New Year Writing Goals and Resolutions | Narelle Atkins

By Narelle Atkins   @NarelleAtkins

January is that time of year when we reflect on 2017 and consider what we’d like to achieve in 2018. A writing career isn’t built by accident. Successful authors have take steps to achieve their writing aspirations. 

Each writer will have their own ideas on how they define success

Work Life Balance 

How much time do you have available for writing and writing-related activities? Can you write part-time or full-time? Is your writing a business or a hobby? 

These are important questions to answer. Most writers have a life outside of the writing world. They’re balancing their writing time with day jobs, family responsibilities, church and other volunteer work.

It’s helpful to ask the question:

Realistically, how much time do I have available for writing? 

This is different to asking how much time I’d like to spend writing. 

Take a look at your calendar and see where you have blocks or snippets of free time. What is the best way to spend that time? Can you write and still meet the other responsibilities and obligations in your life?

Establishing Priorities

Where does writing fit among the items on your priority list? I have school-aged children and my responsibilities as a wife and mother are higher up on my priority list than writing. I took a step back from writing in 2017 to focus on my family. 

Creating time vs. Admin/book promo time 

I define creating time as the actual time you spend working on your ms. This includes brainstorming, outlining, writing, revising, editing and proofreading. It doesn’t include checking email or cruising social media for fun.

We need to factor in time for writing admin and book promo. Indie authors have additional admin workload with book production, cover design and editing responsibilities to manage.

Writers are encouraged to build a platform for book promotion before they are published. This takes time and, more often than not, it’s time away from creating.

Writing networking – Groups and Social Media 

The experts tell us that social media is all about building relationships. The goal is to build relationships with our target audience. We need to ask the question: What is our ‘Return on Investment’ (ROI) from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blogging, Pinterest, Goodreads, etc.?

ROI includes money, time and any other resources we invest in a particular activity. Are we achieving our goals and receiving a good ROI as a result?

Are we connecting with our target audience by providing content they value? What strategies can we employ to improve our ROI (including exit strategies if the activity is not working for us)? 

Your contribution to the writing world

How can we volunteer in our writing organisations? How can we help and support other writers? 

Are we involved in groups and activities, both in-person and online, that are aligned with our goals? For example, if my goal is to network with contemporary romance authors, I’m not likely to achieve this goal by joining my local poetry group.

Your faith journey

I’ll finish today with a few questions to ponder. There’s no right or wrong answer and we can prayerfully consider all of our options.

How does your writing influence your faith?

Is your writing drawing you closer to God? Is it encouraging and inspiring you in your faith journey?

How does your faith influence your writing?

Are you writing for the Christian market, general market, or both? Who is your audience and how can your writing add value to their life?

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, NARELLE ATKINS was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Continually Transformed

By Keona Tann

Looking back upon my walk with Christ I see that there has always been a passion to be all that I can be. Salvation is more than a ticket to heaven and a promise to try to be good, it’s actually an empowerment to be transformed. I lost my way many times and I lost sight of who I was created to be. But with a brand-new year comes a brand-new opportunity to continue the process of becoming more. There is an absolutely astounding promise found in 2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18 that we can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. We are promised to be progressively transformed into His image, which is explained as moving from one degree of glory to even more glory. These glorious promises come from the Lord, who is the Spirit working in our lives.‬

 It’s a truly wonderful promise that declares I can be more Christ-like than I was last year, last month, last week and even improve on who I was yesterday! The failures of the past are wiped away by the amazing grace of God. The sin and shame of yesterday is forever covered by the precious blood of Jesus. Holy Spirit promises to ALWAYS be my Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor (John 14:26) and Empowerer! My walk with Jesus is one where I’ll be continually transformed.

 As I continue to press in for my restoration, I approach 2018 with a great sense of expectation and excitement. I’m starting to see strength returning to my body; I’m beginning to feel more alive than ever before; and I’m able to realize and cherish the deep work that the Lord is doing! It’s just so exciting and wonderful.

In August 2016 I really felt as if I’d never impact the world, BUT God broke through my oppression and set me onto His path of restoration. It has been a longer time frame than I imagined and a far harder journey than I had anticipated. But as I start to see the freedom that the Lord is releasing into my life, I’m so grateful for the work He has done, is doing and will continue to do. I know that I’ll be a continuous work in progress, until I’m called heavenward, but the really big issues of the past have been dealt with! That is truly wonderful. Now I can move forward into the things I’m called to do. 

