t know. It feels so much more special this way. I am so happy and excited to see them.

But, all of that being said. Hosting any sort of event with a houseful of people is stressful to me. I like my house the way it is. Husband, dog, and me. It’s quiet and relaxing. An actual sanctuary against the outside world. Inviting others inside is… stressful. That’s all there is to it.

Add to this stress not just normal Nanowrimo stress, but HOSTING Nanowrimo stress and, well, yikes. Again, exciting stuff, but a ton of work. And somewhere in all of this I need to read and write. A lot.

Which means I need to wrap this up and get to work! I’ll be back next week with the Goals Summary and October’s Reading Round Up.

‘Til then, Bloggarts!

 

BZ

Goals Summary 2019 – Week #44

Better late than never, right Bloggos?

Last Week

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

How’d I do?

• Publish two blog posts
  • Nope. Just the one post actually.
• Begin outlining/brainstorming for Nanowrimo
  • Yes? I’m stewing on it a bit and at least know where I’m starting. Not too bad.
• Read something!
  • Yep! I finished the graphic novel March: Book One. I also started the next book club book, Circe by Madeline Miller.

Weekly Word Count: 0

I won’t lie, there wasn’t much concerted effort in last week. I played video games, thought a little bit about the novella, planned for Nanowrimo for my students (still not used to that… my students…), and generally decompressed.

So of course I got a migraine over the weekend, because why the hell not?

So, What’s Next?

• Publish two blog posts
• Read Persepolis
• Start Exodus: Defeat

Not a big ask there. The most challenging bit will be finishing Persepolis before the end of the month. It’s a bit long as graphic novels go, and tomorrow evening is reserved for carving pumpkins and watching The Crow (as is tradition). Then, of course, it’s Halloween, so it’s spooky movies and handing out candy. Which means I need to wrap up this blog post and get to reading!

I have an appointment to get my tires rotated (not a euphemism) on Friday, which is downtime I’ll use to get a bunch of writing done on day one! Gotta start strong!

Friday should also see another blog post, the monthly recap. Despite my lackluster weeks October isn’t actually looking too shabby.

So that’s the plan. Read. Enjoy spooky season. Then write write write.

It’s my favorite time of year.