What I’ll Read and Write in October 2020
Goals for the upcoming month
Hi friends,
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for an absolutely spooky month.
I’m also ready to go into full disclosure about my plans for the month. I’m taking a step back for a little bit here. I’ll still be around, but probably not with the amount of frequency.
I’m cutting back my goals for the month due to personal circumstances and mental health. This is not the end, as I won’t quit or abandon ship. I’m just setting my goals at half. If I end up doing more, I’ll consider it a win but if this month plays like I think it will, I don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver.
In 28 days, I marry my best friend. It’s a time of joy around the Barie/Page apartment but it’s also a time of stress. It was during a typical “did you call and get this set up yet?” call that’s become too familiar that I realized maybe I’m doing too much. I’m trying to pull off a wedding within 3 months, trying to post every day, working a full time job and still trying to maintain time for both my fiance and myself.
Sometimes you have to admit when you just can’t anymore.
So with that in mind, I’m setting the following goals for October 2020 and allowing myself to be pleasantly surprised if I get to more than this.
Reading
Last month, I finished my 100 books in a year challenge. So, I’m approaching books a little differently this month. I’m going with the reading plan of 1 short story, 1 poem and 1 essay per day. I’m also trying to finish up one craft book and 4 books this month.
Short story: Zombies edited by Paula Guran
poem: Emily Dickinson Poems edited by Johanna Brownell
essay: Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work
craft: Writer’s Digest, Guide to Magazine Article Writing by Kerrie Flanagan
Books:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahme-Smith
Joyland by Stephen King (reading King in October is tradition)
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The Pawn by Steven James
I’m mixing new to me books with books that have long been my favorites. I’ve chosen my books in conjunction with the Halloween Holiday, however, I haven’t chosen the big ones that everyone has heard of. They have their place both in reading and on my bookshelves, but I wanted more than just the classics this year. I also wanted to experiment with a few I haven’t tried.
Writing
On Medium: I want to set a goal for this month that I can stick to. I also know that I want to spend more time reading other’s work and being able to learn about promotion. Right now, I’m aiming for three pieces a week- two for publications and one for Morning Fuel. I most likely will not get to all of the publications that I’m a writer for. However, right now I want to set the bar low because I know that there is a lot on the personal side this month will entail.
Off Medium: I have an idea floating around in the back of my head for my blog. I haven’t started working on it despite the two months I’ve given myself to start. This month I actually want to take the plunge and write one post per week.
Learning
I just purchased both the Genius Blogger’s Tookkit and the Freelancer Bundle. I want to at least finish one course or ebook per week and actually apply the lessons contained in those resources.
Conclusion
And that will be October. I’m giving myself a relatively low key month but I know that I will be coming back and slugging again in November.