This is my prayer for 2018:
May I never again become complacent and never again ‘drop my guard’.
May I endeavour every moment of my life to live in such a way that God is glorified; Jesus is honoured; and the Holy Spirit impacts those around me.
Lord I know I cannot possibly do any of this without You, completely remove self-assurance from my life and replace it with complete reliance upon You!
Lord I need You more than ever and I’m not content without You, please remove all traces of self-contentment from my life and replace it with complete contentment in You!
Lord I’m far from righteousness, it is only because of Jesus that I’m able to live in righteousness, please remove all self-righteousness from me and empower me with Your righteousness Jesus!
Lord I’m so sorry for living so blindly, for allowing my emotions to rule rather than Your truth. Please continue to do a great work in my life so that each day I live in Your glorious light and shine it for all to see!
I thank You so much that You hear the cry of my heart; you catch the tears that I weep; and You accept my meagre offerings as precious gifts.
Lord be enthroned in my praise and be glorified in all that I do from this moment in time. Be lifted high in my life. Praise You Lord! Amen.

 I pray that you can trust God with the process of continually transforming you from glory to glory. It will be extremely painful at times but hold on because the end result will be breathtaking and truly wonderful! Take a deep breath and surrender it all to God, allow Him to do a great work within you.

Know that the Holy Spirit promises to always be your Helper, Comforter, Advocate and Intercessor (John 14:26). I pray that 2018 is your best year ever! Many blessings, Keona

KEONA TANN For most of my life I struggled with sickness. The 2 dominant afflictions were endometriosis (for 28 years) and adrenal fatigue (I was severely debilitated for 28 months and the recovery has been a journey of 11 months so far).In September 2016 God declared healing over my life. This set me on a path of restoration and transformation. My passion for writing was reignighted and I wrote the following mission statement: I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding. “He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I've started a weekly blog which you can find at: https://keonajtann.wordpress.com/ I'm currently working on my testimony as well as my journey with endometriosis and adrenal fatigue. I hope that I'll launch my first book soon. Many blessings, Keona

Life can be puzzling

I’ve spent the best part of the last four days doing a jigsaw puzzle. I haven’t done one for a while but used to regularly spend between Christmas and New Year putting 1000 tiny pieces of a picture together. It’s a way to relax after the busyness of Christmas. It keeps me out of the heat and helps me avoid doing too much housework. It’s a challenge I enjoy and there is pleasure in seeing the picture emerge and take shape, as well as satisfaction in the completion.

I’m very glad I have the picture on the box to show me what the end result will be and to guide me along the way. Otherwise the pieces would make no sense to me at all. I always work the same way with a puzzle, getting all the edge pieces together first, so that I have boundaries and a framework. Then I work on a section at a time, drawing together colours, shapes and themes, focussing on detail, watching the picture come to life.

However, it didn’t take me too long this time to remember that doing a jigsaw puzzle can also be quite frustrating, that there are moments when I’m sure the maker has left pieces out, that some sections I thought would come together easily just aren’t making sense at all, that sometimes I have to walk away before I upend the table and scatter it all over the floor. And there are often pieces that catch my eye and I’m sure I can see exactly where they’ll fit in, but they end up in an entirely different part of the scene.  

I’m sure you can guess where I’m going!

It didn’t take long before I was chuckling to myself as my mind turned often to the similarities between the way I do a jigsaw puzzle and the way I write. I start with a big picture, I put a framework together, and then I work on sections, filling in details, getting the pieces to fit together so they make sense and form part of the whole. I enjoy the journey and get excited when pieces come together. I love the satisfaction of the finished work. Sometimes I get frustrated when parts I’ve imagined will come together easily, just aren’t shaping up as I’d like. Sometimes characters or scenarios are not at all as I’d originally imagined and I have to adjust my thinking and move things around. I’m often surprised at how a story can take on a life of its own, as if I’m discovering it more than creating it.

I also found myself reflecting on whether the way I write, or do jigsaw puzzles, or in fact do many things in my life, are indicative of the way I approach life generally. I know I’m very grateful that I have a big picture of what my life is about, that I know where I’m heading, that I have a framework and boundaries to guide me. I'm also very aware that there are times I don't behave so well when things don't go as I'd like them to. There are sometimes pieces of life I'd like to throw out. But even though there are some frustrating, surprising pieces of life, and some that are hard to make sense of, or to fit into my ideal picture, I’m assured that my Maker has not made mistakes or left out essential pieces. I know eventually the picture will be perfect, the eternal story will be completed as it should be.

