ROW80 Looking back, looking forward

I'm looking forward to this ten-day break between the end of Round 3 and the beginning of the last round for 2018. Fall has truly begun here. Earlier this week, we walked in Manito Park's formal rose garden to appreciate the last roses of summer.

And I'm glad we went, for these roses and dahlias, in their blaze of colors, change with the seasons -- as we do. This week, a memorial service will help me say goodbye to a dear friend. As I remember our times quilting together, we'll share stories, hugs, and a few tears, for her life was well lived.

Now thinking about goals for the coming round, yes, I've looked back. The list remains daunting, so I shall, like other ROW80 writers, strive to keep my week's goals simple, measurable, with focus on those steps that will clarify what needs to be done next. 

1. Continue work on The Seventh Tapestry. My goal?

2. Connect with other writers through ROW80, WIPpet Wednesday, IWSG, and the Internet Writer's Workshop.

3. Organize and carry out 1 marketing event each month.

4. Persevere with decluttering, exercise, and mindful living.

May these next ten days bring good writing your way. Go to ROW80  HERE on our blog or on Facebook.

ROW80: Sunday night check-in.

Dark outside. No moon. No light. I do see a few stars.

Tonight, after a round of telephone calls, I'm grateful for the comforts of home and feeling sad about my friends who are struggling with serious illness. While I didn't get all my goals accomplished this week, I made a little progress with the writing. So, just going to set goals for the coming week and not worry about what I cannot help.

Round 3 ends Weds, Sept 19, so here are my goals by Wednesday:

Continue prepping excerpt & synopsis for writing contest due 9/30.
Write 400 words for The Seventh Tapestry.
Participate in WIPpet Weds.
Continue to read other blog posts (x8).
Finish next comfort quilt.
Begin planning for next round.
Continue downsizing (including books!).

Usually I just end by saying why not see what other ROW80 folks are doing HERE on our blog or on Facebook, but this time, consider reading Denise Young's post, "Finding Simplicity and Slowness Amid Change."

ROW80 Sunday: Last Day for Freebie!

First off: Today is the last day for a free Kindle copy of my first (and very short) collection of poetry and short stories, The Mermaid Quilt & Other Tales. It's free just to say thank you . . .

And today might well be the shortest check-in of all time as we thunder towards the end of Round 3 on September 20. After all, I did 4 loads of laundry today, vacuumed, and helped DH cook! Here are my accomplishments for this week . . . so far. (Blue = done, Green = in progress, and Red = no progress or axed.)

• GOAL: Post Tana Lovett's Guest Blog post, author of As Long As There Is Chocolate, on my writing blog. DONE! 😍
• GOAL: Minimum 1,000 words on The Seventh Tapestry by Sunday 9/16. In progress: +100 so far (but lots of cutting/revising).😉
• GOAL: Read other blogs x8. Participate in Weds WIPpet. Also in progress: X4 so far.😉
• GOAL: Write blog for local writers' group. Nope! 😦

#WIPpet Wednesday. Today is the day we're supposed to post a snippet from our wip, somehow related to the date. So here are the opening 12 sentences (for Sept 12) from The Seventh Tapestry (romantic suspense), but I really think this opening will be revised!

     First days are never easy, thought Sandra. Just go in and get started. She stared up at the massive stone exterior of the Museum of Medieval Art. A green and gold banner hung over the entrance, “Welcome to Edinburgh’s Medieval Underground.” My new world. She adjusted her briefcase over her shoulder, wondered again if her resume needed additional tweaking, and smiled at the receptionist as she asked the way to the Director’s office.
     After Sandra rode up two floors in a tiny elevator with intricate black iron grill work, a compact woman wearing a gray suit ushered Sandra into a formal office, complete with a devastatingly large antique desk and a view of the gardens below. 

     Stuart Hadley stood and reached out his hand. “Welcome, Miss Robertson. We’re quite excited you are finally here.”

Go here to read what others Weds WIPpet writers are up to!

Find out what other ROW80 writers are up to on the blog or on FaceBook. And, write on!

ROW80: About Mermaids and Goals

Today and through Sept 12, here's my THANK YOU to everyone who loves myths from other cultures and short stories: My book, The Mermaid Quilt & Other Tales is absolutely FREE on Amazon (Kindle format). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090VHKBC  So, go get it! Send the link to a friend. Celebrate writing by sharing.

