January is the Perfect Time for a Bit of Goal Setting

"The greatest thing about writing is that it’s just you and the page. The most horrifying thing about writing is that it’s just you and the page. Contemplation of that dichotomy is enough to stop most people dead in their tracks."
MIND GAMES [Excerpt from THE CANNIBAL’S ART (not published; in progress). Copyright 2014 Diana Gabaldon]

Source

It's the time of year to make resolutions...What? Have you already broken yours? ;-) 

As writers, we all have to set goals if we're going to ever finish our stories. So, here's a few idea for you to try out for your writing resolutions for 2015. 

• List all of your dreams for 2015 and then prioritize them.
• Divide your dreams into monthly goals.
• Select small manageable bits for weekly goals that add up to the monthly and yearly ones.
• If you achieve the week's goal, there's no reason you can't dive into another the next week's goal. ;-)
• Recognize the times that Real Life throws you a curve and don't beat yourself up. Remember the goals will be there when you are ready to dive back in.
• Think about trying some writing prompts on the hard days when words are illusive. Charlotte Rains Dixon has a great new book of prompts with suggestions for how to use them.

And if your goal is the dreaded Query, look at these ideas:
Yes, that dreaded "Q" word that strikes terror in the heart of many a good writer. And I'm reaching the point that I need to get serious about it.

Julia Sondra Decker has some great tips.

Another suggestion is to try to write a query for the first twenty to fifty pages of your WIP. Check out agent Kristin Nelson's post on this technique for pitches. And her videos about finding the plot catalyst.

Also, try these questions:

• Who is the MC?
• What does the MC want?
• What's in the MC's way?
• What happens if the MC fails?

 What's your main goal for 2015 or for January 2015? I'd love to hear about it and cheer you on. If queries are in your near future, good luck and happy hunting!

Next week: What it takes to be in the five percent of writers who get published.  

Happy New Year and...

...Happy Birthday to me! 

Yep, today is my birthday. As the years pile up, gifts become less and less important to me, but this year, I have two that take the cake.

• My dearest John bought me a Kindle Paperwhite to replace my Kindle 3. He did buy it in November, but I knew it was my birthday gift. ;-)
• My good blogging buddy, Charlotte Rains Dixon, writing teacher, coach, and author, gifted me with a 25 page critique. It's due to her today. And I'm excited to get her feedback.

BTW, if you haven't read Charlotte's EMMA JEAN'S BAD BEHAVIOR, you should check it out.  Also check out my interview of Charlotte HERE.

January is a busy month. Not only am I trying to fill in all the last holes in FRIENDLY FIRE, but I'm also a co-Program Coordinator for the Write-A-Thin at Women's Fiction Writers Association.

I hope your new year is going well. May all your resolutions be achieved and may you be happy, healthy, and rested. ;-)

And brrrrr! It's only 5 this morning here in Georgia--the coldest it's been in decades. Bundle up, folks!

Announcement!!!!

 

A CHRISTMAS WALK, DEVOTIONS FOR ADVENT and AN EASTER WALK are now available as ebooks at Amazon
Check this out. And this.
Needless to say, I'm excited. ;-)

Quotations to Kick Start the New Year

Happy New Year!
Do you need a kick start? I sure do. Here's some thoughts from various writers for inspiration.

Which is your favorite?
Have you heard any of them before?

The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof crap detector.
--Ernest Hemingway

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.
--Stephen King

I believe more in the scissors than in the pencil.
--Truman Capote

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
--Scott Adams

The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
--Stephen King

If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought.
--Dennis Roth

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.
--Peter De Vries

I try to leave out the parts that people skip.
--Elmore Leonard

The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.
--Robert Cromier

Happy Writing in 2013! ; )

Grace for the New Year

~~The turn of the year is always a time of introspection. Many of us look back at the past and consider our achievements and heartaches. But we also look forward and wonder what the future will bring--sometimes with trepidation and sometimes with anticipation.

~~Whatever your mood, I wish you all a Happy New Year and offer two songs for the season. The first is from Kevin Walsh of "Outlander--the Musical" fame.



~~The second is a link. Be sure to click on it, for it is an amazing rendition of the old hymn "Amazing Grace" sung by the Four Tenors while at the Coliseum.

 AMAZING GRACE

~~May grace be with you all this new year.