ROW80 – R2C6 – Writing!

I’ve been doing some honest-to-goodness writing this week. Not tons of writing, mind you, but enough that it feels like I’m actually creating again. I do a lot of writing outside of my own projects – Hypable certainly keeps me busy – but journalistic writing certainly doesn’t give you the same high as creative writing does. (Well, it doesn’t for me, at least.)

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 4/7 This is the best I’ve done in quite a while, and I’m very happy with the outcome. I completely scrapped my latest short story and started over – and the story has benefited immensely from that. It’s almost done, too!
2. Read every day. 4/7 I’m reading Moby Dick right now, and if you’ve been following me on Twitter, you know I’m not really feeling it. But I will press on! Maybe it’ll get better.
   
3. Exercise three times a week. 1/3 I had a very intense workout on Friday, so I’m okay with just the one this week. I really want to get back into making this part of my routine, almost automatic, each day. It’s just been hard.

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite one of my short stories. Still working on this. I’m going slow because I want this to turn out right.
2. Think up a concept for another short story. I’ve been throwing a couple things around lately, but nothing solid has emerged yet.
3. Update my contests doc. *sigh* I wonder if I’ll EVER get around to this.

List of Awesome

1. I’m officially all set for BEA, yay! I’ll talk more about that later, closer to the date.
2. I forgot to mention this last week, but I got a new author photo. I like this one a lot better. What do you guys think??
3. I managed to nearly write 1,000 words on Thursday. That’s the most I’ve written in a while!
4. If you like the show Once Upon a Time, I wrote this fun column about the cliffhangers we DON’T want to see in the season 2 finale.

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 15 points
• Week 2 – 60 points
• Week 3 – 85 points
• Week 4 – 35 points
• Week 5 – 35 points
• Week 6 – 55 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 0 words
• Week 2 – 1,188 words
• Week 3 – 2,509 words
• Week 4 – 0 words
• Week 5 – 0 words
• Week 6 – 1,815 words

Total words written in round 2: 5,512 words

Total words for the year: 67,911 words written since January 1, 2013

What have you guys been working on lately? Poems? Short stories? Novels? Share away!

ROW80 – R2C5 – Distractions

Summer feels like it’s just a hair’s breadth away. I can almost touch it. If only my fingers were a little…longer…

This week was a good week. I elected to give into the distractions and not worry about my goals so much. Mostly because it’s been sunny and beautiful out side. After a seemingly never-ending winter, I just didn’t want to be stuck inside longer than I had to.

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 1/7 I did one day of editing, but it was a productive day! I finished up editing one of my short stories and sent that to a couple of people. Even though I didn’t do anything more than that, I’m pretty happy.
2. Read every day. 3/7 This goal fell by a bit, but the good news is that I finished War of the Worlds and also managed to start and finish Journey to the Center of the Earth. I quite liked Journey!
   
3. Exercise three times a week. 1/3 I’m having trouble getting into my new game. I want to keep playing it and start liking it, but I guess I don’t really get how it operates yet.

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite one of my short stories. Did this! I’m leaving this here though because I want to work on another one next.
2. Think up a concept for another short story. Totally forgot about this again.
3. Update my contests doc. Nope.

List of Awesome

1. I was on a lot of podcasts this week. You can check out which one specifically on my Accomplishments page, or you can stay up to date with my Facebook page.
2. I also wrote a new colum for Hypable. This one was about the show Teen Wolf. If you’re a fan, go check out 30 reasons why I can’t wait another day for season 3.
3. I SAW IRON MAN 3!!! Semi-review coming tomorrow.

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 15 points
• Week 2 – 60 points
• Week 3 – 85 points
• Week 4 – 35 points
• Week 5 – 35 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 0 words
• Week 2 – 1,188 words
• Week 3 – 2,509 words
• Week 4 – 0 words
• Week 5 – 0 words

Total words written in round 2: 3,697 words

Total words for the year: 62,399 words written since January 1, 2013

What distracted you this week? Did you go with the flow, or fight to get back to work?

ROW80 – R2C4 – Bust

Well, having two awesome weeks back to back might just have been too much awesome for the world. I have to compensate, you know. So this week was a bust.

On purpose.

Of course.

*sigh*

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 0/7 NOTHING. Usually I try to get at least one day in a week, if I’m super busy, but this week just flew by.
2. Read every day. 6/7 I finished 17 & Gone (OMG it was so good), and I’m working on War of the Worlds on audio as well. I’m not sure which book to pick up next. Maybe Insurgent? I have an ARC I need to read for an author by June, and I’m thinking I might just hop on that ASAP and get it out of the way. (Plus, you know, I’m excited to read it!)
   
