Does your writing include recurring imagery?  I would love to hear about what images fascinate you! 

Below is an excerpt from some freewriting I did last April, at the beginning of my second round of ROW80:

~~I am loving, just loving, being back in the ROW groove….

Although, the non-ROW time was good – more relaxing and flowy, but I still did a LOT of writing in that off time.

ROW80 gives me a wonderful framework for my creative impulses. It gives me just as much structure as I choose to have, changeable in any moment I wish.

Accountability, without chains. Without walls, unless I choose to place them myself.

My eyes are open to so many possibilities that I didn’t see before.

I have a new awareness of my own capabilities and voice, too, and a new certainty that there are indeed people who want to read my words and explore my thoughts.

I am suffused with a sense of confidence and purpose and new possibilities.

I am birthing myself as a writer, right now, and becoming.

Sometimes it’s less than comfortable….

Inhale, exhale.~~

And this is an excerpt from my freewriting of December 31, 2012 just prior to my fifth round.

~~So. here we are, at the beginning of the last day of 2012. I have had a year of tremendous change and growth….this feels like a time to deepen and expand into the new spaces to learn more of what they contain.

Less of a exertion, perhaps, but far more attention….and intention.

I feel not so much that big things are on the way as that big things are already happening. I may not have been aware that they were big, at the time, but now the multiple realizations are beginning to break, and the changes and gifts to make themselves known.

It feels like a good time to settle back into myself, follow my energies and whims where they lead, and become more comfortable within my own skin and my own life.

I’m moving into a fertile lull, and a torrent of movement. At the moment, they seem to be happening in concert with one another. It’s interesting, almost as though I am a small stick caught in a small sudden current in a normally serene pool. There is a tangle of weed anchoring me, but I am moved about by shifting flows of creativity and productivity.

I am growing. Like a snake, I am molting, and, beneath, my skin is sleek and supple. Sometimes the shedding of a skin is a simple slip and slither away, the whole outgrown piece left as mute evidence of transformation.

Other times, it’s messier, and there are half-shredded scales blurring my eyes and obscuring vision and perspective. Everything seems itchy and uncomfortable, and the too-tight skin seems unable to split and fall away.

This is an in-between time. Not effortless; not restrictive. Absorbing; an extended pause between inhale and exhale, pregnant with possibilities….~~

I find it interesting that certain images crop up continually in my freewriting. Breath, water, and fire.

The snake skin was new, and a little surprising to reread, because I had forgotten it.

But I do feel a bit like that, like every round has its own growth, and its own character, and I, engaged in this process of growing and filling in, will shed skins, assumptions, fears, and hesitancies…

It won’t always be comfortable, or easy, and there will be times when I can’t see my way clearly.

Kinda like life.

ROW80 2013 Round 1 Goals:

My goals, sans commentary

My update, sans commentary

My theme for this year is trust. Trust in myself, my abilities, my loved ones, and the universe. Trust in sima garo, which I talked a little about in 2012…and which is the soul of my latest WIP.

Creating:

WIP Novels:

Major goal -

Complete rough draft of Sima Garo Provides.

• I have added one scene, following Rachel Aaron’s suggestions. I wrote 1013 words in 37 minutes, which is very high productivity for me.

• I have many ideas forming – in bits of scenes, fragments of images, wisps of conversations, and threads of sensory impressions. I am rereading other stories, dreaming, and allowing things to form as they will.

• I will continue moving forward, and feeling my way through…

Minor goal -

Separate Chameleon’s Dish into two books with individual Scrivener files – Warp and Weft series.

• This is more or less finished, going in, because I simply could not wait to get started. I now have two novels!

• I am adding a goal…because my ultimate target by year’s end is to see both of these WIPS through to their second drafts, and on their way to as-yet unnamed beta readers.

• So, each time I near the completion of a goal along the course of this project, I will add the next little step or two along the process.

Read through both drafts, making general notes as I go. Make task lists for next steps for both novels.

• My thought, here at the outset, is to work on the novels somewhat concurrently. At the moment, I am taking notes on Chameleon’s Dish, after which I will do the same for Bounded by a Nutshell, while CD percolates…

• I am currently about two-thirds of the way through note-taking on CD.

• Chameleon’s Dish/Trueborn Weft Series– Young adult historical fantasy.

• Current rough word count:41,060 words. Barely novella length, at the moment.

• First impressions (while rereading/note-taking):

• Henry popped into my head midway through the original composite novel, and began as a bit character.

