2016 - Planning for the year ahead

On New Year's Day, I like to create a long list of things I want to achieve for the year ahead. Although this is a writing-themed blog, not all of these goals will be writing related.

Here is my list of goals:

1 - Finish my novel "Ink" and complete several rounds of editing and revising on it. It needs to be ready for publication sometime within 2016, and that includes having an ISBN, a cover and formatting for it, whether the extra stuff is done by me or I pay to have someone else do it.

2 - Complete, edit and publish at least two of the novellas I began during this year's NaNoWriMo - the ones that are set in the same world as "Ink."

3 - Begin the sequel to "Ink." Write at least 3 chapters of the novel before 2016 ends.

4 - Begin writing the first of the series of nine novels for the Daughters of Poseidon series. Maybe use this book as my NaNoWriMo novel to write this year.

5 - Do some more work on my middle grade book "The Day My Shadow Tried to Kill Me." I need to make some changes to the plot and get writing on it again. I wrote the original draft for a ChaBooCha challenge, but I'm beginning it almost from scratch this time because of the changes that need to be made, so maybe use it as the book to write during this year's Chapter Book Challenge.

6 - Spend more time writing. Don't let a day slip by without spending at least 30 minutes writing. On most days during the work week, spend more time though. Although a large part of my day is taken up transporting the kids to and from school and making meals, etc, I can still manage to treat my writing as a part time job by committing at least 10 hours a week to writing and 5 hours a week to promoting/marketing/networking.

7 - Finish preparing my collection "Mermaid's Muse" for publication. Make sure it is ready and published in early 2016.

8 - Work on perfecting "The 28 Day Fitness Challenge" so I can get it published. Finish creating the accompanying Food and Fitness Journal. Things I still need to do before finalizing the book: Alter some of the steps in the challenge and rearrange the formatting. Take photos of the different exercises being performed for instructional purposes.

9 - Work on my own health this year. Steps to take: Step up my exercise routine. Try not to do as much as I used to do, but don't do as little as I am currently doing. Find a middle ground. Eat healthier. Lose the pounds I put back on this year. Visit the doctor and find out what other tests can be done to find the reason for my health issues. Keep trying to find a way to cure my chronic pain caused by plantar fasciitis.

10 - Spend more time doing silly and fun stuff with the kids. These are the kinds of activities that will build memories for them.

11 - Start swimming again. And while I'm at it, teach my kids to swim. I can teach them more than they are learning in the few classes they get every other year at school anyway. Help Isabella get to a skill level that will make it possible for me to then teach her how to swim in a monofin (which will help her on her way to her goal of becoming a professional mermaid someday).

12 - Perfect my picture book, the one that came to me while I grieved over the loss of my cat Pagan. I love this book, and I think it needs to be out in the world for others to read. Perfect it and either send it out to get an agent/publisher or find an amazing illustrator willing to illustrate it and save up to pay for it to get done well.

13 - Publish more books through Melusine Muse Press, not just anthologies and not just my own books. Get more editing jobs, more book cover jobs and formatting jobs to help pay for publication of books. Publish another Teapot Tales anthology and another SuperHERo tales anthology. Likewise, publish another anthology in the Kids' Chronicles series of anthologies through Your Kids' Creations.

14 - Increase promotion for the Fae World anthology series and take in more submissions for it. this will be an amazing anthology series when it is completed, but it will never be completed without word getting out about it. It needs submissions to make it spectacular, especially as this is one anthology series that will be choosier about what gets chosen to publish.

15 - Write more on my blogs. Spend time writing a post on at least one of your blog's every week.

 
16 - Work more on creating book covers and improving your skill at doing so. Have more sales on Fairy Magic Photos in order to get more practice at photo-manipulating by creating fairy photo images for customers.

17 - Find out everything you need to know to get your Kickstarter campaign for the resin toy figures of the SuperHERp Tales' superheroes off the ground. Find a 3D artist, find a manufacturer, get the total cost worked out, find someone to design the video and get this campaign going! Children NEED these female superhero toys! So get to it!






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2015 - A New Year

There is an increasing trend for people to denigrate the idea of making New Year's resolutions. This makes no sense to me as I don't see anything wrong with taking stock in the new year and looking at what we have achieved and what we still want to achieve. "Resolutions" is just another word for "goals." What is wrong with making goals? 

