Mid Year Review

How are you?  What's your year been like so far?  If it's anything like mine then at times it has seemed to be a slo-mo tortoise wading through treacle and at others the life cycle of a may fly would be an eternity in comparison.  I read all about the importance of making achievable goals and planning every day how to move towards completing them and at the time I remember nodding sagely and thinking, yes - this is the way to do it.  Since then I have been too busy/tired/lazy/forgetful to put such superb planning into place.

So let's review and see how I did . . .   (looks for yearly goals blog post)

Ah - I was sneaky and never actually set out a list of goals to achieve for the year - well done me - instead I rambled for a couple of paragraphs about how, in an ideal world, I'd quite like to get round to doing one or two things and see how it went from there.  I sense that I channel a very good Winnie the Pooh.  And yes, we have been reading the Many Adventures at bedtime so I am also in love with, and spend quite some time gazing fondly, at the extremely long yet charming sentences A A Milne peppers into his prose.

I said I was going to move and get a job.  Nope.

I said I was going to start the Insanity workout.  Which I did.  Then my knees said who the bloody hell do you think you are and I stopped.  I have since completed the 22Min Hard Corps eight-week program and am now weighing up my exercise options.  I'm lazy, so it may take some time.  My thoughts are why run when you can curl up in an arm chair with a good book. And a chocolate digestive or three.  Sadly my waistline disagrees.

I said I was going to write the query letter for Gaia and get it sent out to agents.  Which I did.  I got one request for full manuscript and then a steady-ish trickle of polite, positive rejections.  So I decided to go through and edit it again. It's now with my long suffering volunteer readers, Still no news on the details of the self publishing deal - I will get to the bottom of it, I will!!!

I said I was going to create a website.  I did.  And I've changed it about three times since but that's normal.  These things are quite organic and change with you as a writer and the different works you have to offer.  I appreciate all feedback and any cool ideas you've seen elsewhere.

I said there were other projects in the pipeline.  There are.  Many and varied.  I haven't really developed any of them further, just added to the quantity.  Something to do on those long hot summer evenings when you can't sleep I guess.

I said there would be trips to see friends and family.  With that in mind, we now have a car which is a very exciting, expensive development.  We have the means to get there but not necessarily the fuel.  I have still seen all the same friends and family that I would've seen normally but none of the others who live that bit further away.  I have planned a gathering though.  It's all an awful lot of focused effort involving memory and freshness of brain - both of which I am sadly lacking.

I said there would be lots of crafting.  There has been.  I think glitter is now an additional food group in our household.

I said there would be lots and lots of books.  There have been.  I am 50 books into my target of 75 for the year.  Any recommendations gratefully received.

On the whole I think I get a B+ for the achievement of goals so far this year.  I just want to continue reading more books and carving out the time to write.  It's what I want to do but sometimes I feel as if my entire life conspires against me.  And that's without a 9-5!!