Milestone? Or Millstone? Your choice.

It’s funny how the words “milestone” and “millstone” sound so similar, yet serve such different purposes. A milestone marks the mileage on a road, yet goes nowhere. A millstone grinds grain, yet never stops. On the other hand, the second definition for each are:

1. Milestone – a significant point in development
2. Millstone – a heavy burden

I find it ironic that the first word signifies movement, when the object itself clearly cannot move. Yet the second word weighs a body down to the point of making one immobile, even though the round object itself suggests movement.

How can we apply this observation to our writing?

A milestone represents a goal, an immovable spot up the road that we long to reach. It remains solid and steadfast, symbolically cheering you on to reach its side. There may be other milestones on the road, but we must keep our eyes on the first one in order to reach the others.

So often, we put too many milestones in our path, scattering our thoughts as we race about trying to reach them all before we’ve taken the proper steps. This confuses us which ultimately results in the opposite effect – a millstone around our necks, pulling us down into deep, dark confusion. We want to meet our one-thousand-word-a-day goal, but we can’t stop daydreaming about becoming multi-published and traveling the world. Or we work on our romance, then set it aside for a sci-fi. Then decide maybe a political thriller would suit us more. The result is a lot of unfinished, unpolished manuscripts taking up kilobytes in a folder on our computer.

Pick a goal and stick with it. When that goal is reached, look to that next milestone up the road. With each post you past, you will get closer to your final destination. And about that millstone? Let’s leave it out of our writing and only roll it out when we want bread.

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Kathy Kovach is the ACFW Rocky Mountain Zone Director, and author with Heartsong Presents and Barbour Publishing. She writes Spiritual Truth…With A Giggle, thus proving herself as one of God’s peculiar people. With a passion for story, she dissects movies on her Craft Cinema blog. Read the first chapters of her books at Fiction Finder and visit her at www.KathleenEKovach.com. 

A Novel in 16 Weeks? Here’s how.

The topic this month is Time Management? How appropriate that I would remember it’s my day to blog twenty-five minutes before midnight. This is what I do. It’s how I roll. I serve an eleventh-hour God, and I am made in His image. Although, I doubt He waits until the last minute due to procrastination or forgetfulness.
Okay, enough of the excuses. Ironically, I’ve given talks on this very subject. I’ll give you a mini-lesson here on how to set up a goal sheet so you can finish your project on time.
You can use either the spreadsheet program on your computer or you can use paper. I caution, however, that if you use the antiquated spiral notebook, use a pencil, because you will inevitably be erasing. I like the computer because I can add or delete rows or change tasks as needed.
I’ll tell you how I set up my goals sheet, but feel free to change it for your own needs. Just keep it simple, or it will be more trouble than it’s worth.
All you need is two columns:

Week

Done X

Don’t worry about specific dates. Just know that you must accomplish whatever you’ve written down for the week. Please stop reading for a moment and access my goal planning sheet here. If that link doesn’t work, please email me and I’ll send it to you. This sheet will show you the guidelines I use for writing a novel in sixteen weeks.
And now, my disclaimer. This is my ideal goal sheet. Not every novel (or non-fiction work for that matter) is created equal. Each one is unique and needs more or less work in certain areas than other novels do. Goals get changed, rearranged, omitted, added. It becomes a living, breathing partner in the writing process. But I’m here to tell ya, my goal sheet comes in mighty handy when I’m faced with a four-month contract.
As you read my sheet, let me explain some of the tools I use. You may have other plotting tools. Or none. Whatever works for you.

