So it’s official! Andy and I are now back in New England! We’re crashing with my folks for a couple of weeks while we do day-trips up to Maine for house hunting, and then we’ll be up in Maine full-time hopefully by the end of July so Andy can start classes in August. After almost a year and a half of limbo (two, actually, I realize now!) through the application process, MCATs, and paying student loans from chiropractic school, it’s almost surreal to think we’ve made it out the other side and can start moving forward again!
We had a fantastic time out in Portland, OR, and the city and the Pac NW will always be near and dear to our hearts, but it feels great to be back in New England, too. There’s just something about the location that resonates with me in a way no other place does. What can I say? It’s in my blood. :)
Today is also the first of July, which means it’s time for me to get back on the writing wagon, which has been terribly, terribly neglected from June. But like I mentioned in the post I did for Apex a while back (“The World is Not Enough”), sometimes life gets in the way and that’s okay. I’m trying to remember that and cut out the continuous guilt-trips I’ve been putting myself through.
But before I’m done with the guilt-tripping, let’s take a quick peek at June’s horrific writing stats. :D
ANNUAL GOALS:
[ ] Finish the rough draft of the “Hope City” novel (which is my current novel project)
[ ] Summary draft/Begin a prose draft of new novel project
[ 1 / 60 ] Make 60 submissions attempts (submit 60 times) *Yay! Began submitting again!
MONTHLY GOALS:
[ 0 / 12 ] Finish “The Thief Dilemma” with 1 chapter posted per month. *I’m late on this. Almost done, but June’s will be posted early July.
[ 0 / 12 ] Read 1 “old” book (pre-2009) in genre (ex: Rendezvous with Rama) *Probably about 2/5 through The Day of the Triffids, and have been enjoying it! But didn’t finish. Now it has to take a back-burner seat to July’s “old” book. Once July’s is done (I’m thinking something short–maybe something by Lovecraft), then I can pick up Triffids again and finish.
[ 0 / 12 ] Read 1 “new” book (post-2009) in genre (ex: Zoo City)* *For shame!!! Ok, so I’ve cracked open (virtually, via my Kindle) The Quantum Thief, and have REALLY enjoyed it so far, but haven’t gotten much past the beginning yet with all the driving and moving. Same deal as the “old” book–back seat to new book, and I’ll pick it up mid-month. Needed to start on this one a LOT earlier in the month.
DAILY GOALS:
[ 17/ 30 ] Write 500 words /OR/ edit for 30 minutes + 15 minutes of practice writing** *Did well for the first half of the month, and then everything hit the fan and had no time to even think about writing, much less actually sit down and do it. Some of the later days, I did manage to get some editing done, but it was sporadic at best. Still, not a total wash, but hopefully July will get me back on track.
[ 17/30 ] Read 1 short story per day*** *Same deal as above. Every day I did my writing, I did my reading also, but once the time slipped by, everything else did, too. I need to work on not saving this part and the writing to the same block of time before bed, because I find I fall into a pattern of reading flash fiction or very, very short stories only, because I’m half asleep and just want it done. Maybe I need to do my reading at breakfast… Hmm… Not a bad idea.
So there you have it! Nearly a complete wash this last month, but July is going to be better. I’m trying to approach these goals on a month-by-month basis so they’re a little less intimidating, and so I have a feeling of resetting the clock at the beginning of each month. Baby-steps. It’s all baby-steps. :)
Other than getting back on the writing wagon, we’re mid-house/apt-hunting, which is fun but always a bit stressful! I’ll be glad when we’ve got a place set for us, and have our stuff moved in. Hopefully, won’t be too long!
That’s it for now, though. Back to the grindstone!
P.S. – Oh, almost forgot! Apex just signed on with Diamond Books, which is a huge book distributor. We’re looking for a little help to finance getting the larger print-runs we need to put out for broader distribution. If you’ve ever read an issue of Apex Magazine, or enjoyed one of our books or anthologies, AND if you’ve got a few bucks to spare and would like to see Apex in your neighborhood book shop, please consider checking out Apex’s Peerbacker drive! You can find out more information about the drive here. :) Thanks!!
Maggie Slater 