This months goals were:
- FINISH DIVIDE
- Keep on studying plot structure
- Write 20k.
- Make some art.
- Keep on reading lots of books (minimum: 8).
Previously in Writing
Again this month, the goal was to finish DIVIDE, send it out to betas, and move on to my next WIP. But the real world, the query trenches, and a business trip, got in the way.
But still, overall, a productive month. It’s looking like I’ll hit 10k by the end of the month, and I read a ton of books.
Previous in Reading
My quest to get the fearsome TBR pile down to a more reasonable amount continues. Let’s see how we’re looking…
Books Finished & Removed:
TOTAL: 12
The Rook [eBook]
The Celts by Barry Cunliffe [Paperback]
Story Engineering by Larry Brooks [eBook]
Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) [Library]
Stiff [Paperback]
Half Life (Russell’s Attic #2) [eBook]
A Neurological Study on the Effects of Canine Appeal on Psychopathy, or, RIO ADOPTS A PUPPY (Russell’s Attic #2.5) [eBook]
An Examination of Collegial Dynamics as Expressed Through Marksmanship, or, LADIES’ DAY OUT (Russell’s Attic #2.6) [eBook]
Monstress [Netgalley Digital Comic ARC]
Black Butler Vol 1 [Library]
Memory of Water [eBook]
The Fifth Season [Audiobook]
Books Added this Month:
TOTAL: 15
Map of Bones (The Fire Sermon, #2) [Audiobook]
Rivers of London [Audiobook]
Throne of Glass [Audiobook]
Monstress [Netgalley Digital Comic ARC]
Nevernight [Netgalley ARC]
Black Powder War (Temeraire, #3) [Library]
The Novice (Summoner) [eBook]
Prince of Fools (Red Queen’s War, Book 1) [eBook]
The End of the World Running Club [eBook]
Fool’s Assassin (Fitz and the Fool, Book 1) [eBook]
Orange Is the New Black: My Time in a Women’s Prison [eBook]
All the Light We Cannot See [eBook]
Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success [eBook]
I Can Make You Hate [eBook]
The Sworn Sword: The Graphic Novel (A Game of Thrones) [Graphic Novel/eBook]
A strong and easy start this month, but I’m still not managing to keep up with my buying-new-books addiction. Yikes.
Still, I got through some books that had been in my currently-reading pile since 2012 and 2014, so overall I’m pleased with how this month went. And god, the books I read were SO GOOD: The Rook (about a British MI5 for supernatural events), Half Life (maths! Murder! Flawed and ‘unlikeable’ female protagonists being amazing!), Monstress (Asian #OwnVoices fantasy comic), Memory of Water (tea dystopia!) and The Fifth Season (diverse and ruthless apocalyptic story) were all mind-blowing reads.
Next Time In Goals
- Hit my 50 book reading goal for the year/Read at least 5 books.
- Write 20k.
- Finish Divide
- Make progress with my other projects.
- Make more art.
A Word of Advice
One of the most surprisingly useful, cathartic things I’ve read all month is this guide on How to Cry Effectively. It’s really, really good, and I’d say it’s a must-read for anyone who’s prone to tears.
Setsu’s other post on anger is also really good, and I found this paragraph in particular very useful in regards to my own habits:
Even the self-talk has shifted. Rather than say “fuck!” when I make a mistake, I say “well, that was silly.” Maybe I was silly. Maybe the horse was silly. Maybe the arrow or the target was silly. Blame and negativity aren’t part of the learning experience. Each success is a surprise, and each mistake is hilarious.
On the writing side of the fence, I also really enjoyed Kameron Hurley’s motivational post on Dealing with Professional Jealousy, and Lilith Saint Crow’s post on the same topic.
Brooke Johnson had a really fascinating by-the-numbers look at her year in the publishing game, comparing her trade published sales to her self-published sales. There’s a lot of interesting factors at play here (and lack of an agent is a BIG one, as is the not-factored-in cost of editing) but it was a really fascinating look into the process.
Lastly, if you haven’t seen Miss Cole’s SHINY NEW IDEA MACHINE, you are missing out! Go go goooo!
Miss Cole says
Real life can be such a pain. Hope August is less unpredictable.
Wow, that’s A LOT of reading! I am most impressed ^_^
Thanks for sharing a link to my blog. I had fun designing that.