Tag Archives: goal setting

Celebrate the New Year with Goal-Setting Resources from PBS Kids

It’s hard to believe 2021 is almost over. As you know, I enjoy setting goals each year as a way to motivate me and to encourage a forward-looking approach to life.

Creating good habits starts early. PBS KIDS has created these resources for parents so you can help your child celebrate the New Year and set goals.

Mid-Year 2021 Goals Update

I will let you in on a little secret… I never posted 2021 goals for the year. Not that I didn’t have any, but I mixed my reading, real estate, and writing goals all together in a post at The Book Connection and never looked back. Yikes! So unlike me.

Honestly, I was coming off an unusual year where I spent a lot of time reeling from my father-in-law’s death from COVID and a real estate year where my volume increased despite all the craziness of 2020.

Since I set aggressive real estate goals for 2021, I only set two writing related goals for this year:

Increase my editing volume

Choose one writing project to finish

I can’t say that I’ve done much about the first one. I am editing, but not as much as I planned.

I’ve chosen to finish Amelia’s Mission, which makes sense since I am 21 chapters in. There are probably only another 7 to 10 chapters left to this story, so that is manageable.

What will I need to do to get this goal accomplished?

  1. Time block my calendar (I hate time blocking)
  2. Review my real estate systems to find and implement efficiencies
  3. Get an assistant to help with marketing tasks
  4. Spend less time on social media

I really need to find my focus. My publisher is asking for more work from me, but I know that picture books take forever to get to market. A middle grade novel is a good choice.

Wish me luck!

2020 Writing Goals

 

I posted my personal and professional (real estate) goals at my Christian mom blog. Now, it is time to set my writing goals for 2020.

Goal 1: Develop one of the ideas from my stash.

Over the last several years of participating in STORYSTORM (formerly Picture Book Idea Month), I’ve amassed a ton of ideas. Now, it’s time to develop at least one of them … or a few of them if I can manage it.

Goal 2: Decide which of my completed stories to submit next. 

I submitted Clever Tom in December. I have three totally completed stories and two that I’ve tried pitching in PBPitch more than once that don’t seem to capture any interest. I also have two others that need reworking.

Goal 3: Edit The Sisterhood and submit to the agent I met at a conference. 

I pitched the first full-length novel I ever wrote (with my sister) to an agent this fall. She expressed interest after some reworking of it. This is probably a year-long effort considering the state of the manuscript.

Goal 4: Finish additional material for the new version of A Christmas Kindness.

This book is be re-released with additional material that is due to the publisher this month. I’m halfway done, but need to stay focused on completing it.

Goal 5: Acquire and edit three manuscripts for 4RV Publishing. 

This isn’t entirely under my control, but this is a role I enjoy. I’ve always felt I’m a strong editor than writer.

Goal 6: Write for Guardian Angel Kids.

This is a carryover from 2019. I would love to write a story for their Christmas issue, which means submitting in October.

Goal 7: Write five chapters of Amelia’s Mission. 

I am so close to done. I think I’ll use writing group time for this, because then I can get quick feedback.

I’m sure there are more, but I’ll stop with lucky number 7. How about you? What are your writing goals this year? Have you submitted anything recently? How do you keep yourself focused on your goals throughout the year?

Blogging at the 4RV Blog

 

It is my Wednesday to blog at the 4RV blog, Reading, Writing, & Art News. Today’s topic is Three Steps to Meeting Your Goals. You can find it at https://4rvreading-writingnewsletter.blogspot.com/2019/02/three-steps-to-meeting-your-goals.html

2019 Writing Goals

 

Welcome to 2019! I am so excited. Last year was a bit tough with all that was going on, but I still made some great strides. I don’t usually do this, but in the spirit of making some changes, here are a few 2019 predictions:

  • My calendar will be time blocked better this year, making me more effective and efficient
  • I will submit at least one finished project to an agent
  • I will actually take a vacation this year where I don’t do work–well, real estate work anyway

Now, on to my writing goals for 2019…

 

GOAL 1: Submit Clever Tom to an agent

This will happen. My best shot at it is first quarter 2019, since by spring the real estate market is in full swing. So, by mid-January, I want to have two potential agents to submit to. For that to happen, I am going back to Twitter to see the agents who participated in PBPitch in October and research them a bit more. Then by the end of January, I want my query letter polished and ready to go, so that the beginning of February my submission will be out the door.

GOAL 2: Participate in STORYSTORM

This started today. We come up with 30 book ideas over 30 days in January. I’ve won the last few years. If I really think on ideas that have been brewing in my head, it should happen again. I’ve already got my list on my computer waiting to go. In the past, I’ve blogged about my ideas. Now, they aren’t all centered around children’s literature, so I keep a running list on my computer.

GOAL 3: Contribute to Guardian Angel Kids 

This was a missed goal from 2018. In order to make it happen, I need to review their themes for 2019 (DONE). The holiday issue in December still seems the likely candidate. By the end of February, I want to come up with two possible ideas for short stories (500 words or fewer). First draft needs to be done by May so that I can submit in June or July while we are on vacation.

GOAL 4: Write 10 chapters of Amelia’s Mission

I need to finish this project. I love it so much and feedback has been great. If I can write one chapter a month, taking two months in the calendar off to concentrate on Clever Tom and my Guardian Angel Kids submission, I might be able to do this. Writing group meets once a month (first Monday of the month), so if I work on the chapter the last three weeks of the month, by the next meeting I should have something to submit.

GOAL 5: Maintain my blogs

I made some excellent strides in 2018 where my blogs are concerned. In addition to my four main blogs, I brought a blog out of hiatus and now contribute to 4RV Publishing Reading, Writing, & Art News and Christian Children’s Authors. My hope is that by the end of tonight (or by tomorrow) my calendar is updated with all my regular blogging dates.

Here is the key to it all–my calendar. My husband set up Outlook to automatically populate my phone–which is helpful–but I am still a paper calendar kind of person. If I can get at least the first quarter together this week, I have the chance of creating a good habit to bring me through the rest of the year.

Now, you know my goals, what are some of yours? What are you especially excited to accomplish in 2019?