A Writer’s Life: It’s a Wrap!

This round of ROW80, that is…not my actual work in progress, which still has a long way to go, but in my humble opinion is definitely off to a strong start. How did I do in achieving my goals for this round? Let’s take a quick look.

1) Consistently write at least 2-3 High Heels & Flip-Flops blog posts each week. Check! I successfully kept up with my blogging schedule throughout the past several months and have every intention to stick with it.

2) Finish reading at least 1-2 novelist advice books to help refine my technique and focus. Check! Though I didn’t quite have enough time to fully complete The Successful Novelist throughout the past week, I did complete Story Structure Architect earlier in the session.

3) Complete the remaining historical research necessary to flesh out my plotlines and ensure their accuracy. Check! I feel good about the key pieces of research I have in place and am confident that I’ll be able to fill in the rest as I write my first draft and later make revisions.

4) Complete 50 pages of solid opening content by the March 22 deadline. Check! Although my content is certainly rough at this stage, I did meet my goal and am pleased to now have on hand a detailed plot outline, a character development guide and several opening chapters to give me a good foundation.

Image Source: writersbreak.com

And there you have it! I’m quite proud of the progress I’ve made throughout the first round of ROW80, since this program was a great motivator and stepping stone as I initially got started. Even though I had originally planned to also join in for round two, I’ve actually decided that I won’t be.

Why? Well, most importantly, with all the changes and potentially big decisions I’ll be facing over the next couple months, I’d really like this project to be something I can work on a bit more quietly and privately, without any pressure to meet a certain number of goals or to consistently share my progress with others. Will I still continue to make time for my WIP? Absolutely, hopefully getting ever-closer to the finish line with my first draft.    

Of course, I may also still share the occasional update with you here and hope to continue talking about my experiences as a writer in general, since I’ve really enjoyed sharing more about that aspect of my life. Thank you all for your ongoing friendship and support, and I hope you’ll keep working hard toward achieving your own goals, whatever they may be!