Some of the nay-sayers point out that many people make these resolutions and then forget about them. While it's sad that they forget their resolutions and don't make any strides towards achieving them, that doesn't make resolution-making (or goal-setting) as a whole a bad thing. Some people are better at sticking to their goals and working towards their goals than others - It doesn't matter what time of the year you set your goals; this fact will still be true.

So if you are making new year's resolutions (and it doesn't matter if you call them resolutions, goals or a to-do list), just keep one thing in mind while you do; these goals you are making are meant to be worked towards throughout the year, not just set and then forgotten.

Here are my writing-and-publishing-related goals for 2015:

1. Edit, revise, re-write and otherwise make my novel "Ink" ready for publication and publish it.

2. Edit, revise, re-write, add pictures and otherwise make my non-fiction book "The 28 Day Fitness Challenge" and its accompanying food journal ready for publication and publish it.

3. Edit, revise, re-write, illustrate and otherwise make my collection of mermaid-themed stories "Mermaid's Muse" ready for publication and publish it.

4. Grow Melusine Muse Press. (Below are possible ways to do so, in no particular order.)

   4a. Buy a large amount of ISBNs.
   4b. Get the website created.
   4c. Publish novels by others, not just in anthologies.

   4d. Publish at least two picture books.

   4e. Find out what things would work more efficiently when crowd-sourced.

   4f. Work on press releases.

   4g. Publish through venues other than just Amazon/CreateSpace/Kindle.

   4h. Hire others to work for Melusine Muse Press.

   4i.  Check out small indie company grants.

   4j.  Crowdsourcing?

   4k. Registering the company.

5. Work on my Daughters of Poseidon series. Get the first draft of book one in the series written.

6. Edit, revise and rewrite middle-grade book "The Day My Shadow Tried to Kill Me."

7. Find and convince some amazing published authors, agents and editors to guest post for this year's Chapter Book Challenge.

8. Get all of the 2015 anthologies published no later than November 1st. (Finish publication of the two remaining 2014 anthologies - "SuperHERo Tales: Volume Two" (Melusine Muse Press) and "The Superhero Chronicles" (Your Kids' Creations) within January.)

9. Help more kids with their writing and publication goals through Your Kids' Creations. Maybe coordinate something with local schools. (Also get a new logo created for the site.)

10. Schedule my writing time into set periods of time throughout the day and do not deviate.


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New Year's Resolutions - Love 'em or Hate 'em? - Writers Reveal January 2014

The topic given to me for Writer's Reveal this month is "New Year's Resolutions - Love 'em or Hate 'em?" This topic has been provided to me by Emily at Have a :Laugh on Me.

Most of you who have been reading my blogs for a while know already that I am a fan of making resolutions. I don't call them resolutions though, because I think the more fitting word for them is "goals."

I regularly make lists of goals I want to achieve, whether those goals are fitness related, career related or personal goals. I have different lists for my different blogs too; my goals on my Skinny Dreaming blog will be different than my goals on my Imagine! Create! Write! blog, and both will be different than my goals listed on my Mommies of More blog.

I have to admit though, that, this year, I didn't make lists of goals. Well, actually, I did make lists, but the lists are still in my head and not written down yet. As you can see from my earlier post, I joined a lot of writing-related challenges this year though, in order to help keep on track with my writing goals. In a way, that's a form of making lists of my goals.

I also believe that there is no need to plan the larger, dream-come-true goals if you aren't willing to make some smaller goals that will help you reach the bigger goals. Dreams are great but they won't get you anywhere unless you are willing to put in the work to make them come true.

Do you make resolutions? Why or why not? What are your dreams for 2014? Are you willing to work to make them become a reality?

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Check out the other authors joining in with Writer's Reveal this month:

http://emhawker.blogspot.com.au

http://www.melissawrites.com.au 

http://jaycwolfe.com

http://imaginecreatewrite.blogspot.com.au

http://www.aparentinglife.com

http://ghostnapped.wordpress.com

http://havealaughonme.com

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Lists, Timelines Goals & Submission Dates

Lately, I am finding it difficult to keep up with all of the submission dates and writing deadlines I either have committed to or would like to do. I seem to have built up a huge To-Do List when it comes to my writing and my writing goals, and it is not easy to keep track of it all.

So I am writing this post to help remind me of dates that are coming up (and then I am going to plug all of these dates into my Windows Calendar and set it to send me reminders). This will do two things: 1 - It will remind me of my own submission dates and timely goals. 2 - It will give my blog readers some idea of when some of my publications will be made available.

