Of twenty-two submissions to markets this year, I have four acceptances and four pending review!

(I choose to live in the positive (denial), but if you need to know how many rejections feel free to do the math, lol. Eh, it all balances out.)

This month is also CampNano, so I have several projects in which my goal is TO FINISH. These are almost there, excruciating, frustrating, must-complete, first drafts of projects. They are the ones I must write, but I avoid like the plague. They are the ones that float around like Guilt Ghosts that haunt the writer in me, so I’m facing them down this month.

Well — take that, Guilt Ghosts! BAM! One memoir poetry book (50 poems) COMPLETED!!! (Insert Cabbage Patch dance here)

Now, on to the first draft of my second Children’s picture book in my diversity series!

 

People often start excuses with this phrase, so get ready.

I have experienced a number of personal ups and downs, so I haven’t posted a blog in a while. But what’s a month or two? Or a year?  Okay, so here’s the thing…

I am working on 5 major projects and several separate, but small submissions to markets. That would make any girl a little squirrely, right?

Let me catch you up:

1. Revising book one of my original fantasy series.
2. Writing book two of the same series.
3. Writing book one of my second fantasy series.
4. Writing a book of poetry based on my childhood.
5. Writing a fantasy anthology (poetry and flash fiction).

A lot? Probably, but it seems to be the only way I can work, so there it is. To each his own, you know? If I work for too long on one project, I get writer’s block for some weird reason. If I work on multiple projects at once, I can shift between them and stay in my creative groove. Three of the above-mentioned projects are almost completed (80%, 51%, and 49%; and yes, I calculated them…that’s another issue for another blog).

So, at least I can say I’m making progress. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

P.S. I have one that was just published today by the Pine Hills Review of my recent poetry submissions to markets! (Check out the link on my homepage.) Also, I am in the final round for one of my poems in an anthology about neo sapiens. Fingers crossed!!!

 

Literally, stairs are tedious.

I go out of my way to avoid them.

If I can cram my arms as full as I can to minimize the need for repeatedly climbing them, I do it.

Let’s be real, I only enjoy stairs of the metaphoric kind.

As it is the start to a brand new year, I have set spanking new goals!  I love goals. Fresh, hopeful, SHINY. Motivation to get up and get movin’ and shakin’ in the morning. Metaphorical stairs.

A friend of mine recently took a look at my goals and freaked. “Girrrrl, you crazy? This would stress me out!”

She chooses much tamer goals.

If it helps her to reach hers, good for her!

For some, setting goals with a high reach is terrifying. For me it is exhilarating.

Goal oriented girl, here.

It works for me.

We all have different perspectives and approaches to goal setting. For me, setting a goal is a practice in visualization. Not only am I working toward getting something I want to accomplish, but I also get to see where I’m going. Even though I’m working one stair at a time just like anybody else, I also like to see myself at the top of that staircase–strikin’ a pose.  

Picturing the top of those stairs motivates me to do the work to get there faster. However, setting them high doesn’t always mean I reach them.

I’m okay with that.

They are my goals.

I control them.

I can write, rewrite, shrink, or grow my goals as I see fit.

I can change or delete them altogether.

I think the difference in how we see setting goals is that I see them as a support to my dreams, not a dictation hindering movement.  I decide how punitive I want to be to myself if I don’t make them. I decide the rewards I receive if I achieve them.

They are mine.

And they are there for me to succeed.

So, why would I fear them?

Goals. They are a funny thing.  

They are exciting. They are a pain in the rear.

They are few. They are many. They are easy. They are challenging. They are accomplished in an hour. Or at times, they overwhelm you and take years to achieve.

People who are successful have them, whether they merely think them or write them down. They help to move us forward in the direction we wish to go. It is a rare circumstance where a plumber, manager, doctor, lawyer, teacher, mechanic, or writer say, “Gee, how did I get here?”

A goal begins when you first say to yourself “I’ll try”. Yourself then, answers, “Try what?” Your answer to that question becomes your goal. Your focus. The light at the top of your staircase.

Not at the end of your tunnel, you ask?

Nope.

Try to consider that to set and go to work toward your goals will be a little harder than merely a step in one direction or another.  If the steps are worth taking, they will probably require more thought and effort than mere horizontal ones. Accomplishing them is going to take a climb.

Are you willing?

If you don’t set goals of some kind, then you tell yourself you are okay with the walk on that path. You are fine with where you are. You are probably in a great place in your life and achieved your goals already.

If you still say things to yourself like: “I want to save more money.”, “I want a job I love.”, “I want to be a writer.” or “I want to have more positive, productive relationships in my life.”, and your answer is “I’ll try.” then you’re setting goals and you don’t even realize it.

When you set goals, you tell yourself you are ready to move beyond where you are. It could be a movement to something different or something better. You are okay with where you are, but you’d like a change. That is a great place to be too. If you’re willing to do the work.

Are you up for the challenge?

I am.

To Self:

“I’ll try. I’ve got this. Let’s go!”

 

“This year, I told myself I was going to get this done and I botched it – again. Why even bother?” How many times have you said this to yourself? I do it every single year. I bash myself over the head over missed opportunities and goals not met – whether by a millimeter or by a mile. I see all of it as FAILURE in flashing neon lights. I am my worst and most cruel critic. And in the end, I am ultimately responsible for not moving forward.

It’s easy to give up.

It’s hard to keep going.

To forgive yourself. To let it go. To analyze why your goals weren’t met with an honest eye and do the work.

Do the work to analyze your own behavior, dedication, and skill. Do the work to research and figure out what works and how it will fit into your life. Do the work to modify your life to fulfill those goals.

Even if it hurts.

Self-blame and blame of others are counterproductive to change.

Look at this new year as a precious opportunity.  An opportunity to get it right and put yourself on the path you want:

• Suck It Up, Buttercup. Re-evaluate last year’s goals with an objective eye. Ask yourself: Are these goals still what you want? Is achieving them reasonable and within your ability?
• What’s Up? Forgive, not excuse, yourself from achieving them and let last year’s goals go – if you choose them again, they are now NEW goals for this year. Ask yourself:  Do I have too many goals? Can I break them into more manageable pieces? Am I devoting enough time and energy to achieve them?
• Nancy Drew This Thing. Think about each of your goals and why you didn’t accomplish them. Ask yourself: Are there ways you could modify your life to accomplish them? Is there a class you could take? Can you find an accountability partner or a group to help make the chances of meeting your challenge more likely?
• Work It! Create a more workable plan. Ask yourself: Am I being honest with myself about when, where and how I can get these things done? Can I find ways to work my goals into my day? If not every day, some days?
• You Talkin’ To Me? Adjust your attitude in spirit, mind, and body. Ask yourself: Do I believe I am meant to do this? Do I know everything I need to know to get these goals accomplished? Am I physically able to accomplish these tasks and am I healthy enough to get the job done?

Knowing what you want is not good enough. Knowing that you are meant to do it is not good enough. Knowing and setting goals is not even good enough. If a plan is not in your year for your goals to become an integral part of your life, you will probably find yourself right back at the self-torture that is December. Believe me, I have.

Not doing it again.

I hope you won’t either.

Show yourself and 2017 you’ve got this.