I'm not feeling insecure this month as much as I'm feeling downright unproductive. I had high hopes at the beginning of the summer—lofty goals, if you will, but somewhere along the way, those dreams and hopes of getting a lot of writing and revising done, were dashed.
Why you may ask?
Maybe because I have five boys running around the house in need of my time and attention. And food. Lots of it. (It's amazing how much these boys eat and they aren't even teenagers yet! Talk about messes!)
Or maybe because I keep putting things off...
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So while I could feel frustrated for not getting as much accomplished as I'd hoped, or I could feel disappointed because I missed the Writers Digest Conference in NYC because I couldn't get my YA novel ready in time to pitch to agents, I decided I'm not going to focus on what I haven't done. Instead, I think I'll focus on what I have. So, here goes...
- I wrote a story for a Girls Camp (ages 12-18) and I am going up there this week to read the story to them while a very talented dancer performs a lyrical dance to the songs that inspired me while I was writing the story. It's kind of a cool performance.
- I hosted a week on Unicorn Bell and did author interviews.
- I spent a week in Georgia at a family reunion with my hubby's family. Very fun.
- I took my kids to Virginia to spend a week with my family at my parent's cottage on the Rappahannock River. They had fun kayaking, boating, tubing, finding soft-shell crabs, and playing in the sand.
- I've nursed my son who broke his arm a little over a week ago when he fell backwards off a fence. He just got his cast yesterday and chose the Carolina Panthers colors—blue with a black lining.
- I said good-bye to a dear friend who has been by my side for the past nine years. She and her family moved to Utah and it was hard to say good-bye to them. We have laughed together, cried together; celebrated birthdays, holidays, and the birth of our babies; taken trips and had countless playdates and dinners together. I miss her already.
- Cheered for my boys at their swim meets (while sitting in the hot sun and dealing with an active toddler).
- Designed and decorated our playroom (still an on-going process—before and after pictures to come).
- Went to an exclusive Olive Garden menu reveal for media/bloggers and experienced 11 courses of deliciousness (review and more info to come soon).
- Set up several playdates, had lots of pool parties, entertained my kids, fixed dozens of meals.
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Hmm, so looking back I realize, maybe I haven't been as unproductive as I thought....Still, here's hoping August will be a better month for writing and revising. My goal is to get my YA novel ready for my critique partner!
How is your summer going? Have you been more productive than I have?
Being productive with kids at home is next to impossible. I can't wait for September when the kids start pre-k and I have two whole hours to work. Sad that your friend moved, but best of luck at the camp. That is so cool that a lyrical dance will be performed for it!
ReplyDeleteProductive? Me? Well, I managed to find a new place to live, and I have two weeks to pack up everything I own and get it moved. But other than that, I've done nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhew! I'm tired just reading about all you've done. Be proud of all you've accomplished - revel in it! It sounds like you had lots of fun and good, quality time with your family.
ReplyDeleteMadeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
Sounds like you've been far more productive than me! And entertaining kids is hard work. Good job!
ReplyDeleteLoni
You've had a very productive summer! Hopefully when your five boys (FIVE?! Wow! You deserve an award for that!) go back to school, you'll have more time to write and revise.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're still doing plenty:) I just plug along at my own pace. I'm ready when I'm ready, and not before...besides, a lot of writing is based on timing no one can predict, i.e. you may submit a story an agent was into but is no longer interested in, or a few months down the road they may see a demand for it. It all varies, so you might as well do things when you are good and ready:)
ReplyDeleteWay to focus on your accomplishments. That's a pretty epic summer if you ask me. I always think I haven't done much until I write everything up in a monthly email for my family on the other side of the country, and then it's like, "Holy smack! How did we survive this month?"
ReplyDeleteYou went out and lived! That's just as good. That will fuel your writing.
ReplyDeleteAnd warning - when your boys are teens, they will develop hollow legs so they have room for more food.
It seems that this is the month that everyone is lamenting their lack of progress. Maybe it has something to do with the summer? Look on the bright side. Soon the weather will turn miserable and we'll all turn productive again.
ReplyDeleteGood luck writing/revising this month! I can relate to not feeling productive. There's so much that I want and need to do, but just don't seem to have time for. I'm blown away by everything you've managed to do lately, though! I can't imagine what it must be like to have so much going on...
ReplyDeleteYou've had all kinds of craziness/awesomeness going on, my friend! And no worries, you know where to find me when you're ready. =)
ReplyDeleteYou've been incredibly productive by anyone's standards!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm feeling really guilty about all the Netflix series shows I've binge watched.
Ultimately, I've been on pins and needles waiting for a revision letter from my editor. Everything else I do is just spinning my wheels.
I'm really bad about that. I focus on what I haven't accomplished in a day, rather than what I HAVE. Maybe we should make a list of our accomplishments each day to remind ourselves of how much we really are doing. If we're just taking small steps toward a goal, we may not realize we're actually getting there because it's one day at a time.
ReplyDeleteGood job!! I love how we feel totally lazy until I look at my calendar and say "Oh that's what I did this month!" lol I always have good intentions at the beginningof summer, then I go to the beach once and I lose sight. But I sure have problems with doing useless things instead of things I enjoy. What's the deal?! Thanks for the award. I will get on it. I have been a bit busy lately!
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