All The Best Laid Plans, Part II

The good news: in 2014 I did finish BIRTHRIGHT. And believe it or not, I wrote a collaboration with a friend. I also started another collaboration, and have been working feverishly on book 3 in the DESCENDANT series. I prepared WATER SO DEEP for publication. I attended a Utah conference and one in Kansas—and none in Texas. And I no longer live by the beach (boo!) but the mountains instead.

In 2014 I learned two very valuable lessons. 1. I can work through the hard stuff, even if it happens slowly. But equally important, 2. I realized that I don’t always have to.

I am allowed to not write for a month. Or two. I am allowed to catch up on TV shows I’ve missed instead of writing blogs, and to go Christmas shopping instead of finishing a chapter. Because stuff happens, and I am human.

I have high hopes for this year.

1.       The ebook of WATER SO DEEP will release February 2^nd. The hardcover may be a week or two later, depending on circumstances beyond my control. And that’s OKAY.

2.       Book 3 in the DESCENDANT series is about half-drafted, even though it should have been to the editor by January 1^st. And that is also okay. I will catch up, and it will be published on time. (I HOPE.)

3.       WSD will have a sequel, and I will write it and hope to prepare it for publication sometime this summer. Maybe.

4.       My collaborations and other projects will continue to move forward. I hope to finish at least two of them aside from the above mentioned projects.

But if life happens and things get in the way, I will adapt. No matter what goals or resolutions I reach, I will keep writing, keep trying, so that no matter what, by the end of the year, I will have made progress.

And that, my dear friends, is the whole, entire point.

Progress for the win!       

All The Best Laid Plans, Part I

I’ve decided not to make resolutions this year. It’s not that I don’t have goals—I have more goals this year than I think I ever have. It’s more that in the last three years, I’ve learned some pretty massive lessons about how easily all the best laid plans can be derailed.

Sometimes you have to let go of your own plans and ride the waves of circumstance until you can touch the ground once again.

For instance, at the beginning of 2014, I planned to write at least three books, go to several conferences in Texas, some in Utah, and one in Kansas and work toward building my career. I planned to blog every week and spend more time at the beach and read more books.

But stuff happened. 

1.       In January, I made an emergency trip to Utah for a funeral—the loss of a dear friend’s husband, who died too young.

2.       I spent February and March finishing edits on Birthright, and got it finished just barely on time for publication.

3.       In April, I traveled to Utah for a conference, where I spent just under two weeks so I could also deal with some family issues.

4.       In May, my oldest daughter graduated high school and my husband and his officers had a homicide case that blew wide open.

5.       In June, that homicide case took over our lives until the suspect was apprehended, and that same weekend, my husband was offered a fantastic job back in Utah.

6.       By July, we listed our house, packed up everything we own, and moved across the country. Again.

7.       In August, we unloaded into our current house (a temporary rental), my husband started his new job, and I moved my oldest daughter to Orlando, Florida where she is attending school.

8.       In September, I swore my life would calm down so I could finally do some writing, but then… we discovered a leak in our kitchen.

9.       In October, our landlords finally got around to investigating the leak, which led to mold and a full-scale kitchen renovation that was not complete until the week of Thanksgiving, and was distracting enough that my writing concentration was completely shot.

10.   This brings me to December. I put up my tree and hung the garland. I began my shopping. I bought my daughter a plane ticket to come home. I was prepared for full-scale holiday celebrating. And then my father-in-law died, and there was another funeral, estate details to work out, and grief to deal with.

The thing about death and grief, and also stress, is that it changes your priorities. In the cases of several of these events, writing fell way down the priority scale. My family is more important than my deadlines, and so in all of these cases, they have taken the front seat. I didn't read more books, and I sucked at blogging, and I didn't write nearly as much as I wanted. And you know what? That's okay. I could not have planned for last year.

What about you? What in your life is more important than your personal goals and deadlines?

*This blog turned out to be pretty long, so I’ve split it into two. To be continued next week.

It Begins

And by “it” I mean summer.

I’m not going to lie. I *heart* summer. It’s my favorite season by miles and miles. Always has been. Shorts? Check. Swimsuits? Check. Sundresses? Check. Sunscreen (yes, I always use it)? Check. Sandals? Check.

Vacation plans? Yep. (In two weeks, peeps! TWO!)

Boating plans? Absolutely.

Water in the nearby lakes. Uh. Let’s cross our fingers.

Writing time? Um…well. That one gets a little tricky. But. I do have goals, and I intend to accomplish said goals, DESPITE the fact that it might mean staying inside sometimes, or staying awake when I’m tired, or skipping a trip to the pool.

Why? Because I’m a writer. That’s what I do. When I don’t have time to write, I create it.

My goals: Draft a new novel, complete edits on and begin querying my current WIP, write one or two short stories (for the fun of it), and, well. Keep querying. (Because that’s another thing I do—a lot.)

Oh, also, I’d like to go to WorldCON in Chicago (somehow), turn my ab-flab into a six-pack, and get a nice, even tan.

How about you? What are your goals this summer?

What I Want Most

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I want. And I’m not just talking about how badly I sometimes crave Girl Scout cookies, Black Forest gummy bears, chocolate, or Dr. Pepper. No, I’m thinking about what I want in life, in my career, with my family, stuff like that.

You may remember me quoting James Owen a couple weeks ago. He said, “Never give up what you want most for what you want most in that moment.” So I’m trying to figure out what I want most in the future and how I might be able to obtain those things.

For instance, I really, really want a literary agent and a publishing contract with a national publisher. I also really, really want to someday make money on something I write.

And I know I could have the second without the first. I could. If I choose to self publish my work, I could probably make a few dollars here and there. Maybe more than a few. But it’s really unlikely that money would be as satisfying to me as money that might come from holding onto the dream that will take much longer to reach. And while money is important to me, it isn’t as important as reaching those other big goals.* So I’m holding onto my dream and being patient.

I’d love to live somewhere tropical-ish. Or, I could go on a trip, and call that enough. (I vote for the long-term permanent solution.)

Someday I hope to write three full books per year. Or, I could write articles instead and make a little money on the side, but that would significantly cut into my ability to write novels.(I choose to focus on novels that might help me reach that goal above.)

Long term goals require planning, and also an investment of time in the present, as well as the future.

Kind of like climbing a ladder. Most of us can only climb one rung at a time, and at our own pace. Some people climb higher than they ever have, and are content (as they should be). Others feel the need to go all the way to the top.

What about you? What dreams are you holding onto in hopes of reaching a higher rung?

*NOTE: This is only what feels right for me, not necessarily for you—only you can decide that.