On Your Mark, Get Set, Goal

It's a good thing I looked at the calendar, because I would have forgotten I needed to be here today.  I know it's January.  I know we've moved into 2014, but other than that, I'm a bit lost.

It would be nice to escape setting goals right now.  I thought I knew where I wanted to take this year.  But recently I've realized my old goals, the ones I've been making and usually meeting, aren't going to work for me the way I'd thought they might  It's time to step back, rethink, and re-goal.  Yes, a sort of New Beginning.

My writing goal in 2013 was to write 200,000 words.  I met that goal.  In fact, my WARA friends may not know, but I wrote 232,653 words, not counting blog posts.  The total for those was 49,666.  I'll let you do the math.  How did I do it?  I wrote three books.  Three and a half, to be more precise.  Half of one of those three was rewritten last month is scheduled to be released in August of this year  The other two?  That's the big question.

I enjoy writing.  I love writing.  Sometimes it's crazy, but in the end, it's satisfying.  There's very little of the process that I don't like.  But then I've written something or other most of my life.  I also enjoy reading, something I haven't had much time to do this year.

Because the majority of my life is writing, I keep an eye on what's happening in the publishing world.  If you haven't noticed--and you'd have to be a complete non-reader to do that--that world is changing.  E-books are everywhere.  Many traditionally published authors, including our own Deb Stover, have decided to explore this new experience for both writers and readers.  Personally, I haven't bought a print book for quite some time, but I've definitely amassed a lot of books for my Kindle--written by both traditionally published authors and indie/self-published authors.  If I only had time to read them!

So here are my goals.  I expect some certain people to keep me on them.  You know who you are.

• Goal #1:  Read more
• Goal #2:  Give myself permission to enjoy life more

The first goal is covered by having more books than I could read in a year.  The second will be somewhat taken care of by the first goal.  Reading to me is enjoyment. :)  

• Goal #3:  Have a more positive attitude about myself and my life

Goal # 2 should help with #3.  And I've taken other steps to achieve it.  Several months ago, I began practicing meditation.  I hadn't been sleeping well.  I'd toss and turn, unable to go to sleep.  Once I finally did fall into dreamland, I (thankfully) slept well.  I needed to turn off the worry and problems of the day, and I found that meditation before bedtime solved that.  Although doing it in the morning is probably better and helps the day move along more smoothly, bedtime was the only time I could carve out to do it.  Hey, I tried yoga a couple of years ago, but my body rebelled.  And when the body rebels, the mind does, too.  Sleep comes quickly now, no matter what problems and obstacles the day has presented.

There are more things to work out, more goals to set, but those three must come first.  Like Theresa Jaye, I need to reinvent myself.  I'm grabbing her shirttails and going along for the ride.  After raising four daughters and basically helping raise five grandchildren, it's time for me.  Selfish?  I don't think so.  Now to figure out who me is. :)  Oops!  Who I am. ;)

It all takes time.  We have to learn to know ourselves, we have to search our hearts for what we truly want.  After that, we have to go for it!  Once we do, those goals are more easily made.  I may not get as far as I hope, but I'll at least be on the road.  If nothing else, I'm stubborn.  Once I make up my mind to do something, I do it.

Making goals?  Always.  It's something I had to learn to do, but once learned, it's become a habit.  Reaching them--or trying to--also became habit.  I'm eager to see what 2014 will bring.  It's good to see that so many here are, too.

Happy 2014!  May your wishes and dreams come true!  I'm going to work to see that mine do.

Motivation Madness

Congratulations to WARA member Fran Fowlkes for placing 2nd in GRW's Maggie Award!


One of the hardest things in life to learn is that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do or just don't feel like doing.  I learned, my kids learned, and my grandkids are now learning that, to paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you don't always get to do what you want.

Procrastination lives and thrives on the absence of motivation.  In fact, the two are pretty much polar opposites.  I don't remember a time when I've been motivated to procrastinate.  So how do you  motivate yourself when you're stuck in procrastination mode?

SET GOALS
Yes, this is a hard one.  Most of us tend to overdo and set goals that are too difficult, and then we give up before we make much progress.  When setting goals, make sure your goal is reachable.  There are a few things to keep in mind that will keep you from giving up before you barely get started.

