Goals for this Week's At-Home Writing Retreat

Since vacation time at The Herald-News doesn't carry over into the next calendar year, I've decided to schedule a couple at-home writing retreats, although I've held back a few days, just in case I can get down to Raleigh this year.

The second at-home retreat actually began when I left work yesterday.

Read this post to see what these retreats typically look like.

Read this post to see what I accomplished on last month's retreat.

The goals are fairly simple, although not simply executed. I'm planning to write a decent draft of the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo series, which is called Call of the Siren.

The entire book is outlined and chunks of it is written. Those chunks do make the drafting easier. Unfortunately, I have far less actually written in the second half than I do in the first.

Just so you can see the themes and the work I'm tackling, I'm including the back cover summary, the chapter titles (the dividing line represents the work for each respective retreat) and the cover art (thank you, Nancy Calkins). 

Wish me luck and full cooperation of my muse!

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves. Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

PART ONE: WATER

Chapter 1: Lullaby

Chapter 2: Music or Madness.

Chapter 3: Town Mouse: Monday, Sept. 13 morning

Chapter 4: Country Mouse, Monday Sept. 13, afternoon

Chapter 5: Water, Butter, and Wine, Tuesday Sept. 14, morning

Chapter 6: Little Girl Lost, Tuesday, Sept. 14, afternoon

Chapter 7: The Lure of Their Eyes, Wednesday, Sept. 15 morning

PART TWO: FIRE

Chapter 8: Flames and Frost, Wednesday, Sept. 15, afternoon

Chapter 9: Even The Sparrow, Friday, Sept. 17 morning

Chapter 10: Bewitched By Her Sweetness, Friday, Sept, 17, afternoon

Chapter 11: House Calls, Saturday, Sept. 18, morning

Chapter 12: Coin for the Passage, Saturday, Sept. 18, afternoon

Chapter 13: Plaintive Cries, Sunday, Sept. 19, morning

Chapter 14: As Sharp as Spears, Sunday, Sept. 19, afternoon

Chapter 15: The Meadow of Skeletons, Monday, Sept. 20, morning

PART THREE: AIR

Chapter 16: Gates of Horn and Ivory, Monday, Sept. 20, afternoon

Chapter 17 Ask, and It Shall be Given You, Monday, Oct. 18, morning

Chapter 18: Seek, and Ye Shall Find, Monday, Oct. 18, afternoon

Chapter 19: Knock, and it Shall Be Opened Unto You, Tuesday, Oct. 19, morning

Chapter 20: The Stain No Storm Could Wash Away, Monday, Oct. 19, afternoon

Chapter 21: A Stone and a Serpent, Wednesday, Oct. 20, morning

Chapter 22: Treading Water, Wednesday, Oct. 20, afternoon

Chapter 23: Last Dream of my Soul, Thursday, Oct. 21, morning

PART FOUR: EARTH

Chapter 24: On Solid Ground, Thursday, Oct. 21, afternoon

Chapter 25: Ideal – and Worthy of Envy, Friday, Oct. 22, morning

Chapter 26: Sue’s Diner, Friday, Oct. 22, afternoon

Chapter 27: In Dark Depths Lurking, Saturday, Oct. 23, morning

Chapter 28: The Abyss Beckons, Saturday, Oct. 23, afternoon

Chapter 29: No Breath of Wind, No Ripple of Water, Sunday, Oct. 24, morning

Chapter 30: Ferry and Scythe, Sunday, Oct. 24

Epilogue, Monday, Oct. 25, afternoon

Cover art for "Call of the Siren" by Nancy Calkins