Midway Check List

So here we are at the middle of the year. Only six months left in 2016. Zowie! Where does the time go??

Methought it fitting to check up on the goals I made back in January and see how I’m doing….

(All pix via Pinterest unless otherwise noted)

Writing Goals:

 ·        Finish first draft of Prince Nácil.

Haven’t done this yet, but I’m plugging away at it as inspiration hits. I’ll have to go some to get it finished by New Year 2017, though. (And my offer still stands for anyone who wants to beta-read it.)

Jane Foster and Elsie Douglas.
Looking forward to working with these two cuties!

 ·        Plot out the Main Series. Need to give more serious thought to this. I think I know about where it ends, so at least I have a goal to shoot for….

Stardust, the silver Water-dragoness,
who hoards books instead of shinies. ;-)

·         Organize/finalize other series/story-arcs, including dramatus personae. I drew up a sort of “timeline” to help me visualize how all the story-arcs connect with the Main Series (and each other in some cases), but I’m still debating on some of the cast. I did bite the bullet and include The Pirate-hunter in Ýdára (since the protagonist and her love interest were essentially the same characters as two others in this world), so now I get to tweak backstories and add pirates to the mix of baddies my Characters have to fight. Um, yay? ;-)

·       Read/re-read snippets from fellow “scribblers” and send feedback. The two shorter ones are DONE, *confetti* and I’m working my way through the largest one…and then I discovered another snippet I’d forgotten about. *D’oh!* So, we make a little progress….

·        Write review for Water Princess, Fire Prince.

Mock Cover by R.R. Goodwill

·       
DONE! Posted on Amazon. And eventually, I need to revamp my mock-cover. This one is blocky at best, and the Kastle is totally wrong.... /SELF-CRITICISM
Host a Blog Party for my Imaginary Worlds.
In progress. Some of my Characters started talking to me, Real Life stuff happened (Whatcha gonna do when the well… needs sanitizin’…honey?), so preparing Party Posts wasn’t a top priority. But I’d still like to do it eventually…I’m thinking sometime in September, so’s I can feature the Pirate-hunter bits on Talk Like a Pirate Day. :-D Annnnnd…since I have several worlds, and they’re all more or less intricate, I may have to break up the Party into several. Or keep what I share about each to a minimum. Cue more pondering….

Sewing and Crafty Goals:

·        SEW ALL THE THINGS!!! Actually…the Lord finally got it through my thick skull that I really don’t *need* any more clothes. He’s provided some very nice “normal” frocks via the local thrift stores, so that takes the pressure off me to sew everything in order to have stuff to wear. It’s so freeing, really, to know my fabrics are packed away in a bin for when I need them—later. I do still intend to make up the embroidered things (including my Rapunzel costume), and there are a few items that won’t take too long to alter for the Summer and Fall. But there’s no huge rush for the rest now. *Ahhhh….*

·        Design/make jewelry to match outfits. In progress. I’m still kinda figuring out my personal style—what I like to look at and design often isn’t what I’m comfortable wearing. Plus a lot of my clothes either don’t need jewelry, or the necklines aren’t conducive to wearing a necklace with them. Then, too, there’s Summertime, when it’s just too hot to have stuff around one’s neck. That’s where my earrings get to come out and play, I guess. So yeah. Still tinkering….

·        Post new Etsy listings regularly. Och, I’ve been a bad girl here. Haven’t posted as often as I intended to so far. Need to get on the ball….

·        Finish knitting and crochet WIPs. Five little bears—DONE. Bearington—DONE. Afghan—In progress. Need 52 of one type of hexagon, 11 Dragon hexagons, and 26 half-hexagons to filling around the edges. Currently have about 45 hexagons made, plus one completed Dragon hexagon (actually two; I just haven’t sewn the Dragon to the patch yet). Six other Dragons made, but a few need tweaking before I make the hexagon part around them. Also need to figure out how to crochet a half-hexagon….

·        Knit some ear-warmers. Haven’t even started on this yet.

·        “Pixie Bonnet” —In  progress. Decided not to buy the knitted “Pixie-hat” pattern when I found this FREE crocheted one late last month. I’m using two colors of yarn worked together, and crocheting gives a better “tweed” texture than knitting, anyhow.

Other Goals:

·        Stay on schedule. Eh…sorta-kinda-almost. I have a loose routine I’m following right now, but it’s not set in writing.

·        Get E-Sword on my computer. *Sigh* Haven’t done this, either. But I am trying to read a chapter a day as possible, so at least I’m not totally neglecting my Spiritual life…quite.

·        Redecorate my room. Sold my fancy furniture the Winter and now have a much simpler, less imposing bed and nightstand, and a big desk (on extended loan from our pastor’s wife) that has a fold-down easel and a light-panel for artwork. Right now, it serves as a computer desk, but I do hope to use it for art eventually, too. Not sure I’ll actually do the tole-painting, since both the desk and nightstand are on loan from other people…and not that much of the bedframe shows anyhow. I may re-finish it, though, as the old finish is kinda messed up. Not even thinking about painting the walls/trim or hanging prisms this year.

·        Exercise more. I try to take a coupe laps around the drive when the weather is good, but that’s about it. And I try to do some stretches in the evenings….

So, not doing as well as I hoped…but then, maybe I bit off more than I can chew. :-P

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~R~