3. Exercise three times a week. 1/3 Just once this week, although I’ve been running around with the dog at work quite a bit, and that has to count too, right?

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite one of my short stories. I actually opened this up last night to take a look at it, then had to work on something else.
2. Think up a concept for another short story. Wish I’d put some thought into this, but it didn’t even cross my mind.
3. Update my contests doc. Nope.

List of Awesome

1. I finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! It was pretty good, but very, very different from the movie. Like, very different.
2. ReWatchable came out with another episode, and this time we talked about Firefly‘s sixth episode, “Our Mrs. Reynolds.” It’s probably the only episode I give a thumbs down to!
3. Speaking of podcasts, if you’ve listened to any of the ones I’ve been on (Onceable, Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast, ReWatchable, Book Hype) or are so inclined, would you mind popping over to iTunes and leaving us a rating? It’d be very much appreciated!
4. Just a few more days and then it’s MAY. *sings* Springs is in the aaaairrrrrr, everywhere you look arounddddd.

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 15 points
• Week 2 – 60 points
• Week 3 – 85 points
• Week 4 – 35 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 0 words
• Week 2 – 1,188 words
• Week 3 – 2,509 words
• Week 4 – 0 words

Total words written in round 2: 3,697 words

Total words for the year: 62,399 words written since January 1, 2013

Do you guys have any summer plans yet? Heading anywhere new and different?

ROW80 – R2C3 – Awesome

This week was amazing. I have so many things to put on my List of Awesome that it’s a bit overwhelming to go back and look at it. Such a nice feeling after these last few weeks of not getting much done. And considering the type of week the whole world just experienced, I’m not above infusing every word with positivity in order to bring us back to where we should be.

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 3/7 Three days this week, but boy were they good days. I’m forcing myself to focus on my short story collection even though I want to work on my novel, because this collection needs to be DONE so I can finally say I’m published.
2. Read every day. 7/7 I’m having no problems keeping up with this goal at the moment. 17 & Gone is an incredible book, and I’m not even halfway done with it yet. I also “read” a few other books this week – more on that down below. 
   
3. Exercise three times a week. 5/3 I got in some really solid workouts this week. It definitely helped that I got a new dancing game, so now I feel more invigorated than ever!

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite one of my short stories. Instead of doing this, I finished the new one I started last week. This one needs less of an overhaul than the other one, so I’ll probably edit it first, then move onto the first one.
2. Catch up on my e-mails. Er, looks like I forgot to replace this goal last week. Well, I’m still staying on top of my e-mails, and that’s more than I expected! For this week, I’d like to think up a concept for another short story.
3. Update my contests doc. Didn’t get around to it this week.

List of Awesome

*Puts on Destiny Child’s “Bootylicious”* I don’t think you can handle this!

1. I beat Just Dance 4 last week, so I ordered The Hip-Hop Experience, which is by the same company. It’s not quite the same as the Just Dance games, and I can’t decide if I like it better or not. However, it definitely makes me want to workout more now that I have something shiny and new!
2. I got this awesome portable charger that runs on batteries for my iPhone. Now I never have to worry about my phone going dead again,which was a big concern I had about going to Comic-Con and being busy all day.
3. I watched the 2009 Stark Trek film! I feel like my nerd street cred has gone up several points. I liked it, and I can’t wait for the next one. (Benedict Cumberbaaaaatch!!!!)
4. This week I also read The B-Team by John Scalzi, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carol. I actually listened to them as audiobooks, which I realized it a great thing to do when I’m doing something brainless and need to distract myself from being horribly bored. This is how I’m going to get through so many classics that I have difficulty with. I’m listening to The Wizard of Oz next.
5. I’ve officially completed over 400 freelance editing jobs. When I started doing this a little over a year ago, I never though it would take off like it has!
6. I finally finished transferring all my files from my old computer to my new one. This was a HUGE accomplishment!

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 15 points
• Week 2 – 60 points
• Week 3 – 85 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 0 words
• Week 2 – 1,188 words
• Week 3 – 2,509 words

Total words written in round 2: 3,697 words

Total words for the year: 62,399 words written since January 1, 2013

What sorts of things have kept you positive and feeling amazing in the last week or so?

ROW80 – R2C2 – Spring is in the air

Last year I told you guys I had a special guest for my second round 2 check-in, but in actuality I just put in a picture of R2D2. That still makes me laugh.

