July 2025 Stats

In July, I wrote 6569 words, which doesn’t feel like a lot. I did, however, take two of my kids on their first international traveling adventure, so there was a lot of kerfluffle for that, and I also took a few days off to go to the Poetry of Society of Texas Annual Conference.

Of those words,

  • 251 were for this blog (2 short posts),
  • 478 were for my journal (which I may update later with numbers from my paper journal, which I cannot find today,
  • 1276 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group),
  • 2630 were on various social media accounts,
  • 1346 were poetry (10 poems),
  • and 588 were in short stories (3 pieces of flash fiction).

There were only 8 days that I didnโ€™t write anything, despite being out of town a lot this month. I just wrote a lot while I was traveling. There’s something about getting out of your regular every day patterns that gets the writing juices flowing. I wrote a lot in my paper journal, but I didn’t count any of those words because I cannot find it at the moment. Who knows where it is!

I didnโ€™t get any poems or short stories submitted anywhere. I just wasn’t that kind of organized.

As for reading, I didn’t read anything that I didn’t finish this month, mostly because I read very little

โ€ฆand I finished reading:

  • Fire At the Exhibition by T. E. Kinsey (audiobook; mystery)
  • Burnout by Emily Nagoski (audiobook; non-fiction – see, I’m dealing with my burnout by reading up on it)
  • Wherever You Find Yourself by Tasha Gaines(manuscript; Christian fiction romance, I believe)

June 2025 Writing Stats

In June, I wrote 6604 words, which wasn’t that great, but I’m pretty sure I was burnt out most of the month after all the graduation nonsense. Of those words,

  • 320 were for this blog (2 short posts),
  • 1258 were for my journal,
  • 2854 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for East Texas Writers Guild and one for the Open Door Writing Group and one for the Tyler Public Libraryโ€™s Try It Tuesday Class),
  • 1033 were on various social media accounts,
  • 35 were poetry (1 measly poem after last month’s record *sigh*),
  • and 1104 were in short stories (5 pieces of flash fiction).

There were only 8 days that I didnโ€™t write anything, so it seems like my count should be higher for all that. I don’t know – I guess my brain was only thinking in super short form this month.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • A Fire at the Exhibition by T. E. Kinsey (audiobook; mystery)

โ€ฆand I finished reading:

  • Jack Glass by Adam Roberts (hardcover; science fiction – do NOT recommend unless you like unexpectedly gory books)
  • The Ghost of Marlowe House by Bobbi Holmes (audiobook; paranormal mystery)

So I have finished 29 books so far this year (and read parts of another 14, mostly for research, but also a couple of things Iโ€™ve had to mark DNF.).

April 2025 Writing Stats

In April, I wrote 5629 words, which was pretty decent, given that I was really very sick the first 2/3 of the month. Of those words,

  • 432 were for this blog (2 short posts),
  • 28 were for my journal,
  • 3528 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group and one for the Tyler Public Libraryโ€™s Try It Tuesday Class),
  • 1342 were on various social media accounts,
  • 47 were poetry (1 poem),
  • and 0 were in short stories (0 pieces of flash fiction).

There were 18 days that I didnโ€™t write anything, but this month included so much illness and then also Easter, spring Holy Days, my son’s birthday, and my birthday. I also havenโ€™t heard back from any of the submissions Iโ€™ve sent out lately, but I should hear back any time now.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • Sober on a Drunk Planet: Giving Up Alcohol by Sean Alexander (e-book; non-fiction)
  • The Magic Words: Simple Poetry Prompts that Unlock the Creativity in Everyone by Joseph Fansano (e-book; non-fiction)
  • Like Literally Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland (hardcover; non-fiction)
  • How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy Guide to Sonorous Verse by Thomas C. Foster (e-book; non-fiction)
  • Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper (hardcover; non-fiction)
  • The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limon (e-book; poetry)
  • Anti-Slavery Poems, Volume 1 by John Greenleaf Whittier (e-book; poetry)
  • Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren (hardcover; non-fiction)

โ€ฆand I finished reading:

  • The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T.L. Huchu (e-book; fantasy)
  • Legacy of Arniston House by T. L. Huchu (e-book; fantasy)
  • Dearly by Margaret Atwood (hardcover AND e-book; poetry)
  • Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie Holmberg (audiobook; fantasy)
  • The Right to Write by Julia Cameron (re-read trade paperback; non-fiction)
  • Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (re-read trade paperback; non-fiction)
  • Knit-Fix: Problem Solving for Knitters by Lisa Karths (hardcover; non-fiction)
  • Japanese Knitting Stitches by Yoko Hatta (oversized paperback; non-fiction)
  • Sweet Romance by Carrie Cox (beta read it twice – romance)

So I have finished 26 books so far this year (and read parts of another 12, mostly for research, but also a couple of things Iโ€™ve had to mark DNF.).

March 2025 Stats

I hesitated in posting this on April Foolโ€™s Day, but please know that this post is in earnest. ๐Ÿ™‚

In March, I wrote 21,346 words, which boggled the mind. Of those words,

  • 473 were for this blog (5 short posts),
  • 1,564 were for my journal,
  • 15,562 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for East Texas Writers Guild and one for the Open Door Writing Group and one for the Tyler Public Libraryโ€™s Try It Tuesday Class),
  • 1,355 were on various social media accounts,
  • 894 were poetry (6 poems),
  • and 1,716 were in short stories (11 pieces of flash fiction).

There were 8 days that I didnโ€™t write anything, but this month included traveling for Spring Break and two out of town Winter Guard competitions for my kid. I also havenโ€™t heard back from any of the submissions Iโ€™ve sent out lately, but all the submitting guidelines said I probably wouldnโ€™t hear back until mid-April or later, so Iโ€™m not worried about that yet.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • Concessions by Libby James (e-book; thriller)
  • Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair (e-book; mystery)
  • The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach edited by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell
  • How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy Guide to Sonorous Poetry by Thomas Foster (paperback; non-fiction)

โ€ฆand I finished reading:

  • If Women Rose Rooted: The Power of the Celtic Woman by Sharon Blackie (audiobook; non-fiction)
  • Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu (e-book; fantasy)
  • Such a Thing to Behold by Umar Turaki (e-book; fantasy)
  • The Midwife (volume 1) by Jennifer Worth (e-book; non-fiction)
  • The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan (e-book; childrenโ€™s lit)
  • Storyteller: 100 Letter Poems by Morgan Harper Nichols (e-book; poetry)
  • Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman (hardcover; poetry)
  • The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser (paperback; non-fiction)

So I have finished 16 books so far this year (and read parts of another 8, mostly for research, but also a couple of things Iโ€™ve had to mark DNF.).

I feel like Iโ€™ve finally hit my stride with this year, so of course the next couple of months are going to be ridiculously busy in my personal life, as I have graduating high school senior in my household and another kid whoโ€™s applying to law schools and may need help moving. Wheeeeee!