It's a New Year, Baby!

Tip of the Day: writing goals don’t have to be your enemy.

Looking over last year’s writing goals left me in a bad mood. They were a complete failure. Wanting to binge out on the couch eating a gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream kind of failure.

Not one thing I accomplished, even the things I could control. And considering failure is one of my biggest fears, that’s not easy for me to admit.

But the only thing I can do is pick myself back up, slap on some make-up, and make some new goals. Unlike Kate, I do like making goals (or rather objectives of things I’d like to accomplish in the year). I’m not incredibly strict about them, but having some sort of guideline of things I’d like to accomplish (such as write so many words in so many days) helps keep me challenging myself and pushing myself further.

So goals I’d like to accomplish this year (which you may note is vaguely familiar to last year):

• Get an agent
• Get a book deal
  

And the ways I’m going to make this happen (i.e. the things I can control):

• Continue to push myself to learn my craft. I’m starting this off with a bang by going to the Winter SCBWI conference at the end of this month and I’m super excited to not only learn more about writing, but to get excited about writing again.
• Finish and polish at least one of my books this year.
• Then send that polished book off to as many agents as I can.
• Set a goal each month throughout the year of things I want to accomplish in that month.
  

My theme for this year is GROWTH. I want to grow as a writer and as a person. If by pushing to grow and blossom, something happens for me in my writing career it will feel great. If it doesn’t than knowing I accomplished any growth at all with be a resounding success for the year.

Happy Growth to all of you!!

--Emily, Miss Querylicious