The State of the Ficcery: July 2023

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

July Word Count: 20,608

A great word count. And I am only 31k away from my year goal of 150,000. And we haven't even got to October (the High Holy Season of Ficcing). I can take it easy in August.

Reading: Of course, something had to give with such a word count. I read Christie's A Murder is Announced. I am working on her They Came to Baghdad, and it's a slog because I am not fond of any of the characters.

For the bingo, I tried reading a gay detective story from the 1970's, the second in the Daniel Valentine series as I'd enjoyed the first Vermilion, but there was blackface at a costume party and an obnoxious classism about something else, and I bailed. So I took refuge in a KJ Charles The Secret Life of Country Gentlemen for the LGBT+, which was fine. I got The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison for the banned book and an essay collection on disability and I'm on my library's waiting list for Stephen King's Salem's Lot which was written the year I was born (1975)! But I haven't made much progress on any of it.

Writing: I did every Watson's Woes July prompt on the day of. It was the least I could do for the final go-round.

I did 3 fills for summerofthe69. Venom (Venom/Eddie), BTS (Yoonmin), BTS (JiKooK). I will do another one for my Season of Kink bingo Wet/Messy square, a MiniMoni by-the-pool sex.

Overlapping with above, I did 3 squares for my Season of Kink bingo. BTS (Sope - dirty talk) Venom (public sex) and BTS (Minimoni - begging). I am proud of this last one as it features Jimin's naked torso with poetry by Rilke painted on the skin. That is something I've wanted to write since I saw Jimin's "Set me Free" music video.

I did a very short fill for my Obscure Sorrows prompt. (BTS - Taekook).

Also overlapping, I also did 2 fills for my own tarot Magician prompt. I will post separately about them.

I wrote 5 poems. I began a sixth one.

Crafting: Paper village of Chagford. I began a cross stitch bookmark. But the big thing was collages for sunshine_challenge. I did 13 collages and 5 cards and I will do at least one more collage today for the tarot prompt for August. I started a teatime puzzle which is very nice but I haven't made significant progress on it either.

Personal: I renewed my Noom (diet app program) for another six months. I made a little progress by the middle of the month but have gained it all back. But they did send me a nice exercise and meal guide at the renewal so I am feeling a bit more optimistic (and I have told myself I am cancelling before the next renewal). I am very angry at myself because I keep getting coffee beans instead of ground coffee at the grocery store. I seem to have a mental block to buying the right kind of coffee! Even when I try!

The boys and their father are watching the Women's World Cup. There are swimming lessons and going to the pool and library.

What's Next: August will be about getting the boys ready for school (which starts on the 28). There is also the county fair and a car show I may take them to. I want to make more progress on the book bingo and get my plan together for Hallowe'en ficcing!

Going forward: I have a few books on birds and avian flight and feathers, and I want to do a fic for my Fabrics/Feathers Season of Kink square.

Comments

[garonne]

Wow, you've been busy this month! Congratulations on the Watson's Woes full house and the fic count!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! Yes, really Watson's Woes was the priority and everything else was gravy, but I did do a lot and I am keeping with the bullet journaling because more than anything it shows me how much I'm actually doing.

[smallhobbit]

Your word count is impressive! And congratulations on completing Watson's Woes. And your collages for sunshine_challenge were lovely - I'm so pleased you did them. It's inevitable something has to give when you're concentrating on something else - you've done an amazing amount of things!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! Yes, I am pleased about Watson's Woes. It was the priority this month. I was happy I had enough materials to do spreads for all the prompts. It has been a busy month. Next month will be more getting the boys ready for school.

[debriswoman]

Impressive achievements this month…the Watsons woes set went really well:-)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I thought so, too.