all that’s keeping my poor baby together 🙁
You may have noticed a rather long radio silence from me. Normally I have back-up posts so I don’t go more than a week without posting, however, when a wild toddler throws your computer on the ground and it falls to pieces that tends to render any computer based actions impossible without either repair or replacement.
Since there’s no money for replacement, behold, my duct tape repaired laptop.
(yeah, yeah, there’s a desktop in another room, but it’s at the far end of the house closeted away from the family so I can’t keep an eye on Xander while I’m on it. That and it’s a desktop… ewwww)
We also went to Supanova Gold Coast and here’s Xander dressed at the eleventh Doctor in front of the Hire a Tardis
Anyway, on with my progress report on my goals. This month was definitely my worst so far, but that probably has something to do with the fact that my other months all kicked ass. Plus, one poor month does not a year destroy – I just have to make sure I get back on my game, and by game I mean put down my 3DS and the inserted copy of Fire Emblem which has consumed all my spare time for the later half of the month (damn you awesome video games – you get me every time). I can’t entirely blame Fire Emblem and the sheer awesomeness of that game, manga is to blame too. I re-read three series this month(High School Debut, Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden and Butterflies, Flowers for anyone curious).
So, I did manage to complete my novelette The Troll’s Toll and a sweet little follow-up short Petrified Lips. I also wrote a follow up for Charming which follows Hannah, it has no title yet and is still a little rough – not to mention the fact the computer kept not saving my ending. It is soooooo frustrating to write the same ending five times and always be wondering if one of the other lost ones was perhaps that tiny bit better than this one.
I also did some more tinkering in Storybook Perfect book 2 as I continue trying to wrangle the chopped in half remnants of the old second half into a book two. The start is very stilted, I need to add a good starting chapter and then figure out a smooth order for the following few chapters. There seem to be more rewrites involved than I had at first anticipated. At least the first book is looking good and is out waiting on an agent’s reply right now. So I’m making headway on goal #1 at least.
On goal 5 I haven’t submitted a lot this month because most of it is already out and waiting for responses or still needs work, but I have been told one of my stories is on the shortlist for a very cool magazine – so not a guaranteed in, but definitely a vote of confidence in the quality of that story, particularly since I thought I might have been aiming a little high by submitting it ;p
Also did some research for the Redlitzer (a local writing competition) by buying the anthology of previous winners and reading it. I’ve figured out what the judges seem to like, but I’m just not getting any inspiration. Sadly that’s about all the ‘learning’ I did.
I was still creating plenty, but didn’t do much else. Except for reading manga and playing video games. Oh, and I suppose I still did all that mothery, housewifey stuff too ;p how did you all go?
Do forget to be kind to yourself as rasing a kid used to be done by the whole village. 🙂
thanks Trish, it’s easy to forget how big a job that can be.
“There seem to be more rewrites involved than I had at first anticipated.”
This is the story of my life! 🙂 Just keep going, it’s done when it’s done.
Congrats on making the short list at the very cool magazine!
Sorry about your computer 🙁 That is so frustrating!
Faith recently posted..Indie Life: The Difference Between Writing and Revising (It’s All In My Head)
Mine, too. I may have to push “Ermengarde” back because I keep thinking of more things I want to do with the first book. Oy.
Elizabeth Barone recently posted..How to Deal with Discouragement
I’m constantly freaking each time I open my laptop that it won’t switch back on this time. That and the ‘v'(and a few others, but most consistently v) button is not always working, so typing is becoming highly frustrating.
I think most writers come across the ‘more rewrites than anticipated’ problem at least once. The joys of editing/revision I guess.
Hey, it sounds like you did great in April! 🙂 Give yourself a huge round of applause. You wrote and played video games! That in and of itself is a feat worth celebrating, but throw in motherly duties? You are a goddess.
My April goals kind of got brushed under the table. I may have over-scheduled myself, between my editorial calendar and the goals I wanted to accomplish. Heh. What else is new?
May is going to be better, though. Whoo-hoo!
Elizabeth Barone recently posted..How to Deal with Discouragement
Goddess? I might not go that far, but I certainly appreciate the compliment 😀 I’m always flip-flopping between thinking I didn’t do enough of one thing and then I change my mind and think I did plenty of that, but not enough of this. I think I’m permanently guilt-tripping myself into working harder on everything.
Here’s hoping we both kill it in May!