#ROW80 August Review & September Planning

( via Ronelvn17 )

At the beginning of August, I had a string of goals listed. They can be found here. Today, I’m going to review the month’s goals and create new goals (or continuous ones) for September. Lots of stuff over the Summer. This Autumn will be a blast.

AUGUST WRITING:

1) WRITE YOUR NOVEL THIS SUMMER and AugNoWriMo were a success. I brought a new spin to the first 50 pages of my WIP, Aaralyn’s Song. I’m excited to see how the new version of my revamped revision–yep, you read that right–plays out as I continue with it this month.

2) I submitted my two short story pieces today. I planned on doing that last week, but August got away from me. The feedback helped me strengthen the narrative and tighten up the work overall. Pretty pleased with how they turned out.

3) I have a novella that I want to work on for a SavvyAuthors critique workshop as well as their upcoming Revision Hell. I was pleased with the piece a few years back and got good feedback on it, as well. It will be nice to revisit the work with fresh eyes and polish that baby up nice and shiny.

SEPTEMBER WRITING:

1) Continue with Aaralyn’s Song. The POV shifts are working, so far. When the draft is complete I’ll have it critiqued to see how beta readers like the POV shifts. I want to get it right and know that POV shifts can either work or really not. I trust in the writing community. We love helping each other become better writers.

2) My novella, Imprint, will undergo vigorous critique and revisions this month via workshops mentioned above. Looking forward to getting that one out into the world.

3) I’m always coming up with new story ideas. This month, I’ll continue to map out ideas while focusing on my top two projects.

READING:

Between June 23rd and August 23rd, I read 14 books. Given my schedule, that’s not a bad turn out. I’m continuing with my foray into non-fiction: anything about how the brain works along with writing reference. There are just too many books to read and not enough time. I’m strongly considering taking a speed reading course but wonder if it takes away from enjoying the stories themselves.

I have NetGalley ARCs and a few boatloads of books, digital and paper, to go through. The reading and love of reading continues.

NETWORKING:

Our September host for #wipmadness is Kim Baccelia.  The #ROW80 check-ins will continue each Sunday and Wednesday. Looking forward more accountability. Between the check-ins and this blog, I’m staying focused and on on point. 🙂

My FRIDAY FORAGE Series kicks off this coming Friday, September 6th. Can’t wait to dive in.

LEARNING:

Udemy has brought me all sorts of great learning material from novel writing, time management, languages, fitness and music. I enjoy the lessons and keep an eye out for those massive sales. Some courses are in the triple digits. For those, I wait for the 75% or 90% sales. While I have to wait a bit longer, the classes are worth it and the discounts are great.

I’m chugging along, too, with Duolingo. I’m on Level 8 in Spanish and will start French this month. I’ll give it a week and if learning them at the same time isn’t too convoluted, I’ll give it a whirl. Anyone out there who’s doing Duolingo, hit me up! Languages and my buddy Bilbo are keeping the creative juices flowing. Love it.

I’ve definitely dialled back on the workshop enrolment. Heck, I’m still going through downloaded lessons of workshops long since over. There’s simply not enough time to learn everything at once. I get that. However, it’s also hard to wait a full year before a workshop you know will help your WIP comes again.

I’m hoping I can catch up some more this long weekend. When I’m back on track, I aim to stay on top of the new workshops. There’s so much great stuff out there. I’m grateful for such a great learning community both online and off.

I’m ready for September. Is September ready for me?