Note: this post was written in the first couple of days of July, but I somehow omitted to post it then. So, three weeks late, here is my July goals update.
The late planning of June bit me pretty hard. Other (important but non-writing) projects took time from when I would usually expect to be writing…
Well, maybe the “usually” needs to change. That’s a topic for another time, though.
With that, let’s look at what I managed.
Three Things for June
The retreat was good, but I may have been pinning too many hopes on it.
- Song fourth draft — get one thematic element squared away.
I made good progress on the thematic element I worked on, including an important insight about the main character’s story and how it should be brought out, but I did not complete the element as I had hoped. - podcast — write and record one episode.
This was absurdly optimistic. I did good work on the podcast, including a theme tune that I am quite proud of, but I only got one scene written and recorded. That took a whole day.
I need to recalibrate my expectations on this one! - short stories — finish the BSQ draft; write another story for independent submission.
The BSQ draft is done. No other short story work.
If I round up, that looks like three half points, for a total of 1.5/3.
Three Things for 2019
The end of June means half the year is gone. Where am I on my annual goals?
- query A Turquoise Song — a goal in three sequential parts:
- prepare a fourth draft — incorporate feedback, make it good. Target was to have this done by the middle of the year — still working through my revision plan, but not with any great efficiency.
- prepare query letter — obviously the initial targets are the agents I talked to at the conference in 2017, but I also want to prepare for querying other agents.
I had hoped to hit the Q2 finish so as to be able to query the agents I spoke to then before the next conference.
- query — get the book out there.
- short stories — I am finding my relationship to short stories becoming much less contentious, even fruitful!
- several stories to write for Boundary Shock Quarterly — next one is drafted. Revision next, and draft the second story.
- write and submit four stories to other markets. So that’s one a quarter, and I will mark it as such — no new stories written. 0/2
- engage with the writing community — this is a nebulous label for a group of related goals that don’t warrant a top level item to themselves.
- workshop application — abandoned.
- podcast — one of the things that came out of the inconclusive work on producing Livia as an audiobook was a desire to launch a podcast of some kind.
Early recording done. I am still not clear on the voice I’m using, but I have something.
- cons & confs — I need to be getting out there more. I just do.
I’m planning on going to WilWriteConf again this year.
June was no better than May in a month which is rapidly descending into nothing much.
Three Things for July
On we go, then.
- Song fourth draft — goal continues to be to get one thematic element squared away.
- podcast — write and record one episode.
- short stories — refine the BSQ story; write another story for independent submission.
This doesn’t feel like it’s working at the moment. Something needs to change.