Hard Feels and ROW80 Check In

I am so mad or upset or frustrated or something like that. I was working my fist NaNo from years ago, but I can't do it anymore. I lost what I had already written when the computer crashed. Take this as a lesson and BACK UP YOUR FILES! This did not just happen, but it is still upsetting. I pulled back out what I have left in paper notes and it was a huge mess. Then I was thinking about it and am thinking that it is a lot like The Last Air Bender, which I had NEVER seen when I had the idea. Now I wonder if it is worth creating because it is so much like another product which is probably better. I am not sure that all of that came out right or even remotely intelligible. The emotions I am wrestling with are kinda undefined, but still very powerful. **Insert screaming here**

ROW80 rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.
Monday - 343 on late post + 50 on WIP
Tuesday - 379 on WIP
Wednesday - 100 on WIP + 332 on this post

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
This post is done so there's that.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I was only able to get to 15.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
I have definitely been on more than once a day.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
This one is eluding me. Must try harder. I think I will look for writing related memes to share.

6. Read 1 book per week.
I have until the end of the day to finish a book or I'm officially behind. So of course there's no pressure.

What do you do when you just feel like throwing up your hands and screaming?

photo credit: Amy McTigue via photopin cc

A Renaissance Faire Kicked My Rear!

So in case you don't own a calendar and because I feel the need to state the obvious, it's freaking Monday. I am sitting in  tag agency writing this on my phone. (I finished on my computer so I could add links and stuff.) Last weekend I worked a Renaissance faire and I am still trying to recover, but it was awesome. Of course I have no pictures because I was too busy to take any.

ROW80 goals rundown:

1. Write 500 words per day on any projects.
Thursday - 605 on current WIP
Friday - 275 on current WIP
Saturday - Nothing
Sunday - More nada

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.
The Baroness Michelle hath failed.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.
I got to 14 out of 20 so that is 70%. Still not a win, but not a loss either.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.
So the Twitter thing is turning out to be slightly addictive. I have been checking out new people when they follow me when someone retweets something interesting. I have been retweeting things I find, but have not had a lot of original content.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.
I was able to post on Wed, but haven't posted since then. I need to work on remembering to add some content there that isn't just "Hey, go look at my blog!"

6. Read 1 book per week.
I am almost done with Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, better known as The Bloggess. I know, I know I am talking about her AGAIN. I swear it was already on my reading list before my last post. (Don't judge me.)

Rereading this post is making me sad. I need to work harder. Where do you find the motivation when you're feeling flat? Also, still looking for ideas on where to find more writing type content to share on my Facebook page and Twitter.

Games, Nostalgia and Goals

What's Been Going On:

The Royal Game of Goose

The theme for the last few days has been board games. We, and by we I mean my husband mostly, are working on making period (1066-1603) game boards for an upcoming Renaissance Faire. He made 9 Men's Morris, Fox and Geese and The Royal Game of Goose. They are interesting to me and mostly easy to learn to play, but the research and creation of these games has taken over. Then yesterday I was reading The Bloggess, because who doesn't (If you don't you should because she is beyond hilarious) and she was talking about a game her family developed or at least improved. It is called CrapScrabble and I just had to play it. Go read the rules, I'll wait right here till you get back. Ok glad you came back, because that other guy said he would and left me sitting here. My daughter and I wanted to play, but we don't have a cat, ferret or an angry bird (I told you to go read the rules.) so I Tweeted to The Bloggess to see if using a calm chicken every 15 minutes as a substitute would be acceptable and I was so excited to see that she responded.

@InkDippedMoon Only if you sprinkle birdseed on the table first.
— TheBloggess (@TheBloggess) January 21, 2015

Of course my phone didn't go off so I missed the opportunity to have a conversation with her, but it was still pretty awesome.

Another exciting thing that has been going on for the last few days is that I have been getting to bed at a reasonable time and consequently getting up at a decent time for me. Ok, most people may not think that 9:30 is a decent time to get up on a week day, but since we homeschool we don't have the same pressures that force us to get up at the crack of dawn. Consequently, I have molded and sculpted my children into late sleepers.

I also discovered that making coleslaw makes me miss my mommy and I'm not afraid to admit it. So I called her and my phone refused to cooperate. I am pretty sure it is possessed. Well, that or you shouldn't drop a tiny computer pretending to be a phone repeatedly. Though I am putting my money on the former.

ROW80 Goals:

1. Write 500 words per day on any project. - By any project  of course I meant specific things...
Sun - Last blog post - 743 words
Mon - Yea, no
Tues - Lotsa more no
Wed - This post - 917 words

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday. - Getting this one out makes for a check. Yay!

