Hello? Is this thing on?

*Steps in and looks around*

It’s been awhile. Almost a year, actually, since my last post. And some of you probably forgot you even followed me and are wondering where did this random woman come from.

I had this whole dream of 2021 being a better year then 2020. Oh my sweet summer child, how wrong I was.

The year wasn’t a total bust. Thanks to DNA kits I bought hubby and I for Christmas last year, I have found new family, discovered some very cool connections (that I plan to write about at a later time) and I also helped Mr. C find his bio paternal family. His birth father sadly passed away a few years ago, but he’s in contact and meeting his new, massive family. (We live in a small area. One uncle lives so close that Mr. C could hit his house with a rock).

Off the top of my head, that’s probably the best thing that happened this year outside of the chaos of our lives.

Mr. C started hemodialysis in January, which in some ways helped but also drained him. In the summer he went in for surgery to have tube inserted into a membrane by the stomach. So now he is on home therapy, something called Peritoneal Dialysis. This has improved his health drastically as well as his mindset. He’s got a lot of normalcy again. So that’s a plus.

My mother’s Lewy Body Dementia progressed, making her decline farther. On October 6th of this year, my mom suddenly passed away. Thankfully is was peaceful and there was no suffering. But God do I miss her.

Last week while at the hospital for more training on another way of doing home dialysis, I sat in the cafeteria at lunch deep in thought.

The last two years have been full of nothing but bad news and other upsets. It’s taken the good out of me, and the things I loved doing have been put on the back burner or I didn’t have it in me to do any of it. So I made a plan. Well, more like determination set in.

Next year is going to be different. I know there is a lot of things I can’t control, but there are lots of things I can control. I already signed up for a virtual event for nerds like me who are into family trees/ancestry. I told my husband we are getting him on the transplant list next year. Step one of that is for him to lose some weight. This new therapy has given him more freedom and wellness, and already he is a bit more active and making better food choices. The road ahead won’t be perfect but we will take it one day, sometimes one minute, at a time.

I also have a massive stack of unread books calling my name, so I hope to get back to my book reviews. I also plan to write more. I am starting small with a goal of writing a few lines a day, or a blog post or maybe some flash fiction. This blog won’t sit dormant like it has. If it does I may as well just scrap the thing this time next year.

Maybe if I’m lucky, by this time next year I might find the old me. The ‘me’ that existed before heartbreak and pandemic burnout.

Breaking it Down: Writing Goals for 2019

The last few days I have been thinking about what I want/hope to accomplish this year in my writing life. At the end of the day (well, year) I’m not going to beat myself up over what I didn’t do.

I’ll be honest, at times I feel like a total fraud or impostor. I’ve mentioned that before but I figured out a (small) part of why. There are times when I don’t write. I don’t mean for a few days or weeks. I mean months. On end. And how can I can myself a writer when I don’t write? (In my defense, I am always dreaming up of new stories and characters…but I end up staring at a blank page or blinking cursor.)

So, my goals for the year will help me to create more. That’s the real goal. So here is my personal break down.

10 minutes a day: Thanks to a FB group I’m in called 10 Minute Novelists, I decided to do just that: write ten minutes a day. No pressure or stress. Surely out of a twenty-four hour period I can find ten minutes to write. There will be days when I don’t manage it, but that’s okay. Life happens. During my minimum of ten minutes, I will work on my current WIP, a new story or blog post.

Get Organized: I have many notes, scraps of paper and old writing journals that I need to get together. Figure out what ideas I want to work on and put the rest in the maybe later pile. I have a partial ‘series bible’ for my Lily and Quinn series. I’ll sort out and re-write it and add to it. It’s a project I keep meaning to get to but procrastination tends to be my best friend.

Blogging: I did really well last year being here, but I did drop off. (Life happened) Part of my problem is sometimes I don’t know what to write here. So I am going to brainstorm some writing and nerdy topics to help keep me going. Writing, book reviews and maybe an author interview or two is on the list. What would you like to see here? 🙂

Nanowrimo/Camp Nano: I did camp nano last spring and really enjoyed it. It’s a lot more flexible then Nanowrimo. But I plan to partake in both these events, and start a brand new shiny project come November.

