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Boy, the week flew by for me, so I didn’t get as far as I would have liked on my goals.  This is therefore a very quick check-in, slipping in under the midnight wire.

Writing:

Did I write one hour three times this week? Yes, I did. I put up a minimal post on Friday showcasing a dog who does some fantastic tricks, but I don’t really count that as writing.  I did write my sponsor post for this Round, which always takes me a fair amount of time. I also had a guest post go live on Cate Russell-Cole’s site, although I did write it before the Round started.

Community:

Did I visit my assigned blogs twice a week? Yes, I did.

Did I reply to all comments? Nope, but I plan to create a schedule that will keep me on track.

I did not get to the non-blog related post on Facebook or Twitter.  This goal needs to be scheduled as well, so that it stays on my radar.

Clutter:

One hour three times a week at home going through paper detritus of modern life. Done! Happy dance!

One hour three times a week going through electronic files–rename, delete, archive. Done! More happy dance!

Here’s Stuart the dancing dog performing a lovely happy dance for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgxKMUwfO9s

Health:

Walk. Seriously. 30 minutes a day. I managed only two days, but it is a start.

Follow-up on all the health issues.  Yes, I even followed up on two, yes, 2, health issues.  Go me!

Family day, no working and time with family, one day per week. Yes, even though I was a bit behind on some goals, I spent all of Saturday with my family.

Reading:

Update Goodreads at least every other week. Umm, can I say this is for next week?

List and report on what I’m reading, even the dry, academic stuff.

Yes, I will do so. My youngest son has me reading Cold Days by Jim Butcher.  We are huge Dresden fans, so I need to finish so we can discuss.

During many insomniac nights, I read T. G. Ayer’s Dead Radiance and Jacquie Rogers’ Much Ado About Madams.

Go cheer on other participants here, and have a great week, everyone!

 

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Clutter free writing desk,

The following are my goals for the second Round of a Round of Words in 80 Days in 2013.  What is A Round of Words, or ROW80, as  participants like to call it? It is a writing challenge that “knows you have a life.”  Click here to read more about it from the creator of the challenge, Kait Nolan.

EDIT: Kait posted a challenge for this Round in the call for goals.  It is to be the best me possible, without comparing myself to anyone else.  Kait’s challenge leads to the same end as my goals, even though Kait’s post didn’t come out for several hours after I had posted.  It’s nice how life hands one these coincidences, isn’t it?

This Round, I am concentrating on self-care: of the person; the writer; the body; the spirit.

An added  mantra for the Round is minimize the unimportant in order to maximize the important. To that end, I am ridding myself of clutter, whether paper or electronic; concentrating on healthy habits of body and mind; and connecting rather than hibernating.

Writing:  One hour three times a week writing in the following order:

• the academic article du jour
• Morning Pages
• Blog posts

Community: 

• As a sponsor, I will visit my assigned blogs twice a week.
• I will reply to all comments on my blogs within 2 days.
• One non-blog related post per week on Facebook and Twitter. (Stolen, with extreme gratitude, from Raelyn Barclay)
• One share, re-tweet, whatnot per week on Facebook and Twitter. (Stolen, as above)

Clutter: 

• One hour three times a week at home going through paper detritus of modern life.
• One hour three times a week going through electronic files–rename, delete, archive.

Health: 

• Walk. Seriously. 30 minutes a day.
• Follow-up on all the health issues.  Don’t want to? Sorry for ya. At least one issue per week
• Family day, no working and time with family, one day per week. (Stolen from  Julie Glover  via Raelyn Barclay)

Reading:

• Update Goodreads at least every other week. (Yes, stolen again from Raelyn Barclay).
• List and report on what I’m reading, even the dry, academic stuff. (This idea is stolen from Lena Corazon, who shares her dissertation reading)

Please go check our some of the participants in this challenge here.

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A short post for today, focused on my reading goal.  I hope you’ll check out the authors and their work, especially Matt Hofferth, a once and (I hope) future ROWer.

I have also included a funny youtube video at the end as a bribe.

This past week I surpassed my goals in reading, and it is has been delightful to fill up on words. I started the week with K.B. Owen’s Dangerous and Unseemly, an academic mystery set in a women’s college in mid 1890’s Hartford, CT.  I attended a women’s college and taught undergraduates for several years, so I thoroughly enjoyed the academic setting. I ended the week with Myndi Shafer’s The Darkening, an entertaining sequel to Shrilugh, the first book in Myndi’s YA fantasy saga.

