Tag: Accountability Check-in

Workshop weather

We had the perfect weather for an author workshop/online conference last week. Cool, cloudy, rain on and off. I had to turn the heat on at one point.

Mama duck and ducklings in the wetlands
Mama duck and her ducklings, braving the chilly weather

If you’re a writer, you can get a great overview of the workshop on Becca Syme’s Patreon. This post here sums it up nicely.

Granted, we went way more in-depth over the three days of the workshop. I’m still processing all the information.

I’m also looking at the weather report. The sun is making a grand reappearance. The heat is headed our way. I must head off and procure more compost and mulch (I live a glamorous life) and stomp around in the garden for a bit.

Sun on the wetlands
Here comes the sun

Sunshine and Shakespeare

Look at what we found in the yard. A Fivespot! A volunteer fivespot since we have no idea where it came from, and we haven’t been scattering wildflower seeds yet.

Volunteer Fivespot in the yard

Fivespots are annuals in Minnesota. Perhaps this little one self-seeded and somehow survived the brutal winter. If so, it’s resilient.

In any case, it was a nice surprise.

This week, I managed to combine my Shakespeare class and gardening. Part of the course includes studying an adaptation of one of the plays. This week, it’s The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson, a retelling of The Winter’s Tale.

The library has the audio version, so I’ve been spending hours working in the garden while someone reads to me. It has been lovely.

In writing-related things, I’ve been doing some preliminary work on book three, The Rose Rebellion. There are things I need to know before I tackle revising The Marigold Miracle. Rose has presented her story to me as a series of sent and unsent letters.

Yes. Because I can’t make anything easy on myself. But I’m having so much fun writing these letters, and I’m hoping that I can (fingers crossed) make them work in the overall narrative.

Next week looks busy, what with an author workshop, but I’m hoping for more Shakespeare and sunshine nevertheless.

Book-packing event

I was going to write a bit more about libraries, along with how I’m approaching this current revision. However, I attended a book-packing event yesterday at the Little Free Library headquarters in St. Paul.

It was so much fun. Between packing books for shipment across the country and taking some for our own libraries, I think we cleared out the two big bins of donated books. I was able to restock my own library, which has been looking a little thin lately. Someone has already snagged the really cool dinosaur book I brought back.  

But now? Well, now. I. Am. Tired.

So I’ll save my musings for next week, but leave you with these beautiful murals on the building’s exterior. I especially love the optical illusion with the butterflies.

Reader mural
Butterfly mural

Shakespeare and Sunshine

Yesterday was cold, rainy, and blustery—the perfect day to watch King Lear. Which is exactly what I did, since I’m taking a Shakespeare course through the folkloric lens at The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.

Because, of course, I am.

Today, though? Today, while still cloudy, is promising sunshine. Things are turning green. I really need to venture into the garden, start pruning, and generally prepare for the growing season.

It’s already 62 degrees. I’m going to assume the sun will make a grand appearance later in the day. So, I’m heading outside to stomp around in the mud for a while.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Dishes and DST

Oh, y-a-w-n. It’s everybody’s favorite time of year, when we lose an hour. I feel as if I should go look for it; maybe it’s hiding in the basement.

Or not.

I do know that in a week or so, I’ll be grateful for the extra daylight in the evenings. I won’t feel as if I should be hibernating.

Last week, late Saturday/early Sunday, my daughter arrived home after another international adventure, this one in Australia and Italy. We spent most of last week catching up, figuring out groceries for two, getting her car squared away, and watching the Frost Giants play.

Also? I’ve been mystified by how an extra person in the house exponentially increases the number of dirty dishes.

On the writing front, I’ve been heads down working on The Marigold Miracle. I like where it’s going, but I do worry a bit about the length. It’s going to be longer than the first book. Although, since I’ve added a point of view, maybe that’s expected. Then again, it’s fantasy, so I feel like I have more word count to play around with.

In any case, I hope to have this draft wrapped up by the end of March so I can let it rest all of April before diving back in.

Also, I have all of March’s Booking Through Thursday posts ready to go. You can look forward to:

  • March 5: Favorite format for reading
  • March 12: What did you end up loving (or appreciating) from a required reading list
  • March 19: Spring break/vacation reading
  • March 26: Does your reading change with the seasons

Hope to see you on Thursday!

The respite of books and, oddly enough, Duolingo

Well, January was certainly the longest year.

It’s been a lot, I’m not going to lie. But I’ve managed to do some writing, and some reading, and I even made it to the first meeting of my book club.

