Sunday, February 6, 2011

Goal upon Goal

Every Monday for the month of January I made a few goals that I would try to follow for the week.

Drink more water, eat less peanut butter, don't eat after 8pm, wear tight jeans (which btw was a stupid goal).

The thing is, I was able to meet those goals for the week, but when I moved onto the next goal I forgot about the previous goal. For example: the week that I stop eating peanut butter, I didn't drink much water and I ate after 8pm.

There are so many things to remember when we are revising a novel, but sometimes it's hard to do them all at once, but maybe that's okay. Maybe it's okay that I didn't drink more water on the same week that I didn't eat after 8pm.

Maybe it's okay that we don't make everything perfect on our first edits, it might take 2 or 3 or more and that's okay. I'm using the word okay a lot - sorry.

So in light of this my goal this week is just to put all those goals that I made in January together - minus the tight jeans - and write that stupid chapter 9.

What are your goals this week?

22 comments:

Jennifer Hillier said...

I hear you on the tight jeans! Who do we wear them for, anyway?

My goal this week is to get back into a routine. I'm so much more productive when I stick with a routine Monday to Friday.

Misha Gerrick said...

My goal is to get back to writing now that my friends have gone home.

Good luck with your goals!

:-)

lotusgirl said...

Be extra vigilant with my homeschoolers. One especially needs my attention. This means less online time.

Southpaw said...

Chapter 9- LOL! It’s been stubborn. My goal this week is to write, I mean really write, everyday. Nota gazillion words but more than 50.;)

Carolyn V said...

It takes me a few edits to remember some things that I had learned before (and over and over)!

Heidi Willis said...

This is EXACTLY what I was trying to say at the end of my post today!! I can only focus on one thing at a time in my revisions, which is why I'm having to do so many! Blech!!

I've really GOT to finish revisions on chapter 2. Okay, I need to start them, and then finish them. I keep opening up the document, staring at it, wondering if I should just chuck the entire chapter, decide it's too overwhelming and close it again.

Case in point... I just opened it. And then decided to see if you'd posted a blog post today.

Sigh.

Melissa Amateis said...

Goals - keep on working on the novel, exercise when (if) I can since I'm coming down with a cold, and trust God more with all of the above!!!

Laura Pauling said...

Like you, my goals are to keep revising! :)

Angela said...

Go chapter 9! Go chapter 9! Hear me cheering for you. You can do it!

LTM said...

get started revising!!!

argh. And good luck to you! :o) <3

Juliana L. Brandt said...

Not give in and eat Ramen noodles when they sound good. And candy. And ice cream...

I'm not sure how you could eat less peanut butter, it's too delicious :)

Stina said...

This is so true. That's why it's important to remember the number of drafts you do isn't important. If it takes ten drafts to remember all those elements and points you need to check for, then that fine.

I was going to drink more water. That lasted a day. Then I forgot my goal until now. ;)

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Eish... to make it through. :0)

Jolene Perry said...

Oh my GOSH we all do this. Too funny.
My goal is to get to the end of my current WIP. I can see the finish line... I'm almost there...

ali cross said...

It is totally okay! I give my MSs multiple passes because there's no way I can get it right on the first, third or maybe even the tenth time.

Makes perfect sense that the same should apply to the other goals in our life! Thanks Patti!

Tracy said...

Hear, hear! I think, when editing, you SHOULD focus predominantly on 1 or 2 things at a time. Anything more than that and you'll get scattered.

Since I'm in querying phase at the moment. My goal this week is to not to go all obsessive compulsive with the checking of my email.

Anonymous said...

I heard of a study that proved multi-tasking is not good for the brain. It's better to stick to 1 task, maybe 2, and you develop higher cognitive ability. So, you got it right!

Susan R. Mills said...

I had the same experience. I did really well on each new goal, but the ones I'd already set fell by the wayside. I think I'll do the same and try and put them all together.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

The rest I can understnd, tight jeans? I'm intrigued.

Hermana Maw said...

I love the idea of making weekly writing goals! My goal is to write fourty pages before friday. Wish me luck. :)

Jill Kemerer said...

Revising was too much--just a giant headache--until I focused on only a few things at a time. You're right about that! Go get chapter 9!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Great job, Patti!

Oh my goodness, we go through so much peanut butter in this house. But no worries yet, it's the healthy kind of fat my kids need right now.