2018 March in Review, April in Preview

I felt like March was not the most productive of months. I stopped noting my progress of words. I gave up on a project. Started a new one. Edited an old one. But I couldn’t escape the feeling that I was running in place all month–and I really haven’t been able to shake that feeling all year.

Last year, when I was up at the Madeline Island School of the Arts, I met a lovely woman, D., who was working on a marathon memoir. We instantly connected on the week long retreat and we have kept in monthly, if not weekly, touch every since then.

It’s been fun having someone to share my ups and downs with, and to cheer on as they complete their own book journey.

For my March in review, and really for my 2018 in review, I am going to share the sweetest thing I’ve received from a woman I barely know. I was complaining to her that I hadn’t felt motivated, and this was what she responded:

“No doubt about it lack of sunshine is why our energy levels are low. I admire you for your choice to change aspects of your lifestyle that you are not happy with. So many people just talk about it but you actually put in a lot of work to make it happen. The application processes for those MFA programs in my opinion were intense. And not only did you follow through, but you also did the NaNo Write while job searching and made progress on your mystery novel by changing the POV. And you also edited pieces for others. And you have pieces that were selected for publication. You are an author.
Alongside your writing, you started a new job. Working in a service industry dealing with people going through a variety of emotions after the death of their family member, has got to be using up writing energy. Perhaps a bunch of continuous sunny days will help some. Here’s hoping Spring comes soon.”

 

Seeing my year in that way made me feel like maybe I haven’t been spinning my wheels? Maybe D is right and some sun will do us all good! See you in May! Happy writing!

2018 February in Review, March in Preview

February felt like one step forward, two steps back for my novel. The novel I’m working on (tentatively titled The Presence of Still Water) is a paranormal mystery that takes place in the life of the main character over the course of six months. Each month is a grand section comprised of smaller “islands” (to steal a term from my Madeline Island mentor Mary Carroll Moore). Last month I had just made it to the second to the last month and was ready to charge ahead and (finally) finish the thing. However, a structural issue that was weakening my plot in the center caught my eye and when I saw the solution, I knew I could not keep going without fixing it. So, back to the first month I went, re-outlining and tweaking some sections at such a microscopic level I hardly felt like I was changing anything. Those of you who write know my frustrations. But you also know that I see the story getting stronger for it. And I know this will make the editing much less excruciating in the future. Here’s to a smoother March!

February 2018:

  • New website is up and running!
  • Signed up for MailChimp, immediately realized I don’t want to do a newsletter. Would love to find a template to make my emails flashy, but this is clearly not a priority.
  • Words written: 7,794

March 2018:

  • I will write 10k words or edit and write to the second to the last month in my novel, whichever makes more sense.
  • I will finish reading A House in the Country by Jose Donoso.
  • I will outline one new short story in my Sunbeam collection.
  • I will start to edit one older short story for submission.

2018 January in Review, February in Preview

When I look back on it, January was a productive month. It was only while I was slogging through it that I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. I’ve set some pretty steep goals for February. I hope to have good news to report in three weeks!

January review:
  • Books read: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, White Noise by Don DeLillo
  • Words written: Approx. 5,000
  • Pages edited: 13 page short story, 2 full edits
  • Submitted to: Easy Street Portal Prize in Speculative Fiction; New Millennium Prize; Ruminate Magazine William Van Dyke Short Story Prize
  • Ordered new business cards
  • Got my official prints of three professional photos from December photo shoot
February preview:
  • Will read A House in the Country by Jose Donoso
  • Will write more than 10,000 words
  • Will edit a 15 page short story written several years ago
  • Will get new website design finished (DONE!)
  • Will start a newsletter with MailChimp