So at the beginning of the year I set myself some goals, and now we are halfway through the year it’s a good time to look back and see how I’m doing on those.
My goals for 2018 were:
- focus on writing
- improve daily routines
- look after me
- talk to friends
First, writing. Well, that’s going OK. I’m not doing as much as I had hoped, but I’m making progress and I’m learning alot about the process of writing a novel. I finished my first novel (first draft only) and I’m about two thirds of the way through my second. I hope to finish that before the children finish for the summer holidays, but that may be a close thing!
Second, my routines. These are variable, if I’m honest. At times I stick to them and they work well, but at other times I let them slip and everything gets a bit more chaotic. I’m still working on the best way to do things, especially the best way to split up my time while the children are at school.
Third, me. I am doing better at this, though again it’s a bit intermittent.
Lastly, my friends. I have to admit that this is the one that I have done the least of, at least not regularly. I had great intentions to phone people, but they have fallen a bit by the wayside. When I have a reason to talk to people then it’s great, but I find it quite intimidating to call people for no real reason. Especially when I don’t know what their schedule is like, and if they would be free or not.
Overall I’m fairly happy with how I’m doing, but there’s still room for improvement. So now I’ve reminded myself what I had said I would do I shall re-focus and work harder at them for the second half of the year.
Sadly, I think many of us have trouble keeping in touch with friends–especially if they’re not in our neighborhood. The pace of modern life makes it hard to even keep up with work and family. If you figure out how to solve this one, let us know.
I knew you’d completed the rough draft of your first book, but was surprised to hear you were well into the second. Any plans for revisions to the first one, or are you letting that go for the moment (or forever) as an exercise in writing? Are the books similar (same genre or theme?) or wildly different?
Happy writing, Clarissa.
Yes, Facebook gives the illusion of staying in touch but not the reality!
My first novel is shelved. It needs complete rewriting, not just editing. Maybe one day I will come back to the idea again. I’m not quite sure what genre it is – possibly a technological thriller? With a heavy romance element? My current one is a YA historical fantasy. The one I plan to write next is a YA sci-fi romance. So completely different! I’m planning to concentrate on YA for now and maybe diverge from that in the future. But I’ll see how it goes!