Revising Goals and Expectations

Over the last couple of nights I’ve been having trouble sleeping. I’m sure part of it is due to the crazy summer storms racking havoc in my desert home town. The electrons in the air have not only me, but also my whole family feeling restless. With this comes long hours of lying in bed, eyes closed and my mind fully awake.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m in a half awaken state of mind I find my thoughts wonder to topics I normally don’t consciously think about on a daily basis. One of the topics my mind likes to wonder to frequently during these times are my writing goals and expectations.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if I’m truly meeting or able to live up to the expectations I’ve made for myself as an author, editor and mother. It seems more and more demands are put upon us as writers, and even as editors, however the days are not longer so we sleep less. With this comes not performing at our desired levels with less sleep so how do we balance these demands… expectations? Then you add in family life and it seems there is no time left in a day to get everything done you need or want to accomplish, let alone good quality sleep. This can leave us feeling defeated, depressed, burnout…among other feelings as well.

I recently read a blog post back in June about writer’s needing to take time out and relax. The post really got me thinking about how I haven’t taken a real vacation in two years. I also started realizing my personal writing goals keep being put on hold as demands to expectations I’ve made for myself and freelance work keep growing. Talk about a combination for writer’s burnout or just feeling overwhelmed with life.

I do feel my life feels meaning full, but I realize I’m not taking time out for me. I’m not setting goals or expectations of better health. This isn’t a good thing. So as I laid awake these past few nights with my mind wondering onto all the things I need to do, would like to do and have accomplished so far, I realized the only way to get some down time was to cut back. Or in writer terms…REVISE my life, goals and expectations.

I’m not sure what changes I’ll be making but revising my goals and expectations will be one of them.

Comments

VBT-Guest Author Spotlight Donna McDine

Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78 th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions. Her stories have been published in many print and online publications and her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has two more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, The Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey . She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and Publicist for the National Writing for Children Center from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI and Musing Our Children. What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it? The Underground Railroad was a pivotal time in American history, one that should never be repeated. It is my hope by keeping history alive for each generation that these huge mistakes will never reoccur. Q. How lon

Five Tips for a More Marketable Children’s Picture Book Manuscript by Mayra Calvani

The world of children’s picture book publishing is extremely competitive. If you’re an aspiring children’s author, you need to make sure your manuscript is in excellent shape and has all the elements editors and agents look for before you begin the submission process. Here are five tips to make your picture book manuscript more marketable: Start right with the problem. Many times beginner writers begin a picture book with back-story. It’s okay to have this back-story in the first draft, but be sure to get rid of it when you edit. Back-story is unnecessary 90% of the time and it only serves to slow down the beginning of a story, making it weaker. You want to grab the reader right from the start. So don’t be afraid to begin your story at the heart of the problem. It’s okay to set the stage with a sentence or two—but no more! Have a protagonist readers can relate to. Generally, children like to listen to stories about other children or animals with children’s characteristics. They

Interview Friday with multi-talented author, Cheryl Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor from Western Massachusetts . A regular contributor to Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children , Ms. Malandrinos is also the Editor-in-Chief of the group's quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens . Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion , a book reviewer, and blogger. Guardian Angel Publishing will release her first children’s book, The Little Shepherd Boy, in 2010. VS: Cheryl, I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I know being a parent and writer can be hard and I find myself asking if I am giving my three children enough attention throughout the day. I am sure you have been in my shoes from time to time. So to start here is the first question, how many children do you have and what are their ages? Cheryl: Thanks for having me at The Writing Mama, Virginia. I’m thril

VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Search This Blog