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2022 Q2 Goal Check-in


August is not exactly the end of the second quarter, but here we are. This spring was fairly productive in terms of writing, and as usual, I pay for that push during the summer. 

April. As I mentioned during my last check-in post, during April I tried a new challenge that I called (for no real reason at all) 30 Fools. For 30 Fools, I created a numbered list of every exercise in one of the craft books lining my writing desk, a list of every main character in an ongoing project along with a link to a fanfic prompt generator, and a list of other random half-ideas that popped into my head during the month. Each morning I used a random number generator to decide what I would write. Most days, I only wrote for about 10 minutes. 

At the end of the month, I had written 15,000 words, outlined 3 new short stories, and written 10 scenes that could be slotted into existing book projects. More, I left feeling really good about my ability to create and to generate ideas. Despite saying that I wanted to use this year to write more variety instead of getting sucked into one project for the duration of the year, I've really only worked on The Seaming since November. 

May. In May I read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers and Negotiating with the Dead, and then dove back in to draft 3 of the Seaming. 

June. June was busy. I finished draft 3 of the Seaming and sent it off to 3 beta readers, and in the process hit one of my 2022 annual goals. I also finished revising one of the short stories I drafted during April and submitted it to an anthology call, which was a first for me. I've already received the rejection, but I am proud of myself for trying something new and even though my story wasn't a good fit for the anthology, I am really happy with the story itself. 

Although it is not part of the second quarter of the year, in July I've not written anything. I debated jumping right back into Nano-camp, but I held myself back because I was traveling through Ireland and Scotland for the latter half of the month. In the end that was a good decision. The trip was amazing--For the first time in what felt like years, I was able to fully turn my brain off and experience life, and I met up with some amazing writing friends. When I came back to the states I felt fully ready to dive back into work and writing, and my friends inspired me to do more effective world building and research. 


Next Quarter's Goals: I'm currently sitting on some beta feedback on the Seaming, looking at another full re-write this fall, while jonesing for a trip to the library that I haven't had time for yet. I'm hoping to spend the next 2 weeks working on a short story or two and reading some research books, and then by mid-August hopefully will feel ready to dive back in to the next draft of the Seaming. I'd love to have this ready to query by October, although I think that's definitely a stretch goal. 

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