Row80: Sunday, Sunny Sunday

Good morning, ROW80. Since revamping how I track weekly goals last Weds to show priority and status by color, checking in for  ROW80's 2x weekly posts is much, much easier. 

My schedule-at-a-glance: 

Now, right under this weekly schedule, I add weekly goals (RED = high priority/not done yet, GREEN = in progress, and BLUE = Done). Each day, I also add a summary of what's going on (notes, questions, etc.). Here is this week's progress: 

This week, I'm most excited that all 4 beta readers (writers I know and trust) have responded with a "Yes!" Somehow, keeping those weekly goals right in front of me enabled me to work on those marketing action steps that tend to fall to the bottom of the list.

About the new cover. I'd like to have a face on the cover since the characters move the story -- but, covers that feature people in varying states of dress or missing body parts (you know, the body of a woman in a revealing gown with her head cut off), lean to romantic historical fiction. 

Covers for fiction by writers like Rutherfurd and Follett tend to show historical scenes on their covers, rather than people.  

So I've asked for a cover that will fit in with Books 1-2 (see right sidebar). But just maybe, by the end of the year, I'm thinking new covers for a boxed set that will feature the main characters for all three books.  

What do you think of this strategy?

And that's the news this Sunday. A new week beckons with potential, deadlines, goals, and writing. Mike Faricy continues to inspire me to rethink that newsletter and how to reach out to readers. Expect more progress this week on that newsletter!  OK, have YOU signed up for my newsletter?

May you have a good week.

Heartfelt thanks to Eden and Shan Jeniah for all the work they do behind the scenes to make ROW80 happen. Join in (if you haven't yet), and check out what other ROW80 writers are doing this week HERE or on FaceBook HERE.

ROW80: Wedsnesday maybe?

I always feel a bit rushed by reporting in to ROW80 on Wednesdays, but maybe I just need a slightly different system. 
So, here goes. 

I keep a Daily Work Log to track writing progress, etc. Now, I'm adding a Weekly goals list. Here's this week's schedule and weekly goals list. I post a daily journal entry underneath.

Here, red means I really want to complete this action step.

Meanwhile, I'm still celebrating being ready to send off Rivers of Stone to beta readers and starting on the copyediting (book blurb, cover, ad copy). Wrote about this for IWSG's monthly post on my writing blog HERE.

The other exciting step I'm taking this week (and the rest of this month) is experimenting with online ads. A writing friend will post her FaceBook ad this month and will report her results. I'm running a ten-day 'Key Word Sponsored' ad through Amazon. Stats lag by three days, so we'll see how the overall promotion goes. But as I did research, I discovered Google Express Ads and learned I can target by location -- anywhere in the world! That opens a new promotion for Years of Stone set in Australia, but I want to run only ONE promo at a time so I can see what works.  

My F2F writing group only meets 2x this month instead of weekly. I learn from their wip as well as their comments and the simple process of reading aloud. I'll take the last chapter of ROS next time we meet.

For inspiration? My dear hubby showed me the opening lines of the book he's currently reading. Michael Chabon's Moonglow. He does that when he's truly hooked. Now, so am I, though I'm more likely to read Patricia Cornwell's Blow Fly (on my towering TBR pile).

Another bit of inspiration came this week from Mike Faricy, author of the very gritty Bobby Custer (amoral attorney at large), novels. I wrote him about the books and received a very nice personal e-mail back. So I joined his newsletter. Wow! That first newsletter was so personal and fun that it made me rethink what I write about on my blog AND in my own newsletters. So, inspiration can arrive when least expected.

And that's the news this Weds from the wilds of Spokane. May you have a good week. Check out what other ROW80 writers are doing this week HERE or on FaceBook HERE. 

ROW80: Spring has sprung!

Each morning begins with writing. Now it's Sunday night after a sunny, warmish day. For those intrepid followers of ROW80, the online writing community that knows we writers have a life, we're on to Round 2. 

First, set goals that are measurable, then report in twice weekly. 

