Before we get into what I want to achieve this month, let’s look at what I managed to get done in June. You can read my post with my June 2022 Goals here.
I wanted to submit one short story a week during June, and I did. It felt a bit weird to get back into submitting things when it’s been months since I last did so, but I’m sure that if I slowly up my number of submissions each month, it’ll feel normal again in no time.
One of those submitted stories was the collaboration I was working on with a friend. It was gratifying to share the work on this piece with her. It was my first time collaborating on anything with anyone since I was at school, and I was worried it might not go well. I tend towards being controlling, and I was happy that I could put aside that aspect of myself and be open to my cowriter’s ideas. I ended up having a lot of fun and would be open to doing more collaborative pieces in the future.
I wanted to get through revising two chapters of my novel. However, I ended up only getting through one chapter. I kept running hitting a wall. I was changing the POV from one character’s perspective to another’s and it just wasn’t coming out right. Earlier this week, I realized that the thing that wasn’t working was the voice, and once I figured out the new POV’s voice, the rewrite of the chapter came quite quickly. So, even though I didn’t get as much revised as I wanted, I was happy with the work I could do.
I finished the short story I wanted to finish, got critiques on it, revised it, and submitted it, so I went above and beyond with that particular goal.
I also started a Jane Austen re-read because world events called for comfort reads, and Jane Austen has always been a safe space for me. I got through Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park this month. I plan to continue the reread and possibly read a few other classics I enjoy.
I feel as though I came out of June having reconnected with the joy of writing. For most of the year, it’s felt like I’ve just been going through the motions, but this month I had fun. I hope that this is a sign that I’m coming out of a period of fallowness and into a creatively-fertile stretch.
Now, Onto July
July is already off to a great start with the publication of my story “Steel Swan” in issue 010 of Dark Matter Magazine.
I’m hoping to carry the momentum from the excitement of publication into July.
Submissions
One submission a week was a manageable goal with my work hours in June, so I’d like to carry that through into July by submitting five times (once per week that starts in July). This includes submitting stories for reprint that I’ve already had published.
Revisions
Now that I’ve overcome a block on my novel, I think I’ll be able to make more progress on these revisions. I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew however, so I’ll maintain the goal of revising two chapters in July.
I’ve also got one short story that I’d definitely like to finish revising and two more that I’d like to revise if I have time.
Short Stories
I don’t have a short story that I’m currently drafting, however I find that having something that I’m actively drafting in addition to revising helps me fulfill my need to create. So I think that this month I’ll choose one submission call to write a story for with the aim of completing the first draft by the end of the month. If anyone’s got any suggestions for a call you think I’ll find interesting, let me know in the comments.
As always, thank you for reading as I try to organize my writing life into some sort of manageable mess.
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