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’ve got a rough draft of the conference paper down at the moment, which means this week is all refinement and building up. The core focus is just clocking up hours and making sure that I’ve got a next step–I lost track a little on the Thursday gone after hitting the end of the draft because I’m only thinking to the end of the current task.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I reviewed Alan Baxter’s Write the Fight Right as preparation for some coming manuscripts that are heavily fight focused, and it’s a really useful book for getting a bunch of little details you can use in a fight scene
What action do I need to take?
There’s a moderately urgent email to my supervisor that I’ve been putting off, and a whole bunch of filing that needs to be done. A lot of things are intentionally on hold until I’ve done my paper on the 23rd of January.
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
5 Responses
Short week due to plague.
Damn you, short weeks.
What am I working on this week?
Book 3 line edits. Got through my list of eyebrows twitching and mouths turning down and things leaping at things. Now it’s just the raw plod through the words.
What’s inspiring me this week?
Been listening to Chicane’s Twenty lately. A mix of old and (for me) new.
What action do I need to take?
A newsletter and/or blog post, because it’s time to do one and it’s my first book’s one year anniversary.
Damn you, plague.
Dammit! My reply got eaten.
Hope you feel better soon, Sean. Congratulations on the first anniversary for book number one!
Peter: where’s the uncertainty/discomfort in that phone call that’s causing you to put it off? Is there something you need to do preparation-wise that’s causing the pain?
Congrats on getting the rough draft down, too!
What am I working on this week?
Finishing off the read of Rest and Off The Clock, and getting back to Story. So, study study study. Also doing a guest spot on a friend’s livestream this Sunday, which should be fun!
What’s inspiring me this week?
I spent a lot of time over the break doing the logistical equivalent of flossing. So I now have email filters and a weekly dashboard that are primed for the activities I need to do week to week to be successful for the next six months. I’ve spent some time reworking how I use Omnifocus 2, and instead of a set of shoulds it has a more useable and less intimidating set of actionable items for projects (I’ve discovered that Omnifocus is a lousy tool to put my daily to-do list in, personally) So that’s got me feeling pretty excited, feeling like it’s time well spent.
I’ve also had the realisation that preparing food is one of my real joys when it comes to downtime and unnecessary creating, so I’m looking at getting into a regular schedule around that going forward, to experiment and try new recipes. (Peter: finally made the chickpea & pesto recipe from Thug Kitchen, and it’s fantastic!)
Stimulus-wise, I’m on a Nick Cave jag at the moment which doesn’t really fit well with any upcoming projects, but I’m indulging it. Excited to be watching Atomic Blonde and Haywire with my movie buddy tomorrow, and really keen to check out Polar when it drops. (assassins are SO HOT RIGHT NOW)
What action do I need to take?
Shifting over to closing out Story and doing daily writing, to move that forward. Otherwise the time spent preparing over the break risks spilling over into yak-shaving and avoidance.
(comment made to modify subscription settings)