Throughout July, I often found myself reminiscing—and not just on the first half of 2026 (which is flying by me; how is it already August?). July’s blog posts took great inspiration from the past, and, looking back at this month, I see how each previous Theme of the Month played a role in my July.
Back in January, rushing to finish an ambitious novel rewrite before my first writer’s conference, I reminded myself that a win is a win. This year, I have been juggling a number of different writing-related projects. There are days when I only make a small amount of progress on one thing, or tiny bits of progress on multiple things, and other days I am wildly productive. It’s easy to ride the roller coaster and get caught up in the highs and lows—especially the lows—but all progress is progress, and it’s worth celebrating. Recently, I have been keeping track of all the different projects I work on each day, and there are days that I write a “done” list instead of a “to-do” list.
In February, I remembered the best time to plant a tree was years ago; the second-best time is now. Following a recent plot epiphany, I spent some time organizing my thoughts and mapping out chapters and following a calendar. At one point, I was frustrated with myself that I hadn’t explored these ideas sooner, but I had to remember that I had the ideas now, so now was the time to explore them. When I finished my novel prep work, part of me was tempted to let the timeline and new ideas simmer on the backburner of my mind before I got started on the new draft. After all, there’s something satisfying about starting a project on the first day of a month. Instead of waiting, I started the new draft the next day, in the middle of the month.
My theme for March was persistence. Frankly, I almost queried this novel multiple times before this revision. I thought it was ready, but I struggled with the query letter, especially the comp titles, and instinctively, I knew the novel could be better somehow. Through the ups and downs, I’ve never entirely given up on this project. And, even on the writing days when I didn’t feel excited about writing, I made time to write anyway.
It was clear to me in April that I don’t give myself enough grace when I can’t meet my own (sometimes unreasonable) expectations. Other than tracking what projects I worked on and meeting various deadlines, I scrapped or reduced writing-related expectations for myself in July. When I started the novel draft, I gave myself the loose target of 1,000 words per writing day, mostly so I could start building momentum and have an idea of when I’d be finished. More than once in July, I doubled, tripled, or nearly quadrupled my word count target.
My theme for May was intentional gratitude. I carried my June practice of daily identifying blessings into July. In a similar vein, I pushed myself to use the things I often save for the “right” time. For example, there are clothes that I hesitate to wear if I’m just going to be home all day and there are teas I drink sparingly because they are more difficult to restock. In July, I made an effort to wear those clothes because I wanted to wear them and drink that tea because I wanted to drink it. I had more joy in my everyday life as a result.
During June, I conducted a number of experiments related and unrelated to my writing life. I continued conducting experiments in July. Eliminating or lowering my writing-related expectations was one experiment. Regularly using the Pomodoro Technique was another. Time blocking on my calendar was another.
With all that in mind, my theme for July is separate but connected to previous months: growth. Looking back, I can see how my month was built on the experiences and lessons of the last six months (and the many months that came before).
I’ll keep you posted on my writing life and pursuit of publication, and as always, LET’S GO PIOS! GO AVS GO!
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