Sunday, February 7, 2016

Sunday ROW80: Of Mermaids, Birds, and Progress

What to do when your body runs two hours behind the clock? My daughter always says whenever you take a plane, you need a day or two for your soul to catch up. 

So, as I look over the original ROW80 goals for this week, I can now ask, "What was I thinking?"

Goals by Sunday, February 7:
1. Edit Rivers of Stone, 4 out of 7 days. Haven't started. Reset to 3/7 days.
2. Draft 1 short story for Mermaid Quilt. In progress. 630 words. Persevere!
3. Blog x3: ROW80, travel, and writing blog (and read x10). Only 1 of 3. Reading what others have writen? x6.
4. Work on Media Kit presentation (SASP). No progress this week.
5. Complete 75% of beta read (currently at 50%). Yes! Finished comments for this very interesting read.
6. Draft article on quilter Sandy Turner. Tabling until March.

You might notice that in addition to nonexistent progress on my main wip, I don't plan to participate this week in WIPpet on Wednesday or Poets on the Page. But maybe.

We've taken our company exploring in mostly 70 degree weather. So far we've gone bird hunting, walked along the beach at Padre Island, and eaten unforgettable food at Dragonfly. We've made innumerable trips to the grocery store and the Goodwill to fill in the gaps, and we discovered a wonderful bookstore -- found a new book on Canadian history as well as an intriguing book on the first European discovery of Mayan ruins (1840s), which reminds me of an early archaeologist who climbed to the top of one of the ruined temples and was struck by lightening.

Mermaid imagery is everywhere here along the Gulf coast. Three days before we left Spokane, someone was thumbing through The Mermaid Quilt at our quarterly quilters' meeting. I went over to her to see if she had any questions. "I'm looking for a quilt pattern," she said. 

This gave me bubbles of goosebumps -- because (ta da!!!!), I was planning to add two new stories and do a re-release sometime this year. Why not draft a few patterns and add them as well? Two quilting buddies have already volunteered to vet the patterns. And then that poem, "What Do Mermaids Eat?" surely calls for a recipe or two? Mermaid muffins? What would a mermaid put in a muffin? I would love some humor because, darn it, some of my stories turn so dark. 

That's been my week, a tumbled up and down schedule, settling into new places, but finally, making a space for writing somehow in the precious early morning. How are other ROW80 writers doing this week? Go HERE to find out and give an encouraging wave or two.

And if you are always looking for ways to improve your marketing, please go read Ruth Nestvold's fascinating update, "How to Develop A Strategy for Ebook Sale Promotions (Starting Out as an Indie Author." I took notes. True to her word, Ruth's also participating in a mega-marketing promotion with other authors; they're offering 40 boxed sets scifi/fantasy that you can choose from for 99c. I remember reading boxes of science fiction when I was in my teens, so yes, I want to go see what's happening. HERE is that link! 

May your writing and reading inspire you this week!

Brown Pelicans and two Great Blue Herons
Padre Island (Feb 2016)

PS You can snag this great picture I took by using the old Right Click and 'Save Image As', then pop the image into your picture file. Makes a good screensaver.

5 comments:

  1. Mermaids and quilting! two of my favorite things. Have fun on the Island.

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  2. That is so cool, adding quilt patterns and recipes to your book! Very unique and a lot of fun!

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  3. As usual, you have a lot going on. Do what you can when you can, and the rest will happen when it is supposed to. And in the meantime, just enjoy life and be on the lookout for Mermaids!

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  4. Good luck with this week's progress.

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  5. Looks like you're making some progress. Great job

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