Beyond the fact that I’m trying to prepare a house to go on the market, it’s been a couple of exciting weeks in my literary world. Again, as I sit down to think about my goals, one of the first things I have to do is look into the rearview mirror. I haven’t been as disciplined in some areas as I want to be, so I know there is room for improvement. However, instead of focusing on what I’ve missed, I also need to acknowledge the things there are to celebrate.
In the rear-view…
The last time I wrote about my goals was on January 21. Then, I’d declared a 3K word goal in my major works. Since then, I’ve completed 6,771 words in total across a couple of major works in process. That’s been 4 weeks, so it’s an average of ~1,690/week. I’m going to call that a win without pushing myself. In addition to my WIP’s, I have posted a couple of blog posts too. If you missed them, check them out here:
- About editing: Novel Writing is Mathematical
- About goals & accountability: It feels so good! and It’s been a great week in Caetera
- An interview with a featured indie author for the Fantasy genre: Cassandra Morgan and a review of her book Prophecy.
- A new episode in my Worldbuilding Blog Series: Worldbuilding 101: Politics.
I’d say that’s a pretty good 4 weeks in writing and blogging. Something to celebrate, I’d say!
In editing and production, I completed the proofread of Carrows Justice as well as the interior formatting and the ebook formatting. I edited a short story by a gentleman in my writer’s group that is well on its way to publication with some fabulous illustrations. Finally, I made a few revisions to a short story anthology entitled et al. Again, helping other authors is almost as much fun for me as writing.
Promotion is a challenging area, and something I’ll need to focus on within the next few weeks. With a dear friend, I held my 2nd meetup in which we discussed formalizing the group. WOW! What a nervous situation. It’s taking on a life of its own, but it’s kind of exciting. We have a meeting with a publicist…tomorrow. (she says, biting her nails).
Sixth Induction has been released. You can order a signed copy using the button below. I have completed the production of Cursed Talent and will have copies available at the Rosemount Book Fair on March 23.
Looking forward…
1: Write
- Write at least 3000 words on one of my major WIPs. I have two currently. The 4th of The
Caeteran Tales and a collaborative YA Steampunk fantasy with my son. - Write blog posts: My focus for this week will be to complete an article on a story focus that exemplifies how worldbuilding is political. I have a couple of other ideas, and some started. If I complete 2 this week, I’ll call that success.
- (This will lead to a writing goal) Read Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente. This is a book club treat, and I’ll be writing a review when done.
2: Edit / Revise
- I have a romance novel that I wrote for Nanowrimo last year. I received some beta feedback, and have some revisions that are needed. I’m going to get started on that this week. I don’t think I can
committ to completion this week, but getting started is key. - I’m hoping to keep this one light this week and get a little more writing done.
3: Promote
This list isn’t changing. I need to focus a bit more here this week.
- Meet with / plan use of publicist
4: Publish
- Blog Posts: Striving for at least 2 this week.
- First, the story spotlight mentioned above
- Second, a Q&A about a self-publishing topic I’ve done a little research on over the last couple of weeks.
To all you writers, authors, bloggers, and readers out there…I know it’s hard work, but it’s a passion. There’s always more to learn, and if you never put yourself out there, no one will hear you. Goals matter–both in setting goals and reflection. How do you know you’re successful if you never measure. Goals are your measuring stick!
I am off to writer’s group to get a solid dose of my favorite positive writing energy. Until next time, cheers and happy writing!