The Dawn of the -BER Months

As August draws to a close, we step into the last quarter of 2013. Let’s think about that for a sec. While I marvelled at how some stores were stocking Halloween candy yesterday, my sister told me that Costco had Christmas decorations already on sale. Where has the time gone?

I played catch up this week on all things writerly. I have the rest of the month–less than 36 hours–to map out my September goals which include the official launch of my FRIDAY FORAGE series. I think I’ll call it the FF Five and have links for five creative items, blogs, articles, or websites. I don’t want to limit myself to writing finds. I’ve discovered how beneficial non-writing experiences has had on my writing life. Anything I find that inspires me I’ll share in hopes that it will inspire you, as well. Haven’t decided yet if I want to have themes. We’ll see how it goes.

Now that eight months have blurred by, how have you gotten on with your goals? I’ve reached goals, made new ones, had setbacks, defied odds, cried, wrote, panicked, laughed, and kept chugging along.

I’d like to stick to my goals–more on that in Sunday’s post–but I don’t want to completely shut out new ideas. And boy, they just keep coming. As the seasons change–the last couple of days felt quite Autumnal–I’ve found that my writing process changes, too.

Once upon a time, I used to interpret that change as indifference or impatience, resulting in shelved manuscripts. My writing experience this year, through this blog and networking with others in the writing community, has taught me to breathe through my writing. I let things develop organically now. When I put a WIP aside, it doesn’t mean I’ve given up. Often times, I’m more energized and excited to return to a project once I’ve had time away from it. Much like reconnecting with an old friend.

I’ve made several new friends this year. The characters and worlds I’ve created are dear to me. While I’ve accomplished many goals I set for myself in 2013, many others morphed into new goals or had to be reassessed. I don’t consider these changes as limitations, but rather an acceptance of what needs to be done at a certain point in time. In an ideal world, I’d just write all day without another thought, but as we all know, life gets in the way. I’m learning to balance things out more in order to appreciate my efforts in all areas of my life, writing or otherwise.

I’m tired, exhilarated, scared, excited, and optimistic of what’s been done and what’s to come. I hope that I continue to be inspired in the days ahead.

Adiós, August. September, I’m coming for ya.