Holding Myself Accountable - 2011 Resolutions Revisited

Today I don't have a Fill-Me-In-Friday for you because I've been on vacation and haven't been surfing the web and collecting links this week.

But, in the spirit of the new year rolling in this weekend, I figured I should check back in on my goals I set here on the blog at the end of last year and report on results.

So here goes...

2011 Writing Goals:

Complete Book 2 in the Exposure Therapy Loving on the Edge series way ahead of my June deadline. [Did it!]

Draft at least one additional full length novel. [only halfway there but that's because of one of the goals below]

Sell Wanderlust (the novel I finished before CRASH). [purposely put this on hold, deciding where I want to go with it]

Attend RWA Nationals in NYC. [did it!]

Attempt to write a short piece (short story or novella) --I am totally intimidated at the idea of writing anything shorter than category length (55k), but I think writing something briefer will be a good exercise for me. [Completed and sold a 30k novella to Berkley! This is also why I'm not finished book 3 this year.]

Blogging Goals:

Continue to keep up a regular blogging schedule and hopefully not bore you all. :) [kept up my blogging, you guys will have to let me know on the boring part]

Perhaps start or join a group blog and do more guest blogging. [definitely did more guest blogging and started up separate author blog]

Reading goals:

Read 40 or more books.

[Read 31, so was close. If you're interested in seeing what I read, I kept the list here.]

Personal Goals

Potty train the kiddo [Sadly, no. This MUST happen this year. Please, God.]

Be in a size ten or lower by the time I go to previously mentioned RWA Nationals. [*snort* Yeah, uh, didn't happen.]

Have a better work/life balance. [This one fluctuated. Can still get better at this.

So I won some, I lost some. Altogether, not a bad year. Now I need to think of my goals for 2012. (If I can find time to actually think of some, lol.)

So how did you do on your goals this year? What are some of your goals for the new year? Are you joining any writing or reading challenges? What goal do you most hope to accomplish?

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year! And don't forget, CRASH INTO YOU comes out this Tuesday!!! (

See here for my dorky contest

.)

Resolution Time: Goals and Reading Challenges for 2011

Last year I made a list of personal and writing goals. Some I accomplished, some I didn't, and some kickass things I never anticipated happening...did. :)  Results were reported here. So I figured I should stick with tradition and set some new goals for the coming year. I think the power of intention and putting stuff out there really can be effective. (Especially when I hold myself accountable to the results publicly, lol.)

So here goes...

Writing Goals:

Complete Book 2 in the Exposure Therapy series way ahead of my June deadline.

Draft at least one additional full length novel.

Sell Wanderlust. (rollover from last year) --It's still under consideration at Harlequin, so if it doesn't sell to them, my alternative goal is to break down the book and rewrite it as a full length to submit to other pubs. I'm not ready to tuck those characters or their story under the bed. :)

Attend RWA Nationals in NYC. --I attended last year's and now can't imagine not going. But logistics with kiddo are going to take some working out.

Attempt to write a short piece (short story or novella) --I am totally intimidated at the idea of writing anything shorter than category length (55k), but I think writing something briefer will be a good exercise for me.

Blogging Goals:

Continue to keep up a regular blogging schedule and hopefully not bore you all. :)

Perhaps start or join a group blog and do more guest blogging.

Reading goals:

Read 50 or more books.
--Last year my goal was 100 and I failed miserably--I hit 40. So I figure this one is more reasonable. :) I'm going to do this by way of the following reading challenges:

This means I will read more books in 2011 than I read in 2010. If you want to sign up for the challenge, hop on over to The Book Vixen.

and

Sign up for Ebook challenge here. I hope to read at least 20 ebooks.

and

Erotic Romance Reading Challenge. Sign up for this one here. I plan to read 20 in this genre.

and

I need to read more in this genre since I, um, kind of write it. My books have a lot of suspense in them and I need to beef up my knowledge of suspense elements. So I plan to read at least 12 of these. Sign up here.

Each of these separate challenges will all count toward my total 50 (outdo) challenge. For a list of all kinds of reading challenges, you can go here.

Personal Goals:

Potty train the kiddo (a rollover goal from last year)

Be in a size ten or lower by the time I go to previously mentioned RWA Nationals.--I've been on Weight Watchers for a month, so I'm already started on this one. :)

Have a better work/life balance.

So those are mine. What are some of your goals for the new year? Are you joining any writing or reading challenges? What goal do you most hope to accomplish?


Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

Holding Myself Accountable For My 2010 Resolutions

I'm all about setting goals. I really believe that the ideas of intention and putting something out into the universe are powerful ones. So at the beginning of each year I try to set goals--some practical some stretch goals. And part of that process means that at the end of the year, you have to look back and see if you did it or not. So in the spirit of accountability, here's my post from the beginning of the year with updates on my successes and epic failures. :)

My Mostly Realistic Writing Goals

I will write 1000 words/day five days a week when I am in the rough draft phase and edit at least 10 pages a day when in editing phase.

Update: I wrote a lot, but I did not stick to this. Just like with Nano (also a fail), my muse is fussy. But I am getting better, thanks to Nano, at putting my butt in the chair anyway and trying. 

I will continue to blog five days a week as long as you guys don't up and bail on me.  :)

Update: I did this until I got an agent, then moved to three days a week. I don't see this as a fail. I'm still happy that I've stuck to a schedule and hopefully provided some decent posts over the year. :) 

I will complete and edit one category length novel and will at least write a rough draft of a full length.

Update: I ended up tackling the full length first because that's where my muse led me. So I completed, revised and submitted a 90k novel. And am 30k into a rough draft of a new one.  

