Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's that time again!

Five things to keep in mind as you're setting goals for 2023:

1. Write the Goals Down

It's proven that just in writing your goals down, you're more likely to accomplish them. Make a list and keep it handy. (But don't overload yourself. Limit your list to the three to ten things you MOST want to accomplish.)

2. Make them Specific

Don't just say you want to "read more" or "write more." Write down how many books you want to read a week. Determine how many words you want to write a day, and which story (or stories) you want to write.

3. Create a Plan and Set Deadlines

What will it take to read a certain number of books in a year? Trips to the library? Penciling "reading time" into your schedule? If I wanted to read six books a month, that's one book every five days. With due dates, that's two individual trips to the library. The first and fifteenth could be designated library days. I could find a quiet place and read for thirty minutes after dinner every evening. . . . 

Get an action plan together.

4. Get Out of the Way

I fully believe that we are in control of our own destiny. I'm not a fan of assigning blame or even letting past events or situations affect our today and tomorrow. Don't sabotage your goals with a negative mindset. 

Believe in yourself.

And that voice in your head that says you can't? They're a liar. Tell them to shut the hell up. 

5. Remember WHY These Goals Were Set

Maybe it's to become more well-rounded. Maybe it's to step outside of a comfort zone. The "why" is just as important as the "what" and "how." This is what you will return to when the road gets tough. 

So . . . what do you want to accomplish in 2023?

Your goals don't have to be reading or writing-related, either. Make this the year you get healthy--both physically and spiritually. Make this the year you save for that trip. Learn that language. Work for that promotion. Make that career change. Go back to school.

Step into your "discomfort" zone. 

Live intentionally.

Figure out what matters most to you and make those tough decisions (if necessary). 

Get moving.

And, as always: 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Setting Goals that Work for You

When it comes to achieving our writing goals, motivation is key. But sometimes it's hard to stay motivated, especially when we're facing challenges. 

(I wrote an entire book on how to work past those challenges, btw.) 

With #NaNoWriMo coming up and thousands of writers making plans to sit down at the keyboard and pound out those words, I thought I'd post a few reminders about staying motivated and working toward your goals.

Photo by Engin Akyurt

1. Be realistic. 

It's important to set goals that are actually achievable. 

Yes, it's possible to write a book in 30 days. It's less likely this can be accomplished in a single weekend. Don't set yourself up for failure by demanding something of yourself that isn't attainable. Goals should be challenging but not impossible. 

2. Get an action plan together.

Once your goals are set, break them down into smaller steps. 

It's possible to write 50,000 words in a single month, but it means sitting down and writing 1,666 words every day for those 30 days. That might mean writing 833 words in the morning and 833 more words at night. Or it might mean writing 416 words every hour for four hours. 

Either way, having a plan of action will help you stay on track and focused on what you need to accomplish.

3. Take things one step at a time. 

Trying to do too much at once can be overwhelming and lead to discouragement. 

I've only been able to participate in NaNoWriMo one time many, many years ago. As much as I adore this idea and as hard as I cheer everyone else on, my work schedule just doesn't allow me much free time in November. I'd be more likely to sign up if it were in June or July. 

The point? Don't set a goal or make a plan that's going to tip your (already full) plate of responsibilities. If you can't write a novel in thirty days, why not extend your finish line through the month of December? Give yourself 60 days, instead. 

Only you know what you're capable of realistically accomplishing. 

Push yourself, but don't push yourself. That is, don't push yourself past your reasonable limit. :)

And above all:

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

Happy New Year!

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's that time again!

Maybe 2021 was better than 2020? I don't know. This Covid/Quarantine mess just doesn't seem to want to end. As always, I'm holding out hope that 2022 will be the best yet, and I'm already working on a project list for the months ahead. 

So, if you're like me and want to accomplish all the things this year, here are five things to keep in mind:

1. Write the Goals Down

It's proven that just in writing your goals down, you're more likely to accomplish them. Make a list and keep it handy. (But don't overload yourself. Limit your list to the three to ten things you MOST want to accomplish.)

2. Make them Specific

Don't just say you want to "read more" or "write more." Write down how many books you want to read a week. Determine how many words you want to write a day, and which story (or stories) you want to write.

