2017 Year-End Review and 2018 Goals

Time has been flying! Holy cow! It’s almost 2018 already, and and and —

Okay, I’m a bit early. I don’t expect much to change drastically in 3 days, so here we are.

So how did I do?

~Release 1 book (besides Ever Touched) ~NOT DONE, although I got a new cover for In Flames and put Reaper Girl into KDP Select. 
~Publish Ever Touched (set for May release)~DONE! 
~Start revision of Pirouette/Death Dancer ~NOT DONE, but had an interesting idea the other day about Alisia’s lineage. 
~Finish Covenant ~NOT DONE, but it’s at 24k now. Wanted to hit 30k before the new year, but I’m not sure that’s possible now. 😦 
~Start Elysium ~NOT DONE. At all.
~Finish and release Fireborn ~DONE. Rewrote it and submitted it to TDP for publication next year.
~Outline book #1 in Fey Touched spin-off series ~NOT DONE. May toy with this next year.
~Get on a consistent, simple exercise plan and STICK WITH IT ~NOPE. 
~Eat healthier/Gluten-free ~NOT DONE.  😦 Well, made the attempt, anyway…
~Get back into darkroom when hands are better ~NOT DONE.
~Add in a second writing session twice a week (8 minutes)~NOT DONE. Have been fighting pain and exhaustion.
~Try to write more short fiction ~DONE! Fireborn (55k) and When She Sleeps (projected 60k) 
~Continue with FYFB class (so behind right now!)~NOPE. Downloaded everything that’s available that I haven’t gotten to.
~Start working on Survivor Rewrite outline again ~DONE! Not finished due to wrist issues.

This year has been roughly for me physically. I have been exhausted more, and the trigeminal neuralgia flared up again so we’ve been trying to find the right combination of meds to control the pain. So far, we haven’t been very successful.

I was also laid off from my job in August, so there’s been some upheaval there. I have been working on my freelancing/virtual assistant business to try to bring in more money. Things are kind of up in the air, and it has been wreaking havoc on my productivity.

I have decided to buckle down and make things happen in 2018!

Goals:

~2nd round of edits/release secret project (early 2018)
~Revise and release Fireborn
~Get serious about exercise and DO SOMETHING
~Take pictures regularly (once a month, 1 a day for x amount of days, etc)
~Get moving with dictation again
~Progress on Covenant
~Progress on When She Sleeps
~Start Survivor Rewrite for reals this time
~Do something with Death Dancer/Pirouette
~Get better with planning
~Start writing every day again, even if it’s 100 words
~Figure out Reaper Girl #3, Faeborn

I’ve written roughly 80k this year, which is down from last year. Would like to hit 100k and more in 2018.

#ROW80 Round 1 2017 Goals

It’s 2017! Time to declare my ROW80 Round 1 Goals. I have a lot of goals for this year, but I need to start small and slow, as Ever Touched will be the focus and priority this round. My secondary goal is to publish 1 more book this year as well.

Here they are:

~Finish Ever Touched 2nd round edits
~Finalize Ever Touched cover art
~Start on a blurb
~After Ever Touched is finished, start Fireborn revision
~Add 5k to Covenant (using 8 minute writing if possible)
~Continue FYFB class (I’m so horribly behind now, it’s not even funny!)
~Eat healthier/lose 5 pounds
~Restart transferring Survivor Rewrite outline to Scrivener
~Exercise: housewalking 3x per week
~Water – 1 glass 5 days per week
~Chocolate consumption reports of course!

I think that’s it for now. Here we go!

2016 Year-in-Review and 2017 Goals

Here we are with my 2016 Year-in-Review and 2017 Goals. This year FLEW by, and I had a lot of health stuff crop up, so things did not go as smoothly, and some things had to be put on the back burner. All in all, I think I did pretty damn well considering. I wrote around 130,000 words for the year, which is excellent. I did a lot of editing and revising, and that’s not counted in the total.

The two major accomplishments for this year were submitting Pirouette/Death Dancer to a publisher and one agent. I got frustrated by the process, and realized that my ability to meet deadlines due to my health is compromised, and besides that, I like having control over things, so I decided to stop trying with traditional publishing and try to publish Pirouette independently. That’s not to say I’m done with traditional publishing; it just means that Pirouette will probably at some point be a Turtleduck Press release.

The second one is Ever Touched. I finished it and submitted it to my editor by my deadline of December 1st. Due to life craziness and a computer in the shop for 11 days, it was a struggle, but I’m glad to say that I made it. I’ve already received my edits back, and have started the 2nd round.

Also, Turtleduck Press published To Rule the Stars, an anthology of space princess stories. My story, Bound, is part of it (and a sneak peek of Ever Touched!). Check it out here.

What about everything else?

