Wednesday, January 1, 2014

IWSG: Buh-Bye Hello

 
 
Happy New Year!
 
Thanks, Alex Cavanaugh, for hosting the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the best go-to spot in the blogoverse for writer support. 
 
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Buh-Bye 2013!
You threw out some challenges, but I'm ever so grateful you offered some solutions, as well.

Hellloooo 2014!
Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve. Perhaps an ace or maybe even some magic???
 
I'm very excited for the new year. It's a time to set new goals, reaffirm old ones, refresh our spirits and guide our souls anew.
 
I'm looking forward to it all!
 
My resolution for 2014 is to be proactive with my writing goals. And, here they are:
 
  1. Blog less. Alas, it's true. I can't keep up with the posts, comments and return visits and still write. Something's gotta give. So, I'm on blog hiatus until April, then I'll be back blogging one day per week. And, I'll be doing the A-Z through Untethered Realms. It helps to share the load :) I'll still be on Facebook and Twitter if you want or need help promoting in that way. I'd love to help.
  2. Implement a writing schedule. Since I've been working full time, I have seriously neglected my writing, and I miss it terribly. My new schedule will be 2-3 hours Monday and Thursday nights, and whatever I can fit in on weekends.
  3. Publish my three-novella series by May or June. The first one is done, the second is outlined and the third is just a glimmer.
  4. Publish my short story in the first anthology (of a 4-part series) with my Untethered Realms group in October. Then work on the second/third story.
  5. Work on my idea for a new series. They might be novellas, I haven't decided. My goal is to outline and write the first novella.
  6. Explore screenwriting.
  7. And yes, the perpetual goal of losing weight, exercising and getting healthy; physically, mentally and spiritually.
I think I'm being pretty ambitious, but I'd really, really like to get it all done.
 
What about you, what are your goals for the new year?

21 comments:

  1. You're going to love screenwriting. I haven't written any but I read several, as well as books on screenwriting. It's extremely useful for developing your plot turns. It's so much clearer on the page.

    Happy New Year, Gwen!

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  2. Happy New Year, Gwen! Good luck with all your goals. Yes, with working full-time, sometimes you have to cut back on the social media to have time to write. Good luck with it all.

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  3. Happy new year! You have some great goals I hope you manage to achieve them all :)

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  4. You have some every sensible goals. Will miss you but understand the need for a blogging break. Best of luck and Happy New Year.

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  5. Happy New Year!
    (IWSG is next week due to the holiday, but you got a good jump on it.)
    Doing the A to Z Challenge through Untethered Realms is a cool idea.

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  6. Wow, you have a lot of goals this year. Good luck with them all! That writing schedule you want to implement will no doubt help heaps. :)

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  7. Great goals! Once a week blogging is all I've managed to do since I started in 2010 . . . don't know how people do it 3x a week or more! Even that once a week is challenging for me, lol. Cheers to a great new year :-)

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  8. I am always looking for the bloggy balance. I have decided I'll go back to the time managed approach. I will hit as many blogs as I can and not kill myself with guilt over the ones I can't.

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  9. Hi Gwen,

    Such wonderful endeavours you wish to achieve. This will keep you most busy and enthusiastic. Such an upbeat set of goals. Of course, you being involved with "IWSG" aka "I Was Seeking Gary", makes me very happy, indeed.

    Here's to the 2014 you visualise.

    Gary :)

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  10. Great goals! I'm still looking for my blog balance. I really should cut back to twice a week. Yet I try to reason with myself that two of the days I blog don't take much more than a few minutes to post. Yet comments and returning them, well, that takes much more time. Good luck with your goals! Can't wait to read more from you. :)

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  11. Congrats on your goals, Gwen. And welcome to the ranks of cutting back on blogging. You're the second blog this morning to announce this. It's just too hard to keep up with everything and still write.

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  12. Good for you! Those sound a lot like my goals. I'm blogging less (2x per month) and writing more. Hope to do the AZ this year (signed up last year, but got pneumonia and pulled out)...was thinking about that this morning. May even start working on the posts during my "free" time. Free time! Hahahahahah! Hahahahahah! Hahahahaha!

    I kill me.

    I'll see you on the web! Good luck with your goals.

    M.L. Swift, Writer: The Best is Yet to Come

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  13. You have a busy 2014 ahead of you. It sounds like a good idea to take some time off from something...better the blog than the writing.

    Good luck to you!

    Leanne ( http://readfaced.wordpress.com/ )

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  14. I follow a lot of blogs that only post once a week, some less. You've got to choose what works for you. Blogging seems at a bit of a downward trend (for a few years from what I'm reading), and the microblog sites really have picked up. I think what's key as a writer is having an online presence, at least one solid landing spot (website) and one or two primary social media sources that you actually use and update. More time for writing when you focus!

    I'm curious on all this realms faire stuff in your sidebar...will have to check it out.

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  15. Happy 2014!
    Write like the wind!
    See you in May - I'll be on hiatus in April :)

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  16. Happy New Year. Nice list of goals. I put together a list, now I'm trying to revise it with an eye to reality. Maybe I'll be brave enough to post it soon.

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  17. Most people don't get much done without some ambition. I've got confidence in your. Here's to a successful 2014 for you!

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  18. Sounds like a great plan. I'm sure you'll do fine, keeping up with the determined scheduled. Now if I could only find my ambition somewhere, I've looked everywhere! LOL.

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  19. Hi Gwen, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
    http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/

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  20. Hope the hiatus is going well for you. That's a great list of goals and I look forward to hearing how you're getting on. And v belated Happy New Year! Reading Givin' Up the Ghost now and loving it. :)

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