Happy Sunday, friends! Before I get to my weekly ROW80 check-in, I’ve gotta say: I have the most amazing friends in the universe. Why? Not only are they supportive, caring, and a little crazy, they also fill my inbox with pictures and videos of baby animals and other silliness. Yesterday my Ultimate Best Friend Ever sent me this. Because I love you all, I am sharing it with you.
Be warned. It is epic.
BUCKET OF SLOTHS from Lucy Cooke on Vimeo.
(I rather imagine that this is what #teamsprinty looks like after the end of an intense writing sprint…)
DAY JOB:
Not much to report here. I skipped the archives for a second week in a row so I could recover from the flu. I’ll be back at it on Tuesday, which means my focus will shift back to the dissertation. I’d like to do the following:
- Sketch out a timeline to have my revised dissertation proposal finished by mid-March.
- Finish ACROSS GOD’S FRONTIERS.
- Figure out the best way to start annotating, coding, and organizing my notes from the archive.
WRITING:
I’ve made some progress here, and I think breaking down my writing tasks in last week’s check-in was really helpful. I wrote a few thousand words towards TELL ME NO LIES, spent a few hours brainstorming, and took some time to go through previous drafts to salvage bits and pieces that I’d like to integrate into the final draft. I also wrote a couple thousand words of silly flash fiction pieces starring Pierce. They may end up becoming fodder for a romance novel one day, but for the moment, they’re just a fun exercise. For the week to come, I’d like to:
- Take my list of settings and locations and continue to flesh out their descriptions.
- Continue to explore supporting characters, like the Chinese crime lord who made an appearance in my brainstorming session last week (squee!).
- Jot down any ideas that pop up for my other WIPs, but keep the focus on TMNL, for the moment, at least.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Okay, people, I wrote three blog posts this week. I know, let’s count ’em: 3. Even better, I made my goal for commenting/sharing blog posts. Success!
Here’s what happened on Flights of Fancy this week:
- A knock-down, drag-’em-out fight between the baby platypus and the baby otter over my brand new Cute As a Sloth Award. There was a poll and everything, which is still open, FYI. Last I checked, the baby otter was winning by a landslide.
- “The Old Ways,” a mid-week poem sparked by Ash Wednesday, which is apparently going to become a new feature on the blog. I say “apparently” because I hadn’t intended to do it, but then my muse was like, “Hey, you should make this a thing,” and I sort of shrugged and said, “Okay”… and that is more than you needed to know about my inner dialogue. 😛
- My long-promised book review post, with a list of my 5 favorite books (so far) from 2013.
Not only do I have a ton of ideas for future posts boiling around in my head, I actually have drafts written for the upcoming week. Yay!
SELF-CARE:
I’ve been working on being calm and relaxed for the last week, with mixed results. I’m mostly recovered from the flu, in that I am no longer feverish and dying, but I still get tired quickly. The last couple of days have been an exercise in not over-taxing myself.
I am partway through Natalie Goldberg’s WILD MIND, a wonderful book about writing and the writer’s life that I highly recommend. And because it’s Presidents’ Day weekend here in the US, I am rewatching the HBO miniseries John Adams, based on the biography written by David McCullough. For those of you who like history, I highly recommend it.
-oOo-
So yay! Lots of good things are happening, I am feeling creative, and there are many more good things to come. As a reminder, one of those wonderful things is WANACon, which will be held next weekend. Pop over to WANAMama Kristen Lamb’s blog for more info about the conference and the recently announced PAJAMACON, the bonus 3rd day of the conference. Yes, it really is as epic as it sounds.
Don’t forget to give a shout to the other ROWers this week, and send along belated Valentine’s Day wishes!
February 17, 2013 at 11:13 am
I have DIED of cute. And you must know that when I first saw “bucketful,” I thought this might be a post about pirates or rum or both 😀 But sloths! Oh goodness. Everyone should be entitled to their own bucket.
Great work with your goals! I’m impressed with your focus while recovering. (I cannot say the same for myself lol.) Here’s to a great next week!
