New Year Goals

2013 starts tomorrow and it's easy to look back at 2012 measure success or failure based on resolutions made last year.

For me I didn't achieve the big goal, Have a book published, but thanks to some goal setting I accomplished a lot in 2012. At the end of the year I feel like I have a quite a bit to show for my year in writing.

1. Manuscripts. Thanks to the 12x12 in '12 I've completed 12 picture book drafts this year. Some are winners and some aren't but I have to say I'm proud all of them and proud of how I've grown as a writer because of this challenge. If you are looking for a way to challenge yourself and take the next step in your writing consider signing up.

2. Daily writing practice. OK when you're writing and you want to be published and you get stuck in a project sometimes it can be hard to remember your daily writing practice. This year I had a busy year at work but I remembered a time when I wrote daily and in returning to my daily writing practice I was able to rediscover the joy of writing.

3. New WIPs. I've been writing and revising the same project for the last three years. I know, I'm slow. I finished a big revision with major changes earlier this year. I'm not sure the future of this work but I finally allowed myself to work on a couple new ideas. Working on these new ideas has been fun and by slowly working on them I feel like I have a good start on both of them. I'm not sure if the future of the WIP I'd been working on for a so long but it feels good to make progress on some new ideas.

So, while I didn't achieve the big goal of publishing a book I feel like I've defiantly laid some good writing groundwork. I've learned that smaller goals and challenges are a wonderful way to make goals happen. Write daily, small goals, little milestones.

For 2013 I hope to continue along this writing journey. I hope to continue to lay the groundwork towards publication with things like monthly picture book drafts, daily writing practice, and continued work on my WIPs.

What are your goals for 2013?

Wishing you all the best in the new year.