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To plan, or to plan some more?

From Pintrest

Here's a confession: I love to plan.  I love planning more than I actually like doing anything.  I spent hours this week working on my current novel outline.  As in, writing and re-writing my outline, searching for holes, figuring out the best way to graphically represent the plot, and then re-outlining again.  

You know what I didn't do much of? Write. 

For the last week the above quote has been posted on the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood's Winter Writing Festival website.  Each time I read it, I feel a tiny kick in the pants.  What are you doing, sitting here and planning?  Get moving! 

But, there's also this: 

A month ago, I watched Tomi's video on goal setting (and then I set some vague goals! See, I never learn).  Tomi told us to do something that I'm good at, something that I love to do: Tomi told us to plan.  Think hard and define your goal, and then set yourself a timeline and then get moving.  

This is what I do at my day job.  I build project timelines, and monitor progress.  Who would have thought that we could do the same for our hobbies?  Tomi's completely right that if we want to make real progress on our goals, we need to put in the same level of effort we put in to accomplishing anything else.  

So, I'm putting my goals and my timeline out here, in an effort to hold myself accountable: 

Goal: Finish two new novels and submit at least 1 to a publisher.  

My goal for the last three years has been to publish a book; I have 4 "finished" novels on my computer.  None of them have ever made it in to any agent's hands.  Why? For two reasons: I am a perfectionist, and I hate editing.  It makes sense that in order to get through editing, I need to give myself a timeline and then hold myself accountable.  

          Story 1:
          Character sketches by 1/7
          Storyboard and finish the outline by 1/14
          Finish a draft by 3/1
          First round of edits by 4/1
          Collect Feedback by 5/1
          Second round of edits by 6/1
          Collect Feedback by 7/1
          Third round of edits by 8/1
          Submit to a publisher by 9/1

          Story 2:
          Read 3 research books by 3/1
          Character sketches by 3/15
          Outline and storyboard by 4/1
          Finish a draft by 7/1

I'm leaving the second half of the year open for now, because I know that life will step in and get in the way of some of these steps.  I'm planning (there it is again!) to reevaluate my progress and my goals in July.  

Now, it's time to actually write! 

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