• If you work a full time job, you don't have hours and hours to devote to your goal.  Add a family to care for, and the time gets smaller and smaller.  But you don't need a big block of time.  Lunch time can often net you a small block.  Driving to and from work is a good time to do some brainstorming or listening to motivational tapes/CDs.  Can you give up one television show a week?  What about computer games?  I'll admit that Spider Solitaire is one of my big downfalls.
• Discover if you're an OWL or a LARK (a night owl or an early bird).  Once you learn which one you are, you'll be able to pinpoint your peak times and can put them to good use.  Larks can get up earlier in the morning when the house is quite, while owls can set aside time at night, often when everyone else has gone to sleep.
• Make a pact with a friend to work on changing your routine to allow for more time for your goals.  Or maybe work out a schedule with a friend where you'll watch her kids, giving you some extra time, and then you do the same for her.
• Use goal-setting tools such as NaNoWriMo (next month!) or WARA's BIAW.
• Break a large goal into smaller ones.  Do you have a goal for the year?  Break it down into months, then weeks, then what you need to do daily to reach that big goal later.

REWARD YOURSELF
One big reward is always nice when you've reached that major goal, but what about the getting there?  Have you been working hard and reached one of your smaller goals on the way to the bigger one?  Or maybe you've finished that big goal and need to celebrate.  Incentives and rewards can help keep you on track.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started, but be sure to add your own!

Small, inexpensive, and even free for the small goals:

•  An ice cream treat.
• A trinket from the dollar store.
• An extra hour of television
• Window shopping
• A long nap
• A trip to a park

For those big goals when they've been met:

• A movie with friends
• A new hairdo
• A spa day
• A manicure
• A new book (and the time to read it!)
• A weekend away

WRAP-UP

Once you've set your goals and are ready to begin, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you set goals for the week, whether writing or life?
2. Are these goals part of a long term goal you're working toward?  Or simply a stand-alone goal for something special?  (Don't worry, it doesn't matter.  It only needs to be specified in your mind.)
3. Have you chosen a reward for reaching a goal, whether a mini-goal that's part of a bigger one, or a single one?
4. If this is a must-reach goal, have you alerted friends and family that you will be unreachable during specified times?
5. Are you prepared to force yourself to work toward your goal, when every fiber of your being cries out, "I just want to have fun!"?  (Yes, this is here because of personal experience...every day.)

If you still not sure or if you need a little push to keep you going, try MOTIVATION MONDAYS at my blog Diary of a Mad Romance Writer.  Together we'll set goals, keep the motivation going when times get rough, and celebrate the journey.

Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines. ~ Brian Tracy 

Ninety Thousand - My Magic Number (Melissa Robbins)

This year, WARA has challenged their members to a word writing contest. The winner will be based on percentage completed, so the writer who struggles writing 25,000 words can compete with the published authors who have several book contracts.

Ninety-thousand words. That's my writing goal for the year. Seems pretty daunting, doesn't it? How did I come up with this magic number? Most of the stories I write have 85,000 words, but I have 70,000 words for a story I should finish and 20,000 for one I started last November for Nanowrimo. Ninety-thousand might just finish both stories or at least one!

But 90,000 is still a big number, so I broke it down. Being able to break a goal down in manageable mini-goals is key or you'll go stark-raving mad. I created a spreadsheet with equations. My engineering husband is so proud. For a yearly goal of 90,000, that's 7,500 words per month, 1731 words a week, 246 words a day (Hey, it's a leap year! We get an extra day!). Two hundred forty-six words is less than a page a day. That's doable, right? Okay maybe not for me last week, but editing can really slow a writer down and that's what I was doing. I rocked the word count earlier in the month, so I should still meet my monthly goal. Correction, I will meet my monthly goal.

Since the group is tracking their percentages, I added an equation on my handy-dandy spreadsheet that tracks my monthly and yearly percentage goals. I have reached 78.29% of my goal for January and 6.52% for yearly goal. Another trick I found helpful for tracking are the number rows. One for January 1^st and down the column.

We'll have to see how I do. I'm not one to keep New Year's resolutions, but I prefer to write than exercise, so I may just keep this goal.

Goals? Resolutions? What's a Writer to Do? (Penny Rader)

http://bit.ly/z2ooX0 

I poked around the Internet for some wisdom on the subject.  Here's a bit of what I found (including excerpts from the articles):

New Year’s Resolutions: 6 Ways to Stick with Writing Goals (Alicia Sparks)

1. Determine your writing goals.
2. Write resolutions related to those goals.
3. Make sure you can outline specific steps for your goals.
4. Be realistic as you write your resolutions.
5. Ask for help.
6. Reward yourself.

How to Set SMART Writing Goals (Dustin Wax)

http://bit.ly/A9XMi6

The idea of the SMART goal was conceived by a business psychologist named George Doran. SMART is an acronym, standing for goals that are:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant, and
• Time-bound.

