This month Susan is writing the first draft of her manuscript Brandi Sagadore.

Plan Your Life in Thirty Minutes or Less

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll recall I wrote the first draft of Kindergarten Mafia this past summer. I love the characters, I love their struggles and adventures – but something wasn’t quite right. When I revisited the manuscript in October I realized two things:

I honestly wanted this to be a four-part series.
I needed to develop an outline for each of the four stories before diving back in.

In November and December I mulled over what I would put on my writing agenda for the new year. Besides Kindergarten Mafia, there were other stories waiting to be born:

Brandi Sagadore – once a file full of notes, was starting to take shape.
Life Sailor – a fable for adults that received positive agent and publisher response at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. The story needs a little smidge of revision – and it has five sister fables clamoring for attention.
And finally,
MOPD (working title) – a novel-in-progress I’m working on with another writer.

I needed to clarify my writing intentions for 2009. The big question: Which comes first – the Brandi or the Mafia?

Fortunately, I had someone who could offer some insight. I still had exactly thirty minutes on account with a life coach. I decided to use that half hour to set out my writing goals for 2009. I figured I’d use the life coach as a second set of eyes on my Big Plan For the Coming Year.

To tell the truth, I hadn’t exactly set the world on fire with the first three and a half hours of the life coach package. Exhibit A: I bought it five years ago. But in this final half hour, I believed I would redeem myself. I’d create the best Big Plan ever.

I called to book my appointment. “I want to set my goals and objectives for the new year.”

“That’s great,” the life coach said. “I’m offering a special three-hour package for my old clients.”

“Umm, let’s use the half-hour I still have on account and see how it goes.”

“Half an hour to set out your reasons for being alive? That’s ambitious.”

“But – it’s taken me five years to use up the first four hours.”

“Right.”

Suddenly I wanted validation. “Does this make me your least coachable client ever?”

“Not at all,” she said.

I couldn’t tell if she was being polite or if she was challenging me.

We agreed to meet by phone a few days later. Despite her skepticism, after exactly thirty minutes of discussion I had what I needed to develop my writing goals for the new year. It became abundantly clear that I was more prepared to write Brandi Sagadore first and then turn my attention to the outlines for the Kindergarten Mafia series. The reason? Brandi’s ready, the Mafia girls aren’t.

And so, ta da, here are my new marching orders:

Writing Goals for 2009

In 2009 I will write adult fiction for women over the age of forty – specifically ages 40-60. I will seek publication of 2ManyCooks. I will focus on mapping outlines for the four Kindergarten Mafia books. I will write at least the first draft for the first story in the series. These books will be my focus until 2012-2013.

I will write adult fiction featuring younger adults: Brandi Sagadore. MOPD. I will complete and submit Brandi Sagadore by the end of 2009.

I will revise all six of my fables for adults. I will submit Life Sailor by the end of March. I will submit at least two other fables by the end of 2009.

I will write 20+ hours per week.
I will attend at least one conference.
I will attend at least one professional development seminar.
I will learn more about publication and the business of writing.
I will join a critique group.
I will attend at least ten writing association meetings.
I will enter at least three writing contests.

Since the start of this year, these goals have been tacked on the corkboard in my office. In fact, I look at them every time I glance up from my computer monitor. Above the goals are my mission and vision statements. But those are topics for another bloggy day.