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 2/7 Just two days this week, but I’ve been slowly chipping away on my latest short story for my collection, and I quite like the concept for this one. It isn’t going to be long, so even though I’ve only added about 1100 words to it, it’s close to being completed.
2. Read every day. 5/7 I finished City of a Thousand Dolls Friday night (er, Saturday morning?). The last 50 pages were great, I just wish it hadn’t taken 200 pages to get to that point. Now I’m reading 17 & Gone. 
   
3. Exercise three times a week. 3/3 Bingo! And, you know, these were some solid exercises. I’ve been using ankle weights to add a little more resistance. I think it’s going to really help. Bummer is, though, that I just beat my Just Dance 4 game, which means I have no more upgrades to strive for. I may have to find another game so I can keep my motivation up.

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite one of my short stories. Elected to start a new one before the idea left me, rather than finish up this one. Hopefully I can tackle this next week.
2. Catch up on my e-mails. Done! I totally did this. It’s a great feeling to get down to the point where all you really have are a couple of e-mails in your inbox. Some I have to keep until I deal with them, but I’ve only got a couple of them left!
3. Update my contests doc. I did not get a chance to finish this, but I definitely started it!

List of Awesome

1. I did an interview with one of my favorite contemporary artists, Karen Hallion. She draws a lot of pop-culture things, including Doctor Who. I focused on her Doctor Who and Disney Heroines collection.
2. Natalie and I interviewed someone from Teen Wolf on Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast! Check it out.
3. C.G. Cooper has another short story up on Amazon called Running. This was an interesting look at Cal (his main character) before we saw him in the Corps Justice books.
4. The other day I went for a walk around our yard and ended up finding a lot of garbage strewn around the place (we live next to a highway). I picked up 2 WalMart bags full and three medium sized boxes in about 15 minutes. It makes me so mad when people litter, but it was definitely a great feeling to do something about it.

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 15 points
• Week 2 – 60 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 0 words
• Week 2 – 1,188 words

Total words written in round 2: 1,188 words

Total words for the year: 58,702 words written since January 1, 2013

Have you done anything outside since the weather has been getting nicer?

ROW80 – R2C1 – Wait, What?

Er, so this week snuck by me pretty quickly. I did my “State Your Intent” post on Wednesday, so I really only had half a week to work on my goals. And work on them, I did not.

I know, I know. Excuses. Well, I did a couple of things this week. And I have a pretty solid List of Awesome. Right now I’m just buried under editing projects. I hope I can find my way to the surface soon. It’s been far too long since I last wrote anything.

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 0/7 Saddening.
2. Read every day. 1/7 I may have read another day, but I’m not sure. All I know is that I didn’t pick it up as much as I would have liked this week. I’m still reading City of a Thousand Dolls.
   
3. Exercise three times a week. 2/3 Actually not a terrible start this week. I did more exercise than anything else, even if I didn’t manage to hit my goal. I’m still happy.

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite one of my short stories. I’ve been thinking about this, and I know which direction I want to take it in, but I just haven’t sat down and done it yet.
2. Catch up on my e-mails. I did a big purge the other day, but they’re stacking up again…
3. Update my contests doc. Ah, the goal that has – literally – been around since the beginning of round 1. Nope, didn’t touch this one either.

List of Awesome

1. The next episode of Not Another Teen Wolf Podcast is out! This one went to some silly places. It’s called “Magic Spice Rack.” We also got a little makeover to our logo. Check it out!
2. My interview with one of my favorite authors of all time, T.A. Barron, went live on Monday. He talks about writing, his next novel, and the movie he’s helping to pen!
3. If you’re a Firefly fan and want to watch the third episode with some commentary, check out our latest episode of ReWatchable! It’s mighty good fun.
4. I’ve got another interview written up, set for Monday. This one is about the amazingly talented Karen Hallion. Wait till you guys see it!!

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 15 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 0 words

Total words written in round 2: 0

Total words for the year: 57,514 words written since January 1, 2013

How was the start of your round 2?

ROW80 – Round 2 – Stating My Intent

The first round didn’t go over all that well for me, and it doesn’t look like things are going to be slowing down anytime soon. But I’m taking that into consideration and trying my hardest to focus on the things I really need to focus on. Mainly, my writing.

I’ve heard it said a million times. If you’re doing something that takes you away from your writing, then you need to trim the fat and do what’s necessary to focus on what’s most important (ie. getting published).

Okay, that’s all fine and dandy, but what happens when the stuff you’re doing will help you with your writing in the long run? Help you with things like establishing your audience, spreading your name, and gaining experience?

