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Thursday, March 24, 2011

ROW80 Round 1 - 23rd Update

I wish I could make my last ROW80 post for Round 1 a tale of blazing success, but unfortutely it's been one of those weeks where one thing after another has gone catastrophically wrong. The worst was being woken up at 7am yesterday by a phone call from my uncle, saying that my nan had been rushed off to hospital with pains in her chest, so I spent the day alternating between worrying about my nan and wondering what was going on and being grizzly(er) because I'd only had about 2 hours sleep. My nan is slightly better tonight, but she's still quite ill and it will probably take her a while to get better. I know that at her age she's likely to face quite a few health problems from now on, but that doesn't make it any easier to prepare for :(

So, yeah... I've done hardly anything this week, on either the writing or academic front. I scratched away at Chapter 1 a bit more, and I've added a few paragraphs to my literature review, as well as scribbling out an outline for my research proposal, but there was so much more I wanted to get done by tonight. However, by the time I got to today, I was in such a foul mood I was ready to butcher someone with a paperclip if they so much as looked at me the wrong way, so concentrating on anything beyond that has been a bit of a chore :)

I did manage to get one thing done though; General Varideus, my fourth steampunk character illustration for my Multimedia Narratives assignment. The act of scribbling away with my Derwent pencils scattered all over my desk was strangely calming, so I was at least able to do something productive without having a mental breakdown.

(far left: Captain Elindra, left: Queen Saranthi, right: Pirate Emperor, far right: General Varideus)
These and other illustrations can also be found on my DeviantArt account.

I have really enjoyed the ROW80 challenge, and I've learned something about my own work habits as well. Though having the challenge and the support of other writers in the same boat as me helped motivate me to get stuff done, I think I probably overestimated my abilities when defining my original goals. As I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, wanting to have one thing at least to a reasonable standard before moving on to the next, I probably should have known to start with that I wouldn't get four chapters finished (not to mention my uni workload). Oh well... I'll know for next time.

Judgemental Dog has his eye on you... ROW80 Round 1 may be over, but don't think he's going to let you relax!

Anyhoo, I'm signing out for Round 1, but I'll be back for Round 2 (even though my goals will pretty much be all academic-related)! See how the other ROW80ers went here.
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14 comments:

  1. Laurel-Rain Snow CreationsMarch 25, 2011 at 12:44 AM

    Nice job! Hope your nan feels better soon.

    Life does have a way of grabbing our attention, but then again, without the life moments, we wouldn't have much to write about, would we?

    Congrats...and hope to see you in the next round.

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  2. alberta rossMarch 25, 2011 at 2:13 AM

    all the best for your Nan - best of luck with acedemic work and see you in April

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  3. Katy BennettMarch 25, 2011 at 4:49 AM

    Hope your nan gets well soon, they are a worry aren't they. Sounds to me like you've done loads just keep focused on uni and best of luck for round 2.

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  4. Andrew MoceteMarch 25, 2011 at 4:52 AM

    I think a lot of us bit off more than we could chew, but we're learning. And Judgmental Dog will keep you in line! For now take care of your Nan. Hope she feels better.

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  5. KatherineMarch 25, 2011 at 5:09 AM

    *Hugs* to you and strength to your nan to feel better soon.

    And an extra doggie treat to Judgmental Dog for being a reckoning force!

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  6. cmstewartwriteMarch 25, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    Best wishes to your nan.

    Pats to Judgemental Dog.

    And good luck to you in the next round!

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  7. C.FarrellMarch 25, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    I think we all learned a little about ourselves in round one. Especially about certain things being completely out of our control. :)

    I hope your nan is okay, you've reminded me I've been seriously neglected my extended family mainly because of writing. I'll have to go visit my own grandmother more often.

    I'm glad you'll be back in round two, hopefully the challenge will help with your academic goals.

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  8. JennMarch 25, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    Congrats on what you have accomplished! Hope your Nan's health continues to improve. See you in Round Two!

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  9. Robin McCormackMarch 25, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    Hope your nan feels better soon. Give judgmental dog a huge bone to gnaw on. You have a lot on your plate, especially with the research work. Good luck and see you in the next round.

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  10. CathrynLouisMarch 26, 2011 at 6:01 AM

    Hoping your nan is better soon. Whatever our occupation, I think family and friends are always most important.

    Love your drawings! I've also enjoyed Row80 and watching everyone work. It's a great way to support other authors.

    See ya next round

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  11. Rebecca J FlemingMarch 26, 2011 at 12:15 PM

    Thanks guys :) I spoke to my nan on the phone yesterday and she seems slightly better, though she's still very ill. The doctors think she might be able to come home on Monday, depending on if she can eat some solid food without being sick. We're going to visit her later.
    I'm hoping to do the final steampunk drawing either this evening or tomorrow sometime, so when it's complete I'll probably stick it on this blog so people can see it if they're interested. For now I'm continuing writing my literature review (am thoroughly sick of referencing), with Judgemental Dog curled up snoring under my desk.

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  12. LisaMarch 26, 2011 at 7:58 PM

    Hey Bec,
    Hope your Nan is on the mend. It's a tough road when your loved ones reach those later years...
    Give Judgemental dog a scratch behind the ears for me, and assure him I'm writing whether he's watching or not! ;)

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  13. Author Belinda KrollMarch 27, 2011 at 6:01 AM

    Having had to drop off for a while due to work, illness, etc, I understand having to let go of writing goals for a while. Give yourself a break! Your nan is more important than a couple of chapters written. See you next round!

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  14. Deniz BevanMarch 27, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    Glad to hear your nan's doing better. Maybe because it was our first ROW80 we all set lofty goals - I know I fizzled out in the last week too, doing lots of overtime at work and not leaving time for writing. Here's to the next round!

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