Sunday, April 15, 2012

Staying Steady

Happy Sunday! Hope you've all been enjoying your weekend :) I've officially been a student at the college for two weeks. All ready I have a mid-term coming up, but that's because one class is five weeks long. So this weekend I've been studying to get ready.

I'm still adjusting to the change, and really missing those fifteen extra hours I had in my week. At the same time, I'm enjoying my classes and learning new subjects.

After careful consideration, I've decided to only post my weekly update on Sundays. It allows me more time to reflect on what I've done, and falls at the same time when I'm updating all of my other goal sheets and lists that I keep track of. I have my daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, and more.

And speaking of goals...

My goals for round two include:
1) Polish my steampunk novel so it is ready to send to an agent. At this time the first 20 pages are deep-edited and polished.

2) Complete rough draft of steampunk WIP#2. This is a longer term goal, and I haven't been able to put attention to this.

3) Blog at least 3 times a week. Not this week, and again this is a long term goal - so I'm looking at around the first or second week of May to start this. I have two different themed days I'd like to make into regular weekly posts, in addition to the Sunday update.

4) Exercise 3 - 4 times a week. I'm walking a lot, lifting weights, doing pilates and yoga.

5) Submit steampunk short story. Well, I'm happy with the final draft but decided to wait. I haven't looked at it for the last few days and want to give myself another few days before I look it over again, in case I missed something. So, I expect to submit it in the next week and a half.

6) Read 30 minutes daily. Yes!

I'm also taking a workshop that is more intensive than I realized, but I'm learning so much.

Quick reminder - my review of Dead Iron will go live on April 19th at Clockwork Reviews.

I'm on track, staying busy, and still trying to figure out better time management with the school schedule added in. The weather is warming up and it definitely boosts my mood as well.

My son's birthday is on the 19th. He's going to be 19. I can't believe it.

How about you? Did you accomplish what you were looking to do this week? Need help to stay motivated? Crave encouragement? If so, join ROW80. All the info is at that link.

And to end my post I'm leaving you with some steampunkery goodness:

By Frank Buchwald

By Datamancer

By James Richardson-Brown

8 comments:

  1. OMG! A steampunk K-9! LOVE IT. My son is 10 now and I can't believe it. I can't having my son be 19. It doesn't make sense does it? You're doing great. I know you're busy but you're keeping that airship aloft and moving onward. That takes fortitude and talent. Keep it up

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  2. Thanks Ryan - I know, isn't the K-9 ever so cool! I love it :) I appreciate your wonderful support - and right back at you! Thanks so much for stopping by :)

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  3. Great week, Marie! Believe me when I say this - getting organized is a never-ending task, which is why flexibility is so important. Seems like you have an excellent handle on things, keep it up :)

    Before you expand your blog you may want to put a Subscription option somewhere near the top of the side column - I see the one down here but it is easy to miss.

    Congrats on your son's birthday. It is nice to see them reach adulthood isn't it. Have a fantastic week, Marie :)

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  4. You have a 19 year old son! How did I not know this!?!

    I can imagine having 15 hours 'less' impacts a lot on your writing time and I like your check-in tweak. Have a great week!

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  5. Isn't it nice to enjoy the freedom to reasses and adjust goals accordingly without guilt? I'm a fan. :}

    Happy birthday to your son! I'm right there with you, I have a 22 year old daughter, a 20 year old daughter, and sons aged 15, 9, & 7. Whew! They keep me busy.

    Love your images...your 'inspiration for the week' in all things writing! Have a great week, and I will check in with you next Sunday. Here's to an 'A' on that mid-term!

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  6. I love the "steampunkery goodness," Marie! Great job so far in balancing the change in schedule, coursework demands, and writing goals. Once you get used to the new schedule, I think carving out the time will flow easier. I also love that you have exercise in the mix because that is so helpful in terms of positive energy. Have a great week!

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  7. You are doing amazing! And I totally understand the whole need for time management. I struggle with finding hours every week to get things done, but it is getting easier now that I carry around my calendar and block out times (as best I can) for school, work, writing, etc. It's not perfect, and I don't stay true to it all the time, it's more a guide! Anyways, hope you have a great week and good luck on your mid-term!

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  8. Oooo, I love that steampunkery stuff you left us with. Congrats on your first two weeks of college and all best with the rest. Great goals---you've inspired me to get something more solid down for this, been doing a lot of this and that, that and this...

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