Note: This was first published on my blog, www.lynnlovegreen.com/blog
I’m a planner. I like to know what’s coming up next, in my writing and my life in general. I use a planner and find satisfaction in crossing off my to-do list every day. But I have come to terms with the fact that “life is what happens to us when we’re planning something else.” (Thanks to Richard Paul Evans for the quote.)
I set writing goals at the beginning of the year and share it with my writing group. I usually have goals laid out for each quarter or season. For 2023, I’m almost on schedule. So far, I revised a YA mystery and queried it to agents, finished a draft for my YA time travel with romantic elements, and attended the RWA conference. The time travel novel is taking a while to wrap up, but I hope to do that before I attend the 2023 Author and Illustrator Conference in Anchorage in late September.
I’m behind on my goal to review my author/writing plans. I haven’t found the quiet time needed to really ponder that issue. If you want to throw a little inspiration my way, feel free to send positive vibes. Or I’ll take chocolate, too! 😉
I have two more goals on my list for this year, to finish the time travel book and update my author website. Will it all happen as I expect? Probably not. But I feel more productive when I have something to shoot for, even if it doesn’t all happen as planned.
How about you? Are you a planner, or do you make decisions on the fly? What has worked (or not worked) for you so far this year? Let us know in the comments.
Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.
3 comments:
Lynn, I used to be a planner, not just for the day, week, month, year but also 1 - 5 years out. These days I'm lucky to cross off the 2 - 3 items on a daily list much less my weekly list. I do have a few things I note on my monthly calendars such as meetings on the 3rd whatever day. Other than that life, in its many forms, has cured me of planning further ahead.
And the quiet time to contemplate my writing life? I may have the quiet time and yet, right now, I do not have the energy to ponder much if anything. I hope that changes. My best advice is to be kind, compassionate and understanding when life does not cooperate in getting things done. My next and maybe even better advice is to look at things in percentages. In other words, it is 50% done or maybe 87% done. The kindness, etc. is for those things that are and remain in the 10% or so done.
Hi Lynn, It sounds like you have a sound plan. It is good to have something to aim for, but not if we stress about it too much. For the last few years, Life has thrown me a series of curve balls. For a couple of years, I couldn't read, let alone write anything new.
I'm happy to report I am back to being an avid reader. Writing is still eluding me. Once in a while I manage to put out a blog post, but even short stories are beyond me for now.
I'm still at RTG because I want to support other authors. That much I can do!!!
Thanks, Judith and Sarah. Good advice in there. Hope you have a good rest of the year, and that 2024 is even better!
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