Monday, April 27, 2009

Goals

A few years ago I set a goal for myself. I was going to write a book. I took my time and started writing. The book I started didn’t really seem like it was going anywhere but I kept puttering along writing a little here and there. Then I got this idea for a young adult book and once I got started the whole book came together and was on paper in eight months.

I reached my goal. I wrote a whole book.

Now what?

Well, get it published. So my new goal was to get it published. And I tried. And tried. And tried. I kept telling myself that it’s okay, that I reached the goal I set and finished the book, but I still kept trying. It took two years, but it happened.

I reached my goal. I’m published.


(Here is a picture of my book at the library, right smack in the middle or the New Jr High fiction!)

Now what? Well, get book two published.

Not as easy as it seems.

First I have to write book two. It was so easy to get the first one done because there was no pressure. I wrote when I felt like it and as long as it was in the works I felt like I was working hard toward my goal. But the second one is so much harder. Oh, it’s not like anyone is hanging around badgering me to finish it (except for my friends and family or course) or that I have a contract already,(which I don’t) but the pressure if from me. Now that I’ve had the taste of success, (and yes, to me one published book is success!!), I want to reach it again. NOW! And, I’m making myself crazy.

So I find that I just have to simply make my goal of “get book two published” a bit smaller and I’ve changed it to “get book two finished one paragraph at a time.” I think that might work. Who knows, maybe book three will just sail along right after I finish book two. Wouldn’t that be grand? But there I go getting ahead of myself again!

Until next time—happy goal reaching!!

June

www.junesproat.com

4 comments:

Gayle Carline said...

Years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Patricia Guiver speak at a luncheon in Huntington Beach. She had written her first mystery when she was well into her sixties, and was fortunate enough to get a contract for more books featuring her character, Delilah Doolittle. I'll never forget her comment, "I had over sixty years to write the first book, and nine months to write the second."

I hadn't started seriously trying to write at that time, but I remember thinking, "Wow! Talk about pressure!"

My first book, FREEZER BURN, is now being published, and while I don't have a contract for more, I certainly have more plots in my head for my plucky heroine. On the one hand, I'm not "pressured" to write the second, but on the other, I don't want too much lag time between books. Let's just say, I can feel those little stress-building blocks stacking, one by one.

Hope you get all of your paragraphs completed! Good luck!

Gayle Carline
http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com

June said...

Thanks for the comment, Gayle. It's nice to know that I'm not alone!!

June

Morgan Mandel said...

There's nothing like the thrill of seeing your own book in the library. When I saw mine, I really felt like I was an author!!

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

Deb Larson said...

Great insight June! It's tough to sit down and write. I started when my youngest was in Kindergarten and thought for sure I'd be published by the time he graduated from High School. Well, he graduated from college before I got my first book published. It was well worth the wait - my adult kids helped me celebrate - BIG TIME!! They alone knew the thousands of hours I'd committed to my dream!!
Good luck with your next paragraph, and then the one after that ...
DL Larson