Thursday, January 8, 2015

New Year: New Direction

The new year brings with it the possibilities, and, quite frankly, probably more goals and far-reaches than you really want to think about.

But perhaps your new direction isn't in the abundance of goals that you may or may not follow through with, but a change of heart and focus when it comes to your writing direction.

Allow me to explain what I mean.

Perhaps you want to publish your first novel this year, just as you wanted to publish your first novel last year. And maybe you're thinking, "I could have this goal every year and nothing may happen." 

Maybe your repeated goal is to write every day, but you find yourself wishing for more time, or you're working a full-time job to pay the bills and you hope to be able to let it go and write full-time; a goal you've had for the past five years.

A change of heart in the first goal might look something like: "I am going to work toward publishing my first novel this year, and I'm going to do it by writing every day, taking criticism and making changes when necessary, and looking into self-publishing." 

A positive attitude works!!
If you're in the second goal thought processes, you may decide to write: "I am going to write when I can and I'm going to do this by eliminating or decreasing my television watching by _____%."

If you've decided that your job is no longer working for you and you'd like to quit it to write full-time, do a bit of studying to see how this can be accomplished. Frankly, most writers have to work outside the home, even if it's a part-time job, so perhaps the answer isn't in leaving your current 'away' job, but finding ways and means to write while you're off.

Concrete goals are wiser thinking because you are specific in your requests to follow and complete your goals. Your heart is saying, "I am going to accomplish my goal because I am going to do this and this to make it so," rather than, "I am going to publish a book this year," and leave it at that.

A new direction in writing is best accomplished with positive thinking and specific ways you are choosing to direct your life.

For example, one of my writing goals this year is to get my name out through booth set-ups at conferences and craft fairs. This is best accomplished by scheduling these events early (I have already scheduled 3 of the 7 planned for this year).

Because I have found that person to person selling creates greater interest in my books, I have decided to make it a priority. Yes, I will continue with my blog and social networking, but I will be adding interest to my books by increasing the amount of times I share my books one-on-one during the year in a real life setting.

What is your new direction as a writer for this year? I would love to hear it.

Kathryn


2 comments:

  1. Great post, Kathryn. Sharing on Twitter and Google+. New Year Blessings to you and yours!

    p.s. LOVE THE PIC! :) Bette

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're welcome! The picture occurred one day at my sisters. One of my other sisters thought I would look 'cute' in braids and so she fixed me up :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment.