If you're going to succeed as a writer (by the way - that's a post for another day, but in a nutshell, YOU determine your personal bar for success), you have to be accountable to someone. You have to set goals, then take steps to reach those goals. And, just my humble opinion, but I think goals should be plural. Don't set one lofty goal like "write a best selling novel". That's just setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment. It's out of your hands. The ability to meet your goal should be something under your control - no one else's (see where the accountability is coming into play?).

So, write down 5 goals for 2010.

Mine are:
1.     Continue working with my critique group.
2.     Continue querying agents about Widow's Web.
3.     Pick a new novel to polish (decisions, decisions . . . so many manuscripts sitting in the drawer).
4.     Edit that novel every week.
5.     Read two books a month and review them on Amazon.

See how that works? No overly lofty goals. They're all within reach, but they will definitely cause me to stretch (not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do). The next step is to take those big goals and break them up into workable bits. For instance, I need to block out time this evening and tomorrow evening to prepare for my critique group meeting on Saturday morning. That means there will be little time for anything else, so I will probably have to do more agent research on Saturday so that I can send out another query to an agent this weekend. Little bits - things you can actually schedule into your day.

Here's where the accountability really comes into play. Those goals that I had you write down? Print out two copies of them. Post one on your closet door (or the back of your bathroom door, or on the mirror - someplace you'll see it every day) and give the other to a trusted friend. Think of this person as your accountability partner. Your friend's job is to hold onto the list, then talk to you about your progress quarterly. So, plan to talk to that person in March, June, September and December. Put it on your calendar. Tell that person to be tough on you. This does two things - it makes you accountable to yourself, because you will see your list every day and it makes you accountable to someone else. This improves your chances of success, because this way it is much harder to ignore your goals if you are accountable to someone than if you merely paused for a few moments in January and said to yourself, "Self, this year we're gonna do X, Y & Z!" (resolutions quickly fall to the wayside . . . ask anyone who works the reception desk at a fitness facility).

If you don't have someone who can be your accountability partner, email me and I'll do it.

What are you waiting for? Go write your goals down!!

And when it doesn't, it just plain sucks! I've been fighting my laptop since the beginning of December, which has really put a dent in my writing time. I hope to get back in the groove in 2010, and hope my computer woes are behind me.

It will never cease to amaze me the way the universe works. Various things tend to cross paths, like cosmic strings strung across the universe, linking things and creating a web of interrelativity. OK, that's my deep thought for the day. What prompted it was that a co-worker put me in touch with a young woman who is interested in writing a memoir of her life story (so far). And then I ran across a blog entry on that very topic. You can see it here. Whether or not you write memoir, it is an interesting post.

More later,
Elle

I don't know why I'm surprised that December is nearly half over. It happens faster and faster each year. I used to think it was because I was getting older and quit looking forward to things so much (you know, when I was a kid I couldn't wait for Christmas but it seemed to take forever to get here . . . the watched pot never boils - like that). But now, I think the world is just spinning faster. I can almost hear the wind whistling past my ears.

Oh, wait . . . that was just the cold, December wind. Never mind.

It has been 21 days since my last post.

Oh, wait . . . I'm not giving my confession. 

Sorry. My NaNo fried brain isn't functioning quite right just yet. What I wanted to tell you is that (drumroll, please . . . ahem . . . really - make that drumroll sound or drum your fingers on your desk, whatever works best for you) . . . I WON!!! That's right, you are now looking at (sort of) one of the proud winners of National Novel Writing Month 2009. I finished with a grand total of 50,629 words. (OK, I'm bowing now . . . thank you, thank you . . .).

What was my secret for success?

1) Write every day. My goal was to write 1,667 each day. (Some days I made it, some days I didn't.)

2) Don't read.

3) Use every available moment. If you work, eat at your desk and write yourself an email. Carry a notebook with you. If you commute, carry a handheld recorder. You don't have to dictate your story, but you can talk to yourself - what if this, what if that, how can you screw with your main character's life . . .

4) Bribery. I want a Nook so bad I can taste it. So, I promised myself that if I win, I'll buy one. Now, I'm just waiting for the money to appear. (wait! what the? there's no prize $$ for winning NaNo? Dang!!)

And how do I feel about my winning story, Gateway to Hell? My story is just getting wound up, just started at about 47K words, actually, and part of me really wants to finish it. But first, I need to get through the holidays. I've got a house to decorate, Christmas cards to make, dinner rolls to make, gifts to buy. And since I've only got 2 weeks 'til the Big Day, I think I'll take a break from writing and focus on the holiday and family. Probably should, since I kind of neglected the fam last month. So, my plan is to smother them with attention for the next two weeks, and then start a serious rewrite of Denim & Diamonds. Those characters have been talking to me again (and so have my characters from NaNo '08. I hope this doesn't mean I'm schizo. Then again, for a writer, is that a bad thing?), which is like slipping into my favorite pair of faded Tommy jeans on a Sunday morning. It feels right. Who knows, maybe with a touch more suspense and a dash more sex . . . it might end up being a whole new book!

So, that's how I did it and those are my writing plans now that NaNo is over and I must return to the land of mortals . . . what are yours?

NaNo Tip of the Day: Backstory can add layers to your character. Recount a memory of something that happened to your character as a child.

NaNo Prompt of the Day: a dozen Red Ryder wagons

And in my world: Michael and Daniel just passed through the spider-webby Gateway to Hell.

NaNo Tip of the Day: Describe your character from his/her point of view. Focus on the internal motivations, fears, dreams.

NaNo Prompt of the Day: a sidewalk with a crack in it

And in my world: Michael is feeling very introspective.

NaNo Tip of the Day: Do word wars. If you have a friend doing NaNo, challenge him/her to a 20 minute word war. Winner gets bragging rights. BTW, a word war does not consist of a verbal joust. I mean start the timer, start writing and whoever ends with the most words wins.

NaNo Prompt of the Day:  Don, the jailbird

In my world: Daniel, the attorney who sold his soul, and Michael, my hero, have joined forces and are getting ready to go through the Gateway.

NaNo Tip of the Day: Kill someone. Yup, that always works for me! ;o)

NaNo Prompt of the day: moldy oranges

In my world: Daniel, the attorney, has made a deal with the Devil to save his family and his business from financial ruin. But is being able to travel through the Gateway to Hell a bonus or a curse?

NaNo Tip of the Day: Describe your main character from someone else's point of view. This gives you a chance to explain in detail what your character looks like, how he/she carries him/herself, that sort of thing.

NaNo Prompt of the Day: a barista at Starbucks

In my world: Michael is feeling very introspective, and his mom is drinking the Kool-Aid.

NaNo Tip of the Day: Interview one of your characters. A great way to do this is to actually have someone - a character, add a new one if you need to (an aspiring reporter, if nothing else!) - interview your character. This could be a reporter, a cop, a potential employer.

NaNo Prompt of the Day: Angelo, with the lover in Long Island

In my world: Whew, I don't even know where to start!

NaNo Tip of the Day: Write a dream sequence. Do this as if either your protagonist or antagonist is dreaming, and you'll get insight into their motivations while upping your word count. Surprisingly, the dream often fits in quite well with your story!

NaNo Prompt of the Day: a man standing alone in front of a window

In my world: Life as we know it in Columbia is over. The streets are empty, no one is driving, no one is walking . . . people are holed up in their houses, wondering what is going to happen next.