Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Starting Over by Morgan Mandel


There's something about the start of  a New Year that makes people want to start over. I'm sure you've seen countless ads featuring organizing containers and other items designed to relieve household clutter. I wish it were that simple.

Then, there are the machines and weights and cute outfits to wear so people can work out and lose all those extra inches. If only buying those products would do the trick, without the added ingredient of will power.

As a writer, I'm examining my goals for 2010.  Though I don't want to ignore my present release, Killer Career, it'll soon be time to get cracking on my new book. I do have one in mind about Rascal, which I should get done, instead of talking about it all the time. That will be my goal in the coming months.

I've also got my Boomer thriller waiting in the wings, but first things first.

What about you? What's your goal for 2010? To lose weight? To declutter your house? To get a new book finished? I'd like to accomplish all three. If only it were that simple.

Okay, it won't be simple, but let's see how far I get by this time next year.

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
http://www.morganmandel.com/
http://twitter.com/morganmandel
http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel

12 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

All you have to do is make the decision!
I've got a list of project goals for 2010. Writing another book is high on my list, too. I also have a lot of promoting to do for the final book of my YA series. And establishing two new venues for speaking engagements is a priority. Gotta keep the cash flow going.
Hope you do get to that book about Rascal!

Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredith said...

I've already got lots of places I'm planning to go and speak and sell books in the coming year. Because I have two series, it always means writing two books a year. I'm on Chapter 9 of a Tempe Crabtree mystery and that's what I should be doing instead of fooling around with blogs. Guess that ought to be my priority!

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Terry Odell said...

Make sure your goals are broken down into measurable increments, and you should be fine. You can control goals, unlike dreams. (Which just happens to be my blog topic today)

Debra St. John said...

I have some goals floating arouind in the back of my head for 2010. One is to definitely make some progress on my WIP! It's actually an old mss I'm resurrecting, so we'll see how that goes. Yesterday I actually sat down at the computer (It's been way too long, I am ashamed to admit.) and did some work on it. Started over. Page one. I'll be keeping some of the ideas, but basically revamping the entire book. I figured it was a good head start for the new year!

Good luck with your goals, Morgan! May 2010 be full of success for you.

I always use the acronym SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timed.

CA Verstraete said...

all of the above! What's life without goals? (boring?)

Many goals, too, one being to get back to more writing-related blogging.

Phyllis Campbell said...

I usually don't make weight goals...never stick to them. lol I don't have any contracts for 2010, so I'm a little nervous that I don't have anything coming out next year. I'm sure I'll fix that soon. heehee But the only goal I'm making is the one I've made for the past three years. GET AN AGENT!

~Phyllis~

Unknown said...

I think I blogged about goals myself. *lol* I think they should be re-named "dreams," because they usually turn into that for me. My number ONE goal/dream, is to sell a book to SOMEONE who will put it in an actual store. Before I die, I want to point a reader to a place they can walk in and actually pick up and feel the book.

Yes, I'm a huge believer in ebooks and the future, but most of my generation is stuck in the paper past and turn up their noses at the word, "download." What's a writer to do?

Ginger

Patricia Stoltey said...

Yes, Morgan, those are my three goals. How did you guess?

My weight loss goal this year is to refuse to pay anyone to let me weigh in every week when I could simply use common sense and stop eating all the Hershey's Kisses I bring home from my book signings. LOL

Judy Griffith Gill said...

My goal is to get four more books scanned (I do it myself) and put them up for sale on Kindle along with my other three. That takes care of January. For February, my goal is to see my new grandson safely into the world. March, I'll be starting on another book, and from there on, who knows?
Judy

Katie Hines said...

Finish a WIP, lose some weight, market the heck out of my current book.

Sharon said...

My (our) primary goal for this year is to get our book through the editing phase and into print! It's already an e-book, but even I don't read e-books unless they are less than 20 pages...so we're going to bite the bullet and get a professional editor and get the book in real print form! Then maybe get the sequel written. Guess I shouldn't say maybe because that would turn it into a dream instead of a goal - lol.

Unknown said...

MORGAN--I don't need to say much because Ginger expressed my exact feelings--a book in a store on a shelf before I die, and I know not one person here in town who would download a book. That tells you most everyone I'm in contact with are over 50. I'm the same age category as most of them, and they look at me and ask--a pdf--now, what is that exactly? the want paper.Celia