Quarterly Goals

 

I just realized that my quarterly goal post should take place in October, but 2020 remains on brand, as nothing is going as it should. There are 5 Wednesdays in September, but not October, so here we are!

Here were my August goals:

To get back into the swing of things - So far, I'm doing an okay job. I've been writing. My friends and I are starting a non-church book club together. We're always in church, so we wanted to do something with no relation to it. Balance is always key.

To find a job I really want to do - I'm content at my current 9-to-5 (also read 8-to-4:30), but it's not my passion, and it's certainly not in my field. As I mentioned in August, I joined a startup production company, and I edited a script for the producer. That is stuff I could do all day, especially if it paid well. I'm also part of Black Girl Gamers, and the founder posts jobs she finds. There is one for a short-term, paid video game writer traineeship. The hours are flexible, and it's virtual, so I think I'm going to apply and see where it takes me.

My next goal is to get back into reading other people's blogs. I haven't done it consistently in a long time, and I know it's because I have so much else going on it's hard to do, but still.

My next quarterly goals will be in December, so I guess I will update you on how the upcoming quarter panned out, and what my plans will be for the first quarter in 2021!

I hope you all enjoy what's left of September.

Monthly Review

 

© Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

September is already almost over, guys. It's wild.

I gained momentum this month. I had to be back in the office many days, but I didn't completely mind. It also helped me write more. I'm actually used to writing at work, so . . . I need to break that habit. haha BUT last Tuesday, I wrote 1,156 words and a 200-word query. Last Wednesday I wrote 1,698 words! That felt super good. So now, I'm actively writing in THREE works in progress. We'll see where they take me.

Reading is still slow, but I'll just start over in 2021. I didn't even set a goal on Goodreads. I think I've read maybe 5 books, and fortunately some comics.

Last Tuesday, my younger sister and I became owners of our mom's house. We'll be selling it and moving soon. It'll be bittersweet. Our mom bought that house for us to have our friends over, and we were introverts and didn't like drama, so we never brought them over. We've been in the house for 21 years, the longest we've ever lived anywhere. But it's also time to be in our own space. My sister started a Pinterest board for interior designs. At first I didn't care, but I realize, we have two different styles, so I might want to, so we can meet in the middle somewhere. I'm also interested in the style of the house as a whole. I hate the style of our current house. I need to look up house types.

As for work, I'm not unhappy about being back in the office, as I said, but I do realize I'm unhappy still being in an office period. I've always wanted to just be a writer, and the publishing industry, though it's trying to change, is really hard to break into as a black writer, let alone a speculative fiction writer. That said, two of the three projects I'm working on are romance novels, which I haven't done in YEARS, but I do want to give it a go. Romance was my wheelhouse when I was a fan fiction writer. I know I can do it.

I have two more quarterly posts for the year to see if I've reached any goals. December will be unique, because I'll get to set some for 2021. Not that I want time to keep moving as quickly as it is, but I could stand waking up and it no longer being 2020.

September Writing Update

 

Happy September!

This is my first writing update since MAY, and I didn't even have much to say then. Looking back at what I was working on, I think I have an idea of what scene I was talking about. I did finally finish it, and then I reworked it to something stronger that I really like. Now, I have to hash out the next scene. It's another breakthrough scene, but I know exactly how I want it to go, so it's just putting it down on paper.

I actually have a few things I need to work on. I joined a startup production group, and I have a very interesting horror script I need to write. It's been a while since I've had to do a script, but script writing is a lot simpler than prose, so I know when I sit down to get it done, it will be like riding a bike.

Saturday night, I had an epiphany about an old fan fiction I wrote. I've said before that I want to revamp my fan fictions into regular novels, so on Monday, I not only wrote a query for one, but then I turned around wrote over 1,000 words for the first time in a very long time. That said, the tone of what I wrote fits another story I have in progress, so I'm going to move it over to that one, but I already know how I want to replace it for the revamped story. So, I'm super excited.

I think I'm back in the game, and it feels good.

Wednesday Words: Solitaire by Alice Oseman

 

It has been a while for one of these!

It is the 2nd Wednesday of the month, and that usually means I share with you all what I am reading. I'm finally back into reading, almost at my normal pace again, so I can finally share my current read! That lucky book is Solitaire by Alice Oseman.

This is the cover for the e-book. I'm actually close to the end, and the blurb up top is a bit misleading. For the most part we follow Tori and Michael, though I have a hankering suspicion about Lucas and his dealings with the mysterious prankster group known as Solitaire.

This is Alice's first book. I read Radio Silence last year, and it was amazing, so I could see where she grew. This story lacked a little direction, and Tori isn't a very likable protagonist, so I had to ignore her for the most part. I can't wait to see how this ends, though.

Here is the book description: In case you're wondering, this is not a love story.

My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year - before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people - I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now.

Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden.

As I said, I'm close to the end, and I'm around the point where she "doesn't have friends" anymore. I don't think she ever did, just people she hung out with because her best friend did, and she didn't even really like her!

Speaking of which, here is a line from page 68 that I found very interesting, the opening to Chapter 12:

There is a line that you cross when making relationships with people. Crossing this line occurs when you transfer from knowing someone to knowing about someone, and Michael and I cross that line at Becky's seventeenth birthday party.

It's a warm point in the story that I appreciate, though it's also surrounded by the millionth time that Tori hates something. Maybe it's because of that that I like it.

What are you reading?

IWSG: The Dinner Party Question Revamped

 HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

It's already about to be Fall, my favorite season, but it is also the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for another installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! As always, a big thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh for all of the work he does. Visit his website to view the co-hosts for this month. You can also join us by visiting the IWSG website.

This month's optional question is: If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?

Just one?? Eesh. Because she is still alive, and I have a small chance of meeting her one day, I won't say my favorite living author, N.K. Jemisin. I would be terrified to let her see a beta version of my work, even though I'm sure she would be really nice about it.

My official answer is my favorite author who is not living, and that is Octavia Butler. Her writing changed my life and my outlook on being a speculative fiction writer so much. She even had a similar experience with her mom about not writing "normal" fiction. I would love to pick her brain about my writing style and choices.

Though I'd still be terrified a little.

Let me hear your answers!