Why Writers Must Set Goals And Track Progress (And How to Get it Done) (Tracy O’Connor)

http://bit.ly/wwa0qY 

Tracking your progress can be as simple as checking off boxes on a to-do list or crossing off dates on a calendar, to more elaborate methods like complex spreadsheets and graphs. You can choose any method that makes sense for the specific goals you are working on and your own particular personality.

Be faithful in tracking your progress and be sure to check in regularly to see what you’ve done and what remains. It’s important not to beat yourself up over a lack of progress, instead look at it as an opportunity to troubleshoot and look for ways to improve your performance. Give yourself a pat on the back for all you’ve done and reward yourself for milestones. Staying motivated comes from feeling good about what you’ve accomplished and making the decision to look at valleys and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow.

http://bit.ly/wEzM5c

The Most Important Thing You’ll Write This Year (Suzannah Windsor Freeman)

The most important thing you’ll write this year is a list of goals. …

A few things to keep in mind about your goals during the process:
• Write them down and keep a copy where you can see it every day
• Don’t commit to anything you don’t truly believe you can accomplish
• Keep them to a minimum
• Make sure your expectations are realistic
• Don’t give up when you fail temporarily  

http://bit.ly/wsAIqY

Your Approximately Perfect Writing Life (Kristi Holl)

…I reviewed my goals for the year and saw that I was moving fairly steadily toward each one.  Mostly that made me happy.

