New Year, New Attitude

Wow. One of my objectives for the new year is to be more timely with my blog posts.

Well . . . I'm not doing very well since I had every intention of writing and posting this blog on MONDAY.

Okay, no time to beat myself up. I have too much too do.

There are numerous goals that I've written down for this year, and I decided to clump them under topic.

Health--is on the top of the list. This one required my recommitment to Weight Watchers. This isn't to say that I haven't belonged to WW, because I have been an active member since 2011. Heck, I've even been attending the meetings while I've been gaining weight. There is one key item that I have in my corner this time around--my family. My hubby joined WW and is doing it online. His newness to the system has helped me be very aware of portions and points during this early phase of weight loss. This has also sparked my enthusiasm for getting healthy.

To this end, I managed to lose one pound this last week. That number doesn't really reflect the work I put in, but I know how ambiguous the weight game can be. For all I know its because I managed to eat something high in sodium the previous day, which caused me to retain water. So take it as a number, and don't freak out over the unexpected number.

I have started walking again, but the frigid cold weather and my gimpy knee have made this a non-regular event. I'll be working it in.

Family--as a member of the 'sandwich' generation, I need to nurture both my mother and my daughter, and making time for both of them...and my hubby. We can't forget the man in my life!

Writing--    For Christmas, I asked for Scrivener software, and hubs installed it on my computer. Now, it’s my job to learn it and use it. I have also started using a calendar on my computer again. This will be used to format my monthly goals, along with posting my daily words, or a note to explain why I didn't accomplish anything. Usually this is due to errands or my daughter being home from school. To that end, I want to:

o   It’s time for a major rewrite of GNOME. I know this seems like I’m going backward, but I think this story needs an overhaul before I publish it in print form—and that is my goal for this year. Sales on MG ebooks—at least mine--are non-existent. Oh, I’ve given away copies, but it is as I feared three years ago---there are so many books out there that it’s difficult for anyone to find you. This is especially true for me since I tend to hang around romance writers, and not children’s writers, therefore no cross-referencing. The frustrating part is that many ‘MG’ stories aren’t really MG, but the author has figured out some way to cross-reference their stuff through numerous genres.

o   I love blogging, and I want to still do that, but it does suck some creative energy from a writer. I took an off-and-on hiatus starting last June, but I do want to return to regularly blogging about stuff.

o   Finish book 4 in the Goblin’s Apprentice series. Yes, I’m still stalled on book 4. I’m about half way through, but still stalled. I’m hoping that revisiting the first book will help get me back into that world.

 

And maybe write a story that I started about seven years ago. All I have is two pages and some notes, but I'm excited about the idea.

 

Social Media--I need to make a point to limit my time on social media, namely Facebook. Television is also one of my problems. A timer will work--since it will work to complete my writing goals.

 

Read--I plan to read ...a lot. Last year, I managed to read over 60 books and this year I'd like to read between 40-50 books.

 

 

Candy--        I have made some pretty damn impressive candy. I’ve made 28 different fillings for my filled chocolates, three new ones this year – lavender honey, Earl Grey, and Creamy stout (yes, from beer). And one new caramel—maple bacon caramel—for a total of nine types of caramel. And all the other stuff (toffee, turtles, fudge, pongos, peanut brittle, reindeer poop, polar bear poop, and now, pecan pralines), but I wish I could figure out a way to make this a money-making proposition. I will be investigating through my local chamber of commerce to see if it is feasible to sell it.---And it isn't feasible since the law says you have to work out of commercial kitchen that isn't in your home. *sad face* Oh, well.

 

I also need to clean up my recipe folders, document all my candy stuff, update my blog and adding links to everything!

 

So this is a rough list of my goals. Let's hope my new attitude washes over everything I attempt this year!

 

Later, Peeps!

 

   

Writing 101 -- Setting Goals -- Monthly, Weekly and Daily

Monthly--

If you’ve read and recorded your Yearly Goals, now you’re ready to break them down into monthly increments. Trying to do all the goals at once is simply mind-numbing. And when your mind goes numb, what happens? You shut down and do nothing, well, except you start to play games on Facebook, or pull out your game console, or find any excuse NOT to work on your goals.

Trust me, I’ve been there. In fact, I was there the latter part of 2011. It happens to all of us, good intentions or not.

For monthly goals, I use a calendar system. I simply looked for Free MS calendar on the Internet and download it. You want a calendar that has enough space for each day to jot down what you did every day.

Okay, I couldn’t find a basic calendar this year, so I had to take last year’s calendar, delete everything and renumber it. It’s basically an Excel worksheet, landscape-style, with one month per page.

