2014 Goals and a Review of 2013

I had two reading and writing goals last year:
   1.  Read more classics.
   2.  Complete first draft of my novels.

They were good goals, achievable goals, so did I achieve them?  Let's see!
   1.  I read four books that I would consider classics: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez, and Emma by Jane Austen.  It's more classics than I read in 2012, so I consider that a victory!

   2.  I did not complete the first draft of either of my novels.  :(  Oh well, there is always this year......

Here are my reading and writing goals for 2014:
   1.  Write 500 words each day(3500 total words per week) ►ROW 80 starts today!
   2. Complete the first draft of my novels (ZF and DOVH) and begin the next.
   3.  Read at least 35 books.
   4.  Post on this blog at least 3 times a week.
   5.  Practice my German every day on Duolingo.com.
   6.  Take care of myself (floss, moisturize, pay bills on time, exercise, etc.)

What are your goals this year?

WOTW: Bespoke

Bespoke: adjective, part of bespeak, made to order

Found in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn:
"They are the high-end men's stores, the places that hand-tailor suits, where salespeople carry ties individually, draped over an arm, to male shoppers nestled in leather armchairs.  I mean, this shit is bespoke."

Writing Update: Not Much Progress

Here's the update!

12/23/13: 122 words of ZF; 75 words of blog post

Oops!  Looks like I have already fallen off track :(  It was winter break, though, and I love to be lazy over break.  Also I did go on a little vacation to visit family which always interferes with writing time :)  A new round of ROW 80 starts on Monday, and I will be posting my goals for the year and beginning some serious writing.

What I'm Reading This Week #3

image source:  amazon.com

This week I have been reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Fascinating book!

I have been struggling with how much/what level of profanity to use in my book.  This post from Writer's Digest discusses the issue in detail, complete with definitions and ideas of how to write creative insults.

What are you reading?

WOTW: Wastrel

I have been away from this blog for a little over a week because I was on vacation, visiting family for the New Year, so here is a belated Word of the Week post.  Enjoy!

Wastrel: noun, a wasteful or good-for-nothing person

Found in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn:
"The booze floating, sludgelike, just beneath the surface of my skin made me look like a fleshy wastrel, just sensuous enough to be disreputable."

What I'm Reading This Week

I discovered this blog: The Perpetual Page-Turner and spent a lot of time reading reviews and top ten lists and adding books to my TBR list.  The blog's author has inspired me to try writing reviews of some of the books that I read.

I read this post about common grammar mistakes on the Huffington Post blog and realized that I may not be overusing commas like I thought I was.

Finally, Dan Savage's attempt to write a review of Sarah Palin's new book make me giggle.  

I am still working my way through The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and working on a review that will be posted here on my blog.

What are you reading this week?

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season.

WOTW: Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton: noun, a literary device; the use of a conjunction before (almost) every item in a series.

I read some poetry books earlier this year and found this term.  I love to use polysyndeton and now I know what to call it :)