GOALS AND THE RUBBER BAND

Before I start my first regular blog post in a long, long time, I have a bunch of winners to announce from our 2000 follower giveaway, which had 175 entries. Thank you so much for entering and for spreading the word. You guys are so awesome.

Yea! I love giving away books. So here are the winners:

The winner of THE LIGHTENING THIEF is:

JENNIFER RUMBURGER

The winner of BREAK is:

DEBBIE SHAKESPEAR SMITH

The winner of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is:

ALLIE

The winner of ANGELFIRE is:

SSTOKES

The winner of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE is:

WENDY CHEN

And now to the three winners of the second part of the giveaway:

STELLA-A MILLION SUNS

DEB MARSHALL-LEGEND

VERONIKA-DIVERGENT

And the winner of MAY B is:

MICHAEL G.G.

Congrats everyone. E-mail me your addresses so Casey and I can send you your books. STELLA and SSTOKES, I could not find your e-mail so please be sure to e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to choose new winners.

Do you set writing goals at the beginning of every year? To be honest, last year was the first year I set myself goals other than to just write. Not having specific goals worked great my first year writing when my daughter was six. Life seemed a bit slower and the excitement of starting to write propelled me forward. I wrote almost everyday and finished a poor first draft of my manuscript in a year.

But as the years have gone on, (Yikes, it’s been nine years) my life has felt more and more like this.

 

Yep. A stretched rubber band with work, family, and volunteer activities pulling me in a zillion directions that takes time away from writing. I’m sure I’m not alone.

So last year after reading lots of blog posts about setting goals, I decided to set some for myself. And I did write more. I finished another two edits on my manuscript where I cut about 10,000 words. While I hoped I would be querying by now, I realize after a beta read that it needs another quick revision first. And I do have more than one query (after about 40 pages of drafts) that I like completed. I started a new project, though did not get as far as I wanted. But I did more forward.

So I set goals again this year. They’re modest this year. Because I’m feeling that rubber band pulling again. Ever year I try to cut back on the things that take time away from writing. I did cut my volunteer activities this year. Promise.

But I’ve come to realize that at least for the next few years, as much as I try to cut back on these outside things, there is always a BUT THEN and a new time consuming thing that pops up. Now it’s my daughter’s swimming, helping her get through high school and preparing to apply for college.

And then this Fall a big unanticipated change occurred that has the rubber band pulling me in another HUGE direction. The prepaid legal services plan I work for wasn’t refunded and we’re in a 4 year wind down period. I’m not going into all the details because it’s not good to air those things in public.

But it does mean in the next two to three years I have to find a new job. I’m grateful I have so much time. But I haven’t looked for a job in about 25 years. So I didn’t have a clue how to do it. Luckily one of my awesome secretaries gave me some tips on how to search for a job online.

So these next few years I’ll be figuring out where to go next with my legal career which may include a career change, upping my computer skills in preparation, and networking more with possible employers. I already know it’ll take a lot of time.

Because of this all, my writing goals are more modest this year. A few weeks ago as I contemplated this post I was afraid I was going to have to admit that I’m not writing at all again. Because I do go through those times. With working full-time at a demanding job, blogging, and running my daughter around, it’s hard in the best of times to squeeze in writing time. But I’m happy to say I have been writing. Not everyday. But I am making progress on my new manuscript.

So I’m going to keep moving forward even if I feel like it’s at the pace of a turtle.

And I know these things stretching on me—my job and my family obligations—will pass. I will sort out the job situation. In about a year my daughter will be driving herself (Yikes!) and then a few years later going away to college (I’ll be sobbing then!). Someday I will have more time and can move faster in my writing goals.

For now, these writing goals are my lights that help keep me on track in my writing career. And the writing is one of my pleasures keeping me sane in this crazy time where the rubber band is pulling me in a zillion directions.

What about you? Do you set writing goals and do they help you stay on track? And how do you handle those insane times when there isn’t much time to write or, if you're a book review blogger, don't have time to read book and review them as much as you'd like?

Before you answer, here’s what’s coming up the few weeks. Next Monday, I’ll be celebrating my first year blogging with some reflections and a book giveaway I know you’ll love. The following Monday I’m interviewing debut author Kristen Simmons and giving away an ARC of ARTICLE 5.

Hope to see you next Monday!