Hello all! Time for another dares post, but first we’re trying something new.
-February Highlights-
- Went to California to visit my sister and her family for a week. Pictures coming Wednesday! Although not very good pictures. I also made some observations about humankind while I was down there (basically, I spied on random people and made mental notes about their behavior … because waiting in airports is boring …), and I got around to asking my sister a question about publishing that I’ve been putting off. (What? I’m stubborn about asking for advice/help … like, really stubborn …)
- Helped my (other) sister host a Valentine’s Day Party for kids. It was so much fun! I got to spend time with both my niece and my nephew while making valentines … and it was amazing to observe the differences in their behavior. The boy was covering his hearts with frog stickers and showing me the difference between boy frog stickers and girl frog stickers (don’t ask …), and the girl was carefully pasting each heart in a careful pattern and making it look just so … And yet y’all try to tell me there’s no difference between boys and girls? Yeah, right. There’s a difference, and it ain’t just biology … it’s mental.
Have you noticed that the same people who claim they love differences want everyone to be the same? How on earth does that make sense?! - Went to several homeschool P.E. classes. I need the exercise. 😉 Seriously, though, I love playing basketball and soccer and dodgeball with our homeschool group. Especially since we get to play rough. No blood, no guts, no game … 😛
- Got to see my friends more often. Several parties/sleepovers/get-togethers. I unashamedly love my friends, and I didn’t get to see them much throughout January, so I was very glad to spend more time with them.
- Finished Flowers at 11,157 words. Yay!!!
- Got the final drafts for the new covers of TDS and IvIn. I can’t wait to share them with you … they are amazing! 🙂
Now on to the dares! (and yes, I do realize that my transitions are awful …)
- Read and review ten books. Check! I’m a little behind on my reviewing, I admit, but I did read twelve books this month.
- Short-review one book each day. Kinda. I short-reviewed a lot of books this month, but I didn’t do one every day.
- Finish off your current read-to-review list. Failed. I just wasn’t able to do it, I’m afraid to say. I didn’t read a lot this month.
- Read 3 books recommended in the comments of January’s dare post. Failed. I didn’t even glance at the recommended books in my January dare post. 🙁
- Read one classic. Failed. Unless you count When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke … which I kinda do. But by the world’s standards, I failed. 😛 Ooh, by the way, there’s a new season of When Calls the Heart on Nexflix! *dances*
- Finish Flowers. Check! I finished it on the 12th.
- Read through Ivy Introspective twice. Kinda. I read through it once, and I’m in the middle of reading through it the second time.
- Figure out the plot of The Dressmaker’s Secret. Kinda. I did make a lot of progress, but I don’t think I’ve got it all “figured out.”
- Alternate days of TDS and IvIn. Failed. Honestly, this wasn’t the best idea …
- Don’t let other projects interfere. Check! I didn’t work much on anything this month … but that’s besides the point. I won. That’s all that matters … 😉
- Build up resources page. Check! I’ll always be adding to it, but it is a lot better than it was last month. At least, I think so.
- Get better at graphics. Kinda. Eh …
- Be professional, fun, and original. Kinda. I made a couple posts I’m proud of, but I don’t think I’m a better blogger than I was last month.
- Don’t enter any more blog tours. Failed. XD No comment …
- Write a post for Send the Light. Check! I reblogged it to Reveries moments before I published this post. 😛
- See people more often. Check! What? I did, too …
- Be consistent with Bible-reading and instrument-practicing. Kinda. I read my Bible pretty consistently. I did miss a couple days, but who’s counting? And … instruments? What are instruments? XD
- Earn ten dollars. Failed. I did earn $6 … and my home gave me $3 to buy a pen in California … so I technically am $9 richer, right? So …?
- Don’t become overwhelmed. Failed. *laughs*
- Take pictures. Check! I took quite a few on our California trip. I’ll be sharing some of them with you this Wednesday.
So … this wasn’t really the best month for me. So on to something (hopefully) happier! And, just so you know, I’ve decided not to add little comments to my dares, mostly because I’m in a bit of a rush today. And yes, that will be dreadfully annoying for you because you won’t understand them all. *cackles*
- Read ten books.
