Great post. Oh well, I had quite a year. The goal for next year is to bring my writing career to a whole new level. 🤗 ~ And I love bullet journaling. I just have to be careful not to spend too much time doing it.
Thank you. I especially needed to hear, "It's not too late!" and "We all do." (punctuation mine) At 63, I'm prone to hyperventilate about not having enough time left, and yet I still squander much of the time I have. I am sure that this is mostly due to fear and a little to do with uncertainty—not knowing how to write my way through doubts and tough spots and into a compelling page-turner. So it's also due to having impossibly high expectations/perfectionism for my first draft, which again comes back to fear (or so I've read). Anyway, thanks.
Maybe we are writing twins! I'm 63, too, and tend to perfectionism. My latest mantra is, "be gentle, be gentle, be gentle." (Cuz I was raised in harshness, and it soaked in, but it's so not me.)
Lol since writing and publishing books seems to be something I can't stop myself from doing, I set other goals so that I don't just spend my time hunched over my desk alone. I’m into frivolous NY resolutions, like learning to love olives 🫒 (did it one year!)
Mine for next year are:
1. Attend more fancy parties.
2. Learn enough Spanish to make native Spanish speakers laugh at my Spanish.
Brilliant chart but I’m somewhere off to the side: recovering from publishing and about to publish again in spring!! Is there an insanity bubble on this chart?!
What would be your advice for someone who has a first draft written and her calendar got busy for 10 years and now, older and wiser, realizes this draft needs a complete overhaul but is too intimidated to start?
Thanks for this, Kate! I checked in with my feelings for "No" and it didn't make me angry but it did make me sad so I'm following the "I need a new idea!" path. I blogged about it here: https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2023/12/06/planning-writing-goals.html (I mention that I'm sitting on a lot of ideas and I am. There's a non-zero chance I will begin my writing with the idea: Jean-Luc Picard in a holiday romance with Q. I thought you might appreciate that.)
Same. My landlord just started charging to pay online and I'm not giving them an extra dime. (I drop it off, so gas, but less than the fee, and it's on the way...) (PS I secretly love to write out a number in words: one hundred twenty-two and 50/100. NOT my rent amt, obviously!)
I am wrapping up final edits on a nonfiction book now and have already started drafting the proposal for the next! Hoping to get it sent out in January.
P.S. One of my most successful New Year's resolutions was the year I resolved to not wear anything except elastic waist pants. This was before COVID when we all wore soft pants forever.
Great post. Oh well, I had quite a year. The goal for next year is to bring my writing career to a whole new level. 🤗 ~ And I love bullet journaling. I just have to be careful not to spend too much time doing it.
I am living in all three bubbles on the left side of your chart.
Thank you. I especially needed to hear, "It's not too late!" and "We all do." (punctuation mine) At 63, I'm prone to hyperventilate about not having enough time left, and yet I still squander much of the time I have. I am sure that this is mostly due to fear and a little to do with uncertainty—not knowing how to write my way through doubts and tough spots and into a compelling page-turner. So it's also due to having impossibly high expectations/perfectionism for my first draft, which again comes back to fear (or so I've read). Anyway, thanks.
Maybe we are writing twins! I'm 63, too, and tend to perfectionism. My latest mantra is, "be gentle, be gentle, be gentle." (Cuz I was raised in harshness, and it soaked in, but it's so not me.)
Let's do it! Cheering you on in the new year.
Cheering you on right back!
No, but I want to start again solely to annoy my creditors. Thanks for asking.
Lol since writing and publishing books seems to be something I can't stop myself from doing, I set other goals so that I don't just spend my time hunched over my desk alone. I’m into frivolous NY resolutions, like learning to love olives 🫒 (did it one year!)
Mine for next year are:
1. Attend more fancy parties.
2. Learn enough Spanish to make native Spanish speakers laugh at my Spanish.
Brilliant chart but I’m somewhere off to the side: recovering from publishing and about to publish again in spring!! Is there an insanity bubble on this chart?!
What would be your advice for someone who has a first draft written and her calendar got busy for 10 years and now, older and wiser, realizes this draft needs a complete overhaul but is too intimidated to start?
Thanks for this, Kate! I checked in with my feelings for "No" and it didn't make me angry but it did make me sad so I'm following the "I need a new idea!" path. I blogged about it here: https://kimberlyhirsh.com/2023/12/06/planning-writing-goals.html (I mention that I'm sitting on a lot of ideas and I am. There's a non-zero chance I will begin my writing with the idea: Jean-Luc Picard in a holiday romance with Q. I thought you might appreciate that.)
Just the thing I needed to read today! Lovely, thank you :)
I'm still writing on my short novel and reading this made me feel a lot better about continuing until I'm done, even if it's not this year anymore💪
This is such good, accessible, hopefully advice. Thank you 💚
I still write a rent check, because there are fees associated with any of the electronic ways to pay. And I write checks for my cleaning lady.
Same. My landlord just started charging to pay online and I'm not giving them an extra dime. (I drop it off, so gas, but less than the fee, and it's on the way...) (PS I secretly love to write out a number in words: one hundred twenty-two and 50/100. NOT my rent amt, obviously!)
I write about once check per month as well.
I am wrapping up final edits on a nonfiction book now and have already started drafting the proposal for the next! Hoping to get it sent out in January.
P.S. One of my most successful New Year's resolutions was the year I resolved to not wear anything except elastic waist pants. This was before COVID when we all wore soft pants forever.
✨✨ So perfect! Thank you for all of this! ✨✨
I especially like your chart, it covers everything.
What a great post. The chart is inspired. It's like you're in every writer's head.