Personal Corner:
Robert and I are getting settled into our new home and loving it. We’re enjoying walks in the nearby park, getting acquainted with our neighbors, and beautifying our place.
I admit, unpacking has overwhelmed me. It didn’t help I started with the kitchen, the largest area to unpack. I felt as though we’d live with boxes forever. But we’ve made progress-we have most of the downstairs unpacked but need to tackle the upstairs. At least, Robert set up my bookshelves and desk, so I could use my office, but the floor’s still covered with boxes. I’m unpacking in five to fifteen-minute intervals while I’m working. Slow and steady wins the race, right? (I’m reminding myself).
Hopefully in the near future, I’ll have a fun Instagram Reel showing before and after of my office.
(I took the picture above when on a walk in the neighborhood. Our house backs up to the pond.)
Book Corner:
Thank you for voting on a book cover for my short story, “Rescue in Amalfi”. I changed the name because the title works better on a book cover. (You’ll understand when I email the next segment of voting for the cover.)
You’ll receive an email tomorrow with the cover options to vote on again because we had a three-way tie-LOL! But the covers will include the title and author name.
On October 10th, I’ll provide the short story for your enjoyment. After all, “Rescue in Amalfi” is fruits of our labor. (Some of you helped to beta read along with voting on the cover.) YEA!
Other Literary News:
During our move, I needed to light a fire under me to maintain my writing schedule. I was lax on writing during an allotted time. I was spending time on important, non-writing tasks during my morning writing sessions. Then I’d write later than my usual time.
The problem? The heat of the day hit, and I didn’t get as much writing done. Uh oh!
So, on October 1st, I partnered with a few writers on an accountability system. Using SMART goals, we report our progress daily and encourage each other.
I’m enjoying maintaining my writing schedule, and work on important and urgent, non-writing tasks after I write. I’ve become more efficient and organized.
The best part? I’ve felt God’s grace. On Sunday, I asked for prayer at church to help me with my writing schedule, and I got blessed by those who prayed over me.
I’m always willing to learn, so feel free to share your time-management tips in comments. Thank you.
My goals for October:
- Write 25 hours/week
- Spend minimum of 10 hours/week on writing-related activities (marketing, crafting, reading, editing, etc).
My reward:
Eat at a special restaurant with my husband. I’ll let you know if I get the reward in next month’s newsletter.
Our Interactive Short Story Corner:
If you haven’t read last month’s newsletter introducing this story, please read first: Help Me Write a Fun Story.
To refresh your memory, our entrepreneur Jason Koch is opening an Asian fusion restaurant in a month. But his chief investor backed out, so he needs $100K to open on time.
Fortunately, you voted for the next step he should take and now he has hope. Because of your ingenuity, he has not only one but two fundraising ideas.
- One is a Kickstarter campaign. Yep, that was the most popular option.
- The second is offering an employee share opportunity. Shout out to Tom, a subscriber, for suggesting this idea.
Jason offers an employee ownership opportunity if they invest. The head chef throws in $10,000 and Aurora Boom, a hostess, provides $40,000. (Wondering what the heck is she doing as a hostess? Well, that’s a story for another day.)
For now, Jason needs to roll up his sleeves and create an enticing Kickstarter campaign. Since he’s asking $50,000 as the highest pledge, he needs an irresistible reward. (He’s offering smaller pledges with rewards, but if the reward for the 50K pledge entices an investor, he can open on time.)
So, let’s make this campaign memorable and irresistible!
The winning vote is based on popularity and the MOST creative answer. If everyone votes for an existing option, the most popular vote wins. If you submit a creative reward and it’s irresistible, that reward wins. Put your thinking caps on and help Jason entice an investor with $50,000 to throw into his restaurant.