Back in January, I talked about my grandiose plans for the year. Yeah, that didn’t work out so well.
I didn’t finish the fantasy novel yet, although I did submit it to Viable Paradise.
I’m still working on fine-tuning the next cozy mystery, and I haven’t started the other series I mentioned I was thinking about.
I haven’t written the other middle grade novels nor the Dreampunk series novellas.
In fact, the only things on the list I’ve managed were the application to Viable Paradise and getting The Christmas Tree Farm Murders into paper (but not audio).
Yet for all that, I feel I’ve made progress this year. I’ve isolated things to work on improving, I’ve tweaked my work flow, and I think I’m finally getting a handle on how much I can reasonably expect myself to get done in a given time frame (the fact that it will never be as much as I want is depressing but must be accepted).
I’m going to see how some of what I’ve learned shakes out over the next two or three months before I set solid goals for 2014. I think the one thing I’m sure of is hat hey won’t be as far-reaching as this year’s were.
How about you? At the 5/6 mark of the year, what are you still aiming to get done in the next couple of months?
Today’s post was inspired by the topic “2013 project review” — November’s topic in the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour — an ongoing tour where you, the reader, travel around the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. We have all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to check out the next posts in the series, by Sandra Barret and D. M. Bonanno.
If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and find out their thoughts on first stories, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. You can find links to all of the posts on the tour by checking out the group site. Read and enjoy!
Hugs on the realization, but it allows for valid planning so you can enjoy your progress rather than beating yourself over the head.
As to my year, it’s been so crazy I don’t even remember what I thought reasonable in January :p.
Yeah, you’ve had a full year. But you’re self-publishing now, with plenty of inventory and lots of new ideas to go forward with!
And thank you. It’s not easy to learn acceptance instead of saying “But I should have gotten X done . . . “
Aiming to get my 50,000 words in for NaNo in spite of a week out with my radiation therapy. (of course it would be scheduled in November!) Aim to keep up my daily wordcount, not every day, but on the days when I do, I want to hit 3500 before I do anything else … as well as spending the rest of the year getting any residue of 2013 out of my system.
Kudos on moving ahead with NaNo and for having a plan. I hope the radiation therapy isn’t too bad in terms of side effects for you.
This year has definitely had surprises for you. Hope you get all the unpleasantness behind you!
Just ending week 5 of a 7-week steroid reduction and it’s official: I’m in a health crisis. Strength and energy are down to nearly zero. Pain is at 10 of 10.
Finished the first round edit for a YA timeslip novel my publisher has pencilled for release next spring or summer, but there’s nothing left in me for the extra work involved in self-pubbing the trilogy of YA SF novellas I’d intended to release over winter. It’s simply impossible. A friend has offered to self-pub them for me, and unless things change that will probably be my only foray into self-pubbing.
My editor says she’ll get the round 2 edit to me in early December.
Meanwhile, I need to think about what’s next. Options are Book 2 in my YA steampunk series, which is probably the one I should tackle seeing as A Flight of Thieves is doing so well. But there’s also an epic fantasy novel whose characters are in my head nagging me to write them. Oh, I’d better write Books 2 and 3 in my SF novella trilogy first. Damn, it’s all a daunting prospect when I’m too sick to even decide, never mind write one of them.
Maybe I should take November off to try and recover a bit before I start anything new. That feels right. Tbh, it feels like I don’t have a choice.
Also, our daughter Heather’s baby girl is due this week and we’re all on stand by for that, which will knock everything else out the window because babies are ace. 🙂
Wow.
Gentle hugs and lots of warm wishes for recovery. Ten of ten pain sucks, and I understand the feeling of being unable to tackle anything. Take the time you need.
And yay for having so many wonderful things to work on when you do feel better!
Congrats to Heather and her spouse on the impending arrival, and hooray for you, having a new grandchild. This is the first girl, isn’t it? All ready to be doted on by her grandfather!
Thanks. Yes, she’ll be our first granddaughter. Our eldest daughter Jackie is expecting a girl too, in February. So she and Heather will have a boy and a girl each. Our youngest, Beverley, thinks we’ll all be fed up with babies once she’s married and ready to start. We won’t, of course.
Enjoy what’s left of this year, Erin. 🙂
Judging from my own parents, no, I don’t imagine you’ll be at all blasé about it!
Go, Erin! It’s good that you have a handle on how and how much of your ideas you can get to in a year. I agree, better to plan for less and be happy than plan for more and beat yourself up about not getting it done.
Enjoy November and recharge your batteries for the new year.
Thanks, Connie!
I’m not sure i have a firm grip yet on “how much,” but I’m getting there.