Remember those New Year's Goals and Objectives we created on New Year's Day instead of making resolutions? Mine are printed out and pinned up in the office. They were weighing on me a bit these last few weeks because it was taking so much time to publish Saving the Planet & Stuff. With that out of the way this past weekend, I knew I'd knocked off one goal with its accompanying objectives and decided to see how I was doing on the others. This is another example of recapitulation, which I wrote about at the end of 2012.
Goal 1. Publish Saving the Planet Done, done, done. Donedidy done.
Goal 2. Publicize Saving the Planet throughout the year I've been planning for this goal for months and have been moving ahead with various objectives. In fact, I did some on-line announcements and sent out a press release this morning and will be doing similar work this afternoon.
Goal 3. Maintain Time Management Tuesday Project Yup. Here I am, working on that. I have been working on Objective 3, planning the NESCBWI time management workshop for a couple of weeks, using three or four units of time each week.
Goal 4. Submission Binge That's coming next month, and I do have some places in mind to submit to. The fact that I overhauled my files (that will be a later TMT post) will make this easier.
Goal 5. Write and submit an essay on blogging I did research a magazine market for this one. While I still think the essay idea is valid, I may try submitting other things first.
Goal 6. Write an outline for "mummy book" during May Days. Terrific. I'd forgotten that I was only talking an outline. I have been prepping for the May Days effort with some character and situation planning. I'll try to get more intently into that during the March Madness Submission Binge. I have been working on Objective 1. Reading Wired for Story. I do sometimes find reading writing books helpful while getting started on a writing project. Not in any kind of logical way, but helpful nonetheless.
Goal 7. Continue with community building. I've completed the first three objectives for this goal, as well as Objectives 5 and 7.
Goal 8. Publish a free Hannah and Brandon e-short story to support the Hannah and Brandon eBooks published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. I'm changing this goal. If I do write a Hannah and Brandon short story, I'm going to try to sell it to a magazine. For one thing, I'd like to generate some income. For another, I don't think the Hannah and Brandon age group will be a big market for e-short stories, even if they're free. A traditional magazine might be a better way of reaching those readers.
Goal 9. Plan publication of My Life Among the Aliens and Club Earth eBooks for winter, 2014. I'd be willing to drop this goal altogether and replace it with the one I'm going to mention in the next paragraph because right now, I'm burned out on self-publishing. Working out the cover illustrations for two more books, hunting for ways to promote them while I'm still trying to promote Saving the Planet...I'm having trouble getting pumped for this. On top of all that, I've been getting a sense from my reading that middle grade isn't a big market for eBooks. My publishing partner is a masochist, though, and he's interested in getting started formatting these books. Have a blast, Computer Guy! I'm not feeling this one right now.
A New Goal (Actually a goal I forgot about in January): Last June I revised a children's manuscript, working it into an adult book. I want to work on that more this year and submit it to agents. I'm much more psyched about that, at this point, then I am about hammering out another self-publishing project.
Hmm. Maybe the first chapter of that book I'm revising would make a short story submission next month. That could be an objective toward the goal of getting that book published.
Right now I'm feeling better about how well I'm staying on task. I've also done a little shifting around of goals, which is a good idea. That will have an impact on my planning from here on.
The point is, folks, check out your goals. Are you using your time working toward them? Do you want to make changes in what you plan to do?
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