Be More Specific With Your Goals

"Soar Like an Eagle" ©Mary Montague Sikes

It's that time of year when you start wondering whatever happened to my New Year's resolutions. They are so inspiring when you write them. They give you a special kind of energy at the beginning of a hopeful wonderful year. But, by now, time has sapped the energy, and the inspiration might be little more than a memory.

That's what happens in many, perhaps most, cases. The dream is there, but the means to fulfill it is lacking.

Why?

According to a blog I read today by Michael Nichols, it's the specifics that are missing. Nichols points out that making your goals more specific can provide the energy and momentum you need to accomplish your goals. That is the secret.

What a great idea!

It's like my writing mentor, Jane Deringer, used to tell me. Be specific in your descriptions as you write and revise your novel. Be specific in the details you give in your story.

The journalist is urged to use what, when, how, and why as they write an article for publication. It's like an outline for your life.

Be more specific, Nichols says. 

• Be specific in exactly what the goal is you wish to accomplish.
• Be specific about the time by when you plan to achieve this goal.
• Be specific as you decide how the goal will be met.
• Be specific about the help you need to reach your goal.

Take your most important New Year's resolution and type it at the top of a page. Put down each specific step you will follow to achieve this goal by a specific time that you specify. Now see if you accomplish this resolution. See if your dreams soar like an eagle!

Exciting News!

I just learned from my publisher that A Rainbow for Christmas is now available as a Kindle book from Amazon. That's exciting news for me because I made five resolutions for 2012, and the first one is about marketing e-books. Here's my list:

1. Study the market for e-books. Look at results for Kindle, Nook Books, and more.
    I now have seven books available on Kindle, so the e-book market is growing ever more important for me in my marketing plans.

2. Make a plan and follow it. Spend 30 minutes a day, twice a week, checking out leads for marketing.  
    I wonder how many of you are doing that. An hour a week is not a lot of time. I suspect most of you are spending more time than that.

3. Keep a book with records of marketing leads. Record what works.
    Having a little book I can pick up, hold in my hands and check out what I've done or plan to do, contact names and numbers, and much more is extremely important. Each book needs its own section separated with colored Post-its. It doesn't hurt if the record book is red or another bright color that stands out. I haven't started that book yet, but I plan to begin later this week.

4. Blog about marketing and promotion one day a week.
    This is a worthy goal because what you learn can help others. Networking is essential in a good marketing plan.

5. Work on a new book with the e-book market in mind.
    So many of the folks I follow are self-publishing new e-books. I'm watching and learning from them. Since e-books can be any length, they don't take forever to write. For those, like me, who are technically challenged, this may not be as easy as it sounds.

Do you have New Year's resolutions that involve marketing? If you do, please post links to your plans. It's exciting to consider all the possibilities!

Art Show

I'll be one of the Virginia artists in a group show hosted by John Paxton of Claris Financial for their Third Anniversary Open House Party, Thursday, January 12, 2012 from 4-7 p.m. If you're in the area, please come by for hors d' oeuvres, music, and socializing at 4551 Cox Road, Suite 220 Glen Allen, VA.

Keep a Journal to Keep Up with New Year's Resolution Progress

Gathering Book MM Sikes

This morning the NBC Today show had a segment about keeping New Year's Resolutions. One suggestion was to maintain a journal, even if only to write a brief sentence concerning progress. A lot of resolutions are about losing weight. If you document a small weight loss of even one pound, it's more encouraging than seeing you have not met your goal of losing 10 pounds and giving up entirely.

I really like the idea of keeping a journal. If nothing else, journals help you remember what you've done throughout the year. Since I have a goal to write 5,000 to 7500 words a week for at least the first two months of the year, I want to document whatever progress I make in my journal. Some weeks I'll be lucky to write 2,000 words, but other weeks I'll write 10,000 or more. If it all evens out, I'll be in good shape.

A few years ago, an artist I admire and follow told about keeping a gathering book for her art ideas. I love that idea and now have my own gathering book. As a visual person, I like to print out photos that may inspire me in my future work and add them to my big hardback book. The astronomy pictures of the day are especially intriguing to me. Since I take many photographs myself, my gathering book contains quite a few of my own inspirations from nature.

To follow up on the journal idea, I think I will incorporate the journal notations in my gathering book. That will help inspire me. Also, seeing my photo collection at least once a week could offer additional writing inspiration for my new books.

What do you think about keeping a journal to document your resolution or goal progress? Do you have one already?

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Hope you'll take a look at the book trailers in Diane Wolfe's contest. Please go to Spunk on a Stick and vote. I'm hoping Night Watch will make it to the second round. First round voting ends tomorrow.

It's That Time of Year!

Reflections, rediscoveries, rejuvinations, resolutions. For many of us, these words are part of our end of the year ritual.

After all, it's that time of year!

Time to reflect on what has taken place over the past 12 months.

Time to rediscover hidden treasures from the past. Perhaps time to reorganize these treasures. Maybe we'll even find a few we no longer want but might be a real treasure to sell on Ebay or elsewhere. And it's time to box up the rest for disposal or storage.

Perhaps it's also time to rejuvinate our bodies with plans to exercise, eat right, and rest well. That might be the number one resolution for the new year.

Did we actually achieve any or all of the resolutions we made last year? It's time to find that list and check it out.

For writers, new year's resolutions are especially important. Did you have a new book published this year? Resolve to revitalize and rejuvinate sales for that book. Do you have a new book coming out in 2011? Resolve to make plans for promotion beginning right now.

After all, it's that time of year!