October Review
My October Review
Last month, I set myself eleven targets because I wanted to put more structure into my work. My September reflections had helped me highlight specific areas that needed work. I found that having targets really helped me focus and prioritize tasks, even if I didn’t manage to achieve them all. None of us are robots and it’s important to be able to change tack or ignore something if it no longer fits the bill. At least, that’s my excuse! So, here is my October Review:
Paper Files
Having the target of organizing a password notebook and a quotes file actually helped me in other areas as well. I bought several A4 notebooks and labeled them to coincide with my categories. This target area was one of the more successful ones and has made life a lot easier. No more trawling through loose sheets of paper. Here are the categories:
- A Creative Journey
- Creative Writing
- Blog
- Photography
Pat on the back, Bernie.
Photography
There was a mixed success in my October review here. I was delighted with my progress with regards to organizing my photography files. Lightroom has become my friend at last! I still need to synchronize some files with those on my computer, but it’s been a good start. I also got around to processing some photographs that I found along the way and that was a bonus.
Getting out with the camera wasn’t quite as successful and I missed the Stradbally exhibits. I guess I was too caught up with the organizational side, it can be difficult to get the right balance.
Get out with that camera.
Creative Writing
The targets I set here were intentionally demanding because I wanted to push myself on this one. Otherwise, what was the point of my blog? I surprised myself by achieving more than I had anticipated, quantity wise. The quality side of it is for others to decide!
I wrote a poem ” Anchored to the Past“, based on my Shipwreck photograph and attempted others inspired by various visual prompts. The festival of Halloween wasn’t neglected and I even pushed myself to write a couple of short stories, based on quote prompts from Medium.
Keep going!
Blog Posts
I’ve been more careful with the Publish button lately, but I just wish that it was located further away from the ” Save Draft” button! As regards the editing side of things, I’ve pretty much decided to ignore my own advice. Why? Well, a lot of my initial problems were caused by the overzealous use of that Publish button. Now that I’ve taken control of that little monster, my editing has become less panicked and more sensible. So I’m not afraid to re-edit something if necessary and it tends only to be on recent posts.
Lessons learned.
Reading
One of the more frustrating things about trying to write is that you can neglect important stuff like reading. And I don’t just mean online, I’m talking about having the pleasure of turning the pages of an actual book. This month I’ve ” almost” read three books. My October review tells me that I’m falling behind on this target. Here are the books I’ve read:
- ” The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris
- “I am, I am, I am” by Maggie O’Farrell
- “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari ( not finished yet )
Must try harder.
November Awaits
I’m looking forward to making a new November target list over the next few days. The October review will help me, but I need to keep challenging myself. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Image on Flickr