I don’t normally read science fiction. I enjoy watching sci-fi, but not reading it. This year I am determined to read genres that I don’t normally read. I think as a writer it’s important to read beyond what your comfort zone. It’s good to push boundaries.

The Martian By Andy Weir fits that bill. I have to be honest. I never intended to read this book…until I saw the movie. I knew it was originally self-published and it was set on Mars. The movie was amazing, the dialogue was funny, and I sat praying Mark would make it back home. When I was making the Mother-Daughter Reading Challenge with my girls, this book came to mind. I knew if I was going to read a sci-fi book, it would be The Martian.

I’m 78% into the book. It’s not a quick read, at least not for me. All that science slows me down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fascinated by it. As a child I sat glued to the TV every time a Space Shuttle was launched. I wanted to be an astronaut. Even as an adult, and I knew it wasn’t happening, I still wanted to go to space. My brain is just a little slow when math and science are involved. But the humor! The humor is perfect. I can imagine a guy stuck on Mars, alone with old 70s TV and disco music, making comments like those in the book. I love it.

Anyway, I’m on page 332 and he’s still on Mars. I hope to finish it today.  On with the goals.

Row80 Round 1 Goals

Be sure to stop by the Row80 hub and leave a little encouragement for the other participants.

-Participate in the weekly Health/Fitness Challenge at church. I have a Barre class tonight and the Zumba class tomorrow. The MLK holiday and Spelling Bee made it impossible to go to the gym Monday and Tuesday.
-Read 4 books a month, roughly 1 book a week. I am still reading The Martian by Andy Weir.
-Edit book 2 in my mystery series.  Nada!
-Work on self-publishing Book 1. This round that means- participate in a manuscript swap and send MS to editor. I should finish tomorrow or early Friday. By the way, it’s a great book. I hope she seeks publication.
-Institute Meatless Monday. Yes! Well sort of. I made chicken cooked in gravy. I didn’t eat the chicken. Technically, I know it’s not vegetarian because it had chicken cooked in it, but hey it’s close enough for me. I actually did that two nights this week. 🙂
-Keep up with the local Critique Group. I had critique group Monday and have a new stack of stories to read. I’m even looking at them until next Monday.
-At some point I need to write a story I’ve plotted. Nada!

– Edit/publish Mystic Brew. No new progress. When I get it back from the editor it would be nice to have a beta reader or two. It’s NOT a Christmas story. It’s actually a dark, crime short with hints of paranormal.

There you go. I’m happy with the week so far. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on a few of my goals.

How is your week going?

-CK