Written While My Baby Criticized from Her Swing

Let’s start off on a positive note, shall we?

Reading Goal for August: Met

I read every day and finished seven books!

1. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story by Debbie Tung

2. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

3. The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl (audio for this was great)

4. The Bookshop Murder (Flora Steele #1) by Merryn Allingham

5. The Best-Laid Plans by Sarah M. Eden

6. Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

7. The Best Worst Summer Ever by Rachael Baker

Not as crazy as other content creators out there. When I think about a person reading 20 plus books in a month, I hear a question I ask my dog whenever she inhales a treat without chewing. “Did you even taste that?” That’s without knowing the exact size of each book and the formats people choose to read, though. And the people who can comfortably listen to an audiobook at 2x speed scare me.

I’ve been borrowing eBooks and the occasional audiobook through Libby. Some have such horrible hold lists, but I’m not in any hurry since I have so many books at home that it’s not like I’m chomping at the bit to get them. That’s also helping me with the feeling that I’m missing out on all the newer books because I’m trying to get through my shelves at home with books published years ago. The output from publishers never slows, so I will never catch up, but I’m doing my best.

TikTok Goal for August: Not Met (but I’m not sad about that)

I chickened out and didn’t make a TikTok video. Honestly, I had a feeling when I set that goal that I probably wouldn’t go through with it. Sometimes I don’t want to admit to being who I really am.

However! I did put myself out there in a different way. I’m on Threads (Meta’s version of the bird app) and finally got involved with some members of the writing community there. So far, I’ve interacted with amazing people, and I can’t wait to keep it up. I need breaks from constantly scrolling, commenting, and replying, but it’s been fun. I was never that active on the bird app, but this feels different, probably because it’s so new and I get a fresh start to play around and decide what kind of page I want to create.

Writing Goal for August: Met? Not Met?

If you count posts on Threads towards my “write something every day” challenge, then I succeeded! If not, then oopsie. We had some late nights with our kiddos, and there were times I opted for bedtime over getting anything down on paper. That’s all right. I forgive myself because life throws me other things that need to be taken care of, and I must be flexible so that I don’t crush myself with impossible standards and disappointment for falling short.

Readthrough of my Novel Goal for August: Not Met

This is the one that has me a bit bummed. I was supposed to read through and edit my manuscript so that I could start rewriting in September. That didn’t happen. I think I got through a couple of pages, but that’s about it.

I know there are writers who rise early—I’m talking an unholy time in the AM—to pursue their dreams. I…I cannot. Sleep is very important, and I struggle with mornings. I’ve been waking up early enough with the baby—minus yesterday when Erik took Harper for a little bit so I could sleep in an extra hour—that I can’t picture rising even earlier to swim through sleepy brain fog to make sense of a story that needs some serious help. The rest of the day feels impossible, too.

Okay, you're onto me. I have an excuse every time in my day for why writing isn’t happening. I need those excuses, okay? I don’t know what I’m going to do once I’ve carved out a space for my work and it still isn’t happening.

But instead of spiraling on that thought, let’s do some September goals!

I have two goals.

1. Read from my TBR books every day (this was good for me)

2. Finish. Reading. And. Editing. Sidekick.

I must do number 2. Somehow, someway, excuses aside, I must.

What I need is someone to hold me accountable. If you’ve got the time, or the memory to hold someone else’s to-do list in your mind, start hounding me.

Harper is yelling at me from her swing, so it’s time I wrap this up. She's been loudly criticizing me for ignoring and not holding her.

Until next month. Buh-bye.