Here’s a shrinky-dink version.

January 2012
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

If you shrink the font for each cell (Calibri 8), you can add more information in each cell. You aren’t going to be writing your life story in the cell, just jot down what you did that day.  And I try to write down non-writing stuff, too. Why? Because a blank cell doesn’t tell you diddly-squat, but a cell that says: Dr. appt. ran errands, jury duty, felt lousy, read, etc. will tell you more of the story. It helps pinpoint problem areas, expectations or whether you try to set unrealistic goals.

The place to set your goals will be in the blank spaces. I usually select two cells and merge them to allow for enough room to bullet point my goals. Now, I reviewed what I want to accomplish on my yearly goals and pick one or two items that I’d like to accomplish in January. I’ve been doing hard copy edits on TROLL, so now is the time to change it on the computer.

 

January 2012
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31	Goals: ·          Edit TROLL ·          Write FIRE bullet points ·          Judge Golden Heart--rec’d ??

Just because I have only a few goals for the month of January doesn’t mean I won’t accomplish other items, AND I admit that I have a huge amount of work to do on this edit so one goal is reasonable.

I put down books that I’ve read at the end of the month or in the cells. When I accomplish my goal, I’ll mark it DONE and put the date next to it. When I add new goals during the month, I’ll mark them in red.

One of the challenges is to remember to write your daily tasks down. I solved this by drawing a daily Tarot card. Originally, I was given a book on Tarot and cards as research for a mystery novel. I stopped writing that novel, but I continued to draw a card . . . and write it down, plus what I did every day. If you notice, I try not to do writing stuff on the weekends--those are for my family, but sometimes I would jot something down.

I will continue the Tarot trick throughout 2012 because my Young Adult series centers around the minor suits of the Tarot.

Here’s an example of January 2011:

 

January 2011
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
GOALS: ·          Query FAERIE—rewrote, Q’d 12 agents wk 1 ·          Judge GH entries rec’d 1/8/11, read 1/10, results subbed 1/10/11 ·          Entered Writer’s Digest contest—1/4, posted on blog 1/18, entered FEB contest on 1/24/11 ·          Self publish LOST LEPRECHAUN LOOT—1/20			WANDS—Fire/passion CUPS—Water/moods/emotion SWORDS—Air/mentality PENTACLES--Earth/growth/nature/money MAJOR ARCANA—Spirituality/higher purpose			1 VI THE LOVERS—values, personal beliefs, moral/ethical crossroads
2 Page of Wands-opportun for passion, experience creativity, courage, inspiration Cleaned out closets and drawers	3  Five of Cups—feeling bereft, feeling regret, suffering a loss R in school T off,  ran errands and spent gift cards	4 Nine of Pentacles—discipline, self-reliance, Wrote two blogs Wrote 100 word entry to WD contest #31	5  V  THE HIEROPHANT—pursuing knowledge, fitting in, feeling loyalty Helped Mom with Kindle Ate lunch with Todd Read	6  XII THE HANGED MAN—paradox, move forward by standing still, letting go, Rewrote FAERIE Query, sent 6 queries Worked out	7  Knight of Pentacles—unwavering, realistic, hardworking, 5 queries for FAERIE Wrote Mon. blog	8 Ten of Wands—burdens, struggle, uphill battle Documented and packed 9 trash bags for donations
9  Nine of Wands—down but not out, stamina, perseverance reading	10 XIX THE SUN—vitality, enlightenment, assurance Read five historical GH entries	11 Nine of Cups-wish fulfillment, satisfaction 1 query GIAM recap—2000+ words Worked out	12  Three of Pentacles—getting the job done, teamwork, planning, Read The Hobbit	13  Knight of Wands-full of energy & life, cocky, risky Finished writing Down in the Dregs—WD entry Read The Hobbit laundry	14 Nine of Cups-wish fulfillment, satisfaction Read Worked out	15  V  THE HIEROPHANT—pursuing knowledge, fitting in, feeling loyalty Finished reading The Hobbit and Treasure Island
16 Nine of Pentacles—discipline, self-reliance, Laundry reading	17  Ace of Cups—intimacy, emotional force, spirituality Rachel off school Went to aquarium, ate lunch with Todd	18 Queen of Wands—self-assured, cheerful, energetic, confident Errands—edit Dregs for blog  Laura designed cover for LLL	19  Page of Pentacles—be practical, have an effect, be prosperous Formatted LLL for Smashwords	20  Two of Swords—stalemate, avoidance, blocked emotions Snow day-R home	21 Seven of Wands—take a stand, defiance, conviction Subbed LLL to Amazon	22  King of Pentacles-adept, enterprising, reliable, pursues a goal Subbed LLL to B & N—nope Smashwords already has it
23  XVII  THE STAR—hope, inspiration, serenity,	24  Five of Swords—self-interest, sacrificing integrity Read Dentist—fix tooth fracture	25 King of Pentacles-adept, enterprising, reliable, pursues a goal Laundry read	26  X  Wheel of Fortune—destiny, turning point, ROSE HILL WITH 4TH GRADERS Read on bus	27  Six of Pentacles—have/have not: power, resources, knowledge, 45 min walk Brainstormed w/Laura	28  I THE MAGICIAN—action, concentration, power Research-myth, creatures 40 min walk	29 Queen of Cups—loving, intuitive, psychic, spiritual Zoo Yard work—cleaned by pond
30 XIII DEATH—ending, transition, completing a chapter laundry	31 Four of Wands-celebrating, breaking bonds, excitement T sick Grocery shopping	·          Read 8 books

