Monday, January 31, 2011

Life as a Writer is a Hectic One ~ Focusing Your Writing Goals

As you all know the life of a writer is a hectic one. Between working on our writing and marketing ourselves and our books or freelance writing services it is all quite time consuming and exhausting at times.

I recently took time out to re-evaluate my writing goals and for one I’m glad I did. But I needed the good old Morning Nudge to get me going. Under the expert guidance of Suzanne Lieurance of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club we were encouraged to complete the January 2011 assignment which entailed exploring our 3 Major Goals for 2011 and what we would do to achieve said goals, and then break down each of the 3 Major Goals onto calendar pages for the first quarter of 2011.

By doing so, it forced me to take my ever growing To Do list (I know you have the same long list that just keeps getting longer and longer and more and more daunting) and break it down to manageable tasks instead of feeling like I had to tackle each and every task every day (Hey, pick yourself up off the floor…I can hear you laughing…one can dream can’t they?).


This has provided me with more focus and direction as to where I want to go in 2011 and I’m sticking to it like glue. I’m determined to make 2011 my best year yet!

How about you? What are you doing to achieve your goals in 2011?

I look forward to hearing from you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/

8 comments:

  1. I think that small goals that lead to the outcome of a larger goal is the best way to go. That ways one doesn't feel overcome and get stressed out as easily. Great post!

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  2. You wrote about me. I have so many goals and try to accomplish all of them at once. I finally wrote down the long term goals and the short term goals and am trying not to think I need to finish all of them like this week. Let you know how it turns out. :)

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  3. I just love how Suzanne helps us focus, focus, focus!!! I'm really trying to "psyche" myself up each day to be enthusiastic about striving to reach my goals. This has been helping me, too, as I'm really trying to maintain my focus. Thanks for the tips, Donna!

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  4. Donna, I agree with you and the others that a writer's life is hectic. It's different from a person's who works from 9 to 5 because we are always ON; we work day and night (as in in our dreams)and have to fit the many aspects of our lives into our writing lives. But I wouldn't trade it for a 9 to 5!
    Focus and goals: a good way to proceed.

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  5. Staying focused is my weakness, I get so distracted with all the ideas I have and the little time I have that I don't get any of them finished some days. Suzanne's plan is the best way to go and when I follow it, I have much more success. Thanks for sharing.

    Terri

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  6. I agree Suzanne is great! Goals are so hard. I try to make monthly goals but I can't always get them done, especially with a new baby! :)

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  7. It's especially hectic for me right now with so many books coming out all at once. I'd like to be writing again, but there are lots of galleys to read, covers to approve, and promotion necessary for each title. But I'm enjoying the challenges at the same time.

    Max

    Books for Boys Blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
    Author Web Site http://www.maxbooks.9k.com

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  8. I don't have a lot of goals, just ones I am trying to squeeze into my overloaded schedule of coordinating book tours. This winter isn't helping either, as the girls had almost days off of school lately as they were in school.

    Here's what I set for January:

    1. Finish the first draft of Amelia's Mission by the end of March

    2. Work on at least 2 of the picture book ideas I came up with during Picture Book Idea Month

    3. Finalize submission and query letter for first chapter reader and submit to the publisher who expressed interest in it by the end of January

    4. Would love to write an inspirational romance novella to submit to White Rose Publishing.

    I'm working on number 3, but 1 is where I really want to focus. Then again, a ghostwriting project I thought wasn't going to happen, might be happening, so 1 might be changed to a later date.

    I'm starting a new forum for writers, when I get it all put together, I'll send you the link and maybe we can help support each other.

    Cheryl

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