But two goals I’m moving toward make me uneasy.  I realized I really didn’t want to reach those goals.  They were things “the experts” said I needed to do to be a successful writer, but they appeal to me less and less, the closer I get to the goals.

~~~~
 

http://bit.ly/yUUFVa 

My writing goal this year is to finish a rough draft of a book I started a couple years ago.

My personal goal is to de-clutter my home. And drink more water.

Care to share your goals for 2012?

http://bit.ly/AFht62 

Gentle Resolutions for a Writer

It is that time of year when many of us make New Year's Resolutions. There are always the standard "I will eat healthier," "I will exercise daily," and so many more that a lot of us work hard on for the first month or so and then our enthusiasm fades. Writers, too, sometimes make resolutions or set goals. Beware setting lofty goals that are unrealistic and end up making you depressed. Be kind to yourself. Make resolutions or set goals that won't drive you crazy as you attempt to meet them. Remember that you have other facets to your life: family, work, community commitments, and more.

Gentle Resolutions for a Writer
• Train your brain to write on a consistent schedule, whether it is daily or weekly.
• Figure out what causes your writer’s block and learn to overcome it.
• Don’t let unfinished works drain your energy. Either bite the bullet and finish them or put them far, far away and forget them.
• Set a modest goal for pleasure reading.
• Make your writing space workable instead of a headache. Clean up your space, add things to inspire you or that make you happy to look at.
• Make realistic goals for the number of projects to write, submit, and promote for the year.
• Try writing a new genre or sub-genre.
• Focus on your accomplishments and reward yourself for them.
• Fight back being jealous of other writers, be proud of who you are as a writer, and keep working to improve your skills.
• Help other writers.
• Promote your writing skills daily in a blog post, on Twitter, on Facebook, or wherever…but don’t focus only on selling. Learn to be subtle and interesting to readers.

Tougher Resolutions for a Writer
• Update your website at least monthly.
• Update your blog at least weekly.
• Post on your social networks at least every other day.
• Learn to speak in public.
• Contact local libraries or local organizations about being available for speaking engagements.
• Attend as many writing conferences or workshops as you can afford.
• Be a speaker at writing conferences.
• Do at least one thing every day to self-promote.

Resolutions or Goals? Just Do It

It's that time of year again.  In fact, we're starting the second week of that time of year.  Did you make your New Year's Resolutions?  Or are you like me and run screaming from the mere thought of doing it?  If I had made resolutions, I'd have already broken one by being late this morning with this blog.  It happens.

I admit it.  I find the words "New Year's Resolutions" totally frightening.  That's probably because I've never been able to carry my resolve to do something past the first week or two of the year.  But look at it this way.  Another definition of the word resolve means to disintegrate, and I'm obviously good at doing that to my resolutions.

But none of that means that I don't try to set goals and work toward them.  Sometimes there are things that come along--life things, career things--that make changes in those goals, but I still have something in mind.  The word goal carries a more positive ring for me...probably because of that resolve thing and carpet cleaner.

With all that in mind, I wrote a blog post for my own blog last September and thought some of the information I found while researching it could be shared here today.  Besides, I need a nudge to keep me honest and working toward my own goals, New Year's or not. ;)


First, ask yourself some questions.

Is your goal realistic? 
For writers, this is one of the biggest blocks that can keep them from reaching their goal.  For instance, if your goal is to become a published author, setting a goal to be published in a year or any other specified amount of time, isn't realistic.  You have no way to control whether an editor/publisher will buy your manuscript.  Once you've written your book, researched the right publishers to submit to, and slipped your baby into the mail or an email, the control is in another court.  Outside of writing is the same.  You can't control what another person will do.  Make certain your goal is something you can control.  You should also give yourself the time needed to reach your goal and add a little wiggle room.  Realize that life can sometimes throw curves and be prepared.

How badly do you want it?
It takes wanting something enough not to give up at the first sign of problems to keep working on a goal.  Don't quit too soon.  In fact, if you've set a specific time period in which to reach your goal, see it through.  Why?  Because even if you don't reach your goal, you've made progress.  Celebrate it.  You can always try for that brass ring again.  If you decide to do that, you're already a step ahead, because you've seen some of the things that can trip you up, and you can adjust your plan in accordance.


There are all kinds of goals, not only for writing, but for making life easier, healthier, and more fun.  Whether it's getting more exercise, losing weight, organizing your home or life, or taking a vacation, setting goals can help you be a success.  You can find some great tips online to help you along the way, from planning and the process of working on goals to reaching them.  Here are just a few:

• WebMD's How to Reach Your Goals has some great advice on goal setting to help you make reaching your goal a success.
• Not sure you're ready to set a goal?  Do you see too many obstacles?  Susan B. Wilson, Facililitator and Coach has tips on how to remove those obstacles.
• Are you in need of long term goals for living, not just short term goals for specific projects?  Mind Tools - Personal Goal Setting can help you along the way.
• The title pretty much says it all.  Dr. Phil's Seven Steps to Reaching Your Goals.

Harlequin author Susan Meier also has a great workshop on her blog about Goal Setting that began in December.  Check it out for more tips and tricks on making and keeping both writing and other goals.

It begins with It's Monday Morning...Do You Know Where Your Goals Are?  (Scroll down the page until you get to it.)

