RoW - Round 3 Final Thoughts

When I started A Round of Words in 80 Days six weeks ago for the first time, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect.  Here we have a group of writers who...

• Seem to be unnaturally nice.
• Seem to actually care about each other.
• Are down to earth.
• Encourage each other's successes.
• Pick each other up after failures.
• Have immense knowledge of all aspects of the writing, revision, and publishing process.

Can it possibly be true that these writers are actually all these things?

Well, after six weeks, I'm come to the conclusion that... it's all true.

I've had an up and down half-round.  I've had weeks that were so productive that I was beaming as I wrote my blog posts.  I've had weeks that were so unproductive that I saw no point in updating at all.  Through all of it, all of my fellow RoW participants were there, commenting on every post, sharing in my good and bad moments.

So... before I go into all the end-of-round goals I didn't accomplish, I'd like to take a moment to thank every one of you who took a minute here or there to stop by and write a comment.  It's very validating to me to receive these comments, to know that you all are supporting me, someone you barely know.

I've spent many hours over the past six weeks doing the same with as many of you as possible, and I feel like I've begun developing friendships with you as well.  I am truly looking forward to Round 4, where I can take everything I've learned and grow from the experience.  I hope to see you all then!

Please feel free to comment about your round as well, either to share in your commiseration, or to shine in your success!

Here's my list of goals, and how I progressed:

ROW80 2012R3 - End-of-Round Goals

Writing - I will push toward having completed the first draft of my 2011 NaNo novel. This will be exceptionally difficult, as I believe I still have at least 50-70,000 words left to reach completion, but I feel this is necessary, as my desire is to start the second book in the series for the 2012 NaNo.  I managed to write about 12,000 words onto my 2011 NaNo novel.  I didn't come close to completing the novel, but I did make great progress in comparison to the past eight months since NaNo came to a close.

Blogging - I don't really have an end-of-round goal for blogging, but I would like to get to the point where I feel comfortable writing blog posts on a regular basis. Having a few followers would also be nice!  I have written fourteen blog posts since I started RoW in mid-August, which accounts for around two posts a week.  I feel like I have gained much insight in the blogosphere and how to connect with other bloggers around me.  I've also gained 5 followers, which was more than I was expecting, so thank you for the follow!

Exercise - While not excessively overweight, I weigh more than I am comfortable with, and my goal is to lose 5 pounds by the end of this round.  I did not do very well on this goal.  I did get some exercise in, but my eating habits caused me to gain a couple pounds instead of lose.  I'll be expanding on this goal for Round 4.

Housework - Talk about running a treadmill, housework will never cease, but I want to get to a point at my house that the house is at least free of clutter every night before I go to bed, and my wife is happy with the assistance I give the household.  I made some serious progress in this area, which makes me quite happy.  I've been helping more with various activities, from dishes and cleaning the kitchen to helping keep the kids' areas uncluttered.  I still have a long way to go on this goal, but the progress made was wonderful.