Writing Retreat: On several occasions, myself and some female writing buddies have done our own little retreat. The last time was 2 years ago and I am thinking we are due for another. The weekend is full of writing, talking about our projects/aspects of writing, as well as wine and snacks. 😉 It’s a fun weekend with loads of laughs and I come home with progress on whatever project I took with me.

So, those are my writing goals for the year. What are yours? What do you hope to finish?

New Year, New Goals

Last year I decided to set myself some goals for 2018. Get back to reading, increase how often I write, etc… I wanted to make another list for goals for 2019 and try to improve upon what I managed to do this year. There are some personal things I want to work on, but they won’t be on this list. They aren’t resolutions, just changes I want to make, and not because its the time of year everyone tries to improve themselves. These are things I want to do anyway.

So, here is my new goal list for 2019!

The Book Pile: I didn’t reach my goal of reading 15 books in 2018. I had some personal life crap that put me off of doing much. I can’t read or focus well when I am stressed. But I did get 9 or 10 under my belt, discovered a new author and binged on some great books. This year I am attempting to tackle this reading challenge from Pop Sugar. Right off the top when I read this list I have at least 11 books on my shelf that fit for it. I plan to set my goal again for 15 books, and hopefully this time I will reach it at the very least.

Blogging: I will be blogging book reviews again, writing topics and the like. I would like to make a schedule but instead I will aim for writing once or twice a week.

Writing:  One thing I really want to improve is how much I write and work on my projects. I want to spend at least 10 minutes a day writing. Which is better then what I do now. There are times I go months without writing, and I really want to change that. Plus I have too many plots in my head that need to come out. You know, to make room for more ideas I can’t keep up with. 😉

Other stuff: When I was looking back on my Facebook photos the other day, I forgot how fun this year was. From comic con to a mini road trip with my mom and sister, the good outweighed the bad. I want to keep that up. I have a few ideas for this year that I hope pan out. I also have small projects I want to get at, like some crafts and I have stacks of photos that need to be organized.

So, do you have any goals for the year? If so what is on your list?

Camp Nano Prep and Other Shenanigans

Like I said in my last post, June has been a hectic month. But I am focusing on July. Things should be a lot more settled by then. The new salon location will be up and running for the 2nd! And, the stress of greyhound adoption has been lifted since we found out we have been approved! We go on Saturday for an orientation and odds are we will be bringing home our new furbaby. (So, be prepared for a big greyhound post and pics of our new four legged kid 😉 )

With July coming means another month of Camp Nano! I have already signed up and am in a cabin one of my friends started. So I am looking forward to doing it again. My plan of action is what I did back in April. I am aiming for 30 hours of varied writing projects such as blogging, outlining a novel that has been peculating for awhile,  reading more writing related articles (maybe start re-reading Stephen King’s On Writing) and I am not sure what else.

Once July hits I will be finished the salon move and we will have our dog. So things *should* be a little less crazy. Work will be steady and we have a greyhound to help train and adjust, but that’s all good stuff. ❤

Are you doing camp Nano? What are your goals?

Camp Nano: The Road So Far

I decided to set my sights at being more writing focused this month. Not just writing new projects, but editing old ones, being on top of my blog, reading more articles on writing, etc…

I also set my camp goal for 35 hours, which I thought was a reasonable goal. My husband comes home soon and I know writing and writing related things will go to the side just a bit.

So far, things are going along great. As of writing this, I have put in 16 out of 35 hours so far. But by the time you read this, I will have logged in a bit more at the very least.

I have been writing and scheduling blog posts, edited my last short story, started a new project (not sure yet if it will be a novel or not), read a number of articles on writing that I was putting off and have made pages and pages of notes, for new stories and unfinished projects.

I am really happy with how things are going so far and I will do the same goals for next camp.

How is your writing life going? How is Camp Nano going for those of you taking part?

Hello April! Let’s Go to Camp Nano!

I’m feeling pretty good today. In just over a week Mr. C will be home after working away for almost six months. Also, March left like a lamb and I am excited about this months writing goals!

Last week I signed up for Camp Nanowrimo. It’s like national novel writing month, only a bit different.

