The Liebster Award: writing goals, week 18

It’s that time of the week again: time for another 365K Club word count check-in! Numbers, please…

April 30, Day 121: 676 words

May 1, Day 122: 725 words

May 2, Day 123: 1,789 words

May 3, Day 124: 562 words

May 4, Day 125: 220 words

May 5, Day 126: 439 words

May 6, Day 127: 1,374 words

That’s a grand total of 5,786 words for the week, 5,109 for the month, and 74,031 for the year!

Did I beat last week’s total?

Last week I wrote 4,110 words, therefore I crushed it with an additional 1,676 words. Woohoo!

Badges & Awards!

First up: 365K Club badges. I received the April Bullseye badge for hitting my word counts last month, woohoo!

Additionally, this week I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Sandra Yeaman, a fellow member of the San Diego Writers & Editors Guild. Thank you, Sandra, for this bloggeriffic award!

These are the guidelines to keep the award going when you decide to accept it:

1. Display an image of the award and write about your nomination.
2. Thank and link the person who nominated you for this award.
3. Answer the 11 questions prepared for you by the blogger who nominated you.
4. Nominate 5-11 awesome bloggers who you think  deserve this award, and create 11 questions of your own for your nominees to answer.
5. List these guidelines in your blog post.

Here are my answers to Sandra’s questions:

1. What book(s) are you reading now? I’m currently in the middle of several different books that I never seem to have time to finish reading (nyargh!), including The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill and a graphic novel called Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley. I also really need to return a bunch of library books…
2. Who else do you think would enjoy reading it? Why? I think Heather O’Neill’s book would appeal to anyone who’s ever had a troublesome relationship with a sibling, as well as folks who’ve lived in Montreal. Lucy Knisley’s book is ideal for aspiring DIY/maker brides who want their big day to be perfect, and for brides (like me) whose big day was, well, not quite as perfect as we wished it could have been.
3. Which author would you like to write your life story? Why? Whoa, what an interesting question! I would definitely like to read Jeanette Winterson’s take on my life… although I’m not quite sure I would be an interesting enough subject for her.
4. Name three authors you would like to invite to dinner. Why? I would love to invite Oscar Wilde, Anaïs Nin and Leonard Cohen to dinner, because the group would be well-dressed, offer sparkling conversation and wit, and stay up late into the night drinking wine together.
5. Summarize your life in three sentences. Born on the east coast, but raised in the Midwest. Educated in two countries. Eager to explore the world, to find a “forever” home.
6. What was the last book you read that kept you up late into the night to finish? I think I actually speed-read this one during the day, but since it was definitely the type that made me want to keep reading until I reached the end, all in one sitting, I will nominate Redrafting Winter by Gillian Sze and Alison Strumberger. Even if you don’t think you like poetry, I would recommend this book, which includes both poetry and personal letters between two friends as they make their way in the world, across continents, and through personal and professional struggles.
   
7. Have you read a book recently you decided was a waste of time? If so, what is it? Who might like it? Hmm. I do tend to pick up and put down a lot of ebooks pretty quickly. If you don’t hook my interest in the first few pages, I will move on. But I don’t even remember these authors’ names, typically, and I wouldn’t want to single them out. They’re not bad writers, they’re just not capturing my attention. I think this happens a lot more frequently with books I download for free, too, since I figure I have nothing to lose if I don’t like them, and I don’t feel bad if I don’t.
8. What’s your favorite genre? Why? Having to pick a favorite genre is almost impossible! I love to read across many different genres, so it’s really hard to say. I think my current favorite is graphic novels, since I can finish them quickly. My reading time has really been chopped down a lot this year, as I’m trying to write more, so I like being able to finish books in one sitting.
9. What genre haven’t you read much of yet? I definitely haven’t read much in the Western genre, and I doubt I ever will. It’s just not an area (or era) that appeals to me.
   
10. What would be a good title for your autobiography? Naked Came I. Fans of Berkeley Breathed’s “Bloom County” comics will get this one.
    
11. What’s the title of the next book you plan to begin reading? I have a bunch of Chicago guidebooks on my To Read pile, as I’m looking for additional tidbits and trivia for my Chicago from A to Z ebook.

Here are my nominees!

[author_list style=”heart”]

• Kristen Coniaris of Wicked Goodies – for sharing her amazing cake decorating skills and marketing savvy with the group
• Linda Eskin of Grab My Wrist – for getting our whole critique group interested in learning more about Aikido with her Aikido from A to Z blog posts this month
• Lissa Johnston – for her ever-intriguing historical nerdery, which kept me laughing throughout the A to Z Challenge
• Diane Lee – for always sharing such touching personal essays with the world, including her latest post on Mother’s Day
• Maggie McGarvey of Maggie Writes Stuff – for her humorous take on homophones during the A to Z Challenge

[/author_list]

And my questions for them:

1. What most inspires you to write?
2. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about writing?
3. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
4. What’s your favorite book, and why?
5. What kinds of things do you do for fun, when you’re not writing?
6. If you had to pick one song that best represents your life, what would it be?
7. Do you have any good luck charms, and if so, what are they?
8. Which fictional character best represents you?
9. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
10. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in life (so far)?
11. And, of course, the all-important question: Pirates or Ninjas?

Goals for next week?

Continuing on with my A Story A Day challenge, I plan to keep writing a new story every day. If you’d like to read my stories, you can sign up for my mailing list here.

I’ve also joined the Writer’s Games 2016, so I need to write a practice story by the end of this weekend!

AND I need to write a story for the Iron Writer’s Spring Solstice. Tall order!

In the meantime…

Want to track YOUR words?

In an effort to spread the helpful message of 365K Club’s daily word tracking, I’ve created my own Buttontapper Word Tracker. Want a free copy? Just sign up for my newsletter and you’ll receive a link to download it ASAP.