What gets written down gets done

     Since this is my first blog of 2013, the International Bloggers Union requires that it be about Goals or Resolutions. OK, that's a slight exaggeration: there is no International Bloggers Union, and even if there was, they probably wouldn't care about what I blog about. So, there's Goal #1: Try to make stuff up less. Except when it comes to writing my fiction. Then it kind of comes in handy. 
     In truth, I only have one rule with regard to goal setting: Set goals for things I control. You will never see me set a goal based on how much money I make, or how many books I sell. I can write and publish a book, but I can't control how many people might want to buy it. 
Writing: I have to face the facts. I have not been a prolific writer. I am 52 years old and I have one book published. That single, 66,000 word book took me five years to write. That doesn't bode well for a lot of output from me in 2013, does it?  The answer is, "Yes, it does." The reason you'll be seeing a lot more titles from me this year is because now I know I can do it. The power of positive reinforcement should never be underestimated. From 2006-2011, I spent a lot of time asking myself if I could really get a book written that other people might want to read. Now, I know I can, so I will. (Does that make sense?) My goal for 2013 is to write 150,000 words for publication. I have three things already planned for the year: A short story called The Lucky Man that should be out in February, a novella-length sequel-of-sorts/companion piece to Feels Like the First Time that will be called Both Sides Now, and a full length novel called Rock and Roll Heaven. For those keeping score at home, yes, every one of those titles is also the title of a well-known song. All three should be published before Christmas 2013. Of course, one of my favorite truisms is "Man plans, God Laughs."
Reading: I have been a reader all my life. About ten years ago, though, my eyes started to fail me, and reading lost a lot of its pleasure. The Kindle, and especially the Kindle Fire and Paperwhite, brought it back to me. The hard thing for me is that I am a single-minded individual. When I am in a writing cycle, I write. When I am in a reading cycle, I read. I rarely do both on the same day. I am going to seek better balance this year, and my goal is to finish 50 books. I will add them to my Goodreads account as I finish them to keep myself honest.
Blogging: I have been inconsistent with my blogging habits, and I know it. I might update the blog three days in a row and then go two weeks with writing a new one. This year, I am going to aim for more consistency here. My goal is to update at least once every week. We'll see how I do!
     I can't guarantee that I will reach all these goals. What I can guarantee, though, is that at the end of the year, I will drag this blog out and publish it again to see how I did. So, how about you? Are you setting any goals this year?