Saturday 1 January 2011

2011 Is Here - Time To Look Forward

All of these goals are subject to availability.  My availability.  I am a mother of two young boys and they are my responsibility and my priority.  However much I want my own life, it has to work around them.  If they're sick, off school/preschool for whatever reason, it will effect the free time that I have.  So, I've set low targets really, because if I push myself too far, I believe I would stress out no end - and when I'm stressed I'm not a great person.  However, my aim will be to surpass some of these things where at all possible - especially the writing related ones!

Personal:-

Exercise - Where physically possible, aim for three runs a week - generally Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  At least 3.11miles/5kms - working up to five miles on at least one run.  These are not always physically possible due to kids, illness and holidays - and weather! I'm not completely stupid.

Weight - Just before Christmas my weight dropped to just under 10 stone.  I never thought I could manage that, but as I now see it IS possible, I want to get below 10 stone in weight - 9 stone 12lb - hopefully sensible eating (don't believe in diets) and exercise should achieve this.

Life - try to be more patient with my kids.  Try to earn enough from writing regularly, so I can consider giving up my 'weekend' job.  Need to get more motivated and organise my time better - get housework out of the way, then write, write, write or read, read, read! 

Writing Related Activities:-


Writers Bureau Coursework - Aim to do one assignment every two months - one month research/reading, then writing articles and editing.  Should try to do it within one month, but take no longer than two months to complete it.  By December 2011, I want to have finished my non-fiction assignments (4 left) and be starting my fiction ones.

Short Stories - Try to write 1-2 short stories a month - either for competitions or magazines.

Articles - Try to write one article outside of coursework  (or a letter to a magazine) a month.

Novel -  Finish writing and editing The Wedding Favour (working title might change to One Good Turn) and aim to submit during the year.  (By August?).  Research suitable publishers, too.

Fan Fiction - Finish my last story in the A Beautiful Lie Series.   This series has been great practice for my romance writing and it's only fair I give these characters the happy ending they deserve.  This will become weekend project - will probably start up again once I have The Wedding Favour's first draft finished.

Reading - 40 books a year - however this year, I need to split time between reading books and magazines (tutor's suggestion) so I won't beat myself up if I don't get to 40 books.  But I want a rough target which will make me pick up books and read frequently.

Blog - To blog at least once a week, writing or family related.  Maybe start posting some short stories or articles which I can't get published.

January is going to be a month of catching up with myself.  I'm going to get the house cleaned and sorted, with the Christmas aftermath (I have a lot of toys to sort out!)  I've got four short stories already written; I'm going to resubmit them to magazines or find competitions, and the same goes for some underlying articles I have.  I will also try to get The Wedding Favour finished, so that it can rest and be ready for a hard edit.  I'll start reading my coursework for assignment 7, Then, once straight in my head, I'll knuckle down to the writing goals I've set.  

Technically, last year I scored three times (published pieces), albeit unpaid.  So I want to get at least three paid pieces this year!  Fingers crossed x

2 comments:

  1. Oh, you are so much more organized in your goal settings than I am this year. I think I run the risk in not settin goals and not having any course of just drifting through the year. I'll have to give this some more thought.

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  2. Thanks, Julia. I felt I better put something down on paper. A friend recommended it, saying it would keep me focussed. So let's see!

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