We’re two days into the final quarter of 2012. This is our last opportunity to make 2012 everything we thought it would be when we set our resolutions nine months ago.

I created a list of goals and shared them here on Mindful Banter. I should have referred to the list monthly, or at least quarterly. But, I didn’t.

Now that I’m staring down the calendar and coming to terms with the fact that there are only 90 days left in the year, I realize it’s time to come face to face with that list of goals and come up with a plan of action. So, here’s a recap of my goals with excuses comments:

Writing Goals for 2012:

1. Continue to work toward of goal of becoming a published author of women’s fiction. (Broad goal, but important to state.)  My debut novel will be published with Carina Press next year! Woo hoo!
   
   Acq: "Sexy, w/ a deeply flawed & fascinating hero & the heroine is strong and compelling" Too Good to be True by @RaleighRoxStar #editreport

   September 18, 2012 4:08 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

   

   @angelajames

   Angela James
   
   
2. Join Romance Writers of America.
3. Join the RWA Women’s Fiction Chapter.  Joined Chick Lit Writers of the World Chapter, too.
4. Join my local RWA chapter.
5. Be active in both chapters.
6. Remain active with my local critique group. (This has been a tremendous help to me as a writer.)
7. Query two agents per week with completed manuscript. – Queried several agents this year, but not nearly as many as planned.
8. Participate in one writing contest per month. – Participated in about five contests total. Great feedback from Stiletto contest.
9. Take two additional writing craft classes this year. Took one online writing class this year so far. But read some outstanding books on craft that have helped me with writing synopsis, outlining, and deep point of view.
10. Attend a writer’s conference or workshop.  Attending the Heart of Carolina all-day workshop this fall.
11. Build short story writing skills. Need to work on this!
12. Pursue freelance writing opportunities. Need to work on this!
13. Write or edit a minimum of 100 words per day. Need to work on this!

Life Goals

1. Meditate daily. Hit or miss.
2. Eat healthier.Marked improvement, but a long way to go. Side bonus: My family is eating healthier, too.
3. Workout daily. Ouch! I workout monthly, sometimes even weekly. Does that count?
4. Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day. Hit or miss.
5. Keep a daily journal. Terrible at this. I’ve collected more journals, yet I’ve written even less. Start working on this today!
6. Revive “date night” with the hubby. Went out last Friday to an outstanding concert, but very hit or miss on this.
7. Reconnect with one person each week. Ouch! TERRIBLE. Start working on it this week.
8. Pursue degree in Communication.In progress!
9. Increase value at work. I no longer work for Dr. Evil.

Revisiting the list wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. And while I have done fairly well at achieving most of my writing goals for the year, I haven’t done nearly as well on my goals outside of writing. Reflecting on my list helps me to reconnect with those goals and commit again to achieving them.

What I notice most, in reflecting on my 2012 goals, is that the thing we are most focused on, we achieve. For the past two years I’ve focused on moving my writing career forward. This determination prompted my choices and actions. I invested time, money, and effort into improving as a writer. I surrounded myself with others who shared this goal. In my not-quite-daily meditation I thought positively about my writing career. Most importantly, I took several actions to make it happen.

Did you set goals for your writing this year? When we don’t set goals for ourselves, it should come as no surprise when we don’t achieve the things we wish for. One of the most important things we can do as storytellers is set clear, achievable goals for ourselves, then break those goals down into the actions necessary to achieve them. (We’ll talk more about this on Thursday.)

If you have goals for your writing in 2012, have you revisited them?

We want to celebrate your success and cheer you on to victory! Share what you’ve accomplished and what you’re committed to accomplishing before the year ends in the comments.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by MyTudut.

Roxanne Ravenel (263 Posts)

Roxanne is a freelance journalist and novelist living in North Carolina. Her alter ego, Reese Ryan, writes smart, spicy fiction populated by deliciously flawed, multicultural characters living in the Midwest and Southeast. Her debut novel, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, will be published by Carina Press July 22, 2013. She is Managing Editor of the long-running e-zine, All Things Girl.

Roxanne Ravenel (263 Posts)

Roxanne is a freelance journalist and novelist living in North Carolina. Her alter ego, Reese Ryan, writes smart, spicy fiction populated by deliciously flawed, multicultural characters living in the Midwest and Southeast. Her debut novel, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, will be published by Carina Press July 22, 2013. She is Managing Editor of the long-running e-zine, All Things Girl.

About Roxanne Ravenel

Roxanne is a freelance journalist and novelist living in North Carolina. Her alter ego, Reese Ryan, writes smart, spicy fiction populated by deliciously flawed, multicultural characters living in the Midwest and Southeast. Her debut novel, TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, will be published by Carina Press July 22, 2013. She is Managing Editor of the long-running e-zine, All Things Girl.

View all posts by Roxanne Ravenel →