Most people I know have given up on resolutions. Sweeping declarations of fixing their lives and doing everything they think they should have been doing all along.
Me? I’m an eternal optimist, with what I like to think is a decent realistic bent. I’ve read too many fairy tales to think that happily-ever-after is a permanent state.
So, while I’d love to state a resolution of ‘get an agent, sell a book to a publisher’, I’m going to stick to things I can actually control.
And I think setting goals and working towards them helps you keep from stagnating, to make sure inertia isn’t what’s keeping you from making your dreams a reality.
Last year, I was super ambitious… or I ended up being side-tracked a few times. That doesn’t mean that Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and
Time-bound (SMART) goals are bad. In fact, I plan to use them again.
Without thinking too hard, this year I will:
- query novel #1 at least 3 times every other week until I get an agent
- unless I’m revising it
- move forward with my picture book
- researching picture books, perhaps my word count is in the wrong place?
- revise it
- then query it 3 times a month, or until I get an agent
- revise at least one of my shelved rough drafts
- Sequel to Novel #1 or Genderbent Robin Hood
- write something NEW during NaNoWriMo
- half credit if I rewrite something old
- keep blogging and decide if vlogging is worth it
- try to use social media better
- more one-liners on tumbler
- more consistent posts on twitter
- instagram at least 1x a week
- read an average of 2 books a month,
- rank them on GoodReads
- Bonus Points – review them!
And give myself a pass if I get nothing done in March (likely moving) or December (recovering from NaNo + holiday/family obligations).
Did you set any goals?
They don’t have to be year long ones. What are you going to get done this January?
WRITING TIPS & WRITERLY MUSINGS 
I’ve made the open ended goal of “lose weight,” with more measurable milestones like “reach my step goal every day.” Right now my Fitbit is set to 6000 steps a day, and when I hit it every day for a couple weeks in a row I’ll bump to up to 7000. And then, whenever I get a job again, my partner and I are going to split the cost of a personal trainer. … I’m still pondering what writing goals I want to set, lol.
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