goals -

09Dec 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Are you thinking about next year?

Nanowrimo's been over for a while now, which hopefully means that you now have something that can loosely be defined as a novel and have even done some celebrating. Having finished your novel, done your celebrating, and fully recovered from both, you're likely now remembering that Christmas or whatever holiday it is that your family happens to celebrate--because religious or not, everybody seems to celebrate something at this time of year--and realizing that you're drastically behind on your holiday shopping. With all these things on your mind, have you stopped to think about what you're going to accomplish next year? Have you started making plans? "New Year's Resolutions" might not be effective, but having a loose plan for what you'll accomplish next year well before it begins can help you…

29Jul 2013 by Dianna L. Gunn

Prioritization

Goal setting, Writing

In today's world with family, friends, work and endless media vying for your attention, it's incredibly important to make sure you prioritize the things that are important to you. I spent much of the last few months discussing how to deal with various distractions and I'm even working on an ebook based around that very subject, but before you can truly implement that advice you must choose what is most important to you. As the summer has reached its halfway point, I've been thinking about this a lot and re-evaluating my priorities for the next month. Soon enough school will start again and I'll have extremely limited time for my writing, so I need to make the most of this next month. Everyone's writing goals are different, but you can…

07Dec 2012 by Dianna Gunn

Define Your Success

Goal setting, Inspirational, Workshops, Writing, Writing

Success means different things to different people. The media often portrays success as a house, a long-term partner, kids and money. Your family probably has their own definition of success, based on both the media's definition success and their own feelings. Your friends probably each have their own definition of success too. Even the strange old hermit down the street has her own definition of success. Though success is only one word, it has as many definitions as there are people. What is true for everyone, though, is that you will never be truly happy if you don't strive to reach your own definition of success. Too many people go chasing after their parents' ideas of success, and end up with diplomas and careers they care nothing for. They gain…

21Sep 2012 by diannagunn

On Giving Up

Goal setting, Writing

Every year we make a big list. Sometimes we call this list our New Year's resolutions. Other times we call them goals. It doesn't matter what we call them, the aim of this list is the same: to set out a path for the next year which will hopefully lead us to a better place in our lives. This list usually includes things like starting a new diet or exercise routine--or both if you're feeling particularly brave that year--and whatever else we think will make us a better, happier person. Most of the items on these list are never met. We spend a couple months working on them, sometimes less, and then decide they're too difficult to accomplish and give up. Many times the problem is with the goals themselves,…

02Jan 2012 by diannagunn

Working on a Longer Short Story

Inspirational, Short Fiction, Writing

Last week I challenged you to work on a longer short story. I'm going to spend 2012 working on writing stories shorter than anything I've written before--under 2, 500 words--but there's a short story that I wrote in the summer which I think will be better if I don't try to restrict its length. I'm working on a full rewrite of it now and considering extending the plot. A longer short story in this context is between 10, 000 and 15, 000 words. The word count allows you to cover a bit more ground without going into a complete novel. With the rise of ebooks, works of this length are becoming more and more viable. For me, whose short stories generally cover the span of a few days, aiming for…

08Jun 2011 by diannagunn

Thinking About the Future

Inspirational, Novels, Writing

The future is full of hopes and dreams and fears for all of us. We write and we write, never sure if we will get real recognition for it. We edit and edit and create submission packages. We submit and then we try to live life like it is entirely normal while we wait for a response. We collect rejection letters and all the while we're working on a new project whose fate is just as undecided as the one we're sending out. As a teenager about to reach adulthood there are a thousand other pressures on my mind. It's a crucial time in my life where I will make my future-by finishing high school, by staying committed to my goals and going to college, by looking for my first…

04Feb 2011 by diannagunn

Making A Commitment to Yourself

Writing, Writing: The Process

Over the last few weeks I've talked a lot about creating-and meeting-your writing goals. I've made it clear that 2011 is going to be a year of Discipline in my writing. But it's important to remember that while writing is certainly a part of me and always will be, there are other aspects of life where I need to put in effort and set goals. Taking care of me is the most important factor here, and I must remember that taking care of me doesn't just mean focusing on my writing. So what else do I need to focus on to take care of me? Well, it's a pretty basic list: School This one is the obvious one and, depending on your standpoint, it is the most important thing for…

21Jan 2011 by diannagunn

Changing Your Mindset to Change Your Life

Novels, Writing, Writing: The Process

When working to achieve your goals, it's good to remember that how you think about your goals is as important as the goals themselves. I'm not just talking about Breaking Down Big Goals, I'm talking about optimism versus pessimism in a sense. Not optimism towards the world-I still have a very bleak worldview-but optimism towards yourself. I'm talking about focusing on positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement. Thinking 'I Can' and 'I Will' instead of 'I Can't' and 'I won't' Everybody's told you to make sure that your goals are concrete and achievable. What they haven't told you is how much your thinking can damage your progress. I'll use a very personal example. Until recently, I've always had relationship problems. I never gave any of my relationships longer than six…