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 doing rewrites of my thesis chapter ahead of my confirmation submission in 8 days, which looks like it’ll be taking up the bulk of my writing time this week.
What’s inspiring me this week?
Mary Capallo’s Swallow, a history of people who swallow foreign objects and the doctor who pioneered their non-surgical removal. I had a lot of doubts about the book when I started it, but I kept hitting points where I was cringing as I read it and some of the lists of things people have swallowed is incredible reading. I ended up taking three pages of notes for things I either want to include in stories or just remember ’cause they were interesting.
What action do I need to take?
I’ve got a bunch of paperwork that I need to finish for the confirmation, which will disappear until the last minute if I don’t keep an eye on them.
I’ve ended up taking a short, unscheduled break from writing newsletters over the last fourteen days. Regular GenrePunk Ninja transmissions will resume
Like many of you, I have good weeks and bad weeks on the writing front. This week has been rocky, and if
Welcome to GenrePunk Ninja supplemental, where I occasionally post foundational essays written before I launched the GenrePunk Ninja newsletter, especially if they’re
7 Responses
What am I working on this week?
Continuing to work on Obituarist III, which is going to be my focus for the next two months.
I didn’t get as much done last week as I’d planned. My writing skills are kind of an atrophied muscle right now; it’s hard to work it, and it needs to build up strength through short bursts of repeated effort. And maybe steroids.
What’s inspiring me this week?
Roleplaying, baby!
My 2018 gaming plans kick off this week, starting with a Freeport/One Last Job one-shot today. Then I wrap up a long-delayed Cthulhu Dark game on Wednesday, play Urban Shadows on Thursday and finally begin my year(ish)-long Tremulus/Armitage Files campaign next Sunday.
The trick is to make sure I game enough to stay creatively/socially energised, without losing too much time that I need for writing. I failed that last year; will see how I go this time.
What action do I need to take?
I’ve got to finish setting some reading, writing, professional and emotional goals, then break them into milestones and put them into my calendar. And then, of course, follow through.
Have you got dedicated game prep hours slotted into your week? I found that gaming prep ate into other activities all through my week until I started setting aside a three-hour block every Wednesday where I knew I’d do any state blocks or in-depth plotting that needed to be done.
I still add some notes to a “to do” page in my bullet journal throughout the rest of the week, but it’s never more than five to ten minutes a day of scribbled notes and working out priorities.
I haven’t, but that’s a really good idea. I’ve got into the habit of doing game prep as my kind of default activity, and quarantining it should help me shift gears to put more focus on reading/writing. Thanks!
Sounds like a busy but fun week. As for setting goals on the calendar, you may already do this, but I find marking off all the days I know I probably won’t get any work done helpful in parsing the writing goals in a way that can actually be hit (usually).
Swallow sounds totally amazing! Definitely adding it to the list. And good luck on your thesis!
My Sunday Circle is here.
It’s aloghtly less amazing than others sounds on paper – the writing is dense, and it’s basically a book length personal essay rather than a popular science/biography next. Some of it is a definite slog, but the brilliant bits are really brilliant.
Good luck on tackling the paperwork, Peter!
My Sunday Circle is here