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