I would normally have done the to do list on a Monday, but this week I decided to post the stats of 2013 instead. However, posting the list mid-week does have its advantages – mostly more ticks – so it might become a feature.
This morning, for the first time in … years (yes, years), I actually felt like a writer again. I’ve not done a lot of writing recently, but I have felt motivated and the ideas are bustling for attention. So I’m seeing this as something positive. I’m also reading The Positively Productive Writer by Simon Whaley, however, and that could have something to do with it. I’d encourage all writers to check out this little gem.
Here, then, is this week’s to do list:
complete electronic edits on client’s book√
write walks report√
post 3 x blog√√√
surf job boards 5 x daily√√√√√
submit walks report to 6 x local newspapers√
5 x daily banking√√√√√
source pictures for client’s book√
surf 5 x daily competitions√√√√√
write 1,000 words 5 x daily ××√×
update gig list√
format client’s book for Kindle, etc
diary work√
raise invoices√
Looking at the list so far it’s clear there’s a daily job I’m still not doing. I need to start carving out the time for this. If I can finish the client’s book by Friday, though, I may be able to catch up there. The electronic edits took longer than I thought they would and yesterday, when I finished doing those, I simply crashed on the settee and burned out.
There are still plenty of ticks on there to keep me going, though.
And I don’t mean outside, I mean on the blog. I was looking for that function only last week and couldn’t find it, but it looks as though they’ve retained the setting from last year. This is nice as I’m actually starting to feel a bit like Christmas already this year. In recent years it’s taken a little while longer despite it being my favourite time of year.
We put the tree up yesterday. For the first time in years I had help and it looks lovely. We’ve stuck to just red trimmings this time and it goes with the lounge just perfectly. We also baked the cake – with one spare (for testing purposes, of course) – and I had help with that too, in the stirry bit where the mixture gets a bit too heavy. I’ll ice it a bit closer to the time when I’ll also make the Yule log, the mince pies and tarts, and any festive biscuits.
I’ve been doing a lot of catching up with work just lately, hence my absence from the blog. It’s been work away from the pc and keeping off the pc has resulted in me being more productive too. Last Thursday and Friday I started work at 8:30am both days, and both days finished well into the evening. I also updated the gig list for December and I pitched for 13 jobs.
The other catch-up thing I did was sort out all of my current writing work in progress. I haven’t done any proper writing since my 30k in 30 days in April and I’ve been determined to get back into the swing of that. So last week I kickstarted it all by:
pitching a brand new article
outlining two brand new short stories, and
outlining a brand new filler, all firsts in ages.
Then I armed myself with a book I quite enjoyed reading the first time, The Positively Productive Writer by Simon Whaley, and gave myself a pep-read via the Kindle. This book will be staying by my side throughout 2014 as there’s a month-by-month guide as well.
The next jobs I did last week included:
emptying the hard-copy-editing folder (books)
turning 3 short stories around and sending them off on their merry way again
sending 1 book off to the client, and
printing 2 draft 3 articles off for editing and submission.
News just in:The book I sent back to the client on Friday has just this second been paid for. I like that kind of work.
After a busy weekend, with a gig Friday night, a visit to Birmingham on Saturday, a double gig Saturday night, a walk yesterday and all of the weekend Christmas activity, I started the new week very well with my first Yoga workout in ages. I did a bit of this yesterday when my back started to really hurt again, and it did it the world of good quite quickly. So now I want to do something every morning again, just like I used to.
This week, then (and those of a nervous disposition may want to look away now), here is my to-do list:
complete electronic edits on 2 books and submit for typesetting
complete brand new filler and submit by Wednesday
write walks report and submit to 6 local newspapers
write 3 blog posts
update gig list on Wednesday
write and submit 1 commissioned article, and source pictures
kickstart Devon Ellington’s5 Stories in 10 Weeks with a short flash fiction piece
I would normally have done the to do list on a Monday, but this week I decided to post the stats of 2013 instead. However, posting the list mid-week does have its advantages – mostly more ticks – so it might become a feature.
