Monday Musings 10-3-22

I can’t believe it’s October already! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that the fall is my most productive time for creating new content. This year is a little different, however. Last week, Ray and I drove our new RV home from Tampa, FL, just in time to avoid Hurricane Ian, and we should close on the sale of our house in a little over a week. There’s still a lot to do around here before we go, so I’ve had to adjust my expectations a bit.

I really want to be present for the last season in our home of nineteen years. I want to enthusiastically celebrate the coming holidays, appreciate the process of sorting and simplifying, and enjoy the remaining book events for this calendar year. That means I likely won’t have as much time as I usually do to write.

My tendency is to pack my schedule and force myself to overdo it, or spend time that I should be engaged in other activities stressing over my lack of writing progress. This year, I’m choosing to set realistic goals instead. This is a unique season for my family. Our youngest left for college, we’re selling our home, and we’ve decided to embark on a grand adventure - full time RV living. While I’ve preached that writing is my job and needs to be treated as such, even if I had a different career, I might take a guilt-free sabbatical.

So, what exactly is happening with my writing this season? Well, my agent has a book on submission as we speak, which I hope will sell and help determine the direction of ‘Tabitha’s’ next project. Meanwhile, ‘Maggie’ just released Moving Target, the latest in the Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series, and I’m planning to outline the stories and create a timeline for the final three books in that series. At the same time, I’m finishing an episodic story on Kindle Vella. I’ll also continue with my dual blog posts on Monday Musings and Dear Maggie, and I’ll be reviewing some great books over on Book Club Babble. If I accomplish more, that will be a bonus, but I’m trying hard not to pressure myself too much!

“There are two ways to be happy—improve your reality or lower your expectations.” – Jodi Picoult

IN OTHER NEWS…

If we met at The Big E this past weekend, it was a pleasure! I hope you enjoy my books and would love if you’d consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Save the date! My next event is Rhode Island Comic Con November 4-6. I’ll be there with a great crew of local science fiction and fantasy writers all weekend signing books and moderating panels.

Monday Musings 1-6-20

It’s the first Monday of 2020. Last week, I wrote about the importance of reflection in my habit life, and how I like to use the time leading up to the new year to take stock both personally and professionally. An honest and thorough review of the past year helps guide me into goal setting for the new year.

So, here’s how I approach the next step…

First off, I identify a series of intentions rather than specific goals. I do this in order to leave room for unforeseen opportunities, or because I’m not sure yet how a particular intention might manifest. For example, last year, I recognized that I missed teaching, and I created an intention to bring teaching back into my life. When I set this intention, I wasn’t sure how it would play out, but opportunities came in the form of leading writing workshops, panels, and conference programs. I was also offered a chance to teach a semester of Latin. While this classroom opportunity didn’t directly relate to my writing work, it nourished the teacher in me and I was pleased to accept the offer.

This year, my intention is to get into better physical shape. With each passing year, my body changes, and with it the things I need to do to support it. I have a specific routine I follow, but it hasn’t been quite the right thing for a while now. I’m going to pay more attention this year and really focus on finding what does work.

Sometimes specific goals are needed…

This year I have a new project with aggressive deadlines. Under the pen name Maggie Clare, I’ll be releasing a romantic suspense series. With this comes building the required author platform including website, social media accounts, and promotional work.

Additionally, under my own name, I’m planning to finish the draft of Dreamwalker, a gritty urban fantasy about a female assassin who almost kills an innocent man. Think Jessica Jones meets Dexter.

And finally, I’ll continue to promote the HORIZON series with a full travel and book signing schedule.

Those are my concrete goals, complete with dates and deadlines. I’ll spend the next few days planning and structuring my calendar to accommodate them. I’ll admit to being a bit OCD when it comes to working with my calendar and to-do lists. But, my method keeps me working proactively rather than reactively, and I feel more productive and in charge of my time.

One last thought as you consider setting your intentions and goals for 2020…

Focus on things you can control. I talk about this a lot with regard to writing. There are many things in the writing world I can’t control. I can’t predict how people will react to my work, what kind of reviews they’ll leave, if sales will be robust, if I’ll make it onto a coveted list, or win an award. But I can commit to improving my craft, learning the latest marketing and promotional trends, behaving professionally, and working hard. So, when I make resolutions around my writing life, I stick to things over which I can have an impact.

I hope 2020 brings you peace and joy. Happy New Year!