Archive for Features
Blogging
This week on the blog:
- Book Blogger Confessions - Blogging longevity and evolution
- Top Ten Tuesday - Rewind week – Top Ten Books I HAD to Buy (but are still unread)
- Writing Wednesday - I checked in on my new motivation strategy.
Reading
Finished:
- Spider’s Bite (Elemental Assassin #1) by Jennifer Estep
- I was really enjoying this one until the ending dragged on forever. Plus the writing got irritatingly repetitive. Still a great read, though, and I’ll be continuing with the series.
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- I’m working myself into a fever pitch over the upcoming movie, y’all. I forgot how great this book is.
Acquiring
Borrowed:
- Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls #2) by Ally Carter
- Fun and fluffy. Can’t wait to start.
Watching
- 42 (The Jackie Robinson Story)
- This was an incredible story to see on the big screen. I just wish the screenplay had been better.
Listening
- The video of the National Anthem sung at the Boston Bruins game on Wednesday night gave me chills.
Exercising
- Back full-force into the running. After almost 5 months off, this is not pretty. I also had a Groupon expiring at the Bikram studio, so I had to squeeze in a couple of classes.
- Saturday – 2 miles
- Sunday – 60 minutes on the helliptical
- Monday – Bikram yoga
- Tuesday – 4 miles
- Wednesday – Bikram yoga
- Thursday – 3 miles
What have you been up to this week?
Welcome back to Writing Wednesday! Today I’m following up on my last post about motivation.
In the book Around the Writer’s Block: Using Brain Science to Fight Writer’s Resistance, Roseanne Bane describes three habits we should be cultivating each week: Process, Self-Care, and Product Time. I gave myself goals for these habits, and promised to check back and post my progress.
I was derailed from the start with another nasty cold (my second of the spring), but this past week has been much more productive.
I went on a writing date at a pub with one of my friends (See?! Photo evidence!!), and I managed to get my beat sheet/outline done. That’s my handwritten outline and my project open in Scrivener, where I managed to jam out 500+ words even after a Bloody Mary!
The one part that has been difficult for me is the Process time. I haven’t really devoted any time to this creative energy, so that’s something I need to focus on for next time.
For any of my fellow writers out there, how has your process been going? Are you struggling to make time for your writing or other hobbies?
Process:
- Check-in
- My goal: 15 minutes per day, 3 days per week
- Goal met? No. I didn’t do any process work.
- Commitment (next two weeks)
- 10 minutes per day, 3 days per week
Self-care:
- Check-in
- My goal: 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week
- Goal met? Not quite. I did get 4 days this week, 3 of which were well over 30 minutes.
- Commitment (next two weeks)
- 60 minutes per day, 5 days per week
Product Time:
- Check-in
- My goal: 15 minutes per day, 3 days per week
- Target tasks
Outline Hannah plot/beat sheet- Explore Sexy New Idea
Write Hannah catalyst scene- Goal met? Almost. 2 out of 3.
- Commitment (next two weeks)
- 15 minutes per day, 3 days per week
- Target tasks
- Set Hannah on quest
Blogging
This week on the blog:
- FAIL. No posts this week. Feel free to shame me in the comments, but my excuse was another bout of illness. This spring is kicking my ass!
Reading
Finished:
- In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson
- Loved it. I learned a lot about the rise of Hitler that I hadn’t known, and the Dodd family was a fascinating bunch of characters.
- Clockwork Angel (Clockwork Angel #1) by Cassandra Clare
- I got so thoroughly sucked into this series. I had to start book 2 immediately.
Started:
- Clockwork Prince (Clockwork Angel #2) by Cassandra Clare
- See above.
- Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller
- I flew through the early years, but now that I’ve hit the mediocre ’80s I’m getting bored. This may be a DNF.
- Spider’s Bite (Elemental Assassin #1) by Jennifer Estep
- I have a weakness for assassin tales, and after 40 pages I’m already in love with this one.
Acquiring
Borrowed:
- Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller
Watching
- The Following
- We’re playing catch up on DVR’ed episodes. This show is so creepy and tense and scary in all the best ways. If you’re not watching it, you really should be.
- Jurassic Park 3D IMAX
- We paid the ridiculous $25 parking fee at Navy Pier to see this beloved favorite on the best IMAX screen in town. It’s astounding how well those dinosaurs stand the test of time, and I am so very glad I got to see it in the theater again!
Listening
- Olly Murs, “Troublemaker”
- My friend and I heard this on the radio and couldn’t decide whether it was Maroon 5 or not. Luckily it popped up again in the car and thanks to Sirius XM displays, we found out the real artist!
Exercising
- I got in one measly run this week thanks to being sick again. I used the time off to plan out my racing season, though. Here are the races I’m aiming for this year:
- 05/25/13 – Soldier Field 10 Mile (registered)
- 06/23/13 – Bigfoot Triathlon, Olympic distance
- 06/30/13 – Twin Lakes Triathlon, Sprint distance (registered)
- 08/10/13 – Zooma Half Marathon
- 08/25/13 – Chicago Triathlon, Sprint distance (registered)
- 09/15/13 – TriRock Lake Geneva Triathlon, Olympic distance
- 10/12/13 – Prairie State Half Marathon
- 11/03/13 – Hot Chocolate 15K
What have you been up to this week?
A lover of words and sparkly things.
