New Year, New Goals

January 10, 2013 by

Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows that I’m a huge advocate of making goals.

Hand Writing Goals On Board

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage: “Failing to plan, is planning to fail.” I’ve found this to be so true in my own life. If I don’t set goals (Short-term and long-term) I find myself sort of floundering through an “idea” of what I need to accomplish, instead of knowing what needs to be done.

2012 was incredibly good to me. I saw my first publishing contract come to be, and my “baby” Fairyproof mature into a published novel. I also got a contract for Resurrecting Harry — another one of my dear “babies” that I’m excited to say will be released in March. So, as the year came to a close, how I should approach 2013 was heavy on my mind.

I came up with this ambitious list of long-term (1 year) goals:

1) Finish drafting two current projects, related to Fairyproof.

2)Edit and submit projects mentioned in 1.

3) Edit and submit drafted contemporary novel

4) Edit and submit contemporary short story.

5) Draft conceptualized Valentine’s Day related short Story.

6) Draft short-story related to Resurrecting Harry

7) Draft Novel-length Paranormal.

My short-term goal (for the next week) is to finish drafting the short story mentioned in number one, above, which will allow me to check that item off the list. And, to block out on a calendar more specific deadlines for each of the above mentioned — the plan to drive the goals.

I also plan to check in throughout the year and let you know how the items are getting checked off the above list.

Please, comment below and let me know what your goals for the new year are and how you plan to keep them.

Filed Under: Writing Life Tagged With: ,

Small Steps and Travel

October 19, 2012 by

Little by little, one travels far. — J.R.R. Tolkien

It’s a common theme on these pages. Baby steps!

If you work little by little, bit by bit, you will get there, and sometimes quicker than you might imagine.

I try to write every day, but as with many people, my life is crazy busy and it doesn’t always happen.

As I head into the weekend, my prime writing time, I’m taking a moment to focus on what the great Tolkien had to say on the subject and passing it along to all of you.

No matter how long the journey to your goal is, you can get there.

Baby steps count.

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

A Good Time for Renewal.

January 31, 2012 by

I love spring.

All fine and good, right. But it’s February. And  a little early to be talking about Spring, you might think.

Not when you understand why I’m so fond of it.

 Yes, I like to put the big heavy sweaters and coats back in storage and pull out the bright-colored t-shirts and flowery blouses. It’s energizing to me to walk outside and have the sun warm my flesh. The singing birds lift my spirits and the blooming flowers demonstrate rebirth and renewal in a tangible way.

We all hit low points in our lives and look forward to the chance to get a do-over. We look for times and circle days on the calender that can represent a clean slate.

In December I had a major countdown to January 1. For me, flipping the page on the calender to a new year, meant I could bury last year with all its hardships and disappointments and begin a new one. It would be as easy as flipping open a new notebook and staring down at a blank page. There, I could start writing a new existence with a happy ending.

Only nothing has really changed besides the date. Has it?

So when work is still stressful, and the bills and laundry still reach mountainous heights, and daily life becomes a vicious cycle, the hope of a year-renewed fades. The winter doldrums take over, and we look for a new day on the calender to embrace as the first day of our do-over.

Often that becomes Spring, when the world shakes off hibernation and new life in the form of flowers and birds give us hope for a new, better tomorrow.

But I think only real hope can return when we don’t look to a specific date or even a specific circumstance. Living life is about accepting the challenges (and getting a helmet, a really pretty purple helmet with big yellow daisies if you want) and facing each and every day with the knowledge that we have the strength to over come them and push forward. Today can be better than yesterday, not because of the date on the calender of the season, but because we choose to keep pushing forward.

 

Filed Under: Fiction, Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,

New Year: 2011 Reflections and 2012 Goals

January 3, 2012 by

It’s a new year, and I’m still here. That’s always something to be thankful for.

As usual, I’m going to use my first post of the year to examine the goals I set last year, and lay out some new goals for the year ahead:  goals for my writing, goals for my personal life, and goals for this blog.

Last year: writing

  • Continue submitting Resurrecting Harry.
  • Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch.
  • Submit The Ultimate Catch.
  • Draft a new project.

How did I do?

 Submitting Resurrecting Harry

Throughout the year, I continued submitting the manuscript to agents and a couple of publishers. I received some constructive and helpful feedback while pitching the project in NY. That advice combined with advice received from others, led me to a decision about this project. (See new goals.)

Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch

I did accomplish this goal and finished a first draft of this project. I’ve also started a second pass on UC.

Submit The Ultimate Catch

I have not completed my self-editing and revisions on this project yet, so I have not submitted it. I did, however, get the chance to talk to an industry professional about it and RWA conference last year and received very positive feedback on the project.

Draft a new project

I did start a new paranormal novel. It’s almost two-thirds drafted.

I’m happy with what I accomplished. I had a couple of “close but no cigar” goals, but for the most part I moved forward and achieved what I wanted. Given the personal setbacks I faced, I’m very happy with that.