3. Create a Plan and Set Deadlines

What will it take to read a certain number of books in a year? Trips to the library? Penciling "reading time" into your schedule? If I wanted to read six books a month, that's one book every five days. With due dates, that's two individual trips to the library. The first and fifteenth could be designated library days. I could find a quiet place and read for thirty minutes after dinner every evening. . . . 

Get an action plan together.

4. Get Out of the Way

I fully believe that we are in control of our own destiny. I'm not a fan of assigning blame or even letting past events or situations affect our today and tomorrow. Don't sabotage your goals with a negative mindset. 

Believe in yourself.

And that voice in your head that says you can't? He's a liar. Tell him to shut the hell up. 

5. Remember WHY These Goals Were Set

Maybe it's to become more well-rounded. Maybe it's to step outside of a comfort zone. The "why" is just as important as the "what" and "how." This is what you will return to when the road gets tough. 

So . . . what do you want to accomplish in 2022?

Your goals don't have to be reading or writing-related, either. Make this the year you get healthy--both physically and spiritually. Make this the year you save for that trip. Learn that language. Work for that promotion. Make that career change. Go back to school.

Step into your "discomfort" zone. 

Live intentionally.

Figure out what matters most to you and make those tough decisions (if necessary). 

Get moving.

And, as always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Creating Yourself

Lately I’ve Pondered. . . .

(from the newsletter)

“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —Lolly Daskal

This is a really nice reminder for us to stop looking and start doing. We are the sum of the little decisions we make every single day. If we want to be a writer, we need to sit down and write. If we want to learn French for that trip to Paris, we need to gather the necessary resources and start using them. If we want to learn to play that song, we have to put in the time and practice.

Life is not meant to be lived passively, with things happening to us—we’re supposed to go out and do all the things—to make life happen for us to the greatest degree we’re able (because yes, there is sometimes the unexpected, which forces us to recalibrate).

Even so, we will only understand the path we’ve charted when we look back on our lives—how this action led to this discovery which led to that situation—but even if life can only be fully comprehended in reverse, we were not called to this earth to remain on the sidelines.

We get to decide who or what we’re going to be. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

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No Failures, Only Lessons

Lately I’ve Pondered 

(from the newsletter)

There are no failures, only lessons. We either win or we learn. 

I don’t know who to attribute this aphorism to. There are many iterations of this idea spoken by any number of influential people. 

Nelson Mandela might come closest with: “I never lose. I either win or learn.” 

It’s a worthy endeavor, I think, to reframe the “failures” we experience as lessons—ways to grow, markers to gauge improvement, milestones on our journey. Because if we try and fail at something, but we learn something new to apply to next time (in that the failure could eventually lead to a success), is it even failing? 

Really?

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Five Ways to Ruin Your Story

I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about what we can do right in our writing (or how to make what's not working work again).

But what about the flipside?

Whether you're writing page one or three hundred and one, here are five easy ways to ruin your story: 

1. There's no clear protagonist.

On page one we have Bob and Betty and Mildred and Flo. Bob is pissed at Mildred and she and Flo are icing out Betty, and then Ricky comes along and decks Bob for no reason at all, and Oh My God I have no idea who I'm supposed to pay attention to or even root for in this situation.

It's okay to start your story in the middle of the action; it's not okay to throw tons of information at your reader at once. If people are yelling and tossing punches on page one, it needs to be made absolutely clear that Ricky is the hero of this tale.   

2. The protagonist doesn't have a goal.

We know we should be paying attention to Ricky, but we have no clue what it is that he wants (except to punch Bob in the face). Maybe he doesn't even know . . . though wanting to know is, in fact, a goal. . . . but I digress. It should be very clear within the first few pages not only who your protagonist is, but what he's working toward. This, of course, can change as the narrative progresses, but readers subconsciously pick up a book with the resolution in mind. How will we know the story has ended if we don't know when Ricky has accomplished what he set out to do or even what, exactly, he wants to accomplish?    

3. There's no inner conflict.

Sure, Ricky is great at throwing punches, and he clearly hates Bob, but if he's the same person on page three hundred as he was on page one, then the reader is likely to feel cheated. Along with an outer conflict, there should be an inner conflict. After a litany of fight scenes, a story where Ricky hangs up his boxing gloves and turns to meditation to control his anger might be a journey worth following.  