Just a cute image I found for camp.

Camp Nano takes places twice a year. Instead of writing fifty thousand words in a month, you can tweak your goals. You can write a new piece, edit an old one, etc… You can also pick your goal of what you put in. Word count, lines, hours, etc… are some of what you can pick from. For more about camp, read about it here.

My goal for the month is to put 35 hours into my writing. A reasonable goal I think. Also, I signed up that I would be editing. But I will be doing a number of writing projects, including writing/planning blog posts, final edits on my latest work in progress, writing a new piece and writing notes on new and old projects.

I’m pretty excited about it and I feel really good about this month. Last year was my first year taking part in Camp Nanowrimo, and I failed my goal. However, I was in a very different mind set last year so I know this year will be different.

Are you taking part in Camp Nano? What are your writing goals for the month? Tell me in the comments! 🙂

Making A Plan And Making Writing A Priority

It is really easy to put things off. I am the Queen of Procrastination. It isn’t that I don’t want to do certain things, but the phrases “I am going to start this soon” or “I will get on that tomorrow”, become easier to say. And tomorrow turns into the next day and so on.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my writing. I am kicking myself for wasted days and being lazy. I’m not as prolific as I used to be. I’m not happy with that, so it is time for a REAL change.

I’m not the type of person to write every day. Some writers are. Even during NaNoWriMo there are days I don’t write. Either because life is simply too hectic that day, or I need to give my brain a little bit of recharge time. (Although I only do that if I am at least a day or two ahead of schedule.)

While I am not a person to write every day, all week, all year, I know I can write some of the week. So I am making myself a schedule of sorts.

I am vowing to write four days a week. If more, bonus! But unless life takes some major curve ball, I know I can write (or edit) even a page or two that much during the week. I have no real excuse right now not to do that.

I have last year’s Nano to work on, plus a new project I have been dying to get at. So I have a great starting point for my work.

Instead of just thinking about writing, I need to get off my ass and start DOING.

Have you made any new changes or goals for your writing? If so, what have you decided to do?

 

Writing: Getting Back In The Game

It’s been a while since I sat down to work on a new piece of fiction or edit or finish an old piece. I could list a dozen or two reasons why I haven’t, but they would sound like excuses. Some of my reasons are valid. For example, when I’m in a deep depression, my creative brain is turned off for awhile.

My current problem: I need to shock it back to life.

While I feel a lot better than I have in…well, all year, that creative side of me is still kind of numb and shut off. And doesn’t that just suck?

Some writers have writers block. Others put writing off for one reason or another. And some writers sit every damn day and create something. (If you are that person, I think you are awesome and I hate you, just a tad. But mostly I think you are awesome).

I have been coming up with a game plan. One that will hopefully get the creative juices flowing. Maybe my game plan will help you get through your own writing slump or help you keep the wheels good and greased.

Get Crafty. Or garden. Or paint. Whatever works for you. Luckily for me, with the wedding next year I have a lot to do. I have always loved being creative, and when I am active in one area, it helps me in another.

Get Rid of Clutter. Cleaning your desk or creating your own little writing space can help you focus. No clutter means no distractions. My desk has a lot of distractions that need to be purged.

Be Realistic. If I sit down and decide to write 3000 words a day, I am going to fail. Like, crash and burn. Then I will feel like shit and like I can’t do anything. Boo. With anything, you need to be realistic with your goals. Start small and build on from there.

Remind Yourself Why You Write.  I need to start fresh. I need to do what I did when I was ten years old. Creating odd and wonderful worlds and not caring what anyone thought because this was MY creation. Because I LOVED doing it.

Talk To Your Writing Buddies. Maybe you have one friend who lives in another part of the country that writes. Maybe there is a local writers group nearby. If you have someone,  go for coffee or send them a message. Fellow writers are a great way to gain inspiration. My writers group is fab at giving me a kick in the pants. If you don’t know any writers, then check out online writers groups or ask your local library. (That’s where I found out about The Story Forge, the group I have been going to for the last twelve years).

It might not sound like much of a game plan, but the idea is to keep it simple. Have you ever been in a writing slump? What helped you to get past it?