My writing goals for 2012

  • Complete Ultimate Catch and submit
  • Complete Shifted and submit
  • Write a novella targeted for the e-markets

Also: because of the advice received on “Harry” mentioned above, I have hired a professional editor to go over the project. When I get the notes, I hope to be able to break down some doors.

Personal goals, in review and looking forward

I had one personal goal for 2011: to continue working out with my trainer and on my own to get healthy. I have met this goal. In the latter half of the year, I slacked off some. I didn’t work as hard as I did in the first half of the year and I let my diet slip.

Looking forward: This year I want to get back on track and stay committed. I want to work out five days a week and pay close attention to how I fuel the tank. I do have a magic scale number that I want to hit, even though I know we’re suppose to ignore that evil machine.

Blog Goals

I didn’t set goals for the blog last year, but have decided to do so this year. Because Monday and Friday are busy days for me at the day job, I’m changing my posting schedule to Tuesday, Thursday plus an occasional weekend post. I want to keep to my schedule as much as possible only taking one week off in July and the last two weeks of the year. I also plan to continue with my “What I Watched/Read” series (though not on weekly).

I hope that you, reader, will stick with me for another year and enjoy what I write here. I also hope that you have a wonderful year in which you reach all your goals!

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

Is Falling Short the Same as Losing?

November 30, 2011 by

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you can’t do anything right? Or a day (or week, or month) when you feel like you break everything you touch?

A kind of day where it’s the first snow, you don’t have a winter coat or gloves available to wear, and your bulldogges lock you out of your car.

These are the days that make it very hard to stay positive and keep looking toward the stars, but they are the days we most need to do that.

After returning to work in April of this year, I’ve had a hard time balancing my writing time with the time I must devote to the family business. I knew if I was going to hold on to this piece of me I needed to get back into the writing-every-day habit. For that reason, I decided to take a stab at NaNoWriMo this year. Though I held the 50,000 word goal out in front of me like a carrot, I admitted to myself this was all about reestablishing good work habits. It was about putting words on the page everyday, even when I didn’t want to.

As promised, I am revealing my progress here today.  I ended up writing 30,551 words. I will most likely have the opportunity to write later today — after my work day — but do not anticipate adding more than 2,000 words to that total. So, I did fall short of the “big prize.” I also fell short of the mini-goal. While I wrote a lot more days this month than I have since March 1, I did not write every day.

I see on Twitter people announcing that they “Wwon” as they cross the 50K line, and I do applaud each and every one of them. It’s an amazing accomplishment. What I refuse to do is say “I lost.”

Losing is not even trying. Losing is giving up instead of pushing forward. Losing is not falling a little short.

How did all of you NaNo, writerly types end up doing?

Filed Under: Life, NaNoWriMo, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , , ,

NaNoWriMo, Day Two

November 2, 2011 by

When most people think of November, I’m sure they focus on Thanksgiving, holiday shopping, colder weather and shorter days. Then there are those of us who write. We look at November with excitement and more than a little fear. For us, November is all about NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month).

If writing is not your thing, you’re probably asking yourself why would any normal person try to write a whole novel in one month.  I think for everyone who attempts the reason in different. I had a very personal reason for attempting it this year.

I’ve taken the challenge twice before. The first time I made the 50,000 words with a few to spare by month’s end. The second time I came very close but fell short by a few thousand words. (What would be a day’s worth of writing for me at the time.) So I knew it was do-able. Or at least, do-able then.

Up until April of this year I had a very firm handle on my writing life. I followed a schedule that had been fine tweaked to work for me.  I did a little freelance work over the morning coffee followed by social media. Around 10:00 am I would dig into my current manuscript, write until I took a lunch break. My writing day would end with either a second round of writing in the afternoon, or an editing session.

Then — like many people these days — I was forced back into the work force. The stress in my life grew massively. And I started going days and days without writing a word. Without that rigid, but working schedule, I felt like every other aspect of my life had started to crumble.

I grew unsure of the ground I stood on.

A few weeks ago, I knew something had to change and I saw the up-and-coming NaNo month as a chance to embrace old habits.  I may never have my dedicated schedule of last year, but I can build a new schedule that allows me to chase the dreams and pay the bills.  I delegated some house hold responsibilities, and I embraced the idea of NaNo.

I’m still holding the main goal of NaNo as my own: write 50k this month. If accomplished, it will take me past the 2/3 mark on my current WIP and help me to feel like a productive writer again. However, I do acknowledge a smaller goal. Write Every Day!

Because that’s what writer’s do.

 

Filed Under: Fiction, NaNoWriMo, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

Life Lessons From an Equestian

August 1, 2011 by

I spent eight days at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky with my adult children for the U.S. Pony Club’s Championships and Festival where one of our club’s riders received the opportunity to take an Eventing clinic from Bill Hooz. Having heard some wonderful things about his teaching style, I decided to follow along.

Read all the details on my Kentucky adventure and the lessons learned at the MVRWA Blog.

Filed Under: Life, MVRWA, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,

False Expectations

February 7, 2011 by

Toward the end of last week, I did something out of the ordinary.  I was riding such a high from completing one project and finding my way with another, I set weekend work goals.