~Release one novel – <–DONE, technically. I released Reaper Girl as a perk of signing up for my newsletter. I am working on releasing it everywhere.
~Finish and release Fireborn <–NOT DONE. I am close, though. I was never able to get it done to my satisfaction. It’s my #1 goal in 2017 after Ever Touched edits are done.
~Finish Pirouette revision and submit to publisher. If rejected, make a ruling as to what to do with it (trad or indie)<–DONE. Was rejected by both publisher and agent. Have decided to publish it with TDP.
~Begin Flamebound rewrite <–NOT DONE. Would love to do something with it in 2017.
~Begin Survivor rewrite <–NOT DONE. Definitely going to be a project for 2017. I am DYING to get this one out there.
~Make progress on Awaken Me <–NOT DONE, unless thinking about it counts!
~Finish Ever Touched <–DONE and turned in on time. Slated for May 2017 release.
~Get back into darkroom <–DONE. Processed a test roll of film, but have not been able to do any printing. And b/c of my skin issues, it’s not looking likely for awhile. 😦 
~Try not to stress so much <–NOT DONE. LOL. It feels like all I did was stress out about things.
~Experiment with plotting techniques <–DONE! “Plotting from the Middle” and Monica Leonelle’s techniques.
~Finish up Changeling serial <–DONE! And as of Feb. 1st, I am starting a new one in the Fey Touched world.
~Get back on diet/eat healthy/exercise<–KINDA SORTA. I’ve been trying to get better with exercise, but a sprained knee screwed me up. Likewise with the diet. Been trying, but have been losing and gaining the SAME FIVE POUNDS. Ugh.
~My word for this year is NURTURE: nurture myself, nurture my creativity, nurture my dreams.

So, all in all, not too shabby. Here are my goals for 2017:

~Release 1 book (besides Ever Touched)
~Publish Ever Touched (set for May release)
~Start revision of Pirouette/Death Dancer
~Finish Covenant
~Start Elysium
~Finish and release Fireborn
~Outline book #1 in Fey Touched spin-off series
~Get on a consistent, simple exercise plan and STICK WITH IT
~Eat healthier/Gluten-free
~Get back into darkroom when hands are better
~Add in a second writing session twice a week (8 minutes)
~Try to write more short fiction
~Continue with FYFB class (so behind right now!)
~Start working on Survivor Rewrite outline again

I think that’s enough for now. What are your goals for 2017?

#ROW80 Round 3 2016 Goals

Happy 4th of July to all Americans, and Happy Monday to the rest!

So, here we are at Round 3 of A Round of Words in 80 Days. I started a few years ago not really knowing how it would go, but it’s become a huge part of my writing life. 🙂 Accountability is HUGE for me, so it works well.

Without further adieu, here are my goals:

~Finish and submit TDP short story by July 15th deadline (I’m in the home stretch now on the rough draft, so I *should* be able to do this.)
~Do All the Things related to anthology release (TDB later)
~Restart Ever Touched and finish by end of round (32k left to go)
~Read-through of Fireborn
~Reinstate Covenant/8 minutes a day writing 2 days per week
~Drink one glass of water 5x per week
~Exercise 3x per week
~Experiment more with digital infrared
~Take more pictures!
~Keep up with review books (I’m on 4 ARC review teams)
~Complete 2 author interviews

I think that it is for now. 🙂 As always, I will also report on my chocolate consumption because c’mon, everyone loves that!

#ROW80 Round 2 Final Check-in

Well, here we are at the end of the round, and I have to say, I think I did pretty well. I was fighting some things, exhaustion and other commitments, and at times it was tough. But I am happy with what I accomplished.

Here were my goals:

~Finish rough draft of Ever Touched. <–NOT DONE. Close, but I got sidetracked by an editing job, a query letter, and a longish short story with a tight deadline. My #1 plan is to finish this next round. I’m at 88k (of 120k) so far!

~If there’s time, start planning Fireborn revision.<–NOT DONE, because Ever Touched isn’t done, but I am planning on doing a read through of the completed draft ASAP.

~Continue logging outline for Survivor into Scrivener.<–NOT DONE. Just not enough time. This will be carried over to next round, b/c my next primary project will be Survivor.

~Reinstate 8 minutes a day of a first draft again/make progress on Covenant <–DONE once. I was fighting exhaustion mostly, and wrist tendonitis, so this was just not working for me. 😦

~Make prints of the film I developed yesterday (my test roll). <–NOT DONE. Same song, second verse. I had to order in chemicals and a new safelight. Not enough energy. It’s happening SOON though!

~Experiment with digital infrared <–DONE! Check it out here!

~Plot Elysium <–DONE!

~Clean office <–Started, but not completed

~Continue #AprilLove2016 when possible <–DONE! 14 out of 30 days. Did not complete due to wrist tendonitis.  Dear Courage, Dear Inspiration, Dear Younger Me, Dear Future Me (the rest were written in a journal offline).

~Exercise 2x a week <–MOSTLY DONE, 2x and sometimes more!

~Drink 1 glass of water every day.<–MOSTLY DONE, every day except 2 every week. 

Looking forward to next round! Who’s participating?

#ROW80 Check-in April 24th

Annnd here we are again. Man, this week went by fast!

Overall, I’m doing okay. Still tired, but I’m managing. I haven’t hit all my goals, but I got some done, and that’s progress.

So, here we go!