Anthology projects I am in charge of:

1 - The Chapter Book Challenge's fairy tale anthology is due to come out on August 1st, 2013. We are still choosing a name and voting on a cover for it, and I am putting it all together. (Anyone who has not gotten back to me with their revised stories - if you were sent the editor's comments  - please do so in the next week.)

2 - The Creating a Female Superhero Challenge is over and the anthology is being created. I still need a cover for it, and I am still deciding whether or not to crowdsource it in order to get some professional artwork done for the 27 stories and female superheroes. (I know of a fabulous artist who creates them for $50 per character, which would cost about $1,350 in order to have each female superhero represented, not including the cover art. Possibly I could ask for a discount since this is an anthology for charity. Still thinking this one through. We may only have cover art, in the end.) There is still a lot to do for the anthology and some things that are not decided yet, but I want it available for Christmas shopping. so although there is no hard and fast completion date yet, I am shooting for no later than November 1st, 2013 to make this anthology available for purchase. (Also, if anyone would still like to submit to this anthology, see this post to check out the details. The competition is closed, but I will take submissions for the anthology up until August 7th.) The winner of the competition is to be announced on August 7th, 2013.

3 - Amazing Pets: An anthology of short stories in memory of those special pets who stole our hearts - This one has not been officially announced yet. Proceeds will go to an animal shelter. It will be announced both here and on The Kitty's Corner. No set date yet. Publication will be sometime in 2014.

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Anthology projects I have committed to writing for:

Crock of Charms - submission date of September 1st, 2013

Keepsakes - submission deadline of February 1st, 2014

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Anthology projects I am thinking about submitting to:

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game - submission deadline of July 29th, 2013

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Multitsking Mom's Survival Guide - submission deadline of July 31st, 2013

Dreamspinner Press: Heartwarming - submission deadline of August 1st, 2013

Vampirical Lyrical Press' Vampire anthology (for charity): submission deadline of August 1st, 2013

Open Doors: Monstrous Myths and Legends anthology (for charity) - submission deadline of August 2nd, 2013

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles Happen - submission deadline of August 15th, 2013

Xyler Publishing: Back to the Future (fantasy) Anthology: submission deadline of August 31st, 2013


Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories about Cats - submission deadline of August 31st, 2013


Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories about Dogs - submission deadline of August 31st, 2013


Shadows of a fading World: A Sword & Sorcery Anthology: submission deadline of October 31st, 2013


Hauntings: An Anthology - submission deadline of October 31st, 2013

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Overcoming Challenges - submission deadline of October 31st, 2013

A Crampus Antholgy by World Weaver Press - submission deadline of November 30th

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Reboot your Life - submission deadline November 30th, 2013


Xyler Publishing: Around the World in 80 Days (steampunk) Anthology: submission deadline of November 30th, 2013


Deepwood Publishing: Ruined Cities, The Death God's Chosen, The Ways of Magic, and Splintered Lands - all four anthologies open until filled

Vamptasy Publishing: Cirque d'Obscure: A Dark Carnival Anthology - details soon

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Picture Book Submissions:

Cheerio Spoonful of Stories - submission deadline of July 31st, 2013

Various 12 x 12 agents - submissions monthly from the 1st to the last day of each month in 2013

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Other goals for 2013:

Finish editing and revising picture book "Jenny Dreams" and begin submitting - deadline of July 30th, 2013

Finish editing and revising picture book "Bluebell the Fairy"and begin submitting - deadline of August 15th, 2013

Finish editing and revising picture book "Princess Parade" and begin submitting- deadline of September 1st, 2013

Create Isabella's collection of short stories for her Tangle Fairies series (after getting Robert to complete the drawings) - tentative release date of November 1st, 2013 (author: Isabella Fyfe)

Create photo-picture book about Caspian (similar to the one I helped Kayla create when she was 5) - tentative release date of November 1st, 2013

Create collection of my own short stories and make available in print and ebook - tentative release date November 15th, 2013

Create poetry collection or very short story collection to accompany Robert's beautiful fairy photos - tentative release date of November 15th, 2013

Create poetry and photo collection book using my photos and poetry - tentative release date November 15th, 2013

Create Skinny Dreaming Recipes (healthy recipes) book - tentative release date of February 28th, 2014

Create Kids Creating Cakes: Cooking for Kids recipe book - tentative release date of March 31st, 2014

And I can't forget that I am part of the 12 x 12 community and need to write one first draft of a completed picture book every month.

