‘Twas the week around Christmas and New Years,
and all through the land,
self-employed artists were fretting,
about their families Holiday demands…
If this sounds familiar, come join me for this week’s edition of the Sunday Circle, where we’ll set some intentions for the coming week and talk about the stuff that’s a little too knotty to get finished right now.
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?
My partner’s on Holidays and there’s commitments on both Xmas and Boxing Day, to say nothing of the upcoming New Years. I’m keeping my expectations low on creative projects this week–whatever progress I make on Warhol Sleeping and the Space MMA story are the progress I make for the week. The wordcount goal is around 9,000, based upon my “work” days.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I read the first three novellas in Mark Dawnson’s Beatrix Rose series and really, really loved them.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mark Dawson’s John Milton series–it’s good, don’t get me wrong, but I already have more Jack Reacher books to read and I’m not really looking for a character to supplement those.
Beatrix Rose doesn’t fit as neatly into the paradigm. Dawson’s done a couple of interviews where he’s referenced the fact that Beatrix Rose is his homage to Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and that subtle shift in focus makes an incredible difference in the tone of the story.
What action do I need to take?
I need to take another look at how I’m ordering my day, both within the microcosm of this week and the larger framework. I’ve been spending the last two hours of my work day in the local foodcourt, but the combination of a Queensland heatwave and ongoing construction there have made it untenably hot for a long-term workspace.
It’s been a good prompt to start looking for other ways of using that two-hour block, and maybe picking a venue where I’ll be required to do a little walking given that exercise has largely fallen by the wayside in the last two or three months.