• Very quickly, though, he became much, much more to my protagonist.

• He needs to appear from the very beginning, and through him will come much of the understanding of how misplaced Tisira is, and the dangers she faces in Elizabethan England.

• This will add, I hope, depth and tension, and place Tisira and Henry firmly as equals. It will also get rid of some of Tisira’s expository passages, which get a little dull…

• I need to be very careful, in rewrites, to keep this portion of the story fully original…sometimes, a very tricky balance. Because nearly everything in that world will be alien to him, Henry might be a very useful character, in this regard…

• I discovered a few missing passages, which I know are still in the original composite draft, and will be going back to sniff them out and put them in their places!

• I have read through Chapter Fifteen of Twenty-Three.adding blank documents to hold spaces ready for many scenes I will be adding later, and making basic notes as I read.

  

  New game in da house! Lots of ingenuity and work went into those two glowing faces….they did household tasks such as litter boxes, firetending, and tidying. Advances on allowances were taken, and a bank account was utilized. Life learning, indeed!

• Bounded by a Nutshell/Trueborn Warp Series – Star Trek Original Series Erotic Fan Fiction (yeah, I just claimed that!).

• Current rough word count:125,700 words (clearly, I have a bit of a thing for the genre!).

• First impressions (after rereading)

• There are some glaring plot holes, omissions, and contradictions, here, and not enough of Jeniah or Spock in certain places.

• These are miswoven or unraveled threads….much of the next draft will involve reweaving these, and adding heft and texture to the weaving.

• This is basically as long, I think, as it needs to get, so rewrites will focus more on consistency and tightening up places where the story lags a bit, rather than ebbing and flowing.

• There will be more focus on characters’ connections, because those are the soul of this story.

Flash Fiction:

Major goal -

Create new flash fiction weekly through prompts, challenges, envisioning WIP scenes, and original ideas.

• I have an idea for a flash fiction piece that may get written during the next few days. It has occurred to me that Henry and Tisira need to meet far earlier in CD than they do currently, and I think I know how that happens.

• I wrote the rough draft of a flash fiction story of the first time Henry sees Tisira. I plan to rewrite and edit, and perhaps post this scene on Trueborn Jottings before Sunday’s update.

• This story  may be the basis for Henry’s half of the Prologue.

Exposition:

Major goal -

Return to 750 words.com – use this space for free expository writing, and strive to write there every day.

• Monday, January 7

• Tuesday, January 8

Minor goals –

Read and write reviews for A Bowlful of Bunnies and Finding Esta.

• Progress on both books is listed below:

• A Bowlful of Bunnies –61% complete.

• Finding Esta – 12% complete.

• I hope to have both books completed by the end of January, with a mid-February target for completing both reviews.
  

Complete one essay or other piece of expository writing each week.

• I have several pieces in progress at this time, and nothing completed as yet.

Connecting:

Blogging:

Major goal -

Create blog rolls for shanjeniah (writers and resources), and Trueborn Jottings (resources and inspiration).

• I have written a rough draft of a blogpost asking for links, which I will post to both blogs before Sunday’s update.

• I will be beginning by adding blogs and resources I already follow and enjoy.

Minor goals -

Edit sidebars and layout for all blogs (excepting childrens’ reporting blogs)

• I have taken a cursory look at the sidebars for shanjeniah and Trueborn Jottings.

• I’ve mentally noted some lacks, repetitions, outdated items, and clutter, which I will address, I think, little by little, perhaps tweaking just one thing each time I post, at first.

• I have made some blogroll changes to shanjeniah, in preparation for adding a personalized blogroll there.

   

Write at least one post weekly for three major blogs (shanjeniah; TruebornJottings, and The Unfettered Life).

• I have posts in planning and progress stages for all three blogs.

• They are a little muddled, at the moment, but will come together in their proper times.

Visiting:

Major goal –

• Complete all ROW80 sponsor visits twice weekly; comment, and share posts I read.

• Some of these will be sponsor posts, and others just posts I was drawn to read. The links will zip you off to another exciting blogpost by a fellow ROWer.

• I must have blinked…

• ROW80: Starting Fresh With Strength, Courage, & Wisdom

• ROW80 Check-In 06/01/2013

• #ROW80 Round 1, 2013: Goals Post

• Weekly Update #2 – The Plan

• A Round of Words in 80 Days – The Pledge

• Something New For 2013

• ROW80 -1 – 2013 – goals and objectives

• New Year, New Round of 80 Words!

