I love November's energy. The air is brisk, the leaves are almost all blown away, and as the month winds down, the first Christmas light displays twinkle. Magical. For me, November screams preparation. Of course there are the upcoming holidays, but I also prepare to meet my final writing goals of the year.
Some years are better than others. This summer, I realized I would have to drop one book I planned to write due to time constraints. Other than that, I'm on track to meet all of my 2009 writing goals. What a great feeling!
Last month, I started getting cagey. My goals were slipping away. I didn't know how I'd meet them by the end of the year. I decided I needed a motto. Maybe even a theme song. Hey, it worked for Rocky, right? What is my motto, you ask?
Dream Big.
I believe if I'm going to dream big, I have to do big things. To kick off my new motto, I wrote triple and quadruple my daily word count every day last week to finish my first draft. I'm not going to do this all the time--my head still hurts thinking about it!--but I needed a jump start, a break from my routine.
For all of you participating in NaNo this month--I salute and applaud you! You can do it! Just think how terrific you're going to feel when December first rolls around and you have 50,000 words written? Imagine!
What goals would you love to accomplish by December 31? Do you need a motto to help you achieve them? I want to hear about it!
Join me all month as we discuss preparation: to write a first draft, to revise, to submit our work, and preparation for our writing career. We have two months left of 2009--let's make them count!
I'm definitely dreaming big! I want my current manuscript to be completely rewritten and edited by December 31! There. I've said it. Out loud (okay, not really)! But it's worse. I put it in writing right here on your blog.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday, Jill!
Looking forward to the posts, Jill!
ReplyDeleteMy motto is: Finish the drill!
ReplyDeleteMy basketball coach used to scream that at the top of his lungs, and man, was it ever motivating! So now, I'm going to picture him screaming it at me as I try to finish my first draft (by the end of the year...eeek!).
Can't wait for the rest of these posts!
I'm sure glad I have you on my teadm:) You are definitly motivated! I have a few goals rolling around in my head and like you, I need to put them on paper and make the move to complete them. Some of them are being held up as I await direction from feedback from contests etc but then I am on it!
ReplyDeleteGoals for this month. I hope to have my Christmas card go from the idea in my head to paper before the holiday is over LOL
ReplyDeleteGood energy and good push to make 2009 as productive as it can be. :O)
ReplyDelete"I Break for Nothing" :D
ReplyDeleteGoal is to finish WIP by end of the month. It used to be by Jan. 1st, but I find I continue to push and push myself. I'm eager to get to the rewrite.
~ Wendy
I'm definitely going to sit down and think through some goals. With everything that's going on, I want these 2 months to count! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGoals are such an important part of writing. It's amazing to see what can be accomplished when we set our minds to it! Congrats on sticking to your goals, Jill!!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are really challenging yourself! But I know you can do it!! My goal is to finish my rewrites before Thanksgiving. If I challenge myself to complete one chapter a day, I think that I can do it! Although some days I'm sure the chapter will take longer! But I'm forcing myself to double up on the easier days.
ReplyDeleteJill I am dreaming BIG along side you! My goal is to complete NaNo and keep going from there.
ReplyDeleteThe only real obstacle would be me. I look forard to learning what you have to say about first drafts, because that is where I am.
Thanks for all you do to keep us encouraged and on track!
To stay focused on my current WIP, get it into the best shape I can, and send it to my agent. It's a multi-veiwpoint YA and my immdiate goal is getting the voices of each character right.
ReplyDeleteMe Too! Me too! my goal is to complete my WIP first draft by the end of the year. I can't do it in one month like my NaNo writing friends, but I can do it by the end of the year (I hope!)
ReplyDeletemy motto: it was given to me by my husband. he said, "You are good. You can be great. I think you will."
NaNo is my primary goal for this month, along with keeping up with my blog tour. In Dec. I'll have edits, holidays, and the inevitable end of year bookkeeping duties.
ReplyDeleteMy motto?
One Bite At A Time - but make it a big bite!
I want it ALL!!!
ReplyDeleteMy Motto: Prepare for the impossible because those are the dreams God brings to fruition.
ReplyDeleteI have several goals.
1. Begin writing at least one children's book before Dec. 31...Just start it!
2. Get passed this block and write 3 more poems.
3. Have at least 3 new clients through my freelance editing business by the end of the year.
There!... thank you for making me think about that.
I don't have a motto, but Dream Big is a great one. I like to dream big but I have to tell myself that not all my dreams are going to come to me when and how I expect them to.
ReplyDeleteMy goal before the end of the year is to finish my NaNo manuscript. I am hoping to get more than 50K this month because I planning on around 90K for the final word count of the story, though I'd settle for 85K.
Dream Big is a great motto to have. By December 31, I'm just hoping to be alive and reasonably sane. I'm doing NaNo with the objective to fail. (Thus giving my Type-A personality a black eye.) Word count helps me stay focused and accountable, but for me, NaNo helps me with word count at the expense of the story. So I'm going to do it with no pressure.
ReplyDeleteMy motto for the rest of the year? Keep breathing. Laugh at the mountains I'm facing, and get those feet moving. :D
Yes, let's make them count! My goal is to have the revisions completely done on my current WIP, and to have an outline ready to start on my next project. Really, my ultimate goal is to no longer be a pantster, but a planner. I think my writing would benefit a great deal from this as I am learning from my revisions.
ReplyDeleteI love to hear people dreaming big! It's infectious! :)
ReplyDeleteI want to finish editing my current wip and have at least 1/3 done on a new wip before the year is out.
WooHoo...Dream Big! I love it. I am doing NaNo in November and I would love to finish edit of my last novel in December. Then I can begin edit of this year's NaNo novel in January.
ReplyDeleteI love your motto and I love your energy. I'm glad there are two months left to the year. I have a few more goals left to meet. My motto (for right now) is:
ReplyDelete"Do what you love. Do it in excellence."
We'll see how that works out.
Jill, An inspiring posting. Thanks for putting your energetic words out there for all of us to take in. My goal is to NOT let reading through another chapter's worth of edits make me droop into despair. There! I've said it.
ReplyDeleteHi Jill -
ReplyDeleteCongrats for being on target with your goals.
I'm hunkering down and finishing the first draft of my second manuscript. I hit 51,000+ words today with 39,000 to go. :)
Blessings,
Susan
Jill, you're an absolute inspiration.
ReplyDeleteAnd I do need a motto. I'm going to think long and hard the next couple of days, and then paste the words here at my desk. Thanks for the idea.
Hello everyone, I'm sitting at the library with a big grin on my face and a tear in my eye. I've been without phone or Internet service since Saturday morning!! The horror!!
ReplyDeleteAll of your comments, goals and mottos are incredible. I'm going to gather them for a future post.
You are all such an inspiration to me. I'm so sorry I haven't been able to check in at your blogs. I really miss you guys!
Thanks so much for stopping by. We will finish 2009 strong!!
I love your energy and enthusiasm! And way to go on kicking up the word count. You're doing awesome!
ReplyDeleteMy goal for the rest of 2009 - simply enjoy each and every day. Enjoy the weather, the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the feelings of this season. :-)
Your schedule of topics to end the rear looks great. I am looking forward to your revising and marketing expertise. I am so proud of you for getting so far with your goals.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Jill. And awesome job on your daily word count!!
ReplyDeleteMy dream big goal: Finish my current WIP and have it completely edited by the end of the year. Last book took a year to edit. We'll see how it goes. But you've inspired me so I'm going to keep dreaming big. Thanks!