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Long-term writing goals (deadlines to be added soon):

Finish writing the Skinny Dreaming book

Finish editing and revising "Walking With the Dead"  YA novelette

Finish editing and revising "Prophecy Girl" urban fantasy novel

Finish editing and revising "The Magic Necklace" chapter book

Finish editing and revising "The Guardian" chapter book

Finish writing "Through the Veil" YA novel

Finish editing and revising three of my other picture books


Other goals and deadlines to be added later in all categories


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2013 - the Year to BELIEVE

A friend of mine (Joanna Marple) was asking what my "word for the year" was going to be. She had decided that hers was going to be "centered," and she encouraged me to take risks this year. I hadn't really thought about what my word for the year would be before she asked. I took my time thinking about it. In 2010, my word for the year was "courage." In 2011, although I didn't specifically pick a word, it would have been "dream," and in 2012, due to all of the challenges I participated in and goals I challenged myself to complete, it would have been "challenge."

This year's word is "BELIEVE." I believe that good things are going to happen this year. I believe that 2013 is going to be the year I reach several of my goals. And most of all, I believe in myself and in my ability to reach my goals.

What's your word for 2013? Think about it and then post it in the comments below.

And here are my writing goals for 2013:

-Submitting one piece of writing to either competitions or anthologies or book publishers every month.
-Editing my urban fantasy novel and getting it ready for either submission to agents/publishers or self-publishing.
-Editing my urban fantasy YA novella and getting it ready for either submission to agents/publishers or self-publishing.
-Editing my children's chapter book and getting it ready for either submission to agents/publishers or self-publishing.
-Writing a new chapter book (first draft) during the month of March for the Chapter Book Challenge.
-Writing enough short stories and flash fiction pieces (added to the ones I have already written) to put together my own anthology.
-Writing at least three fully edited and ready for submission children's picture books (out of the 12 first drafts I will be writing for the 12 x 12 challenge).

I have other writing goals, but I will leave the ones written down to the ones above, lest I overwhelm myself.

Happy New Year! May your 2013 be full of success, happiness, health and magic!


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My Goals For 2012

I recently submitted a short story to Kayelle Press for their Night Terrors anthology. It is part of my new determination to start sending my work out into the world. Until now, I've been keeping my writing private, not sharing much of it with others. I've been letting that nasty, deceiving voice in my head whisper into my mind and tell me that I might not be good enough. That voice has made me afraid to really try, afraid to let my work be exposed in a way that will tell me one way or another whether or not my writing is good enough.

But I know that voice is a liar. That same voice used to tell me, when I was morbidly obese, that I would never be able to lose all of that extra weight. And then I did. I lost over 145 lbs. and reached a tiny and healthy weight, despite that voice telling me that I couldn't do it. So I know that voice lies.

So I am going to be taking risks with my writing now, letting my writing be sent out there into the world and into the publishing industry and we will see what happens. The worst that can happen is that my writing isn't good enough yet, and that just means I will have to continue improving it. It doesn't mean I will give up, because I never will.

So I am setting myself some goals for 2012, goals that will keep me writing.

1 - I am going to submit and average of one short story a month to publishers or competitions.

2 - I am going to finish writing and editing at least one of the four novels I have started writing.

3 - I am going to share some new writing here on this blog, maybe one new piece a month (more if I can swing it).

4 - I am going to be publishing a little bit on my own. I have three cookbooks in mind that I intend to complete for Kindle and ebook formats.

5 - I am going to make writing a priority and write a minimum of 500 words a day.

6 - I am going to start sending my children's stories (I have written four) out to agents and/or publishers.

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Dream Big

A new year is upon us and people all over the globe are making new year's resolutions, deciding what they want out of the year that stretches ahead of them. People everywhere look at the new year as a new beginning, a chance to make themselves into something new and change their lives.

There are also some people who say that it's a ridiculous practice, that anything you want to achieve, you should already be planning for and working towards, and that waiting for a new year to begin is just silly. But who is to say what is the right time for you to begin a new goal? And why can't you use the beginning of a new calendar year as a starting point?

Some people will also say that you shouldn't make resolutions, or goals if you'd rather call them that, that overreach. You should make practical goals that are easily attainable through a bit of hard work and effort.

