May #writemotivation Wrap-Up and My June Goals

I'd say something about this having been another challenging week for me but, well, that would feel a bit redundant -- haven't they all of late? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Eh... Maybe.

I've managed to keep my Daily Writing Chain alive throughout the weekend through sheer stubbornness combined with a gentle nudge from my wife. I really think I would've declared Saturday my first "mulligan" day if she hadn't encouraged me to put the effort in to getting words down for the day. I really appreciate her willingness to encourage me in this sometimes-crazy-seeming activity.

This will be my final #writemotivation check-in post for May. I've done a poor job of keeping in touch with my hashtag cohorts but hope that it's been a good month for all of them and I'll look forward to July when -- if all goes well -- I'll be more active.

Without any further ado, here's the status on my May goals:

1) Except for a Memorial Day Weekend blogging hiatus, keep all my writing routines -- Daily Writing Chain (aka Seinfeld Chain), blogging schedule, etc. - As I mentioned above, I've done this. Just barely some days, but I've done it.

2) Write and submit one or more short stories for the first time. - Everything is as it was last week. I've completed the "write" portion. The "submit" portion looks shakier by the day, though if I can dedicate two hours or so to taking a final pass through a story, I should be able to meet that goal.

3) Make revisions to my non-fiction project based on feedback and my own editing of it. - Also where it was last week, no editing has started. However, I did a bit of tangentially-related work last week, writing some new words which will probably go into the final draft of the project.

4) Write 7,500 words of new fiction. (REVISED GOAL: Write an additional 2,500 words of fiction between 5/21 and the end of the month.) - 3,138 words of fiction written in the past week gets me to a total of 11,701 for the month, meeting both the original and revised goals

5) On 5/31, have two non-time-sensitive blog posts written and ready for future use on a day when I'm not able to post something "new." - This one should be fine. I have a new post for 5/31 partially completed.

6) Launch at least one new eBook - Done. "Levels of Trust" is live on Amazon.

Before we close the books on the goals for May, I want to define my June goals. And here they are:


1) Keep all my writing routines -- Daily Writing Chain (aka Seinfeld Chain), blogging schedule, etc.

2) Write and submit one or more short stories for the first time.

3) Make revisions to my non-fiction project based on feedback and my own editing of it. - This is a repeat goal since it didn't end up happening in May.

4) Write 7,500 words of new fiction. - I've breezed past this goal two months in a row, but I'm still a bit hesitant to increase it while my personal life is a bit hairy. But, if I meet this goal early in the month, I think setting a secondary goal like I did this month is a nice way to keep pushing myself forward.

5) On 6/30, have two non-time-sensitive blog posts written and ready for future use on a day when I'm not able to post something "new."

6) Launch at least one new eBook.

7) Schedule another "revising day." - I've still got several stories which need another pass through them so they can move on to their next "stage" (submission, beta-reader, etc.) and I want to find a day to focus on that work. All this goal consists of is scheduling the day -- it doesn't actually have to be held in June, if a date in July works better, but I want to get it on my calendar.

Have a great week everyone!