Day 31. 30 Creative Days... Conclusions

My 30 creative days challenge has yielded so much...(I'm so proud, this list is going in pink!)

One book deal for The Unheimlich Manoeuvre

One PhD thesis sent to the binders

SIX short stories written - 'Something Nasty in the Woodshed'; 'The Witch That Was Hurt'; 'The Other Curtain'; 'The Graveyard of the Lost'; 'Playing In Their Own Time'; 'All Our Rooms Are Ensuite.'

One novel outline revised

One book chapter written and sent to editors (for Imagining Irish Suburbia)

Contributor copy of The Gothic Compass arrived with my chapter: 'Resurrection: A Gothic Revival in Irish Fine Art Practice.'

Final proof of own journal article on pedagogy and the Gothic, for Unesco e-journal.

CFPs written for The Supernatural conference in Budapest and for the Narratives of Place in Literature, Film, and Folklore conference in Hawai'i.

Site photography for Irish Folk Gothic project at Lough Gur lake and stone circle, Leap Castle, Abbey of the Black Hag, Carraigogunnell, Cratloemoyle, Cratloe Woods, Craughaun cemetery, Killinaboy church, Leamaneh Castle, Ballyheigue Castle, Ballinagarde House, Curraghchase House, Inchiquin lake, Clare Abbey and Mount St. Lawrence graveyard...

Three art exhibitions attended

Peer review of journal article for Iterations

What can I say? DAMN proud!

Here I am, transformed into a glittering goddess of insane creativity...

So what have I learned from this?

Firstly, the challenge worked - in some quite unexpected ways. I'm tempted to make 30 Days Creative an annual August festival - I certainly feel so proud and happy going back to work, and am not conducting my usual countdown of dread to start of term.

Making yourself accountable works. I felt a duty to report every day on my progress, and that made me think of things to do, ideas to put into print.

Setting your own deadlines works. It works for other people's deadlines in my 'real' job, so it's useful to apply the methdology to my creative life. Abiding by submission deadlines set by presses really helps to structure output too.

I can write pretty much anything in a limited amount of time.

Finally, I don't want to stop! I want to keep this going! Maybe I'll do it on a weekly basis on my author site blog?

So thank you, lovely site, lovely blog, for helping me to have such a fantasically enjoyable and productive August.

Now a final scare for the road...