CornerScribe

Where do you want to be?

What do you want to accomplish in the new year?

I’m not big on resolutions. I think they’re a great way to make yourself feel bad, so I avoid them. I do, from time to time, like to think about where I want to be and whether I’m on the right track to get there. This time of the year is a good time to do that.

I think a good thing to start with is to review where you are and what you’ve done well. Where are you on track?  I think we’re too quick at this time of the year to knock ourselves for what we lack, what we haven’t done. This review is a great way to look at the positive side of things.

Next, think about what you want to do now, where you want to continue to grow and what you want to do differently. Are you on track to do that? What might you do to move that along better? Take a few minutes and write down some of the things you want.

Here’s the important part… For each goal you’ve written down, write down at least one thing you can start doing right now to move you in that direction.

It doesn’t matter how much you want it, think about it, dream about it, or anything else. What matters is what you’re doing about it. You can dream all day long, but until you start to take action to move your dreams along, it’s not going to happen. So, for each thing, write down at least one thing you can do now to move yourself in the right direction.

So, here are some of my writing goals.

1. Finish the two novel rough drafts I have and get them out to publishers. I plan to spend 2-3 evenings a week working on the novels.
2. Publish at least three short stories. I have one coming up for publication this spring, so I’m not counting it. I have a short story I need to rewrite and start sending out.
3. Publish at least three free stories online. First, I need to decide if I want to use my own site or something like scribd. So, some research is in order first.
4. Continue to regularly post on this and my other blogs. I’ve already put together a posting schedule that should help me plan my posts and stay on track, if not ahead.
5. Increase my page views by 20 percent per month this year for each blog. I’m gong to work on getting more links, participating in writing groups, blog carnivals, etc. I’ll do one of these each week.
6. Increasy my RSS subscribers by 10 percent per month this year for each blog. Although my page views are currently pretty good, my subscriber numbers are terrible. My first step is to do some research on effective ways to increase RSS subscribers.

What are your writing goals, and what will you do to reach them?