Writerly Ways

Meeting Goals: This is a big one for well, everyone, not just authors but as an author we often have many goals. I need 50K for nano. I need a short story in by this date if I want a shot at that anthology. I have 3 days to whip up a blurb and get it before a agent who's graciously doing a mass reading and critique.

I had goals this year. They were the following:

1. Write 125K. As of right now I'm nearly 20K behind this goal. I am disappointed. 2 years ago I wrote over 175K. Last year I set a goal of 150K and failed. This year I'm failing again. I don't blame fanfic for this. I wrote fanfic in my 175K year. I had the same job. WHat I didn't have was a face book page and twitter and numerous other online distractions. I know where I need work. And I need people to kick my butt for me and it's getting harder to find that.

2. Win Nano - done and done. That novel however is no where near done. It's not even a novel. There is no way it's one novel. A duology or trilogy no doubt. And in true Nano fashion I've abandoned it Dec 1st (but with good reason so I can complete two other nanos past)

3. Edit Machiavelli Moon into something useful - I barely even tried. I have NO idea what my problem is but I'm really going to need pushed on this.

4. Finish Until the Ice Breaks - Failed to do a thing BUT it is now my novel of choice for my writers group and it's only 2-3 chapters from the end. 2012 will see it finished if nothing else.

5. Finish Splinters of Silver and Cold Iron - I WOULD have finished had I not lost my computer. I'm working on the final chapter now so I'm considering it goal met. HOWEVER, I haven't put in an edit from Link in over a year so that's a goal for next year.

6. Finish Riding with Strangers - Once again me and my betas got derailed. I'm pretty ashamed of myself at this point.

7. Start a novel for Temple et al - Yeah, I have 3 pages but I did get a novella for them done so that counts as not being a total loser, right?

8. get something going with my comm nanomowhinging - let's not talk about it and just try again in January.

I don't know what I need to do to meet my goals other than to cut down online time. That doesn't mean LJ. Talking to you guys keeps me sane but i'm pretty sure I can give up some FB time. Today at Krogers I saw gift cards for gardens of time and other FB games and i realized it's gone a little too far.

Yearly word count (and yes this does NOT count a single word of fanfiction) -

107764 / 125000 words. 86% done!

FMA Big Bang -

7106 / 15000 words. 47% done!


Fma_Santa -

151 / 1500 words. 10% done!

Busy day, unhappy day

I got my tests graded. I got about 25 papers graded. I've selected several questions for an upcoming final and have two more waiting in the wings. I addressed all my holiday cards. If you didn't see the post you can find it here. Oddly enough I have almost no cards going out of the country this year. So far I have ( the card requestors )

just in case you were wondering. I didn't feel like dinking with rescreening by replying.

The unhappy is, they sent my aunt home to die. Yes, this is the same aunt who was not going to leave the hospital way back in Oct. SHe did. Several times. But I think they have finally said no more. There is literally nothing they can do. It's a waste of blood at this point. I wish she had passed on back then. There is no good time to die. Dying around a holiday seems somehow worse. I said last night she'll probably die on Mom's birthday (she and her identical twin are mom's best friends since junior high) but now it's unlikely she'll last the week.

When I saw her over thanksgiving, I was convinced that death would be the kindest thing even though she says she's in no pain (and yet the mere thought of sneezing panicks her because it might start an unstoppable bleed). Before she went into the hospital on monday she told her twin that a young Jesus came to visit her and told her it wouldn't be very long now. My aunt is very devout and believes this. Who am I to say it wasn't real? I've seen this same thing (Jesus, God, a deceased relative) many times with my dying patients. More than once I've sat with the dying because they were alone, holding their hand so someone would be with them when they had no one in the nursing homes.

Mom is naturally upset but is coming to terms with it. She couldn't help her own sister when she died of cirrohsis (and I missed that funeral) and she can not help Aunt S as she dies of cirrohsis (and I'll probably miss this one too).