Well, March has past, and it’s time to celebrate its going because, to be honest, it really didn’t go so well. Yes, unlike Emily Dickenson, great poet though she may be, I welcome April with open arms.
March and I … we had a falling out this year. We were playing soccer, he insulted me, I slammed him against the wall of the basketball court (yes, we were playing soccer in a basketball court …), he ran away to his momma crying about his boo-boos, I got in trouble … wait, no, that was me and my brother …
Someone needs to tell that kid, “No blood, no guts, no game.”
Now, on with the dares! (notice my sleek new way of doing them! Kinda …)
- Read ten books. Check! Fourteen, actually.
- One must be a classic. Kinda. I read Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes which is considered a classic by some. Including me. However, it’s not the kind of classic I wanted to read …
- Five must be review copies. Kinda. I read The Ugly Teapot, London in the Dark, Structuring Your Novel, and Only Children Chase Sawdust … so not quite. But it was close, guys. It was close.
- Post at least five reviews on your blog. Check! I actually did six and a mini-review post that contained quite a few reviews.
- Do a blog survey for Reveries Reviews. Failed. I actually did one for Reveries (it’s still up, by the way), but not one for Reveries Reviews. Go figure.
- Put all IvIn edits on computer and ask for beta-readers. Check! AAAAAH I CAN’T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY DID THIS BUT I DID! I’m just so happy right now …
- Rewrite the chapter 26+ portion of TDS. Kinda. I’ve done part of it, but not all.
- Complete outline of Caught in a Spell. Check! Okay, maybe it wasn’t such an awful month … but it isn’t a very good outline. At least, I think not. It’s just a summary of the plot with bullet points …
- Write three chapters of Once a Stratton. Failed. But as I decided to save Once a Stratton for April, that’s not much of a surprise. I’m getting towards three chapters now, though …
- Just survive. Failed. Okay, not really (because I’m here … though I guess I could be a ghost … a scary writing ghost who haunts the web … ooh, plot bunny!), but I spent much of March stressed, anxious, and even a little depressed … so it’s not really a victory on this front.
- Post consistently and professional on Reveries. Kinda. I was consistent … I consistently took a hiatus from posting on every day but Monday …
- Post consistently and professional on Reveries Reviews. Check!
- Get better at commenting on other peoples’ blogs. Check! I can’t believe I actually did this. Sure, I didn’t until the end of the month … but I’ve definitely improved. At least some. Your thoughts?
- Find a way to record your writing progress on your sidebar. Failed. But I decided not to do this, so it doesn’t really count.
- Actually remember to share your posts on social media. Check!
- Read the Bible. Kinda. I actually got behind a couple times, though I always catch up on Sundays. I mean, usually …
- Buy a new string for your guitar. Check!
- Practice your clarinet and guitar. Kinda. I technically did … like, twice. I should be more specific with my dares in the future …
- Work with Riley. Failed. I don’t think either Riley or I touched that leash more than once or twice …
- Waste less time. Kinda. I mean, I just wasted time on things other than the things I used to waste time on … #humannature
As you can see, this month beat up on me bad. I mean, there were some high moments, but more low ones.
What else happened in March?
- Celebrated my little brother James/Dumas’s 13th birthday!
- Got the hang of driving back. (I couldn’t for the longest time because it was icy and there was nowhere to go anyway … so I got out of practice.)
- Got lots of school done.
- Went to a sleepover, had friends over to watch Fiddler on the Roof (epicness!), and hung out a couple times here and there (and saw each other at band, P.E., and a Shakespeare class).
- Was sick with a flu that infected my lungs and gave me a stabbing pain every time I breathed, achy bones, an aching head, and constant exhaustion.
- Was sick with a cold. Just regular cold stuff. (Yep, sick twice in the same month … they just flowed into each other …)
- Started going to a new church! Oy vey.
Out with the old and in with the new!