I have also gone back to catch up with Matt Hofferth’s excerpts that he is sharing serially in his blog, with a main character who has a voice in his head.  Sound familiar, all my writer friends? Matt’s take on this aberrant behavior that we all share (or at least I do) is very entertaining as well as the interwoven posts of behind-the-scenes writing work.

As always, please go encourage the rest of the ROWers here.

I have a dog who would like to pull this trick, but has the weight advantage to become a lead statue.  The videographer starts laughing so much, she loses sight of the dog at one point, but it is still worth a watch:

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From cellar_door_films via WANA Commons

Over the past several months, I have been struggling with my “author platform.” I thought at first that I would stop having multiple blogs, and posted my ROW80 check-ins on my main blog.  I decided last week to return to my separate ROW80 blog.  I will move my check-ins back to this one over the next few weeks.

I have a funny youtube video at the bottom of this post.  Even if you skim my checkin, check out the video.

And please go encourage the rest of the ROWers.  The ranks are thinning, so those left can use your encouragement. The linky is here.

Writing:

• Spend at least four hours a week on an article, in whatever configuration works for me.  Life threw me several curve balls in the last two weeks, some good, some not so good.  The good: my new boss at the day job met with me and suggested that I concentrate on articles that I could more easily crank out.  She diminished the sting of that by offering to work together on the next two articles.  A week later, another colleague suggested another article that is in my expertise and interests, which is exciting.

Community:

• As a sponsor, I will visit blogs twice a week. I have to catch up with Wednesday and today’s but back on track then.
• I will reply to all comments on my blogs.  Catching up still.
• I will spend no more than 5 hours a week on social media.  This week was a little bit over, due to ongoing chat from last weekend’s WANACon.

Exercise:

• I will walk for twenty minutes an evening. Waiting to get an orthotic fitted for my right foot.  I saw a specialist, who diagnosed arthritis in my foot.  Here’s hoping the orthotic helps!
• I will continue to use the stairs. Done.
• I will look into the gym at work.  See above; I need to get fitted before pursuing exercise.

Personal:

• I will set aside a half-hour every evening to read.  Done.  I haven’t finished anything yet, as I am reading the slew of samples I have downloaded from Amazon.  So far, nothing has grabbed me enough to buy the book.
• I will spend at least one hour a week contacting a friend by whatever means work best. I’m meeting Shan Burton and her kids this afternoon.  We’ve been planning to get together for a while, but it finally worked out.
• I will have a “date night” with my husband at least twice a month. Done.
• I will spend at least one hour a week with at least one of my kids. Done.

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I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t checked-in for the last three check-ins.  I was knee-deep in a conference  over this past weekend, which was exhausting and wonderful all at once.  It followed a week of not so great medical news, with each test seeming to bring back worse results.  So, bluntly, I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself.

I have been reading and commenting on blogs, several of which have inspired me to write posts in response, but all the responses are in outline, note, or even graphic, form.  I am no artist, so trust me, those last are truly not ready for primetime.

During my hiatus, my inspirational post appeared on the ROW80 blog, and I did finish and send off a guest post for Cate Russell-Cole.  Trust me, I will alert everyone when that is posted.

I am still in the gathering, planning, and synthesizing stage of many projects, and at the moment I am all right with that.

How is everyone doing on their goals?  If you need help, sing out.  And, if your goals are coming along well, reach out to encourage someone else here.

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First, thank you all who wished my brother well, with good thoughts and prayers.  We heard that none of the 15 samples they took were malignant, which is a huge relief for all of us. I am again grateful for the kindness and caring of this community.

So how have I done on my goals this Round? Like many of you, I had a bit of a mixed bag this summer.  I did achieve some habits and managed to spend more time living with my characters and plot, with a subchannel playing over scenes in my head. I managed to have a clearer separation of time spent doing for others and for myself.

I have some plans over break, but I don’t want to weigh myself down too much.  I think I need some time to let things continue to simmer.

Did I accomplish everything?  Not by a long shot, but I have a clearer, calmer path.  There is no reason on earth I should believe in myself more than I did at the beginning of this Round, but I do.  

I hope everyone has a wonderful, restful break before coming back with new goals for Round 4 on October 1st. See how everyone finished up the Round here.

Interested in joining the ROW80, or just wondering what the heck I’m on about? Read about it here.

Writing:

• I will write at least one half-hour a day. Updated to one hour a day. If one counts thinking, planning, plotting, yes, I met this goal.

• I will continue to refine my main author blog, which may involve combining the Lapidary Prose blog with Elizabeth Anne Mitchell. Many good thoughts and plans here, and even some plans for themes.

