Goals for this Blog....

I love writing, and I love watching children get excited about reading and learning so I want to write what children will love to read. Now, how do I go about learning to do this.

First, I eluded in an earlier post that I would share the three main goals I have for this blog. Part of the plan for this site is to be transparent about the writing process that I am learning so we can learn and progress together.

• I also encouraged you to list your own goals for your writing.

Goals are sometimes difficult because we set our goals way too high initially and then we get disappointed when we don't reach them, or at least that has been my experience.

So here is the plan: make the goals simple to start with and make your goals attainable. I think that I work best by setting two sets of goals, those that can be reached this week or this month, and those that I want to attain in 6 months to 1 year.

The key is to spend some time each and every day doing something that will help you reach your goals. Re-evaluate what you are doing on a weekly basis to see what is working and what isn't and then make a change if you are not on track. Sounds easy enough, but the hard part is saying NO to the tasks that do not help us reach our goals. I have a real problem doing this part. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, cell phones, television, and any number of other equally distracting things occur on a daily basis to mess with my plan to achieve my goals. But I want to be a writer so I refocus and start again everytime I get off track.

Now for the goals for this blog:

1. I want to offer the best resources possible to the new writer by posting about great authors, books, websites, and courses that have been helpful to me. Right out of the gate let me say that the writing courses offered by published author Suzzane Lieurance have been the most helpful and most encouraging to me personally. Check out her website at www.workingwriterscoach.com or www.suzannelieurance.com for a full array of her services. These courses have made me believe I can succeed as a children's author in time.
2. I want to post short character pieces, story starters, and some short stories to get input from you, the reader. How will I ever know if I can really write if I don't expose myself to others and let them read something I have written. That goes for you as well. I will also encourage you to offer small samples of your work for the readers here to experience and comment on. How about it, anyone brave enough to share something?
3. I would like this blog to be a place where I develop as a writer with a platform and something to say. I want to gain a following of readers that I can count on to be honest with me and I want this blog to be a place where new writers gain information, skills, and the confidence to give it a try so we can all be honest with them.

So, what do you say.... shall we give it a spin and start by writing for 30 minutes a day. If 30 minutes is too much, try breaking up into 10 minute snippets. Just get something on paper at least a couple of times a week. Let me know how you progress, and I will update you as well. Join in the fun and let's see what develops. In the mean time, please check out Suzanne and her services. She may be just what the writing doctor ordered to get you in high gear.