How are you supposed to give up that?

Especially when you don’t want to. I’m the type of person that piles their plate high and is perfectly content to slowly make their way through each and every item. Sure, it might take a while. And, yeah, sometimes it’s uncomfortable (like,unbutton your pants AND unzip your fly uncomfortable), but you do it because you love it and because it benefits you. And, well, I have a problem with portioning.

Wait, are we still talking about writing or are we talking about my dinner? This metaphor kind of got away from me.

The point is, I like what I’m doing. The only thing I want to change is how much I’m able to accomplish in a single day. Better time management. Better prioritizing. Better skills.

It’s not about giving up anything to gain more time, it’s about bettering myself in order to gain more time.

So, that’s the attitude I’m taking into this second round of 2013. I kept my list pretty simple last round, and I think it worked out for the best. I’ll be carrying that over into this round, along with my usual points system and my List of Awesome.

So, here’s what I’d like to get done this week (even though it’s technically already started, and I haven’t even begun to work on anything yet):

As per usual, my main goals will include writing and reading every day. I’m also bumping up my exercising from two days a week to three days a week.

As of right now, my extra goals for the week are going to include rewriting one of my short stories, catching up on my e-mails, and updating my contests doc.

I’m still sticking to five points for every time I accomplish a main goal and ten points for bonus goals. I’ll be keeping track of how many words I’ve written on my personal projects (not counting blog posts and Hypable articles).

This round looks very much like the last round, but I’m going to try to keep my bonus goals more manageable so I have more incentive to finish them.

Here’s to hoping round 2 is twice as good as round 1!

In what ways are you changing your goals from last round to this round?

ROW80 – Round 1 – Final Check-in

March is coming to a close, and so is the first round of 2013. It wasn’t a spectacular round in terms of accomplishing my goals, but I’ve been busy. Regardless, I’m still working toward the things I want to accomplish and doing some things I truly love to do.

This round has been a productive one overall, and it definitely showed me what I’m capable of. Writing 1,000 words a day is tough, but I’m going to try to carry that goal into all subsequent rounds. It definitely allows you to get some serious writing done. I’ve started a lot of projects and even finished a few of them.

Here’s to a solid round 1 and an even better round 2!

Here’s a list of my accomplishments for this first round:

-Decided to rewrite some major plot points of L1.

-Got Google Verified, which means my picture will show up next to articles I’ve written for Hypable!

-I wrote 5,000 words in one day. Considering how busy I’ve been, this is pretty amazing to me.

-Finished writing W1!

-Started writing W2!

-I decided and started implementing working at home more often. I can’t even begin to tell you how appreciative I am of my boss. It’s been such a life-saver to have more flexible hours.

-Saw Warm Bodies and LOVED it!

-Finished Divergent, The Darkest Minds, Beautiful Creatures, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

-Hypable hit 20,000 published articles, and I’ve written over 100!

-I went to Philadelphia to catch a pre-screening of The Host. I also went to a book signing with Stephenie Meyer, Jake Abel, and Max Irons. The best part, though, was meeting two of my Hypable coworkers – Mitch and Laura!

-Hypable was at the Oscars. THE OSCARS, PEOPLE.

-I AM GOING TO COMIC CON IN JULY. No, I can’t write that sentence without putting it in caps. It’s against the laws of the universe.

-Hypable started up ReWatchable and Book Hype, two new and totally awesome podcasts that I’m particularly proud to be a part of.

-I have a friend working on a cover for my short story collection. It’s going to be awesome.

-I got a signed George Watsky CD, which is kind of a dream come true.

-I got an interview with one of my favorite authors and an artist I really admire. Both of those should be going up sometime soon.

Total points earned in Round 1: 580

Total words written for this round: 57,514

Total words written since January 1, 2013: 57,514

This round really didn’t feel like anything spectacular, but looking over my list, I’m pretty happy with it! Especially considering I wrote almost 60,000 words in just a couple of months. That’s insane!

What surprised you about your final check-in/round 1 recap? Who’s going to be around for round 2?

ROW80 – R1C11 – Strong Finish

I actually had a pretty solid week this week, you guys! Lots of writing and lots of reading. Much better than I’ve been doing recently. I wanted to make my final check-in count, and it definitely did!

