Making New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! The New Year is a time for new beginnings, and of course, for resolutions. In addition to my usual resolutions about losing weight and going to the gym more often, I’m also working on a whole set of resolutions, or goals, related to my writing. I’m trying to set deadlines for the completion of projects, decide what new projects I want to begin this year, and what actions I’ll have to take monthly and daily to reach my goals. I’d like to share with you a few things to consider this second day of January when you are either creating resolutions or already breaking them.

1. Smart Goals – In the world of goal setting, S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (or Tangible). Working within these guidelines helps you to create goals that aren’t vague (I want to lose 20 pounds in six months rather than I want to lose weight) or unrealistic (I’m going to run in the New York marathon this year, although I’ve never run before!). They help make you accountable because you’ve set deadlines to achieve these goals and you’re measuring along the way to see if you’ve made headway in reaching your goal.

2. Write them down - Sonia Ricotti of Lead Out Loud Inc. says thinking about our goals isn’t enough. Putting them down on paper dramatically increases our chances of achieving them.

3.  Say it Loud and Proud - Once you’ve made your S.M.A.R.T. goals, and written them down, read each goal out loud. As you read, pay attention to your thoughts about your goal. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts such as “I’ll never lose fifty pounds”, you may be sabotaging yourself. You don’t always accomplish what you want; you accomplish what you believe you can. By becoming aware of negative thoughts, you can focus on shifting them to positive, empowering thoughts (“I can lose weight and keep it off!”). Doing so increases your chances of reaching your goal.

4. Visualize your success – In 1988 Elizabeth Manley was a Canadian figure skater set to compete at the Olympic games in Calgary. I read a story about her in which she said she did daily visualization exercises. She saw herself performing her routine from beginning to end. When she could finally visualize herself performing every spin and jump to perfection, without any mistakes or falls, she knew she could do the same at the Olympics. And she did, winning a silver medal for Canada that year. Visualizing what success feels like helps to keep us motivated and helps us to reach our goals faster.

5. Plan for success – What steps do you need to take to achieve each goal? Who do you need to contact? What do you need to do? Write out an action plan for each goal, breaking it down into smaller, daily, weekly and monthly to-do tasks.

While you’re creating goals, think about what you really want in life. I read this column in my local newspaper, and it got me thinking. Ask yourself what things you want more of, and what you want to eliminate from your life in 2014. Here’s a ‘more’ list:

- I have always wanted to…
- I really like to…
- I want to do more of…
- Who do I want to be in ___ years?

And here’s a ‘less’ list:
- Things I want to do less of…
- Things I never want to do again…
- Situations I want to avoid…
- I want freedom from…

So Happy 2014 everyone! Let’s make this our year to live the lives we dream of!

What are my Goals for 2011?

Last week I talked about S.M.A.R.T. goals and how being mindful of the elements of a S.M.A.R.T. goal  will help you to actually reach your goal. This week I’d like to talk specifically about the writing goals I want to make for myself for 2011.

This year, for the first time, I’m going to break my writing goals into two categories; the actual writing projects I plan to complete, and the promotion goals. These will include my continuing efforts to enter the social media world, along with other ways to promote myself and my books. But more on that in a couple of weeks.

Writing Goals

I have a couple of projects I’ve been dying to write for several years now. “There Goes the Groom” is mostly finished, although it needs extensive rewrites. “Always a Bridesmaid” has one chapter completed, and no clear direction as to where the rest of the book is going. Together, these two books, along with my published romantic comedy “Her Best Man”, would make up a series. The common theme is that all three stories begin with someone being left at the altar. I would really like to write these two books this year.

The other project I want to complete is a WIP I’ve had on the go for a long time. It is definitely time to finish “Welcome to Paradise”. This manuscript will require some major rewrites as well, since I’m changing the location from Saskatchewan to North Dakota. This story was in my goals list last year but unfortunately, I never got to it.

S.M.A.R.T. goal #1 - I need to be specific. So my writing goal is to complete revisions and rewrites of “There Goes the Groom” and “Welcome to Paradise”, and  complete a first draft of “Always a Bridesmaid” by August 1, 2011. I’m hoping to write most of the first draft of “Always a Bridesmaid” in January during my writing group’s “Book in a Week” between January 15 and 22. Work on the other two books will have to wait until after February 1. I also face major rewrites for another project, “The Girl Most Likely”, and they must be completed by February 1. Also, I am currently promoting the January 5 release of “Flawless” with a blog tour. With so much going on, am I biting off more than I can handle?

I hope not, but time will tell. I’ve got some compelling reasons to complete all of these writing goals. If I complete rewrites on “The Girl Most Likely”, I have a shot at being part of the Class of ’85 series with The Wild Rose Press. This is something I’ve worked towards for the last few months. People love series books and I’m hoping there is potential to make good sales.

I love books in a series myself and I’ve always wanted to write one of my own. If I complete “Always a Bridesmaid” and “There Goes the Groom” I will have accomplished that. More importantly, having two books related to “Her Best Man” which is already published, will bring a whole new life to that book. I’m hoping that it revives sales.

