Goal setting and achieving those goals we create don't always go together. In 2013, I've set goals and managed to achieve them. Two of those were getting books published as ebooks on Amazon.com and through CreateSpace.
Yes, I can mark those off my list. With the most recent addition of TRUTH OR DARE & OTHER TALES to my Take Ten Tales series on Amazon.com I now have two books published this year. Yippee! And before the year is over, I also plan to have the print edition of TRUTH OR DARE & OTHER TALES available on CreateSpace. Another yippee!
Learning self-promotion and ignoring learned lessons of not bragging on myself is another goal I am achieving. Yippee!
What I am finding out is that reaching major goals is good. It feels good, tastes good, and fits well into my life. I was born to be an author. I always knew I was meant to tell tales and write. Now I get to do so. Yippee!
At the same time as I am focusing on and accomplishing tasks which work toward my writing (and life) goals, I am allowing myself to focus on the other things, too. You know...the joy of washing dishes, the peace of seeing the floor without stacks of papers covering the surface, the pure enlightenment of sitting outside for five minutes in the morning with a cup of coffee and communing with God and nature. Yippee!
Goal setting is not to be feared. Achieving your own goals is possible. My best advice for you is to decide what you most want. Sometimes, it may be big (like publishing a book) or small (like clean dishes). Then set a specific amount of time each day to work toward both the big and the small goals. It may be as little as five minutes or as long at two hours.
Don't stress out and put the whole day toward a goal which may not be quickly accomplished. Small steps will make you feel you are a winner. Yippee!
Mix your goals. Do the dishes...that is a fast and easy goal. Or change the oil in your car...again, fast and easy to achieve. Work in small steps toward your major goals. But always work forward.
Who knows? Next year, this time, you may be telling me about some of your own achievements and giving advice on goal setting. I look forward to it. Together we can shout "YIPPEE!"
Showing posts with label Writing Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing Tips. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Great Starts
How do you like to start your stories? My favorite start is dialogue. My editor's favorite is action. We both agree that the story must start with a bang and hook the reader in the first fifty words or less.
For instance, from the short story "Truth or Dare" my original opening was:
"I hate you!" Sylvie Long muttered, scurrying down the cracked sidewalk.
Now I really liked this because questions are instantly created in the reader's mind--who does she hate? Why? Why is she scurrying down the sidewalk? And 'hate' is a strong word, with much emotional power.
Under my editor's advice, the opening became: Sylvia Long heard Ned stomp up the steps and into the kitchen.
At first glance, I cared less for this opening. But looking closer, I see there are questions here as well. Why is Ned stomping? What is going to happen between Sylvia and Ned (the man who stomps)? The second opening has an advantage, too, since it introduces two of the three characters in this three-character short story, and the introduction is instantaneous.
By the way, Silvia Long still hates Ned. But something physical is going to happen before she voices that word. The build up makes her verbalization which comes later, even more effective than using the dialogue at the beginning.
When I teach creative writing, I advise my students to make a great opening, one that hooks the reader. The editor or the reader must be grabbed by the throat and pulled into the story ASAP. If that doesn't happen, the reader may only read the first line. As writers, we want the reader to read line one, paragraph one, page one, chapter one, and so on.
So take a look at your own story starts and ask yourself, does this make readers ask a question to which they must have an answer? If you start with dialogue, try a 'physical' beginning and see how it works. If you start with the 'physical' beginning, reverse that and try dialogue.
Truth or Dare & Other Tales launches toward the end of October! Visit VJ Schultz on Facebook or at Amazon Author Central for updates and more information as it becomes available.
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