It's been five weeks since summer vacation kicked into gear, and that's meant scarce alone time and tons of interruptions. In the summer, I allow the craziness to invade the house, knowing that fighting the chaos will only lead to frustration, resentment, and unneeded stress. It's the time of year where I can examine where I'm at and make reasonable strides towards improving myself and my creative career. It's a time where I can ruminate, reflect, and revise. I've even come to enjoy the tranquility of it, the way every day feels endless and full of promise. (Even when it seems I'm being interrupted for snacks every ten minutes.)
This month, I jotted down themes for my most promising projects, laying the foundation for each story. I read through and marked up Vampires! and started a new draft, only to find that my way of tackling productivity meant I wrote nothing but shit. Sure, there are a few striking sentences with the emotional resonance I was going for, but the vast majority is unsalvageable. I made the poor decision of creating a ten-day goal of 10,000 words written; I pushed for quantity over quality, realizing I only made more work for myself by rushing through rather than taking my time. I also started fleshing out Marlowe's narrative outline and have two completed acts (of five). I even started messing around with a new idea: Using Lipstick Covered Magnet's bones and rewriting it as a psychological horror that better aligns with my career goals.
Here's my June blog post for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, for those interested: The "Choose Your Own Adventure" Publishing Path
I've been officially off caffeine for fourteen days, and I feel great. The stress I was holding in my body has evaporated, and it's easier to stay grounded in the midst of frustrations. I've swapped caffeine sodas for caffeine-free alternatives and Liquid Death's sparkling waters. I've made it a point to work out every day, incorporating more burpees, pushups, and jump squats into my routine. I'm slowly upping my weights and would love to reach my Tough Mudder-era physique by the end of the year. Despite what my physical therapist said, exercise can strengthen and heal wounded muscles. My shoulders are less "spicy" when I do weight training, and the chest exercises have done wonders for the aches I've been getting since September. I've also been going bowling once a week with the family. I went from sub-100 games to bowling an average of 117. My best score to date is 145. That's not a fantastic game by any stretch of the imagination; the main takeaway is that practice creates reliability and progress.
In July, I hope to complete my scaffolding outline for Marlowe's Annwyn volume, write more of Vampires!, write one short story, and create a new method of tracking my writing progress (I'm currently leaning towards a season based system).
Watches of the month: I was stoked for the final season of The Bear and Carolina Caroline. They were both good but didn't make it past a 4.5 and 4-star rating, respectively. I recommend both, but neither reached the five-star barrier, falling just shy of excellence.
Song of the month: "Vampire Diaries" by MGK
The below lists are ordered by most recently watched/read.
June Watch List
The Devil's Hour, Series 1 - β β β β
The Bear, Season 5 - β β β β .5
Carolina Caroline - β β β β
The Sheep Detectives - β β β
Groundswell - β β β .5
Brassic, Series 1 - β β β
The Endless - β β β .5
The Listeners - β β β
Heel - β β β β .5
This is England '90 - β β β
This is England '88 - β β β β
This is England '86 - β β β β
Coven - β β
Send Help - β β β .5
What It Feels Like for a Girl - β β β .5
Barbie - β β β .5
June Reads
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy - β β β β
Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza - β β β .5
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due - β β β β
Until next time, stay rad.