This year WARA has decided to take on the task of not only urging members to set writing goals, but to keep track and encourage each other individually and as a group.  To change things up a bit, we've chosen word count, instead of page count, and will announce our goals for the year at our first meeting of 2012...TODAY!  We'll be posting our combined progress each month here and on our website in the form of a meter.

The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.     Kahlil Gibran

Goals and Shoals by J Vincent

January. The month of resolution-making, of setting goals. Doing this is never difficult. Keeping goals from sinking on the shoals of life is excruciatingly tricky at times. Like last week. My goal was to write this blog. The shoal that goal hit was a virus striking my computer. Traumatic! I had actually managed to remain a virus virgin these many years. The aptly named "Trojan" somethingorother slipped right past my virus protection program which was the first thing to disappear--but let's not go there. What turned out even more painful happened after I handed over my laptop to be "scrubbed" and have a different virus protection program installed. It was then I realized why I should have replaced my old desktop that died in October. Sans computer there is no word-processing--i.e. writingmanuscript, email, or otherwise; there is no email reading. There is no internet, no google directions to the new doctor, no browsing. I can hear you thinking that anyone can live without the internet. Many do. BUT, there is always a but, I had changed all my bills over to paying online and not automatically. I am also going to be taking a trip and need to finalize arrangements and print out several things that they used to mail the traveler. Enough of those shoals.

Back to goals in a roundabout way. Making them is easy. Keeping them is more difficult (see above). Reaching them revolves around the degree of sincerity. No, seriousness. Nope, determination and desperation (a new insight after the computer withdrawal) are much more accurate. Remember the no email reading? I solved that by figuring out how to do it on my Nook. Same for browsing and googling although word processing and printing is sadly out of the oop. To get this blog written I went to my son and used his computer/printer. In the end I will solve all the problems by buying a new desktop. I momentarily thought "Never again will I be high and dry" as fools do but something will come along and throw a road block up along my personal computer highway in the future. To prevent one of the major ones I also bought an external hard drive and set it up to automatically backup any new or changed file. Remember I did say this was a roundabout approach so back to the topic.

Another difficulty in meeting goals occurs if they are too nebulous, too indistinct. The more concrete, the more specific the better. One of my major writing goals for 2012 is to get the first book in my Honour series up through Smashwords. If I write just that as my goal I can almost guarantee it will never happen or take many many months to implement. So I broke it down into specific steps.
1. Find an editor---check
2. Sketch out a cover and find someone to draw or paint it--check
3. Implement the changes necessary after the editor goes through the manuscript--check
4. Download the Smashwords manual on formatting and study it --in progress
5. Format the manuscript
6. Format the cover art
7. Upload to Smashwords

My other major goal is to write the fifth book in the Honour series. I've broken that goal down into research steps, plot realignment (I started this book over a year ago and it has mostly lingered in a doc file--a non-growing file), and scene and chapter goals. Staying on track is not easy but setting small obtainable goals week by week insures more success--at least for me. My "goal" is to finish the book. My set goal at the moment is to finish a chapter. Small is better in goals, like building a two thousand piece puzzle. You can only do it one piece at a time but each piece builds the picture. Each small goal builds the story until one day there is a completed manuscript!

Happy New Year! Happy Goal Making and Keeping. May the shoals in your life be but minor ones!

MILTON BRADLEY AIN’T GOT NOTHING ON US by Reese Mobley

If you’re reading this then pat yourself on the back for surviving another year. Whether 2011 brought you misery and heartache or triumph and happiness, be thankful you made it over the threshold to 2012. There's just something about a new year that brings renewed hope. Maybe we’ll finally lose that extra weight. Finish our first manuscript or our fifteenth. Organize our home and office to make ourselves more productive. Weed out the unnecessary brick-a-brack in our way to being more productive writers.

Set some goals.

Where do you start? It’s quite simple. All you have to do is move your personal game piece to the next square on your game of life. Plan your next move. Roll the dice. Don’t be afraid to take a chance. What’s the worst that could happen? Forward progress is the only way to get the job done. All you have to do is put one foot ahead of the other.

Good luck. I'll be rooting for you all the way.

Hugs,

Reese

Problems? What problems?

When I started writing, the whole world of writing was amazing to me. Every aspect was sparkly or scary. Scary because I couldn't understand what was happening in my head. How could a story unfold from it without conscious thought on my part?

With research, understanding, time, and two novels out, now I'm asking myself, what happened? Why doesn't a story unfold without conscious thought on my part? More than that, why is it the same struggle for others? Authors with little work finished and authors whose body of work is huge?

I have absolutely NO IDEA!!

That is what is driving me crazy.

I thought it was little time to write. I cleared some time.

I thought it was lack of discipline. I sat in the chair and stared and cursed at the cursor.

I thought maybe it was lack of inspiration. I inspired myself with, new paint, a new computer, new music, new clothes, new shoes, a new cat, a box of donuts, a pocket of chocolate, a pot of custom blend coffee, a framed note from an agent, nothing worked for over three minutes. All work in that time had to be redone.

I thought it was a lack of direction. I turned my desk around. (Ok, I didn't really, but I was getting desperate.)

