Weekly Goals

I caught a cold at the start of the week, but I still managed quite well if I have to say to myself.

I did miss out on some of the more "optional" goals, which is okay, except it's the same goals I keep missing, and they don't feel quite as optional any longer.

Core Goals

Write, edit, or outline every day (including the weekend): I almost feel like I deserve double marks for this one. Not only did I manage to write/edit/outline every day, but I did so despite having a ton of social obligations during the weekend. I really managed to get the most out of my limited writing time this week.

Get exercise: Working from home most of the week definitely helped with this one. Being somewhat sick all week (hence the working from home), didn't exactly help. So the training was less intensive than I had intended, but I get to do a lot of it. Five proper running/exercise sessions and a bit on the in-between days too made this best week I had in a long while when it comes to exercising.

Eat healthier: The friends we spent the weekend with had made Tiramisu which I couldn’t keep my hands off. Other than that, though, I did fairly well with this goal.

Read with intention: Again, I struggled with this one, especially with my bedtime reading. However, the short stories I read during the day and especially the Codex stories I needed to review, those were all read thoroughly and with a brief analysis written down afterwards. That's definitely a success.

/ Focus while writing: I really struggled with this one again, but at least the goal helped be more aware of when I was being distracted while writing. So even if I didn't quite achieve the goal, I will call that a success and a step in the right direction.

Do Codex reviews: There was a lot to get through, but I managed.


Stretch Goals

Do voice exercises: A soar throat and some coughing meant that I didn't get back to my usual level with these exercise, but I did do just enough to satisfy the goal.

Do a WYRM review: Sigh… No, I missed this one, once again.

Do writing exercises : Once again, I managed to do a character exercise. I am pretty happy that I'm managing to keep up this habit, even if it is just once or twice a week.

Read short stories:
- I listened to a Podcastle story which really didn't work for me. It had no ingrained conflict and seemed very on-the-nose with it's moral. And because there was no conflict, I got no sense of the MC as well, so there was nothing to hook me. If I can learn anything form this, it's probably that having in-depth and interesting characters also requires there to be an interesting conflict which evolves throughout the story.
- I listened to a story in The New Yorker, and for time, I manage to find a story in that magazine that I actually liked ("Lover Letter" by George Saunders). It was a quirky political text with lots of narrative voice, which really set it apart. The take away for me was how much a unique voice and narrative format can do to make a story more original.
- I read (not listened, yeah!) to a story in Uncanny Magazine. It had its pros and cons, but mosty I enjoyed it. It subverted the trope of the MC reliving the same day over and over again to get the girl, turning it into a super vilain origin story of sorts. It was a nice twist, but it could have been done better, as the foreshadowing was too heavy, making the gradual reveal less gradual than it probably should be, IMO.

Read “new” magazines: The New Yorker and Uncanny stories mentioned above qualifies for this goal as well.

Read/listen to non-fiction: I did achieve this goal, but once again, it was mainly by listening to/watching military analysts talking about current affairs. I really need to broaden the subjects I read up on.
- I watched an hour-long analysis of the current tanker wars, where both the US and Ukraine are targeting enemy tanker vessels.
- I watched a military analysist dive into how narcism drives a lot of Trump's foreign policy.
- I listened to an hour-long podcast documentary about Wilhem the Conquorer and myth about vikings in general.

Do year-end/start posts: And once again, I missed this goal too. I really need to get this one done before we move into February and year-end/ambitions posts aren’t really fitting subjects anymore.

Submit short stories: I finished implementing writing group feedback on story from last year and got it sent out during the weekend. Also, I had some editorial feedback for a story that I followed up on along with the contract works.

Do Fantasticon work: And again… No. Sigh.