Community:

• As I’ve returned to being a sponsor, I will visit all my 8’s twice a week. Actually, I ended up doing well on this goal. Unfortunately, it meant I didn’t always visit and comment on folks I wanted to continue to follow.  I need to think about this as well.

• I will catch up with Facebook, Twitter, and my other sites for no more than an hour daily. I met this goal; I didn’t connect as well as I would have liked, so that is something to consider in the future.

• I will reply to all comments on my blogs. Often I was a day or two behind, but I met this goal.

Exercise:

• Walk at least 1,000 steps a day, preferably 2,000, tracked by a pedometer. Updated to 5,000, preferably 7,000. While I was far from making this goal a habit, I kept plugging.

• Use the stairs going upstairs; if I want to, I can cheat going downstairs. Definitely a habit.  I don’t even think about it anymore.

Personal:

• I have let many dear friends fall off my radar these past few months.  I will stay in contact with the group daily, if only briefly, and weekly individually. Again, something in work on in the future.  I was so-so about this goal.

• I will stay in better touch with my daughters on Facebook or by phone.  My sons are back home, so my only trouble connecting with them is that they have vampire schedules. Same as above. I managed to connect pretty often with the sons, but need to work on better communication with my daughters.

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Last check-in, I mentioned that I was addressing the picture problem.  Epic fail. My dear hubs pointed out to me that I just need to take the time to learn how to do things on the blog.  Um, is he new here?  He seems to have forgotten that he married Miss I-must-be-able-to-do-this perfectly-right-now.  But, dagnabit, he’s right.  I need to sit and tinker without worrying about how much time it is taking.  Hmm. Something to put on the goals for next Round, unless I figure the darn thing out before then. I’m still puttering on some draft posts, but have very little on paper to show for it.

On the personal front, my brother had a biopsy Wednesday, so I have not been sleeping particularly well, except in that ten minutes after I turn off the alarm clock in the morning.  I am concentrating on controlling what I can, and trying not to rail against what I cannot.

Although I am awash with ideas, I don’t seem able to plug them into an organization yet.  I’m trying to be gentle with myself, and just let things simmer and progress as they will. Realistically, this is one way that my muse works.  I thought about my master’s thesis for months, until I finally sat down to write it in three days.  I’d rather not go that direction, but I don’t worry about the simmering brain as much as I would had I not gone through the experience before.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, productive, fascinating, exciting week. The end of the round is upon us! Give a cheer to those in the  home stretch here.  

Writing:

• I will write at least one half-hour a day. Updated to one hour a day. More thinking and planning than writing, but some progress.

• I will continue to refine my main author blog, which may involve combining the Lapidary Prose blog with Elizabeth Anne Mitchell. This goal has progressed to the planning stages–it may happen yet this Round, or perhaps in the break between Rounds.

Community:

• As I’ve returned to being a sponsor, I will visit all my 8’s twice a week. Slowly, but yes, I’m doing it.

• I will catch up with Facebook, Twitter, and my other sites for no more than an hour daily. I have been keeping up with this goal.

• I will reply to all comments on my blogs. Again, slowly, but I am keeping up with comments.

Exercise:

• Walk at least 1,000 steps a day, preferably 2,000, tracked by a pedometer. Updated to 5,000, preferably 7,000.

• Use the stairs going upstairs; if I want to, I can cheat going downstairs. Definitely a habit.  I don’t even think about it anymore.

Personal:

• I have let many dear friends fall off my radar these past few months.  I will stay in contact with the group daily, if only briefly, and weekly individually. I’ve only lurked this past week.  I feel sad about it, but I’m tired of constantly being down and pulling others down with me.

• I will stay in better touch with my daughters on Facebook or by phone.  My sons are back home, so my only trouble connecting with them is that they have vampire schedules. Very brief contact with one of my daughters. I’ve managed some one-on-one with the sons, but need to work on better communication with my daughters.

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Following on my earlier check-in about trying to soar instead of inching along, I do believe I am growing pinfeathers. I have made significant strides in the past few days.

Last week marked the beginning of another round of the academic writing group.  Most of the participants are teaching faculty or dissertation writers, but there are a handful of us full-time day job people. I realized while working on my article last Friday that although it is different writing, the research for it is forming the infrastructure of my novel.

For example, my antagonist is something I’ve studied for years.  It struck me that he (somehow, he is not an ‘it”) wouldn’t let a mere woman interview him, which works beautifully in the structure of my novel. The synergy between the scholarship and the creative writing is very exciting.

