Obligatory End of the Year Post

So here we are, the second to last day of 2011. It has been a crazy year for me with some pretty high highs and some really low lows. But I survived it all 'cause that's how I roll.

Since I pretty much outlined my major plans for 2012 in my last post I'm going to break it down for you (and me, mostly me) into smaller goals. And by doing so I'm hoping it will keep me motivated and on track. I've been told that checking things off a to do list is satisfying and since I've never been one for lists I'm going to give it a try. I'm going to take my "big" goals and break them down into smaller ones. So away we go!


Goal 1: Finish The Guardian by January 15
*Finish outline. I'm usually a pantser but because of the way NaNo worked out I was able to go through and make a skeleton outline of the story. If I finish it I think it will be easier to finish the story. 

*Complete 3000 words a day. I would say just write but quite a bit of the story is already done so I won't be coming up with new words every day.
*Tuck it away for safe keeping and revisions after Goal 2 is completed.


Goal 2: Finish Revisions on Harvest Moon by March 23
*Revise 2 chapters per week. There are 10 weeks between goals and I'm fairly sure I have about 20 chapters (plus a couple. You'd think by this point I would know.)
*Re-read from start to finish to make sure I filled all holes and characters are consistent.
*Prepare copies for beta readers and send them out. This one I'll probably have to have hubby fantastic do for me. Even just typing that turned my stomach inside out.


And now for the Not So Major goals that I have in store for myself. More so, goals that have no specific deadlines

*While HM is out with readers begin query letter to (hopefully) be sent by mid-year.
*Start fleshing out other story idea.
*Write EVERY DAY. I have been remiss on doing this and it makes it so difficult to keep moving. I must reform the habit.
*Post updates on the blog once a week. I'll probably have to set reminders for this but I'm going to hold myself accountable by putting this stuff out there more regularly.


I think that's everything for now. Wishing you all a safe and very Happy New Year! See you in 2012.

Quick Christmas Update

So the year is coming to a close. It's all a little to fast for my liking, but you can't stop time. Or so I've been told, I'm still hoping that someone will invent some sort of machine that will make it happen. But I digress...

I've been working (not so) diligently on the revisions to this year's NaNo project and I'm almost completed with the first chapter. I have written a ton of notes about what I'm wanting out of this story and where I want it to go so I'm thinking that I may actually be able to finish a pretty decent first draft in a relatively short amount of time. I was hoping to have it done this month but time just seems to get away from me. Now I have family in town for Christmas and they'll be here for about a week.

Because I haven't been able to finish this story I am now having to push back working on my previous project. I definitely need to start setting deadlines for myself and sticking to them. That being said, deadline numero uno will be to finish first draft of The Guardian (working title) by January 15th. Deadline dos is to finish the revisions to Harvest Moon (also a working title) by my birthday, March 23.

From there, I have 2 beta readers that have volunteered to run though that draft and I'm hoping for some good feedback. Depending on what comes of the readings I'm going to do more edits, another set of readers, and start shopping around for agents. I'm thinking I should be able to get queries started mid-2012.

A Slight Change in Plans

As I stated before, my plan was to take the month of December off from all creative endeavors so that I can get back to editing in January. All in all I thought it was a fantastic plan. The stress of NaNoWriMo would be over, I could handle the holiday stuff without worrying about fitting in time to write/edit, and my poor brain could take a short respite before I send it into overdrive (I plan on having my draft out to beta readers by my birthday in March).

The best laid plans... It took me so long in November to finally come up with a plot that by the time I reached 50k I had just gotten to the part where it was starting to get good. Since I am not one to walk away from a project, I have decided to take this month to figure out how it all ends. I will wind up taking apart the beginning and getting it to make sense with my plot direction. I am hoping that I'll be able to touch it up enough that it can sit in a completed draft form until I'm finished with my other revisions.

Luckily, for me, it is the slow season at work so I'm not near as worn out when I get home so I can dedicate more energy to my projects. Maybe one day I won't have to try and do it all. Someday I'll be able to stay home and focus on what matters most to me. Until then, however, I will continue to do it all.