Social Media:

Major goal –

Visit Pinterest, SheWrites, or StoryDam at least weekly. Get a better sense of how each works, and build my presence there with sharing, commenting, and asking questions.

• I chose Pinterest for this week’s visit, because I have been wanting to begin exploring the idea of pinning items on boards that will inspire my writing.

• I poked over my mostly empty existing boards (I’ve only been over their a few times in the year and a half I’ve been there).

• I created two new boards for worldbuilding.  One is for interiors, and only has two pictures, and the other is for outdoors, and has several.

• I will share these as part of my Trueborn Jottings weekly post.

• And, in “extra credit” news, I returned to pin more items, even though I had already fulfilled my obligation…since I am very imagery-oriented, these pins are inspiring my understanding of the environs of Aletris, my protagonist’s homeworld. Since settings have always been a weak area, for me, almost an afterthought, I see huge potential in these Pinterest boards!

Minor goals -

Continue visiting and interacting through Facebook and Twitter, especially via relevant groups, several times a week.

• As is typical, I have been to Facebook more than Twitter, but neither very much, as I have been rereading and writing more than interacting.

• I read a bit at Twitter,but no comments this session.

• I expect this to shift as I move into the next Ebb Tide, and begin craving input and interaction.

Claiming:

Poetry Book Project:

Major goal -

Complete a rough draft compilation, with dedication, introduction, and conclusion.

• I began this project late last fall, and had two poems and a task list.

• I have reformatted the poetry section, and the first 7 of 31 poems have been added to the Scrivener files.

• I’ve reread my task list, pinpointed two or three steps to focus on first, and begun to consider additions and revisions to it.

Owning My Perspective and Experiences:

Major goal –

At least once weekly, use expository writing time to explore memories, wounds, healing, perspective, or personal philosophy.

• I have done this once this week, as I explored the nature of my voluntary estrangement from my parents….much more to delve, there, but this is a beginning.

Minor goals -

Continue my eating and health goals from Round 4, 2012. Aim to get to the Y once alone, and once with the children, each week.

• I have managed to get to the Y for good ice-breaking workouts two Tuesdays in a row, on my own. Sleeping and waking schedules and car-sharing with Jim have made getting there with the kids trickier. A new car is on the priority list, though, so hopefully, before much longer, we’ll have more flexibility, so that I can make this an easier possibility for all of us.

• I am continuing to eat consciously, and to be more aware of my water intake.

• My energy level has fluctuated between High Tide and Slack Tide throughout this session.

Reclaiming Our Home:

Major goal –

Clean Annalise’s and Jeremiah’s bedrooms, creating spaces of welcome and haven for them, with room for their favorite things and activities.

• I have spent some time in Annalise’s room, which is my January focus; I have gotten about a third of the floor, excepting under her loft, roughly cleaned.

• Of the three areas I am focusing on this round, Annalise’s room is definitely the messiest, as well as the largest, and there is a long way to go before it is the happy space I want to gift her with. If I can’t finish before the end of the month, I will keep it as a minor focus until I do finish, while moving on to Jeremiah’s smaller and slightly less chaotic space.

• Look above for the Tuesday night version of Annalise’s room (uh, storage unit?)

So, there we have it -from the ground up, here are my goals for this first round of my second year of ROW80. I trust that I will know whether these are working or not, and will take appropriate action.

A few last points:

I plan to work on each major goal every session, and work in the minor goals as my time and focus allow.

• All major goals received attention this session. =D

• I worked on several of the minor goals, as well, and will focus on those I haven’t as a priority in the Wednesday- Saturday session.

In my updates, I will only list those goals I actively pursued during that session.

• Yes. This is good, and prevents clutter.

I will evaluate my goals, progress and preferences at least twice monthly, and adjust accordingly.

• My first evaluation will be posted with my Sunday, January 20 update.

It’s a BLOG HOP!

Related articles

• Building With Trust ROW80 2013 Round 1 Goals List (shanjeniah.com)
• ROWing Through Four Seasons – Final #ROW80 2012 Update (shanjeniah.com)
• A Pregnant Pause – #ROW80 Update 12/16/12 (shanjeniah.com)
• Friday Freewrite #49 – Completed (anitaking.wordpress.com)
• Let There be Lights – #ROW80 Update 12/12/12 (shanjeniah.com)
• Mid-Week #Row80 Check In: Dive Bombing & Fastening My Seat Belt (juliejordanscott.typepad.com)
• Winterlude (shanjeniah.com)