My compelling reason to complete “Welcome to Paradise” is that Susan Wiggs gave me the name of an agent in her agent’s office when I saw her at the 2009 Surrey International Writers Conference and had a blue pencil session with her. I want to know if I have any chance at all in securing an agent and if I can move beyond publishing ebooks to print.

I’ve written books in a short time before, and I’ve done major edits on several manuscripts. I know it can be done. I have to believe I can do it again.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal #2 – Can I measure it? Yes. I need to write 50,000 words on “Always a Bridesmaid” to complete a first draft.  The other projects will be complete when I have revised all the way through.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal #3 – Is it attainable? I think so. For the next 2 to 3 months I will map out my schedule in order to make lots of room for writing. I will find ways to make these goals happen, such as getting my family to take over more of the cooking and cleaning chores. I will also stay away from the TV, my biggest time waster, as much as possible. I also need to look after myself so that I have the energy needed to complete these goals. I’ll continue going to yoga and Pilates classes.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal #4 – Is it realistic? Completing revisions on two novels and one novella, while also writing the first draft of an entirely new novel, is a pretty ambitious goal, especially if I want to do it in seven months. But I am highly motivated to complete these goals and I believe I can do it. Like I said, I’ve completed projects under the gun before. I know I can do it!

S.M.A.R.T. Goal #5 – Is it timely? Yes, I’ve set a time frame of completion at seven months for all these projects. When I get to that point, I may have to reassess, but by giving myself this deadline of August 1, I’ve set myself in motion. My unconscious mind is already beginning to work on these projects!

My goals are also tangible. By the end of seven months I hope to have several completed projects in my computer.

What are your goals for 2011? I’d love you to share!

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

At this time of year I like to look forward to the New Year and think about all the things I’d like to accomplish. Last week, on Janet’s Journal, I spoke about looking back to the previous year to see if I’d met my goals. And when I realized I hadn’t done everything I’d hoped to do I talked about giving myself a break. There’s always the New Year!

So I’m at it again. I’m looking to set myself some S.M.A.R.T. goals. For those of you new to this game, S.M.A.R.T. goals stand for:

                        S pecific

                        M easurable

                        A ttainable

                        R ealistic

                        T imely

Specific – A specific goal has a much greater chance of accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

Who?               Who is involved?

What?              What do I want to accomplish?

Where?           Identify a location.

When?             Establish a time frame.

Which?            Identify requirements and constraints.

Why?               Specific reason, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

For example, a general goal would be “Write two novels in 2011.” A more specific goal would be, “Write a first draft of the novel “Always a Bridesmaid” between January 1 and April 1, 2011. Revise novel “There goes the Groom” by May 1, 2011. Have both critiqued, revised and submitted to editor/publisher by August 1, 2011. “

Measurable – Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal. Luckily for me, a writing goal is fairly simple to measure. I can measure word count, number of pages revised, or even new social media ventured into. I can say that when I reach a word count of 50,000 words on “Always a Bridesmaid”, I will have reached my goal of a completed first draft.

Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important, you begin to figure out ways to make them come true. You develop the attitude, abilities, skills, and in some cases, the financial capacity to reach them. These goals start to feel like something you really can reach instead of just pie in the sky.

For instance, you can adjust your schedule to work around your writing schedule. Maybe you'll need to keep weekends free for writing. If your goal is to attend a conference, you can start a savings plan so that you have enough money to go. But most important, as you move step by step towards your goal, your attitude changes. You begin to see that you can truly accomplish what you set out to do.

Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent something that you are willing and able to work towards. No one can tell you how high a goal to aim for; each of us decides that for ourselves. Sometimes a high goal is easier to reach than a low one because a low goal has a low motivational force. In other words, a low goal may not be as interesting or motivational to us and we don’t work as hard to reach it, whereas a high goal is seen as a labour of love.

A goal is probably realistic if you believe you can reach it. If you’ve done something similar in the past, you have a better idea of knowing if your goal is realistic.

However, even if you’ve accomplished something similar in the past, you’ve got to keep in mind things that are happening in your life right now that may affect the accomplishment of your goals. I may set a goal of completing and submitting two full-length novels by August 1, but if I’m working a full-time day job now, or I’m completing revisions on another story while trying to promote a new release, I may not have the time or energy I previously did. No matter how much I want to accomplish, I may have to take a realistic look at how much I really can get done and adjust my goals accordingly.

Timely – A goal needs a time frame. Without one, the goal has no sense of urgency. If you said you wanted to write a novel “someday”, it will likely never happen. Give it a time frame. For instance, the first two chapters in two weeks, the first draft by May 1. A deadline, even one you’ve set yourself, is a marvelous motivator.

T can also stand for Tangible. A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses. For instance, if I have two hundred pages of a first draft typed up on 20 bond paper, that is a tangible expression of my goal. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and eventually attainable.

Do you set goals? Have you set any for 2011? Would you like to share them?