My focus this year will be to write a novel. I have the opportunity now to work part-time and spend the rest of the time writing. I want to take full advantage of that and throw myself into it whole-heartedly…but how do I start? I have written many short stories, but am not entirely sure I know how to write a novel, though I do have ideas for at least three novels floating around in my head. This year is the time to put at least one of them to the test!

I have a stack of other things I want to achieve this year too, like finishing my Masters degree. I figure I should start planning out some goals for the whole year…I guess this is my first goal: to set my goals for the year.
How do I start to plan all these goals in a way that is useful? I think it might be useful to view my year of writing as a work related thing rather than a hobby that continuously gets put on the backburner. After doing a quick Google search I was inspired.
The following link was useful: Activities for Writing Measurable Annual Goals & Short Term Objectives. I’m not saying you should all go out and follow the steps they advise, there were plenty of other great sites that my Google search came up with, but this one was simple and was enough to get me started. I knew that spending too much time searching for information was as much procrastination as anything, and this is NOT the year for procrastination!
Now I have a list abundant with goals, not just relating to writing, but to all areas of my life. I’m pretty excited to start the year with just focus and determination, and I feel that the setting of achievable, measurable steps will help me stay motivated and on track.

The goals I have identified relate to the following areas:
• Novel: Plot, Write, Edit, Critique, Review.
• Work: Find a part-time job.
• Build author platform.
• Freelance writing.
• Continued education.
• Personal: Health, finances, family, friends, etc.