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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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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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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