Monthly Archives: May 2017

Anyone else feeling like this week went by super fast? Actually, that May itself is just speeding by? Oh, good, so it’s not just me, then.

In my last post I mentioned bullet journaling, and someone asked what it was. It’s basically a method of making a customized day-planner-slash-journal-slash-to-do-list that you can tailor to your needs. This link will take you to the official site by the inventor, but if this topic intrigues you, I suggest looking for bullet journal videos on YouTube. There are some amazing creations out there! Many people like to make theirs a work of art, though you can also use it in a really utilitarian way. I’d say I’m somewhere in the middle.

So, on to the ROW 80 update. Let’s see, what did I accomplish this week?

I had a book signing event on Tuesday, with a couple of other authors. I was invited to participate by a friend who teaches yoga. Each of us talked for about 10 minutes, and my portion seemed to be well received. We had about a dozen attendees. I only sold one book there, but we all get the email addresses of the attendees, so we can follow up with them and ask if they’d like to join our mailing list.

I worked on novel revisions only once this week. It’s going well, though. I just had a very packed-full week. BlackLion and I recorded our bi-weekly podcast, plus a re-do of a short video, and all the raw video for a virtual workshop. So that was good to accomplish. BlackLion is doing the production part, so it’s out of my hands for now, which is also good. I did tweak the marketing copy I’ve been working on, with help from my biz coach. That will be useful in helping us get the word out about our books, videos, and other offerings.

On Thursday and Friday I attended the quarterly business retreat my biz coach offers. There were 20 of us total. “Quarterly business retreat” might sound a bit dry and boring, but it’s actually super fun and amazing. I got so many new insights, offers to collaborate, and concrete plans for the next nine months. It was awesome! Now to implement all of this cool stuff…

This weekend has been full of family time and also some down time to integrate all that I’ve been learning. So I didn’t get to any new writing or revising, but that’s okay. This coming week I’ll have more time to work on the novel revisions. I’m also going to start setting aside regular time for writing copy. It’s such a different way of writing, and one that I want to get better at – I keep telling folks “I can write a whole book, but ask me to summarize it in a paragraph or two and I’m lost!” I figure having more time to practice will help me get better at being succinct (and compelling). And we have a lot of copy to write for our website update, so this will help me stay on top of it.

My daily movement challenge (dancing and hula-hooping) is going well. We had a really hot day on Thursday, and after I got home from the retreat I went swimming outdoors (in a local pond) for the first time this year! It felt so good.

I hope your week is filled with creativity, fun, and sunshine!

It’s been 14 days since I last made a ROW 80 update. Not because I’ve been meandering away from my goals. Things have actually been going pretty well. So – what have I accomplished from my goals list in 14 days? Here, in no particular order, are some things I’ve been up to.

• I met a librarian who wants to carry my books in a local library.
• I’m all ready for an inspiring discussion and book signing event (with two other local authors and a yoga teacher) on Tuesday evening.
• I have been working a bit on revisions of my novel, incorporating the feedback I received from my beta-readers. I worked for at least an hour (sometimes more) on 4 of the 14 days.
• I’m participating in my biz coaching program fully, including calls, online interactions, and an in-person women’s biz dinner.
• I’m also participating in the Personal Finance Consciousness Circle.
• I have started a daily “money mindset” activity (whether it’s reading, journaling, or other means of focusing on prosperity).
• I’ve been using a Bullet Journal since the start of 2017, and I really like it.
• In terms of BlackLion and I and Feline Dreamers, we’ve made two videos, one of which we’ve shared already and one that’s still in the works.
• We’ve outlined and planned an online workshop that we’ll be offering very soon.
• I wrote and posted a Starcat’s Corner blog post.
• I’ve been plotting a bit, mostly in my head and a few notes in my journal so far, about the next novel, which I’ll be starting during NaNoWriMo.
• I’m still doing at least 20 minutes of dancing (and some hula hooping) each day (since February 1st, woo hoo!).
• My spiritual practice is still going well, and I’m celebrating 20 years of continuous daily practice! (No, not always the same exact one – but daily!!).
• I hosted a fun Full Moon gathering one evening with my Wild Women sisters.

That feels like a lot for 14 days, and it doesn’t even include working at the radio station, household tasks, spending time with family and friends, reading, getting good sleep (which I do, thankfully) and lots of other things. Cool! I didn’t think I’d done that much before writing this list.

I highly recommend you write your own list – wait, you probably do in your regular check-ins. Well, keep it in mind for those times when you aren’t sure you’re getting anywhere. And have a wonderful week of writing!

I haven’t written an update in nearly a month! That’s because I wasn’t working on my main writing project at all, and I didn’t want to say so. Heh heh. The good news is that I’m working on it now. “It” being in this case the revisions of my urban fantasy novel Patterns In the Void. Today was my second day of working on them at least an hour each day.

Doing book revisions doesn’t usually bother me at all, with my non-fiction books. But for some reason, I’m making a big deal out of them with this first full-length fiction that I’m getting ready to publish.

Just because I’ve been hiding from book revisions doesn’t mean that I haven’t been doing anything productive, though. I’ve been working on my business and learning new techniques, then implementing them. It’s going pretty well so far.

My physical health changes are going well, too. BlackLion and I just successfully completed a 90-day dance challenge, and we’re starting a new round. Added to this at least 20 minutes a day of movement, we’ve also been getting active outdoors. I’ve been walking (with my dogs), biking, and hula-hooping, and it’s feeling quite good.

The new theme I’ve been working on in my business is centered around one of my passions (and book subjects): daily spiritual practice. My own practice has been going very well. I’m meditating 30 minutes each morning, and also making gratitude lists and writing affirmations. I’ve been reading a really good book about gemstones and crystals and working with some of the rocks that I’ve been collecting over the years.

So, I’m feeling rather on track, if a bit sore-muscled from the outdoor fun. I hope your writing is going well and that you have a terrific rest of the week!