Even though I hurt myself and was out of commission for about a week and a half, I still finished October relatively strong. I even outperformed the average month in 2022, which is kind of disheartening. Imagine what I could have accomplished if I didn't cripple myself.
No worries, though. It happens, and all I can really do is get back up to speed after hitting the speed bump. You wouldn't continue traveling at the same speed after going over one, would you? Of course, not. Once the bump is cleared, you press on the gas to continue down that road.
A Chaotic Start to November
There's no doubt that my November started a bit rockier than I would have liked. Currently, we're playing the "by ear" game of getting my daughter to and from school every day. We don't know who can do what until that day, which is not conducive to keeping a regular schedule.
She loves the school and seems to be doing well, so I will do what it takes to keep her going. I'll make it work somehow, as I usually do.
I've also had a few other things crop up this week that required my attention, so it wasn't just getting my daughter to school that slowed me down this week. There are simply a lot of things going on and I'm being stretched in a lot of different directions. I feel like a Stretch Armstrong being quartered by horses.
Enjoying the Writing Course So Far
I do have to say, I'm quite enjoying the writing course from Reedsy. It's only week two, but things are progressing nicely. I'm looking forward to giving it a proper review in February, but so far, I've adapted a few new techniques and feel good that some of the things I do already are relatable to what other successful authors put into their manuscripts.
Currently, I am in the process of uploading weekly videos regarding my experiences with the writing course. Think of them as kind of like mini reviews of each week's lessons. In this case, I'm writing a new book as I go, which should be ready for beta readers by February 11th. Well, that's the idea, anyway. I'm using the new book to practice what I learn throughout the next three months. And I have to say, I'm really liking this new story.
In any case, I've met quite a few nice people and Tom Bromley is a great instructor. I can't wait to see what's next in the coming weeks.
Definitely Breaking My Word Count Record
Statistically speaking, I am a mere 32 days away from breaking last year's word count record. In the past, I would carefully keep an eye on this count as it demonstrated to myself just how productive I've been throughout the year. It's motivational and inspirational to see how far I've come since 2012. However, I've been shifting more toward keeping an eye on time management. This involves how much of an 8-hour day I spend actually working on various projects.
This is because a lot of what I do nowadays doesn't involve actual writing, which is a bummer. Between the editing work I do for clients, spending time researching content for my writing team, and a slew of other projects that are more technical, I don't get to write as much as I would like.
So, when I see that I am just 98,000 words away from breaking my yearly record, it's a bit more exciting all things considered. To put that into perspective, my best month for writing was December of 2022 with 95,393 words. Theoretically, I should surpass that shortly after the end of November.
Due to the fact that I have two books I want to finish before the end of the year and working on the new one for the Reedsy writing course, and trying to fix the blogs, I should have some incredible word counts for the remainder of 2023. That is until yet another speed bump is tossed in front of me. It's not a matter of if, but when.
Setting Up Next Year's Goals and Spreadsheet
In November, I usually start working on setting up the next year's spreadsheet and goals. That way, I can start "practicing" what I want to achieve while hammering out any issues before the year actually starts.
Yep, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a bit of a dork when it comes to numbers. Part of me thinks I should have been a scientist.
Anyway, I think next year's goal is going to involve more books and improving time management. Because at the end of the day, how you manage the time you have dictates how successful you'll become. Things don't just fall into everyone's lap. For the vast majority of us, we need to put in the effort to reap the rewards.
I would also like to see what I can actually do with my YouTube channels in 2024. As I am currently working on four books and three blogs, I just don't have the time to invest until I can get some of these things finished and out of the way. So, YouTube will be something I'll work toward throughout the entirety of next year.
It all comes down to time.
Prepping for Extra Life Weekend
Although we don't pull in a lot of donations throughout Extra Life weekend, we've been participating in the weekend of gaming since 2014. It's perhaps one of the most important charities for me due to the backstory.
Extra Life donates proceeds to Children's Miracle Network. And each registered "player" can support a local branch of that. In my case, I support Children's Hospital here in Denver. That's mostly because we had a scare with my oldest daughter when she was about four. She has always had a hard time breathing, and one night, she had an acute asthma attack that turned critical. By the time she was in the hospital bed in the emergency room, her little lips were turning Pepsi can blue.
Needless to say, we were flown out of Sterling to Denver as the hospital couldn't accommodate her needs.
We spent the weekend at Children's Hospital, and the staff were nothing short of amazing. Ever since then, I do what I can to help. This has included participating with Extra Life, building ColoradoPlays.com (which automatically donates 30% of any revenue made to Extra Life), silent charity auctions, and even Halloween parties for charity.
Anyway, we'll be playing this weekend on both YouTube and Twitch. I'm not sure how this weekend is going to go considering how everyone has alternating work schedules. But we're still going to do what we can to help with Extra Life.
If you're interested, you can find us at:
YouTube: Colorado Plays
Twitch: ColoradoPlays
It's Gonna Be a Busy End to 2023!
Books, blogs, videos, and holidays - it's going to be a busy one this year. But all of it contributes to the greater good. And as long as I can keep the forward momentum going, I should have no problem meeting a few expectations before the end of 2023.
And yes, I'm violently knocking on wood as I wrote that last line.
How do you plan to wrap up your year?