Tweaking Your Goals

Issue #15 April 2015

Monitoring & Adjusting Goals

Monitoring and adjusting activities according to their value are two aspects of goal-setting which are commonly overlooked. However these activities are necessary. Accomplishing goals is a lot like taking a long trip. GPS can only help us get there if we pay attention and don’t miss a turn. Goals are the same way. If we don’t pay attention to what we’re doing, how will we know if miss a turn? We can still reach our goals, but it will take a lot longer to get there. Just like a long trip must be monitored for highway changes as we go, long-term goals must be monitored in short-term activities which will take us to our final destination. We need to evaluate each month, each week what we’ve achieved and what we’ve failed to do. We also need to track the success of those activities, then we need to adjust those goals which require more/less time, remove unrealistic goals and add goals that are more likely to help us reach the point of writing profitably. This is particularly challenging for fiction writers, making monitoring all the more important.

In January, I shared my goals for 2015 with you. (They’re listed below for reference.) The goals I listed were a mixed batch of good and bad, given the time I had available for writing. If you’re also a member of Contributors’ Corner, you’ve already seen one set of tweaks to those goals. Now here’s another set of tweaks. As you can see, I’ve been monitoring my goals on a weekly basis, but they still need to be altered to maximize their effectiveness. Each goal must be something SPECIFIC and MEASUREABLE.

Goals 2015________________________________________________________________________

1.  Write & Submit a New Short Story or Essay – I managed to submit a story in January, but not in February or March. This goal may be too much since I’m also editing my first novel and writing my second.

2.  "Must Read-Must See" blog – I’ve managed to keep on top of this blog and wrote a review in both January and March. So this goal is a keeper because I have to maintain a web presence.

3.  "Prodigal Writer" blog – I’ve also kept up with this blog because it’s as important to me as it is to readers who follow it. It keeps me on track and constantly thinking about how I use my time, what writing I’m actually submitting, etc.

4.  "Contributors' Corner" to members – This newsletter is also a keeper for the same reasons as “Prodigal Writer”.

5.  Author Facebook Entry – I’m still struggling with doing the Facebook entries. I know they’re important to maintaining a web presence, so I’ll keep this goal even though I haven’t accomplished the weekly entry goal. I also know that the entries you do make on Facebook should be relevant to your writing and set you up as an expert. So be selective when you make your own entries.

6.  Character Facebook – I deleted both the character and novel Facebook page because I unpublished the novel on Amazon until I can edit it and get a new cover. So I’m removing the goal of weekly character entries.

7.  Website Updates – Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep paying for my website at this time so this goal is null and void. Now the goal is to get back my website!

8.     Write 4,000 words/week – I didn’t accomplish this goal at all in January, but I was really close in February. In March I was focusing on editing the first novel, so I didn’t write on the second one at all.

9.     Find Agent/Editor – I spent several hours in January and February researching agents to whom I could send query letters. I’ve come up with four so far, but I need two more so I can send six query letters at a time. However I have to have the novel edit completely and a synopsis written.

10.  Marketing Course – I haven’t taken any new marketing courses, but I am receiving a writing course from the Writers’ Village which includes some really good information.

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I’ve put writing new stories for publication as a top priority, even though it’s been a challenge, because I know it’s important for my writing portfolio. The next priority is getting that first novel ready for republication, hopefully using an agent this time. The next priority is finishing the second novel and editing it. Marketing is extremely important, but calling it that turns my brain to mush. As writers, we have to remember that marketing is really touching people with what we write. In order to alert them that we’re even here, we need a venue, like Facebook or LinkedIn, to let others see our writing. That makes what we write on these venues our first impression – the most important impression we can make.
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 April 2015
NEW STORIES
     Write 2,000 words
    Edit
NOVELS
Long Winters Night
     Edit Chapters
     Book Cover Drafts
     Synopsis (as per editing)
     Find Agent
Icy Deeds at Dawn
     Write 2,000 words
     Edit
MARKETING
     Facebook Entries Weekly
     Website (get-rebuild)
     Research & Learning
     Local Contacts Acquired
BLOGS
     The Prodigal Writer (2,000)
     Writers Group (500)
     Must Read (500-1000)
          Read
          Write Review 
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The blogs I write for both you and I. They keep me in practice and force me to keep focused. So, thank you all for being there to listen. I’d love to hear from you, too. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Responses to Writing Challenge #14: Opening Paragraphs

