Mid-November Goals Post
November is a curious month. It feels as though winter is well underway, even when I know that the rains have only gotten started and the coldest months are usually January and February. It feels as though 2022 is almost gone, even though there is still a month and a half left in which to achieve my goals. It also feels as though I spent most of November fighting off various colds and unfriendly viruses, which is… not far off-mark, actually.
November is also National Novel Writing Month, which is when my local writers’ group generally dusts itself off and picks up new projects and a few stray members. This year, I’m honing my peripheral skills, outlining and editing, in the hopes of producing not the first draft of a new novel, but rather a shorter, but more polished text. Working on a short story allows me to focus on the processes of writing outside the straightforward putting down of new words, and what’s more, I can balance the new story with working on my ongoing projects.
Turncoat Chronicle is currently in the last stages of drafting the final chapters. The Flower of Fairmont has been on hiatus for almost a year. It will go back on the front burner once I’ve wrapped up the last loose ends with Turncoat Chronicle. After a long break, I’m looking forward to diving back into the complexities of telling a story through the exchange of letters. It’s a unique challenge that never fails to surprise me.
Still forthcoming on this blog are my reviews of the farming sim Wylde Flowers and of the Motts Cold Case Mysteries book series, by Dahlia Donovan. These two have occupied my time very pleasantly, this autumn, and they deserve wider recognition. I’m excited about going back to posting the occasional review on this blog, though reviews and blog posts must take a back seat to my ongoing fiction projects.
All in all, it’s been a productive autumn, hopefully, to lead into a productive winter, regardless of the goings-on in the wider world.
Hazel Gold 