A Series of Updates, A Plethora of Goals

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Hi there! 

 I realized I haven't done a post with any updates or goals in a long time, so buckle up. This might be a lengthy one. 

 

Tomorrow marks the 1st anniversary of Poetry 15th. Can't believe I started this little adventure a year ago. I love the challenge of coming up with a bit of poetry every month. Some months are harder than others, but then there are those months where the poem is tugging at my heartstrings and ready to be released into the wilds.


  • I've read 41 out of 60 books for this year's Goodreads Challenge. Here are the ones I've read so far. For some of them, Goodreads doesn't show the cover. 




Here are the books I'm currently reading:



I apologize for the poor quality of these pictures. I nabbed them off of Goodreads. 
 I'm also reading Resistance by Jaye L. Knight. For some reason, Goodreads didn't register it. I'll have to fix that. 

Goals for this month:

  • Finish Resistance.
  • Start and finish Holes. (This is a Book Club book. I just joined my first ever book club and I'm excited!)
  • Finish one of the books I've been reading for literally years. I have to do this. It's gone on for too long. One is manageable. Right?


  • I submitted my very first short story and got my first rejection. It was a good experience, and I learned a lot. I'm very excited to revamp the story and share it with the world someday. (Hopefully sooner rather than later.)
  • A nephew was born! I'm now an Auntie times two. My other little nephew just turned 1 this month.
  • I got laid off twice because of COVID-19. I was back to work for three weeks and then the government closed my place of work. I'm learning to just roll with the punches and try to maintain some positivity. 
  • I got to work-out for a solid three months last time I was laid off and then promptly stopped when I started work again.

Goals for this month:

  • Continue to search for work.
  • Look into going back to school.
  • Resume working out.












  • I finished the first draft of my fantasy/mystery, Tear.
  • I split my 250k+ novel, Harbinger into three novels and am working on refining the structure and character motivations.
  • I took part in CampNaNoWriMo in April and won. I'm taking part this month and am doing well so far.
  • I've done little beta-reading this year, but I did get to read my friend, Olivia Cornwell's up-coming book and it is AMAZING! I can't wait until her book-child comes out this November.
Goals for this year:

  • Finish refining Harbinger and get the 2nd draft started by the end of this year.
  • Start round 2 of the short story, (now a novella), and hopefully get it drafted by the end of this year.
  • Get Tear off to beta-readers by the end of August. 
  • Take part in NaNoWriMo this November. (Project TBD, but I'll most likely use it for rewrites on one of my three projects. I just don't know which.)
  • Beta-read. (Hopefully.)












  • Possibly going back to school (online) this Fall.
  • Depending on how things go on the writing front, one of my projects might go to a Developmental Editor by the end of this year. We'll see.
  • Possibly look into writing a poetry book. (Because I'm not busy enough. *eye roll*)











Some facts you may not know about me:

  • I've recently taken up drawing. (I've stepped up from basic stick figures, but my art is still messy. )
  • I've started making embroidery bracelets! I enjoy taking the cover of a book, picking out the colors and one thing that represents it and making fanart of them. So far, it's been a few embroidery bracelets, the results of which I've been posting on Instagram. 
  • I've been slowly learning to crochet over the years. My skills are basic, but that hasn't stopped me from attempting to make a blanket. It's taken me over ten years, but it's almost done.
  • I've played piano for 25 years, but I need to practice. I was doing it much more often before this pandemic happened. Maybe it's time to brush up on my skills.
  • I love creating things on Canva. Not sure if they're any good, but I'm trying. These graphic headers are all things I've made with the program.
Well, that's about it! What are some goals you have? Are you taking part in CampNaNoWriMo or thinking about taking part in NaNoWriMo this November?

Until next time...

-Arysta Henry/ Julia Garcia


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