Happy New Year. It’s goal setting time!

I’m a ‘lists’ person.

I always have a list by my side in some shape or form.  This could be a shopping list scrawled on the back of an old envelope and shoved into my handbag, or a ‘to do’ list laying beside my computer.  I even have a ‘dreams’ list hidden in an old journal and a Wishlist saved on my Amazon account.

So, now that it’s the start of a new year, I thought it prudent to revise my goals list and really look at what I want to achieve in 2017.

My Goals for 2017:

1. Finish editing ‘Forgotten Blood’, this is the first novel in my Soul Guardians trilogy (Young Adult Urban Fantasy).
2. Submit to Harlequin Teen. (I pitched ‘Forgotten Blood’ at the RWA conference last year and their editor asked me to send the full manuscript, so the first goal is a big priority right now.)
3. Finish planning the Soul Guardian series, and
4. Complete the draft of the second book.

While it’s great to have lists unless we action those lists they just remain words on paper (or a screen).

My Action Plan:
Each week I’ve added 3 x 2hr ‘writing’ appointments to my Google Calendar.  All appointments are made for first thing in the morning and no other tasks will be considered (other than making a coffee) before the appointed writing time is complete.

I’m a shift worker with a four-week rotating roster and getting a writing routine has been my biggest struggle in the past.  However, I think this new plan of actually setting appointments, the same as I set my work shifts, will work nicely.   It’s all about trying to create a professional headspace for myself.  Writing is now my second job, not a hobby, I just have to learn to fit it around my day job.

I will post updates as my goals progress. 🙂