And there you have your monthly goals in a nutshell.

Weekly--

I belong to an online goals group, so I have to come up with weekly goals . . . er, weekly. I’m a fan of bullet points, and I approach this challenge the same way I do monthly goals. I look at my schedule and figure out what I can reasonably accomplish according to my week. Sometimes I accomplish my goals, sometimes I don’t. The key to writing down goals is to be accountable. It also gives you an idea what you can and can’t accomplish in a given week.

I haven’t recapped recently because it’s the end of the year and I have been up to my elbows in making candy.

Here is an example from October:

RECAP:

·                     Finish judging contest entries—DONE and returned

·                     Edit SUGAR one more time—I want to get it up by Nov. 1—WORKING ON IT

·                     Pester Laura about SUGAR cover --DONE

·                     Pull up my big girl panties and read the judge’s comments on one of my contest entries –DONE.

GOALS:

·                     Finish SUGAR edit

·                     Try out various mini-dessert recipes prior to Thanksgiving.  

And here is the week AFTER this posting:

RECAP:

·                     Finish SUGAR edit—DONE

·                     Wrote blurb for SUGAR

·                     Try out various mini-dessert recipes prior to Thanksgiving. –DONE. Plus did some serious cookie baking last week. Made six kinds for two Halloween parties (Lemony Goblin Brains, Minty Fairy Farts, Werewolf Poop, Choco-spider Guts, Cinnamon Toadstools and Spicy Witch’s Cackle), AND I made Cinnamon Rolls for the family along with regular household crap.

GOALS:

·                     Format and publish SUGAR—I meant to format this last weekend, but obligations got in the way.

·                     Have an idea for NaNo—I need to write book 4 in the Goblin’s Apprentice series. Thought about it on my walks. November is always a busy, busy month for me, but maybe I need a tight goal to try to get back in the ballgame.

·                     Oh, crap!—I forgot that I have to give a presentation to our local RWA chapter about writing through the hard times. Guess I’ll be busy doing that this week!

Daily--

I usually don’t write daily goals, but when I need to keep my thoughts organized, I do write down a bullet point list of things I need to accomplish on a sticky note. I don’t have any examples to show you because I throw the notes away when I’m finished, BUT I do record it on the appropriate day on my monthly calendar.

Here is a week taken randomly from February 2011:

6  Ten of Wands—burdens, struggle, uphill battle Editing GNOME pg 31 laundry

7 Queen of Cups—loving, intuitive, psychic, spiritual Edit GNOME to pg 58 Read 1 contest entry SCHOOL OUT-SNOW

8  Ace of Swords—a challenge, fortitude, justice Finish GNOME edit pg 75 send to Meg Read 1 contest entry SCHOOL OUT-SNOW

9 0 THE FOOL-unlimited potential, life is good, keep your faith, follow your heart Did GIAM recap 1 contest entry SCHOOL OUT-SNOW

10  Eight of Cups-deeper meaning, weariness, moving on Returned Winter Rose entries Wrote WD prompt story SCHOOL OUT-SNOW

11 Nine of Pentacles—discipline, self-reliance, take matters into own hands. R and Grace hung out SCHOOL OUT-SNOW

12  Two of Wands-personal power, boldness, originality Errands Followed R while sold Girl Scout cookies

I enlarged it so it would be easier to see. School was cancelled, which meant I had the kiddo home. Hubby was home for a couple of days. I still managed to get a few things accomplished. I should have put on this--that I shoveled the driveway.

When I’m writing new words, I keep track of my word count, but when I edit I edit to a particular page. It works for me.

You need to find what works for you.  

Good luck and set those goals!