It’s the start of a new month, which means it’s time for another exciting installment of…my monthly goals!
As it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts (June, to be exact. I just checked), I’m going to forego the previous month’s recap and jump right in to my goals for the month of September. Which maybe kind of sort of possibly just slightly bear a complete and total resemblance to the ones I set in June, but I’m sure that’s just some kind of weird coincidence and definitely not a sign of how little I’ve actually done this year.
Anyway. On to the goals!
—Complete the first draft of Full Circle
Yeah. I’m still working on it. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I just can’t shake the (perhaps wishful thinking) feeling that I’m thisclose to the end. I chipped away at it here and there last month and ended up adding just over 6000 words to the FrankenWIP edition of the manuscript…and still didn’t get to the end.
Maybe this month will be different?
Here’s why I think it may be different (or possibly different): If my current plan turns out to be remotely accurate (Hey—it could happen), I am a paltry two incomplete scenes and one yet-to-be-started scene away from finishing the FrankenWIP. And the one yet-to-be-started scene is only yet-to-be-started because I can’t decide if it should be the end of this book or the start of the next book (you know…the one I really don’t want to write). Which kind of makes it feel like a Free Space. If I write it now, great. I can cut it in the second draft if I ultimately decide it shouldn’t be there. If I don’t write it now, it can be added to the second draft if I ultimately decide it needs to be there. So all I really need to do to be done with this manuscript is finish those two incomplete scenes.
Which makes this goal seems completely doable, but again…I am still me.
Which is why it may not be different at all.
—Figure out September’s marketing attempt and, you know, attempt it
I don’t know what it’s going to be yet (besides, you know, silly and unsuccessful…) but Second Nature does have a book birthday coming up later this month, so I should probably—I don’t know—acknowledge it somehow.
I am just so good at this.
(Narrator: She was, in fact, not good at this.)
I feel as though I should attempt something else as well, but the truth is that just acknowledging a book birthday will be a huge challenge for me, so maybe I should just leave it at that.
—Walk at least three miles every day
I’ve been slacking on this goal of late. Scrappy Doo hurt his leg last month in some complete freak accident. It wasn’t anything major (he jumped out of a chair and landed the absolute wrong way on his leg), but he’s still recovering so we’ve been limiting how far he gets to walk each day, and apparently I am now too lazy to walk without him.
It’s cool, though. We were getting too chummy with our neighbors anyway. (Seriously. Because of these dogs, I now know many of my neighbors’ names and things about them. Ugh.)
And on that super friendly note, I’m outta here. Because apparently that damn WIP really won’t write itself.
Ugh.
What are your goals this month?
As always, thanks for stopping by. Stay safe and well, all.
Maybe throw Second Nature a virtual book birthday party? Instead of you/the book getting “gifts,” give away some copies?
(That’s all I got. The heat has melted my brain.)
If only our WIPs would write themselves, eh? Things would get done a lot faster. LOL
Yes. Without a doubt. At least in my case. 🙂
Marketing is so hard. I mostly just keep putting it off to the side. One day, we’ll get better at this!
I’m not so sure I will, but I think you’ve been doing a fantastic job!
I hope this month is different. I have a feeling that you’re very close.
I’ve pretty much have given up on marketing, which is saying something.
I need to walk more, but then walking aggravates my hip and well, that makes even a short walk difficult. *sigh*
I hope that feeling of yours is right!
I’ve more or less given up on marketing. This year’s been my attempt at not abandoning it completely. And, you know, being somewhat comfortable with what I’m doing. Or as comfortable as I ever get.
Write that scene. At least you’ll have it.
Sorry your pup hurt his leg. No excuse though – get to walking!
Love this! Marketing is tough. Maybe you could have a little book party for your book birthday – with a cupcake or something – and then post a picture of your book celebrating? I don’t know. That’s pretty silly, but then maybe it would be doable without being too much?
Hmmm. I like the part where I get cupcakes.
Sounds like finishing that monster draft is closer than you think. Just get to it. You know you’ll feel so much better once you’ve actually put it behind you. Even knowing how much revision is ahead…
I really will feel so much relief once I can finish this draft. I know the revision rounds will be super rough, but I don’t even mind that part. I just need to finish this one draft.
First drafts are allowed to be monsters and monster-sized. Sorry about the pup, but you’re so funny about meeting the neighbors. My granddaughter serves the same role. She’s too cute for them not to comment and soon we’re all friends. Sigh….
I don’t mind it being monster-sized. I never write anything that isn’t. I do, however, mind the refusal to be finished very much. That is really working my very last nerve.
Cute kids and dogs are always good for meeting the neighbors. 🙂
I haven’t walked in a while, but that’s mostly due to the day job (which suddenly gets out a whole lot later than it used to). Sigh.
There’s something about a dog that is an ice breaker with neighbors. When you return to your walks, they’ll wonder where you’ve been, and then you’ll get to tell all about the dog’s mishap.
If you recall my seven (and a half) year cardi, I was making no progress on that thing until suddenly I was. I imagine your book is the same. You will wake up one day, and you’ll write some, and then suddenly, it’ll be there. Good luck. At least you know you can get to the end. Eventually. You’ve done it three times already.
I tell myself that—that I’ve done it three times already—and then the voice in my head says, “Yeah, but past performance is no guarantee of future performance.” Because the voice in my head is super helpful like that.
I assume it will happen like you say—that the end will just be there day and I probably won’t even realize it at first. And if that’s how it happens, I will gladly take it.
Three miles. You can do it. I don’t even have a dog but I manage 55-60 miles a week. Just block out the time and get ‘er done.
I used to do it all the time before the dogs. Now it just feels weird and wrong to walk without them. 🙂
Excellent goals! For me, I’m aiming at finishing a draft of my current WIP, but that’s longer than September. My goal is to have it done by November.
I’m really hoping I can get this WIP done this month because I have another WIP that’s been waiting all year for its chance to be finished. I’m quickly running out of year.
Awesome! My goals are very similar. I love that you said “marketing attempt.” That’s what I feel like I’ve been doing for years. I try to come up with new things, but that’s only so much I can do without thousands of dollars to spend on it.
I always feel like I should be adding quotes around “marketing attempt” because compared to what some other writers do and have done, I think what I do barely qualifies.
I know what it’s like to have a never-ending WIP. And what it’s like when the WIP doesn’t write itself. Good luck with your goals, and I hope the puppy’s leg heals up quickly!
Thank you—his leg is doing much better!
And here’s to finding a way to get those never-ending WIPs to finish their own damn selves!
I’m in the murky middle of marketing a new book right now. In fact, that’s why I still haven’t had time to visit all the blogs I enjoy, but I’m working my way through them.
Here’s to bringing home that WIP!