- One must be a classic.
- Five must be review copies.
- Post at least five reviews on your blog
- Do a blog survey for Reveries Reviews.
- Put all IvIn edits on computer and ask for beta-readers.
- Rewrite the chapter 26+ portion of TDS.
- Complete outline of Caught in a Spell.
- Write three chapters of Once a Stratton.
- Just survive. (What? A writer’s life is tough!)
- Post consistently and professional on Reveries.
- Post consistently and professional on Reveries Reviews.
- Get better at commenting on other peoples’ blogs.
- Find a way to record your writing progress on your sidebar.
- Actually remember to share your posts on social media.
- Read the Bible.
- Buy a new string for your guitar.
- Practice your clarinet and guitar.
- Work with Riley. (He has an unnatural fear of leashes …)
- Waste less time.
And that’s it for this month, lovelies! See you in April. (Not really … I’ll be seeing you many times before April. It’s just the dares that won’t be around until next month.)
~Kellyn Roth
The Discussion Questions
- How did February go for you? Was it a fail like mine? Have you found that the short month makes it harder to accomplish as much stuff as in longer months?
- What are your goals for March?
- How should I record word counts/progress on my sidebar? I’ve yet to find a word count meter I like.
- Have you any tips for editing? Because I’m trying to think of something fresh to do. I should probably just change the font or something …
- Is having a highlight at the start of each ‘dares’ post a good idea … or a bad one? Did you enjoy this month’s highlight?
- Is there any way I could improve my posts on Reveries? Is there anything missing on Reveries? Is there anything unnecessary on Reveries? (Don’t be afraid of honesty! My feelings are not as important as the truth. 😉 )
17 Responses
Yes! The short month does make everything much more difficult. XD I didn’t get half as much done as I’d hoped to. For March, I don’t have any outlined goals, but plenty of day-to-day stuff like writing and blogging more consistently, etc. I’m glad your trip to CA was enjoyable. 🙂 Have a great March!
Good, I’m glad I’m not alone! I was wondering if I was the only one losing time in February … 😉 I hope you’re able to accomplish that. And my CA trip was … oh, pretty good. A little boring at points, but nice. You too!
I just saw that you followed my wordpress blog, and I just wanted to let you know that is not my actual blog. It was a test I was doing for something else, but my real blog is on blogspot. XP It’s bethanyr4Him.blogspot.com if you want to follow me there. 🙂
Oh, okay! I didn’t notice (obviously). Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
http://www.critiquecircle.com/wordmeterbuilder.asp One thing done, there you go XD. That’s what I use for my novels.
Thank you! I’ll try that one. 🙂
How did February go for you? Was it a fail like mine? Have you found that the short month makes it harder to accomplish as much stuff as in longer months?: OMG I FAILED SO HORRIBLY FOR FEBRUARY I’M JUST CRINGING TO MYSELF.
What are your goals for March?: Accomplishing stuff. 😉 SHEESH, CAN’T YOU WAIT UNTIL WEDNESDAY FOR MY GOALS??? *shakes head at impatient Kellyn*
How should I record word counts/progress on my sidebar? I’ve yet to find a word count meter I like.: I HAVE NO IDEA. 🙂 I would recommend mine but it works sometimes and fails other times…
Have you any tips for editing? Because I’m trying to think of something fresh to do. I should probably just change the font or something …: Oh. Haha. Um. I’m really bad at editing. So. Just pretend this was never asked.
Is having a highlight at the start of each ‘dares’ post a good idea … or a bad one? Did you enjoy this month’s highlight?: Maybe have it at the end??? IDK. I feel like it would be better if you reflect on last month’s goals, then this month’s goals, and then highlights. But that’s just me??? Actually, ignore what I just said.
