#ROW80 Check-in 3/4/18

I have been swamped with freelance work, which is a good thing. However, I haven’t had any time to post till now!

I’m doing okay. I’m still amazed that it’s March already, and my birthday is coming too! (March 27th).

Here’s where I am at:

~2nd round edits on secret project. ~Update: still have not received the last two betas, which is fine. I still hope to release it sometime this year. Releasing it this month is not going to happen.
~Revisions on Fireborn ~ Update: I should be receiving them on April 1st.
~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.
NEW GOAL ADDED: Get to 50k by the end of the round ~Update: up to 55k!
~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 Blood Fury by J.R. Ward. Now reading Painless by Marty Thornley
~Water 5x a week
~Print out test roll pics in darkroom Nope. But have been pondering this.
~Poetry, maybe? Nope. 
~Housewalking 3x a week Nope. 
~And everyone’s favorite, chocolate consumption reports ~ Hot chocolate, KitKat minis,  and Hersey’s chocolate kisses!

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 2 Final Check-in

Hi, and we are here for #ROW80 again! I’m wrapping this up early because next week my husband and I will be going camping, and I will be packing and prepping and busy.

So, let’s see how I did:

~Publish Ever Touched on May 1st (on track to complete as of right now) <–DONE! So excited about this even now, a month later! 
~Add 10k to Covenant <–NOT DONE. I wrote 1,069 words though, 9k short of the goal. Just never got any momentum going. 😦 
~Start formulating a plan for Fireborn (looks like a rewrite as of right now)<–DONE. It’s definitely a rewrite, and an expansion, and I’m 20 pages in (of 40 pages). Those were pure revising, though. Have started writing a new scene.
~Drink a glass of water 5x a week <–DONE!
~Start working on FYFB class once things settle down<–NOT DONE. This also did not get off the ground. Thought about it. Will try to make this a priority in the next round.

Other things of note:

~Been building up my editing business and have secured a few new clients.
~Have written 13k of a projected 30k on my secret project
~Have loosely outlined a new novel, When She Sleeps, and have decided to make this a trilogy. Will be one of my projects for Camp Nano.
~Have made the decision to put Fey Touched in KDP Select. Its free promo days are July 21st-23rd. Been booking lots and lots of promotions.
~Been fighting a major increase of TN pain and that has really messed with my productivity and motivation. I have an appt with my neurologist on the 27th to discuss upping my medication dosage. Cross fingers that this helps!

Chocolate consumption: GF Chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, Twix ice cream bars, chocolate cake, hot chocolate. Not a lot. Need to step it up, because we all know that chocolate makes everything better, am I right?

 

 

#ROW80 Check-in 1/29/17

I’m back! I’ve been very busy and sleep deprived.

I finally saw the dermatologist who diagnosed it as both eczema and psoriasis. He gave me a super-strength steroid cream which is helping tremendously and an antihistamine to take at night for itching and sleep. And told me to moisturize constantly which I’ve been doing faithfully.

As a result, I have had 4 good nights of sleep! And my feet hardly itch during the day! My hands are still itchy at times (especially when exposed to heat) but not as much. The lesions (I HATE that word, but it is the actual terminology they use) look better, too. So I think *knocks cyber-wood* I may be on the mend!

Except that the dermatologist mentioned that this is a transition to what may be a worse condition. 😦 So I guess time will tell. Bu at least I am feeling better. I am grateful for that.

I’ve been busy with another editing job that came through, and I just turned that in a few days ago (early!). Ever Touched is 75% done. I had to rewrite a few scenes, and I know I’ll need to rewrite a few more. But so far it’s been fairly easy.

And…Guild Wars. OMG I have probably logged at least 6 hours this weekend. It has been a struggle to disengage myself and get my work done. I have to be vigilant. So I’ve been limiting my time. We’ll see if it works.

One of the members of the accountability group for the FYFB class said gaming is actually a very good destressor. And I agree with her, because where else can you legally kill people and monsters? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

How is everything else going? :laughs:

FYFB class – Nothing, and I anticipate there won’t be until I finish Ever Touched. It is self=paced, so I am not losing anything by waiting. I am still meeting with the group each week though.

Exercise – Nope. Still adjusting. I have been trying to stand and stretch on a timer, however, like always. That’s my #1 goal once things calm down.

Fireborn revision – I’ve been doing some thinking about this and after discussing it with TDP, I may be expanding it a bit. I think overall the mystery is a bit rushed (trying to stay within 20k, which was what episode 1 was) and I have been researching how to write mysteries b/c I realized I have no idea how to properly do it. Several of my books have had mysteries in them, but they weren’t the primary storyline. So that’s happening.

Survivor outline – I am considering writing up plot cards instead of using Scrivener, primarily b/c they’d be portable, and I am considering working on Survivor on the fly. Or devouting Sundays to it again. Still pondering.

Weight – I honestly haven’t weighed myself in quite awhile so I really don’t know how I’m doing. I can tell you that my appetite has been less since I was sick recently, and hasn’t really fully returned. Which is great for weight loss, but it worrisome in the long term. So I will need to weigh myself and see where exactly I’m at.

