It’s a new month, y’all, which means it’s time for another action-packed installment of MY MONTHLY GOALS!
But before we get to the main event, let’s take a look at how I did with last month’s goals…
—Complete the first draft of Full Circle
Well…it’s…let’s just say I am done working on it. For now. Maybe forever. Probably not forever, but I don’t know. What I do know is that I wrote the worst ending in the history of endings (Congratulations, Game of Thrones, you’re off the hook!), which doesn’t really matter given that the whole damn book is pretty much held together by scotch tape and chewing gum. I’m not convinced any of it is anything worthwhile, but the manuscript is now sitting in the metaphorical drawer until at least January (maybe longer. We’ll see how it goes) and the storyboard went through the shredder, so…I’m done working on it.
But because I’m so unimpressed with…well, everything, these days, this is not something I’m choosing to celebrate.
—Figure out September’s marketing attempt and, you know, attempt it
I did this. I mean, these attempts all year have been the silliest, smallest things that could possibly be considered ‘marketing’ and ‘attempts’, so it’s not like I’m really achieving a whole hell of a lot here, but I did do a little something.
—Walk at least three miles every day
This, I did. Well, on average, anyway. I was short a couple of days for various reasons, but my daily average was 3.5 miles per day.
Thanks, puppies!
Now for October’s goals…
—Make a plan for NaNoWriMo
It’s that time of year again. NaNoWriMo is just around the corner, and I am once again acting as my region’s ML (municipal liaison), so participating in the main event is part of the deal.
I don’t, however, have a solid plan of what I want to work on. Or any plan, really. The original plan from way back in January was to work on a brand new project because, in theory, both Full Circle and Terrible Romance Sequel would be finished and sitting in the drawer come November.
Which…didn’t happen.
So a new plan is in order. Because right now, this is my project:
—Walk at least three miles every day
Because, apparently, it’s good if one doesn’t just become part of one’s couch or one’s desk chair.
So that’s what I have going on this month. What are your goals? Are you also gearing up for NaNoWriMo? (If you’re looking for wrimo buddies, I can be found using the very clever user name of M.J. Fifield…)
Thanks for stopping by! Stay safe and well, all.
Good luck with NaNo and all the goals!
With the weather getting cooler, I’m hoping to make progress on my walking challenge. I know I won’t hit the 500 mark, but progress is progress. Or so I tell myself. 🙂
Thank you!
Having the dogs definitely helps with the walking goal. I imagine we’ll be walking more with the change in the weather, too.
I found my Nano Rebel badge! I’m not sure where I’ll be by Nov, but I’m assuming I’ll be working on 2 different projects for Nano – we’ll see!
Good for you for the walking – I need to get better at that.
Time and distance might be exactly what you need from the draft. My head gets so “full” of a story at times, I can’t see any way through it.
Good luck for Nano prep!
I think I may be working on multiple projects in November, too. I could be wrong, though, but that’s what I’m feeling like at the moment.
I do so much better with goals than without them. Glad to see you have set and met some. Keep up the good work.
I haven’t done so well with accomplishing my goals lately, but I still like having them in place. I shudder to think what I would be like if I didn’t have that basic structure in place.
Hey, you got farther with your goals than I did mine! I didn’t even touch the WIP I’d set out to work on.
I’ve had people ask if I’m going to do NaNo this year, but seeing my current rate is about 9K a month, I don’t think I’d handle the stress by trying to up that during holiday times like I did in the past. Maybe next year!
I don’t have especially high hopes that I’ll pull out a win next month, but we’ll have to see how it goes.
Be a NaNo rebel and write whatever fancies you next month!
Now I just need something to strike my fancy.
Okay, I refuse to believe it’s as bad as the ending to GoT. I haven’t seen your book, but I know this is true.
Hahahaha! Thanks—I needed that. 🙂
Congratulations on finishing! Even a bad ending is an ending!
Did you kill off all the characters? I have considered Hamlet-ish endings for a particular project that’s been in the works for 4…no, 5, years now. But I still haven’t done it yet.
And yes to NaNo! I will be there.
I was very tempted to kill off all the characters, but a few managed to survive. For now, at least…We’ll see if that changes in the next draft.
I would love to attempt NaNo one year.
There is no way your story ends worse than Game of Thrones.
Win or lose (though I do prefer to win), I just love the challenge of NaNoWriMo.
Yeah, it sounds like it’s time to step away from Full Circle. I think you’ll like it a whole lot better once you’ve let it rest for a bit.
Once upon a time, a writer in my writer’s group decided to pants something. She was surprised at how well it went. After a bit, she started submitting chapters, and it turned into a mystery/thriller (not sure where it was going to ultimately end up) about environmental themes with a faltering marriage.
My point: maybe try pantsing something for NaNo? Create a character and go. It might be good to try something different. Good luck.
Pantsing a NaNoWriMo project is how the Terrible Romance Novel was born. Doing that again is definitely not off the table. I think it’ll all come down to where my brain is at by the end of the month.
You did it! Who cares if the ending sucks? You can fix that later. The important thing is you finished. Good luck with NaNo. I will not be doing it this year, of the first time in forever. Too much going on and no story I want to write.
If I wasn’t doing the ML thing, I’d probably be taking a pass on NaNo this year. I’m hoping to find some enthusiasm for it before November 1st.
Good luck with your goals. I’m still debating whether I want to try Nano as a rebel.
Well, I know you’ve signed up since you left this comment, so all I can say now is WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE! 🙂
You didn’t tell me that you finished it! I feel cheated out of sending you a fun gif, because I want to celebrate it for you. All first drafts suck, remember? And completing one should be celebrated, after all that hard work and time. I doubt it’s as bad as you think. Time away will help, though.
No, I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want anyone to celebrate it because I am a gigantic pain in the ass. And that ending may very well be worse than I think it is.
But we’ll see how I feel about it next year.
I kinda rushed the ending on my last manuscript because, well, I was sick of working on it and it needed be ‘done.’ It’s awaiting revisions…I don’t do nano because I’m lucky to write 20k in a month and there are enough failures in my life at the moment.
“I kinda rushed the ending on my last manuscript because, well, I was sick of working on it and it needed be ‘done.’”
Yep. That’s exactly what I did, too.
I feel like if I get to 20k next month, it’ll be a win (even though, technically, it’ll be a loss).
I will make you some tea and SOMEONE to eat – sounds like a great opener to a horror-com!
I’m looking forward to reading your sequels, whenever they are ready — no pressure!
And good luck with NaNo — I don’t know how you do it almost every year. Maybe if I attempted it, I might be a better writer! Writers write and practice makes… better =D
Shalom
Yeah, that ‘someone to eat’ typo is pretty damn funny. Thank goodness it was found out before publication!
I don’t know if NaNo makes me a better writer or just a writer with a lot of unfinished WIPs hanging around…
I’m trying to pump myself up for NaNoWriMo too. I’ve fallen behind on my writing and I need to push forward. I tried a few new marketing things, and well, they were attempted. I even did an interview which will be on a podcast. My voice, how I hate it!
Oh, I hate how my voice sounds on recordings.
But way to attempt NEW things in marketing! That’s awesome!!