Progress Report: Weeks 2-4, September 3-30, 2017

The first week of September was a bit rough from a health perspective, right up until I figured that almost two weeks of not exercising was having an adverse effect on my creativity and production. I returned to my walking routine on Tuesday, and, by Wednesday things had started to improve across the board – I even managed to start sleeping properly again. So, exercise and sleep, two very important things to being able to write, and not a wasteful diversion of time. Repeat after me: Exercise and sleep are not wasteful diversion of time. Right? Got that? Okay, so you get to remind me of this next time I fall off the wagon, okay? Yeah, okay – I’ll remind me of that next time.

Writing-wise, I got things moving, again. Not as much as I’d like, but I’m working on getting back up to speed.

And then Week 2 hit, and I struggled. I struggled for most of Week 3, too. Week 4 saw me completing the essay-in-lieu for one subject, and hoping for the essay question for the essay-in-lieu for the other. That question hadn’t arrived by the time I went to bed last night. It’s here, now, though, so guess what this week’s task is…

And I’ve had two kids home with gastro for the last week – fun times… One’s over it, now, and the other one is just starting to recover. If I don’t go down with it, this week, I will be very grateful.

Progress for the last three weeks was as follows.

Week 2 Progress

• New words produced: 9,171
• Bloggery: 1,052
• University Prep and Assignments: 2,808 words + unrecorded hours

Week 3 Progress

• New words produced: 0 creative
• University Prep and Assignments: 6,496 words, and 28 hours 35 min. recorded + 7 hours lectures/tutorials

Week 4 Progress

• New words produced: Nil creative
• Covers created: 1
• University Prep and Assignments: 11,445 words, and 14 hours 44m recorded study/prep + 7 hours lectures/tutorials

Writing News

Last week saw me try and get my shit together, after a particularly disrupted week, where Life did a change-direction-left on me, and I also had to get over the flu. Took me long enough, but it landed me behind, and I’m still struggling to catch up. This writing is like holding down a full-time job while doing full-time study.

Of last week’s priorities, I completed none of them, but I did manage to claw my way out of the rut I’d landed in, which was an achievement in, and of, itself. Let’s just say that exercise helped, but I’m still at a loose end as to what to do at the end of the year.

In addition, I got my walking back on track, and finally realised that this is no longer an optional activity for me. Be prepared for more Ingress and PokemonGo updates in future, as I strive to keep myself occupied while out and about so that I can keep in shape for writing.

I also completed a cover, for Army Boots and Stilettos, October's second release, and put Shades of Memory out in paperback via CreateSpace. 

June-July Challenge: Babes in London

The first week of September, I tried to make Babes a priority, but only managed 4 days at a thousand words, and blog entries complete through to the end of October. Needless to say, this priority has slipped until I get the second essay done, and then I’ll be studying for exams. At that point, I’ll try to slip it in between the cracks.

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.

Ingress Updates

I returned to a regular walking routine this week, so Ingress got a bit of a work out, with the result that I decided, on Tuesday, that I might try and get the last 800,000 AP I needed, in order to level. I managed to achieve this on Friday, and it was a very cool thing to get under my belt.

After that, not much got done as I knuckled down to study.

PokemonGo Updates

Even though I increased my walking this week, I focussed mainly on Ingress, so not a lot of PokemonGo got played. Why? Because I’m hooked on the tactical and strategic elements of Ingress, and PokemonGo doesn’t have them. I enjoy hatching eggs and finding new pokemon and levelling, but I enjoy having to think strategically even more.

Other News

In addition to everything else I have to prep for university classes. Guess what I was doing Saturday and Sunday? Shut-up. I know it’s late, but I have four weeks left, no supervisor in any of my areas of interest, and I’m not willing to sign away my IP in exchange for another piece of paper – even if it’s the PhD I don’t have. So, I’ll be done with formal study at the end of this year, and that makes it hard to stay motivated. Do I squander writing time on class prep in order to achieve the really high grades that no longer matter? Or do I start to use every moment I can to prepare for the future, whether it be writing, temping, or whatever? I’m still trying for the grades, but it’s getting harder to not just throw it all away. If I didn’t like wasting my time, or anyone else’s, I’d have chucked it in long ago – and, besides, I like my subjects so maybe I can do some ‘civilian scholar’ work in them in future.

Four weeks to go. I’m on my second last essay for grades – the next one I write will be for me, and to advance my understanding in whatever field it happens to be in. It might be a ways off, though. I have a ton of writing to do.

Priorities for Week 1, October 2017

I’m struggling, so my goals will be simple:

• Finish the second essay-in-lieu-of-exam.
• Prep for classes.
• Get the CreateSpace version of the Army Boots and Stilettos cover done
• Get the CreateSpace edit and format for Army Boots and Stilettos done.
• Write 1 piece of flash fiction each day
• Write 1 piece of poetry each day
• Complete 1 Inktober sketch each day.

I’d like to add the format and upload for ebook, as well, but I just don’t think I can squish it in. We’ll leave it as part of the wish list, okay?