Celebrate the Small Things-January 26, 2018

Hello everyone!  It's Friday once again, and that means it's time once again to Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain.  I am her co-host.

I need to start off this post with a somber tone.  I couldn't say anything in my previous Celebrate post, but Thursday of last week there was an accident at my husband's job, and someone died as a result of it.  I don't want to go into detail about what happened, but it was traumatic for everyone who was there.  My husband was nearby when it occurred, so while he didn't actually witness it, he came home shortly after pretty shaken by the whole thing.  I can't imagine what this man's family is going through right now.  I've been thinking about them a lot.  This tragic event has reminded me that we need to appreciate every moment have, because you never know what can happen.  But I guess that's what this blog hop is all about, isn't it?

Writing continues to go well.  I have set a goal of completing the first draft of this novel by the end of April, and while it's a little nerve wracking to set such a concrete goal, I think I can do it.

Take care, my friends.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

What would you like to Celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 19, 2018

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  I am her co-host.

I'd like to start by celebrating Tonja Drecker's contributions as co-host.  She's done an excellent job, but finding the time to visit everyone has become a struggle as of late, so she has decided to step down as co-host.  I'm hoping all of you will drop by and thank her for all the good work she's done!

I got some important editing done this week, so I'm happy about that.  I love what editing accomplishes, but for me, it's not exactly the most enjoyable part of writing.  Still, it's a necessary one.

I'm also on track to meet my word count goal of 45K in my novel WIP by the end of the month.  It'll still be a challenge, but I think I can actually do it as long as I keep going.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 12, 2018

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

Thursday brought snow and ice, so the boys got a snow day home from school.  My husband also stayed home from work since the roads were bad, so we watched movies as a family.  It was a good way to spend the day.

I've gotten some good work done on my WIP this week, and I'm happy about that.  I like where the story is going, though I have the feeling it's going to need a lot of editing down the road.  Either way, I'll worry about that after I get the first draft finished.

I'm also celebrating tortilla chips and queso.  As I write this, I have some of it waiting for me in my kitchen.  I'm going to reward myself with a yummy snack once I schedule this post.  Yum!

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 5, 2018

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

We've been enduring one heck of a cold snap these past couple of weeks, and I know a lot of other people are in the same boat.  I'm celebrating the fact that the high temperature for today where I live will at least be above zero.  It may not climb out of the single digits here, but it's progress.  We're also forecast to get into the 30's on Sunday, so my kids may actually get to play outside.  It's been driving them crazy to see all the snow that finally happened and not be able to play in it.

The boys are back in school, so now I'm in the process of getting back to a normal schedule.  As much as I loved having them around over the holidays, I didn't get a whole lot done in terms of writing.  I imagine I'm not alone there.

I'm also celebrating a new year and all the possibilities that come with it.  I hope all of you have great things in store for you in 2018!

What would you like to celebrate? 

The Insecure Writer's Support Group: January 2018

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and you know what that means!  Let's convene another meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group!  Our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh has recruited another bunch of excellent co-hosts: Tyrean Martinson, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Jennifer Lane, and Rachna Chhabria.

Be sure to check out the IWSG website for the announcement of the anthology contest winners!

The question for this month is: What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?

This is an appropriate question as we start 2018.  Happy New Year, by the way!

I don't have any solid plans laid out when it comes to my writing and publishing goals for the coming year.  I have gone so far as to set one major goal, at least, and that is to complete the novel I started last year.  I'll keep that as my only goal for the time being so I'm not tempted to get distracted from it.

I've thought a lot about how I can help hold myself accountable for that goal.  I don't know how rigid of a schedule I can actually make for myself since having three young kids bouncing around the house makes that difficult.  Still, I'd like to make smaller monthly goals that will help me achieve that overall goal.  I think the best way to motivate myself will be to make those goals public here so I can hold myself accountable.

So, what is my goal for this month?  I'd like to reach 45K on my novel.  We'll see if I can get there by carving out some time each day to work on it.

Do you have a schedule in place for your writing?  What goals do you have for 2018?