Not a very fruitful month, but more than the previous one. I’ve finished the outlines I intended to write, but they’re very vague. With points that read “Shit happens, but they solve it somehow”. You know, not very detailed. So I’m not very happy with them, but that’s not the only thing I’ve done.

I’ve been gone on a research trip that helped me with one of the stories, which is starting to sound more and more interesting to me. This research trip involved going to a beach in Northern Spain, so it was nice. And I bought some books, did some reading and had some good ideas that sound like they’ll be fun to write. I’m looking forward to it, but I do need free time.

I did start a new notebook and I’ve filled a quarter of it, so I should be proud, but I want to do more. It feels like it’s never enough, and I’m the first to tell my friends off when they do this to themselves, so I’m trying to follow my own advice and take it easy.

And now that I mention taking it easy… I’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo because it’s the opposite… and I’m not going to officially start this year, but I do wonder whether it’ll be good to have a month in which I prioritize writing, even if I do it on my own and I don’t finish the story.

So I have two new goals for October: to get things ready so I can start writing in November (maybe I can make a better outline and work on research), and to fill at least half of my new notebook.

Hope you all enjoyed the end of summer!

I’m afraid I haven’t been able to achieve the goals I’d set for the month of August. That is, writing two outlines for my two short stories.

At first, I was terribly busy and didn’t have time at all. Then I went away on holidays, but it was a road trip and I have motion sickness, so no writing. And after that… well, the month was gone. I’d already mentioned I was going to be very busy and I set easy goals, but I was still unsure. And yeah, I was so busy I had to do overtime at work.

September looks a bit less busy so far, but I’ve been writing things unrelated to the goals I’d set. Still research and outlines, but, maybe unsurprisingly, not for the stories I’m supposed to be writing.

So I’m going to count that as a win, because I didn’t overwork myself, my anxiety is mostly under control, and I’ve managed to write a bit, even if it’s not what I’d intended to write. For September, I’m going to set the same goals. And I’m going to start a new notebook!

My goals for July were to finish transcribing another notebook and, being up to date, to decide what to write first. But I’m pretty bad at decision-making, so I made a list and divided the stories I wanted to write into four groups. Group 1 had all the long stories, so that was out of the question. Group 2 had medium-sized stories with several ideas. Group 3 had short stories that needed more development, and Group 4 was formed by mere ideas. I wanted to choose one particular story from Group 2, but I knew I’d need a lot of time to do research (not as much as Group 1, but still), and I think I’m not ready for that yet. Maybe the problems I had with my PhD still affect me.

Somehow, world-building doesn’t feel so insurmountable at the moment, so I’ve chosen two fantasy stories that will just need some preliminary research. I didn’t want to choose one so soon, so my goal will be to write the two outlines during the month of August, and then decide if I want to write one of the stories, both or none.

I’ll keep you updated!

By the way, July has been a good month in general. I feel more positive nowadays, and I have more good weeks than bad ones per month. I even felt curious about my own notebook and I had fun transcribing it. That’s great news for me!

I also participated in my first Pride Parade ever! It was a lot of work, but I had fun and shared candies and rainbows with lots of people. Unfortunately, I’m very busy at work at the moment, but I’m taking care of myself. It’s always good to have friends that remind you to take a break now and then. My month could have ended badly if it weren’t for them.

Holidays were a bit stressful for me because I got sick, so I spent a couple of weeks recovering and getting used to work again.

Once I got into it, transcribing the seventh notebook wasn’t hard at all. The Pact ™ has kept me motivated, even if I’m still doubting and second-guessing myself. I know making decisions is an important part of writing, so I’m trying to ignore my constant misgivings and keep pushing forward. Well, at least when it’s about transcribing my notebooks… because I still haven’t decided which project I want to draft for The Pact.

I know the doubts will be there with anything I choose, and if I have to choose between writing a draft and thinking it’s not the right one, and not writing anything… well, I’ve done the not writing already, so it’s about time I finished a draft, right? And they’re all going to feel wrong, so the only thing I can do is… try to do my best.

Anyway, you may have noticed I’ve posted not only one, but two posts with book recommendations. I wanted to share good books to read during Pride Month. My goals for the month were to finish transcribing a notebook and to post the Year 2 of Books I Loved as a Romance Reader. As you can see, I’ve been a bit of an overachiever; I did both, and then also posted Year 3 for Pride Week.

But Pride is not over for me! And I didn’t just mean it in the metaphorical sense. It’s still Pride Week in Spain, and we still have to celebrate it in Germany, so I’ll try to keep it up.

After reading this, my own post, I’ve decided my goals for July will be 1) to finish transcribing another notebook and, since I’ll be up to date by then, 2) to decide what to start writing first.

I also want to do something for German Pride, but I don’t know what. I don’t want to stress anyone with more book recs, so what would you like to see?

May has been a productive month for me. Work was less busy, so I had more free time, and I managed to transcribe the second half of my fifth notebok… and even transcribed all of the sixth notebook before my holidays started!

I also updated my blog in Spanish (and realized it’d been a year since my last update!). I know I shouldn’t feel guilty, but… well, I’m trying to fight guilt and keep moving forward.

I feel rather productive and accomplished right now, and I have to thank Lee Welch for that. She’s been a huge help with her conversations and posts about anxiety, burnout and writer’s block. She always has encouraging words for any moment, and she had one of the most motivational ideas ever: making a writing pact! (There’s a pun about it being the right impact hidden somewhere in there.)

Anyway, we have no deadline and we haven’t chosen the story yet, but I’m feeling super motivated and that’s why I’m trying to finish transcribing my notebooks as fast as I can.

And about this blog… I’ve started working on the book rec post I promised, but my priority has been the notebooks. After all, I only feel like transcribing old stuff once in a blue moon, so I have to make the most of it.