Fly-By July

A month of vacation (except the Chromos are working), a month of RWA National Conference in Washington, DC (I'm not going), a month of warmth, a month of possibilities. Some months have more potential for being months of possibilities than others. For me, May of this year was a month of no possibilities. July? Any thing goes.

My writing goals for the month are few:

• SARK month 7
• Blog 2ce (this is once)
• write my monthly Operating Manual articles for the rest of the year.
• Participate in my local RWA chapter's BIAW
• Write 1 Desk Diva article
• edit/rewrite 50 pages of WIP
• attend critique 2ce.

That's it. I plan to increase my water consumption and pamper my feet even more than I have.

Have a wonderful month!

June Recap

Another month survived! It seemed as if I was spinning my wheels for most of the month, but now I'm in a lull. Thank goodness. Don't know if I could have survived the pace much longer.

Lots of controversy everywhere. I have been making an effort not to let things get to me. The only thing in life over which anyone has 100% control is their own attitude. I found that delightful bit of wisdom while researching an upcoming DESK DIVA article.

• Blog 2ce (this is twice)
• RWA chapter meeting Indeed. And it was delightful
• Speaker at the RWA Chapter Meeting (Dominating Submissions) Yes
• Enter 1 contest (TGN Golden Pen) Yes
• Write an article for the day-job newsletter about X-Chromo winning scholarship money through the company Yes
• Meet with critique group twice Yes
• RWA chapter's monthly Book In A Week challenge yes
• Booksigning at local Barnes & Noble for crit partner yes
• SARK Month 6 yes
• RWA chapter operating manual article yes
• Read RITA-nominated books as they become available from the library 1 left to read
• Edit/rewrite minimum of 50 pages of WIP yes

Bonus: I submitted a 1-page synopsis for the Leslie Wainger Inside an Editor's Mind workshop at the RWA national conference in Washington, DC in mid-July, and it will be included. Leslie cold reads the synopsis, gives her opinion, highlights strengths and weaknesses, and reveals whether or not she would ask for a manuscript based on the synopsis. Fortunately for me, the workshop will be recorded, so I will be able to hear what she has to say.

Plus, I came up with several more topics for the DESK DIVA and researched several of them.

Over all, I'd have to say it was a successful month for me.

Keep Shining!

June.
So soon?
Seems like this year is flying by. It's nearly half over.
I still can't believe I survived May, but I did. Wow.

Okay, here are my June goals:

• Blog 2ce (this is once)
• RWA chapter meeting
• Speaker at the RWA Chapter Meeting (Dominating Submissions)
• Enter 1 contest (TGN Golden Pen)
• Write an article for the day-job newsletter about X-Chromo winning scholarship money through the company
• Meet with critique group twice
• RWA chapter's monthly Book In A Week challenge
• Booksigning at local Barnes & Noble for crit partner
• SARK Month 6
• RWA chapter operating manual article
• Read RITA-nominated books as they become available from the library
• Edit/rewrite minimum of 50 pages of WIP

May: It Happened

Oh my gosh! It's been a ride, let me tell you.
And I still really have one more day, but I have survived day job, family (including a quick trip downstate to fetch Y-Chromo's dorm things and the formal conclusions of X-Chromo's religious education), and life.

• Enter a writing contest I've entered several. It's a business strategy.
• Operating Manual Article for RWA chapter Yes. Short & sweet, but done
• RWA chapter meeting Yes, and as always, a real pleasure
• RWA chapter Book-In-A-Week Challenge Goal met!
• Blog Twice (this is twice)
• Critique 2ce with my amazing critique group Still amazing. Oh so productive
• Read 1 Rita-nominated book in my chosen genre I read a lot more than 1. I have several still on hold from the public library.
• SARK Creative Dream project, Month 5 and the corresponding resource reading (ouch) Yup. Well, not all the reading. I did make it through HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON. You gotta love a resource reading list that includes this classic.
• X-Chromo's religious ed project Yes. It wasn't nearly the amount of work I was prepared to do.
• Parent Prayer for X-Chromo's religious ed service Yes. And surprisingly, many parents and other congregants commented on what a great prayer it was. I was inspired, true, by my charming X-Chromo. That must have been it. But one woman, not a parent, chased me down in the parking lot to tell me how much she loved it.
• The June program for my RWA chapter (I'm speaking on DOMINATING SUBMISSIONS) This is SO close to being done. Today is the last day of May. So, MAY-BE?
• Finish WIP Synopsis Yes. A lovely 5-pager, which makes it perfect for most contests.
• rewrite one chapter of WIP Yes!
• do one D. Maas BREAKOUT NOVEL exercise believe it or not, YES.

Other 'bonus' activities include pulling together a list of agents to research with an eye to submitting to them. I'm a firm believer in learning from experience, even good ones.

May: Possibilities

So many possibilities. That's how I always feel in Spring, and spring doesn't really happen in my part of the world until May. It's going to be an insanely busy month for me. All I can do is the best I can.

Taking it one bite at a time.

• Enter a writing contest
• Operating Manual Article for RWA chapter
• RWA chapter meeting
• RWA chapter Book-In-A-Week Challenge
• Blog Twice (this is once)
• Critique 2ce with my amazing critique group
• Read 1 Rita-nominated book in my chosen genre
• SARK Creative Dream project, Month 5 and the corresponding resource reading (ouch)
• X-Chromo's religious ed project
• Parent Prayer for X-Chromo's religious ed service
• The June program for my RWA chapter (I'm speaking on DOMINATING SUBMISSIONS)
• Finish WIP Synopsis
• rewrite one chapter of WIP
• do one D. Maas BREAKOUT NOVEL exercise

What's really scary is that I have life, too. A spouse, two teenagers, a day job, a house . . .

April Recap

Things got crueler.

Things got busy. Incredibly busy. When I think about the coming weeks, I almost panic, but then I remember the wisdom of the Julie Garwood character who informed a priest that she could eat a giant bear all by herself: one bite at a time.

• My RWA chapter meeting yes


• Critique on 4/16 & 4/30 yes


• Blog twice (this is yes)


• Operating Manual article for local RWA chapter yes


• Distribute updated Operating Manual to chapter members yes


• Month 4 of my SARK project Yes


• Read 1 Romantic Suspense Rita Finalist book Yes


• Work on the June program: DOMINATING SUBMISSIONS not nearly enough


• Finish the first draft of my WIP hahahahaha NO-- but I think I know why I can't finish it. I made a wrong turn in the plot.


• Rewrite the first three chapters of the WIP using the SAVE THE CAT (by Blake Snyder) method yes


• Book-In-A-Week yes


• Let us not forget my FEET pedicure, but not nearly enough moisturizing


• Or water consumption not nearly enough

The past couple of weeks have been interesting. Ten months after sending a query to a publisher, I received an e-mail requesting a completed manuscript, which I submitted. Turn-around window: eight weeks. It was less than two. ::sniff:: Black rose, as we say in my local RWA chapter.

And the final week of April was filled with requests for my time. I've been asked to help with the writing for a project in X-Chromo's religious ed class. And former co-workers asked me to be on "Family Reunion" planning committee. I agreed to both.

And I'm thinking of entering a writing contest. If I can get a synopsis done in the next couple of weeks, I'm going for it.