I thought maybe I was suddenly unable to write so I took a sentence course on how to make interesting sentences. Now I'm totally confused as to how to string all of those interesting sentences together into one meaningful story. Meaningful? Never mind. How about interesting?

Then I thought maybe it was my regular life interfering with my fake one. So I took a look at what was happening this last week.

I had to approve, disapprove, rewrite, then approve the main ad for our business. It will run 13 weeks and cost roughly nine thousand dollars. Let's not get it too wrong, OK? Then don't forget the left-over containers for after the caterers after two customer dinners in two towns. Sister and mom are here to work over the family pictures and documents for three generations and include the family archive book and stories and give lessons making homemade biscuits. Hired girl gets here and begins to empty the kitchen cabinets so that they can be relined with birch veneer. Mom decides to begin working on the drip system that will allow the fish pond water, the patio containers, and two trees to actually get watered regularly and she's weed-eating random places around the yard (God help us.). Husband decides to cook but decides to make triple batches so he can help a friend who has chicken pox for the third time. How many apples does he need to buy for apple crisp and would I come and look at it to see if it is done? The darned cat can't get to the cat food because the barrier to make the door smaller so that the bobcat that has been getting in the green house and slashing the cat food sacks all open can't get in there. But now the human door won't latch. Better look into that. When will the pickup get to be in the garage again? Can we do something about the boxes of stuff mom has brought from Tucson for a garage sale in Walsh in October? The guy refinishing the dining room table sanded right down through the surface of the veneer, can we do something about that? The new veneer came in lets get it installed so meet me in Manter at nine in the morning and we'll give it a try. The man to replace the hailed out roof on the rent house has never shown up. The fellow that is painting the other one has charged all the materials to the accounts but hasn't done anything but remove the shutters on the other rent house. Yes, let's get new ones, but paint them black to match the ones we don't need to change. Rain? Nope, that's dirt in the wind. Yes, bug man, please spray the crickets in the seed building office. Did anyone water the new trees this week? Commerce bank called, they're missing a payment. Uncle Milon died. He fell down stairs and broke his ribs. At the hospital, he couldn't keep his lungs clear and died of pneumonia. Mom's friend's husband has had a heart attack and may not make it two more weeks. Is there anyway to get them help? Yes, Washington state has hospice care that is not only in the home, but also helps council those who have never gone down this path before. Cell signal is spotty. Air fares from Denver are only three hundred five dollars round trip and it would only take twenty four hours to get her there. Don't come yet? Ok. Town day, gotta buy some groceries and get finish for the inside of the cabinets since what we have will turn yellow. Yuk. Table finish took a dark turn, but will come out ok and will be delivered back on Saturday. There are four more blouses ready to pick up. The left rear tire on the car is flat. Trash is piling up in the garage and will be dealt with tomorrow morning when we go get the flat fixed. Called to find out how to stake the three new trees. What is the anniversary date of our company insurance so the secretary can schedule knee surgery? I'll find out. We took an inventory of our baseball farmer hats and we don't have any! Order some immediately and try to get them here as soon as possible. Yes, the pocket notebooks came in. I'll bring them to the seed meetings myself. Who parked the car in the garage at such an angle I can't get the front passenger door open? Yeah, buttons selected and put on two new blouses. Why don't I have any clean underwear? Why is the computer coughing up hairballs and giving me repeat messages that said I don't have enough virtual memory? Where are the sponge sticks I bought to put bleach on the mold I'm allergic to on the corner of the shower door before I cough up both lungs? Yes, mom, I found a place you can dump your dark water tanks in your motor home on Friday when you go to town. My new sandals rubbed sores on the top of my feet. We spent two hours waiting to get through the line at the hospital for the health fair. Then we spent two hours looking at dismal crops of ours drougthing out on the way home. The student I tutored in math is doing an excellent job and bounded ahead this Monday. He's also doing pretty good at getting my bank statements balanced. He has three out of five accounts up to date.

No, just a regular week.

I can't figure it out.

Somehow I will get a little forward in the story. Maybe I should plot a little instead of relying on the seat of my pants?

Writing Problem du jour by J Vincent

My writing problem du jour or rather de l'année is simply writing. The actual physical task of pen to paper, fingers to keyboard. I struggle with how to get myself back on track to daily meaningful—let’s even skip meaningful— to writing. To be a writer one must write. Now running through my mind is the caution that one must not have word repetition. Are five forms of “write” too much repetition? Ahh, distraction.

Distracted writers do not write. Distracted writers cook, clean, sew, quilt, babysit, do laundry, organize anything and everything etc. etc. We make lists on things to do and even on how to get back to writing. There are many legitimate distractions. Emergencies happen, circumstances change in a flash and schedules only seem made to be disrupted. For me it is truly an ongoing struggle to find time to write. No, I need to be honest since the first step in recovery is to admit the truth. I do have time to write. The problem is I do not when I choose to do something else. It was such a struggle that I did have the internal debate about giving up writing. But I blog here because it makes me write. I post a monthly “Coze” on my website because it ensures more writing. I’m never truly happy not writing so it isn’t time to give it up.