I know not every writer approaches their writing the same way but perhaps your writing process also says a lot about who you are and how you live your life. Do you reflect on how you do the smaller tasks of life? Are they indicative of how you approach life in general? I find it's quite a revealing exercise. 

The end result of a time of reflection like this for me is the gratitude that comes with the realisation that whatever stories we live or write here on earth, whatever pictures we create, whatever shape our lives take, it’s all temporary.  We can learn and grow from the tough pieces. We can persevere through the pieces that don’t make sense, that won’t fit together as we’d like. We can rejoice in the successes and blessings. We can leave behind some great words and images for others to be inspired and challenged by. But all of this is but momentary. We have a bigger story, a perfect picture awaiting us. How wonderful is that!

So I pray that 2017 is a good year for us all, that we write well, live well, have many successes and blessing. And I thank God that He will be there for us when life is a puzzle. 

Carol

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released in 2015 by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released 2016. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

Keep on Writing

I was getting ready to leave for the Omega Writer’s Conference in October when I saw it—a call for submissions for a Children’s Picture Book Writing Competition. They were looking for “creative, winsome charming picture books that help parents instill an open-hearted, transformational, lifelong Christian faith in their children”. I did like the sound of that. Better still, the first prize was $5000.00. Whew! Not an amount to be sneezed at. There were no entrance fees either. I knew I must give it a go when I returned from conference.

Would it herald my big writing moment?

A week later, I came back refreshed and revitalised after a fabulous time in Sydney, having caught up with those of like minds, learning an abundance of writerly wisdom, being inspired by people and places and best of all, filled with God’s joy. Unfortunately, as it often occurs, a week of intense fibro pain and weariness followed my energetic week away, so it was only a few days before that all important deadline that I had sufficient energy to sit down to create my story.

My dear friend Melissa popped in on the Friday before and spotted our family's pet giraffe (yes, he’s alive …or so we like to think). She suggested I write a story about Raffy - what a brilliant idea! The day before the story had to be submitted, I sat at my computer, concentrating hard. It took hours to craft and refine my award winning picture book. The next day was a busy one. My body felt weak and weary but I persevered, working also on my author bio and the story’s synopsis. Finally, close to midnight and exhausted, I was ready to send in my three documents. Just before I pressed the submit button though, the competition’s terms and conditions popped up.

It was then my dream was shattered - a crystal vase smashed into a million shards.

The very first clause had my mouth open, while my jaw dropped a few kilometres downwards. Apparently, the competition was open only to US residents. I could have cried. I’d read the competition details many times over—but for some reason this vital fact had not been publicised. I could hardly believe it. How foolish I'd been!

I wonder what your writing year has been like. Was it filled with instant success, millions of books sold, a plethora of fan mail, TV appearances, a bulging bank balance and a celebrity lifestyle? If you are like most of us Christian writers, you are presently plodding away on your current story, a few drops of hope glistening in your heart, but perhaps also a little discouraged as to the number of writing dreams yet to be fulfilled.

In a few weeks, the curtain will fall on 2016 and we will be left with our memories of the past year. Whatever it brought you in your writing sphere and whatever the future holds for you, let me ask you three questions:

1. Has God called you to write for Him?
2. Have you strived to walk with Him?
3. Have you sought to be obedient to His call?

If you answered ‘yes’ to all three questions, let me shake your hand. Let me celebrate with you. Success for us comes not from the world’s yardstick of accomplishment. It’s simply getting up each morning and doing all that God calls us to do. Persevering. Learning from failure. Not giving up. Perhaps like me you've made a few blunders? No matter - God can redeem them all. He's good at that! So permit discouragement to fly out of your window like a captive pigeon set free. Congratulate yourself for all the writing you’ve done these past 12 months. Celebrate your conquests with a smile. And let your heart be quick to hear the sound of God’s ‘Well done’.

And now ... put on your writer’s shimmering cloak of joy.
And Keep On Writing.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14


Anusha Atukorala is a writer and speaker with music in her heart and a message to proclaim. The abundant love of a faithful God is her theme song. God’s call to writing in 2007 led Anusha on a Grand Adventure which continues to surprise and thrill her. Anusha loves to build the body of Christ and to encourage others through the written and spoken word. Her first book ‘Enjoying the Journey’ is comprised of 75 little God stories. She has twelve short stories published in Anthologies and plenty more books in the pipeline. Do drop in to say G’day at her website Dancing in the Rain. She’d love to meet you.

