I love long weekends. I’ve needed this extra time off so much the last few weeks! The best part is that so far this weekend, I’ve been “in the moment”, enjoying the time off without worrying about anything else. I haven’t done everything I wanted to yet, but I’m not worrying about that either! Ha! Take that, part-of-me-who’s-a-worrywart!
In the efforts of the past two weeks to minimize stress and maximize relaxation time (without sacrificing work, Apex, writing, etc.), I’ve officially swapped my lunch-break writing time with my after-work Apex time. I get a lot more done for Apex since I have a guaranteed hour every day to focus on slushing, and then when I get home, I can post up any quick announcements, respond to submissions, and then shut the computer down for the evening so I can have “not work” time. In the evenings, then, I make sure to set down at least an hour to write. I’m enjoying this swap, because it gives me a lot of flexibility when it comes to writing: if it’s not working, I only torture myself for that hour; if it *is* working, then I have the flexibility to keep going, which solves the issue of hitting that time-wall when I was writing during my lunch break.
I’ve also been trying to squeeze in an hour or so of reading before bed, which I think is helping immensely, too, in managing my stress load. Ultimately, I think I’d be the happiest living in a beach house with only writing to do, but since that’s on the far side of never-in-a-million-years, this new organization seems to help me really relax. Still working out a few kinks, but so far so good.
Writing Stuff:
It’s now September, which means it’s time to review the old writing list and update with the new one! YAY! Oh, wait, that other emotion: Blarg.
August was not a great month for me, yet again, but considering some of the stuff that was going on in my personal life, I’m not surprised, and I’m trying not to be too harsh on myself. I did get a few things done, but overall it was a near-wash:
– Finish (edits->subworthy) “Faith, in Layers”
– Compose, write, edit, submit a 3k-5k story to ASIM
X Write Chapter 5 of the “Novel”
X Write Chapter 6 of the “Novel”
– Keep a minimum of 15 journal entries
All right! So of all those semi-minor tasks for this last month, I accomplished two of the five. Not too great. But “Sidrie’s Last Battle” (which is subbed in for #2) is almost to rough draft, “Faith, in Layers” is getting a setting/world-building overhaul, and the journals…well, that was just FUBAR. I just don’t have enough time to get in an hour of reading AND a half-hour or more of journaling. I’m going to set that aside for now and focus on devouring as many good books as I can.
For SEPTEMBER, I’ve outlined the following:
– Write Chapter 7 of the “Novel”
– Write Chapter 18 of “The Thief Dilemma”
– Post Chapter 18 of TD
– Finish “Sidrie’s Last Battle”
– Edit “Sidrie’s” to final draft
– Submit “Sidrie’s”
– Edit “Swallow” to final draft
– Submit “Swallow”
This is not nearly as much as I’d like to say I’ve accomplished by the end of the month, but it’s the minimum I’d like to see done. “Swallow” has been lounging in exile for the past half a year, ready to get some serious edits and get kicked out the door. “Sidrie’s Last Battle” has only the last climax scene left, and once that’s done, it’s just a matter of overhauling its weak spots and getting it ready to go before kicking it–too–out the door. Chapter 18 of TD is something that has been on my mind for the past few weeks, so it’s time to pound that out some weekend here (if it cooperates, which is always debatable), and get it posted. And Chapter 7, more for me and one particular reader, is already well underway.
Now I just need to get things going! ^_^
Maggie Slater 