I n the January 2015 issue of The Prodigal Writer, I introduced a writing challenge directly from John Yeoman’s Wily Ways to Write. Mr. Yeoman is an instructor, editor and writer at the Writer’s Village, so I suggest checking out this information resource. Yeoman’s FREE eBook talks about the importance of getting your reader’s attention with “Three Dynamic Ways to Open Your Story.” His three suggestions are 1) drop a bomb, 2) introduce an emotional conflict quickly, and 3) enchant your reader. These three suggestions point to one issue: GET YOUR READERS’ ATTENTION! My challenge to you, was to write three DIFFERENT openings, one of each type, for a possible story you may want to write. Below are three openings I tried.

1)     Drop a Bomb (168 words)

a.      The body lay face down in the water, bouncing on the current as if he was body surfing wrong-side-down. Thomas stared, transfixed by the conservative tan suit clinging to the man’s back, then bubbling out in the water surrounded by brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves. This man belonged in the woods about as much as Thomas belonged in a bank. Yes, he knew the man. Had seen him alive and arrogant just a few hours ago as Thomas’ dad, Dan, argued with him in the kitchen. Thomas squatted on the bank of the creek, unsure exactly what to do. He may be only twelve, but he knew the cops would link Dad to this man’s death. He didn’t want Dad to go to jail, but tampering with a dead body could get him in trouble. The real question was what to do now. The sun was already casting long shadows as it retreated and Dad would be expecting him home by the time it was down.

2)     Introduce Emotional Conflict Quickly (216 words)

a.      “I’m home, Jake!” Sarah called while pushing the apartment door closed with her foot. She stumbled forward a few steps under the weight of three bags of groceries. She muttered, “Shit,” as she hit the corner of the kitchen cabinet. Sarah heard the closet door slide shut in the bedroom. “I’ll be glad when we can move out of this Cracker Jacks box,” she continued as she walked to the bedroom with a bottle of celebratory wine. Her promotion came through today. She’s be an editor at the Hems and Gems instead of an occasional writer. That meant a regular paycheck instead of getting paid by assignment. Jake was in the bathroom shaving and he smiled at her as she walked up the short hall. As she passed the bedroom door an aroma wafted toward her that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Another woman had made love to her husband and left within the hour. Sarah stopped in her tracks and dropped the bottle of wine. The stench of their loving-making caused her to crinkle her nose and draw her brows together. When she looked back at Jake, he was staring at her, razor poised three-inches from his lathed chin. She knew. She knew and he knew she knew.

3)     Enchant Your Reader (263 words)

a.      I stood in front of the classroom of street-wise teenagers as tears filled my eyes and flowed down my face. I wiped them away and said, “Anyway, I had to put Pal down because he attacked my little Beagle and locked down on his head.” I had rescued Pal too years ago when he showed up at my fence sniffing noses with Sadie and Sam. His brindle coat was stretched over too-thin of a chest but his black eyes didn’t fawn or plead for handouts. He just looked at me like he wasn’t sure how’d I respond to a Pit Bull looking for love. He’d found it, though, in Sadie and I. Not so much in Sam. Sam just accepted him in his gentle little Dr. Dog manner. As a Rottweiler-Boxer mix, Sadie was twice his size; however Pal was twice the size of Sam’s Beagle-Wirehaired Terrier mix. Plus two male dogs always seem to be territorial. “My dog just had puppies, Ms. Cohen,” said one of my students. “What did you say, Josh?” I asked still lost in my own mourning. “My Pit just had puppies. You can have one of them as soon as they’re weaned.” I just looked at Josh for a moment. He had been a difficult student to reach even in our Alternative School. Yet in this case, he felt my pain and new the answer to the problem: a replacement dog. Embarrassed by his show of sympathy to a teacher, Josh continued, “He’s just a mutt. A Rottweiler got to her when she was in heat.”

Writing Challenge #15: Expand on the Opening

Now that you have three opening paragraphs, let’s fill in the rest of the story. First of all, look over your three opening paragraphs and select on you like best. I liked my first paragraph best, so I’m going to use that one.