New Year Goal Setting

By Narelle Atkins 

Last week I talked about New Year Writing Resolutions and setting priorities. Today we’re going to look at specific writing goals. 

The first thing I do is review my writing goals from the previous year. I look at the achievements I celebrated during 2014. I consider what worked well for me and why. I ponder the goals and activities I should either scrap or rework for 2015 and consider their importance on my priority list. Do I want to continue working on my unfulfilled 2014 goals? Do I have new goals I’d like to add for 2015?

I break down my goals into short term (up to 1 year), medium term (1-3 years) and long term (3 plus years).

Short Term Goals 

The key to achieving short term goals involves planning a realistic writing schedule.

For my writing schedule, I consider:

1. Daily/weekly goals 

2. Word count vs. hours spent writing 

When I’m writing to tight deadlines, I set weekly word count goals that I split up into a daily goal for the days I have scheduled writing time. I sacrifice leisure time to make the word count and I factor in an extra twenty percent of time/words to take into account ‘life happening’. Something will always happen to disrupt your schedule. 

Your work plan is your road map that defines the steps you’ll take to achieve your goal. I’m going to use the data from my analysis of my work plan for ‘Seaside Proposal’ to help plan my next writing project. I tracked my daily word count and the time allocated for revising and editing. This data will help me to estimate my average word count per hour and determine a realistic word count goal for my next project. 

For my sixth book, ‘Seaside Proposal’, I wrote 40k words over fifteen weeks from May 26 to September 8, 2014. The book deadline was September 15 and I edited as I wrote. I prefer to write a first draft, rest it and then revise and edit, but my schedule didn’t give me the luxury of following my usual plan. 

During those fifteen weeks I attended writing conferences in Sydney and San Antonio, completed copy edits for ‘Winning Over the Heiress’, promoted ‘The Doctor’s Return’ when it released in August, and completed the ‘Seaside Proposal’ book admin for the Art Fact Sheet that’s required by my publisher. I allocated time for book admin and book promo, which reduced the time I had available for actual writing. I did the copy edits for ‘Winning Over the Heiress’ while my critique partners and beta-readers were reviewing ‘Seaside Proposal’.

A few months ago I started scheduling a monthly lunch date, by myself, to brainstorm new and current writing projects. I go to a café on the other side of town, where I’m unlikely to see anyone I know, and I spend up to an hour scribbling ideas in my note book. 

In 2015 I’m going to be flying to Sydney for the day on a regular basis for a work meeting related to my day job. I’m planning how I can effectively use the travel time to work on my writing.

Medium Term Goals

How many writing projects do you plan to complete? Which months have you scheduled for each project? 

Are you writing proposals for traditional publishers? Are you working on indie projects? Do you have contractual deadlines to meet? 

Set up a budget and allocate time for each project with realistic deadlines in 2015 and beyond. Have flexibility in your schedule and add in at least twenty percent to allow for ‘life’ to happen and unexpected changes. Don’t forget to schedule time for vacations and other important activities. My twentieth wedding anniversary is coming up and I’ll allocate time for a special family holiday.

Long Term Goals

Your Writing Journey 

Where do you want to be in five years? What steps do you need to take now to make it happen? 

How many books will you have written, either published, contracted or pre-published?

Set goals that are within your sphere of influence 

For example, becoming a contest finalist/winner is outside your sphere of influence. But, entering X number of contests is within your control. 

Dream Big 

Don’t stifle your secret dreams and assume they couldn’t possibly happen to you. If you don’t try, you can guarantee that you won’t achieve your goals. Our writing journeys may not pan out the way we want, despite our best laid plans. I’ve learned to enjoy the journey, including the detours, rather than being fixated on the destination.

NARELLE ATKINS writes contemporary inspirational romance set in Australia and lives in Canberra. Her debut book, Falling for the Farmer, was a February 2014 release, followed by The Nurse's Perfect Match in May 2014, The Doctor's Return in August 2014, Her Tycoon Hero in November 2014, Winning Over the Heiress in February 2015, and Seaside Proposal in May 2015. 

