#ROW80 Check-in 1/21/18

Here we are for #ROW80 once again! I’ve been doing all right, except for severe fatigue. Even so, I got a fair amount of stuff done.

I’ve decided to officially declare a new goal for Oubliette since it’s going so well.

~2nd round edits on secret project (I am contemplating releasing it around my birthday in March. We will see how things go). ~I  haven’t received the last two betas yet.
~Revisions on Fireborn ~Haven’t received my edits back, either.
~Covenant words ~Don’t have wordcounts handy at the moment. Maybe 1,000 new words? I’ve stopped working on this book due to being stuck. I am working on an older novel, Oubliette, and it’s up to 25k now.
NEW GOAL ADDED: Get to halfway point on Oubliette ~I’m at 31.9k right now; 37k would be halfway.
~Survivor Sundays (Survivor my book, not the TV show) Have not started yet. 
~Poke at Fireborn cover?~Yes, although it’s not working as well as I’d hoped.

Non-writing stuffs:

~Read 1 book a week ~Started Nashville boxed set by Inglath Cooper.
~Water 5x a week
~Print out test roll pics in darkroom Nope. 
~Poetry, maybe? Nope. 
~Housewalking 3x a week Nope. 
~And everyone’s favorite, chocolate consumption reports ~ Hot chocolate and Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles from hubby.

#ROW80 Check-in Jan. 14th

Here we are again with a ROW80 Check-in. I’ve been pretty exhausted this week, and along with TN pain, it’s been really hard to get much done. 😦

Here’s the rundown:

~2nd round edits on secret project (I am contemplating releasing it around my birthday in March. We will see how things go). ~I  haven’t received the last two betas yet.
~Revisions on Fireborn ~Haven’t received my edits back, either.
~Covenant words ~Don’t have wordcounts handy at the moment. Maybe 1,000 new words? I’ve stopped working on this book due to being stuck. I am working on an older novel, Oubliette, and it’s up to 25k now.
~Survivor Sundays (Survivor my book, not the TV show) Have not started yet. 
~Poke at Fireborn cover?~Yes, although it’s not working as well as I’d hoped.

Non-writing stuffs:

~Read 1 book a week Finished Broken Symmetry by Dan Rix and have started
Blood Fury by J.R. Ward. 

~Water 5x a week
~Print out test roll pics in darkroom Nope. 
~Poetry, maybe? Nope. 
~Housewalking 3x a week Nope. 
~And everyone’s favorite, chocolate consumption reports ~Not a lot this week. Just hot chocolate. I must step it up!

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 Check-in 12/3/17

Here I am again!

Honestly? I’ve been exhausted. Too much too soon for too long. However, I am finally somewhat free so I can update and rest.

Here’s my update:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ Submitted on Friday 12/1!
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project  I am 17% in
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Most likely Covenant, with When She Sleeps as a secondary. Also toying with the idea of restarting Survivor Sundays.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week ~Did not drink water for 2 days. Bad Erin! No cookie!
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Cold Memory by Harvey Church and also FirstLife by Gena Showalter. Started Broken Glass by V.C. Andrews and Lifeblood, sequel to Firstlife by Gena Showalter.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! Hersey’s kisses and dark chocolate mini’s! And lots of hot chocolate!

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 Check-in Sept. 11th

A moment of silence to remember 9/11.

Okay, let’s get right to it. I’ve been dealing with exhaustion again. And migraines. So I haven’t made as much progress as I’d like.

Here’s the rundown:

Short story – Done and ready to submit.

Ever Touched – Had to rip 3k out b/c the twist was not working. Wrote 1,432 words since last check-in — just over the minimum to finish by the end of the month. Would like to start having 1k days again. Hit 101k again last night.

Covenant – Nada, but thought about it. No energy. 😦

Water – Mostly every day.

Exercise – Yes, twice this week.

Secret project – Nada.

Reviews – Still working on getting the one book read. Need to focus.

Office organization – Got the filing cabinet! Forgot about the folder frames, which my wonderful hubby picked up for me this morning and installed. Now, all I need to do is transfer some files from the packed-to-the-gills one and figure out what else to throw away. It’s coming along.

Darkroom – Would have loved to get in there yesterday, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Too tired. Had a migraine.

Chocolate consumption: Gluten-free brownies, WW chocolate caramels, French Silk pie, WW Ultimate chocolate sandwiches, chocolate-marshmallow cookies. I think that’s it. We’re having Boston creme donuts today for dessert.

#ROW80 Check-in August 7th

It’s been a very rough week. My knee is no better, despite icing and anti-inflammatory meds and all that. I will most likely need to see the doctor. 😦

And I’ve been exhausted.

So progress was very minimal.

Here’s the rundown:

Ever Touched – 2,310 words written since last check-in, 98k in draft. Would love to hit 100k in the next few days. Implemented my new twist, and it’s going well so far.

