January Progress

So far, so okay, with my yearly plan. Analyze with me and see what you think.

slow progress

  1. A Blog Post Once a Week:
    • I have posted a new blog every Sunday for the last five (six with this one).
    • The blog now gets at least one hit a day. This is nothing. I know. I used to have weeks go by with NO interest. Growth, no matter how small, is still growth.
    • I discovered I could write a blog earlier in the week and post it on a schedule. Seems like common sense, but it was breaking news to me. I plan on keeping a couple in the bank for those Sundays when breathing is difficult, let alone writing a blog.
  2. One Chapter a Week in my WIP
    • One week I completed the entire chapter Sunday. The next week, I struggled to finish late on Saturday. But I’ve managed to squeeze them in.
    • Except for the third week in January. Too much going on and the time to dedicate to writing did not happen. I completed it first thing the next week and quickly caught up to my goal.
    • My only concern is word count. The current work in progress is a middle grade fantasy with chapters about half the size as in my epic fantasy. As I move on to manuscripts intended for adults, the one chapter a week will be pushing my limits.
  3. One Short Story or Revising per Month
    • Here is where I have failed big time. I have the idea outlined and the research complete. I’m still struggling to let the words flow. The space short story I intended for a Writers of the Future entry is far away from being ready.
    • Naturally, I will continue to work on it next month, but I had another short story planned for February. Hence, I’m behind before the year has really gotten started.

I will not call the progress a failure. I am heading in the right direction. With my myriad responsibilities, I will take any forward momentum I can muster. I am running a marathon, not a sprint.

My frustration lies in my inability to spit the words out in a first draft. I would not call my problem writer’s block; it’s not that I don’t know what happens next. When I’m outlining a story, the words fall out and cool things happen. When I go back to flesh it out, I stumble. Distraction takes hold and I can’t seem to let myself go.

At this point, I will rank my goals as achievable. Hopefully, as my experience grows, my productivity will increase as well. I will count myself truly successful if I can produce MORE than I set up this year. If I at least complete what I have set out, I can call myself a writer.

So what do you think? How has your schedule progressed this year? Learn anything new? Ditched anything old?

READING IN PROGRESS

I follow Neil Gaiman on Twitter and have appreciated his humor and insight. Yet, I have not read anything by this prolific writer. At Christmas, when I unabashedly purchase books by the truck load for all family members, I picked up American Gods for myself. I have been devouring this book like a ravenous goddess. Shadow is a passive protagonist who is acted upon in everything he does (at least so far) and yet I am drawn in to his adventure. Gaiman masterfully blends intrigue with answers, puzzling the reader with a new question then solving an old one. His depiction of the ancient gods and goddesses from cultures who are absorbed into ours leaves vivid images in my head. I’m only a quarter of the way through and I’d rather be reading right now than writing this blog.

Read more books!

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