• Skeleton – This is Randy Ingermanson’s brainchild.
• GMC – From a book by Debra Dixon. If you don’t have this book, and you’ve never learned about Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, order it today!
• SOP – Seat of the Pants. It helps me to write the first few chapters without plotting first to get a feel of the characters. I may not use these chapters in the final draft, but they’re important to get me into the rhythm of the story.
• ALL IN ONE – My term for a spreadsheet notebook I’ve created. It has several sheets to help me keep track and plot my story. I’ve discussed much of it on my blog.  Click on any of the four lessons titled, “Organize Yourself as a Writer.” You will note that the goal setting sheet is different from the one I’m showing you today. I started out using that one, but as I said. This sheet lives and breathes. It’s evolved for me, but if you prefer the one on the blog, that’s fine too.
• Highlight – This is from a class I took with Margie Lawson who presented the EDITS System. You can buy her lecture packet that includes this and other wonderful tools on her website. 
• Put aside – A story, like fine wine, needs to breathe. Around Week 12, I try to not look at it for as long as I can get away with and still meet my deadline. When I come back to it, I put on my critiquing glasses (not real ones, so don’t ask me where I bought them <grin>) and read objectively. The longer I let the story sit, the easier it is to pretend I’m just another reader.

Before I hear –  “But Kathy, this takes all the fun and spontaneity out of writing.” – let me remind you that this is a business.  If you are pursuing writing for profit, you must take the necessary steps to be successful. A goal planning sheet is one of those steps. And it’s not painful. I’ve done most of the work for you. Now, you can take this sheet and make it your own.
That is . . . if you can find the time.
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Kathleen E. Kovach is an award winning author, leader of the local critique group JOY Writers, and the Rocky Mountain Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers. A mom and grandmother, she lives in northeast Colorado with her husband of over three decades. Visit her online: www.craftcinema.blogspot.com, www.kathleenekovach.blogspot.com, www.KathleenEKovach.com.

Out with the Old, In with the New

I’m sitting in our Mesa, AZ, condo watching the Parade of Roses, our New Year’s Day tradition. Soon my hubby will start clicking back and forth to “check out” the football games. All part of the tradition.

And before anyone thinks, “Wow! How on earth does she rate a second home in sunny, warm Arizona?”, let me explain. Roger works for a company based in South Carolina. They build churches all over the country. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many jobs for them in Colorado, so he travels . . . a lot. Which means I do, too. Good thing editing and writing is portable, right? Anyway, the church pays all his living expenses while he’s on a job . . . hence the condo. J They also pay for either me to travel to where he is for a couple of weeks each month, or for Roger to come home for a weekend every other weekend when I can’t leave because of other responsibilities that keep me home.

I love the beginning of a new year. With my birthday on New Year’s Eve, I tend to reflect on the past year and set some goals for the year ahead. This week, the Lord directed my attention to a passage in Isaiah 43. (I saw it first on Kathy Kovach’s status on Facebook and borrowed it for my own.)

“Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.” (Isaiah 43:18–19)

While in many ways 2009 was a good year, it still was a difficult year on a personal level. It was a year-long ordeal of distractions and derailments from best-laid plans and intentions to write more and keep up with reading as well as editing. Yet as I look back, I can see the Lord’s hand in it all.

There were times I wanted to throw out all my goals and best intentions and start over with a new career. Except the Lord kept using many of you to remind me that the race isn’t easy, but it is worth it all the trials when we persevere in the call the Lord has on us. Including writing.

One thing I’ve learned this year, and I’m not perfect by any means, is to put the past in the past, forget it, and move on . . . looking forward, keeping my eyes on Jesus, the goal. I can’t change the past, much as I might like to. But God does work all things together for my good and His glory. And when I do this, I experienced the blessed relief of His peace.

So I invite you to join me in putting 2009 (and all other previous years) in the past and focus on the goal of Christlikeness, placing all our goals, including our writing-related ones, in God’s hands to work as He sees best. For some of us, it may mean we need to lay aside some dreams for a while. For others, it will mean we need to persevere in spite of obstacles and distractions.

Whatever 2010 has for us, we can know that God is totally in control . . . and He is working all things for our good and His glory. I hope you will join me in declaring with the apostle Paul: “By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us” (Philippians 3:13–15 The Message).

Marjorie Vawter, the ACFW Colorado Area Coordinator, is a freelance editor and writer.

Dream the Impossible Dream

I believe dreams are a necessity to life. They give us hope and direction. Without hope we die inside, and without direction we flail. Don’t be afraid to dream. Big and small, dreams can be achieved by setting goals.

