To be fair, I wrote this up yesterday, but then completely forgot about posting it. >_O Naturally.
It’s been a productive-ish week, I think, though most of the work has been brain-work, so there’s not much to show for it. BUT! I did spend quite a bit of time just thinking and testing out some ideas, and managed to do a fair bit of backwards-facing world-building (not from the creation myth as I’d expected, but from much nearer at hand, building backwards, which has been…interesting, but also possibly very useful). Everything’s still in that primordial soup phase, so nothing’s set in stone, but I feel like the current I’m on is drifting in the right direction, so that’s something.
Also got back to a regular yoga practice, and oh MAN, that’s been nice. I had no idea how much it helps stretch out my side and back, and I need that more than I ever realized. So that’s something to continue this next week, too.
What I’m working on this week: More thinking. The past week’s brainstorming sessions, though weird and wispy, have produced some good nuggets of character and world-building that have given me some handholds for moving forward. There are a lot of little world-building details I still need to work out, and still hammering on about the villain’s motivations. I’m closer now, but nothing has quite clicked into place yet.
What’s motivated me this week?: Finished the mask for Bug’s costume! It actually turned out pretty well, and I’m kind of delighted with it. Now the question of whether or not he’ll wear it for Halloween… XD
Also just broke open my quill/pen and ink set and started messing around with that which has been immensely fun, even just in the short term. Not sure where it’s going yet, but I’ve got lots of techniques to practice, so that’s fun.
Media-wise, we just finished the first season of The Good Place, which was pretty fun, though I’m not 100% convinced they knew where they were going, though I didn’t dislike it. Also just watched The Boss Baby (because we’re in that phase), and was a bit disappointed. I kind of expected them to rely heavily on the Baby-Talks-Like-Alec Baldwin gag, but by the end of the film, I didn’t feel they’d done anything all that surprising or interesting with the story, and my eyes were completely dry at the emotional peaks (which since the birth of my son, is a sign somebody missed the emotional mark, because I am an easy cryer, especially for anything cute and or “zomg brothers love each other!” *sobz* I literally (literally, for the whole 2 hours) sobbed through Wall-E the first time I saw it, simply because it was so cute and so sweet and zomg the planet neeeeeeedzez us! (My husband was worried I hated the movie and that I was that disappointed, I was crying so hard.) So if you can’t get me at least tearing up by the end (I mean, my word, Trolls got me crying!<–EASY TARGET), the emotional arc hit a flat note. (Storks got me crying, too! <–I’m serious! EASY TARGET!) Pretty much anything with kids should get me to tears. (Play the opening theme of Kiki’s Delivery Service, and I’m practically sobbing. Because it’s so happy.<–EASY TARGET.)
*ahem* Also been inspired by the writing process. I think I’m finally starting to admit to myself that I am not a pantser. I want to be a pantser. I like the idea of being a pantser. But the more I tackle this edit, the more I realize that other processes of planning and extensive outlining I’ve used in the past are both more fun for me, and don’t hinder my excitement or creativity in the writing, and they do keep me from falling into structural pits later that I’m loathed to crawl out of… I’m recognizing that with a strong lazy streak, taking the time to plan ahead and take my time could very well be my salvation. I’m hoping to test a little of this theory in the coming rewrite.
What action do I need to take this week?: Un-writing related, but I’ve got to finish Bug’s costume. I’ve got a shirt to dye, a tail to sew (and maybe dye a little), and then it’s done, but I know it’s something I could so easily put off, having worked most of the weekend on the mask already…
Maggie Slater 
You have had a productive week Maggie. Interesting that you’ve put yourself on the plotter side even though you want to be a pantser. I am most definitely a pantser but of course eventually all of us need to be doing a bit of both. Whatever works, is what’s best.