Hey, y’all! Th
is is a post about my progress towards goals I am making in a summer writing initiative hosted by lovely writers Alison, Erin, Jaime, and Katy. We’re posting our goals publicly, cheering each other on, and reporting back via link party to let everyone know how we’re doing. Why not join us?
1. How I did on last week’s goals
Work on my plot, my pitch, and my first pages.
Unfortunately, the only work I did on my book was to think about the work I needed to do on my book.
2. My goal(s) for this week
To rest. I still need to polish things up for WriteOnCon, and I will. I will! I can do it! (I need a little self-affirmation, here, after this week!)
But that isn’t my goal.
My goal is to be a good mom and give the little man the extra love and comfort he needs right now. And then to take care of me whenever I can so I can keep on keeping on. I’ll explain in a few …
3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised
I didn’t write anything that would go in my novel, but I did participate in one of Kidlit Summer School’s thirty minute dares (#30mdare). I had to make my main character be mean to her best friend. That uncovered a bit of a dynamic that really made their friendship interesting to me, so I will use it to develop both of their characters more.
4. The biggest challenge I faced this week
Sleep issues. Our son is going through some developmental changes that have affected his sleeping. One, two, even three hour chunks at a time he’s been awake in the middle of the night. Sometimes happy, but wide, wide awake. Other times screaming and unable to calm himself down. So we’ve been burning the midnight (or the 2am) oil to help him settle and learn to self-soothe a bit. As a result, during the day after, I don’t have much brain power.
I’m dissapointed I didn’t meet my goal for this week, especially with WriteOnCon coming up, but I don’t regret taking care of myself and trying to sleep when he took his naps instead of writing. It was the best choice for my sanity.
5. Something I love about my WIP
There are some pretty awesome friendships between the characters.
Good luck with polishing up for WriteOnCon! Sounds like you are busy over there, Andrea, don’t beat yourself up too much. You did some 30 minute writing with #30mdare and honestly that is better than not working on it all. Hope your son settles into a sleeping schedule soon. 🙂
One thing I’ve learned (and sometimes the hard way) these past few years is that family comes first. Glad you are taking the time you need for yourself and your family! And I’m sure your brain has been working out things while not writing. I count that as progress!
Hope you have a more restful week. And a productive one!
Oh goodness–baby sleep issues are always rough! At least they’re temporary. It sure doesn’t feel that way when you’re in the midst of it though. Hope you get some rest this week, mama!
I love WriteOnCon! It’s such a fun online conference! I’m sure you can get everything ready by then. I feel your sleep issue. When you have little ones it seems to always change. Hope you get more rest this week.
You WILL do it! I think being a mom and a writer is the consummate act of bravery! (Maybe I’m giving myself props here a little, but darn it we all need encouragement!) We are never wrong to put our families first, although our writing goals are super important, too. Onward and upward!