My plan is to enter the writing contest in May with the first twenty pages of my current WIP (I actually won in 2010 in the fantasy category with my other novel). And by fall I hope to have my Courage of Dragons novel finished, critiqued, revised, and ready to pitch to an agent at the conference. Those are the major writing goals for me for the year. After that it's on to querying again (blah).
I believe in saying specific goals out loud, or in this case writing them down for others to see. It makes it much more likely that I'll actually accomplish them -- mostly because I hate looking like an idiot when I don't. So that's my plan for the year on the writing front.
What about you? Got a plan or some writing goals you hope to achieve this year?
And, and, and!!
In other news, this month marks TWO YEARS OF BLOGGING for me at Bards and Prophets. Two years? Crazy. The other thing that's crazy is that my last post hit 100 comments (well, you know, including all my yapping on there too). That certainly never happened before. So I thought as a way of acknowledging my blogaversary I'd offer a 100 page critique to one interested follower of this blog. Just let me know in your comment (between now and Thursday) if you want the critique, and I'll randomly pick a
Fine Print
*All regular critique partners are ineligible for current offer. :P
**Lighthearted snark is a byproduct of my personality and may show up in critique.
***Damn, this is small. Can anyone actually read this?
Awesome Creative Commons photo by Frederic Bisson
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Congratulations on two years!! Sometimes I wonder what life was like before starting a blog and making so many friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd is that writing group the same one that Patricia Stoltey belongs to?
Yep, same group. There's actually a pretty big Colorado coalition of writers online. One of these days we're gonna start a turf war with Utah. :P
Deleteerk. Another reason to move to Colorado...
DeleteThere's a lot of writers from Utah, right? But I see my Colorado peeps everywhere too. I think we can take 'em. :P
DeleteI feel your dragons really need to hatch, they've been lying in their eggs for too long now :P And you need to sell them to a film or TV agent too, so that we could sell the adaptation rights before we hit bestselling lists!
ReplyDeleteWow! Two years! And I agree with saying your goals out loud - helps keep you accountable :)
ReplyDeleteI had to squint, but the fine print was hilarious. Congratulations and good luck with your goals - I'm sure you'll achieve them.
ReplyDeleteI'm jumping up and down for you! I love your goals, Luanne. I'm like you, if I put them out there, I'm more likely to get them done. I would take you up on the critique but my novel isn't that far along and I'm to thin skinned =PPP
ReplyDeleteHappy Bloggerversary! Or however we are supposed to spell it LOL
Dezzy - I know, but I'm such a slow writer I thought I better have two novels ready to go while I write the third. But won't it be pretty when those dragons hatch. They can perch on my shoulders like the Khaleesi. :P
ReplyDeletemshatch - It makes a big difference when everyone knows what you've said you're gonna do. Gotta deliver. :)
Tonja - It's goal season, isn't it? Everyone is out there saying what they're gonna do. I hope we all accomplish them.
Elsie - Thanks! And you big chicken. I'm actually a very sensitive, compassionate critiquer...who carries a big red pen. :P
*bawk bawk* =PP <---the sound a chicken makes
DeleteCongratulations and Happy Blogoversary! It's funny how many of us seemed to get started with blogging around the same time. :)
ReplyDeleteI do believe we need to state our goals and wishes out loud and write them down. Good luck with yours, Luanne
ReplyDeleteKaren
You can pencil me in for the potential book critiques, although it will not be the final edited version if that's okay.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! on the two year milestone!
I know a few people from the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Group. This sounds like one of the better groups out there.
Julie - Yeah, we started a month apart, and I think found each other soon after during the A to Z challenge.
ReplyDeleteKaren - It's funny how once you state your goals out loud things get pushed into motion to make them happen. :)
Stephen - There are a lot of us online from RMFW. It's a good group, and they throw a great party at their annual conference. Seriously, Mario Acevedo is usually serving up margaritas to everyone after the dinner. :D
I set my goal--to set my goals for the new year by this weekend. That's a good start, right?
