The Sunday Circle: What Are You Working On This Week?

The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).

After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.

Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).

MY CHECK-IN

What am I working on this week?

I’m two weeks and 20,000 words into Project Rad at the moment, and narrative has just coalesced as a bunch of scenes turned into a structure where all the narrative beats line up. I know roughly what the story is doing and how it pulls together, which means the writing process gets a little easier from this point on. Also a little slower, as I’m no long just writing a scene and trusting it’ll have a home in the final work–things actually have an ongoing intent. 

What’s inspiring me this week?

After mainlining five and a half seasons of True Blood over the last month, I decided to go back and read the original Sookie Stackhouse novels and picked up the first omnibus edition which includes the first three. It’s fascinating to see the transitions between book and show–the characters who get a more prominent role, those who get shuffled away into the background. Also, the richness that’s added when the focus moves away from a single viewpoint.

At the same time, the novels are really tight, easy reads that make full use of Sookie’s voice and perspective to keep things light and moving on at a tremendous pace. It’s the kind of thing that looks really simple on the surface, but is incredibly hard to pull off. 

What action do I need to take?

I’ve been taking my time getting on top of things since my dad died back in March, keeping my focus on the baseline essentials of life (writing, thesis, partner) and gradually stacking new things on top once I feel like I’ve got a handle on things. Two of the things that has been left to lie fallow is email and other communications, and long-term planning so I’m on top of my schedule.

They’re both trouble-spots, because leaving them so long means addressing the shame of leaving them so long, and that becomes a recurring loop that makes it easy to keep ignoring things. I really need to start taking the easy steps and clearing the decks in a meaningful way.