ROW80 Sunday Progress . . . but no dog!

We've been home now for 10 days after two months away at warmer, snow-free Merida. That flight home started at 4:30 am and ended nearly at midnight. I just might be too old to travel like that anymore, for it's taken more than a week to unpack the suitcases, restock that empty refrigerator, and resume somewhat of a normal schedule for the writing. At times, I've been a little overwhelmed with trying to figure out what's next. Did you notice that I didn't report in last Sunday or last Wednesday?

But I'm truly back. More than ready to benefit from the structure that setting goals and reporting in to all of you that ROW80 encourages.

THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY: Used 750word 5/7 days for a total of 2,506 words, barely over my goal of 2,500/week. Didn’t post ROW80 Weds. Did work on setting goals for March. Reworked TAPESTRY plot summary, tightening to 3 pages. Didn’t blog at all. Did declutter e-mail. Set up 2 readings for March and happily discovered new reviews for Rivers of Stone. and thanked the reviewers.

WRITING: Still working Randy Ingermanson's SNOWFLAKE, more slowly than I like. My 'normal' process is writing scenes and jumping around in the story as it unfolds. Randy's process is more linear, but so far, I'm happy with the plot and digging away at backstory for characters. I miss an active F2F writing group, that objective, critical feedback that helps me see my work with new eyes.

MARKETING: I don't have a marketing plan. I haven't even had a launch party for Rivers of Stone. So, my biggest leap forward this week was discovering Nick Thacker's book marketing plan which lays out a step-by-step discussion of the key elements needed. I've put his suggestions into a checklist and am amazed all over again by how much work indie writers do!

My MARKETING goal for the coming week is to complete a working checklist/timeline AND to read 5 marketing articles to polish that new checklist/timeline. One of Nick Thacker's suggestions was to get active on KBoards. Has anyone used KBoards for marketing, visibility, and/or resources?

Snow is on the ground, but the morning seems somehow lighter. Maybe spring is on the way to your house? I hear songbirds. The tips of trees are turning that pre-green yellow. I learned how to make Peruvian Chinese rice. Allen loves it, and the soy sauce is a lot tastier when you cook the rice with it, rather than splashing the soy sauce after the fact. May you have a beautiful week!