ReplyDeleteI like your goals, very succinct.
And I did, I did read the fine print, which actually surprised me. LOL
Congratulations on the Blogovaversary! I read the opening excerpts of the book. Post apocalyptic Wales-sound intriguing.
ReplyDeleteMy main goal is to improve as a painter. Blog less, paint more!
Congrats on two years! That's quite an accomplishment. Good luck with the writing contest and your novel.
ReplyDeleteSuper awesome that you won last year! Here's hoping you do just as well this year--and congrats on two years!
ReplyDeleteSouthpaw - Hey, setting a date to set your goals is a very good start. :))
ReplyDeleteAnne - Thanks! And post-apocalyptic Wales is where I spend most of my days -- happily. :D
Nicole - Thanks, girl. Two years of blogging is a lot of writing when you add it all up. I haven't even kept a journal this consistently before. :P
Crystal - I do like entering contests. Good way to get your work in front of an industry professional without having to query. And fortunately I've made the finals or won all the contests I've entered. Got a lot of good feedback because of it. :)
Your 'Mice print' can still be read. Hmm, I'd probably take you up on the critique. Fresh eyes can be a good thing. The first scene in my followup scifi could use a look. IF. . . .
ReplyDeleteGreat goals, I pitched my scifi at a local conference, which has an amazing roster of editors, etc. Snagged me two referrals which I'll be using soon. If you've already won once at your conference, you've got a great chance to repeat that. Good luck!
I called my aspirations 'Goals' this year, too. Under my '2013 Write It' tab. I need an ongoing reminder.
Yay for 2 years! I think I can honestly say I've been here for nearly all of it. :-) Love your goals, and truly believe you're ready to meet them. I'll be cheering for you.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, my dear Lu. First of all, big, hearty congratulations on having won the writing contest in 2010! Big, big, big. I know just how much that means.
ReplyDeleteNumero dos -- will you be going to the Rocky Mountain conference, this year?
Hi Luanne .. two years - well done. So pleased I met you last year during the A - Z ... and I'm looking forward to that Dragon release ... I just have a feeling it'll be a really good read.
ReplyDeleteThe writer's group .. will be amazingly supportive - especially as you've already won one contest ...
Here's to much success in 2013 ... cheers Hilary
I can actually read that fine print. And without my glasses even. You can count me among the yeses; that's a great opportunity.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your two year anniversary!
D.G.- That's how I feel about my current WIP -- the more eyes on it the better. I mean, I don't want a novel written by committee, but feedback from half a dozen readers is a good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteE.J. - Thanks E.J.! Yep, a bunch of us met during A to Z a year and a half ago. Still going strong. :)
Suze - It's definitely a confidence booster when you make the finals. And, yes, of course I'll be at the RMFW conference. I missed last year because of my trip to Wales. I was too broke, but I'll be there this year. Feel like driving north?
Hilary -It's a pretty good contest (actually I should shut up about it so none of you enter and stiffen the competition!). They offer critiques on the entries too for an extra $15, which I usually sign up for.
M. J. - I can barely read it without my glasses. Blah. But I do have the advantage of knowing what it says. :P
Knowing you'll be there would be increased incentive. But I have to let you in on something. I am seriously deliberating other publishing options. Have you read the latest issue of Writer's Digest? There is an article on a do-it-yourself guide to e-books that came at a time when I have been really hashing things out with my bad self.
DeleteI'd love to write more at length about all of this but not in a comments box. If you'd like, we could start an email dialogue about it.
