When I look back at 2011, I accomplished some pretty big things.  I finished my first short film Saying Goodbye, which is screening at film festivals around the country and has won several awards.  I won another grant to make a new short film called High Heels and Hoodoo, which we’ve almost completed.  And I had a childhood dream come true when my story "Seeking a Hidden Hive" was published in Highlights magazine.  I am so grateful for these things, and my face goes into automatic grin mode when I think about them.  

The only problem is I didn’t actually do much writing in 2011.  Those accomplishments were set in motion with writing I did in 2010 or even earlier.  While I did adapt High Heels and Hoodoo into a screenplay in early 2011, I wrote the short story it was based on in 2010, so I’m not sure that even counts.  I did plenty of other things that needed to get done, including finally starting this blog after dilly-dallying for far too long, but it’s now time to get serious about my fiction writing.  

I hereby declare 2012 my year for prolific writing!  

However, I attended enough management seminars during my years in the corporate world to know a vague objective like write more isn’t going to cut it (in fact, the procrastination imp camped out inside me is currently doubled over in hysterical laughter).  I need specific goals to keep me accountable, so here they are:

• Write one fifteen minute tweet tale each day.  This will ensure I write SOMETHING every day.  Join in when you can!

• Write one blog post each week.  Ideally I’d like to blog more often, but I want to keep these goals attainable so I don’t fail the very first week.

• Each month rewrite at least one short story I wrote for NYCM contests, research appropriate places for publication, and submit them.  It’s an affront to my muse to leave those stories sitting on my hard drive, and she’s moody enough as it is.

• Finish a rewrite of The Hunt (my current WIP novel) in time for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition on January 23rd.

• Submit The Hunt to betas, collect feedback, and do a final rewrite to be ready to query agents by June.

• Rewrite The Spirits Within (my current WIP screenplay) in time for the PAGE screenwriting contest on March 31st. 

These goals might end up being too aggressive, since we’ll have a lot going on with both movies in terms of film festivals and marketing, but I need to push myself.  And fortunately I’ll have cheerleaders in my corner for the month of January.  I met K.T. Hanna during the last platform building campaign, and she is a generous spirit – always the first to offer fellow writers much needed encouragement.  So it’s no surprise she started #writemotivation month for a group of writers to cheer each other on toward our January goals.  I’m looking forward to meeting everyone, and I’ve pulled out my fluffiest pom poms.  

When I look back at 2011, I accomplished some pretty big things.  I finished my first short film Saying Goodbye, which is screening at film festivals around the country and has won several awards.  I won another grant to make a new short film called High Heels and Hoodoo, which we’ve almost completed.  And I had a childhood dream come true when my story "Seeking a Hidden Hive" was published in Highlights magazine.  I am so grateful for these things, and my face goes into automatic grin mode when I think about them.  

The only problem is I didn’t actually do much writing in 2011.  Those accomplishments were set in motion with writing I did in 2010 or even earlier.  While I did adapt High Heels and Hoodoo into a screenplay in early 2011, I wrote the short story it was based on in 2010, so I’m not sure that even counts.  I did plenty of other things that needed to get done, including finally starting this blog after dilly-dallying for far too long, but it’s now time to get serious about my fiction writing.  

I hereby declare 2012 my year for prolific writing!  

However, I attended enough management seminars during my years in the corporate world to know a vague objective like write more isn’t going to cut it (in fact, the procrastination imp camped out inside me is currently doubled over in hysterical laughter).  I need specific goals to keep me accountable, so here they are:

• Write one fifteen minute tweet tale each day.  This will ensure I write SOMETHING every day.  Join in when you can!

• Write one blog post each week.  Ideally I’d like to blog more often, but I want to keep these goals attainable so I don’t fail the very first week.

• Each month rewrite at least one short story I wrote for NYCM contests, research appropriate places for publication, and submit them.  It’s an affront to my muse to leave those stories sitting on my hard drive, and she’s moody enough as it is.

• Finish a rewrite of The Hunt (my current WIP novel) in time for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition on January 23rd.

• Submit The Hunt to betas, collect feedback, and do a final rewrite to be ready to query agents by June.

• Rewrite The Spirits Within (my current WIP screenplay) in time for the PAGE screenwriting contest on March 31st. 

These goals might end up being too aggressive, since we’ll have a lot going on with both movies in terms of film festivals and marketing, but I need to push myself.  And fortunately I’ll have cheerleaders in my corner for the month of January.  I met K.T. Hanna during the last platform building campaign, and she is a generous spirit – always the first to offer fellow writers much needed encouragement.  So it’s no surprise she started #writemotivation month for a group of writers to cheer each other on toward our January goals.  I’m looking forward to meeting everyone, and I’ve pulled out my fluffiest pom poms.