Eesh...

So, I managed to rock my Q3 goals, make my Q4 goals, and promptly fall out of writing completely.

In my defense, it's been a completely shit couple of weeks at my day job. I haven't felt this stressed out for this long a period in... possibly ever. I can usually bear stress pretty decently, or at least internalize it well, but it's been tough this time around. I've been making bad eating, sleeping, and personal decisions to give myself short term relief, which usually ends up exacerbating the stress in the long run. 

Tonight I've got my writing group and I'm hoping that'll kick me into gear again and that I'll start the habit of writing every day again. I can't tell if it's my mental health that's limiting my writing or my limited writing making my mental health worse or just a vicious cycle of the two. 

How do you manage things when they get like this? Assuming they do. How do you juggle your day job, your emotional and mental well-being, your writing, your social life, etc? Some weeks it's easy for me and then others it is a disaster. Are you able to recognize that and try to rise above? I consider myself lucky when I'm able to recognize it and it usually means I'm slowly climbing my way out of the slump. 

Maybe I'm finally climbing out of this slump.

Panic! at the WIP

I've been going through a semi-existential crisis the past few days. And by me, I mean my WIP manuscript. Perhaps you can relate?

This second round of editing / revising / writing has left me with a sudden, unwieldy mess. I keep asking myself if the plot makes sense anymore, if I've added too many sub-plots, if the sub-plots have become plot points, if I need to cut characters, POVs, or entire storylines from the book. 

In short, I've been feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed to the point where I tried to sit down and re-outline my WIP. I didn't get very far. 

So what do I do?

I woke up this morning and I decided to breathe. 

Worst case scenario, I have a bunch more work than I thought to get my WIP to where it needs to be for betas. I've given myself all of Q4 2017 to do that, though, so why am I stressing? I'll finish my outline, I'll ask my critique partners about the plot points and plot holes, I'll rewrite and revise whatever I have to, and I'm going to keep polishing. It's all do-able stuff. It isn't a unique problem I'm having as a writer. It's just another stepping stone towards that last goal. 

That's why we do this, right? Because we care enough to put in the work and overcome these obstacles. That's why we are choosing to be writers. No one's forcing me to do this, I can give up at any time, continue with my day job, and that would be it. 

But I want this. So, I'm going to make it happen.

And you can, too. 

Q3 2017 Ends, Q4 Begins

Another quarter come and gone and I couldn't be happier.

At the beginning of July, I gave myself a list of 20 goals that I wanted to achieve by the end of September, everything from finishing books to financial goals to personal goals to writing goals. Of those 20, 12 have been checked off, including getting my WIP to over 90,000 words, paying off credit cards, and getting new tires for my car. FInishing 60% of my goals is a big step up from last quarter, where I don't think I broke 50%.

So, what can I do better in Q4?

I noticed there's a general lull in keeping track of my goals during the middle of the quarter and it isn't until the end that I really start to put my ass in gear. I shouldn't be surprised, though, as that was how all of academia went for me.

In Q4, I'd like to be more aware of my goals throughout the three months and be more actively pursuing accomplishing them at all times, hopefully not leaving a bunch of them to the last minute.

And what are some of my Q4 goals going to be, you may ask? Or you won't, but I'm telling you anyway.

1. Getting my WIP's second draft finished and ready for the first round of beta readers.
2. Complete NaNoWriMo in November.
3. Get my prescription checked and order new contact lenses.
4. Be in ketosis by the end of Q4.
5. Write at least one blog entry per week.
6. Exercise at least once a week.

There's a few other ones I'm adding to the list, but they're more private and you're an imaginary stranger.

With that, let Q4 begin!

The Quarterly Goal Jinx, part 2

Jinx shminx!

AT 7:40pm on the last day of Q3 2017, I hit my word count goal of 90,000 words. Well, passed it by a little.

If you read my previous blog post, you know why this is such a huge deal for me. The tl;dr of it is that I set myself a lofty goal this third quarter and I managed to hit it. I'm super proud of myself (and will be drinking tonight in celebration).

This came down to the wire, as much in my life does, but I felt confident waking up this morning. 3,000 words in a day was definitely doable and something I'd done, and exceeded in the past. When I first set the goal for myself, I knew I had enough content to add to my manuscript in the form of sub plots and because I am a self-labeled underwriter. 31,000 words in three months isn't exactly noteworthy when you think about it, not in the grand scheme of things and not when compared to NaNoWriMo (post on that coming soon), but it as still nice to give myself a goal and accomplish it.

Tomorrow I'll come back here to talk about my Q4 goals. I'll check off what I accomplished in Q3 and talk about what I want to accomplish in Q4, so, stay tuned!

The Quarterly Goal Jinx

By writing this blog post, on this subject, I'm convinced I'm jinxing myself.

OH WELL!

My WIP / manuscript / novel is sitting at around 81,000 words and change. At the beginning of this quarter of 2017 (Q3 - July / August / September), I gave myself the goal of writing 90,000 words. I started at less than 59,000.

If I manage to write a little over 2,000 words every day for the next four days, I am going to hit that goal.

That's right, I may actually complete one of the harder quarterly goals I've set for myself, at least in writing.

With this being the third quarter of setting goals for myself, it has been encouraging to see a gradual increase in the number of goals accomplished once that last day rolls around. I'm hitting about half of my goals in Q3 and hoping to do better in Q4.

But, more importantly, I could be hitting a huge word count goal I placed for myself. I'm super stoked about it!

I fully expect to be hit by a falling meteor and have my fingers shattered so the universe can make a point about this kind of premature celebration.

Maybe I should stay inside...