The April Report

The month began well, but as can be expected when vacation comes in that month, it did not end all that well.

1. Market "Mom's Letter" to at least five markets. Some of the markets I've selected close to submissions in May, so I have to get that done this month. I accomplished this goal, sending "Mom's Letter" to exactly five markets. Haven't heard anything yet, of course.

2. Begin work on "It's Over Over Here", my article on Dad's work with The Stars and Stripes during World War 2. Even if I don't get the assignment from the magazine, I'd like to write the article. Did not do this. Too many other writing activities took precedence.

3. Complete the beta reading project I've committed to. I was doing good on this before my illness, and before tax diversion. I'm 2/3 of the way through this short, young adult novel. I can do this this month. Yes, I completed this. The project was interesting, reading and critiquing a novel whose target audience is teen age girls. Hopefully I did some good.

4. Write at least one chapter of In Front of Fifty Thousand Screaming People. I outlined seven chapters last month; surely I can get one of those written. Nope, did not do this; it didn't even come up on the radar.

5. Blog 12 to 14 times. This seems to be the thing that is easiest for me, so I'll bump up my goal a little this month. Yes, I blogged 14 times.

6. Monitor five writing blogs/web sites. This is also easy, and I'm learning much from these sites. I also did this monitoring, something that's easy to do a day at a time. I have some catching up to do from vacation.

7. Complete the political essay I started on the Baby Boomer generation, and post it to The Senescent Man blog. I'm almost halfway done with this. I completed this, and posted it in four segments at "The Senescent Man" blog. BTW, we three main contributors to "The Senescent Man" got together in real live last Tuesday in Cranston, RI, along with another man, all friends from college, some from high school, some from junior high, and some even from grade school.

8. Get back to writing, at least a little, on the notes and appendixes of the Harmony of the Gospels. I'd like to spend about an hour a week on this, which will give me continued progress by inches. I looked at this a little bit, but did not come even close to spending an hour a week on it. Last month I gave a copy of the work as it stands to my pastor, who told me he is enjoying it, and is anxious to see those appendixes.