What I’ll Be Reading and Writing in August 2020
BYOB, Reading Lists, and Other Goals
Hello friends,
Welcome to August’s Behind the Scenes of my writing journey. I’ll start by writing a quick review of July and then go into August- there’s a lot to cover.
July Review
I published 17 articles in July. I beat my own goal of times to publish (12), but I did not manage to finish Camp NaNoWriMo.
It was a pretty intense month personally- I turned 33, changed jobs and got engaged. I also made $5.36 which beat my personal goal of $5. It’s the second time that I’ve broken even with the price of Membership, so I’m relatively excited.
I also submitted a post to every publication that has me as a writer this month, and with the exception of one, each submission was accepted.
Reading List for August
I’ve finished 78 books this year of 100. At this point, I could break this up into 5 books for each month. I am going to focus on 5 books this month (plus finish what I brought into this month), due to personal reasons and also wanting to complete a writing challenge.
Books I’m Currently Finishing:
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor- New Read- This book is 7 ways to build happiness. So far, a lot of the ideas are ones that I’ve read about before, but there are unique ideas, such as the idea of the Tetris Effect. The Tetris Effect is about how we see different things based on what we focus on. The good news: we can retrain our brains to see the positive, not the negative.
The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman- New Read- I’m about 50% of the way through this one. The book so far has been about the publishing industry for both magazines and books.
World War Z by Max Brooks- Reread-Zombies wreck havoc with an uprising around the world. The book is about eye witness accounts throughout the attempt of zombies to take over the world. One word of advice: listen to the audiobook instead of reading the physical copy. The accounts seem more genuine and it’s an engaging and captivating read.
My 5 Choices:
Rewire Your Anxious Brain by Catherine M. Pittman- new read- This book is based on using neuroscience to overcome anxiety, panic and worry. I feel that I need this book as there has been a lot of anxiety over the last year. I’m excited to learn new methods to deal with wellness.
Let Love Have the Last Word by Common- new read- I believe that everything should point back to love. I’m interested in the viewpoints that will be provided. Plus, it’s a book that can be read in one day, always a win in my book.
Girl Who Takes Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz- reread- I’m committed to finishing the current Millennium series by the end of next month. Each book has been exciting, captivating and definitely a piece that helps the mind to escape (capturing the heart of fiction)
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman- new read- I always knew that this book existed. I wish that I had known there was a version available for singles, yet that was a point that fell off my viewpoint for 10 years. However, at this point, I’m getting ready to get married on Halloween. This is more of an assignment book from my pastor (yay homework!) and something that I look forward to diving into with my fiance.
Love, Janis by Laura Joplin- reread- I have always been inspired by Janis Joplin. To me and countless others, she captures the spirit of freedom. Although she did not (to my knowledge) write an autobiography, she does have a biography written by her sister and her road manager. This is a book that I’ve had on the TBR (to be read) list since August and I’m excited to be able to dive back into it.
What I’ll Be Writing About this Month
This is the part that I’ve been excited about.
BYOB
I’m always open for experimentation. That’s why the Blog Your Own Book project created by Shaunta Grimes has my attention. It’s a four month project: July was planning, August is writing, and the last two months are all about editing and putting it together. I’ve always been interested in writing an ebook or at least decent sample writing for my portfolio. I’ll be writing about simplicity this month. I want to approach living a more simple life from a point of self care instead of decluttering and capsule wardrobes. I’ll be labeling my posts as Post x of 31 in BYOB Project. These are posts that are meant to be read together.
Publications
I currently am accepted to 9 publications on Medium. My goal is to write two pieces for each of them this month while also submitting to four new publications. I’m excited about working with the system of submission this month.
I also plan to start my own publication this month (yay letters feature). I want to create a space for personal development, self care, motivation and more personal pieces. I’ll be housing my BYOB project in the new publicaiton, once it’s set up and functioning.
Poetry
Lately, I’ve been feeling the itch to begin writing poetry again. I was never fully able to write about specific subjects, like love. I want to start practicing the craft that I fell in love with as an undergraduate again.
Conclusion
I’ll be around a lot more on the platform this month. My goal is to really challenge myself to publish at least one article every day.
Thank you for reading. I have a lot of fun crafting these posts and posting them here inspires me to actually get my goals accomplished. It forces me to be accountable.
Let’s have an incredible month of August!