4. The plot doesn't align with the goal.

We know about Ricky and his beef with Bob. We know he's intent on bringing Bob down. We know he has anger management issues he's trying to deal with. Now the plot (or the scenes that follow) needs to show a realistic progression from where Ricky is at present to who he's going to become. If you lose sight of the story question, the reader will be left scratching his or her head, wondering what shopping for leeks at the grocery store has to do with anything. (The answer? Nothing. Leave it out.)  

5. The character isn't believably attached to the goal.

Ricky says he wants to stop fighting with Bob, but he's made zero progress and we're moving into the final chapter of the story. Are we sure that's what he wanted? You know I love a good plot twist, but even these need to feel inevitable.

No protagonist, no goal, no conflict, irrelevant commentary, no attachment to the ultimate outcome. . . . These are five of the best ways to ruin your story for the reader. . . . 

Unless, of course, you write esoteric literary fiction. 

In that case, #$%! the rules.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

On Making Time

I love what Dorothea Brande (Becoming a Writer) says about making time for Art:

"There is almost no wage slave so driven that he cannot snatch a quarter of an hour from a busy day if he is in earnest about it."

But Katie, Brande wrote this the early 1930s! Of course there was time to create. They didn't have television or Netflix or the internet. They didn't drive their kids to and from practices every night of the week. They didn't have news and information tossed at them from every angle from one day to the next.

Yes, dear reader, this is true, but Brande's generation dealt with its own struggles, and the point here is that if we have something worth saying (or writing) or something worth making or something worth inventing, then it's up to us to be good stewards of our time.

We can all find an extra 30 minutes in our day--it's probably just a matter of turning off Pinterest or Facebook and staying away from Netflix for a while, or even waking up a few minutes early. 

What it comes down to is our priorities. We make time for what matters most to us. If that priority is Netflix, then we should own it without lamenting there's "no time" to write down the story that's swimming in our heads.

Be Brilliant (especially when it comes to your time)!

~Katie~ 

On Stakes--Writing Tip

Readers want a character with a goal. 

A goal they pursue relentlessly.

They don't want a story about a guy who sort of likes a girl. They want a story about a guy who can't live without the girl, even if he doesn't realize it right away.

What's at stake?

What does the hero get when she wins?
What does the hero lose if he fails?

The bigger the stakes, the more satisfying the read.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Time

This wasn't what I was planning on blogging about today, but it's too important not to share.

From Seth Godin in “The Difference Between Time and Money”:

“You can't save up time. You can't refuse to spend it. 

You can't set it aside. 

Either you're spending your time. Or your time is spending you.”

There are a lot of excuses floating around as to why we’re not getting our projects completed (or starting them in the first place). The biggest?

“I don’t have the time.”

But what if you made the time? What if you cut something from your schedule that wasn’t currently serving you or adding value to your life? What if you replaced that with genuine, focused work toward your goal or dream? What would your life look like then?

What if?

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Source: "The Difference Between Time and Money"

Reflections

I know at the start of a new year the focus is on resolutions and goal-setting and that "clean slate" feeling, but, in addition to laying out the upcoming year's plans, I hope you were also able to set aside some time to reflect on last year and all that you accomplished.

Because that's important, too. 

Reflecting. 

The simple truth is that we are not the same person today that we were on this day one year ago. And maybe you didn't quite get to everything on your to-do list, but there were some successes along the way. I know it.

If you haven't already done so, there's no better time to take inventory and reward yourself for all of your breakthroughs in the last year, both big and small.

You can start with the following list. If you're feeling brave, up the number to five or ten or even fifteen. Be sure to answer from the heart, and remember that no success is too trivial.

1) List three of your proudest moments
2) List three challenges you overcame
3) List three things you learned about yourself
4) List three areas where you experienced the most growth
5) List three things you created

And if no one has told you yet, congratulations on everything you accomplished last year.

Treat yourself to that coffee or chocolate bar or manicure or new book. 

You deserve it.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Setting Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's that time again!

This particular post has become something of an annual tradition with me, so despite my recent blog/social media hiatus, I feel compelled to re-post. 