This month I dare myself to …
Read ten books. One must be a classic, three must be review copies, and the rest must build me up in some way. #soundslikeachristian
(What? Haven’t you noticed that Christians say ‘build [something] up’ a lot? I have. It’s scary, man. It’s like they organize their vocabulary in secret Christian meetings I’m not invited to. I guess they heard about that time I stole a brownie. I’m just not worthy of their secret Christian vocabulary club. Whatevs. I don’t need them. God and me will just hang out over here …)
Write 15,000 words of Once a Stratton. My secret dare (well … it was, anyway …) is 30,000, however. But don’t tell.
Finish rewriting The Dressmaker’s Secret. This will require a lot of writing and tweaking and writing and tweaking and writing again. But I’m not scared. Okay, I’m a little scared …
Go through Ivy Introspective on last time. And then we proof-read! *nervous*
Find a way to improve my graphic-making skills. IT SHALL END NOW! (What shall end? How should I know. Screaming ‘it shall end now’ is just too much fun …)
Post a video on YouTube once a week. What? I want to actually use my YouTube channel for something …
Get important things done every day. Okay, that is super vague, but basically I want to go to bed each night feeling like I’ve accomplished something.
Work on your plot folder. So, I’ve got this big binder with plot bunnies and outlines and such … and I want it to be more organized than it is. This will actually be a pretty fun project.
Spend more time focusing on life. God, family, friends, myself, clarinet, guitar, and school. Not necessarily in that order, though. Yep … putting school last would probably be a mistake … though school sucks, guys. It really sucks.
That’s all for today, ladies and gents. Until next time …
Toodles!
~Kellyn Roth~
p.s.
What do you think of my failures (and brief successes) in March? How did you March go? Will I be able to achieve my goals for April? (I think so!) What do you think of my new way of doing my dares post? What are your goals for April? Did you notice the little changes I made in Reveries’s appearance? What do you think of them?
Comment, my loyal slaves followers!
80 Responses
Good luck with your dares, Kellyn! I can’t wait to see how you do. 🙂
(And if you still need beta-readers, you’ve got ma email! 😉 )
Thank you! I’m definitely going to do my best (of course)!
(I think I’ll take you up on that …)
Good luck with these Kellyn!! And by the way, I totally feel you. March was a rough month for me too. I’m still trying to catch up in April!
Good luck to you, too, then! I hope you’re able to catch up. 🙂
Thanks Kellyn! 🙂
Omyguac this is gonna be an interesting month for you, Kellyn! xD Good luck!
Jazzy @ Thriving Hope
Yep, it’s going to be busy … but I can do it! I think … 😉
March was good for me! It just went by so fast, huh? Good luck with all the dares, kudos for you to achieving so many of the March goals!
Wow. I haven’t read IvIn OR TDS. *slaps cheek* Bad llama/Lana. 😛 I’m sorry that March didn’t go very well for you! I mean, from your dares it looks like it went pretty well (compared to what my dares will be like…hehehh) but yay it’s April!
I think I like the new way of doing dares…I’ll have to see how you report up on it next month to really know, though. I’m not so sure it’d work for me, but I do like the sleek-ness! I really like the “Get important things done every day” one…I might steal that… 😉
I think I need a better way of doing my dares…they’re always so long and I’m procrastinating writing it because of that. I really like reviewing what I’ve done each month, but I’m not sure if my goals are actually accomplishing anything…any ideas for me?
And more pretty pictures on your blog! Yay! Maybe someday I’ll show my face to the Internet…but today is not that day.
Yes, I believe in you! You can complete those dares! *cheers dramatically*
…You know, now that I think about it, I bet those secret Christian meetings are called church… 😛
Well, I haven’t read Enhanced, so we’re even now. 😛
Yeah, I guess I didn’t do it so badly. I guess I just felt like I failed. 😉
I’m not sure what I’m going to do next month … but yep, we’ll see! XD And of course you may steal it! Stealing is permitted between us pretty much all the time now … 😉 Jk.
