For 2023, I deliberately opted to keep my goals somewhat loose and get specific in month goals. That’s worked well; I’ve been generally productive. However I’ve noticed that as the year progressed, my progress has slowed down, which is what usually happens. So “loose” isn’t a cure-all.
That said, I think I’ve done well. I wanted to write at least 20,000 words of fiction a month and I’ve done better than that. I’ve finished the six shorts I wanted to write, submitted 24 stories and self-published 19-Infinity.
My health yardsticks (blood pressure, weight, cholesterol) have improved from last year. Doing weekend dates with TYG is working out great. I’m eating healthier. I committed to doing more social stuff with other people, and I’m delivering on that. And enjoying it.
On the down side, I’ve exhausted almost all the stories that were in good shape so writing more stories that aren’t in such good shape, is taking longer. Let No Man Put Asunder gets slower the deeper into the book I get. And this month is a mess. I’ve got quite a bit of travel and non-writing activities planned which is fun, but the travel leaves TYG at home with our injured cat.
As you can see, she’s totally ready to take someone out with her cyborg cannon-leg if service doesn’t improve. Since we turned her into an inside cat we’ve finally found a brand of cat litter she likes, but she still needs nudging to use it. And she’s way fidgety at night which means whoever stays in the room with her — she won’t settle down if she’s locke din alone — gets no sleep. Which is usually me, as TYG has bosses to answer to. This is not improving my creativity any.
As for this week, with time off for the holiday I got written worth blogging about. Perhaps next week will be better.
#SFWApro. Cover by Kemp Ward.
