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?
Writing takes a back seat over the next seven days, as I’ll be turning my attention to the GenreCon Program. The rough framework has already been worked out, but I need to spend the quality time refining topics, developing the core question driving each panel, and putting together copy that will entice people to actually go along.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I’m a big fan of getting familiar with people who do a form well before you attempt to write in a particular style, and writing program copy is one of those things that very few people do well. I’ve been reviewing old programs from cons and other writing events, making notes about what works for me (and what doesn’t) and generally looking at the formulas that can be adapted.
What action do I need to take?
I didn’t do a full weekly checkpoint last week and paid for it again and again throughout the last seven days, between forgetting small-but-important tasks, failing to to remember a handful of appointments, and generally getting mired down on a handful of projects. I absolutely need to set aside some time to do a more thorough breakdown this week so there’s a little more clarity.
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
11 Responses
Good luck with the GenreCon program! Can’t wait to check it out. 🙂
My Sunday Circle is here.
Ohboy. There’s a lot of interesting threads in that generation of displaced boys entanglement. Immediately brings Fight Club to mind, and then the toxic development from satire into life philosophy, and the whole ugly MRA ball of worms. Have you looked much at the Hikikomori in Japan as a different cultural reaction to possibly similar pressures? Or say, going back to the MRA well, Men Going Their Own Way?
Hope the short story writing goes well!
Another book on lost-boys/MRA that might be interesting: Confessions of a Pick-Up Artist Chaser by Clarisse Thorne. It’s a memoir about hanging out with the MRA crowd by a blogger whose interested in sex, sexuality, and subcultures. It’s an incredibly interesting intersection of their worldview and her worldview as an S&M Feminist, and it hits upon a lot of moments where the “hanging with the lost boys” vibe suddenly turns weird and frightening.
What am I working on this week?
Last week was a train wreck thanks to disrupted sleep with the wee one getting up pre-5AM every day. So a lot of stuff got pushed back in the calendar. This week is (hopefully, given that she’s still sick with conjunctivitis) a number of Small Business Festival events to skill up on managing a freelance career, a couple of screenings for MIFF (both fantastic looking horror films), recording for a video game project, submitting a panel for PAX on narrative and performance in games, quarterstaff training, and squeezing in some recording for the film project as well. If things go to plan.
What’s inspiring me this week?
I’ve started playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag again as a reprieve from the oppressive atmosphere of horror games (research for a PAX panel) and it’s reignited the love for golden age piracy. Started listening to The Pirate History podcast as a low-investment way of getting more of the history until I can find time to sit in front of some books on the shelf.
I’ve also blocked out two weeks this month for up-skilling as per the change strategist’s recommendations, which is exciting (and admittedly a little scary, as numbers have been a little low this month) but it’s one thing I can control in the midst of a lot of things I can’t, so I’m looking forward to dedicating the time to chewing through some information. Not 100% completed on the film project yet, but it’s a spot in the calendar which is nicely dovetailed between project commitments, so I’d rather do it now than wait for a mythical ‘perfect time’.
What action do I need to take?
A little foggy on long-term strategy at the moment, but the key action for this week is getting that PAX Panel submitted, and starting to organise the prep for the panel’s discussion.
Ah yes, the mythical “perfect time”. The perfect time is now! (except for when little ones aren’t keeping you awake all night…) Good luck with getting the panel submitted.
Peter: I’m not surprised that you did the due diligence on program format before stepping into that world. Have you found festival programs online any help at all?
Are you able to carve out the time this afternoon while piggy-sitting to get a weekly checkpoint in?
It depends on the festival. Mostly, it’s just looking at copy and figuring out what works and what doesn’t (and paying particular attention to the topics that don’t resonate with me and make me want to go, so I can figure out why). The real trick is figuring out how to craft a description that sounds like its delivering something, rather than just putting people together to talk about topic X or Y. It’s virtually impossible to craft an entire program that doesn’t have some stuff that’s just throwing people together and getting them to talk, but it rarely works as well as I’d like.
But I did get all my checkpoints up to date over the weekend, and I’m starting to default back to doing detailed daily check-ins. Taking up two pages of bujo just to plan a day feels a little wasteful, but I can’t deny that’s it makes running disparate bits of segmented work much easier.
Looking forward to seeing the GenreCon program Peter.
A little late in the evening but here’s my Sunday Circle.
How is the decision making around the job application going?
I’m still in the running for the job & have decided if I’m offered it, I’ll take it. I thought about what both you & Kevin said and on balance I think being so close to my workplace will work out better for me, even though I’m doing extra hours. The culture at my current day job is quite toxic at the moment & the other place has a fantastic, positive vibe, so that weighed into it as well. I should find out at the end of this week.