The Greatest Self-Made, Self-Published Deadline

One of my ongoing writing goals is to be better at setting daily, weekly, and monthly goals. I'm a lot better at it than I once was. Most Sunday evenings, I sit in front of my desk calendar and write them down in the block of each day. Some days, I do exceed the goals, others I fail miserably.

A few weeks ago, I made a post about how I was bound and determined to finish the first draft of Active Waiting. I started working on this book a little over three years ago. Since I hadn't forsaken it by this point, it was time for me to do something about it...to be more specific, finish it...by a certain date. I chose the date of Saturday, October 27th...and to work feverishly on it.

This past Friday, I was very close to the end. So close, that I didn't want any distractions. Therefore, since the only thing I needed to do that day was to go to the grocery store, I did that first. In that way, I could have it done and come home and stay home.

From noon on Friday to noon the next day, I sat right here at my computer, stopping only to eat, go to the bathroom, and sleep. I listened to Stryper radio continuously for inspiration and motivation.

I'm happy to report at 11:59am, I finished the first draft of Active Waiting.

I've had many moments I've felt like I was on Cloud 9. That's where I was the rest of the weekend. Furthermore, this was the best "visit" I had ever had on that little piece of heavenly puffiness. Even as I write this, I still feel like I'm there. 

My feelings are entirely justifiable. I've written another book, my sixth. Not only that, given the heavy emotional content of it, it was not easy. Over these past few years, when I worked on it, I would write only one paragraph and have to stop. There were even times I wept as I wrote.

But I did it.

At this writing, I'm still feeling that rush from my most recent major accomplishment.

Since I met this goal, I know I will meet the following in the weeks and months to come:

• Publish Active Waiting on November 17th
• Resume work on my next romance novel, Writing Soulmates, for the rest of this year
• Resume work on Kill the Locust, my next Christian novel
• Finish the first draft of Writing Soulmates by January 5th, 2019
• Publish Writing Soulmates by February 9th, 2019
• Finish first draft of Kill the Locust by February 2. 2019
• Publish Kill the Locust on March 1. 2019

In Writing, In All-Caps, and in Red Ink

It has been a great writing year for me! I have published two books this year, including my first contemporary romance novel. In addition to my persistence and determination to get my books published no matter what it takes, I have learned to set goals, to break big projects down into small projects. I have developed a habit of setting goals at the beginning of every week. It has worked so well. (I'm ready to buy a new desk calendar for the upcoming year.)

As goes goal setting, most of you know that they're not entirely effective unless they are in writing. And it's even more so if you tell others. In that way, you can have some amount of accountability.

In the fall of 2015, I started on Active Waiting. Since then, I've published books I started on after that, working on this book occasionally during this time. I have come to realize that if I don't get a certain book done, it's okay. Some books may take some time, they may take more thought that I can't give them initially. 

Well, now is the time to move closer to getting Active Waiting published.

Okay! I have it in writing, in all-caps, in red ink, at a place on my desk where I can see it, and have now made it public that I am going to finish the first draft of this book. No more waiting, no more procrastinating, no more stalling. Time for me to get to work.