Water – 5x a week for the most part. I may have missed one last week.

Ever Touched cover art – Stock art has been purchased and my #1 priority after I turn Ever Touched in is to work on the cover.

Chocolate consumption: Ultimate chocolate sandwiches, Oreos, chocolate/caramel cover pretzels, chocolate mini brownies, hot chocolate. I have a TON of gluten-free snacks that I got for Christmas that I am working my way through, and most of them aren’t chocolate. I’m sure I’ll get back to my chocolate-addicted ways soon. 😉

#ROW80 Check-in Dec.11th

I’m baaaack!

I’ve had a rough couple of weeks. First, I finished the Ever Touched revision on time, but it was a struggle. I also got a freelance editing job in the midst of that, which was great, but needed to be done, so I wasn’t able to do much else (but the extra money was worth it!). And I have another one coming in tomorrow, which is great. 🙂

Then…I started getting these odd, itchy blisters on my hands and feet. The itching was miserable. I couldn’t sleep for at least a week. I finally got the brilliant idea of taking Benadryl before bed so I could sleep, except that really made me groggy in the morning. I couldn’t take hot showers b/c the heat would make the itching exponentially worse. All in all, I was miserable and a bit freaked out.

Long story short — I saw my doctor on Friday and he said it is vesicular eczema, which only affects the hands and feet. Apparently it could have started due to an allergy, but maybe not (we’ve racked our brains and can’t come up with anything). My dad had atopic eczema, and I guess there’s a genetic component to all of this. He gave me a shot of steroids (which I’m not sure helped), a prescription strength anti-itch cream, and told me to make sure I put moisturizer on myself every day indefinitely, as my skin is too dry (always in the winter). If I’m not better in one week, I’ll need to call him and probably come in again.

I can’t even tell you how miserable this is. Besides being itchy all the time, I have to constantly be aware of how warm I get b/c that affects it. I don’t sleep with many covers, so most of the time I’m freezing. I’m also swollen from the steroids, so I can’t wear my wedding rings or my anniversary ring, which I know is not huge and is temporary, but I have never not worn them and my hands feel naked. All my scratching can lead to a skin infection, so I’m worried about that as well. The funny thing? I figured this out myself. I did some research and saw pictures, and they looked just like my hands. But of course I needed confirmation of that, so I saw the doctor.I just want this to go away! I’m afraid it’s going to linger, and I’ll have to battle this for awhile and I really don’t want to.

But I guess of all the things that could be happening, this is relatively minor. Just a nuisance. But still…

So I haven’t done much of anything. But here’s the rundown:

Ever Touched revision – DONE and turned in 12/1. I get it back January 1st for the first round of revisions.

FYFB class – SO behind, not even funny. But I will be working on it today a bit.

Reviews – Somewhat caught up, but I have a few that need to be done like right now…

Exercise – Are you kidding me? Nope.

Water – Pretty much 5x a week, yay!

Weight – Lost 3 pounds, yay!

Chocolate consumption – Not a lot, really. WW Sundaes, chocolate-caramel thingies, hot chocolate. Lots of Twizzlers and Snickerdoodles.

#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 #1

It’s been a busy two weeks, and this is the first time I’ve been able to sit down and do a proper ROW80 post. I got a bit sidetracked by my first freelance editing job of the year, which was great. I sent it back yesterday. I had a few issues with Open Office which could have delayed things. My comments were turning into gibberish. I still have no idea what happened, but I need to figure out what happened so it doesn’t happen again.

So, I was able to finish the first pass of the revision before the job came through, but noticed a few plot holes and discrepancies that needed to be addressed, so I’m doing a second pass just for that. And then editing/proofing, but only the first 10k so I can get the submission done. I will continue to edit/proof the rest while I’m biting my nails off waiting for a response. 😉

I am on page 35 of the second pass.

I’ve done 3x of physical activity last week, and tonight I’ll be doing another.

I finished the first draft of Changeling part 4 which I see I didn’t put in as a goal. Oops. Anyhoo, that’s due to my TDP folks on 2/1. Just need to revise it.

Logging in to the planner has been working pretty well. However, I’m still not quite in the mode and have to remind myself to do it. But it is helping me narrow down things for when I’m home and have only so much time.

Annnd that’s really it for now. How are you doing with your goals?

 

2015 Year-in-Review and 2016 Goals

Happy New Year!

I’ve been doing this for at least 5 years now, maybe more, because it helps to take stock of what I’ve accomplished (and what I haven’t) and it also helps me to set concrete goals for the new year. So, here we go!