Narelle blogs regularly with International Christian Fiction Writers and Inspy Romance. http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/ 
http://www.inspyromance.com/ 

She is also a co-founder of the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance (ACRBA). http://acrba.blogspot.com/ 

Website: http://www.narelleatkins.com 
Blog: http://narelleatkins.wordpress.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarelleAtkinsAuthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/narelleatkins
tsu: https://www.tsu.co/narelleatkins
Twitter: @NarelleAtkins https://twitter.com/NarelleAtkins

New Years Writing Resolutions

By Narelle Atkins

It’s that time of year when we reflect on 2014 and consider what we’d like to achieve in 2015. A writing career isn’t built by accident. Successful authors have taken steps to achieve their writing aspirations. Each writer will have their own ideas on how they define success, which is a reflection of their goals, hopes and dreams.

Work Life Balance

How much time do you have available for writing and writing-related activities? Can you write part-time or full-time? Is your writing a business or a hobby?

These are important questions to answer. Most writers have a life outside of the writing world. They’re balancing their writing time with day jobs, family responsibilities, church and other volunteer work.

It’s helpful to ask the question: Realistically, how much time do I have available for writing? This is different to asking how much time I’d like to spend writing. Take a look at your calendar and see where you have blocks or snippets of free time. What is the best way to spend that time? Can you write and still meet the other obligations in your life?

Establishing Priorities

Where does writing fit among the items on your priority list? I have school-aged children and my responsibilities as a wife and mother are higher up on my priority list than writing.

My priorities were put to the test over the last few years. In March 2013 I signed a six book contract and agreed to deliver six books, 275-300k words in total, in fifteen months. I had a 45-50k book due every three months from June 2013 to September 2014. I met all my contractual obligations and delivered all six books on time.

Now, as I reflect on the last two years, I’m challenged to consider if I'd sign up for another contract with really tight deadlines. My writing schedule impacted my family life and the amount of time I had available to spend in other areas of my life.

Creating time vs. Admin/book promo time

Next week I’m going to talk in more detail about specific goal setting for our creating time. I define creating time as the actual time you spend working on your ms. This includes brainstorming, outlining, writing, revising, editing and proofreading. It doesn’t include checking email or cruising social media.

We need to factor in time for writing admin and book promo. Writers are encouraged to build a platform for book promotion before they are published. This takes time and, more often than not, it’s time away from creating. Last year I wrote a post on the ICFW blog on Balancing book marketing and writing time.

Writing networking – groups and social media

The experts tell us that social media is all about building relationships. The goal is to build relationships with our target audience. But, we need to ask the question: What is our ‘Return on Investment’ (ROI) from Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Pinterest, Goodreads, tsu, Google+ etc.?

ROI includes money, time and any other resources we invest in a particular activity. Are we achieving our goals and receiving a good ROI as a result?

Are we connecting with our target audience by providing content they value? What strategies can we employ to improve our ROI (including exit strategies if the activity is not working for us)?

Your contribution to the writing world

How can we volunteer in our writing organisations? How can we help and support other writers?

Are we involved in groups and activities, both in-person and online, that are aligned with our goals? For example, if my goal is to network with contemporary romance authors, I’m not likely to achieve this goal by joining my local poetry group.

Your faith journey

I’ll finish today with a few questions to ponder. There’s no right or wrong answer and we can prayerfully consider all of our options.

How does your writing influence your faith?

Is your writing drawing you closer to God? Is it encouraging and inspiring you in your faith journey?

How does your faith influence your writing?

Are you writing for the Christian market, general market, or both? Who is your audience and how can your writing add value to their life?

NARELLE ATKINS writes contemporary inspirational romance set in Australia and lives in Canberra. Her debut book, Falling for the Farmer, was a February 2014 release, followed by The Nurse's Perfect Match in May 2014, The Doctor's Return in August 2014, Her Tycoon Hero in November 2014, Winning Over the Heiress in February 2015, and Seaside Proposal in May 2015. 

Narelle blogs regularly with International Christian Fiction Writers and Inspy Romance. http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/ 
http://www.inspyromance.com/ 

She is also a co-founder of the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance (ACRBA). http://acrba.blogspot.com/ 

Website: http://www.narelleatkins.com 
Blog: http://narelleatkins.wordpress.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarelleAtkinsAuthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/narelleatkins
tsu: https://www.tsu.co/narelleatkins
Twitter: @NarelleAtkins https://twitter.com/NarelleAtkins