Loving This: Reflections on "A Story Every Day" So Far (June Edition)

The Nuts & Bolts

• As of the last day in June: it's now 182 days in to the yearlong Story Every Day challenge, which started on 1st January. Halfway there, as of 1st July!
• Still in it! I've posted a short story every day this year so far.
• My word count for June: 13,726. That's a little less than average for me. It includes all my micros, (sans the authors note), my look back at May, challenge entries, updates on my unofficial Fucked Up Fairytales challenge, musings about the 3am challenge, a recipe, and a review.
• Stats: My monthly peak at my stats shows that my read count has gone up a bit, but still not at the peak it was a few months ago.
• Reads: Busted past the 11k mark in June, so there's that.
• My most-read , most-liked story in June was story #157, "I am Jack's Tumour". It's not actually very well read, or very well-liked; it's on page seven of the stats.
• Top Stories: Only two this month! Jack's Tumour was the first one, then #172, The Syrup Dream. Sleeping Beauty was published on the 30th, but not made top story until a day or two later, so it should probably be in my July count.

This Month I 'Ave Mostly Bin Writin'

...about love. Awww. I suppose I was feeling soppy. I wrote about romantic love (possibly) in True Love. Forbidden love in Just One Bite. Mothers' love in Life Twice.

I wrote about writing in Flesh and Bone (a failed challenge entry).

I wrote about perpetual online-ness, and a toxic need for validation (with not a hint of irony) in Erasure.

I wrote about medical stuff and adjacent things with Like a Surgeon, The Witching Hour, and Jack's Tumour.

Will there ever be a month without mythical beasts? Draconia, After Draconia, and Stinging Salt.

I continued the dreamscape series with Mostly Dead. I also started (and finished, I think) another dreamy series, which ended with Sleeping Beauty.

I had another crack at crime with One Lazy Sunday.

I only did one animal story this month: A Friend in Need. Unless you also count my weekend fable, A Lamb Called Sunday.

And more!

How Am I Finding It?

At the start of June I was on fire. I was loving writing. But right now? Honestly? I loathe it. My laptop is broken, which is making submitting daily more tricky. My new one should arrive in a couple of days.

I'm also working a lot and exhausted. Last night, I shit you not, I was practically asleep writing "Climbing Boy's Lament". I was asleep for seconds, or maybe minutes at a time, and I'd drag my eyes open and write a few more lines. I hope it doesn't show!

Roll on summer! I've got some much needed time off coming up, and I fully expect to wear my brand new keyboard keys down to nothing. I can't wait to love it again. I know I will.

Reflection

I think my favourite story in June was What's Wrong with Freddie. It disturbed me quite a bit as I was writing it. That doesn't usually happen. I also loved my review for The Fall Guy. I had so much fun writing that (not as much fun as watching the film, though). Read it, watch it, love it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it'll change your life.

What's next?

I have a couple of challenge ideas up my sleeve. I'm sitting on those so they coincide with my time off when I'll have more time to manage them properly.

I haven't done a wanky poem in a while, so I'm working on that.

I really love doing recipes, so I'm working on another one of those as well.

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Thank you for reading!