Winter Review

Hey ya’ll, we’re in May now and I can finally say, that winter is over and done with and I couldn’t be excited. The winter months were really good to me in terms of writing and personal growth. I wanted to share that progress with ya’ll here on the blog in what I’m calling a Winter Review. From now on I want to check in every season so we can all see where I’m at goal wise and what I need to devote a little more attention to. You can check out my 2018 goals here. Let’s start by jumping right in with my writing progress.

March was a new start for me in terms of writing I began to look at my book in new ways. The questions that my novel are striving to answer are revealing themselves. My characters are developing more distinct personalities and their desires are becoming more concrete. My crappy first draft is starting to turn into something that is ready to be peer reviewed. Getting other eyes on my work is a goal of mine this year, and it feels good to be approaching that point.

My search for a writing community has finally yielded some results, and they are better than I could have imagined. I’m now part of my local writing group and have started to surround myself with writing minded women, with their own unique stories to tell, and strategies to share. They’ve inspired me to seek out other aspiring authors to build more of a network for myself but more on that later. With renewed focus on my novel. I’ve been testing out different writing schedules and bullet journal tracking techniques to keep me focused. I’ve yet to find one that makes sense for my lifestyle, but I’m going to make it a habit if it kills me.

On the home front, I’ve got some new home goals and I’ve spent the winter months preparing the loft, my budget and my fiancé for them. I plan on sharing those home goals and plans later this month. The home is supposed to be reflection of its owner. My home isn’t quite there yet, but I have plan and that’s a start. Moving to a more personal note I’ll quickly share what’s went on with me this winter.

I’ve been riding the high and lows of life with a mix of faith and a fake it till you make it attitude. May is Mental Health Month and I’m working to take better care of myself, stretching and yoga is something new that I’m trying. Grant, my fiancé, has just recently returned home. He was away in Portland getting a transplant.  We won’t know if his body has taken to the surgery for a couple of months, but the return to normalcy is much appreciated on both of or parts. It’s cliché but taking it one day at a time is all we can really do. Since he is out and clear for a bit we deciding to move ahead with wedding planning. The picture above is actually our venue. Overall it just nice to have him home a feel a little more settled.

Looking forward to spring I want to capitalize on all this forward momentum and continue to share all of this productivity so I’m creating a weekly new series “This Week in Writing”. The series will be a weekly log about what I did that week with my writing, where I want to go,  what steps I need to take and my progress with my writing group. Look out for that later this week. I learned in winter that keeping up with a daily writing schedule and making time for a writing community is going to be a challenge, but I’m up for it and excited for what spring will bring. What are some of the ways you hold yourself accountable for your writing goals? Tell me in the comments below, and lastly go create something.