Is there any way I could improve my posts on Reveries? Is there anything missing on Reveries? Is there anything unnecessary on Reveries? (Don’t be afraid of honesty! My feelings are not as important as the truth.): Hmm… MAKE THEM LONGER. 😉
All right, all right, I’ll wait until Wednesday … *deep sigh of sadness*
Maybe I should do it in-between … I don’t know. You’re probably right about it not being first and foremost, though. 😛
YOU FINISHED FLOWERS?!!!!!!? I NEED TO FINISH IT. I HAVE TO READ IT. AHHH. CONGRATS! *sprays confetti and orange juice at you lol* (by the way, I enjoy your life highlights!)
You did great blogging this month, if I do say so. 😉 Seriously… if you get a random idea for a post that you like… go for it! xD Professional is nice, but I enjoy individuality a whole lot! ;D
EDITING. Ah. OK, you should definitily play with the fonts! It is so fun. And helps set the mood/makes it easier to focus. And maybe change the paper color- white can be eyekilling when the screen is blinking at you, so making it cream or something can help make it ‘sit still’, haha! And also maybe change page size- so it doesn’t get overwhelming….
You can do these goals, Kellyn! Rock on. 😀
I DID! I’m not sure if it’s good or not … but I did finish it. 😀
All very good advice! I’ll try all that. 🙂
Agh, I didn’t respond to this one when I read it! (That’s a bad habit…I read everyone’s posts and then I just don’t respond…) Oh well, it’s never too late, right?
I really like the highlights section! I did something similar too since I realized that I did do some awesome stuff that wasn’t on my dares and I wanted to include it. It sounds like February was a fun month for you! 🙂
I’ve heard that changing the font helps with editing. I’ve also heard changing the size of the font can help (I think?), and that reading it out loud also helps with weird sentence structure and stuff like that. And, of course, having other people look at it.
For word count meters…I really enjoy the critique circle one ’cause it’s pretty: http://www.critiquecircle.com/wordmeterbuilder.asp
But that one stopped working on my blog months ago and I’m not really sure why, so now I use a different one…I’ll see if I can find the link.
…Nope, I can’t find it. But if you google “word count meters,” a lot of different sites will come up and you can choose your favorite one. 🙂
Hmmm…improving Reveries? Welll…. *takes deep breath*
Just kidding. Your blog is amazing! You’re nice and you post fun things and I love reading it. Honestly, the only thing I would alter are the graphics–just a little bit. I think the main problem is that (especially with the header), the text is totally black and if you look at the picture of the girl & the background, there’s no black in it. I would go with one of the darker browns you can find in the picture, and if that’s too light, you can still make the brown a little darker, just not black. But that’s just my non-professional opinion, so…
I rarely remember to respond to posts, honestly, so you’re not alone … I try to remember to, but sometimes I just forget. I read them and like them and if I like them I think, “Oh, I must have commented … I comment if I like usually, right?” XD No … not really …
I’m going to try that now. *scrolls through fonts* *decides that that complicated cursive one isn’t a good idea* *even though it’s pretty* 😉
I actually really want to redo my graphics to a certain extent. I don’t like how the header is all pixilated because I used too small an image. *scowls at image* So yeah, I might try that! Thanks! 🙂
Haha, same here. But at least I get around to commenting on some of the posts I’ve read, right?
Yeah, probably not…it’d be hard to get through a few pages of that. (But who knows, maybe it’ll really help you edit…)
Hehe, I like the new graphics, especially the button with the dog! *cue cute animal squeals* And all of your pretty pictures, of course.
With all these people doing new blog designs (seriously, there have been three in the past week), I feel like I should too…I don’t know what I’d do, though.
That’s what I figure! I do have certain bloggers who I always comment on because I actually have their posts sent to my email instead of just browsing through my reader … but for the most part? I never remember.
Yeah, cursive isn’t probably the best idea …
I love the dog, too! I’m going to start working on putting that dog (well, border collie … 😉 ) image into most of my graphics.
I thought you did a new blog design recently. Okay, about six months ago … or longer … I think it like was last February … but whatever. I still feel like it’s fresh and sharp. 😛
I still don’t post on the bloggers who I get an email from…they’re just the ones I always read. 😉 But I do try to respond to most of them.
Yay for more dogs!
Hm…nope. I’ve had that one for more than 6 months. But I’m glad it still works! 🙂
i love the idea of dares every month!! i might start trying this myself xx