We read If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. We all agreed that, in its own way, the book was a timely read, even though it was published in 1974. The group was so welcoming to me, as a new member, and I’m excited for next month.

I’ve rearranged my schedule, so I write in the very early mornings, while it’s still dark out. Although, can it actually be morning if it’s still dark out?

When I can, I read. Another thing I’ve been doing? Duolingo. Really. Last year, I was using it to learn a little Italian before I left on my trip. Now, I’m revisiting German. Between the four years in high school and two in college, I figured that would be the easiest language to start with. Maybe it’s that familiarity, but it’s an oddly peaceful activity.

I’m also thinking of signing up for the slow read of Jane Eyre over at The Tattooed Governess (formerly Book (& Craft) Alchemy). At some point, I bought the audio version, and it’s oddly soothing in the moment, too.

Finally, if you’re looking to help Minnesota but don’t know where to donate, may I suggest ICA Food Shelf? They do tremendous work. Currently, they’re ramping up new support programs and would be grateful for any amount you can give.

In Minnesota

So, as I’m sure many (all?) of you know, it’s been a rough couple of weeks here in Minnesota. Except for some morning writing and work on The Marigold Miracle, I’ve been away from the computer.

I’ve been doing what I can to help my friends, my neighbors, and my community, and I’m going to keep doing that for as long as it takes.

I’m still hosting Booking Through Thursday. Fortunately, I scheduled several posts in advance, and I will respond and comment when I can.

Be well, everyone. Take care of each other. Keep creating and putting good things into this world.

Rhythm and Flow

This week, I experimented with increasing my manuscript time blocks. I increased the number by one, so instead of three, I was doing four time blocks.

By Thursday, though? Full-on brain and body revolt. I did a single time block, and then everything in my being noped out. I was done. This wasn’t garden-variety resistance. This was me, having outrun the story in my head.

So I closed the manuscript and switched to some admin tasks that needed to be done.

On Friday, I did three time blocks and—to quote Goldilocks—it felt just right.

I know, from past experience, that I’ll write more the closer I am to the end of the book, and revision has its own sort of rhythm.

This is also why I’ve noped out of listening to writing process advice. I’m never going to write 5,000 words an hour. More to the point, I actually don’t want to. That’s not how my stories happen.

My stories are slow-and-steady tortoise things. I can embrace that and be happy. Or, I can fight that and be miserable.

I’m choosing to be happy.

In admin/business focus tasks, this was the week to examine our social media accounts. (That sound you hear is me laughing.) The principle behind this is that readers often look to social media first to find an author rather than a website.

Interestingly enough, this week, Cal Newport had a take on what might happen to these social media platforms in an age where “everything” is becoming short-form video content. It’s an interesting blog post, as was the corresponding podcast.

I do have a notion of what I might do with my social media accounts. It is not, however, going to be a huge part of my business. In seasonal news, it’s cold. Those of us with any sense are hibernating.

When in Florence

So, my daughter is back in Italy, via Australia (!). She is completely jetlagged and found herself awake very early this morning. She decided to get up and go for a walk. And because she’s so jetlagged and has no idea what time it is anywhere in the world, she called me.

At 12:30 a.m.

By this point in her travels, I’m used to this, so my mom-panic was brief, especially since it was a video call and I could see Florence at sunrise behind her. Y’all, seriously:

Photo courtesy of my daughter

It’s all I can do not to spend the day on the floor, sobbing with jealousy.

Kidding. Sort of.

I am so glad she has this sort of opportunity. And it has me thinking that the next time (fingers crossed) I visit Italy/Europe, I’d like to go in the fall/winter. Way fewer tourists, and I loved Germany during the holiday season and winter.

I’ll grant you, I did not enjoy the REFORGER exercise in January or Hohenfels in November. But otherwise? It was lovely.

This gift of Florence at sunrise was fortuitous, or maybe it was serendipity. I spent part of this week writing a scene set at sunrise in Florence. (Italy, not Wisconsin. If you know, you know.)

I also worked on consolidating all my author bios. That was a great exercise. Not only are they all in one place now, but I also made lists of publications I can use, depending on what I want to highlight.

Between that and the branding task, I realized that I’m not one author or “brand” and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be. I have thoughts (many, many thoughts) about branding, which I hope to share in the next few weeks.

But now? I have a date with the living room floor. If anyone needs me, I’ll be there sobbing with jealousy.