Lauren Garafalo recently posted..A Week In Which I Analyze
February 21, 2013 at 9:11 pm
YES. Buckets for all of us–rum and sloths and hot guys and EVERYTHING. Because we deserve it. 😛
February 17, 2013 at 11:25 am
You have done so well to keep plodding on even though you aren’t 100% yet. I am so excited about the words towards Tell me no lies because I love those bits you showed us ages ago!!! Squeal of excitement from me!
Have a great week and remember, slow and steady wins the race!
Em recently posted..ROW80 Check-in 17th February 2013
February 21, 2013 at 9:11 pm
Thanks so much, love! And you are right about the slow and steady–definitely something I have to keep reminding myself, as my muse wants to go, go, go right this second. 😀
February 17, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Congratulations on a productive week! That’s always a great feeling of accomplishment. And Wild Mind looks great, so I’m gonna dd it to my (unwieldy) to-read list.
slaybelle recently posted..Now reading: New Show Recap: The Walking Dead, Episode 3.09, “The Suicide King” in New Show Recap on Persephone Magazine.
February 21, 2013 at 9:12 pm
Thanks so much! And yes, definitely get ahold of Wild Mind. It is a very quick read, but filled with jewels of wisdom that are wonderful for prompting one’s creativity.
Have a great week!
February 17, 2013 at 2:10 pm
That is probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Can’t wait to show that to the kidlet, he will die of happiness! 🙂
That flu is just a killer this year. I’ve seen so many of my fellow ROW80ers knocked out by that sucker!
Still, you wrote a few thousand words AND took care of those social media chores. Kudos! Good luck with next week!
Kate Copeseeley recently posted..What in the heck is a RomPod?
February 21, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Ugh, judging from what I have heard from friends with the flu, I didn’t even get the worst of it. I’ve been hoping that people stay healthy–it is SO unpleasant.
Thanks for swinging by, Kate! Hope you are having a great week. 😀
February 17, 2013 at 3:23 pm
The sloths were just what I needed to banish computer woes 😀
Here’s to productive weeks, may we all have enough of them.
February 21, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Yaaaay, I’m glad they helped! Hope you are having an excellent week as well, Brenda.
February 17, 2013 at 6:02 pm
Lena, I am absolutely the sloth that never opens its eyes. “Okay, guys, y’all do what you want, I’m just chilling over here. Try not to step on me, okay?” LOL. Seriously, very cute.
Brava for blogging three times this week! I’m standing on that high dive; I keep running up to the end, then stopping.
Elizabeth Anne Mitchell recently posted..Chasing Success
February 21, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Haha, I totally agree with you! I think sloths are my spirit animal. Like them, I just want to curl up with a teddy bear and fuzzy blanket and sleep all day. 😛
I know what you mean about taking that leap off the high dive. I’ve had so many false starts over the last couple of years, but talking with friends about the things I’m interested in, and the things I’d like to write, has helped immensely. Not sure how long I can sustain the 2-3 times a week schedule, but for the moment I am trying not to worry *too* hard if what I post is “right” or not. So jump on in, my friend! The water is excellent. 😀
February 17, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Whenever I see a picture of a Sloth, I think of that LolCat caption:
I iz not a deadly sin.
Totally cute.
Keep up the self care! (that is a self-encouragement as well as a you-encouragement :D)
February 21, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Haha, that is a fantastic caption! And thank you, Buffy. I think we could all do with some time spent on self-care. I know it’s helped my peace of mind immensely.
Hope you are having a good week!
February 19, 2013 at 1:25 pm
It feels great when you manage to complete everything you want to do in a week doesnt it!? I cant remember the last time I enjoyed that feeling but its one that I need to get use to once again.
That sloth is amazing, I cannot decide if I think they are cute or the ugliest creature on earth
February 21, 2013 at 9:18 pm
It really is an excellent feeling, Kaylor, and it’s given me some great momentum moving into this week.
And I agree about sloths–so ugly they’re cute? I know I can’t stop looking at them, though. 😛