To begin work on my author blog, I am now trolling through the picture debacle.  I want to put pictures on the posts, but am woefully lacking in that skillset. Luddite that I am, I have actually had several pictures disappear between my phone and my computer. Sigh.

I am slowly working through my many drafts of blog posts.  I posted my answer to the Eleven Questions meme today, and have another long-overdue post scheduled for tomorrow.

I have continued my hour a day on the fiction–writing or planning, letting ideas simmer. I am going to endeavor to add an hour a day for the scholarship, especially the parts that dovetail with the novel.

Thursday and Friday, I  organized and filed at the day job.  It is sooo not fun, but the clear desk and concomitant clear mind helps me function.

I have walked 5,000 steps every day but Friday, which was only 3,000. We found out that our Weimaraner does not have a thyroid problem, so he and I need to up the exercise.

My next target is social media.  I find myself spending far too much time on FB, and if I wrench myself out of that gravitational pull, I often go “check” Twitter, to end up there for an hour,  All of you need to be far less interesting, okay?

I hope everyone has a wonderful, productive, fascinating, exciting week. As Kait said, the end of the round is nigh (love that word!).  Take a few minutes to encourage the marathoners who are still posting their links here.

Writing:

• I will write at least one hour a day. Yes, with bells on.

• I will continue to refine my main author blog, which may involve combining the Lapidary Prose blog with Elizabeth Anne Mitchell. Figuring out what to do about pictures, and trying to attain better skills.

Community:

• As I’ve returned to being a sponsor, I will visit all my 8’s twice a week. This has become a habit.  It may take me 24 hours, but I do get there.

• I will catch up with Facebook, Twitter, and my other sites for no more than an hour daily. I have been overdoing this goal, and need to work on backing off.

• I will reply to all comments on my blogs. I am keeping up with comments, most of them within 12 hours.

Exercise:

• Walk at least 1,000 steps a day, preferably 2,000, tracked by a pedometer. I got 5,000 steps 6 out of 7 days, and 3,000 the 7th.

• Use the stairs going upstairs; if I want to, I can cheat going downstairs. It’s definitely a habit now.

Personal:

• I have let many dear friends fall off my radar these past few months.  I will stay in contact with the group daily, if only briefly, and weekly individually. Fail at the individual contacts. 

• I will stay in better touch with my daughters on Facebook or by phone.  My sons are back home, so my only trouble connecting with them is that they have vampire schedules.  Not so great the past few days.  I’m going to spend several hours watching football after I post this check-in, though.

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Things are pretty crazy in my life right now, so I will make this rather brief.

I have so many blog ideas, but I just can’t seem to find the energy to research them enough to post them.  Sigh.  I think I may start writing them as part of 750words and then slowly do the research.

However, the positive news is that I have made some progress on a couple of my goals.

I have written an hour a day, up from half an hour. I have written most of an interview with my antagonist (14th century French society), which has proved fascinating.  I’m nerd enough to know a lot about it, but there were still some surprises.

I have walked 5,000 steps a day, up from 1,000.

I’ve  done some sweeping out of cobwebs both at home and at the day job.  My personal life has been messy lately, some of which has been detailed in this blog. After the initial lethargy, I tend to busy myself with things I can control.  Writing helps, as does the organization of inanimate objects.

One thing I am planning that some of you will notice, is that I am going to shift from following your blogs by email to following by RSS.  I am not abandoning anyone, I promise.

I hope everyone is having a good week.

My goals are:

Writing:

• I will write at least one half-hour a day. Updated to one hour a day.

• I will continue to refine my main author blog, which may involve combining the Lapidary Prose blog with Elizabeth Anne Mitchell. Still not excited about this goal, but maybe soon.

Community:

• As I’ve returned to being a sponsor, I will visit all my 8’s twice a week. Slowly, but yes, I’m doing it.

• I will catch up with Facebook, Twitter, and my other sites for no more than an hour daily. I have been keeping up with this goal.

• I will reply to all comments on my blogs. Again, slowly, but I am keeping up with comments.

Exercise:

• Walk at least 1,000 steps a day, preferably 2,000, tracked by a pedometer. I got 5,000 steps 2 days in a row.

• Use the stairs going upstairs; if I want to, I can cheat going downstairs. I’m now doing this, even for multiple stories at work, even when I *really* don’t want to do it, so I think it is now a habit.

Personal:

• I have let many dear friends fall off my radar these past few months.  I will stay in contact with the group daily, if only briefly, and weekly individually. Still a fail at the individual contacts.  