Maybe you could simplify your dares next month … or print them up and cross them out as you do them from now on.
As for the post … I guess just barrel through it? I enjoy those posts even if you don’t. 😛 Or you could give it up if it’s really not helping you … you don’t want to do something that just isn’t useful!
But I go to church every week and I’ve never heard them talk about … wait a minute. I was sick a lot and missed church several times this winter. THEY MUST HAVE PASSED OUT THE CHRISTIAN TERMINOLOGY DICTIONARIES THEN! *facepalm* Yep …
Well, I haven’t read two novels I was supposed to read. You haven’t read one novel that you didn’t need to read…so not exactly even, but I guess we’re closer now. 😛
That’s true…we steal lots of things from each other! (Not sure if that’s something we should be so excited about, though. 😛 )
Yeah…we really need to get our printer fixed! *glares at printer*
Well, I’ve already made the graphics, so I have to go through with it now. 😉 I’ll have to try to think of something to help me more…hmm…
Yeah, come to think of it, that’s about when I got mine. Maybe I can lend it to you sometime… 😀
Well … I have another novel I’m supposed to read that I haven’t, so … XD I guess I was counting that one, too.
(Yeah, we’re both such amazing thieves … wait, what?!)
Haha, yeah, that would be great … 😛
I love these posts, haha! Good job completing what you completed.
Also: I am not your slave, earthling! I am the great dragon queen! *glowers at you*
*remembers that you slam people against walls, according to this post*
*curtsies* At your service, O Authoress.
You may go now. *nods regally*
Really, though, things get intense during indoor soccer … you have to be careful. 😛
You got some nice goals set up!
Thank you! 🙂
Sorry you didn’t get as much accomplished as you wanted to. Everything you did is more than you would have done though 🙂
True, true. 🙂
That very last par just got me! I am your slave!!! Nice dares Kellyn! And you are my friend Kellyn. 😉
Wait, I thought I crossed that out … 😉
Hahaha oh my bad. 😀
What do you think of my failures (and brief successes) in March? uhm, you go girl! !! i get it about march… but now its april. the best month, like im the best person! 😀 jk. except not really.
How did you March go? well, last time i checked, my name was April, but… XD it was…ok. now we’re in the best month, so…
Will I be able to achieve my goals for April? (I think so!) yes, because this month, and me are rooting for you! 😀 😀
What are your goals for April? not fail camp and… did you think i actually thought about this?
Did you notice the little changes I made in Reveries’s appearance? What do you think of them? THEYRE AMAZING AND I LOVE THEM
What do you think of my failures (and brief successes) in March?: Good job (and bad job), Kellyn dear. And you OBVIOUSLY DON’T like historical fiction… NOOOO. XD
How did your March go?: It went well with everything but writing. XD
Will I be able to achieve my goals for April? (I think so!): YES YOU WILL BECAUSE I WILL THROW MANGOES AT YOU IF YOU DON’T.
What do you think of my new way of doing my dares post?: I like it. 😉
What are your goals for April?: Oh, you know, spend less time blogging and reading, more time writing. I probably will fail (I already have failed at the reading portion today). But you know. Then I’ll throw mangoes at myself.
Did you notice the little changes I made in Reveries’s appearance? What do you think of them?: I did! Hmm, I think the body text is a liiiiiiiiiittle too small. I found myself having to squint to read all of your words. And don’t kill me but Fondamento is my PET PEEVE font on WordPress, for some very odd reason. But don’t change it for meeeeee! Keep it if ya like it. 😉
OH NO FLYING MANGOES AAAAAAH!!!
I’ll take that all under advisement. 🙂
😉
You have a YouTube channel?! Where have I been? I will check it out! 😀
Anyhoo… I’m going to be going to a new church after I move, so I get how it is. 🙂
I think there’s a link on the sidebar? Maybe? I don’t know. But yes, I do … I just don’t post much. At all. I think I’ve used it twice. But that shall change!
Great! 😃