Late once again and in more ways than one. The last time I wrote a page was March 2nd. What happened then I wonder. I followed my goal to write a page a day through February. There was pleasure in doing so. It had been some time since I was well enough to put together enough strength to be determined to do anything. To do anything period. So what occurred? What does happen to goals? We’ve all had them slide away a time or two or more. Z Minor wrote last month:
The only thing that will make it happen is BICHOK. That and encouragement. It sounds wimpy, even as I type this, but while I felt great achieving my goal of a page a day, sometimes more, I didn’t share that after the first day or two. Sharing let others encourage me by cheering me to continue reaching my goal. We’re all human, some more than others. Some of us need more encouragement. My self-motivation is wobbly at best these days. I need all the help I can get. I should have shared more. So no more moaning about setbacks. They are in the rear view mirror by the time you recognize them anyway. Look ahead. Rewrite the goals. Keep writing.
0 Comments
I have discovered everyone has goals/resolutions about something:
I am going to write a story. I am going… Everyone has their own list of goals/resolutions (G/Rs); the only problem the lists are in their heads. So they only think about them occasionally. To keep G/Rs a reality and obtainable here are some suggestions.
Saying you are going to write a chapter a week is too broad. Better to have G/Rs with a certain number of pages per week because chapter pages can vary.
I want to write 20 pages per week and plan to write Monday through Friday. My weekend is devoted to my family and friends. I will need to write 4 pages per day or more. This does not include doing research, promoting, or being on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and emails, loops, etc. But I must write 4 pages per day to get my writing done. That is a solid G/Rs. I know I may not get to write every day. This is the reason for a weekly goal instead of a daily one, which could drive me crazy because some days writing is just not possible – life gets in the way.
FAST GOALS: I have started doing fast goals. I look two to three days, sometimes weeks ahead, and see what I must get done. Then I prioritize them and tackle them accordingly to their due dates. Example. If my blog must be done by the 8th of the month, I take the information I gathered on my topic and write my blog on the 5th or 6th. I like it to sit for a couple of days, then I will reread it, check content, spelling, etc., and then sent it out on its due date. Setting G/Rs can change your life. It is not as hard as you think. We need a map or a good GPS to get us from Kansas to California in a reasonable length of time. Otherwise, we would meander from state to state. It would be a great trip with wonderful scenery but we might never reach our destination. The same applies to our G/Rs. We have to have a plan on how to get to where we want to be. Start with small G/Rs and work toward more complicated ones. Writing them down and referring to them often – daily at the beginning will speed you on your way to your Success. Goals. We all have them. When I created my family's Christmas newsletter, I asked my family what their 2016 goals were. My husband wanted to take up wood carving. His father was quite the talented carver. My oldest daughter wished to learn how to tap dance! I'm happy to report that she has already participated in two classes. Her little sister takes them too. The boy wanted to play baseball. With his heart defects, we are just now getting use to our son playing rigorous sports. The season doesn't start until the summer, but we talked about spring training. For the time being, he and the older girl start archery lessons next month. It's a sport the husband and I took up years ago and just getting back into it. I have the sore arms to prove it. Little One's goal was to be a Minecraft Youtuber. Since her mom won't let her video herself while playing Minecraft, that goal will have to wait.
Me? To find an agent for my Carrick manuscript and finish the WW2 YA I started late last year. I try my very best to write every "business" day aka when the kids or the husband aren't home. Some days are great, the words flow, and I end up with 1000 words. I struggle and stumble on other days and I'm happy with 200 words. Two hundred words are better than none! Appropriately for this time of year, I’m reflecting on 2015 and looking forward to what 2016 will offer. Personally 2015 included a new granddaughter, a deeper relationship with a beau I met the end of 2014 (who believed in my writing enough to buy me a tablet—not Big Chief—so I could write while we travel, just before my laptop died), amazing business and pleasure trips to Maryland, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Oregon and Colorado, plus a bucket list ride on the Durango-Silverton train. 2015 brought sorrow as well with the loss of my brother and others close to me, as well as a family loss.
Professionally, 2015 marked the publication of my third novel, What the River Knows, my first published by someone other than myself. I learned more than a graduate course from my editor during the polishing process. The process also taught me patience as submission to publication took almost two years. However, the end result was worth it. I worked on my website and platform, learned to tweet, and committed to monthly blogging on WARA. I did blow it in September, though, when the whole family gathered in Tennessee to meet new member Scarlett, and forgot my blog. So what’s in store for 2016? Personally, more travel to visit family and perhaps a cruise to Italy with the beau (who is that rarity—a man who listens), a major tourist destination trail project at work, house painting and other projects, and who knows what else. Professionally, more BICHOK. I’m organizing my office, getting ready to purchase a desktop computer and looking forward to my first royalty check from The Wild Rose Press. They have requested to see my first novel, More Than a Point of Honor, if I can cut 35,000 words from it. I’m 2/3 through it and determined to make it. Then I have to plot and write the sequel to River and finish my romance Love’s Crossroads. I need to be more regular with my blogging and work harder to promote. How about you? How did you do on your personal and professional goals for 2015? What do you want your 2016 to bring? Let’s share our goals and help each other meet them. BICHOK on! |
Archives
June 2017
Categories
All
|