Suze - Things are changing fast. I haven't read the article (I was bad and let my subscription slide), but I do keep one ear turned toward the conversation, as I may decide to self-pub myself someday. Looks like you're a no reply comment blogger, so if you want you can e-mail me at luanne g smith at yahoo dot com. Mayhap you should also do an educational post on it. :)
DeleteI've been giving thought to a lot of things so I'm still churning too much to write a post about it at this point but the WD article was really, really good. I only just subscribed in November, on a bit of a whim, and this particular issue has a number of worthwhile articles, including a list of awards with major pay for writers of all stripes. Also picked up Orson Scott Card's 'How to Write Sci-Fi & Fantasy' and so far, so great. More on that topic, too. Will be popping a few thoughts into your inbox soon. Thanks for the e-dress.
DeleteI can read it...but I had to Ctrl+ it! (I've also had glasses since I was seven, so.)
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE a critique. That would be awesome. Snark is totally cool.
Also... I now have "We Are The Champions" stuck in my head. It's a writer-blogs-inspiring-music-stuck-in-my-head kinda day, apparently.
Congrats on winning in 2010. Good luck this year!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on two years!
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine that is part of the coffee klatch of writers I meet with once a month is in RMFW. She goes to the conference every year. Do you know Karen Duvall? Probably not, but thought I'd ask.
Callie - And we'll keep on fighting til the end of time...Yeah, you totally took me back to high school with that. :P
ReplyDeleteCiara - Thanks! I suppose writing shouldn't be about competing, but it so totally is. :)
M Pax - I don't know her, but it looks like she's got a novel coming out soon! If she's at the conference, I'll have to look for it in the bookstore.
That was one of the earliest songs I remember learning. We sang it loudly on the bus between renditions of a rather violent Barney song parody. (I secretly loved Barney, but that wasn't cool.)
DeleteA huge congrats on your second blogiversary!! For some reason I thought you'd been blogging for longer.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals. There is something about saying them out loud for all to hear. There's no turning back.
Bah! Now I have to go check how long it's been for me, because mine is coming up next month. I think it's two years? Maybe...
ReplyDelete100 comments and 2 years?! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I could read that.
And another yes, for the critique.
And I promise that this is the last sentence that I will start with and. :D
Lynda - Thanks! And I'm pretty sure it only feels like I've been blogging longer. :P Thanks for showing up and reading all my stuff every week.
ReplyDeleteAndrew - I may have written one post in January, a sort of query letter description of my last novel. I deleted it awhile ago because it just felt so out of date. But, yeah, I think I started January 11th.
Samantha - Thanks! And you would so totally get the yellow highlighter for those ANDS! :P
I am having technical difficulty with posting comments today! But yes I get the saying out loud of the goals. It's like weighing in front of someone, keeps you honest.ha
ReplyDeleteYou can totally do this! Because this is THE YEAR! I feels it.
And it was sort of hard reading those notes...lol.
Great typewriter! I love how it has almost the same name as you. :)
ReplyDeleteAccountability - can't beat it. I definitely don't want to egg up with my face.
I'd love a critique, please! Congrats on the two years - it's a good old stretch to be keeping this up. And, thanks for displaying my blogfest button! :D
Err, OK... I have no idea how I would egg up with my face, or what that even means. I meant, of course, "end up with egg on my face". Kind of ironic, no?
ReplyDeleteLove the fine print . . .and I like critiques. I really do, but I'm afraid that I'm neck deep in prep for the release of Champion in the Darkness. Sometime after that . . .I would love a critique for the second book, but I'm not sure it's even ready for critique yet.
ReplyDeleteSorry, rambling in the comment box.
I'm excited to read your writing goals and I look forward to reading your books!
Tyrean - You're a little past the critique stage, since you're ready to release your story into the world!! Eek. But it will be great. :)
DeleteMarsha - Oh, no, we don't weigh in front of no one!!! I resist that kind of honesty. Ha! But cheers to this being a very good year for aspiring writers finally getting some love from the industry. :)
ReplyDeleteNick - I know!! I couldn't believe I found that photo. So close to having my initials on it. I even lived on Corona Street at one point in my life. And, yes, very ironic typo. :P
Good luck with the blogfest. I'll make mention of it next time I post.