My ROUND 02 goals (so far):

• WRITING: Write 6x/week on current project, Rivers of Stone (1840s historical fiction set in Canada). Send beta out x2 by April 30. Meet weekly w/writers' group. Work on ROS book blurb and cover. Begin to draft wrap around materials (afterword, notes, bibliography?, and links). Overall goal: Publish Rivers of Stone by the end of summer.
• MARKETING: Jump start that marketing plan and media kit. Complete 2-3 action steps each week. Send newsletter by April 15. 
• BLOGGING: Post ROW80/weekly on Sunday, Writing blog weekly, and IWSG on Weds, April 5. 

PROGRESS March 27-April 2:

• WRITING: Actually finished revisions of Rivers of Stone. Now reworking those crucial last three chapters. Just once more. Key question: Does the ending tie together all those loose threads? Will it satisfy the readers?
• MARKETING: Listened to Joanna Penn's weekly podcast on Amazon marketing. Took LOTS of notes. Began researching key words in my genre. Working my way through Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart's Building a Book Marketing Plan for Authors (www.trainingauthors.com)
• BLOGGING: So far, so good. Some notes for IWSG already. I decided not to participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year . . . because I want to focus on my primary writing goals.

Now here's the real deal: Being a part of A Round of Words in 80 Days keeps me focused and motivated. Schedules help. Positive self-talk helps. Digging into my work critically and figuring out what needs to be done next is woven throughout ROW80. Thank you for reading, writing, participating, and for those words of encouragement. Sometimes my best lessons come from your own honest assessment of what's going on with your writing!

May Round 2 be good to you all!

OK, just maybe I'm past editing, revising, and
editing and editing that first draft . . .  

ROW80: Happy dance at home!

Today's Sunday and time to check in for A Round of Words in 80 Days, the writing challenge that knows you have a life. We're supposed to be taking a break between the first round of 80 words and the second, with no more check-ins until April 2, but I'm checking in each Sunday. Because IF I stop, I truly do stop!

I'm doing that happy dance because (ta-da) I'm finally healthy again. After being nasty sick for over 4 weeks, the life force has returned. I leap out of bed and can get stuff DONE. Yippee. OK, ok, so sometimes in the afternoon, there's a little slump. But mostly, I'm back, still sipping hot tea to ease that lingering tickle in the throat.

More good news. I finished revising Section 04 (32K words), and Section 05 of Rivers of Stone, the last section has only 9K words. This means no more (fictional) facing white water or plodding through snow, as my characters come down the Great Columbia River to Fort Vancouver and the end of the story!

First sight of Mount Hood on the Columbia River
(called Mount Timm in 1846)
Painting by James Everett Stuart (Artnet)

Progress this week:

• Revision: 13 chapters this week; added 1,173 words.
• Marketing: Updated photo on all platforms. Handed out bookmarks.
• Other: Finished a scrappy comfort quilt, met with writers' group, walked x3. Almost ready to resume swimming.

Goals for the coming week:

• Begin last section, Rivers of Stone.
• Marketing: Persevere with one more step.
• Other: Work on Leah's recipes, quilting, meet w/writers' group. And swim!

May you ALL have a great week!

ROW80: Sunday check-in at home

Today's Sunday. Time to check-in for ROW80, A Round of Words in 80 Days. 

My sister called this afternoon. It's 92 F in Tucson, quite a lovely comparison to Spokane's 37 F this morning. Guess we got a high of 54 F today. Not too bad for closing in on spring. Here's a pic of the wetlands near our house. Yep, that's snow on the ground, but I did see a few red-winged blackbirds.

We're still exhausted from our trip, still recovering from colds, but I did get a little more done this week (including mopping the kitchen floor). 

• Wrote 1,600 words this week, revising and writing. Got some research done as well to resolve some dratted questions. It's summer, 1846, and Cat is slogging through mosquito-infested plains, somewhere south of Winnipeg.
• Reviewed marketing materials and goals: 3 hours.
• Wanted to resume exercise 3x this week. Walked 30 min/2x.
• Completed promo for Spokane Authors.
• Highlight: Met with writing group for the first time for wonderful, critical feedback.
• Shelved Quilt Fiesta article as it's simply too bland.