I like to encourage people to set goals for the coming year. Don’t just make a mental list. Write them down and post them where you can see them daily. Your subconscious will work on them even when you’re not aware of it.

So think and pray about what your goals should be for 2010. Then write out three spiritual goals, three family goals, three personal goals, and three professional goals.

3 Keys to Successfully Achieving Goals
1) Make them realistic: Don’t set a goal so unachievable that you give up on it before you start.
2) Make them measurable: Reading more is a good goal, but how will you know if you succeeded? Rather set a number of books or pages you will read weekly/monthly.
3) Make them within your control: Setting a goal that is dependent upon someone else to reach it leaves you helpless.

Stretch yourself with some of your goals. Some goals you’ll want to make very attainable, but set one or two that will stretch you. Don’t be comfortable where you are.

Then trade your goals with a friend or among your critique group or Bible study and pray for each other during the year. Accountability is great to help you reach your goals. Be each other’s cheerleader. Get pompoms if you have to.

I hope you each set some awesome goals to reach your dreams and glorify the Lord.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

2009 Goals

Wow. The year has gotten off to a roaring start. I can’t believe that January is almost over.

I’m sure those of you who know me are waiting with baited breath to see if I succeed at this blogging thing. I’m holding my breath that this works. And if it doesn’t, I’ll probably pass out soon. ☺ I think I’m getting light headed. ;-P

Since this is my first time posting on the Inkwell, I’ll start with a bit of an introduction. I have been writing for twenty years and have books fourteen and fifteen coming out this year. I have a Web site and am trying to figure out this blogging thing. Technology is not my strong suit but I am trying to learn. Really I am.

Also, I am the president of the local ACFW chapter in Colorado Springs. Kim Woodhouse is our VP, Evangeline Denmark is our Secretary, Tiffany Stockton is our Treasurer, Heather Tipton is our Industry Liaison, and Daneen Padilla is our Publicity Office. I have a great team to work with. I couldn’t run our chapter without them.

We are hosting our first annual writers conference, Peak Writing Conference, at the end of February. This is going to be a great conference with Donita K. Paul, Lisa Tawn Bergren, and Beth Jusino. If it is the success I hoping it is and I haven’t gone crazy, we’ll do it again next year.

As this new year begins, I have asked the members of my local ACFW chapter to write down their writing goals for the year so I can pray for them throughout the year. I did this last year and enjoyed being able to pray for them.

I asked them to write out three or more writing goals. They needed to be realistic for them, measurable, and within their control. Here are some examples:

Don’t write, “I’m going to get an agent this year,” because you have no control over this. Rather write, “I’m going to send out one proposal a month until I get an agent.” You have control over how many proposals you send out but not if an agent accepts you.

Don’t write, “I’m going to write one book a month this year,” when you haven’t been able to finish one in your lifetime.
Rather write, “I’m going to complete one book this year.” If you complete twelve, great! It is fine to exceed your goals.

Don’t write, “I’m going to write more this year,” because how do you define more? More than what? How much did you write last year?
Rather write, “I’m going to write one page a day or a thousand words a week.” You can measure that.

Other goals you might want to think about putting on your goal list would be to read a certain number of books on the craft of writing, or going to a writer’s conference, or getting into a critique group, or starting one, start a Web site or blog. Stretch yourself.
And if you are not a writer, set other goals for yourself like reading books, or gardening, or volunteering, but do set some goals.

One of my goals for this year is to blog two to three times a week. That will be a stretch for me. I’m hoping once I get in the habit of it, it will come easier. I have actually start posting again on my blog. I have even started posting a chapter of a novella each Friday.

Then trade your goals with a writing buddy or among your crit group and pray for each other during the year.

“Reach for the stars. You may not get there but you will soar higher than if you had never reached at all.” Unknown

If you have no goals, any road will get you there. (Or rather nowhere.)

So I challenge you, set some long term and shorter-term goals for the year then focus on meeting them. Even if you don’t reach them all, you will get closer than if you never reached at all.

Blessings,
Mary
:-)