Keeping Resolutions

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I’m a bit late on my New Year blog, but then again, posting it on the last weekend of the month almost seems fitting. I’ve always seen the beginning of a new year as a time to make a new start with New Year’s resolutions in place, the common ones, eat better, exercise more, be better at this or that, be the ball, Danny — no wait…

I’d begin all gun-ho to keep myself on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, my vows would quickly dissolve  and were forgotten near the end of January. I’d file them away, and when the next year rolled around, I’d start over again.

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Didn’t Einstein say something about doing the same thing and expecting the same results? Yeah…insane.

Eventually, I stopped making resolutions. Since I didn’t keep them, I didn’t see a point. Instead, I made goals. Some attainable, others not so much, and few were accomplished. I read once if you write down an idea, then it became a goal or if you told someone your goal, they could hold you accountable. Well, I beg to differ. It only works if a person is motivated to achieve whatever it is they’re driven to succeed.

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Last year, I was somewhat laxed on my writing, enough to become frustrated with myself by the end of the year. I didn’t publish a book in 2016, despite having two manuscripts completed, and a third almost done. Life, computer issues, and other roadblocks kept bugging me and getting in my way. I’ve also struggled with keeping up with the promotional side of the industry. Two author friends and I did YouTube videos. They were a blast, but filming was extremely time consuming and took away from our writing time, sooo I slept through a lot of 2016.

 

Without realizing my intentions, I sat down near the end of the year and made a list of things I hoped to complete in 2017. It’s quite extensive and it covers just about every aspect of my life. Anyone who knows me, understands that this is totally out of character. Ask my family, they’ll vouch that I’m the flighty one when it comes to focusing and organization.

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I received an email from a fellow RWA member, holding a virtual whip. She wanted to know our writing goals for 2017. I had one ready and sent it back to her. Usually, she has to pry a list from me, I think I impressed her by being prepared. I hope she doesn’t get used to it.

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How have I done so far? Not too shabby for month one. I completed editing the manuscript, Afraid to Breathe. I plan to send it to my editor this weekend. I’m about finished with the Echoes in the Wind sequel, Echoes in the Storm. My target time to submit it is in March. As soon as I’m done, I’ll do some rewrites on A Lethal Affair and step into the self-publishing world. I’ve started the second of the three-part Afraid series, Afraid to Know is next. I also have thoughts on  how the third sequel will begin in the Echoes final installment, Echoes in the Heat. I planned to write an older children’s series, and the romance/suspense story I started years ago, Hanging on an Instant, is finally becoming clearer. I’m putting together marketing plans and hopefully will get my name out as an author. And my personal life? Yep, I’ve done some revamping there too, even made a few strides, but that’s for another blog.

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Will I continue full-force, tying like a madwoman to get my life in an orderly fashion or will I return to my usual chaotic mess? Who knows?

How about you? How are your resolutions going?