Ever Touched – Due to getting a small editing job, I am slightly behind on this. But the good news is that I think I can make it up. And, extra money is always nice! Up to 78,145 words now (3,426 words sine last check-in!). My goal was to hit 80k this month, so I should make it. As for Camp, I still have 10k to go.

8 minutes/Covenant – Nada. Thought about it a lot, but never had enough energy to make it happen.

Exercise – 3 times this week – 2 walks, 1 bike.

Water – Every day except one.

AprilLove2016 – Still horrendously behind, but wrote 2 journal entries, and posted two blog posts. Here (Dear Future Me) and here (Dear Courage).

Elysium – Pondering, but nothing done. 😦

Chocolate consumption: Oreos – oh man, Oreos. And WW Sundaes.

Hoping to get some more done this week!

#ROW80 Check-in April 17th

Just rocking and rolling over here! Still very tired, but I’m working through it.

This will be quick as my wrist is acting up again. Must rest today.

Ever Touched – up to 74,719 (3,134 words since last check-in!). Almost to 75k!

8 minutes/Covenant – I have not felt up to this, unfortunately. Still planning on it once I do feel up to it! I feel terrible leaving it where I left it!

A preview of the pics I took yesterday. The white is actual grass, not snow!

Digital infrared – Took some test shots yesterday! They came out beautiful. They are here if you want to see them.

Exercise – Took a walk with hubby yesterday.

Water – Every day except two.

AprilLove2016 – Wrote Day 10 in my journal. Still really behind, though!

Elysium – Did a bit of work on it last night.

So, not too bad at all.

Chocolate consumption: several brownie cookies, a WW Sundae, and several Oreos. Yum.

#ROW80 Check-in April 13th

Wheww, I actually have a few minutes to do a check-in. Whoohooo!

So things have been going fairly well despite the exhaustion. I’m pretty happy with my progress so far this week and hope to continue!

Ever Touched – up to 71,585 words (4,358 words since last check-in!). Almost two-thirds done!

Elysium plotting – I started! I’m using method of Monica Leonelle’s, which is far more detailed than what I usually do, but I am intrigued by it and wanted to try it out on a new project this year.

Exercise – 2 walks, 1 run on exercise bike

Water – Every day so far this week!

AprilLove2016 – I am horribly behind, but I did do Day 8: “Dear Younger Me” yesterday here.

Digital infrared – Plans to experiment this weekend because it’s supposed to be sunny.

8 minutes/Covenant – Nada. I am just too exhausted! It’s frustrating.

Chocolate consumption report: several Oreos, WW Sundae last night, a few Samoas. I am such a chocolate fiend.

How’s everything going for you?

 

#ROW80 Check-in April 10th

The first check-in of the round! Yay!

Well, I have been hit with exhaustion again, so I have not been as productive as I’d hoped. Been getting proper sleep and all but it continues. Gah.

So here it what I’ve done:

Ever Touched – up to 67,223 words. Past halfway. Things are getting very interesting.

AprilLove2016 – Still a few days behind on my journal entries, but I did three last night.

8 minutes/Covenant – I plan to start this this week if I feel up to it. Honestly? Getting my EvT words in has taken most of my energy, so I haven’t done the 8 minutes. May need to move that to a different time of day or something.

Exercise – Used the exercise bike 4 times this week. I’m still at 3 minutes, but I will be upping that amount of time this week.

Water – Every day except two.

Darkroom – I finally got my new safelight, so once I make sure I have everything I need, and have the energy, I will be printing those pictures.

Digital infrared – Weather’s been too weird for that – you need really good sunlight. But I am watching and waiting!

I’m bringing back my chocolate consumption report! Yesterday – chocolate chip pancakes for dinner (!), a few Samoa-knockoff cookies, a small ice cream Twix bar, and chocolate pudding (snacks!). Today I have yet to eat chocolate. I will though! No surprise there!

Also, shameless plug time! Due to some issues with my day job, I am looking to do more freelance editing. If you or someone you know is looking for an editor (or proofreader), please send him or her my way! My rates are competitive, I am very experienced, and I am a Journalism grad. /shameless plug

#ROW80 Round 2 Goals

Round 2 of A Round of Words in 80 Days begins today! I think I’m a lifer. I have never accomplished so much than when I’ve been ROWing. Accountability is an important part of my process.

Round 1 went well. I was hit with fatigue issues toward the end, but I get almost everything done! So I’m hoping for another productive round!

Here are my goals:

~Finish rough draft of Ever Touched.
~If there’s time, start planning Fireborn revision.
~Continue logging outline for Survivor into Scrivener.
~Reinstate 8 minutes a day of a first draft again/make progress on Covenant
~Make prints of the film I developed yesterday (my test roll).
~Experiment with digital infrared
~Plot Elysium
~Clean office
~Continue #AprilLove2016 when possible
~Exercise 2x a week
~Drink 1 glass of water every day.

There’s a chance things may need to get shuffled around pending any editing jobs or small projects for TDP, so I’m going to try to be flexible. But these are the things I hope to accomplish this round.