With motivation from two of my favorite author/bloggers, Joanna Penn and Tracey Baptiste, I've drafted the first part of My Writing Plans for 2012.
I took a moment earlier to revisit my 2011 goals. I realized that the best thing I accomplished last year wasn't even on it and I managed to bring something like it to fruition - I completed the first draft of my book!
Even though I've gotten a bit overwhelmed with the current rewriting process, I have no choice but to sing praises for such an accomplishment.
I remain grateful to my writing group for the motivation. As we tackle Phase Two - The Revision, the bullet points that make up that portion of the journey are at the top of my list. Since I'm leaning more towards taking the traditional publishing route, I've got time to get my query letters and synopses together before summer.
My 2012 writing plans:
- I’ll be posting on my blog much more consistently this year – at least one post per week.
- Complete at least two rewrites by May 2012 and have it published before the end of 2012. (In process of drafting my schedule for this part.)
- Draft synopsis of novel
- Draft multiple query letters
- Get the Guide to Literary Agents and find an agent
- Make time for NaNoWriMo this year
- Write at least two articles per month for examiner.com.
- Surpass my Goodreads 2012 reading challenge of 15 books (it's a very minimal number for me, but with my writing and work, I didn't want to add more stress - and not meeting a personal goal will give me stress)
- Post my book reviews on The Reading Corner on a regular basis
- Explore additional online marketing avenues, too.
As I work harder on my novel to get it published, I will be stretching myself to attend more writing events to meet other writers, get great book recommendations, and to stay inspired within the realm. This past year's James River Writers Conference in Richmond was incredible to me. My family has now come to understand the time I need to get through this next phase - Thanks to the Lord! So, I will take more time away from my desk at home.
Go to my parents... Run to Starbucks... Take a retreat somewhere nearby.
I realize I need to fully immerse myself into the story more thoroughly than I did in the first draft. Of course, it sounds like a given, but the intensity of concentration required is much deeper than I realized. I have to close myself off the way I used to in college when I decided to draft a major paper just before the damned thing was due.
To remain grounded, I still need to employ the following goals I set last year:
- Continue to pray to God every day, in fact, several times a day
- Continue to be the best wife I can be
- Continue to be the best mom I can be
- To become a part of my church's ministry - where the Lord sees my fit
- Read my Bible daily
- Spend no less than 30 minutes each day revising my book
- Attend my writing group weekly as scheduled
- Improve the marketing for my company for much more prosperous income (and my husband's company too)
- Read at least one novel per month
- Keep going to Gold's Gym (That Cardio Cinema is fabulous!)
- Stick with my Weight Watchers plan (Working beautifully for me!)
- And to also keep the term, "recession", out of my mind, so my family and I can financially prosper...
If they worked last year for me to reach the end of the first draft and my family and I stayed intact, I think it would behoove me to keep them a part of my life.
Have you got your writing goals for 2012 set yet? Please share...
Here's to a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Wonderfully Literary New Year!
