Resolutions?

I know, I know. Resolutions can be kind of lame. People make these grand goals that everyone knows they won’t keep (the resolution maker included). Yet, there is something about resolutions that speaks to our desire to improve ourselves, and that is kind of cool.

I’m not usually one to make resolutions as I tend to make goals fro myself throughout the year. With that said, it is January 1st and I happen to have made a few ‘goals’ for myself. These goals are ones I hope to accomplish over the next two months. After that, I’ll find some new goals to replace my completed goals. Exciting stuff! Why wait until next January? You can make resolutions all year. Woo!

Resolution one (okay, this one is a goal in disguise.): Find a fantastic literary agent who ‘gets’ me and my work and woo them into representing me so we can become rich and famous together. Or at least publish a few books. And become mediocriously rich.

Resolution two: Ease up a little! This past year has been twelve months of self-performed plastic surgery by applying my nose a little too hard to the grind stone. I don’t regret the progress I have made in the past year, but I do need to ease up and enjoy where I’m at. You know, revel in the passion and laugh a little bit more.

Resolution two: Tidy up and declutter my world. As with the above two goals, I have already been working on this one. Arm loads, van loads, and car loads of not-needed stuff has already left my residence. The basement floor, I am pleased to announce, is visible once again. However, the recycle bins, second-hand store donation bins, and my freecycle.org posts are now full. Wahoo for bargain finders!

For the visual types, my world will go from this:

To this:

How about you? Any resolutions or goals for the upcoming twelve months?

Career Plans for the New Year

2009 is approaching rapidly. And while I know that we haven’t even ‘done’ Christmas yet, my mind is already moving towards the new year.

In January, I plan to begin querying agents for The 15 Date Rule. While I am querying, I will work on two of my works in progress that are currently in the editing stage. 2009 will be my year. It’s time to take the next step. I can feel it. I’m ready.

In case you need some ‘science’ to back up my feelings check out my January horoscope:

“There’s new hope for a project of relationship you almost gave up on last year. Your expectations–whatever they are–will be met.” (From Chatelaine, January 2009. Holiday Mathis.)

I know it’s a horoscope, but it gives me a strange sense of ‘yes, this will work’. 

What are your career goals for the upcoming new year?

Down to Work

Now that I am back, I should get down to work, shouldn’t I?

I made a plan/goals chart before I left. So far, I’m a bit off track. How sad is that? The plan is only a month old and I’m already veering off. Then again, it is only August 4th. There is still time to reign this month in. Besides, I think my plan for the month was to do some reading and research–stuff that is easy to do when family is around and fun is abound. Only problem is that one of my critique partners came up with a nit pick that immediately morphed into this FANTASTIC black moment for my story. That means, I have to write it! Because I haven’t written it, because it didn’t exist before her critique–I had something lame instead. That big black moment was just another one of those small details I didn’t really think about when I wrote this story. So what this all means is that she is waiting for me to write this ‘moment’ because it is what happens next in the story so that she can critique it. And I am slowing everything down in our critique exchange. That means I have to put my head back in the game.

In other news, I finally got my crappy query chomped on by the Query Shark. She was actually pretty gentle and I LOVE her version. She rocks. I knew my query wasn’t so great. I wrote it before I beta tested Molli’s e-book chapter on queries. In other words, I was still pretty lost. Anyway, I am very grateful to Shark for doing the critique. Thank you!

I have three people waiting for me to critique their chapters. I better get on it!

Cheerio folks!