• I will stay in better touch with my daughters on Facebook or by phone.  My sons are back home, so my only trouble connecting with them is that they have vampire schedules. A little better this week. I have been able to spend some one-on-one time with each of the sons; I need to be better about the daughters.

 

 

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This week, I must have been primed to have what I read reach into the shadows to shine light on aspects of my personality.  Jenny Hansen’s post
on starring in our own life hit me.  Her post is about Marianne Williamson’s book  A Return to Love.  I found the part  where Williamson says we are more afraid of our light than our darkness so very interesting, and true.  I was brought  up to be invisible and silent; my greatest goal was to fade completely into the wallpaper.  

The reasons are complex, and would need their own post, but part of it includes my mother telling me very early on I should not speak up, I should especially not let others see that I was smart. I realize now she had her reasons, because I seem to have been born a smart aleck.  In first grade, my classmates bullied me because the good sister had me read aloud to the class while she took a break. Every year, it seemed there was a new reason to be spotlighted, and vilified. Eventually, the bullying made the smart aleck go underground, and I became a chameleon–tell me what you want me to be, and I will be that.  It sounded like a good plan, but it didn’t work out so well.  I lost my strength, my soul.  Actually, that’s not true–my strength and my soul grew into a caldera in the closet, fed by my journalling and my writing about women who could be brave and strong and smart without losing all their friends.

I do have my darkness.  I’ve been raped, beaten, abandoned; I’ve been homeless and gone to bed hungry.  It takes a better person than I am not to have the darkness build in those circumstances. But when Williamson said that we fear our light because we don’t want to offend others, my life before age 30 rolled out before me. I still have the remnants of fear that people won’t like my work or me, but I’m much farther along the path than I was at 30.

The second post that hit me was Kristen Lamb’s on maturity,
especially her line about the day job being there for a reason. I accepted this day job when I was struggling with wanting to write full-time, but knowing I wasn’t ready on many levels.  It hit me that my day job really is there for a reason.  I have to be the adult everyday, even when I don’t want to be.  I have a lot of responsibility, but I also have a lot of authority. I believe in strong women and I write about strong women, but I still suffer from impostor syndrome, and do not believe I am strong.  

I nearly spewed my coffee when a colleague of mine described me as a “steel magnolia,”  but she’s right.  My day job is helping me understand my protagonist, a woman who overcame the odds and social conventions to build and run a company, despite being called names, vilified, made fun of, having her intelligence and learning doubted.

And to finish the trifecta, while looking at the website of a new follower, I saw a quotation that resonated: If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got, and you’ll always feel what you always felt. Recently, I decided that not trying new things was suffocating any creativity I have.  New things may not work, but as I say at the day job, “Will anyone die? No?  Okay, let’s give it a shot.”

What, you may ask, does all this have to do with writing?  Well, while still honoring my tortoise, I am going to up the ante a bit.  Jenny Hansen challenged me to stop inching and soar, so this next month, I am going to write for at least an hour a day.  In the midst of everyone’s Fast Draft and Camp NaNo, I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but for me, it is.

Welcome, Ryan and David, to the blog. Thank you to David who had the great quotation I mentioned above.

Check out some of the ROWers here. They will appreciate your encouragement.

My goals and progress are below:

Writing:

• I will write at least one half-hour a day. Updated to one hour a day.

• I will continue to refine my main author blog, which may involve combining the Lapidary Prose blog with Elizabeth Anne Mitchell. I just can’t get excited about this goal, but I think it makes sense.

Community:

• As I’ve returned to being a sponsor, I will visit all my 8’s twice a week. Slowly, but yes, I’m doing it.

• I will catch up with Facebook, Twitter, and my other sites for no more than an hour daily. I have been keeping up with this goal.

• I will reply to all comments on my blogs. Again, slowly, but I am keeping up with comments.

Exercise:

• Walk at least 1,000 steps a day, preferably 2,000, tracked by a pedometer. I got 1,000 steps 6 out of 7 days. I’ll take it.

• Use the stairs going upstairs; if I want to, I can cheat going downstairs. I’m now doing this, even for multiple stories at work, even when I *really* don’t want to do it, so I think it is now a habit.

Personal:

• I have let many dear friends fall off my radar these past few months.  I will stay in contact with the group daily, if only briefly, and weekly individually. Fail at the individual contacts.  I need to manage my time better.

• I will stay in better touch with my daughters on Facebook or by phone.  My sons are back home, so my only trouble connecting with them is that they have vampire schedules. A little better this week. I have been able to spend some one-on-one time with each of the sons; I need to be better about the daughters.