Sunday afternoon . . .

The first check in for Round 4, and I'm dithering. Still recovering from a cold, but more lethargic than anything else. Low energy has affected my writing for the last week. Three lost days. But more than anything, checking in for ROW80 makes me accountable for what little I did get done. And what I learned.

Writing. One 'achievement' over break was to take all those micro-scenes for Rivers of Stone that I drafted (some 20,000 words) and put them into a nasty first draft. The result was a story that went 'and then . . .' and then, and then.

Lisa Cron in Writer Unboxed asks writers beginning a draft to look again at back story to find the real structure of the story. She wants us to identify that very specific event that changed everything for the main character, i.e. What knocked my character's world apart. And then how did my character react? Rationally? Irrationally? Imagine both! And how do both of these types of reactions (what Cron calls 'misbeliefs') affect her actions? In reading Cron's article and digging into that back story, I discovered more of Catriona, her heart's desire and her greatest fear. I do feel better about going forward.

Except that my biggest goal for this last round this year is to publish Standing Stones (Book 1) finally -- and before my birthday. And plan the launch for Years of Stone (Book 2) for January. But some of what I discovered in writing about Catriona in Rivers of Stone (Book 3) will affect Book 1.

So I'm uncertain what to do . . . continue drafting or start revising. If you have been in this dilemma, how did you work your way out -- and meet your goals?

My Round 4 Goals are here.

In summary for this week:

I'm writing a poem a day for OctPoWriMo; you can read my poems on my writing blog if you wish. Some have been fun. Others more difficult. I'm reading Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones for the first time, very slowly.

Still chunking away on marketing. Francene Stanley was immensely helpful with a beta read (a trade) and I also did a book review (also a trade), though I'm less certain of what process is ethical, though I've found 'review groups' on Facebook and GoodReads.

The quilt show is this week here in Spokane, so a final push on marketing AND I made a block for Quilts of Valor -- just need a border and it's done. Rachel finally got the go-ahead to put some weight on her foot, so she is mobile for a little bit every day. Hooray! We'll take her to the quilt show in a wheelchair, but she's good to go. And I still am cherishing each day . . . just slowly. Now if I could just get the house clean!

Carolina Lily in Progress (Camp 2013)

If you would like to join a community of like-minded writers who set goals for each Round of 80 Days, check out A Round of Words for 80 Days and jump right in.