What have you been doing?

My list was:

• Submit 12 short stories somewhere.


• Finish my three current longer stories. Magic Moon, Half-Demonized, A Penny Saved


• Re-edit Seeing Zombies


• Have one of those four long stories ready for submitting by December.


• Attend a writing conference/seminar/workshop.


• Choose one non-writing skill to practice/become certified in - possibly tech or library-related.

Which of these things have I done so far this year?

None.

I knitted hats like mad. I even made my first sweater.


I started three short stories and finished none. But I did finish one of my TBR books yesterday. Lilith Saintcrow's Working for the Devil. I need to remember to add her name to my authors to follow list. It will be like when I added J.D. Robb's In Death series -- I've got a lot of books to catch up with before I have to start waiting for the new ones.

When you find an author who isn't brand new out, how do you deal with it? Do you add them to a reasonably timed collection list? Do you run out and buy all the books at once (or get them from the library)? Do you add them to the list and go get some of their books (along with some from the other authors) when your TBR pile starts getting low?

I don't have a habit here. If I'm at a bookstore, I buy books, occasionally remembering which authors I wanted to look up. Sometimes even when I have a pile of TBR books waiting at home -- usually when none of them have really caught my attention for now. If I was smarter, I'd have Princess Froglips make a list of my favorite authors to go garage saling with us. (She got all the organizational abilities I did not and probably some from the rest of you too).

Anyway, I've managed to remove one book from my TBR pile, but haven't finished writing any stories. Short term goal, before my next update post, I will finish my three shorts and send them out to the markets I have in mind for them. And I'll read one more book from my Christmas pile. I will not go out and buy everything from Lilith Saintcrow and spend the next two weeks reading nothing but her books.

I will not.

I will practice my willpower and do what I should be doing, not what I want to do.

Happy a productive Wednesday everyone!