Next, you’ll want to look over the possibilities below for submitting your story and decide which venue you think you’re story fits in the best. I’m going to use the first paragraph for a story to submit to PULP FICTION’s The Hummingbird Prize for Flash Fiction, which has a 1,000 word limit. Using the plot graph available through Google Docs, I see that my grabber needs to be about 50 words, 100 for the introduction, 250 till the first plot point or conflict, 500 to the 2^nd conflict, 750 to the 3^rd conflict and 950 till the climax. That leaves 50 words to draw events to a resolution and close the story.

Now that you have a pretty good idea of how many words to use in each section, you need to do a rough Story Map, which is also available at Google Docs. I’ve started mine as an example and you can see, it’s not an exact science. You can see that right now, I’m not sure where I’ll go with this story. I have a few ideas, but they may change as I begin writing.

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STORY IDEAS for 1,000 words

GRABBER 50 words – actual 50

The body lay face down in the water, bouncing on the current as if he was body surfing wrong-side-down. Thomas stared, transfixed by the conservative tan suit clinging to the man’s back, then bubbling out in the water surrounded by brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves. 

INTRODUCTION 100 words – actual is 54

This man belonged in the woods about as much as Thomas belonged in a bank. Yes, he knew the man. Had seen him alive and arrogant just a few hours ago as Thomas’ dad, Dan, argued with him in the kitchen. Thomas squatted on the bank of the creek, unsure exactly what to do.

FIRST PLOT POINT 230 words – actual is 67 plus the 104 of the grabber and introduction, therefor needs 83 more words

He may be only twelve, but he knew the cops would link Dad to this man’s death. He didn’t want Dad to go to jail, but tampering with a dead body could get him in trouble. The real question was what to do now. The sun was already casting long shadows as it retreated and Dad would be expecting him home by the time it was down. 

2ND CONFLICT 500 words

3RD CONFLICT 750 words

CLIMAX 950 words

RESOLUTION 50 words more to equal 1,000 words

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Allow yourself that flexibility, too. Once you have an idea for a story, the only thing that’s sure is that you want to write a story. I’ve found that new ideas are generated once I’m actually knee-deep in the stories and have a better feel for the characters. You may find this to be true, too.

Venues for Writing

I’ve found several good writing contests and more magazines where you can submit your writing. I’m starting a spreadsheet so these opportunities to keep as publishing possibilities in the future. Plus, I’m going to put them on Google Docs so I can share them with our writers’ group.

Contests

Flash Prose Contest

Writer Advice

http://www.writeradvice.com/

Entry Fee:  $15

Genre: Fiction, Memoir or Creative Non-fiction

Word Count:  Up to 750

Deadline: April 21, 2015

Compensation:  First Place earns $200; Second Place earns $100; Third Place earns $50;

          Honorable Mentions will also be published.

Enlighten, dazzle, and delight us. Finalists receive responses from all judges.

2015 Emerging Writer’s Contest

Ploughshares

https://www.pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest/guidelines

Entry Fee:  $24 (includes subscription to Ploughshares)

Genre: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

Word Count:  6,000 or less for prose, 3-5 pages for poetry

Deadline: March 1 to May 15, 2015

Compensation:  $1,000 for each genre plus publication in the Winter 2015-16 Ploughshares.

This contest is open ONLY to people who have not published or self-published a book.

The Hummingbird Prize for Flash Fiction

PULP FICTION

http://pulpliterature.com/contests

Entry Fee: $10-$15

Genre: Short Fiction (unpublished only)

Word Count: Up to 1,000 words in length

Due Date: May 1 through June 15, 2015

Compensation:   Winner published in Issue 9: Winter 2016

           1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature

           First Prize: $300, Runner up: $75

Magazines

AE SCIFI

http://aescifi.ca/index.php/submissions

Genre: Science Fiction

Word Count:  500-3,000

Compensation: $0.07 per word

Deadline:

Special Instructions:  E-mail submissions only; Subject Line:  “INT Sub: ‘Story Title’ (word count, words); Cover Letter; Include your name, byline (if different); Brief Bio (50 words)

AE welcomes submissions from both established and emerging authors. We publish exclusively science fiction, though our interpretation of the genre can be quite inclusive. We are not soliciting poetry or screenplays at this time.

