Lieutenant Junior Grade’s Log, Entry 3: August Month Map and July Wrap-up!

Wow, July went by so fast! I had a lot of fun with Camp NaNoWriMo and my other ongoing projects. I also enjoyed a mini vacation in the beautiful province of Prince Edward Island.

Now I’m back in Cape Cod for a bit, in order to attend the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference! Looking forward to meeting other authors and learning a lot in the classes I’m taking.

Before I dive into my August goals, let’s take a look at July’s results!

What a shiny month map! I didn’t quite finish all of my goals, but I made a LOT of progress!

Upgrade

Final count: 12 out of 20 chapters done. With only eight chapters left, I should be able to handle that in August, and then dive into my own revisions, with the ultimate goal of releasing Upgrade no later than December 2018.

July Camp NaNoWriMo – GOAL COMPLETE

Halfway through the month, I switched projects. I’m not tossing To Save a Kingdom–the outline is done and it’s going to be a fun story. However, another plotbunny (actually, six so far) snuck up and bit me, so I dove straight into a new project and I’ll be focusing on that one through August. Between the two projects, I did manage over 15,000 words before midnight of the 31st, so this goal was wrapped with just hours to spare.

JLA #3 short story – GOAL COMPLETE

I revised this story several times over the course of the month, and on the 30th, I finalized the draft for the judging phase. Now I’m waiting (nervously) for the judges’ responses.

Here’s a quick little snip as a teaser from the current draft (not necessarily the final one!) of In Her Reflection (working title):

She almost had me. Aileen crouched against the side of her bed, the hard wooden bed frame pressing into her spine. Her breaths came in sharp gasps, tinged cinnamon by the faint traces of toothpaste from brushing her teeth hours ago. Fingers clenched into her arms, Aileen dug her toes into the soft carpet, anchoring herself in her room.

Moonlight pouring through the gaps in her window blinds carved sharp shapes from the darkness. Window on the left wall from the door—check. Desk on the right wall, with accompanying chair—check. Bunk beds on the far wall—check.

Mirror hanging to the right of the bedroom door—check. The ancient, iron-rimmed monstrosity glinted in the moonlight that shimmered across its flat surface. Aileen was in the shadows by her bed, but she could see a flicker of brown in the mirror. Brown, like her hair. Brown, like the hair of her doppelganger, the girl in the mirror.

Goodreads Challenge – GOAL COMPLETE

I read six books in total this month for my challenge. I had hoped to read more than that, but time was precious this month and I put most of my spare time into my writing. August will be my first catch-up month, as I’m now a wee bit behind on my goal of 100 books (current count is 50).

Now for AUGUST!

The background for this month map is a sunset picture I took last year at the beach I frequent in Cape Cod.

A quick rundown of my goals:

Upgrade

With an average of eight crits per chapter, and eight chapters left, I’ll have around 60 crits to go through. That’s a lot… But if I do two chapters a week, I’ll easily complete this goal.

JLA #3 short story

In Her Reflection has a deadline of August 31st for the final draft. The judges should be done about halfway through August, so I’ll have two weeks to finalize the story. Then it’ll be formatting and proofing time, followed by the release! Expect a cover reveal for the anthology later this month.

JLA #4 short story

First drafts for the fourth anthology are due September 1st, so I have all month to complete this story. I’m about a third of the way into it, and I’ll share more details in the future. What I can tell you is that it’s a mash-up of fairy tales, and I’m loving it so far!

The Ironwood

A persistent little plotbunny, this story popped into existence partway through July and I’m already about 10k into it. I’ll be sharing snips on my Facebook page throughout the month as I continue working on the first draft. In brief, it is a steampunk retelling of Snow White set in a world where machinery is replacing magic. Branwen, the protagonist, is an albino who builds mechanical constructs.

Goodreads

I need to play catch up a bit, as I fell behind my goal last month. This month, I want to read 10 books for my challenge.

August is going to be another busy month, but I’m confident in my goals and excited to see what the month has in store for me.

How did your July turn out? What are your writing, reading, or other goals for August?