Straight
from the Office of Writer Accountability: Targets And Goals
Updater / Strategic Initiatives Analysis Monthly (OWA TAGU SIAM -
say that three times fast...),
It's the...
March-April-May 2008 Progress Report
Have a set schedule for my writing time.
I did not have a set schedule
for my writing time during the March-April-May period. My writing
efforts were extremely ad hoc, for a variety of reasons. The
result was that I got very little writing done; and the result of that was a vague sense of dissatisfaction that followed me around like a gray cloud. I wasn't fully aware of how much not-writing
affects my disposition until I returned to more regular writing habits
earlier this month. Getting out ahead of my next progress report,
I'm happy to report that in June I resumed a writing schedule (of sorts). Now it's just a matter of sticking to it.
Get organized about the arrival of The Pout-Pout Fish.
Getting ready for the arrival
of a first book is somewhat like preparing for a first baby.
There's a certain amount you can do before the big day, but so
much of it can't happen until you actually have the newborn in your
arms. The Pout-Pout Fish
debuted March 18, 2008, and I spent much of March, April, and May doing
book-related things, whether writing to bookstores and libraries to
tell them about Mr. Fish, or creating word puzzles for my web site, or
visiting schools and bookstores. I really want The Pout-Pout Fish
to be a success -- by which I mean that I'd like people who might enjoy
the book to know about it -- so I'll continue to make outreach efforts
of all sorts; but I don't think my efforts in the coming months will be
quite as intense as they were for the first few months.
Put myself on a
regular schedule for updating my web site.
The status of my progress on
this goal depends on the meaning of the word "regular"; but I did get
some content added and tried to be more consistent in updating my news
page.
Go through
my pile of notebooks and sort/organize what’s in them.
This is so not going to happen this year. I may as well just face up to that fact now.
Work on a regular basis on the following writing
projects:
- Grand Canyon.
I'm actually itching to get back to work on this. But the
realities of my schedule and priorities this spring delayed it once
again. My current plan is to hold off on GC until my writing group's retreat in August. Having a full, uninterrupted weekend of work on GC
should jump start my efforts to get back to work on it. My plan
now is to finish the revised draft by the end of the year.
- Face It.
Continued to work on this. I think it might be realistic to state
as a revised goal that April and I will finish a first draft by the end
of July.
- One picture book manuscript per month. Came it at a subpar 33% on this goal --I did one new pb manuscript during the three months.
- Moms Rock lyric parodies. Did a couple of these.
Do a crossword puzzle
daily.
This fun daily habit is
actually on hold for a while, as there just aren't enough hours in the
day for everything. But I do still do a puzzle now and then.
Try to stay on top of my email.
No comment.
Make it to 80% of critique group sessions.
January-Yes.
February-No (family b-day). March-Yes. April-No
(spring break vacation). May-Sorta (it was my book launch).
With generous rounding up, I'd say that's, er, close to 80%?