Month: December 2014

Goals For 2015: Publication

This is a continuation from the blog, The Serendipity of Christmas Generosity. It took time to get to the place where I was ready to commit to writing after the events described in my previous post. But that bit of serendipity certainly affected what I’ve done this past year as well as where I’m going next year. In Part 1 of this series I shared an overview of my goals and now I am posting a discussion of why each is important to me as a writer this year. Part 2 covered why I want to engage with a local writer’s group. Part 3 addressed my review and conference attendance goals.

The Bow of DestinyNovel Publication

It’s time – or close to it. I’ve worked on my first novel for so long and I’m very close to completion. It should be published after all the final editing is completed. Publishing a full book is a very long term goal for me and this year it looks like the fruit will come ripe. I still have a structural edit and detailed edit scheduled during the first few months of the year but I expect to announce a launch date late in the first quarter or the second quarter of the year.

But there are other manuscripts waiting to be completed and published too. I hope to push out at least one more by the end of the year depending on funds available for a cover and editing. I actually have three more books with rough drafts near completion and I fully expect to go through the editing process much faster since I know how to approach the process better and, therefore, schedule more accurately. The latter is important in working with an editor.

As part of this goal, I’m already looking into my book launch and marketing plans. I want to develop what needs to be done beginning early in 2015 to meet my goal of publication not once but up to three times during 2015.

Pile of TextbooksShort Fiction

However, there’s another related goal – publishing short fiction. I also want to submit at least six short stories to short fiction markets. As a writer, having a brand is important and there’s one good way to obtain that – having people read and discuss your work. This comes through reviews but also publication. Short stories are a great way to fund more of what I’m doing and better establish my brand as a writer. I’m working even now to complete four stories and edit three others for submission.

Non-Fiction?

As a side goal that I haven’t discussed, I may also delve into non-fiction articles. I don’t know how much I’ll get into this but I’ll keep my eyes open for opportunities in the near future. This can be a source of income to finance publication goals previously mentioned.

blackbag-imgSo there are my publication aspirations for the coming year. I’m ready to push forward with several large steps if possible.

What goals are you considering for next year? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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What Changed My Writing – For The Better
Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art Used by Permission of Microsoft

Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art Used by Permission of Microsoft

When I started writing again after a number of years hiatus, I was unsure what I had to say let alone how much I could get done. Years ago, when I started writing there was no computer explosion and all the software. When I first finished the original version of my book there was more computerized tools but not much and the internet was certainly not so big and filled with so many resources. I needed to find out what I could do and find out what I had to say.

What did I do? I joined a writing email list to observe what people were doing about getting words written. I followed without a commitment and used a journal for a month to see how many words I could write. I believe I wrote over thirty thousand which was an eye-opener. Now it wasn’t anything specific but it gave me an idea of what I could do strictly using a computer. So journaling gave me a benchmark for what I could do.

But I still didn’t fully commit to writing like I needed.

When I finally did commit and started building my author platform my writing productivity began to change again. Why? Short answer: blogging. With blogging I needed to regularly create content. The problem wasn’t how many words I needed to write but ideas.

After a shaky start with ideas, I began to string together ideas. Then I was able to start churning out blog posts more regularly.

But how has this affected my fiction writing? As I began to generate ideas for blogging I was also jogging my creativity. As a result, I began to come up with ideas for short stories, novel and non-fiction books. What a big plus!

With blogging there was an added bonus. I got that much faster at developing and writing content. The less complex posts I can finish in about an hour. More complex blogs really don’t take that long to write instead it’s the research and other ideas that take up time.

WritingHere are a few tips from what I’ve learned:

1. Write regularly – this is a tip that is frequently used but often has little elaboration. In my opinion, write often whether it is for publication or not.

2. Use a journal – it grows your confidence about expression in a low pressure format and it also contributes to idea generation.

3. Try blogging more regularly if you don’t already – it hones your creativity and productivity so you become more proficient as a writer.

4. Make a commitment to your writing – if you are reluctant to push yourself to increase your content productivity you aren’t likely to publish much.

I don’t know where I’ll end up with my writing. However, I have made strides that I never imagined I would even six months ago.

If you blog, has it helped your writing? What commitments could you make to improve your writing? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed yesterday so take a look.

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Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.