THE THREEPENNY REVIEW

http://www.threepennyreview.com/submissions.html

Genre:	Critical Article	Stories or Memoirs	Table Talk	Poetry
Word Count:	1,200-2,500	4,000 or less	1,000	100 lines or less
Compensation:	$400	$400	$200	$200
Deadline:	Open Reading January through June
NOTE:	No submissions are read or accepted between July and December. No simultaneous submissions. No previously published submissions. Submit ONLY one story or article or five poems. Responds within two months.

The Threepenny Review is a quarterly, international magazine which buys first serial rights in our print and digital editions, and the copyright then reverts to the author immediately upon publication.

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I am sorry to say that my website, www.skepticalreader.com, is currently down, but you and still receive feedback on your work from our writers’ group, Contributors’ Corner by submit your story within the body of an email to rhodesfitzwilliam@gmail.com. Please accept my apology for any inconvenience this causes you.

Until next quarter, live well, love fully and write with all your heart!

Writers Write!

 Issue #13 October 2014

Write First, Edit Second and Submit Third

Sometimes life feels like you’re running on solid ice in front of a high speed steamroller. Your legs are still moving, but your feet keep slipping near the flattening roller. I’ve certainly felt that way this year. I thought I was getting ahead of the steamroller in June when my mother gained momentum on her recuperation from the series of strokes she had in January and March. The strokes in June were a major set-back, not only for Mom, but for my writing and marketing. Zero sales on Amazon didn’t help my attitude. But we all know that family comes even before our writing career. What you may not realize is that having only a small amount of free time, is a lot like living in a small apartment. The smaller it is, the greater the need for organization. So, Debbie and I organized and coordinated our schedules AGAIN in order to work around Mom’s therapy, get her set up with a day program, see to her many needs and still have time for ourselves.

We thought we had a workable schedule so we could accomplish our own goals as well as manage Mom’s health. But Mom wasn’t ready for a day program and fought with us continually, insisting we were trying to “put her away.” Now she’s quit going to the day program for the two days we had scheduled and neither Debbie nor I have the time we need. Even my time at my son’s apartment has been fruitless. I’ve been so exhausted from the stress of Mom’s attitude that I’ve slept instead of writing. I’m trying to get back in the swing of writing and submitting again. Even during all this chaos I did manage to finish the Digital Marketing Lab: Launch Your Ebook in 14 Days, begin editing my first novel so I can do the “redistribution” after I launch the novel and write two new essays which I’ve submitted to two different venues. You see, you can squeeze writing and publishing into a limited number of hours. It just takes hard work and focused effort. Remember that, of those non-family things you might do in your spare time, writing comes first!

A year ago when I was trying to really focus on my goals, I wrote in my journal, “Writers write, writers write, writers write.” It has become my mantra and it helps me focus on those goals. Feel free to use it anytime you feel the steamroller at your heels. It’s amazing how much you can write if you organize your time to squirrel yourself away for a few hours, then focus on one project that your want to get published at a time. Make sure to do that with this quarter’s Writing Challenge below.

The second thing we have to focus on is editing our work. So after you’ve written it, submit it to our private online writers’ group, Contributors’ Corner, so you can get the feedback we all need. And by the way, I’d like to say thank you to Debbie, who gave me excellent suggestions for smoothing the essays I wrote. You know that we often don’t see the gaps in information in our writing because we know what we meant. It takes a fresh eye to point out those places so we can make the ties necessary for flowing essays and riveting stories. I’m fortunate to have a sister and a niece who are writers, too. However, if you don’t have someone close to read your work, you always have us, your cohorts at Contributors’ Corner. For $5 a month your get two ex-teachers and other professionals who read your work and offer you gentle suggestions for improvement. You can join us at the Members Only page on the Skeptical Reader.

Once you’ve written and edited your work, you must submit it somewhere for publication. Remember we are in this business to share our stories. That doesn’t happen if you’re stories are locked away on a flash drive or hidden on your book shelf. Pick one of Writing Challenges with a fee-free contest or a magazine without a reading fee, then take the plunge and submit it for publication. Don’t wait for a response, you’ll just make yourself crazy with expectation when you should be writing. Go back to step one and start again. Remember, writers write!

