September update; October goals

Days written: 20/30
Words written: 7,867
Words of fic written: 4,754
Words written, YTD: 75,006
Stories worked on: Six
Stories posted: Three

( Charts didn't think it was too ambitious this time, but boy were we wrong about that one. )

Specific goals:
1. Write at least six days per week (except for the one weekend I'll be out of town) and make another run at hitting the wordcount goal for the month. Despite the above I got pretty close to the first half of the goal (I didn't write at all when I was traveling), but the second was a far, far miss.

2. Complete and post the Remix Revival story (due September 10th) Success!

3. Make significant progress on Face the Music sequel. Not really; I was not in the headspace to write an action-y long fic this month.

4. Post at least two media reviews to either my journal or ladybusiness. I successfully finished and posted my Buried Heart review, and I also did my two Adventure Zone write-ups, so I suppose those count.

And now for the Q3 check-in on my annual goals:

1. Sign up for getyourwordsout with the intention of hitting the 150k goal. Well. Today I realized that I was close to hitting the halfway mark for the year, so I decided to make a point of doing so. And I have. Getting the rest of the way would require writing 25k words per month for the next three months, and I can tell you that this is not going to happen. But I'll do what I can.

2. Keep up the regular linkspam posts in my journal; write at least one, ideally two posts for ladybusiness every month; and stay on top of contributing to ladybusiness anchor posts and group projects. Except for the linkspam, which is still usually around two a month, and contributing to anchor posts, I have fallen down on this a bit.

3. Participate in at least one Big Bang and two fic exchanges. Of these, at least one of these should be new to me. Remix Revival isn't exactly a new exchange -- it's a rebranding of Remix Redux -- but I did participate in it. I imagine I'll get into a holiday exchange by the end of the year, but I doubt I will find a Big Bang between now and then. But I'll keep my eye out.

4. Once Wardens of Ivalice Part 2 is finished, pick a month to prioritize writing a first draft of Part 3, with a goal of getting it posted sometime in 2018. So, I'm torn. I still want to do this, but I also want to finish the Alistair story, and I feel like I need to get that out of the way first. It won't be October. But maybe November will work.

5. Find a fic prompt community I like and participate regularly. Recommendations welcome! I picked up a ladiesbingo card that I think will fill out the rest of the year nicely. One story already posted, and I have an idea for the next.

October has the potential to be a really quiet month, or a really busy month, depending on some family stuff that's up-in-the-air. So I'll keep the goals small-ish, just in case.

1. Write six days a week unless I end up traveling.

2. Write at least one more Ladies Bingo story.

3. Outline the Alistair story and work toward having a complete draft by the end of the month.

4. At least two media reviews.

Something on Sunday: Thanks for the memories

Earlier this week, the always-marvelous readingtheend aka Jenny proposed a simple idea to promote more community and sharing on blogs: "Something on Sunday"

The only guidelines are that you write about something that kept you on your feet that week, whether that’s a person that inspired you, an action you took that you’re proud of, a book or movie or TV show that nourished your heart, a self-care strategy that worked for you, a goofy event or moment that brought you joy. Whatever it is, every Sunday, I want you to tell me something that matters to you.

I think this is brilliant. And I'm always looking for routes back into long-form blogging, because I love it, and I miss it, and although my track record with keeping up on projects like this is poor, I'm going to at least give it a try. Sunday afternoons and evenings are often a good opportunity for me to plan writing time -- it's usually when I do my ladybusiness work for the week -- so I can be hopeful!

There is no question what I will pick as my inspiration this week: baseball. The San Francisco Giants had a truly wretched season this year -- they lost almost 100 games and ended up with their second-worst record in the last century -- and I admit I didn't follow quite as closely as usual because it was so frustrating. But last week, Matt Cain announced in a team meeting that this season would be his last. He was scheduled to start yesterday, and within a few minutes of hearing the news, it occurred to me to check for tickets. I got lucky: two excellent seats for a very reasonable price. Since T is still out of town, I asked around friends and family, and my cousin L was able to join me. We went to the game, and even though the Giants lost, it was an excellent and memorable experience.

Matt Cain has been one of my most beloved baseball players for many years, since he came up in 2004, only 20 years old, and developed into the brightest spot on a mediocre team -- Barry Bonds was on his way out, Buster Posey was still a few years away, and the team couldn't score a run to save their life. But Cain kept plugging away, putting in solid-to-brilliant starts and taking losses for his trouble (his final win-loss record, just a hair below .500, is not at all representative of his talent). And he never complained: not to the media, not within the baseball community, and by all accounts not in private either. His nickname was The Horse, because he took the heavy load and kept on going. And then, suddenly, a few years before anyone was really expecting it, the rest of the team around him caught fire and kept going, winning three World Series in five years. Cain was a big part of the 2010 team's success, but 2012 was his year: that was the year of the perfect game, and he started the All-Star Game, and put some brilliant playoff performances, and if he hadn't already been beloved, this was the year that would cement him as a legend in franchise history.

But no sports career lasts forever, and Cain's downhill slide began not long after. He missed much of 2014, including all of the playoffs, due to injury; he had elbow surgery that offseason and was never quite the same pitcher again. His contract is up this year, and rather than try to pull it back together with another team, he's decided to call it a career, and retire a life-long Giant. And who can blame him? It's hard work, and he has young kids, and although sometimes older players get lucky when they try to reinvent themselves, the odds are long. I'm so glad that it worked out for him to pitch one last time in front of the home fans. He made it through the fifth inning, and when he walked off the mound for the last time, met manager Bruce Bochy at the top of the stairs, and shook his hand, then hugged him, the wave of love and support and appreciation was so amazing. It even comes through on the video, how much Matt Cain means not only to the fans but to his teammates. The San Jose Mercury News has a good story about the game itself, and Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles (my favorite Giants blog) does a better job than me of explaining why Matt Cain means so much to the Giants fandom. I'm so fortunate that I was able to be there, and that my cousin was there to share the moment with me.