New Years Resolutions that went all wrong.

Last year at this time I had my first contract and was working diligently through all my edits, getting ready for my release in February.
The days rushed by and before I knew it New Years had arrived.

2013 was going to be my year. I had so many plans. Release my new book on February 16th. Have my second book ready for submission by March and work towards my third by the end of the year.
I had goals.

Well father time was not my friend.

It is the beginning of September and I am three fourths of the way through two books. So close to the end but life keeps getting in the way.

As writers we realize the best made plans can go so wrong so we must be flexible.

If we push, the words won't come, or at least that's the way it works for me.

So I made a list. of ways to stay on track

1.  Set up a calender and mark out time to write.

This gives me a schedule so I can't say I don't have time.

2.  Keep a journal 

This keeps the ideas flowing. If I happen to sit in front of the computer with nothing to write I grab my journal.

3.  Plot my success

I no longer mark out on the calender when I want a book done. I mark word counts. Each scheduled writing time I plot my total words written. 

4.  Set a goal to write one more word than the last word count.

Each scheduled writing time I attempt to hit just one more word than the last. This gets me one more word closer to the end.

5.  Find a tangible prize for each goal you have set.

Mine is a new book. I am a writer, but I have always been an avid reader. 

My goals are still tangible this year, just more towards the end of the year.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated towards your goals? 

I'm off to write more words for today. Like I said earlier it's September and another New Years is right around the corner.

Until Next time

Lynda

www.lyndakayefrazier.com

Survivalists and Authors Wear Heavy Boots

Why boots, you ask. Simple: if you're on the right track then you're walking a rough terrain. As writers we may appreciate a smooth expanse of paved road where things go our way, but that doesn't help us strengthen our writing muscles. We need challenges. We need to trek the hills.

What are the hills? Those are the mountains we climb not because they are there but because we wish to stand at the top of them. We write the story that pushes our boundaries whether creatively or emotionally. We trek across that floodwater filled wash that can sweep us away with one false step, because we love to feel our hearts pound and to know that we will not be stopped by fear.

At times we lose our way. The trees all look familiar and the forest around us creeps closer. We worry that our story is cliché and the characters are boring. Is this book too similar to what we've written in the past? We start to doubt our eyes and worse, our hearts. This is the point where a survivalist will tell you to stop and take a deep breath. Above all, do not panic. Think!

You're a writer. You were born to create stories, and whether one person or a million people read your books, they are stories only you can tell. This is the gift of free-will that can lead us to the right path. 

Yes, you'll get your share of bumps and bruises, but that's what comes with shaping your own destiny. There will be good reviews and bad. There will be manuscripts accepted and manuscripts rejected. Still, we dream of that NYT Bestsellers list with our name at #1. We love the hunt for those glowing 5 star reviews.

We fight and survive, because these stories are from our hearts and must be told. We do not fear pain or tears, for we are born of both and know how to heal. We will trek those unforgiving hills of publishing and become the professionals we are meant to be.

Mary Corrales

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