1. Be a ROW80 sponsor.
Got a little behind in sponsor duties this week because I have been focusing so much on #6 while trying to honor #7, but did catch up on reading & commenting on people's posts on Thursday, which I feel good about.
Had to pull out of this. I was just trying to do too much (see #7 below). I don't feel awesome about going back on my commitment to participate, but I suppose it's good to acknowledge my limitations and be able to set priorities.
3. Do three public readings.
Woo hoo! This goal has been achieved! I did my third reading on Thursday night at Rain or Shine Coffee House. A surprising number of friends came to support me--which was AWESOME--and I got very positive feedback on both my delivery and on the quality of my work. And the best part is that I actually believe them; I don't think they were just saying it to be nice. Yay! =*)
4. Continue to try to get more involved in the local writing community.
a) Writing group is going well in that I am working with smart, talented people who write in different styles and from whom I am learning even more about the arts of writing and critiquing. Love it.
b) Have continued to go to other people's readings. Went to Jay Ponteri's reading at Annie Bloom's books on Monday; went to a poetry reading at Marylhurst University on Saturday; will be going to see Jay Ponteri read with Scott Nadelson at Broadway Books on Thursday.
c) First author interview was published on the blog this week! Kiersi Burkhart. She's awesome. Go read it. Next author interview will be in June: first-time author Zoey Derrick, who is also my editing client. Very excited!
5. Continue to write monthly articles for VoiceCatcher.
Later this week I need to contact my next interviewee. Gotta remember to put that on my to-do list.
6. Focus on my pseudonym's novel.
Yes! Yes! Stuff is happening! I'm much closer to done, and I think I'm actually going to make my deadline! =*D This is really where I've been focusing the majority of my attention over the last week, and I'll likely continue to do so for the next few weeks, until the book is done.
7. Try to stop trying to do too much.
Have surprised myself by actually making progress on this goal. For example, am giving myself permission to focus almost exclusively on #6 for the next few days and let everything else wait. I may regret that decision later...but I doubt it.
8. Apply for writing fellowships/grants.
No progress. Literary Arts fellowship application due June 28th. Gotta get going on this if I'm going to make it happen.
Oh wow, you did public readings! That's so brave! Sounds like fun :-)
ReplyDeleteIt *was* fun, Deniz! I got to pick whatever I wanted and read for half an hour, so I chose some relatively recent line poetry, prose poetry and flash fiction, all of which I was excited to share and most of which has been published online. Have you done public readings?
DeleteOnly once... but I was reciting a Bukowski poem! I might have read one of mine after, I don't remember... I'm way too nervous to do them regularly!
DeleteI'm surprised at how much easier they've gotten after having done just only 4 (3 this year, 1 last year). I was still nervous at the beginning of this last one, but I think the fact that I was excited about what I was reading really helped...not to mention the fact that most of the audience members were people whom I'd personally invited. I'm thinking now about organizing a group of writers to read to each other on a regular basis just for practice.
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