I postmortem each month shortly after it ends. Previously, I used these posts to hold myself accountable on progress toward my annual goals. Starting in January 2023, I broadened these posts to address more generally my observations and experiences for the month. (To read previous months’ reviews, click here.)

A hectic July crammed with a series of houseguest visits (apartmentguest visits?) and myriad other surprise stresses on work and personal fronts didn’t make for much rest, relaxation, personal time—or goal progress, much less achievement.

However!

In addition to managing to get in the life-maintenance basics to make it through July—because how can we not, if we are to survive—I did make halting progress where I could.

As musing doesn’t require time at the keyboard (mostly), I got in some solid thinking on the theme for the novel to follow my current draft-in-progress. I won’t start in on this next novel this year—no time for that—but I’d set a goal to have chosen one of the ideas I jostle around on a bullet list with the aim to refine it into something more concrete and then mapping it out next year.

Novels require a lot of time, energy, effort, and psychological space, after all. You must choose which ideas to pursue with prudence.

Also, though I’m behind where I’d hoped to be by this point in the year due to July’s curveballs, I have progressed on the draft for my second novel manuscript. I have a goal to complete the first-draft phase by the end of this year. What I have is a mess, but a good mess. I feel I’ve got something to shape in 2024, let’s say. And though behind schedule, I have confidence that my energy and enthusiasm for what’s in production will catch me up and I’ll hit my timeline target.

My first novel manuscript still goes out in tranches for agent-representation consideration—a plodding process. I kept up that work in July, despite it all. (Just in case: Know any literary agents?)

All this while—despite flagging motivation, if I’m honest—continuing to keep this personal-hobby blog going with regular posts and my monthly Letter. Feedback from readers always arrives right when I need my spirits buoyed to keep me at it. (So please continue with the messages and comments and e-mail, if you’re so inclined!)

Finally, I sent in an application midmonth to volunteer at a literary festival in a nearby town in early September, which checks a lot of goal boxes for 2023: More involvement in the local scene, contact with the literary world and likemindedly creative humans, and French-language immersion. (Should be an adventure, at least on that latter front.)

In the month ahead, we’ve managed to carve out a little time for a bit of our own summer travel early in the month. (To date, we’ve predominantly welcomed and entertained others on their travels. Always a treat for the hosts, but never a vacation.)

I’ll doggedly keep up my progress, though, don’t you know it.