My Reading Goal

I have joined the 100+ Reading Challenge.  I think I'm around the 85 mark for this year now, so I don't think is totally out there.

Update: Pfft! Epic fail. Last year I read 79 books, this year I'm sitting at 37. Kidlet gave up naps and this put a serious cramp in my schedule. But I also spent more of my reading time, writing instead. So not a total loss. :)

My Personal Goals

Eat healthier and buy organic and local when I can afford it 

Update: Did well for first half of the year, then slid off the wagon. As of last week, I'm back on Weight Watchers and planning to do better this coming year. 

Do some form of exercise that involves more than fingers flying over keys and chasing my two year old when he gets a hold of the toilet paper roll..  I just ordered a Wii Fit, so I'm hoping that actually is exercise and not just an excuse to play video games.  If anyone has one, let me know what you think.

Update: Ha! The Wii Fit has not moved in months. The Wii gets a lot of use...but only for Guitar Hero and Rock Band. (At least it relieves stress! Which is sort of a health benefit, right? o.0  Okay, okay, I'll try to do better.) 

I will not let every towel in the house get dirty before I do a load of laundry.

Update: I actually did get better at this, though not 100%.  

Potty-train my son (fun times ahead)

Update: Epic fail as well. We're still working on this. Slow-going. 

My Oprah-style, Positive Thinking, Vision Board, Putting the Universe on Notice Goals

I will figure out a way to attend the National Romance Writers of America conference in Nashville.

Update: Win! Although it turned out to be in Orlando and not Nashville. But it was amazing and so worth it and I can't wait to go to NYC this summer for the next one.

I will sell Wanderlust to a publisher.

Update: Undetermined. Harlequin is still considering my book. I hope to know something in the next month or two. :) *fingers crossed* 

****

And now the totally epic, unexpected, not-listed-because-I-didn't-think-it-was-possible-this-year long-term goals that got accomplished:

1. Won multiple writing contests!

2. Landed dream agent Sara Megibow!!

3. SOLD TWO BOOKS to Berkley Heat!!!

And so, in conclusion, I DON'T CARE that I didn't meet some of the ones above. :D These last two developments totally trump it all! And proves that it's okay to do stretch goals, to dream big. No, I didn't reach every single one, but look what happened while I was striving to get there. :)

So what goals did you reach this year? Any unexpected ones that surprised you? Which ones are you still going to work on next year? What new goals are you setting for 2011? Go ahead, be bold, put it out there!

**Today's Theme Song**

"Hey Man, Nice Shot" - Filter

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

The 1000 Word a Day Challenge

I mentioned in a post last week that one of my goals is to write 1000 words a day.  Well, InkyGirl has made it official with cool badges and such.  The rules are simple: write 1000 words a day, 6 days a week.  I'm cheating a bit because I'm only committing to five days a week.  The weekends are my family days.  But I'm going to try to do my best otherwise to meet this goal with my WIP.

There are also 500 word and 250 word versions of the challenge if the 1000 doesn't fit for you.  

I'm hoping this will give me motivation to write even on those days where I feel stuck or nothing is coming to me.  My internal editor can get the best of  me, so this forces me to push past that.  It isn't necessarily the 1000 GREAT words a day challenge.  But writing bad ones can help me decide what direction I want the scene to go in.  So I'm going to go for it

Also, before I forget I wanted to thank Laurel at Laurel's Leaves and Katie at Step 1 for giving me the Blogging Writer Award.  Thanks you guys!  Both these ladies have wonderful, helfpul blogs, so make sure and go check them out!  

So are any of you jumping on this with me?  Do you set daily writing goals for yourself or do you find that stifling?

**Today's Theme Song**

"One Day More" - Les Miserables Soundtrack

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

The Big Thirty

Yesterday I hit one of those decade milestones, I said goodbye to my twenties and hello to my thirties. I have to admit I did have a brief freak out moment--like wait, when did this happen? But then I decided I need to be thankful for what the twenties gave me to and excited about what the thirties might hold.

In my twenties I...

• Completed a Masters degree

• Met and married the love of my life

• Experienced the joy of motherhood

• Lost someone close to me and learned that I need to appreciate every day I have with the people I love

• Lived in four different cities, bought four houses, sold three, and moved six times (whew!)

• Worked in two different careers

• Saw my beloved LSU Tigers win two national football championships

• Rediscovered my passion for writing and completed two novels.

So looking back, although there were some sad moments, the twenties were very good to me. I hope that the thirties are just as good if not better. Maybe as the next decade clicks over to 40, I'll be able to look back and see the launch of my writing and publishing career. Let's hope so.

Alright so in honor of my birthday, I'm giving you guys a few gifts. Well, not really. They're free, but it's the thought that counts, right? Here are some freebies I found on the web.

17, yes 17!, free ebooks from Harlequin---no strings attached. (You can get PDF if you don't have an Ereader) There's everything from straight up romance to suspense to paranormal. Plus, an extra from their new Harlequin Teen line.

Writing classes online by author Candace Havens. She offers great information and it's all completely free. (Of course, you are nice writers so make sure if you sign up you also buy one of her books in appreciation--she writes paranormal romance.)

Now, if you're now feeling guilt that you didn't get me anything for my big day, you have the opportunity to give me the best gift of all--a comment or a follow. And if you're someone who reads this but never says hi, now is a great time to de-lurk--a happy birthday is the easiest comment of all. :)

Alright, now for my daily questions: What are your goals for your next decade? What decade has been your favorite so far? Or, what have you accomplished in the last ten years that you never thought you would do?

**Today's Theme Song**

"100 Years" - Five For Fighting

(player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen, this song always gets to me)