** G is for GOALS **
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I'm not one to have life goals, aside from wanting to flying a helicopter and milk a cow at some point - anyone reading who can help, get in touch! - but writing sometimes requires a goal. A plan. Especially if you want to achieve something other than just having written something.
So what goals have I had in terms of my writing?
1. To join a writing group.
This was back in 2008 when I decided to take my writing more seriously. I joined 'Speakeasy' in Milton Keynes and I met lots of other writers (published and unpublished) and really got the taste for it! Since then I have been to two or three other local groups and set up my own group: Towcester Writers.
2. To have a stranger buy my novel 'Girl Meets Boys' without being asked.
A biggie for me - I never thought someone I didn't know would buy my little ol' novel off their own back, without the guilty purchasing obligation family and friends may have felt. And to have strangers leave positive comments on my Amazon and Facebook page? Brilliant!
3. To enter a writing competition.
I have entered countless competitions now, and actually won a joint winning place in a competition in 2011 in the anthology "Someone has to die vol. 2".
4. To run my own writing competition.
I successfully ran an international writing competition on the theme of the royal wedding in 2011. Writers were invited to share their experiences of the wedding (coverage on TV and in person on the streets of London), and to reflect on previous royal weddings, and comparing them to their own nuptials. Entries came in from Australia, Canada, the USA, and all over the UK, to name a few countries, and almost £150 was raised from the sales of the book - all in aid of UNICEF, one of the Prince's charities. I was very proud of this achievement.
Do I have any new goals I'm working towards?
Sure! I am, as you're probably aware, a week into the A to Z challenge (good word for it!) where participants blog on an A-Z theme throughout April. This is taking some dedication, planning and effort I have not experienced so far in my writing, but I'm doing pretty good so far. I've never had so many blog comments - thanks, guys! - and April 5th topped all unique visitor counts I've ever had. This could be a good thing for my blog, as well as a test to my writing stamina and dedication.
After the A to Z challenge is done, I don't have as much on my plate writing-wise, aside from my normal weekly travel blog and this writing themed baby, as I have had in recent weeks, so I am going to really knuckle down to writing my second novel - working title ' Scrabble Pieces'. I have a wordcount of over 20,000 so far, and I still love the premise. I am going to finish this!
Until tomorrow - when H takes the floor!
Lou x
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Born to be a Tourist
Image courtesy of Tweak Your Biz. And yes, I hate football.