2014 Goals: October Status Report

1) Pitch The Muse.

I’m still working on final edits, but the good news is I’m down to the last three edits on my list. I have one description to tinker with and two issues with plot consistency to work out before I can call it a day on editing! All in all, I’m pretty happy with my progress considering a rather rough month at the day job.

I sent my new query letter to a beta reader and got some great feedback. After a few little changes, it’ll be ready to send off to my list of prospective agents.

2) Outline and start writing The Muse: Lineage

Time constraints this month left this goal wondering where I went. 😦

3) Submit writing.

I made the decision to participate in the 2014 November Poem A Day Chapbook Challenge over on Poetic Asides (via Writer’s Digest). I had so much fun with last year, it only made sense to jump in again this year! To make it even more fun, I decided to add an extra element. Every poem I write for the PAD Challenge will be in the haiku format. This can get tricky because haikus are traditionally focused on nature. Not all the PAD prompts can easily be translated into nature, so I may have to get very creative!

4) Continue to build author platform.

Once again, I’m having too much fun on Facebook! Traffic continues to flow as do engagements with my posts. I even gained new followers this month!

Twitter continues to be a struggle, but I’m trying to get back into the conversation. Followers held relatively steady.

Facebook likes went from 374 to 378

Twitter followers went from 549 to 548

Thanks so much to everyone for clicking those follow and like buttons! Your support is greatly appreciated.

5) Inspire others.

As always, I hope I am a positive presence.

The invisible goal:

6) Be flexible.

Life has been a little crazy lately and it has admittedly caused some distraction. I haven’t been able to focus enough to work on some of my larger projects, but I still write every day. Perhaps that’s why haikus have been such an inspiration and comfort to me lately. Who knew 17 syllables could mean so much?

 

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c.b.w. 2014

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2014 Goals: July Status Report

July is always a strange month. I’m still basking in summer vacation, yet at the same time my “day job” starts to creep up on me. As the new school year approaches, (August 12), I can’t stop myself from getting a jump on lesson plans and classroom preparation. What can I say, I like to be way ahead of the game before the first day of school!

That being said, I still managed to reserve part of every day for writing. Whether it be poetry or paging through edits on my novel, my muse and I were very mindful about staying on track for this year’s goals.

1) Pitch The Muse.

I am more than halfway through reading the edited version of The Muse.  The process has been very exciting and enlightening. So far, I am on board with all the changes my editor has made as they are very subtle.

Even though most of the comments are absent from the edited version, there are a few that offer suggestions for change or point out discontinuity. In some cases she fixes it and in others, she leaves it alone offers possible ways to fix the problem. As I read, I’m keeping a log of notes with her comments, my thoughts, and the page number. Once I get done reading the draft, I can start working my through my notes.

On the query letter front, I spent some time editing the new format. The word count is a little high, but I think a few more revisions will fix that problem. Meanwhile, I found two more literary agents to add to my “possible agents” folder.

2) Outline and start writing The Muse: Lineage

This month, I focused a lot of my attention on adding to my playlist for this project. I found some great music to help me construct the next phase of my characters’ journey. In particular, Imagine Dragons and Coldplay are helping me feel what my characters are feeling.

3) Submit writing.

I’m so busy playing with my edited novel, I haven’t had much time to think about anything else!

4) Continue to build author platform.

I’m still having a blast on Facebook and traffic is up even though my Likes haven’t grown by much. The interaction is a lot of fun and I hope to keep the momentum going. However, Twitter continues to be a struggle. I don’t hang out on that platform very much and as a result my followers have dropped. Perhaps, it’s time to get back in the Twitter groove!

Facebook likes grew from 371 to 373

Twitter followers dropped from 560 to 551

Thanks so much to everyone for clicking those follow and like buttons! Your support is greatly appreciated.

5) Inspire others.

As always, I hope I am a positive presence.

The invisible goal:

6) Be flexible.

Even though I’d like to land a literary agent, I’m also looking into self-publishing. I’ve researched several companies and platforms that fit my budget. Plan A is still the ultimate goal, but I like having a Plan B in my back pocket!

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c.b.w. 2014