I’m not going to dwell on any of the negatives of 2016, but
I do want to reflect on what went right, and what I want to improve in planning
out my goals for next year.
Generally, I don’t make new year resolutions but I am a big believer
in setting goals. These goals can be simple ones like finishing a rough draft
of a new book outline in thirty days, or more expansive goals that require
several years to accomplish, like becoming proficient in Photoshop (of course
every time Adobe upgrades their software I feel like I’m starting over!)
For me, it helps to begin my plans for the next year by reviewing
my goals for 2016: Finish book three of Gulf Coast Rescue series (not quite—still
several thousand words short of that one); outline book four in the series
(check, got that one done); create a writing schedule (yep, while I missed
writing every day as planned, I certainly put in more consistent writing than
the year before, so I’ll count that in the plus column); update my web site (oh
boy, missed that one!); and learn more about social media (attended RWA workshops
and Lynda.com online courses so I’ll give myself a plus but deduct points for
lack of implementation!); attend several writing conferences (check: RWA
National in San Diego, CA, Writer’s Police Academy in Green Bay, WI, and new
for me was the NINC conference in St. Pete, FL).
Okay, not bad, but I see things I want to improve in 2017.
So here are my goals for next year:
- Write every day (yes, a repeat, but I’m not giving up on this one—I’m also including writing longhand, not just on my computer since that helps me write past blocks or play the “what if” game with plot changes).
- Publish book three of my Gulf Coast Rescue series.
- Complete the first draft of book four of my Gulf Coast Rescue series (I’m hoping to actually finish it in 2017, but I’ll leave that for my mid-year update).
- Learn something new every week (I consider myself a life-long learner, but I want to become more rigorous and actually schedule my online training courses. If you’re not familiar with Lynda.com you might want to check them out—things like Photoshop, creating web pages, using social media, formatting e-books, and marketing are all available in short video segments you can view anytime you want. Available with monthly or annual subscriptions too).
- Hit the road more. Hubby and I bought a small toy-hauler (for
our motorcycles) with living quarters (when we evacuated from hurricane
Matthew) and I want to travel and experience new places and people next year!
- Attend several writing conferences (RWA National Conference in Orlando, FL and probably NINC and the Police Academy in Green Bay, WI—new for 2017: attend regional conferences, not just national ones).
- Break my goals into monthly, weekly, and daily goals for better results. And make them SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound).
- Revise and update throughout the year!
Okay, those are my goals for 2017. Not all inclusive, but it
gets me started on the right foot for a productive year. So what goals or
accomplishments do you want to achieve next year? What did you accomplish in
2016?
5 comments:
Those look like great goals for 2017. I'm still contemplating mine, but it's definitely been on my mind with the start of a new year fast approaching. 2016 was a year of upheaval, and I feel like my head is spinning, so I'm not sure yet what 2017 will bring, but I know my goal list will only include SMART goals, and things I have control over, such as getting fit and how much writing time I'll expect of myself.
You are so brave, Sharon. Not only did you set goals for yourself, you announced them publicly! :-) I never set goals--I always feel like that's setting myself up for disappointment. But my life is undergoing a major shift and I think it's time. I need to give it more thought, but my immediate goals are to finish two novels in my two series, and do more marketing.
Here's to a productive and happy new year. Cheers!
I'm impressed, Sharon, that's quite a list you have there. Good for you! Stick to what you can without going nuts and bag the rest. We're only human, right? Also, your comment on a goal for 2017 is to write in longhand as it will help get you past blocks and give you freedom to make changes more easily. I've always written my books in longhand first--it's so immediate. Nothing between me and the thought. Read somewhere that Elmore Leonard wrote all his novels that way. Maybe that's why Hollywood picked up his books for filming. (Love those leaps of logic!) Anyway, have a great year.
I've been setting goals for almost 20 years--for me, it's the only way to achieve things. Committing myself on paper has tremendous power, making them time bound also keeps me putting one foot in front of the other.
I don't know why I seem to forget to write longhand! Every story I write begins with a handwritten outline, character study, and "what if" scenarios. I guess I feel that once I actually begin writing on the computer, I should stay there, LOL! Nope, going to revert to paper sooner and more often in 2017!
I hope we all have a wonderful and productive 2017!
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