My Writing Goals for 2019

in ,

Happy New Year, Friends!

At last, I have reached a new milestone in my dream of becoming a published novelist. This year, I hope to ink a publishing contract for The Forgotten Fathers Club!! 2019 promises to be an exciting year for my creative writing, and I've got the goals to prove it :-)

My Writing Goals for 2019 | Dany Chan

My Writing Goals for 2019

This year, I plan to:

  • complete draft #3 of The Forgotten Fathers Club 

    • DUE: Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2019

  • get a publishing deal for The Forgotten Fathers Club

    • DUE: Apr 1 - Dec 31, 2019

  • complete draft #2 of The Gaerden

    • DUE: Apr 1 - Dec 31, 2019

  • get (1) writing grant or fellowship

    • DUE: Dec 31, 2019

 

Of course, the steps to landing a publishing contract are many and very much based on luck. Here's how this goal typically breaks down:

  1. prioritize my list of literary agents

  2. research each agent's submission requirements

  3. draft a query letter tailored to each agent

  4. draft a book synopsis

  5. polish the first (50) pages of The Forgotten Fathers Club until it shines

  6. email my queries to each agent

  7. sit and wait for the rejections (I'm aiming for 100 rejections)

  8. (hallelujah) I land an agent!!

  9. complete draft #4 of The Forgotten Fathers Club

  10. my agent pitches and shops the novel to publishers

  11. sit and wait for more rejections

  12. (hallelujah) a publisher buys my novel!!

 

Whew.

The sheer number of steps for this goal, at first, seemed overwhelming to me. But, having each necessary step laid out like this actually defeats that overwhelm - I now have a sense of the challenges ahead, and I have a plan to complete each step in the necessary order. And I do have a timeline for when I would like each step to be completed, all the while knowing that the "sit and wait for rejections" periods are variable and totally out of my control. Yet, with a plan, I can simply shift the timeline accordingly. But with any luck, I may get a book deal by the end of the year.

Let’s chat!

What new ambitions await you this year?

How I Get S* Done With My Planners

in

I love planners.

Every year, I buy a stack of new planners, each with their pristine calendar pages that promises a bright year ahead. Yet, I can't use them all, so I end up with a stack of half-filled planners. I confess, it's a problem. But, I really enjoy the process of planning, or, in the words of Leslie Knope:

“Hobbies? Organizing my agenda. Wait. That Doesn’t Sound Fun. Jammin’ on my planner!”
— Leslie Knope

Those who know me know that I do actually get s* done, and I do it all with my planners. This year, my planning system involves two (that's right...) planners: a Blog + Life Planner and a Day Designer Planner.

How I Get S* Done With My Planners | Dany Chan

How I Get S* Done With My Planners

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thanks for your support.

What is the Blog + Life Planner?

The Blog + Life Planner is my main planner that I carry around everyday. It has several unique features that suit my needs this year.

Since I started blogging, the planner offers specialized pages that help with blogging, such as a place to draft my blog business plan and a blog metrics page at the end of every month. For my life and work planning needs, the planner offers undated monthly calendars and weekly views with a to-do list that are separated into personal to-dos and business/blog to-dos. Also, it has a ton of notes pages in the back.

Plus, the planner is just so darn colorful and cute!

I use this planner to plan out my yearly, monthly, and weekly schedules and goals.

Photos courtesy of Wonderlass

What is the Day Designer Planner?

The Day Designer Planner* stays on my desk at work. It offers dated monthly calendars, but I use it solely for the daily planning pages. Each weekday takes up one whole page. And the page is uniquely divided into an hourly schedule on the left side and a to-do list on the right side. Plus, there is room at the top of the page devoted to identifying your "Top 3" goals for the day. Along the bottom of the page is a "Notes" section and a "Gratitude" box. 

To my Type-A mind, all of the various designated boxes and grids puts me at ease when I open to a fresh page every day. Somehow, these daily pages gives me hope that I can at least try to design my day to my liking.

Photos courtesy of Day Designer

How I Use Two Planners to Get S* Done

As I mentioned earlier in the post, I put everything into my Blog + Life Planner, and I use it for planning out my year, months, and weeks. Then, when I go into work every day, I open the Day Designer Planner* to that day's page, and, referencing my weekly schedule and to-dos, I would fill out that day's appointments and meetings, list out my to-dos specific to that day, and identify my "Top 3" goals or must-dos. The daily page is where I make a mess as meetings are cancelled or new tasks arise throughout the day. When the workday is over, I leave it on my desk and walk away, becoming a symbolic act of leaving "work" at work.

So, in the end, I think I need multiple planners because there currently is no planner that offers me a space for yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily planning. At least, this is what I tell myself to justify my planner obsession :-)

*Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thanks for your support.

Let's chat!

Do you use a paper planner or a digital planner?

How do you keep up with your schedule and to-dos?

How I Plan to Rock My Writing Life This Year

in

Happy New Year!


I want to begin this new year with you by sharing some goals for my writing practice. I love beginnings, so I started planning these new goals since last fall (I admit it: I'm a planner nerd). If 2017 was a good year, then 2018 is intended to be a great one :-)

How I Plan to Rock My Writing Life This Year | Dany Chan

How I Plan to Rock My Writing Life This Year

5 Easy Steps to Set Goals

But, before I list out my writing goals, I first want to describe my simple 5-step process for setting goals, just in case you need a little help in determining your own goals and resolutions. I have found this particular process to be effective for me, so I hope that it will be useful for you as well.

The five steps are as follows:

  1. Do a brain dump of every goal or idea that you can think of.
  2. Select the most important and/or the most exciting goal to you now (no more than five).
  3. Break down each goal into actionable tasks.
  4. Set a deadline for each task.
  5. Schedule each task in your calendar or planner.

My 2018 Writing Goals

  • Goal #1: revise The Forgotten Fathers Club (DUE: Jan - June 2018)

  • Goal #2: maintain my author platform (DUE: all year)

  • Goal #3: hire an editor and polish The Forgotten Fathers Club (DUE: July - Dec 2018)

  • Goal #4: research and compile list of literary agents (DUE: July - Dec 2018)

  • Goal #5: research: how to submit query letters (DUE: Dec 2018)

Let's chat!

What are your goals for 2018?

How do you keep yourself accountable?