Announcing a Guest Appearance at Gen Con Indy Plus February's Journalling Prompt

Hello, hello! February is a beautiful 29-days long. How are you planning to spend your extra day? This month, I’ve plotted to beadweave several pieces ahead of a bead-themed convention I’m attending this Spring. I’m also hoping to attend a botanical show and gear up for another year of volunteering at my local zoo. In the meantime, while I wait for the weather to warm up, I’m powering through a rewatch of Vampire Diaries and finishing my first sweater-slash-poncho. Swoncho? The extra day will be lovely and welcome, despite my frustration with Winter’s teeth.

Before I get to February’s journalling prompts for our year of planting seeds, I wanted to share with you that I will be a guest speaker and instructor at the 2024 Gen Con Writer’s Symposium in Indianapolis, Indiana along with several fine and upstanding individuals including special guests Mikki Kendall and Linda D. Addison. I’m working on my event submissions as we speak and will be sharing more updates with you about my panels, which are included with the price of admission, and paid workshops.

If you’ve attended my presentations in the past, you might recall that I’ve often stated I treat conventions as my opportunity to give back to other writers and designers and don’t typically charge for my time. Though I believe panels should be free, with the price of con admission, workshops give creators an opportunity to focus more deeply on a specific aspect of the craft. Pre-pandemic, I didn’t charge for workshops, but am doing so going forward. So many artists, writers, and designers I’ve talked to have mentioned the costs associated with attending conventions has skyrocketed and doesn’t necessarily match the benefits. Hence, the change. Figured I’d share that tidbit, because a lot of other creators are in the same boat. If you’re keen on supporting folks, in-person workshops are a fantastic way to do just that.

Planting Seeds in February

When I started the theme for planting seeds in February, I didn’t have a plan or idea how this would go. Right now, I feel like a combination of journalling prompts, suggested links, and some observations is the best way to help empower you to continue on your journey. In January, I touched base with some folks who said they didn’t know where to start and, this process, sounded like a way to help them get over their fears. Gardening, as I was reminded today post-meetup, is slow and requires patience. The same, I think, can be said for publishing.

In January, I suggested a journalling prompt to write about the spaces where you create. This month, I’d like to turn your attention to metrics.

Metrics are a way of measuring your progress to hold yourself accountable. They aren’t goals, but new writers often confuse them as such because they can be competitive. For example, you might have a goal to write 1,000 words a day. Except, your metric isn’t 1,000 words or even writing every day. It’s your word count.

Simply, a metric is a measurable unit. For writers, counting your words is common, but you can also track hours, finished chapters/sections, word sprints, submissions, etc. Word count, when you’re new to writing, might be intimidating but it’s a metric that is often used in professional (e.g. paying) circles. If it’s “too much,” you might decide to track your hours instead. Or, you could opt to avoid tracking metrics until you firm up what you want to create.

Need some recommendations to track metrics? Here’s some apps to explore.

Free Apps to Track Word Count and Hours

These days, I’m less interested in stressing about word count and more interested in taking the time to write. I’ve used Toggl in the past and recommend it. The biggest issue with word count apps, is that it might not work for your platform. Time trackers are few and far between because many are geared for larger teams or small businesses. Tried to balance functionality vs availability in this

1. WriteChain - jamiegrove.com/writechain

2. myWriteClub - mywriteclub.com

3. WordCounter - wordcounter.net

4. Pacemaker* - pacemaker.press

5. 4theWords** - 4thewords.com

6. MyHours - myhours.com

7. Toggl - toggl.com

8. Clockify - clockify.me

Technically, two of these apps are not free. Pacemaker has a free version you can use, but does offer a premium subscription. 4theWords offers a free 30-day trial, but is a paid service.

February’s Journalling Prompts

When you’re new, I find it’s important to acknowledge what you don’t know and what you hope to discover. Journalling can help you find that reassurance to keep moving forward.

If you’re a veteran, it may seem like taking two or three steps backwards to journal about your methods. Reinforcing what does and doesn’t work for you can help reassure you that yes, you do know what you’re doing! Sometimes, that can help you get over a hump and get back to creating. Or, it might shake a new time-saving opportunity loose, too.

This month, take the time to journal about how you’re measuring productivity. Think about the tools you’re using, if you’re experiencing any hiccups, and if there’s any opportunities to refine or adjust.

Sample prompts include:

• Is measuring productivity important to you?

• How do you measure productivity?

• Do you like your methodology for tracking?

• What, if any, apps do you use?

• Do you have a bullet journal or notebook where you log your efforts?

• What productivity benchmarks help you feel fulfilled as a creator?

After journalling, check out these apps to track word count and hours—the two most common metrics for writers. You can also use Excel or a productivity app, like Habitica, to input your progress, too.

If you’d like to recommend an app or send words of encouragement to new writers, feel free to comment or reach out! ‘Til next time!