Again, I ask why? Why do your goals, your dreams, your new year's resolutions, have to be small? Why do they have to be things that you already know it is possible for you to achieve? Why can't you think bigger, dream bigger? There's a saying that goes something like, "Reach for the moon because even if you miss, you'll still land amongst the stars." Why shouldn't you reach for the moon?

Maybe, if you dream big, you risk not achieving your dreams. But maybe, if you dream big, you will find yourself accomplishing things you never thought possible before, whether or not you actually make that one dream come true.

And maybe, if you dream big, the journey you make while reaching for it is worth more than the dream itself.

Just some things to think about.

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Writing for Real

I feel as though most of my writing up until now has been hobby writing, and I feel this way because I haven't actually done much with the stories, articles and poems I have written. I haven't shared them here. I haven't completed either of my novels or started editing them. I still have my three children's stories and they aren't illustrated yet.

What I have done that is not just hobby writing is I have become a regular writer for a magazine. I write monthly on the topic of raising healthy kids for Beverly Hills Child Magazine. This is great, but it's only a start.

I have career goals for my writing and those goals are achievable. I just need to keep working towards them. To this end, I have decided to set up a list of tasks for myself to do in which, with each of the tasks that I achieve, I will be getting closer to reaching my goals.

Watch this space, because I will be published this year and in more than one venue!

What would you include in a list of tasks if you were making the list of tasks for yourself?

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Tips For Sticking To Your New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 is going to be a wonderful year for us all.

It is that time of year again when everyone starts to think about what they have achieved over the past year and what they hope to achieve in the new one. A lot of people will make new year's resolutions now. And most of those people will not stick with them any longer than next month.

Just how are you supposed to go about making resolutions and then making sure you achieve them?

Here are some quick tips, just from the top of my head.

1. Make realistic resolutions. Don't over-reach your abilities. Yes, you might be able to get your book published this year, but if you haven't even started it, then aiming to have it published by March is unrealistic. However, deciding that you want to have three short stories entered into competitions by March is a more realisitic goal.

2. Resolve to WORK towards your goals. You will never reach any of your resolutions if you are not willing to put in the effort and take the steps needed to attain them.

3. Believe in yourself. It is very important that you believe in your ability to reach your goals. Without that belief and confidence, you run the risk of sabatoging your own efforts.

4. Surround yourself with people who support you and believe in your goals. There is nothing more helpful than supportive friends and family who believe in you. The last thing you need if you are trying to become a published author is to have the people around you acting like you spend too much time writing or telling you that you are wasting your time.

5. Reward yourself for every step closer you get to achieving you goals. It is easy, on a long journey, to lose sight of how far you have come and to instead keep dwelling on how far you have left to go. Try to focus on what you have already achieved and how it brings you closer to your ultimate goal.

6. Write it down. Don't just write down your resolutions, but write down each step you need to take to get there. Reference this note whenever you feel tempted to slack in your efforts. Writing your ideas down has an effect on your subconscious. Also, keep a journal of your thoughts during this time. Sometimes fresh ideas can be sparked through journal writing.


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Struggling To Keep The Dream Alive

I am determined to finish my novel this year. But despite my determination, I have not continued to write since NaNowriMo back in November. Even my writing in this blog has fallen by the wayside.

I've let other concerns take precedence. I've let my family's needs take over, and, as many of my children are still small, this has to happen for now. But I've also let other things get in my way. My dedication to taking the steps towards my writing goals has waned.

Maybe what I need is to make a schedule. Then I can care for my family and spend time with them, get the housework done, fit in my daily exercise, and still spend time writing.

Whatever it is I need to do to start writing again, I need to just get on with it. One of the designs in my shop states, "Just Write," and I need to listen to that advice. I need to just get on with it.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and working towards your dreams?

Happy Once-In-A-Blue-Moon New Year!

This New Year's Eve had a blue moon. A blue moon only happens once every 2.75 years, but a blue moon falling on a New Year's Eve only happens once every 19 years. Even more unique, a blue moon only falls on a New Year's Eve at the turn of a decade once ever 410 years or so! So last night's blue moon was a once in a lifetime event!

I'd like to think that it means we are all going to have a wonderful year in 2010!

This year is the year to believe in your dreams and to work towards making them a reality. Don't just write down your goals for the year; write down the steps you need to take to reach those goals and then take them!

Have an "impossible" dream? This Blue Moon Year is the year to go for it!