Monday Musings

80 Days, 4 Goals, 5 Questions, and 116 Years

July 4, 2011

80 Days

I first joined up with the Round of Words in 80 Days Challenge back in April and set specific goals for my writing career. I met all my goals in about half the time. So in one sense, the endeavor was a huge success for me!

However, I fizzled on reporting my progress, did a poor job of cheerleading others once I had met my own goals, and didn’t set new ones to keep myself on track. So in that sense, I kind of, sort of, well . . . blew it. I could have gotten more out of the experience and been a blessing to others along the way! 

When the Round of Words in 80 Days Round 3 was announced, I thought, “I’ll pass.”  After all, it begins right smack in the middle of summer (July 4) when my kids are home and wanting to have fun and I am busy preparing lessons for a Christian youth camp (Camp Bandina near Bandera, Texas). How am I supposed to set writing goals and meet them? And how will I do in encouraging others when I’m merely trying to keep my children from watching video games 12 hours a day and maintain my blogging? 

Go ahead and say it:  Wuss. 

I mean, really, am I that big a wimp that I can’t set a goal and meet it – even if it is smaller than I might achieve during the school year? Can I not spend a few minutes a day saying “Way to Go!” to other authors who indeed impress me with their persistence and talent? Can I not follow through on a challenge that lasts a mere 80 days? 

4 Goals

Yes, I can!  With a little positive peer pressure from Tiffany A White (ROW80 cheerleader) and Kait Nolan (ROW80 Sponsor), I am jumping in again!  So here are my ROW80 goals for Round 3:

  • Send out three queries a week for my completed mystery novel, Grace & Fire (working title).
  • Edit my middle grade novel, The First Time (working title), incorporating suggestions from beta readers.
  • Blog three times a week – Mondays Musings, Wednesday Words, and Friday Fiction.
  • Read at least two writing craft books.

That’s all for now.  But I will check in regularly, note progress, and change the goals as needed.  If you want to help me cheer on fellow ROW80 participants, check out this great group HERE. 

5 Questions

Marji Laine, fellow Texan and mystery writer, has tagged me to complete the following questions. Check out her blog! Here are my answers: 

Do you think you’re hot?  I know what this is asking, but my family reads my blog!Still, I live in Southeast Texas, and it’s been blazing hot – breaking triple digits many days. So yeah, I’m hot – every time I walk out the door into the sweat-inducing heat. 

Upload a picture of the wallpaper you are using.

How do I even do this? It’s a wallpaper that came with my computer – mauve pink. I know, boring.

When was the last time you ate chicken?

I had a southwestern chicken enchilada and a chicken flauta on Saturday from Café Adobe. Yum!

What song or songs have you listened to recently?

Here are my most recent downloads to a Walkman MP3 player.  This list shows my ridiculously eclectic musical taste.

All Shook Up by Elvis Presley

[youtube=http://youtu.be/rWFQKxx449o&w=400]

Istanbul Not Constantinople by They Might Be Giants

[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/6746927]

Rock Steady by God Rocks

[youtube=http://youtu.be/KVRwlQpz9fM&w=400]

Rolling in the Deep by Adele

[youtube=http://youtu.be/rYEDA3JcQqw&w=400]

Do you have any nicknames? If so what are they?
Jules. That’s the nickname used at times by my husband and college friends in particular.  I like it, although I slightly prefer Julie. One of my sisters also calls me Pickle, but there’s a back story to that one and it’s only between the two of us. 

Tag 5 bloggers:  Frankly, having already tagged bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award, the Stylish Blogger Award, and the Writing is Like Meme Challenge, I am concerned that my writer friends may begin to hide behind sprawling trees, parked semi-trucks, and flimsy sheets of journal paper so as not to be tagged again. So if you want to participate, leave a comment and your blog link. The first five to respond with the “I’m in!” are IT! 

Thanks again, Marji!  And please check out Marji Laine’s blog! 

116 Years

One last note: Today, my son is participating with his Boy Scout troop in our town’s July 4th Parade. It is one of the oldest consecutively running Independence Day parades, having been in existence for 116 years! This is a great hometown experience for my family, and I’m thankful that many of us will be celebrating the United States of America and its principles today. Happy 4th to you all!