Covenant – Nope, but thinking a lot.

Exercise – Nooooooooo.

Water – 4x this week.

Reviews – Finished a book and posted review today. Three more to go!

Secret project – Ideas are simmering.

Chocolate consumption: Chocolate birthday cake from my mom’s birthday party yesterday, WW sundae, WW ultimate chocolate sandwiches, WW caramel-chocolate thingies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate zucchini bread, and these new chocolate pastry crisps from Aldi. Yummy!

#ROW80 Check-in June 19th

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there!

This round is almost done, and it feels like it went by SO FAST.

I’ve mostly been working on my short story for Turtleduck Press. I got stuck, started over (!), realized that wasn’t working, and continued on in the original document. Kind of roundabout, but it made me realize that what I had was working. It will most definitely be longer than 10k (which was the wordcount limit. Last time we did this, Reaper Girl was supposed to be 10k, too, but it came in at 22k. I write long) which is okay, but I am going to try to keep it close if possible.

Here’s how I’ve done on the rest:

Ever Touched – Nada, but I have definite plans to restart this soon.

Covenant – Also a nada, also plans to restart.

Water – Almost every day.

Query letter – Haven’t done much with it this week, although I am pondering.

Elysium – On hold for now.

Exercise – 1 time this week. Kinda fell off the program here this week. Plans to get more in this week for sure!

Darkroom – Yesterday was my tentative day to print, but I had too much other stuff going on and not enough energy. Next weekend is another camping trip, so maybe the following weekend might work, provided I’m not bogged down with other things and exhausted. 😉

Chocolate consumption: A lot. WW chocolate sandwiches, WW sundaes, WW chocolate-caramel thingies, chocolate pudding. Also red velvet-flavored chocolate chip cookies (except cream cheese-flavored chips), which don’t really count, but were cool and were yummy.

 

#ROW80 Check-in May 15th

I’m still making glacier-slow progress on Ever Touched dictating. I guess it’s just going to be slow while my wrist heals. Very frustrating, but it is what it is.

Also I’ve been fighting exhaustion again, so there’s so much I wanted to do that didn’t get done. Apparently I’m not anemic, so it must be the fibromyalgia. I’ve been meaning to get back into my darkroom to print, but I’ve had to put it off for the past few weeks. Hopefully, I can soon.

I also participated in #PitDark on Thursday (a twitter pitch thing where you pitch a book in a tweet to agents and publishers). I got two really good agents who are interested in my book (Pirouette/Death Dancer – the same one I sent off to a different publisher in January) so for the past few days I’ve been working on a query letter. Distilling a 121k novel down into what feels like haiku is not only really hard, but exhausting. I’ve been getting good feedback on a forum I’m on, so I think I’m on the right track. One of today’s tasks is to do another revision. Cross your fingers and toes that this works! I would love to get an agent out of this. If anything else, it’s great practice for the future.

Okay, on to the rundown:

Ever Touched – up to 87k (approximately 4,000 words written since the last check-in. More than I thought, actually! Maybe it just feels like it’s going slow?)

Covenant – Nada. I really feel awful about this. 😦

Water – Every day except two.

Exercise – 3 times – 2 walks, 1 bike (up to 6 minutes now!)

Elysium – Nada. Wanted to do something on it yesterday but the wrist wasn’t cooperating. Does planning on doing it, even if it doesn’t get done, count? (Just kidding!)

Darkroom – As mentioned above, this has been put off due to exhaustion.

Chocolate consumption – Oreos. Lots of Oreos. WW Sundaes. WW chocolate caramels.. Ice cream Twix bars. Did I mention Oreos? 😉

Annnnd that’s it for me. How about you?

 

 

 

#ROW80 Check-in #11

I have been sleeping better, but I’m still exhausted, so I’ve had some issues getting things done this week (again!). I think some of it is the fibromyalgia messing with me again.

Here is the run down:

Ever Touched – Broke 50k yesterday! I wrote over 2k yesterday which is awesome! I wish I could do that every day! I wanted to hit 50k before my copyediting started. I’m supposed to get the manuscript today, so that will take priority for the rest of the month. But I still plan on working on Ever Touched when I can.

Covenant/8 minutes a day – Big fat fail on this one. No energy. Yesterday I wanted to work on it, but Real Life intruded, and by the time I had the time to do it, it was too late at night and I was ready for bed! Gah! Going to try to get back into the swing again this week.

Planner – Going better than last week! I filled in the entire week except today.

Water – Every day except one.

Physical activity – Another fail. Although today I have some cleaning to do, so that will count.

Darkroom – Another fail. Low energy + Real Life intruding. I hope that things calm down. It’s funny. All I need to do is transfer chemicals into other containers for disposal.I need to do that before I can develop the test roll. Not too difficult, but finding the time and/or energy? Not happening.

Sooooo I hope to be more productive this week. Wish me luck!