Congratulations on two years. It goes fast, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've got a good plan in place for your WiP. Best of luck.
And sure, throw my name in the hat. Or ring. Or however you're picking a winner.
I write my goals down and say them aloud, too. I also share them with at least one other person. What a generous gift of your time and knowledge with the critique.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the pic! Besides being so close to your name, it reminds me of the old movie Deathtrap where Helga warns about a "smith-corona". Ok, obscure old movie maybe but that popped into my head as soon as I saw the photo!
ReplyDeleteGreat plan for this year- sounds like a fabulous year and you can do it! Congrats on 2 years and so many comments! :)
I'd love a critique but sadly I have no WIP or even WOTS (work on the shelf?).
Best wishes~
Jeff - Goes so fast. Before I know it my little blog will be driving and going off to college. :)
ReplyDeleteCarol - That goal-sharing is so important to following through. If you keep stuff like that to yourself, it's easy to slack off. Not that I know from experience or anything. :P
Lexie - I couldn't believe I found that photo on the Creative Commons site. I was very tempted to photoshop that "C" into a "G". :D
TWO YEARS! Wow! Good luck with your goals. Though I'm sure you won't need it cause you're awesome. I just joined a local group and it's been pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteIf I was far enough along in my WIP I'd totally take you up on commenting. 2 years!!? I'll have to check when mine started because I think we started around the same time. My my, how time flies. We'll be Golden Girls before we know it.
ReplyDeleteLisa -Local writing groups are great for conferences and monthly workshops and stuff. Good networking opportunities too. I know the people who sign up to work the conferences get to hang out with the keynote speakers, which I'm sort of jealous of.
ReplyDeleteLibby - I know! Two years we've been yapping back and forth on these blogs. And, uh, I get to be Blanche. :P
Congrats on two years and oodles of comments! Time flies, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on two years, 100 comments, and another book on the way! This is the start of many good things to come. I love the fine print on your very generous offer.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Steph - Goes so fast. But I will have another novel to show for it -- even if everyone else wrote two or three or four in the same time. Ha!
ReplyDeleteENI - We do love the optimism of a new year, don't we? :)
Alright Luanne, I'm biting the bullet on a whim, throw me in for a critique. I'm hitting publish before I change my mind and fear makes me hit delete. =)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the comments, I realize what a rare opportunity you're offering.
I shall toss your chicken butt into the, er, random number generator hat thing.
DeleteAnd a 100 page critique isn't too bad. Usually takes about two or three weeks to go through the pages a couple of times with remarks. Luckily my other partners aren't sending anything right now. :)
LOL - random number generator - so high class over there! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go throw up.
DeleteOh, great, now I have to hold your hair while you toss your cookies all over my blog...:P
DeleteHappy Blogoversary! So cool. Love your goals. Good luck with the pitch, even if it seems like it's far away.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna! September sounds far away, but it will get here faster than I know, and knowing me I'll just squeak by the deadline with my polished draft. :)
DeleteCongrats on two years, Luanne. And good luck with that contest!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Emily. And grrr. I forgot entering the contest means I have to write a five page synopsis. Blah.
DeleteCongrats on almost two years of blogging! Good luck with your goals! :D
ReplyDelete"you can do it!" you know they say things happen in 3s. you'll win this time, too, plus something else...hmmm. i'm all for you tearing up, i mean critiquing my wip. it's not edited, ya i know, i'm going to literally be butchered on a marble slab if i win but i think it'll be...sharp, painless, and to the point *squinting* :D
DeleteCherie - Thanks! Been seeing a lot of goal related posts, and I do think writing them down is the first step to achieving them. Gotta have a plan!
ReplyDeleteTammy - *rubs hands together* Fresh meat to pick apart you say? Consider your name tossed into the grinder. Mwahahaha.
Congratulations on all of your milestones, goals, successes. You're going to have a great 2013 for sure.
ReplyDeleteDenise - Thanks. Cheers to both of us finding success in 2013. :)
Delete