Hey all! Today
is the last Friday of the month, which means that it’s Update Day! But before I
get into that, I just wanted to mention that one of the main characters from Endless, Ryan, is over at Libby Heily’s
blog, getting interviewed.
So, for those of
you who are new to this blog, Beth Fred and I host this bloghop. All the
entrants share their big/crazy/crazy important goals. Then on the last Friday of
the month, we all get together and share updates and encouragements.
You’re more than
welcome to sign up. Just fill in your goal instead of your name…
I have to admit that May was actually a bit of a terror for me. Within the first week of its start, I got hit with levels of anxiety that I haven’t experienced since the day I finished university. (In other words, it had even me worried.) Interestingly enough, the stress had slowly been receding, but I guess the exhaustion I’d been powering through caught up with me.
Add to that my
blog tour and the surprise news that I might suddenly be without a job next
month…
Yeah. May
sucked. I’m glad it’s over.
But the thing is
I changed my priorities from my goals to survival and then recovery. So…
overall, I didn’t get much done.
In summary:
Goals
for May:
1) 60k words written, 60 hours
spent on edits or some combination.
Just
over 22 hours on edits.
2) Find Crit Partners for Wo6C3.
Any takers? It’s book 3 in The War of Six
Crowns…
I
didn’t get to this, because I took ages just to finish my round of edits.
3) Wo6C3 rough edits.
Got
this one done.
4) Edit ES1.
Didn’t
touch ES1 itself, but I’ve slowly been immersing myself in research, movies,
books etc set more or less in that era so that I can get more of a feeling for
the “world” of 1850s Texas.
5) Prep BvB2 rewrite.
Didn’t
get there.
6) Finish Revisions to O1.
Didn’t
get there.
7) Rewrite SS1. (Yep. This one’ll
be sticking around for a while, I suspect.)
I
was completely correct.
8) Add 10k words to StW1.
Didn’t
write a single word of fiction this month.
9) Work on CdW concept.
Nope.
10) Start Sci Fi project. (Acronym
still forthcoming.)
Nope.
11) Edit Untethered Realms
Anthology short story.
I
only got the editor notes back a few days ago, so I’ll get to this one in the
coming month.
Reading:
Read 6 books.
I
read four.
Read some chapters of Les Trois Mousquetaires.
This
wasn’t one of them.
Networking
and Marketing:
1) Get through blog tour for Endless.
Almost
there. Only two more posts to go.
2) Regular updates to social
networks.
This
I can sorta call done, but I have to say, my whole anxiety experience is making
me re-think my approach to social networks. Namely: I’m wasting precious time
with most of them.
Life:
1) Find and maintain a balance
between work, writing and life.
Kind
of getting there, although the feeling like I had more balance *might* have
been caused by circumstances more than any active decision on my part.
2) Find an exercise that I
actually can do without the weather getting in the way. Balance is one thing.
But let me just say that jogging just won’t happen if it’s cold and raining,
and the wind blows hard enough to topple a link truck.
Done.
I’m going to start dancing again, starting on Monday.
Goals
for June:
Writing
Goals:
1) 60 000 words written, 60 hours
of edits or some combination of those.
2) Find and submit to Critique
Partners for Wo6C3
3) Critique works by critique
partners.
4) Edit ES1
5) Prep rewrite for BvB2.
6) Complete revisions to O1
7) Add 10000 words to StW1
8) Work on CdW concept
9) Start Sci Fi Project. (Still
thinking about an suitable acronym.)
10) Work on concept for a new
story that came to me while I rested.
11) Edit my Untethered Realms
anthology story.
Reading:
Read 6 books.
Read some chapters of Les Trois Mousquetaires.
Networking
and Marketing:
Rethink Social Network Strategy
Regular updates to at least some
of the social networks.
Confirm new covers for Wo6C
series.
Life:
Maintain balance between life,
writing and work.
Go to dancing classes once a week.
Get into the habit of eating more
frequent, smaller meals. (Stress and an ulcer don’t mix, so I have to help
where I can.)
How
are your goals coming along?
Hey Misha, it was exhausting reading your accomplishments for May! Go girl! I'm a walker/jogger, but have always wanted to do Tai Chi. I went to a masterclass in China and I"m hooked. Just gotta find a group to work with.
ReplyDeleteAll the best for June!
Denise :-)
Wow... how do you keep on top of it everything. I'm drowning working on so much less. Best of luck:)
ReplyDeleteYou are so organized, but that's probably why you get so much done. Sorry to hear about the issues on the job front. Worrying about whether you're going to have a job or not is so stressful. This blog hop seems like a great way to focus on what you need to achieve each month. All the best for June :-)
ReplyDeleteCheers - Ellen | thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com
Misha, we had almost identical Mays! Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteMay has been a pretty crap month so far. I have hope that June will be much better. Good luck on the job front--that is a huge stress to have. Hopefully you can dance some of that stress away. We continue to search for an affordable place to live. I'm also hoping June is a better month, especially since we have to be out of our current home by then end of June. May Day is right!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the anxiety. May's been an up and down month and this last week hasn't been the most fun. I'm ready for June.
ReplyDeleteI just did some rethinking on my social media strategy, and it did help free up some time. On Facebook, I shut off notifications on anything that doesn't really further my writing goals and after reading three comments on any given post, I stop following it (unless it furthers my writing goals).
ReplyDeleteOn Twitter, I only look at posts during chats, pitch parties, or when I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO DO (which of course never happens).
Thanks for encouraging me on my site, Misha. You have so much done yourself. All the best for your June goals (and life in general).
ReplyDeleteMisha, I am sorry to hear you may lose your job, that can be scary... I have worked at a few places that downsized or closed and I needed to look elsewhere... It can be very tough and stressful xox
ReplyDeleteI too have been thinking about dancing myself... I think it would be a great way to get a full body work out...once I am working from home, I will be able to make it to a dance lesson... I am looking forward to that xox
Sorry to hear about the anxiety and job stress. You still made a lot of progress, though, even if it wasn't quite up to where you'd hoped. Hope June is much better for you!
ReplyDeleteI have yet to find balance. It's not an easy juggle. Hope everything works out for you jobwise.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope the new book is selling well. You write awesome stories!
I need to get back into regular exercise. If I fit in writing, the exercise seems to fall by the wayside. If I exercise regularly, I seem to quit writing. :-O
Oh dear. Sounds like a horrible month. Hope the next one is better. It must be really hard to get any proper writing or editing done when life is giving you a hard time. Despite all this, you still managed to achieve some significant things. Well done.
ReplyDeleteYou could try Leslie Sansone's Walking DVDs; they're pretty easy and it's a good workout that you can do indoors. Sorry about the job, though; I hope you don't lose it or that you are able to find another one.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up! Every little bit helps. You'll tackle more in June.
ReplyDelete