For the week ahead, still keeping it simple as I seem to run out of stamina each day, especially in the afternoon, so more writing, more work on marketing, and that's about it!

I hope all you writers are working hard, meeting your goals, and enjoying each day. Thank you, Eden and Shan, for continuing to keep us organized! Check out what we're up to (or join in) on Facebook HERE or at our website LINKY HERE. And have a great week!

Upper Fort Garry on the Red River, now Winnipeg
Catriona arrives here August, 1846
That stone wall is 15' high!

ROW80: Home, Sweet Home (more or less)

Yes, we drove a thousand miles home, arriving exhausted on Friday, March 3, just a little over a week ago. Nasty colds slowed us down considerably, but finally, I'm picking up the pieces, the car is unpacked, and I've resumed writing.

Though I only wrote a little over 500 words this week, today's big achievement was learning that Gurlay died of measles, not the smallpox. Did you know that one virulent strain of the measles affected the lungs and circulation, turning the victim's fingers and toes blue? But my heroine is finally off the Plains and just about back on the Saskatchewan brigade heading west from Norway House.

Goals for the coming week remain relatively unchanged: Write 1,000 words to finish Section 04. Other goals: Don't quite know if I have the stamina but before next Sunday: 

• Meet with writing group this Weds.
• Work on one marketing activity this week.
• Resume exercise x3/week.
• Draft promo for Spokane Authors' April meeting.
• Finish article on Quilt Fiesta.

I'm pretty excited about quilting again and started my first machine applique . . . a Row by Row pattern of Cape Fidalgo and Mount Baker. Here's a snippet.

Quilt in progress March 2017

It's also great to be back in my own kitchen. Made a broccoli quiche last week and will try a mushroom one this week. Have a great week, everyone, and I hope you are grateful for your health, stamina, family, friends, and -- the joy of writing!

ROW80: Weds check-in Somewhere north of Stockton . . .

Maybe life has returned to "normal" as I'm checking in on both Sunday and Wednesday. Thank you, Shan Jeniah, for double-posting the check-in link at the linky AND on FB.

ROW80 Progress/Goals for Week 8:

1. Wrote 1,009 words since Monday 2/27. Now editing Chapter 5  (Section 4). These revisions are coming too easily, making me doubt myself. Ah well, maybe I could call this a first draft revision and just keep moving forward! 
2. Plan to write monthly blog post for Insecure Writers Support Group due today. Optional March question: Have you ever pulled out an old story and reworked it? How did that turn out?
3. Need to finish article for Country Register.
4. Read at least 6x for ROW80 and IWSG. So far read 2x.

Snippet from today's writing -- just for fun as Cat continues disguised as a boy on her journey from the Plains to Norway House in 1846. Cat, left behind with an ailing guide, Gourley while Canadian artist Paul Kane goes for help, was rescued by two men from the fort.

“Three days,” said Cat. “Somehow I kept Gourlay on the cart, and we headed north. I didn’t know if the wolves or the Sioux were going to get us, and then we got to the Stinking River. At first, I couldn’t figure out how to cross with him in the cart.”

“No river had a better name.”

Cat kept talking, as if she couldn’t believe she was with people again. “Mosquitoes everywhere. All muddy. No place to sleep. Our horse kept getting stuck in the mud.  I’m grateful you kept looking for us.”

The other man, a constable in a gray coat, pointed back at the river. “Kane told us he got lost out here in the mud, almost had to shoot his horse. Lucky for you he found the fort.”

Yeah, lucky for me, thought Cat. I might just shoot him myself.

May the rest of Week 8 go well for all ROW80 writers. We're still driving north, with over 1,000 miles to go. Our mantra, "What else could go wrong?" This morning, I woke with a bad cold.

Passed near Joshua Tree National Park yesterday, through the Tehachapi Mountains at 70+ mph, lots of traffic on the freeways, no one follows the posted speed limit, but we then dropped into the beautiful, rolling hills of the Great California Valley, highlighted by fields of flowering, sweet-smelling almond trees.