Another Round of A Round of Words in 80 Days is upon us, and I am delighted to participate. For those who have never heard of this wonderful writing community, ROW80 is the writing challenge “that knows you have a life,” and allows we over-worked, over-scheduled creative folk to build our own goals.
After a rough and tumble year (or two… or three?), I’m all about treating myself with flexibility and care. I gave myself permission to take the weekend off from NaPoWriMo, because I’ve learned that placing pressure on myself is counter-intuitive. When I tell myself that I’m a failure, or that I’m lazy, or that I’m useless because I couldn’t wrest a few minutes out of my life to write, I ruin any chances I have to be creative for days, and sometimes weeks, to come. So Round 2 of ROW80 is all about being kind to myself (like fearless leader Kait Nolan writes in this awesome post), about allowing myself to make mistakes and to stumble without self-flagellation, and about actually remembering how to enjoy the act of writing, both academic and creative.
Before I get to my Round 2 goals, have a bit of a poem. I’m trying out a “lune,” a modified haiku form written with 3 words in the first line, 5 words in the second, and 3 in the third. And based on the subject matter, I’ll bet you can all guess what I was dealing with today…
“Migraine”
brain throbs incessantly
senses stunted, tongue silenced, thought completely eliminated
migraine strikes again
—-
And with that, here are my goals for Round 2:
Dissertation:
- Finish 2 chapters by the end of Round 2.
- Start coding data sources.
- Hammer out an inventory of data sources.
Creative Writing:
- Read 1 piece of fiction each week.
- Figure out how to move forward with TELL ME NO LIES.
- Write at least 20 poems for #NaPoWriMo.
- Start blogging in May–maybe with weekly book reviews? The jury is still out on this one.
-oOo-
I’m still trying to keep things simple, as you can probably tell, but with the way things are going at the moment, simple is most definitely best.
I’m looking forward to rocking the ROW with the rest of y’all! Anyone else participating in NaPoWriMo this year? Any big goals slated for this Round? Can’t wait to see how everyone is doing!
April 8, 2014 at 5:48 am
Awww, migraines are the worst! I hope you feel better!
I liked Kait’s message in her post too. I am always berating myself when I don’t get something finished, or I was, until last fall when I realized how counter productive that was. I think reminding ourselves that we aren’t failures for making a mistake or not meeting a goal is a necessity, especially for us writers. Now, I just have to have a poster with this message made to remind myself of this everyday. 🙂
For me, my goals this round are all about finishing WiPs. I have so many that are either finished (and need to be sent to CPs), are nearly finished, or just need one more round of revisions), that it’s driving me crazy. Good luck with your goals and see you around the ROW!
Kat Morrisey recently posted..ROW80, Round 2: Let the Writing Begin!
April 8, 2014 at 8:26 am
A poster would be SO great. I’ll take a smiling Hugh Jackman with a puppy, saying something like, “Hey girl, it’s okay that you didn’t get everything done. Try again tomorrow.” 😀
Finishing WIPs sounds like a great goal! I have yet to ever, ever type “The End,” and it’s starting to feel a little old. Maybe by the end of the year…
Have a wonderful week, Kat!
April 8, 2014 at 6:22 am
sorry about the migraine. I have a problem with being too hard on myself. Something I need to work on too.
Good luck with your goals. This round is going to be more about editing(and rewriting) and publishing than new writing.
April 8, 2014 at 10:36 pm
Editing and rewriting totally sounds like the name of the game for me as well. I feel like it’s time to finally (get closer to?) finish something. Maybe. Perhaps. If I can find the time…? 😛
Thanks for stopping by, Fallon. Have a great week!
April 8, 2014 at 10:20 am
I like the lune and your very positive attitude. Be kind to yourself and let the creativity come to you, don’t go in search of it.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Patricia recently posted..Girl Sports and Book Giveaways
April 8, 2014 at 10:36 pm
I love that idea of letting creativity come to us, Patricia. I’m going to definitely remember that!
April 8, 2014 at 10:22 am
Ugh, migraines. I know far too many people who suffer from them (myself included). Hope yours settles soon, Lena. Much love… your goals for self-kindness and welcoming joy back into your process are perfect. Good for you!
Eden Mabee recently posted..It’s THAT Time Again
April 8, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Ugh, I REALLY need to talk to my doctor about getting some actual medication for my migraines. They subsided quite a bit when I was off from work (probably because stress and lack of sleep are my big triggers), but now that I have so much more going on, it’s probably a good idea to have something on hand.
So glad to *see* you again, my friend. I’m really looking forward to this round. 😀
April 8, 2014 at 1:28 pm
Hope that migraine is already gone and you can turn again to what makes your creativity sing! Yes, I found Cait’s article very helpful in reconsidering those limits that affect us all in various ways (for you, perhaps those migraines; for me, stamina). But by being kind to myself, when the moment comes along that I CAN meet a goal, I can embrace it with joy. May you have a very good round! Good to see you back, Lena.
Beth Camp recently posted..And Round 2 officially begins.
April 8, 2014 at 10:38 pm
Hi Beth! Yes, I feel SO much better than I did yesterday, and I also figured out what was setting off my allergies and got rid of it.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m thinking good thoughts for all of us participating in this round. 😀
April 8, 2014 at 2:49 pm
Love your goals, Lena!!! Especially (I bet you can guess) #2 in creative writing….cause that just makes my heart happy. You sound like you’re starting from a great place!! (Except the migraine. But THAT PUPPY. He’s so cute.) Good luck with this week!
Lauren Garafalo recently posted..ROW80 Sundays
April 8, 2014 at 10:40 pm
DAT PUPPY KILLS ME. It was between the bulldog and a corgi (also SO CUTE), but how can anyone say no to a face like that? Not me, I am weak.
I am all stuck on TMNL, for some odd reason, so I’m guessing there is going to be a lot of free-writing (and, y’know, an email of 50) so I can get unstuck. But I am trying to tell myself that it is going to be fun… I hope. 😛
Have a wonderful week!
April 8, 2014 at 5:28 pm
So glad to see you blogging again! And great goals–I’m so with you on SIMPLE!
I can’t write poetry to save myself, so I so admire those who can!
UGH, Migraines – one of my banes! I get those lovely ice-pick-in-the-forehead ones. Thank heavens for for new drugs. If I could write poetry, I’d write an ode to Relpax! 😀
Jennette Marie Powell recently posted..Four Things About My Writing, and ROW80 Round 2
April 8, 2014 at 10:42 pm
I am so happy to be blogging again! I don’t think I quite realized how much I missed this space, and all of you.
I’ll have to check out Relpax. I haven’t been using any meds for my migraines besides Advil. Half the problem is that I don’t realize that I’m in the middle of one till it’s gone, and I realize how much better I feel. I’m trying to get better about paying attention to myself, haha.
Hope you have a great week!
April 9, 2014 at 6:37 am
I’m SO glad I don’t suffer from migraines! Allergies are bad enough, but headaches are debilitating.
Good luck with your goals this round. 🙂
Ruth Nestvold recently posted..#ROW80: My writing goals for the second quarter 2014
April 9, 2014 at 7:46 pm
Hope your head is doing better…
Good luck on your dissertation. What’s it about?
John Holton recently posted..High School (#atozchallenge)
April 10, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Migraines are the worst–few things stop me dead in my tracks like one. Wishing you all the best this round (and enjoying your poems–what a great way to keep the creative juices flowing).
Tia Bach recently posted..Nose to the Grindstone: ROW80 Round 2 Goals