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out. - Another yes! I didn't put that I would leave a comment in the goal, but I felt compelled to in most cases because I know how much comments mean to the authors. Most of the posts were so engaging that I wanted to put in my two cents or ask a question and am hoping to hear back from some people. I forgot what a pleasure it is to interact with my fellow ROW80 participants. I can't call them ROWers because in my world that just means something else.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day. - This is a big yes. I have actually spent a lot of time, maybe too much, on Twitter and researching it. Things that happened or I learned - First, don't say thank you on Twitter a lot, instead add to the conversation. There were a lot of posts about this, but I think this one was the best. Second, I found this list funny enough to share on Twitter and here again. Lastly, oh my gosh, did I mention that The Bloggess responded to me? I did, well I am just so freaking excited! Have you ever had a response from a public figure that made you really excited?

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week. - Um, I posted on Sunday and I will be cross posting this today so to stay on target I should probably post something else on my page in the next few days. I would like to find something helpful to post. I must look into this. Do you guys have any ideas?

6. Read 1 book per week. - More yes! I have completed 4 books and we are just now ending week 3. Being ahead of the game is nice for a change because I always seem to be playing catch up. I just finished A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I was surprised how close The Muppets version, which is my favorite, was to the book. I really enjoyed it, but my kids found out I was consuming something Christmas related not during specified times and they were a little upset. In our house we save all Christmas songs, movies and stuff for the time from the end of Thanksgiving till January first. The only exception is a two week stent in July, thanks to Crazy Eddie and my husband's faulty childhood memory. Mostly, it keeps the kids from playing the Christmas music constantly throughout the year.

What are your tips to reaching your word count goals?

Check out other ROW80 participants below.


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Jumping In Late and Running Like Hell!

Yea, so hi. It's been a long time. How long has it been? Well, I was wondering that same thing and would you believe it has been 514 days? That is a really long time. Well, it is for a blog. In my personal life there have been so many changes it's like riding the freaking Kingda Ka! Though I really hate roller coasters, (Don't judge me!) so yea, that would NEVER happen.

As far as writing I have basically skipped ahead to this time without doing much. I am still working on the same stories, none of them are remotely close to being finished. I even skipped NaNoWriMo last year because of health problems and other commitments. Which I realized a few days into November that I was really pissed with myself for not participating. It isn't that I get so much done with that challenge or that I have ever won, but the NaNo community is just so helpful and I didn't even try to pursue writing until I heard of NaNoWriMo.

The past is in the past and there isn't anything I can do about it. So now it's time to focus on the future and setting my goals for ROW80. If you don't know what ROW80 is, I am honestly wondering how you got here, it's the writing challenge that knows you have a life.

1. Write 500 words per day on any project.

I am including this blogs posts, flash fiction and going back to my work in progress. I am not including words written while on social media or leaving and responding to comments.

2. Blog at least every Wednesday and Sunday.

I am sure you all know why I chose those days, yay check-in days. I would love to post 3 or more times a week, but that commitment will have to wait until I am steadily posting 2 times a week for an extended period of time.

3. Check out at least 20 posts from each new ROW80 linky before the next one comes out.

The ROW80 community is a very supportive one. I want to make sure I am an active part of that community and that means visiting other blogs not just putting mine out there. I have learned so much from hopping from you guys and I am excited to get back to cheering you on as we all strive to meet our goals.

4. Use Twitter at least once per day.

I am sure in this day and age you will be shocked to find a relatively young person (The fact that I had to use that kind of modifier for the word young makes me mournful.) who doesn't know more than the very basics of Twitter, but yes that is me. I have an account and have posted before, but have never used this "HASHTAG" thingy to join a conversation. Though I have read several posts recently assuring me this thing I seek can happen.

5. Post on my author Facebook page at least 3 times per week.

I have been just as neglectful of my Facebook page as my poor blog and I plan to rectify these grievous oversights. I will post when I publish a blog post, but I don't want it to just be a look at my blog thing. So part of this goal is to post helpful and entertaining links and hopefully a few contests on my Facebook page as well.

6. Read 1 book per week.

I am not just reading random books. I have joined the 2015 Reading Challenge. It is simple, kind of, there are 50 categories and you read a book that fits each category. One of the categories is read a trilogy so you end up with 52 books, which breaks down to 1 book per week. This is a lot for me because I don't read fast and have a tendency to reread the same books repeatedly. I was drawn to the 2015 Reading Challenge because it is supposed to help you move out of your comfort zone and discover books that you may not have ever found. There are also people who are using one book to cover several categories, but I feel it would be more of a challenge to read 1 per requirement.

What steps have you taken to reach your goals? Do you have any tips to help me reach my goals for this round?

photo credit: sean dreilinger via photopin cc