Weekly Goals

Looking at my goal, this was a really effective week. I had a lot on my plate, especially in relation to work, but somehow I managed to balance it all.
Despite not having a goal for it, I did make good process on my projects at work, and I kept up my writing streak.
What I’m really happy about, though, is the number of stories (especially from magazines I don’t regularly read) and non-fiction I managed to read/listen too. That, and of course that finally managed to do something about my sugar intake.

Core Goals

Write, edit, or outline every day: I wrote a good deal on my current WiP at the start of the week, and at the end of the week, I got going on writing exercises after a long break on those. Once again, I also managed to include the weekend in this goal, keeping my writing streak going.

Get exercise: My back and elbow pains kept me from doing a lot high intensity training. However, I did manage to get to 5-6K runs in and some light to moderate exercise the days were not running.

Stop snacking: We had a routine audit at work, which meant long hours, and somebody put a massive chocolate cake in the office kitchen, free for everyone to grab a piece. And in the middle of the week my parents visited, bringing cookies and cake, too. So, I am very, very proud that I managed to stay on the path and keep away from the snacks. So, I’m giving myself double marks.
If not for the fact that I couldn’t help drinking hot chocolate once in a while at the office, I think I would’ve given myself triple marks for this goal. It really went much better than it has so far.

Do vocal exercises: This is one goal where it seems I’m consistently doing well. This week was no different. I did well above the minimum bar I’d set for myself.

Participate in Codex lunch: It’s been a while, but I managed to prioritize the Codex online lunch this week. It was good seeing people again, and I’m glad I found the time for this.

Stretch Goals

Do a WYRM review: Yes! Finally, I managed to get a WYRM review done. It did come at the cost of some much needed sleep, though.

Finish first draft of my new WiP: I honestly thought this would be too much, but I made steady progress on the story, and in the middle of the week I managed to stick the ending I wrote last week with the rest of the story in a way that felt relatively satisfying. Now, I just need to find the time to do edits.

Do writing exercises : This was another goal I didn’t really expect to achieve, but at the same day as I finished the first draft mentioned above, I got around to doing an exercise on prose/descriptions. It was the first exercise I have done in months, but I’m pretty happy with the outcome (not to mention actually getting around to doing the exercise). After that, I also did a couple of more exercises in the following days.

Read short stories:
- I read one short story in Podcastle (one of my usual magazines), which I quite liked.
- I also listened to a story in Fantasy magazine, which had a really cool speculative element but otherwise didn’t really hook me. I also started another story from Fantasy magazine, but that one didn’t grab me at all, and I couldn’t finish it.
- I read a Halloween story in Flash Fiction online (another of my regular magazines). This one had a lot of really beautiful descriptions, and while it did have very little plot, it had just enough for it to be interesting and hook me until I reached the end. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like the ending landed quite right.
- I also read a story in Three-Lobed Burning Eye magazine for the first time. While probably on the very top list of stories I’ve read this year, it was an interesting story. Eerie, with a unique fantasy element and an MC that felt very real.

Read “new” magazines: Fantasy magazine is one of those magazines I’ve always wanted to start reading but never really seems to have the time for. But I did this week. So that fulfills my goal of reading/listening to “new” magazines.
And since I also read a piece in Three-Lobed Burning Eye for the first time, I think it’s fitting that I get double marks on this goal (for the first time).

Read/listen to non-fiction:
- I listened to an episode of the BBC Documentary about motor neurone disease.
- I also did some more reading in my book about Korean myths and legends.
- And I listened to a couple of episodes of a Podcast called “Tech Won’t Save Us” which I had long wanted to give a listen. It turned to out to be really interesting, though also pretty depressing.

Submit short stories: I got one rejection in the middle of the week, and I got around to sending the story back out again the same day..

Do Fantasticon work: There wasn’t much work to do, just one minor discussion to take part of and a bit of planning before our next week, so this was an easy goal.