Saturday Summary, August 18, 2012

It's hard for me to believe both that another week has flown by, and also how much I've got done in that week.  I've even managed to take some walks with my son, and squeeze in trips to the grocery store and the library. 

I just wonder how much more I could accomplish if my son actually took his naps like he's supposed to ...

Music -- I finished up two new piano pieces, one an original and one an arrangement, which I'll be playing for my church service the next two weeks.  I'm still working on some 12-bell pieces, as well as a handbell choir arrangement, both of which I really hope to finish up this coming week.  I also took some time to tweak a couple of commissions I'd written, making them ready to submit to publishers by adding in markings so smaller ensembles can play them.  The plan for the coming week is to finish those 12-bell pieces and that arrangement, as well as to try to write a piece or two for organ -- I'll be back up in the organ loft the first Sunday in September, and I'd like to have something to play up there that I wrote. 

Writing -- Another week without missing a day of writing, which is good.  I'm currently throwing down some general thoughts about the sixth book of The Sadonian Chronicles.  I'd been unsure whether this was going to be a seven or eight book series, and as I look at where I am in the story in book six, it's looking like a seven book series.  It's nice to sort of have that figured out (though as I get planning out book seven, that may change).  The plan is to continue like this with very vague and general thoughts, and at the rate I'm going, I ought to finish those thoughts for books six and seven in the next two weeks or so.  Then, I want to go back, make nice, detailed synopses of all the books (I've already done this for three, though it needs tidying up), then start in with the writing.  My current goal is to start working on writing book three during National Novel Writing Month in November, though if I get to it sooner, I won't be heartbroken.

Publishing -- Oh my, what a week!  I got three handbell pieces accepted (all of them commissions) -- they should be released late this year and next year -- as well as five more piano pieces for the Lorenz publication The Church Pianist.  I'm closing in on the coveted 100 mark in terms of titles accepted (and if you consider each individual piece of multi-piece sets, I'm already past it), so I'm sure there will be some sort of celebration when that happens. 

I did have several piano pieces rejected, and those are in an envelope right now ready to be sent off to another publisher just as soon as I can make it to the post office. 


It was a very busy week all around, but the results are quite satisfying.  I'd love to have a week like this every week, but I suppose that then these weeks wouldn't feel quite so special.  As I've discovered, though, the only way to have these sort of great weeks is to keep working, keep writing, keep composing, and keep submitting, which is what I'll keep doing ... at least for as long as my son keeps taking his daily naps.