Recent Progress for February

She's back! To write more personal stuff!

I haven't kept up with posting updates much thanks to a few factors. One of which was being sick the last few weeks. I lost a lot of time sleeping and being grumpy but managed to achieve a few things:

• Finished Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg and wrote a very short opinion on the book to work on my reviewing skills, and started Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.
• Got to page 80 of LBW. If the ideas keep flowing and I keep up two pages a day then I'll be making sweet progress. Actually I'd be happy with just a page a day or four pages a week.
• Low standards? Nope, I'm just a slow writer with trouble getting ideas. Goal: page 90 by March 5^th 
• Started my first weekly critique after a short break. By the way, I recommend Critique Circle, great place.
• Finished the paper revision I was doing of Serpenttongue. Now I'm plugging it in and making slight revisions as I go. Still finding spots lacking something uncertain, but there's always another go-through. I haven't set any goal other than be past chapter 25 by month's end.
• Still working on a new short story featuring my vampire. It's proving difficult to write. I just don't know the story. Goal: just work on it!

I have uber faith I can succeed, especially if I spend more days getting up at three like I did Thursday. I went back to sleep of course, but I figure why not use that time if I'm up anyway.

What are your goals for the rest of the month?

Review: Writing Down The Bones

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I gobbled up the book. It was full of ideas and experiences that compelled me to sit down and write about something, anything, but just try writing again, and to feel less self-conscious about my work. It gave me ideas for writing and writing practice. I think the biggest takeaway for me was to get a journal and do writing practice, and to just write.

The book's zen feel is I think why it resonated so well with me, it was different from others I've read and inspired me.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a writer and simply needs an encouraging and inspiring read, or looking for something different from the common how-to-write books.


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Review: Joe Vampire

Joe Vampire by Steven Luna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What would you do if you woke up one morning and found yourself among the living dead? Try to make the best of it? Tell your loved ones? Start a blog?

Joe Vampire is the story of an average guy and how his life is rocked by one small mistake that turns him into a vampire and his attempt to continue a semi-normal life in spite of it, told in blog format.

I liked Joe and his story. It's funny as much as sad as you read about his mini-misadventures and mistakes, often in bulleted lists. After I finished I wanted to find him and give him a hug and say "It's all gonna be okay Joe" but that would be odd...and impossible.

If you're looking for a read that's funny and easy to do in small increments, or a change from the glamor of many turned-into-a-vampire stories this is a good one to pick up.


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The Lips

Feeling chapped, despite the balm. 

Perhaps reapply, perhaps hold on?

Anyway, the latest physical attribute entry at The Bookshelf Muse is about lips and all the things they can say about us without ever mouthing a word. Useful stuff.