This morning we were woken up by a passing thunderstorm  and Connie was not pleased. It definitely was a jarring start to the morning but it gave us a little extra time to cuddle up on the sofa until the storm eased up. And since there were no power outages or damage (thank goodness), I enjoyed the storm. The half hour of keeping Connie close to me allowed me to think about what I’d do today. My plan had been to continue working on my manuscript outline, but I finished it yesterday! A week earlier than planned.

I’d been brainstorming ideas for this new story since June and started, what I call a skeleton outline, in July. At the beginning of this month, I set the goal to finish the outline by August 31^st and start writing the first draft on September 1^st. I’m not changing the date to start writing the manuscript. Instead, I’m going to set aside my 21 page outline and spend next week catching up on some admin tasks, brainstorm another story idea and read, read, read.

Last week while I was in NYC, I visited the Union Square Barnes & Noble and picked up a few books. I’ve finished The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak and I’m now reading A Dark and Stormy Night by Laura Childs.

Earlier this month I did a quick monthly reset for my goals I wanted to achieve by the end of August. The biggest goal was writing the outline for my next book. My other goals included creating content for an upcoming takeover over at the Cozy Mystery Party (not a member yet? Check it out on Facebook, it’s a lot of fun!),  and setting up my Notion dashboard. Reviewing my list, it looks like I did pretty good. I got the outline done. I have all the posts ready for the takeover and my Notion setup is looking good.

My plan for the rest of the day is to watch presentations from the InkersCon Virtual conference I registered for earlier this year. Yes, it’s going to be a chilled, laid back day.

I’ve also started decorating for autumn. I know, I know that it’s still summer but I couldn’t help myself. In my defense, the autumn decorating season goes until Thanksgiving since I don’t decorate for Halloween or put-up Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. And I needed the boost my favorite season always gives me.

I’m in need of a refill so I’m going to sign off and get more coffee. Thanks for visiting with me today. I’ve shared what’s been going on and I’d love to know what you’re up. Drop a comment and let me know.