March felt like a long month, likely because I spent much of it at home. I am still unemployed, but I was able to use my wide-open schedule to make some legitimate progress on The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy.

But how did my other goals for the month fare???? Find out, next!

Aaaaand we’re back from our break. Let’s have a look at my goals from last month.

(Side note: I’m not sure I like the current structure for these posts, but I’m rolling with it until I figure out something better.)

Last Month’s Goals

1. Write 10,000 words for WoEL
2. Finish reading Parador on Wattpad
3. Read a book on Audible
4. Find a Job

10,000 Words for WoEL?

Not quite. I wrote 8,153 words, which is still pretty freaking good. It more than doubles what I wrote in January and February combined.

I had wanted to hit 40,000 words for my first draft in March as a nice benchmark, but as you can see, I’m a couple thousand shy. I should be able to hit 40k and 45k without issue in April. 50k might be a stretch, but we’ll get to that.

My story is already starting to feel much more rounded out, especially with Arden’s plot line. As you may have read in my recent Creativity Sessions, I did a fair amount of work on building my peripheral POV characters in March. These characters will help lend context and weight to Arden’s story, so even though I haven’t written much of her recently, I still feel like she’s progressing.

I’m still sticking to focusing on Arden’s plot line, and the characters associated with it, for now. They will provide the brunt of the story–I’m thinking roughly 2/3 of the word count–and my other primary character is not quite fleshed out.

Because my other main POV character is engaged in some political intrigue, their sections are much more difficult to write. They require more planning, and a better sense of pace. I won’t really have that until I’m much further along in my draft as a whole.

My goal is to allow this other plot line to spell Arden’s a bit, allowing her sections to breathe and providing a bit of tension as her narrative plays out. They will, of course, need to carry some of the narrative load in their own right, but I just don’t feel ready to hash that out yet.

I’ll probably talk more details as I come to those sections.

Finished Reading Parador on Wattpad?

Nope. I’m about 75% of the way through, so I made a bit of progress. I’m not sure I like this story as much as the first, to be honest. I’m already planning to take a break from the series after I’m done with this one. I’ve developed a pretty lengthy reading list on Wattpad, so I’d like to give some of those other authors a chance.

I’ll finish Parador, mostly out of a sense of duty.

Read a Book on Audible?

Yes! I “read” The Price of Inequality by economist Joseph E. Stiglitz. You can read my thoughts here.

Found a Job?

Unfortunately, no. I had a handful of interviews in March between three different companies. Two of those jobs are still on the table. I’m just waiting to hear from both of them.

I sure would like to start earning a paycheck again soon. Unemployment is also just plain boring. I’ve officially hit the two-month mark, which I did not really anticipate or prepare for mentally.

I’m holding out hope that I’ll hear from both of those companies soon, but I’m applying to jobs in the meantime. /Shrug. Dwelling on this is depressing.

Goals for April

1. Write 10,000 words for The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy. I came close to this goal last month, and I think I can finally hit it. We’re doing a bit of travel in April to see some family, but I still feel good about this.
2. Read another book on Audible. I’ve already picked one out and started listening yesterday. It’s shorter than the last one, so I should have no trouble finishing it.
3. Finish Parador. Once and for all.
4. Find a job. I probably don’t need to explain this one.
5. Prepare for AWESOME CON IN THREE WEEKS! Shit, I keep almost forgetting about this. I’ll have a couple of posts coming up about my preparations, including my merch, which I should be getting in the next couple weeks.

Steve D