Finish with a Bang!

I am a list making, goal setting, day planner kind of girl. I am. I love mapping out a course of action to get everything on my list completed. It dawned on me that next week I will post the first blog entry for the month of October. I am only three months away from my one year anniversary as a blogger.

Time to make a list. Time to set some goals. Time to open up the calendar and map out the last three months of 2013. As a result, I have decided to share with you my goals as a writer for the next three months.  It’s a risky proposition. Making my objectives public makes me even more accountable to get the job done.

Why write these now?

Somehow, I think drafting goals now is even more important and productive than making a set of resolutions at the beginning of the year. The time frame is short. I am more likely to hang in there and finish what I start. Also, without a plan, it would be easy to get caught up in Fall activities, Thanksgiving preparation, and everything Christmas.

With all of that said, I present to you…(insert the drumroll in your head here) my end of the year writing goals! Ta-Da!

October

·      Finish edits and revisions for Breathing on Her Own

·      Draft two short stories related to my characters in Breathing on Her Own

·      Finish and submit two stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul “Living with Alzheimers and Other Dementias” (Due October 15)

·      Revise Livvie’s Cuppa Joe using everything I’ve learned through Breathing on Her Own

·      Keep up my blog

November

·      Draft two more short stories related to my characters in Breathing on Her Own

·      Finish and submit two short stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul “Home Sweet Home” (Due November 30)

·      Revise and edit the two children’s books I have drafted

·      Research conferences aimed at writing for children

·      Read blogs by writers of picture books

·      Keep up my blog

December

·      Draft two more short stories related to my characters in Breathing on Her Own

·      Draft two stories for Chicken Soup for the Soul “The Dog Did What?” (Due Jan 5, 2014)

·      Work with my critique group to polish my picture books

·      Outline my third novel—my writing project for 2014

·      Keep up my blog

A Closer Look

 As you can see, I have a lot of process words like “research,” “draft”, “edit,” and “revise.” Writing is a process. And while you may easily understand most of my list, I want to highlight a few of the items you see there and explain my thinking.

Short Stories Related to My Characters in Breathing on Her Own

 As you know, I have a contract for my first novel. I am working with my editor to ready it for publication. I must say it is a lot of work but still pretty exciting stuff. My publisher has given me a projected release date of March 2014.

I want to write a series of short stories featuring the characters in my book. I want to publish the stories on a blog site so readers can begin to get to know my characters. I have already started writing the stories. I am planning for one a week for eight weeks prior to the release of my book. A real benefit of this for me is that it  is keeping me grounded in the story as I edit. What do you think? Would you like to meet Molly and Travis?

Chicken Soup for the Soul

I have listed two Chicken Soup for the Soul submissions for each month. I have been using their topics list to practice my writing. I can’t always write about everything they put out there, but I try to think of real stories from my life to write at least one or two entries a month. Do they get published? Actually yes. And no. I have had two stories accepted. That’s great, but not the point. I take the each topic as an assignment with a deadline. When I think I’ve hit on a good story, I submit it. The regular exercise keeps my writing muscle in shape. The other benefit is that I get to write about real life situations I have experienced. Not just the fictional ones I create for the characters in my novels.

Would you like to give it a try? Click on the link below to see if you have a story to meet their needs.

http://www.chickensoup.com/form.asp?cid=possible_books

Children’s Books

Ahh…children’s books. No, that did not come out of nowhere. I worked in the field of education for…well…let’s just say a long time. I have three daughters and seven grandchildren. I love picture books. I always thought I would write books for children when I retired from education. God had a different plan. I am not ready to give up writing the novels I believe He wants me to write, but I have two stories I believe need to be completed.

Oh, and the goal about keeping up my blog? That one is easy. I look forward to it.

What goals do you have to finish out 2013?