So, without further ado, five things to remember when setting your goals for the new year:
  

1. Write the Goals Down

It's proven that just in writing your goals down, you're more likely to accomplish them. Make a list and keep it handy. (But don't overload yourself. Limit your list to the three to ten things you MOST want to accomplish.)

2. Make them Specific

Don't just say you want to "read more" or "write more." Write down how many books you want to read a week. Determine how many words you want to write a day, and which story (or stories) you want to write.

3. Create a Plan and Set Deadlines

What will it take to read a certain number of books in a year? Trips to the library? Penciling "reading time" into your schedule? If I wanted to read six books a month, that's one book every five days. With due dates, that's two individual trips to the library. The first and fifteenth could be designated library days. I could find a quiet place and read for thirty minutes after dinner every evening....

Get an action plan together.

4. Get Out of the Way

I fully believe that we are in control of our own destiny. I'm not a fan of assigning blame, or even letting past events or situations affect our today and tomorrow. Don't sabotage your goals with a negative mindset. 

Believe in yourself.

And that voice in your head that says you can't? He's a liar. Tell him to shut the hell up. 

5. Remember WHY These Goals Were Set

Maybe it's to become more well-rounded. Maybe it's to step outside of a comfort zone. The "why" is just as important as the "what" and "how." This is what you will return to when the road gets tough. 

So . . . what do you want to accomplish in 2018?

Your goals don't have to be reading or writing-related, either. Make this the year you get healthy--both physically and spiritually. Make this the year you save for that trip. Learn that language. Work for that promotion. Make that career change. Go back to school.

Step into your "discomfort" zone. 

Live intentionally.

Figure out what matters most to you and make those tough decisions (if necessary). 

Get moving.

And, as always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Setting Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's that time again! 

I know I've posted this the last few years in a row, but since it's the "goal-setting" season, I thought it would be helpful to re-post.

So, without further ado, five things to remember when setting your goals for the new year:
  

1. Write the Goals Down

It's proven that just in writing your goals down, you're more likely to accomplish them. Make a list and keep it handy. (But don't overload yourself. Limit your list to the three to ten things you MOST want to accomplish.)

2. Make them Specific

Don't just say you want to "read more" or "write more." Write down how many books you want to read a week. Determine how many words you want to write a day, and which story (or stories) you want to write.

3. Create a Plan and Set Deadlines

What will it take to read a certain number of books in a year? Trips to the library? Penciling "reading time" into your schedule? If I wanted to read six books a month, that's one book every five days. With due dates, that's two individual trips to the library. The first and fifteenth could be designated library days. I could find a quiet place and read for thirty minutes after dinner every evening....

Get an action plan together.

4. Get Out of the Way

I fully believe that we are in control of our own destiny. I'm not a fan of assigning blame, or even letting past events or situations affect our today and tomorrow. Don't sabotage your goals with a negative mindset. 

Believe in yourself.

And that voice in your head that says you can't? He's a liar. Tell him to shut the hell up. 

5. Remember WHY These Goals Were Set

Maybe it's to become more well-rounded. Maybe it's to step outside of a comfort zone. The "why" is just as important as the "what" and "how." This is what you will return to when the road gets tough. 

So . . . what do you want to accomplish in 2017?

Your goals don't have to be reading or writing-related, either. Make this the year you get healthy--both physically and spiritually. Make this the year you save for that trip. Learn that language. Work for that promotion. Make that career change. Go back to school.

Step into your "discomfort" zone. 

Live intentionally.

Figure out what matters most to you and make those tough decisions (if necessary). 

Get moving.

And, as always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

air and light and time and space

"--you know, I've either had a family, a job, something

has always been in the

way

but now

I've sold my house, I've found this

place, a large studio, you should see the space and

the light.

for the first time in my life I'm going to have a place and

the time to

create."

no baby, if you're going to create

you're going to create whether you work

16 hours a day in a coal mine

or

you're going to create in a small room with 3 children

while you're on

welfare,

you're going to create with part of your mind and your

body blown

away,

you're going to create blind

crippled

demented,

you're going to create with a cat crawling up your

back while

the whole city trembles in earthquakes, bombardment,

flood and fire.

baby, air and light and time and space

have nothing to do with it

and don't create anything

except maybe a longer life to find

new excuses

for.

~Charles Bukowski~

Working on the Ending

I have been so looking forward to 2015 it's not even funny.

