Wow, I had such high hopes for September, and it basically slipped through my fingers. We traveled each weekend but one, including our week-long beach vacation.

Rather than allowing me to refocus mentally and creatively, that time off flew by and dropped me right back into life like a rock. I didn’t take even one beach photo, and I always take pictures of the beach.

So September unwittingly became a break from writing.

Last Month’s Goals

1. Write 10,000 words for The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy.
2. Get to bed early and go to the gym in the mornings.
3. Enjoy my week-long vacation, whatever form it takes.

You know, looking back, i’m not even sure I want to write this post…

Write 10,000 Words?

No.

I didn’t write nothing in September. I actually took a lot of notes about my short story concept and solidified some of the basic ideas, including the name of my protagonist. I still don’t have a story name, and the working title I’ve been using is dumb and cliche, so I’m going to keep this one close to the vest for now.

The week after our vacation was incredibly stressful for a variety of reasons, however, and I just couldn’t get back into a rhythm of any sort, in any aspect of life.

Get to Bed Early and the Gym in the Mornings?

I’ve been good about getting to bed by 10:30 most nights, and sometimes before 10. The early-morning gym sessions have not happened, but I know I need to commit to it. If nothing else, it will probably help my stress levels.

Enjoy My Beach Vacation?

Yes, obviously my week at the beach with family was really nice. We had a lot of good times, I ate too much, drank too much beer, and spent the most time with my son since he started daycare.

But I didn’t really do a lot of the things I used to look forward to with beach vacations:

• board games after dinner
• kayaking in the surf
• waking up at sunrise at least once
• sitting in the sand and staring at the ocean for literal hours

Most of that is just because we ended up doing other things. Tropical Storm Humberto blew by the coast, and the higher winds made the days less warm and more breezy than I prefer.

And, our days were mostly dictated by the kid’s schedule. It sounds simplistic, but every time we do something new with him, I have to remember that, at least for now, we have to plan around him. A long stay in a beach house was no different. So sleeping in when he did took precedence over waking up at sunrise, and staring at the ocean for hours was more difficult to achieve when we had to be thinking about his next meal.

None of that is bad. It’s just different from what I’m used to, and I wasn’t prepared for such a shift in my vacation priorities.

Things to Look Forward to

I’m going to LA with a friend next week to visit another friend for a long weekend, and honestly, this might be the mental break I’ve been digging for. We’re all close friends who’ve known each other for years, and it will be good to just hang out for a few days.

I’m also paying a visit to my editor/English teacher friend’s creative writing class in two weeks to talk to her students. I’ve been chipping away at a presentation — yes, I caved and decided to prepare a presentation — and I’m really excited to meet them.

I don’t know what my expectations are for that yet, but I’ll write about it before and after.

Goals for October

1. Write 10,000 words among my authorly projects. I still haven’t decided which story I’m focusing on. I just want to write.
2. Enjoy L.A. with my friends. Comic Con, barcades, tons of delicious food. Can’t wait.
3. Enjoy speaking to a class of eager future writers and crush their dreams. My teacher-friend specifically wants me to discuss the self-publishing process, and I don’t plan on sugarcoating how much goes into it.
4. Go. To. The. Gym. At. 5am. I always feel like crap when I’m not working out, and I feel like I need to prove to myself that I still have a shred of self-discipline.

Steve D