Live & Learn

I've been thinking about my goals for this new year, 2009. I don't want to make any resolutions--they always come across as negative and things you're *not* going to do like smoke or overeat. No, I think goals are much more motivating.

One goal is definitely to finish my cozy mystery manuscript, make revisions and get it circulating with agents. And the sooner the better.

My other goal is to learn. I want to take some good books off my shelf and really study them--do the whole underline in different colored magic markers thing. I want to try "modeling" as described in Elizabeth Lyons' book Manuscript Makeover. And writing riffs from the same volume.

Once and for all I want to see, inside out, how accomplished authors put their books together. Then I'm going to use that knowledge to write another one of my own.

Distractions

I'm very proud of myself for writing in spite of serious distractions. DD came to spend the night on Monday and was in bad shape although she did eat dinner with us. By last night she was angry, argumentative and refusing to eat at all (she is being treated for bulimia/bipolar/ADHD). Both nights I was sad/upset/concerned...but I managed to get my fingers onto the keyboard and get down some words. Funny, but I got into the writing and it sort of carried me away from life for a bit.

Tonight she is being admitted to the hospital which we tried to avoid (it will be her 10th or 11th stay) but at least I will be able to rest knowing she is safe.

My lunch hour is nearly over, but I did manage to get some more words. I'm keeping up with my goals, but I puprosely made them small to start.