Monthly update: May 2017

Who else is ready for a mirthful May?

Right, now you’re probably thinking, “Mirthful? Really?” Yep. That’s what happens when my alliteration skills aren’t on point.

Anyway, let’s get down to this month’s update. I’m going to be up-front here: my April wasn’t as productive as I’d hoped it would be. Before I explain why, though, let’s take a look back at what my goals were.

April’s goals

1. Get halfway through V&L revisions.
2. Post three blog posts per week.
3. Post to Litsy twice.

I want to end on a positive note, so let’s start with the goal I had the least success with. This was, once again, the Litsy posts. I don’t know why I have so little success with this one, but I’m determined to improve.

Now, something I didn’t complete but that I made some progress on: my V&L revisions. I definitely didn’t gat halfway through–I’m not even sure I made it a quarter of the way–but I did get a few chapters done. As to why I didn’t do more… well, part of the reason is something I won’t get into here, but a bigger part is my laptop. There’s a piece in it that’s been causing me problems for a while, and halfway through April, it broke. So I haven’t had a laptop for a couple of weeks. Since I do all of my editting in Scrivener, which I only have on my laptop, I was out of luck.

Let’s move on to more positive news, shall we? I did complete that second goal, to post here three times per week. I also have posts planned throughout May and a little into June, so I should be on track to keep my progress going strong.

With all of that in mind, I’ve crafted my goals for May with some extra thought. Here’s what I came up with:

May’s goals

1. Get a third of the way through V&L revisions.
2. Post to Litsy twice.
3. Register for a writing event.
4. Submit short stories to three literary magazines, anthologies, or contests.

As you can see, Litsy is back with the same target, and V&L is there with one I’m hoping will be more realistic. If I don’t achieve at least one of those two goals, I’ll be severely disappointed in myself.

Goals 3 and 4 are new. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a writing-related event, so I want to at least register for one in May. I have one in mind already, so I’ll be sure to give you a rundown of what I learn if it pans out.

The short story goal is a little different. I received a few rejections in April, so I’m going to take another look at each story, then submit them elsewhere. If I keep that pattern up after each rejection, hopefully at least one will be publish-worthy.

That about covers everything for me. What are your goals for May?