Visitation

This week is brought to you by the Germans… or at least “my” Germans. The woman who’s always felt like my big sister, who’s known me since I was about a year old, is spending her family’s spring break visiting us. (Hubs really wanted me to non-post last week that we’re living the German invasion, but even the time to do that slipped through my fingers.) She’s my alter ego; it’s so easy to fall into quiet togetherness sometimes I’ve felt the need to remind myself that it’s been almost 15 years since I last saw her in the flesh and we really should be talking more. But we’re both quiet people who enjoy reading and watching doggie shenanigans and observing the world around us. It doesn’t take much talking to just revel in her presence.

So I’ve been following Hepburn’s advice and enjoying life. We’ve been catching up on some of the movies that have been building in our backlog while I’ve been rushing toward the end of The Builders: Tomorrowland, Inside Out, Batman v Superman, and The Martian. It’s been great to immerse myself in other people’s imaginations, to see how they handle optimism without a descent into treacly, to explore how antagonists and protagonists successfully live as the main characters in their own lives, to revisit pacing and structure and the satisfaction of stories well-told.

This weekend, when we weren’t eating too much or chit-chatting about plans, thoughts, and dreams, we were reading. I finished two books that had been on my TBR pile for at least six months, and now have my head in that post-story haze of… what about this ending??

Last round of ROW80, my sponsor post was about inspiration and perspiration, and followed on the heels of my struggle to balance the pursuit of my creative goals with my need for some down time. As much as I love my visitors, having people in my house who have a vastly different schedule (between the time difference and their natural inclinations, I’m saying goodnight to my guests by no later than 11pm!) has also caused some disruption. I’m glad I’m getting to bed earlier too, to avoid missing too much time together, but this is the first time I’ve even looked at my computer in a week. So… no time for creative writing or blogging.

Since my guests don’t leave until Thursday and this week has another pile of stuff on the agenda, I don’t know that my work for this round will actually begin until next week, but until then, I’m going to outline my goals to see where they take me:

1. Write at least 1,500 words of fiction per week.
2. Blog at least weekly, and keep up with my ROW80 sponsor duties.
3. Post two book reviews.
4. Finish the writing and editing processes, and release The Builders.
5. Finish writing the third book of the Red Slaves trilogy.
6. Walk at least a mile at least six days a week.
7. Spend at least one evening a week with hubs watching one of our backlog of shows or movies.

That’s more than plenty to keep my busy. I’ll keep you posted on my progress, but until then, check in with my ROW80 cohorts to see how they’re doing.