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 6/7 I edited one day this week, and wrote on the remaining five. I finished up that second short story I was working on, but I don’t like the direction it went it. I’ll have to go back and rewrite about half of it, but it’s not long, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ve been pumping away on W2 these last few days, and I’m less than 10K away from the end!
2. Read every day. 6/7 I not only managed to finish Beautiful Creatures, but I also started and finished Perks of Being a Wallflower too! Beautiful Creatures had a great ending, it’s just too bad we had to muddle through 500+ pages to get there. Perks was not at all what I was expecting, but by the time I got to the end of it, I really appreciated what the story was about. I’m now reading City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster for our next Book Hype book.
3. Exercise twice a week. 3/2 The week started out strong, but I dropped the ball halfway through. Still, I’m pretty happy I managed three days.

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite chapter 1 of L1. Believe it or not, this was on my agenda. I was so busy writing W2, however, that I didn’t get a chance to work on it. I’m looking forward to jumping back into this though.
2. Keep writing W2. Yes! Lots of words!
3. Update my contests doc. This was also on my list, but I didn’t have time to get to it either. Writing trumps pretty much everything though, so I don’t feel too bad about this.

List of Awesome

1. As I mentioned on Friday, Affliction Z: Patient Zero is now live! Check it out if you like zombies.
2. StarKid is coming up with a new musical called Twisted, and it’s like Wicked but for Jafar. They used Kickstarter this time because they just didn’t have the money to do the production themselves. They wanted to raise $35,000, but they’re already at $85,000 with most of the campaign left! I think this is going to be one of their best musicals to date, and I’m so excited for it!
3. We got the first images from the Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters movie. AND I AM SO EXCITED.

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 95 points
• Week 2 – 100 points
• Week 3 – 50 points
• Week 4 – 90 points
• Week 5 – 60 points
• Week 6 – 10 points
• Week 7 – 0 points
• Week 8 – 5 points
• Week 9 – 50 points
• Week 10 – 35 points
• Week 11 – 85 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 8,284 words
• Week 2 – 13,697 words
• Week 3 – 5,365 words
• Week 4 – 9,310 words
• Week 5 – 2,777 words
• Week 6 – 0 words
• Week 7 – 0 words
• Week 8 – 0 words
• Week 9 – 2943 words
• Week 10 – 537 words
• Week 11 – 4,978 words

That brings my total words for the year up to: 57,514 words written since January 1, 2013

What books have you been reading lately? Has there ever been a book that you didn’t really like, but kind of appreciated anyway?

ROW80 – R1C10 – Some Progress

Not a whole lot on the writing front this week, but a couple of really exciting things in the works!

Main Goals

1. Write or edit every day. 2/7 Twice as good as last week. I edited one day (that new short story I wrote) and wrote a little bit on Friday for another short story I’m hoping to finish this week.
2. Read every day. 3/7 Seriously trying to get some chapters done every night. Hoping to finish Beautiful Creatures soon! I’m just starting to get to the part with some real answers.
3. Exercise twice a week. 2/2 Not quite as good as last week, but at least I met my goal.

Bonus Goals

1. Rewrite chapter 1 of L1. Nope.
2. Keep writing W2. Didn’t get a chance to.
3. Update my contests doc. Nope.

List of Awesome

1. I wrote a column about how amazing George Watsky is, and how he’s an artist for the people. He saw the article and RTed it.
2. I’m also going to be interviewing one of my all-time favorite authors, T.A. Barron. AHHHHH. I sent my questions off to him last night. I hope this allows Hypable some exclusives and to get to work with him more closely. THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.
3. I’ve also got some other neat exclusives in the works for Hypable. I hope they all pan out because I’m really excited for them!
4. Very grateful to the friends I have, both IRL and online. You guys rock. You totally deserve a spot on my List of Awesome.

Points and Words

Each of my main goals gets FIVE POINTS. Bonus goals get TEN POINTS if they’re completed.

• Week 1 – 95 points
• Week 2 – 100 points
• Week 3 – 50 points
• Week 4 – 90 points
• Week 5 – 60 points
• Week 6 – 10 points
• Week 7 – 0 points
• Week 8 – 5 points
• Week 9 – 50 points
• Week 10 – 35 points

This week I wrote:

• Week 1 – 8,284 words
• Week 2 – 13,697 words
• Week 3 – 5,365 words
• Week 4 – 9,310 words
• Week 5 – 2,777 words
• Week 6 – 0 words
• Week 7 – 0 words
• Week 8 – 0 words
• Week 9 – 2943 words
• Week 10 – 537 words

That brings my total words for the year up to: 52,536 words written since January 1, 2013

Have you ever gotten a chance to speak with one of your idols? What was it like? Did you freeze up, or were you able to tell them how important their work has been to you?