IWSG Day and 1st Tri-annual Writing Progress Report

Happy IWSG Day! Can you believe it’s May already? Oh well. That means we’ve had five months of sharing our writing woes. Five months of encouraging our fellow writers in our snug writing community. And with many more to come. All thanks goes to ninja extraordinaire Alex Cavanaugh for bringing us together.
And thanks to the awesome co-hosts posting today: E.M.A. Timar, J. Q. Rose, C.Lee McKenzie, and Raimey Gallant!
Interested in joining us? Click on the badge above. Our Twitter hashtag and handle are #IWSG and @TheIWSG.
So what’s going on with me this month?

I’ve been messing around on Canva.com again and created new temporary covers for my WIPs. What do you think?

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But mostly, I’ve been reviewing my writing progress the first four months of 2018 and making plans in reaching some of my 2018 goals during my blogging break.
Now, for 2018 I made a lot of plans. Some I was on goal, others I was not. In particular in not writing any new stories until at least I’ve completed one or two of my current WIPs. But I did write 30 new poems in NaPoWriMo this past April. Four of which were published in an online magazine.
Also knowing I’d be busy because I’m doing the 85K90 I forego taking part in NaPoWriMo this year. Only to jump in mid way through. That’s what I get for washing my hand in the bathroom too long at work. A poem floats into my head and I’m sucked back in.
And now I have another series of three romance shorts. This time featuring women with unique, holiday inspired names. Already started back stories and chosen character based images for my heroines. But having trouble with one. First let me introduce you to my heroines!
On the left is Steflon Don as Valentina. And on the right is Thandie Newton as Merry.:

Credit image: https://assets.capitalfm.com/2018/07/stefflon-don-brit-awards-2018-red-carpets-1519230800-view-0.jpg

Credit image: https://i.pinimg.com/474x/db/d6/75/dbd675606c74124653506ad8d443ec9a–thandie-newton-british-actresses.jpg

Now the heroine giving me the most trouble is Independence who also goes by the nickname Indie. Which of these five do you think is best suited to become the hair stylist extraordinaire Indie? (left to right) Alison Hinds, Amara LaNagra, Nefta Perry, Janelle Monae or Danai Gurira?:

Credit image: https://i1.wp.com/106liveradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Fashion-is-Miss-B-066-Copy.jpg?resize=683%2C1024

Credit image: https://www.billboard.com/files/styles/article_main_image/public/media/amara-la-negra-2017-billboard-1548.jpg

Credit image: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0675230/mediaviewer/rm2243621120

Credit image: http://blackyouthproject.com/janelle-monae-stopping-sex-marie-claire/

Credit image: https://hips.hearstapps.com/ell.h-cdn.co/assets/15/51/1280×1707/gallery-1450457763-elle-danai-gurira-2.jpg?resize=480:*

Anyways, here’s a look at my writing progress from January to April. And what my summer writing plan for 2018 will be during my blogging break.
Submissions:

• Had two more poems published in Feminine Collective magazine bringing it up to four poems published in the past 6-8 months

Summer Writing plan:

• Revise and edit poems in 2017-2018 NaPoWriMo
• Find a new title for poetry manuscript
• Submit more poems

Wattpad:

• Added new bonus story to Foreseen series.
• Created new temporary Foreseen main book cover and individual cover for bonus story on Canva.com
• Created another wanted ad in the Multimedia Designs club forum to find a new cover design for The Soul Traveler

Summer Writing plan:

• Edit and continue to upload Foreseen stories 1-4 plus bonus story on Wattpad
• Write and upload Hellsgate on Wattpad

Writing:

• Foreseen 1-4
  • • Draft the four romantic shorts/novelettes
    • Plot and outline bonus story
    • 154 reads, 14 vote on Wattpad

  Paving My Author’s Road blog

  • • 539 followers
    • 392 blog posts published

Paving My Author’s Road blog
• • 539 followers
  • 392 blog posts published

Summer Writing plan:

• Complete, edit and beta read/critique The Soul Traveler
• Rewrite, revise/edit and beta read test/critique Foreseen series
• Decide on NaNoWriMo 2018 novel

Now NaNoWriMo is six months away but I’m already stumped on what novel I should do for the challenge. Just a few months ago I thought for sure I’ll be writing a fantasy story about the rise of a desert queen I have filed away. Then I started thinking about how I need to finish another fantasy story, Nadia the Fire Witch, that I’ve put on hold. Or I can use next year’s 85K90 writing challenge to complete it. But I also have a third and final novel and bonus novella story, Dreaming of Love and Dream Fake Lover, I want to start writing to complete the Dream Brotha Series.

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Oh well. Will be using those six months wisely to make my decision.
What’s going on with you this month? What are you working on now? Have any publication/book promo shot outs to make? Are you already thinking about NaNoWriMo? Will you be camping in July?

May 2 question – It’s spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?
Spring generally makes me want to rest and direct my creative reserves to writings I want to focus more on. I tend to write more the first few months of a new year. It’s why I go on blogging breaks during spring and summer. I’ve yet to curb my tendency to do too much by the time spring rolls. By then my mind is so bogged down I can’t think of anything to write. But at least I finally learned to use my blogging break wisely. And not fill it with a lot of writing goals to accomplish.
Now I’m off to my blogging break! But don’t worry. Still plan to pop in every first Wednesday of the month for IWSG. And have a special blog post or two that I’ll be coming off of break to write. (One’s in July. Sssshhh, don’t tell anyone).
See yeah. And those with kids graduation coming soon, Happy Graduation! And Happy Summer Vacation!