I did not write very much in April. I honestly cannot tell you what I was doing instead of writing.

I applied for a bunch of jobs. We road tripped around Lake Michigan for 10 days, and then… Awesome Con. Writing was completely lost in that mix, but it was still a great month overall.

But excuses are not enough. We demand accountability!

Last Month’s Goals

1. Write 10,000 words for The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy
2. Read another book on Audible
3. Finish reading Parador
4. Find a job
5. Prepare for Awesome Con

Write 10,000 Words?

That’s a big fat nope. Like I said in the intro, I honestly couldn’t tell you what I was doing for the two-ish weeks before we went on vacation.

I wrote a whopping 828 words. I wrote more words yesterday than in all of April. That’s about all I can say about it. Hopefully, my mental energy from Awesome Con will carry me into a much more productive May.

Read Another Book on Audible?

Almost. I’m about 75% of the way through Everything Trump Touches Dies, by GOP strategist Rick Wilson. I’ll write a review of it once I’m done, but I’ve enjoyed this book, and Wilson’s insider-esque view of the Trump election and administration.

Quick summary: he’s not a fan.

Finish Reading Parador?

Yes! Early in April, I believe. I liked it, but not enough to write about it. I have sort of started my next Wattpad read, but I haven’t gotten far enough to really talk about it yet.

Find a job?

Also no. I had a handful of interviews, and will likely have another next week. But still unemployed.

Prepare for Awesome Con

And I attended, too! Awesome Con was awesome, if you didn’t see my sales wrap-up on Tuesday. The title photo shows you my “haul” from the convention.

Obviously, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time actually wandering around the convention, but I managed to connect with another author who had a table there.

Pierre Dimaculangan is writing a historical fantasy series set in Ming dynasty-China, entitled The Trials of the Middle Kingdom. I was in on this concept even before talking to Pierre, but then we actually spoke.

He’s a really cool dude, and I’m hoping we can connect at future events (or maybe a future project???). Check out his website, and admire the amazing artwork and cover design, which Pierre did himself because he’s immensely talented.

I also visited the CIA exhibit, because I was curious as to why the CIA had a whole robotics exhibit at Awesome Con. Turns out they were promoting their newest directorate, The Directorate of Digital Innovation. Interesting on many levels.

Anyway, aside from my own book sales, Awesome Con was the highlight of the month, and perhaps the year to this point.

I definitely want to do more conventions, especially if I can team up with Weech again, but I definitely do not have the budget for that right now.

What I can do in the meantime, though, is carry some of that creative energy into writing more and writing more consistently.

Goals for May

1. Write 10,000 words for The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy. I’m sticking with this mark until I prove that I can blow past it. I will definitely try to outdo it, but, as we all know: Do, or do not. There is no try.
2. Find a job. It’s getting to the point that I’m looking into hourly positions in my immediate area to hold me over until a full-time position comes through.
3. Landscaping. It’s springtime in Maryland, which means 50 degrees and rainy/cloudy, or 80 degrees and sunny, depending on the day. But that’s enough to get me outside. I have a lot of unfinished projects to tackle, and it would be nice to finish a few of them this year. Plus, I’m due for another Adventure in Landscaping.

Steve D