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“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” – Philip Roth

Goodness, it seems it’s been almost two whole months (!) since I’ve last posted a Monday Update. During that time I have completed next to no writing and, while I have been doing my weekly training at the gym, my running days have been sporadic at best. Since all my traveling is done for the year, I’m planning on hoping back on the wagon and getting some thinks done by the end of December in the hopes of completing most, if not all of my primary goals for the year.

November is NaNoWriMo, in which writers from around the world attempt to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Technically this is supposed to be a new novel, something you haven’t touched before. But since I really want to complete the draft of my werewolf novel, Under the Midday Moon, I’m planning to use the challenge for that purpose with the hope that 50,000 words will be enough for me to finish the draft. If I can get this done, then next year’s big goal can be focused on editing the dang thing.

As for the running…, it is still possible to reach my goal of running three complete miles by the end of the year, I suppose. So, I will still keep working toward that goal. If I can get to where I’m running one mile, though, I’ll be happy. I’m also thinking of buying the zombie runner app, just because I think it would be fun and would add some variety to my training.

To be accomplished in the coming week:

  • Write a minimum of 5,100 words on Under the Midday Moon as part of Nano challenge
  • Submit something (poem, story, whatever)
  • Do a minimum of two runs.

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Good Reading: I’ve found two posts that could be helpful in my own goal setting this week.

“Visuals for goals make an impression” talks about how adding a visual element to your accomplishments can help spur continued progress, like awarding yourself gold stars on the days you workout or pinning up your race bibs as Lisa J. Jackson did. I’m thinking a calendar for the year for posting stars would be great. I might also incorporate not only stars or smileys for exercise, but also for when I submit some of my writing for publication and/or when I receive an acceptance. I’ll have to get a variety of stickers for that purpose. Posting rejection letters, acceptance letters, and/or race bibs is also a great idea, and I may do that as well. 🙂

And on Courage 2 Create, Ollin Morales talks about “How To Add More Time To Your Day (AKA: How to Make The Most of The Time You Do Have),” something that I’ve been definitely feeling as a challenge lately.

“I have tried to see how I can literally add more time to my day. Unfortunately, I have learned that there is no way to actually add more time to your day, but I have learned that there are ways to make the most of the time you do have, and also how to make it appear as if the time is stretching out longer, rather than shrinking at a rapid pace.”

His advice is pretty darn good, and I’m going to try to practice a few of his suggestions in the hopes of getting done what I need to get done.

We’re in the fourth and final quarter for the year. How are you doing with your year long goals? Or, how are are you doing with your day-to-day goals?

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In which there is much drunkeness

Current Project: Under the Midday Moon
New Words: 2,292
Current Total Word Count: 13,010
Goal: Put together an workable draft of the novel that I would actually let someone read.
Accomplished: Chapter Six, which is halfway done.

Random Rough Sentence(s): I turned my head. Evan’s face loomed large in front of me, blurring every time he moved too fast. His blue eyes were too big and too close. He smiled, dimples swallowing up shadows. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “I like you, Claire. You’re beautiful.”

Notes: I decided to skip right over Chapter Five in an effort to get to the more exciting and fun scenes. This led me to Chapter Six, which involved a bunch of teenagers at a party and I hope some character evolution. I love one of the scenes in this chapter, but feel so-so about others.

I don’t know. I feel like I’m one of those writers, who is sure it’s all wrong until I go back and see how it all fits together during the rewrite. And that’s okay. That’s part of the process, I suppose. At least for me.

The point is to keep going, and while it’s slow, that’s what I’m doing. So in that sense, I feel good.

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“Celebrate any progress. Don’t wait to get perfect.” — Ann McGee Cooper

Last week progress was made on Under the Midday Moon, which was sent to the Writing Gang, who gave me some fantastic feedback about the friendship between my two main characters. Rewrites will require me to work to show their intimacy (as friends have who have known each other since childhood would have).

I’ve also realized that I have a potential timeline problem in that starting my story at the beginning of school year probably won’t work, since basketball season doesn’t usually start until November. Will require some rearranging of events.

(Did I mention I love my Writing Gang? Cause I love my writing Gang.)

In terms of exercise last week, I got in only two days of my exercise training and Saturday’s run was miserable. I couldn’t complete my intervals and felt like I was going to have heat stroke. But it was a super hot day and proves that I need to run really early in the morning on these hot summer days.

No attempts at organization were made last week.

In other news I have vacation this week! Woohoo!

In theory this means I should be able to complete my entire list of goals, as well as bonus goals (shopping, make some phone calls, help to hang living room paintins, etc.), because you know TIME IS AVAILABLE. And yet, it never likely comes out that way, because vaca should be for relaxing, too. Anywho…

That which must be accomplished in the coming week:
– Finish Chapter Four of Under the Midday Moon
– Submit something (poetry, fiction, whatever)
– Edit Letter Box poetry chapbook and find a place to submit it
– Workout at least three days with two workouts being running training (1/3)
– Do three yoga workouts, three sun salutations min. (1/3)
– Practice my Spanish
– Make Progress on Organization (do one or more of the following):

— Sort paperwork out by year for filing and set up system for the current year
— Organize craft supplies
— Shred papers and dispose of them
— Find a minimum of ten items (big or small) that can be gotten rid of and get rid of them
— Take box of items to donate to Goodwill
— Measure pictures and buy frames

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The Chapter in which not much happens other than basketball practice

Current Project: Under the Midday Moon
New Words: 1,860
Current Total Word Count: 10,718
Goal: Put together an workable draft of the novel that I would actually let someone read.
Accomplished: Finished Chapter Four!

Random Rough Sentence(s): I dribbled, starting slow until I got into a tempo, then passed the ball hand to hand and between my legs, back and forth, back and forth, dancing foot to foot with the ball tapping out a rhythm against the floor, the sound echoing through the nearly empty gym.

Notes: Well, I’m glad that’s done, though I still feel like I’m stuck in pre-action chapters, and I really can’t wait until I get past this part to the meat of the story. Though, if I’m totally honest with myself, I’d admit that that feeling might never go away. *sigh*

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“Everyone must party, my friend. Everyone. Especially you.”

Current Project: Under the Midday Moon
New Words: 824
Current Total Word Count: 8,858
Goal: Put together an workable draft of the novel that I would actually let someone read.

Accomplished: Finished Chapter Three, in which Claire and Evan discuss the coming events of the weekend and the potential for beer.

Random Rough Sentence(s): Evan reached across the table and gave her a high five, then turned to me. He smiled unleashing cavernous dimples. “Everyone must party, my friend. Everyone. Especially you.”

Notes: I am SO FREAKING HAPPY THAT I WROTE SOMETHING on this novel! It’s been many weeks! Too many weeks! And the absence has made me sad. But all the world’s better now, because there are words, sweet beautiful words.