This year’s goals:

~Publish Grave Touched, pending approval, in May (tentative) – DONE! Grave Touched was published May 1st, after a 2-year hiatus. It was my biggest accomplishment in 2015, hands down!
~Write Fireborn, Reaper Girl novella – MOSTLY DONE. I started Fireborn in January, but got tied up with GT’s release and lost momentum. Started it back up after, and ran into some problems, and had to rewrite a portion of it. It’s at 19k currently, with maybe 5-10k left to go. I am hoping to finish it and release it this year.
~Figure out a plot for Ever Touched – DONE
~Start writing Ever Touched – DONE for NanowriMo, and it’s at 32k currently.
~Poke at Survivor (my book, not the TV show) on Sundays – DONE. Poking has happened, as well as a revised outline. Have not started the rewrite, but plan to this year.
~Start rewrite of Flamebound – NOT DONE, but planned for this year.
~Write 1 poem per week minimum – NOT DONE, but wrote 10 poems over the course of the year.
~Do something with darkroom – DONE. Began cleaning and replenishing chemicals.  Shot a test roll of b&w film that I will be developing soon. Also got my 35mm automatic camera working again so I can continue shooting more b&w. Also planning on shooting b&w infrared.

So, all in all, I didn’t do too badly. Other notable accomplishments:

~Started a new novel, Covenant, which is up to 13k currently
~Wrote and posted the second and third installments of my fantasy serial, Changeling, at Turtleduck Press
~Got Reaper Girl ready for publication
~Wrote around 100k for the year
~Made concrete plans for more novellas
~Began the revision of Pirouette for a publisher. Pirouette has been languishing for 4 years because I didn’t know what to do with it

Non-writing accomplishments:

~Diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia + meds which is improving my quality of life greatly
~Obtained a digital-converted-DSLR and began experimenting with digital infrared
~Began reviving my darkroom and have plans to start working in it this year.
~Revived my editing business and have landed several jobs

So what are my goals for 2016?

~Release one novel
~Finish and release Fireborn
~Finish Pirouette revision and submit to publisher. If rejected, make a ruling as to what to do with it (trad or indie)
~Begin Flamebound rewrite
~Begin Survivor rewrite
~Make progress on Awaken Me
~Finish Ever Touched
~Get back into darkroom
~Try not to stress so much
~Experiment with plotting techniques
~Finish up Changeling serial
~Get back on diet/eat healthy/exercise
~My word for this year is NURTURE: nurture myself, nurture my creativity, nurture my dreams.

Annnd I believe that’s enough.  I have a good feeling about this year, and I hope to get lots done and take care of myself better. 🙂

What are your goals for this year?

 

 

#ROW80 Final Check-in 12/20/15

I’ve decided to wrap this up due to the fact that the next week is going to be nuts and I tend to forget about my Wednesday check-ins. So, here’s where I finished at:

~Finish Fireborn (I’m within 5k-10k to the end) – Unfortunately not, but I am so close I can taste it. The draft is at 19k after rewriting the last 5k or so. It’s my #1 priority after finishing up Pirouette in the new year.
~5k more on Covenant –Unfortunately not. Only wrote 1,345 words, but that’s something!
~Barring unforeseen craziness, I’d like to participate in NaNoWriMo with a modified goal of 30k (because my wrists can’t take 50k). Need to decide on a project, Survivor Rewrite or Ever Touched. Both need to be written, and there are compelling reasons for working on both but…just. can’t. decide! DONE! Participated in NanoWriMo with Ever Touched and ended with a wordcount of 32k.
~Pirouette revision for publisher – On page 30 of 250, so I’ve finally moved on from the first 24 pages! Yay!

Non-writing goals:

~Shoot test roll of 35mm film and develop HALF DONE. Shot test roll, but need new chemicals which I have not bought yet. And I also need to finish cleaning/dusting and reorganizing my darkroom
~15 minutes of physical activity (anything that gets me out of my chair counts: cleaning, walking, straightening, breaks from writing, etc) 3 times per week DONE for the most part. I managed physical activity at least once a week, but sometimes I got two or three in, so I call that a win.

I’ve had some personal stuff happening this round, and freelance work as well, so I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped. But I’m moving forward, if slowly, and that’s what counts.

Chocolate consumption: Not as much as I’d like, as a rule, this round because dieting. I’m sure the holidays will blow this all to hell anyway. 😉

How did you do on this round?

And Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! I will be participating in ROW80 next year.

 

 

#ROW80 Check-in 10/7/15

Today is the 9-year anniversary of he day I met my hubby. 🙂 Boy, how time flies!

Here’s my update:

I haven’t written anything, due to the freelance project I’m working on. Things are percolating, and the first sentence of Before the Stars Fall revealed itself to me. Thank you, muse! Like I need any more WIPs…

Physical activity: walked for 15 minutes yesterday and today. One more day to go!

I’m tentatively planning on shooting my test roll this weekend, if things aren’t too nuts. I missed the window for summer flowers (boo!) but since I have the automatic I should be good to go for indoors stuff. We have two animals, a cat and a dog, that always are good for pictures. (If the roll turns out and the pictures are really good, they can be made into Christmas presents).

That’s really about it.

Oh! Chocolate consumption! Everyone’s favorite part! How could I forget? I…haven’t had much chocolate in the past few days. I think I’m slipping! Must remedy that immediately! (she says as she eats a piece of chocolate….)