June Writing Report

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through 2021! I’m looking back on my June writing accomplishments in this post, but I’m also looking forward to the second half of this whirlwind year.

First of all, just as a refresher (for myself as much as anyone), these were my writing goals for June:

• Write creatively everyday
• Add 60,000+ words to my creative works (not just every little note or work email)
• At least 50% of my new writing should be in my main WIP, Unburnt

So how did I do? Drumroll please…

Write creatively everyday? ✔ 😁

As I mentioned before, voice-to-text was a big help; I could talk out my writing ideas while I was driving (or while lounging on the back deck in the sun 🌞). The biggest challenge was finding writing time while we were on vacation — I brought a notebook with me and journaled every day, so that was actually a pleasant change in routine.

Add 60,000+ words? ✔ 😀

I logged 60,994 words for June. Not a huge improvement over May, but it’s progress!

At least 50% of my writing should be added to Unburnt ✔– 😐

I added 24,767 words to my main WIP, which is only 40% of my overall writing production. While I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t reach this goal, 24,767 words is twice what I added to Unburnt in May. That’s an achievement in its own right! At this rate, I’ll have over 100,000 words for Unburnt by the end of July, which should complete that book (the rough draft anyway).

Which brings us to…

July’s Goals!

My writing goals for this month are a bit of a shift from the first half of the year. While I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made so far, I feel like I need to transition from quantity to quality. Instead of focusing on raw production data — word counts, percentages, daily checkmarks — I want to improve the quality of what I produce (and what I’ve already produced).

With that in mind, these are my July Writing Goals:

1. Revise Unburnt (especially the voice-to-text parts) — I’ve started doing some of this already, and it tends to lower my word count (because of voice-to-text errors I have to remove or clarify), but it makes the actual writing better, so it’s definitely worth it.
2. Advertise my Virtual Realms Trilogy — I spent a lot of time on that series, and I really enjoy it (as do the kids I’ve spoken to who read it), so I want to get it in front of more eyes. Word of the mouth is the best form of advertisement, so please spread the word if you can 🙏🏼
3. Finish my audiobook for Locked In — I started recording this last year, and I just got sidetracked by…well, life. I think this project will help with Goal #2, so it’s a force multiplier 💪🏼

And, since I do still need some data to chart:

4. Post on this blog 15+ times in July — Yes, this post counts toward that total 😏

5. Publish the first 20+ chapters of Unburnt on Kindle Vella — Vella is a new platform for Amazon/Kindle that features serialized writing (similar to Wattpad or Radish). Writers can publish their work as they finish each chapter (Vella calls them “episodes”). I intend to write more about Vella in another post, but since it hasn’t launched yet (late July is the projected “live” date), I don’t have much more to say about it yet other than I hope it’s a success!

6. Publish the first 10+ chapters of The Borrowed Daughter on Kindle Vella — This was one of the stories I wrote with my daughter, a chapter a night at bedtime, so it only seems appropriate to publish it as a serial (#ChildrensSerial). Besides, it’s good to have more than one offering on a site, so this will be my second title on Vella.

Hey, setting goals is fun! I have other life goals for July, so I might as well put them out there now!

BONUS GOALS!

I will continue to…

• Enjoy family time! — This is always a priority for me, but it’s doubly so during summer break. I get so much time with the wife and kids, and I want to make the most of it!
• Log my writing every day — We’ll see if my numbers drop off now that I’m not fixated on a particular target 🤷🏼‍♂️
• “Pay myself” for each word I write (a penny a word 🤑)
• Exercise every day (even while on vacation 🌴)

I will start to…

• Set smaller, daily goals — These goals will mostly be to keep my life more balanced, so I’m not just fixating on writing. They will be separate from the usual routines I already have (so it would be once-in-a-while things like “mow” or “get a haircut” or “get the check engine light checked”). I’ll put these goals on paper each day and post them on the fridge (I definitely enjoy checking things off lists!)
• Eat completely vegan for 10+ days — My breakfasts, lunches, and snacks are almost always vegan (again, vacation tends to throw a wrench in my routines), but we only have vegan dinners maybe once or twice a week. My wife and I have really enjoyed the recipes we’ve tried so far (mostly from this site), so I’d like to keep incorporating more of them into our rotation 🥗🥙🥘
• Discover new ways to make money from writing — Yes, writing is a passion and a hobby of mine, but I’d love to make money from it as well. That means making my books more profitable, but also potentially making this blog a source of income (NO ADS), offering editing services or personalized writing projects, or even exploring “fan support” sites like Patreon or GoFundMe.

Since I’m declaring six writing goals this month, I want to be realistic and say that I’ll be happy if I achieve 2/3 of them (4 or more). For the “BONUS GOALS”, I plan to stick to 100% of them. Will I do it? Only time (and effort) will tell!

Enjoy your July, everyone — I expect it will be full of fun, challenges, and surprises!