This idea was destined to fail on two levels. One, weekends are crazy around my house. People come and go and there is rarely quiet of any kind. I’m invited to participate in activities with my family and want to catch up with people that may have got neglected in my work-week shuffle.

The other reason is after expending a huge amount of creative energy, like I had during the week, that part of my brain needs some down time.

On Saturday, it was sort of  like my batteries went dead.

Even when I was afforded a chunk or time, I couldn’t force myself to open either file. Those synapses in brain that would helped me put good words on the page, or pushed me through some edits, couldn’t make the necessary connections.

That little graphic to the left is a misnomer though. I refuse to look at it as a failure.

No. I’m not being too easy on myself. I was being too hard last week.

I know those two things about me. Monday – Friday I can filter every single spare minute to my work, but once the weekend arrives, I have to give myself that time off. And I have to remember those little breaks are what keep me productive during the week.  If I were working a regular 9 – 5 job, I wouldn’t sit back and let my boss tell me I had to give up my days off…forever.  It’s unrealistic.

And the only failure that really happened, was the expectation that I should change.

Like with every rule, there are exceptions. And there are times when I will push through and put in the extra hours. If the muse is firing red hot, or I feel a deadline bearing down on me. But I can only go like that for short streaks. This is a truth about me I need to accept, and not create the false expectations that lead to negative emotions.

Are there certain truths about yourself that you sometimes lose sight of?

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , ,

Creating Habits or Sticking To Sticking With It

January 5, 2011 by

Today I’m going to continue on a theme I started Monday: Goals.

It’s one thing to set new goals for a new year, most everyone does, but when January 2, and January 3 rolls around how many of us will  have the will power to stick to the resolutions we made?

One site offers this guess:

A study by the Journal of Clinical Psychology found in 2002 that 75% of people stick to their goals for a week, while only 46% are still on track six months later.

So what can we do to make sure we’re one of the 46% still sticking to our goals when December rolls around again?

Be Reasonable: A big reason why people give up on their new year’s resolutions is they set their sights too high. Whether they want to lose more weight than possible or make unrealistic time management expectations, they set themselves up to fail before they even get started. Be reasonable. Think about what you can REALLY achieve before you even set that goal.

Make it a habit: It’s been said anything you do repetitively for 30 days or more becomes a habit. So if you’re still going to the gym three times a week come February 1, for the next eleven months it will be habitual. The same goes for writing goals. If you want to write  500 words a day, the hardest stretch of time to do it will be those first 30. But that knowledge gives you power. If you keep in the back of our mind that after 30 days it will get easier, well that doesn’t seem so bad as facing a daunting task for a year..or a lifetime.

But how can we push ourselves through that first month and not become a casualty?

The best plan-of-action I can offer is three fold.

1) Plan for it.  Yes, anyone who frequents these pages knows I’m big on planning and to-do lists. When it comes to creating habits, though, the best thing you can do is find time you can set aside almost every day for that task. Whether you decide to spend your lunch hour on a treadmill or the first 45 minutes of your morning writing, building the time into your schedule for the new task gives it priority.

2) Value your plan. In other words, respect it as a priority. If you deem that goal important enough to take up space in your day-planner, soon the people around you will respect that goal too. Spouses, kids, co-workers and the like will not only give you the space to accomplish your task, but they may even help you stay committed to it.

3) Resist the urge to resist. The worst thing you can tell yourself, especially in those all important first 30 days is that you can skip a day. Whether you excuse it with “one day won’t make that big a difference” or promise “to do double the next day,” skipping out on your goal/activity devalues it. And that first downward step gives permission for all the ones that follow. Breaking the routine the first time, will be the hardest, so don’t even start down that slope.

If you set reasonable goals, give your goals priority in your life, and plan to accomplish them, you’ll be one of the minority who will keep your new year’s resolution.

Good Luck!

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

New Year’s Resolutions

January 3, 2011 by

It’s 5:30 on New Year’s Eve as I write this. Even though I don’t plan to post this until Jan. 3, I can’t help but reflect on the year that’s past and set some goals for the one that lies in front of us.

Last year’s writing goals were three fold.

  • Finish Resurrecting Harry.
  • Submit Resurrecting Harry.
  • Draft The Ultimate Catch.

How does that Meatloaf song go? Two out of Three Ain’t Bad?

Looking forward, the short list of what I want to accomplish isn’t all that different in scope.

  • Continue submitting Resurrecting Harry.
  • Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch.
  • Submit The Ultimate Catch.
  • Draft a new project.

As I’ve blogged about here, I also started a road to better health this year by joining a health club and hiring a personal trainer. Though the road is sometimes littered with stumbling blocks, I can definitely wrap it up with so-far, so-good.  Because the contracts I signed were for eighteen months and a year respectively, this journey will continue into the new year. While losing weight is, of course, a marvelous side effect, the true goal is to be healthier and stronger by the time 365 days have past.

From time to time throughout the year, I will update as to how I’m doing on achieving these goals.

My wish to all of you is for a healthy, happy, and successful new year!

Filed Under: Life, Writing Life Tagged With: , ,
«Older Posts