Then how can I make sure I do it? Better stated, how DO I make sure I do it? What I should do is set an image of a leprechaun—a leprechaun with a really big gavel in hand, on the top shelf above my computer. She should bear a striking resemblance to a very successful author who happens to be our intrepid leader. Every time I am tempted to drift away from my writing task she whacks the shelf and shouts “Set and KEEP Goals!” Seriously, this is an excellent if not THE point.

Setting goals is key to keeping on track and gaining writing success. Every time I’ve been prodded into doing so I have accomplished something. So I’ve been setting very small goals and reaching them for the most part. Large goals overwhelm. I am easily drawn into my “impossible” mode with large goals these days. So my goals are writing for an hour; planning a specific scene; writing that scene; editing; and then continuing to the next part of the book. It’s like stacking toy blocks into a building, except I get pages filled with sentences and paragraphs. Which lead to more pages. Which leads to goals met. Achieving goals breeds and feeds success. Following my goals, which are progressive, leads me to a completed book. This blog post proves goals work—due to setting a goal it was written a full two weeks before I had to have it up—not the day before like sometimes happens.

No plan is fail safe. I love, no I need, back up plans. Please share how you get edge or better yet, blast your way through the temptation to not write.

Ideas and Time Wasting

I’m blogging today as a weak substitute for Sharon. We’ll all wish her back even sooner if you wade through too much of my brain ooze. However, let us forge onward!

This month’s blog theme is writing using pictures to stimulate the writerly brain to come up with stories or components of stories. I’m staring wheat harvest in the face because my other job is a Southwest Kansas farmer’s wife. I’ve just spent the last two days clearing the decks (this would also include my desk surface) for the next three week’s fevered cooking and whatever else essential activity. I’ll find out at the end of each day what was required that day. It is as if my life will not be plotted but written as a famous author once said ‘by flying into the mist’.

Part of what became a part of the ‘clearing of the decks’ today was to toss all of those enticing ideas, articles, and pictures in the trash. Gulp! How could I do such a thing? Easy. There are too many to keep track of, make sense out of, or even attempt to file them in a meaningful way. I started to sort them and all of a sudden realized how stale they felt. I’ve seen them all a couple of times. That evidently was enough. They suddenly felt like leftovers. You know the ones—those changing shape and color at the back of the refrigerator. Somehow, no longer as appealing as they once were in their raw state.

I wanted to think of something new. So, off they went. The feeling was cathartic! Free, empty, a blank slate, I could now let my imagination go without fearing I was missing some essential essence. Imagine the time I have wasted by gathering, piling, sorting, re-sorting, re-stacking only to end up tossing the entire batch. Why did I do it? Because the adventure of writing this blog on my turn only a few days ago was enough to let me know that my mind doesn’t use external pictures. How wonderful to find that out about my writerly self. I wouldn’t have ever known that to be the harsh truth if I hadn’t been asked to stretch myself that direction as a writer for the goal of this month’s blog.

Do I have pictures? Yes. But not for writing. They are my mind’s relaxation and they hang on my walls to sooth me as I admire different things about them. I also have a port hole from a ship hanging on my wall. And a pair of size 4 black high heels from the forties. A Chinese puzzle box. A conch shell which occasionally I pick up and blow. Yes, they actually do sound like they do in the movies—loud and full and last, my secret vice, a black box of clippings of unusual deaths (the robber who died in the back of an armored car when it went around the corner and bags of change shifted and…) and stunning ironies. But the rest of the stuff. Gone. As of today.

I’m not going to begin to say that gathering things and pictures and inspiration aren’t a useful activity, but obviously not for me. For my muse, she whispered to me, “time’s awastin’.”

Give yourself permission to be different. You’re a writer. Each of us comes at our craft and use of our talent differently. Good luck with finding the dimensions of your talent. I’m thinking that for each of us it is much like the blind man feeling his way around an elephant. Sometimes we find the foot, sometimes the tusk.

Keeping Track of Our Goals

Why should we keep track of our goals?

The number one reason is so we don't forget our blogging date...which is what I did. YIKES!

The second reason is so we remember where we're headed and can track our success in meeting our goals, even--and especially--the small ones that will lead to the big ones.

I sat down last night and thought about the things I need to accomplish in the next month. Thanks to deadlines since last August, my focus has been on writing and meeting deadlines. Do you know why they're called deadlines? Because they can kill you! (Figuratively speaking of course. I think.) My house is a disaster. My office has become the living space for countless boxes of odds and ends and papers. I started cleaning off a shelf yesterday and now have a six inch stack of paper to shred. At least a couple of reams, probably more. There are now papers on my desk that need to be filed...but my file cabinet needs to be moved to my office.

I made a long, long list of all the things that need to be done to make my life go more smoothly in the future. It was a list of cleaning jobs, not writing, but for now I'll put the writing aside. My focus in February must be to dig my way out of the disaster I'm surrounded by...one day and one step at a time. One box sorted a day. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of paper shredding in the first couple of weeks. One small area of the kitchen a day, since it's become the biggest sore spot of all. By the end of February, I hope the kitchen is sparkling, the laundry is caught up, my office looks like an office, instead of a war zone, and even the cabinets are in order.

