It’s the end of the month, so I usually take a little time to evaluate how I’ve been doing. I just now put all my word counts into my spreadsheet for the month(I did have them written down in my journal, but the spreadsheet calculates my total and how much more I need to write each day. Which really only helps when I actually INPUT THE NUMBERS!). And I’m not even close to meeting my goal of 40,000 words for the month. I usually don’t have a problem. But, I’ve been a little scattered with my goals and how I get to them…well, I was going to say this month, but really, it’s been this way for a while. I need to figure out how to actually get some things finished. Next month(as long as I don’t change my mind again), I’m going to try to focus on editing. Then, in November, I’ll go back to drafting. We’ll see how this goes.
Writing
The Mirror to Perfection
Added 1782 words to this. I have 3 scenes left to finish in the first half(unless, of course, I realize I need to add more scenes between what I have planned).
Queer Cruise
I finished writing back stories for this, outlined it, and wrote the first 600 words. Mostly this came from the previous version.
Rounding for Home
Added 4527 words to this. I’m about halfway through the first act(unless I keep adding unplanned scenes).
And I also set up a page on Ream, which is kind of like Patreon but designed specifically for writers. I have a tier for my mystery content, one for my romance content, and another for both of them combined.
Reading
I’ve read some decent books in the last week, but nothing that stands out.
Crafting
Omnisexual and Proud
Story
I have the next scene of the first Selkies story this week.
"Where have you been? I expected you home nearly an hour ago."
Muiren startled a little, dropping the keys to the floor just inside the door. "Mom. I told you I was going to be out most of the day. It's summer vacation. I didn't know I needed to account for every minute of my day."
"Do not take that tone with me, Muiren. I do not appreciate it."
Muiren sighed and rubbed her thumb along her forehead. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't plan to be out this late, but I lost track of time."
Her mother let out a long sigh, that somehow sounded like Muiren's own. "Where were you? Did you eat? I put dinner away, but I can warm some up for you."
Muiren put a hand on her mom's arm. "You don't need to do that. I'm hungry, but I can get it for myself."
Her mom's eyes, a deep green unlike Muiren's own dark brown, widened a bit. "You are the strangest teenager I have ever known."
Muiren couldn't help but laugh at that. "I've lost count of the times you've said that. And you raised me this way, Mom. You only have yourself to blame."
Something seemed to pass over her face then, but she turned away from Muiren. "I need to finish something for work tomorrow. Make sure you do eat something before you go shut yourself in your room. I need to leave early in the morning, so I probably won't see you. Please try to be home in time for dinner, though. Or at least let me know if you won't be. I wasn't sure if something..." She shook her head then walked out of the room. Muiren heard the bedroom door click firmly closed, and she closed her eyes.
She hadn't meant to upset her mom, or make her worry. Muiren had heard her pacing at night so many times over the years, worrying about Muiren's health, about the bills, about Muiren was sure she didn't even know. And having to do it all on her own. The last thing she wanted to do was put any more weight on her mother's shoulders.
But, the only way to avoid doing that seemed to be to stay here in this house all day, every day and never venture out into the world. And that just sounded so...stifling. Muiren thought about Ronan then, and how they seemed to have the whole world they could explore. Muiren bet no one tried to hold them back.
Or did they? They'd been worried Muiren meant to steal their pelt. Or their shell. Though Muiren wasn't sure what powers that shell would have had. She could almost still feel the pulse of it against her hand, though. Which didn't make a lot of sense.
But, very little about today did. She didn't even think a selkie could shift when they didn't have their pelt on them. But, then again, she only knew the little her mom could tell her. And what the myths said, but she knew most of those only held a tiny grain of truth.
Maybe if her father had stuck around longer, she could have learned some things from him. Instead, he'd left when she'd been not quite five and hadn't ever returned. It had just been her and her mother since then.
And she felt like such an ungrateful child for resenting her mother sometimes. But, that didn't stop the feeling from blooming from time to time. Muiren sighed and went into the kitchen. She was hungry. So, she'd eat. And shove these feelings down, like she did each and every time. Maybe eventually they'd go away.
Everything always did in the end after all.