I know I'm not the only one, based on the sheer number of FB posts and tweets telling 2014 not to let the door hit it on the way out. Something in the universe, maybe, that made it an exceptionally difficult year? I don't know.

I love all the metaphors for a new year: a blank page, an empty book, a clean slate, etc.

And yes, this is all true . . . to an extent.

But what these first five days of 2015 have reminded me is that a new year doesn't necessarily mean all of our problems have gone away. 

There will be some carry-over--

unfinished business and unresolved problems. 

And maybe I got too caught up in the idea of goals and resolutions and fresh starts (I prefer "goals" to "resolutions," but that's just me). Maybe I set my expectations too high. 

Of course I want 2015 to be the best year ever. (Isn't that what we all want?) 

But now that it's here it's just as important to remember the backstory is there whether we claim it or not.

What's done is done. What's past is past. But it's there.

So while I'm not sure I subscribe to the notion that one can "start over" with a new year--since problems don't magically disappear at midnight--I do believe in being "masters of the page." 

We can't start over, but we can always work on the ending.   

And there's a lot of hope in that. :)

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Setting Goals: Five Things on Friday

2015

It's among us.

It's hard to believe, actually. This past year flew by (cliche to say, I know).

Right now my writer friends and I are taking stock and setting goals for the new year, as a lot of people are, I think. Because of the "clean slate" that another year brings, it's a popular time to really sit down and think about what we want to accomplish.

In my particular circle, there's a lot of talk of "quality" over "quantity," more balance, spending more time with those who matter--not rushing, I guess. When nothing is holding you back, it's easy to want to plow forward--to write and release everything you can as soon as you can.

(Which might have worked for Indie writers back in '11 and '12, but didn't work in '14, and probably won't work in 2015, either.)

There are so many things vying for my attention from day to day--kids, day job, house duties (not cooking, because I don't really do that--lol), connecting with readers, writing. When I look back on 2014, it's easy to think I accomplished absolutely nothing.

But . . . when I put it on paper, I actually did as much as I set out to do.

On a personal front, I wanted more balance. I started meditating toward the end of the year, and while I'm not as consistent as I should be, I'm much more focused on what matters and the vibes I send out into the universe. 

I also wanted to blog more and tweet more.

On the writing front, I did a major revision on a project early in the year. Over the summer I worked on a duology (still working on this), but I revised and added for a total of 160,000 words. At the end of this year, I wrote and released my Christmas novella. I would've loved to have that duology finished, but the truth is I needed to step back for a while and focus on something else.

I also got the paperback versions of two of my books formatted and ready to release.

So in actuality, and though there were some "lean moments," I hit on every goal I set for myself last year in some way. 

I'm about to sit down and write out my goals for 2015--projects I want to finish, and new ones I want to tackle. 

So . . . in the spirit of the season, here are five things I try to remember when goal-setting:

1. Write the Goals Down

It's proven that just in writing your goals down, you're more likely to accomplish them.

2. Make them Specific

Don't just say you want to "read more" or "write more." Write down how many books you want to read a week. Determine how many words you want to write a day, and which story (or stories) you want to write.

3. Create a Plan and Set Deadlines

What will it take to read a certain number of books in a year? Trips to the library? Penciling "reading time" into your schedule? If I wanted to read six books a month, that's one book every five days. With due dates, that's two individual trips to the library. The first and fifteenth could be designated library days. I could find a quiet place and read for thirty minutes after dinner every evening....

Get an action plan together.

4. Get Out of the Way

I fully believe that we are in control of our own destiny. I'm not a fan of assigning blame, or even letting past events or situations affect our today and tomorrow. Don't sabotage your goals with a negative mindset. Believe in yourself.

5. Remember WHY These Goals Were Set

Maybe it's to become more well-rounded. Maybe it's to step outside of a comfort zone. The "why" is just as important as the "what" and "how." This is what you will return to when the road gets tough. 

So . . . what do you want to accomplish in 2015?

Your goals don't have to be reading or writing-related, either. Make this the year you get healthy--both physically and spiritually. Make this the year you save for that trip. Learn that language. Work for that promotion. Make that career change. Go back to school.

Step into your "discomfort" zone.

And, as always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~