Marketing Your Writing

Okay, so you’ve written a good book, had fresh eyes help you with the editing and you’ve self-published it on Amazon or Book Baby or one of the other thousands of self-publishing possibilities. Now you have to get the attention of a wide audience via good marketing. However as writers, we struggle with the whole issue of how, where and when to market our work. Personally, I can vouch that the marketing brain cells are dead. I suspect that you feel the same way. And unless you have enough money to hire your own publicist, we have to engage in this activity at some point. Some of us are trying to learn the marketing field ourselves. Lord knows there are plenty of books and forums about marketing, but they don’t always help. In fact, they sometimes make things worse since you can feel like your brain is turning to mush as you struggle with these new concepts.

It’s always been my motto to get information directly from the horse’s mouth. In this case, it’s people who already know marketing and have a proven track record of success. I’ve found such a source in Direct Marketer guru, Ryan Deiss. He has the required success record and he teaches it to other people in person and on his website. We, whose creativity interferes with this specialized skill, need the help of people who already possess the ability to market. Marketing is not only a learned skill, it is creativity in a unique field. Ryan Deiss offers a series of Marketing Labs that can be informative. As I said above, I’ve finished one called Launch Your EBook in 14 Days. It’s going to require research and work, but the outline is there to guide you step-by-step. I’ll let you know how it works once I set up my launch. You let us know about the marketing techniques that work for you.

Building Your Portfolio

Portfolio, portsmolio! What the heck is a writing portfolio? Well, a big part of it is any piece you’ve had published. Published pieces give you credibility and build your audience, so add this information to your website. But what if you haven’t been published yet? What else do need for a writing portfolio?

First of all, you need a website. This is the place where people can see some of your work, including any blogs you’ve written. Remember to connect it to your Facebook and LinkedIn pages to let everyone know when you’ve updated it and when you’ve had something new published. Speaking of which…take the Writing Challenge below, write your story, submit it to Contributors’ Corner for evaluation, edit your piece and then submit it to a contest or magazine for publication. Sound redundant? It is. This is what we do and then we do it again over and over until we get results.

Writing Challenge #13: Write, Edit, Submit!

Select one or both of the publishing possibilities below and write, write, write! We are the place where the rubber meets the road, so use your drive to complete the challenge by the due date. We’ll read it and help you smooth out the wrinkles with our critiques before you submit it to the publisher.

Writing Deadline: October 22, 2014

Piece will be shared in the November Issue of Contributors’ Corner.

Join Contributors’ Corner at: www.skepticalreader.com
Submit Your Work: within the body of your email to
rhodesfitzwilliam@gmail.com

FLASH FICTION ONLINE
www.flashfictiononline.com
Word Count: 500 - 1,000
Payment: $50
Submissions Accepted Regularly
Reports in about two months.

Here’s a marvelous challenge that will keep your writing tight.  Flash Fiction Online wants stories that have “strong, interesting characters, plots and (to some degree at least) settings,” all within the 1,000 word limit. It’s a terrific place to make use of the Plot Chart & Story Notes to stay focused on your story. All you have to do is change the total word count (highlight in yellow) for the story you're writing and all the numbers on both the Plot Chart and the Story Notes will be updated. Then fill in the notes for your story or essay and watch your word count at you type. For those of you interested in writing science fiction and fantasy, it’s also a prequalifying piece for membership in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. If that’s not your genre, don’t be discouraged. They accept other genres as well and they’re interested in holiday and event related stories. Make sure to read their Submission Guidelines page.

DEATH WHERE THE NIGHTS ARE LONG ANTHOLOGY

http://everywherenowpress.com/books/anthologies-about-our-experience-of-death/
Word Count: 2,500 – 5,000
Payment: $250 plus an undetermined “success fee”
Due: November 1, 2014

This is bound to be a fascinating anthology. Obviously the general topic is death, but there are several facets to the subject, including “experiences and images about what lies beyond our last breath.” Again, read the submission guidelines which opens up all kinds of possibilities for essays, memoirs, poetry and creative non-fiction.