Now back to reality. As we move ever so fast to the end of Round 3 (ending September 20), how are we all doing with those goals we set so long ago at the beginning of summer? I had far too many BUT have accomplished a few. For now, I'd rather share what's working from this week:

1. WRITING: Making slow but steady progress on The Seventh Tapestry, but picked up another beta reader (Thank you, Richard). Successfully uploaded updated back matter for all three Stones books (you have no idea how much work that entailed). Now I can move on to just ONE of those other goals that have been in the pending list far too long. Posted on my writing blog for IWSG: What publishing path did I follow and why?
2. COMMUNITY: Sent newsletter to subscribers!!!! Tied to Mermaid Quilt giveaway. Read other ROW80 posts x6. Attended local RWA chapter meeting.

What's next for my goals for the coming week?

1. Write Guest Blog post for my writing blog.
2. Minimum 1,000 words on The Seventh Tapestry.
3. Read other blogs x8.
4. Write Guest Blog post for local RWA.

Took a few days off!!! Celebrated Grandparents' Day in style at Silverwood (an annual tradition).

Silverwood 2018

Happy end of the summer. Find out what other ROW80 writers are up to on the blog or on FaceBook. And, write on!

ROW80 Weds Week 10: Yep! Catching up.

Round 3 ends on Thursday, Sept 19. Right now, I'm still catching up. My long 'to do' list is updated. Here are this week's accomplishments:

• WRITING: Finally, after hours of fighting format (felt like a full-time job), Amazon accepted both the final update for Standing Stones AND for Years of Stone. Just have to wait that proverbial 72 hours to doublecheck all was uploaded correctly. Maybe by Sunday. The Seventh Tapestry took a back seat, but a little progress was made here too (see Weds WIPpet below). 
• COMMUNITY: Really enjoyed meeting with Glen Willow Book Club this week. These lovely 16 women asked questions, and we had the most delicious cheesecake. One woman's face fell when she learned she might have to wait 2 more years for the next book! Another point: Some readers found my books hard to read because the characters suffered. Shaped by history, my books tell how one working class family struggled for survival.  We talked about the differences between happy-ever-after, tragic ending, and happy-for-now. This reminds me of M.K. Tod's survey of readers of historical fiction. Her findings show that women readers want to be immersed in a historical time period. Many readers also want that happy-ever-after ending, for don't we all need hope? 
• Sent questions for guest post writing blog (Tana Lovett, As Long as There is Chocolate) to support her reading later this month. This sweet story with a touch of chocolate, romance, and ghosts from the past definitely has a happy-ever-after ending. 
• Set up a 'thank you' for YOU and readers that will run September 8-12: free Kindle downloads of The Mermaid Quilt & Other Tales, a collection of short stories and poems. Go for it!

Now for Wednesday's WIPpet, featuring a snippet from a current work in progress, somehow relating to the date. I'm going short this week, just 4 paragraphs (Month of Sept = 9 - 5 for Sept 5 = 4 paragraphs) from The Seventh Tapestry. Sandra, our intrepid heroine concerned about missing artifacts from the museum, meets with her boss, Roger. 

Sandra slipped into Roger’s office, struck again by the two small framed tapestries that decorated his office. “Those are quite lovely. Are they Flemish?”

“You have a good eye,” said Roger. “I’m very proud of them. Actually, though they were woven in Flanders, these two came from Spain.” He touched the frame of the two hangings. “They were a gift from the Giroux family, one of our major donors.”

Sandra wondered if the gift had been approved by the museum. She looked again at the hangings. “Were they part of the collection at the Palace of La Granja just outside Segovia?”

Roger looked at her with surprise. “Yes, I believe they were . . . surplus, or something like that.” He huffed. “I do have appropriate provenance.”

Royal Palace of La Granja de la Ildefonso, 1873
Modeled after Versailles
(Source: Wikipedia)

Ah, but does Roger have provenance?

Hope to see you all again on Sunday. Why not see what other ROW80 writers are up to on the blog or on FaceBook. Thank you to Emily Wrayburn for continuing to host WIPpet Wednesday. And, most important, have a great week in whatever moves you!