But what about writing? Oh, I'm sure there'll be a little of that. While I'm washing dishes and scrubbing the floor, I can decide what it is I need to work on next, because that's really been the big question in my mind. Once that decision is made, I can use those washing and cleaning and scrubbing times to let my characters develop and maybe have some idea of their stories. By the end of February, I should know exactly where I'm going and with what. I also expect copy edits to arrive sometime during that time, so there'll be writing, of sorts, going on. I'll be keeping a watch on the calendar as the month goes by, knowing that by this time next month, I need to set my goals for the year. Better late than never, they say.

Setting goals takes brain time. Working toward them takes staying on track as much as possible. There will always be times when something keeps us from reaching a goal at the time we planned. When that happens, we need to ask why and find a way to correct it. Maybe we've over-goaled ourselves and need to revamp both our large goal(s) and the smaller ones that will get us there. The three schedules and the calendar I created to help me with my February goals will help keep me from wondering what I should do next--the way I'm doing with writing. I've found that having to look at what needs to be done and checking it off when it is done will go a long way in in helping me reach that final goal.

If you've made goals for 2010, how are you making sure you'll reach them?

Goals vs. Resolutions

Goal: the winning post at a race or at football; hence, the end aimed at.
Resolution: the act of resolving; state of being resolved; fixed determination; constancy of purpose; solution.
Resolve: free from doubt or difficulty; clear or separate; solve; settle in an opinion; decide; determine by vote; pass a formal resolution.

The first of every year generally has people making new resolutions in which to live by in the coming year. Many resolve to lose weight, exercise, spend more time with their families and etc. As writers, we tend to think along the lines of what and how much we will write.

I, for one, do not like resolutions, no doubt due to all the failed ones of my past. If I had lost a pound for every resolution I made to lose weight, I’d be done! Goals are a horse of a different color. People often use them interchangeably but their definitions show that the goal is the end result of the resolution and somehow, I like that better.

My writing goals for 2010 are to finish the two books I am currently working on which seems simple enough, but it depends on your definition of “finish.” Mine means totally, spit shined and polished, complete and ready for publication. I figure that will take a good chunk, if not all of this year, especially since my current work has a mind of its own and continues to morph at will.

So, I am free from doubt and have a clear idea, I have solved my dilemma and settled my various opinions. I have decided and passed a formal resolution to reach my writing goals, the end I am aiming for; two complete manuscripts for an editor’s perusal and subsequent publication. (Year of which to be determined by said editor : )

Never give up and never surrender but keep pressing ever forward and you will see all your goals met in 2010. Be blessed.

Procrastination and Goal Setting (Penny Rader)

Yup. I have procrastinated about writing my goals for 2010. Who am I kidding? I’ve been procrastinating about writing…period. I thought I’d share the fruits of my procrastination with you. Maybe you’ll find a helpful tidbit or two or five.

5 Steps to Goal Setting http://tinyurl.com/yervdj5

“…don't set wimpy goals simply because you're afraid to fail.”

9 Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing Goal http://tinyurl.com/27osqw

#6 has my name all over it.

Are You Achieving Your Writing Goals?
http://www.mridukhullar.com/forwriters/writing-goals.html

“If you didn’t meet some of your goals last year, here are some questions that you need to answer honestly, so that you do this time around.”

Baby Steps; Giant Results!
http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/baby_steps.htm

“The idea is to think big but to start small. You're full of optimism right now and you're setting big goals, but don't lose perspective.” (This article mentions the year 2004, but I think it’s okay to substitute the current year.)

Establish Effective Writing Goals http://tinyurl.com/yh2phzu

“The distance between where we are and where we want to be often seems insurmountable. Establishing effective goals can help close that perceived gap. Baby steps. Bird by bird.”

Goals and New Year's Resolutions -- How Copywriters Can Get the Most Out of Them http://tinyurl.com/y8wqnpr

“Don’t just have three or four points below the main goal. Keep breaking them down until you can’t get any more specific….These specific steps give you the opportunity to take the smallest steps towards meeting your goals.”

How to Get There from Here: The Magic of Goals http://hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/setting_goals.html

"There is no failure in fighting and losing if you get up and fight again. There is only failure in quitting -- in walking away and leaving your dreams to die."

If You Write It, It Will Come - 10 Goal Setting Techniques to Use When Writing Down Your Goals http://tinyurl.com/y8zd6s4

“You must re-write your goals regularly. Just like we as people change over time, so will our goals. Make it a habit to re-write your goals as often as you can. Take this opportunity to update your goals and make them even more specific. Feel free to rephrase goals you have yet to achieve as sometimes that makes all the difference.”

A Map to Your Goals http://www.cindimyers.com/goalmapping.pdf

“…goal mapping gives our brains a picture of what our goal looks like – and what the steps to achieving that goal look like as well.”

Procrastination and Goals
http://www.dowse.com/articles/procrastination-article.html

"Do or do not do." "Dare greatly."

September Goal Setting Workshop http://tinyurl.com/y9cm8ga

“Goal setting isn’t just about making a New Year’s Resolution that gets forgotten, or looking glumly back at the person you thought you would become. It’s about defining your desires. It’s about creating a map to the person you want to become and the life you want to lead.”

Setting Effective Writing Goals
http://www.writing-world.com/basics/goals.shtml

“…source of sidetracking is the pursuit of someone else's goals or recommendations for ‘success.’"

What goal setting tips and tricks have been most useful for you?