IWSG : Planning
Posted on January 4, 2017
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Time for a post for IWSG hosted by Alex Cavanaugh. A different question is asked each month, where your answers are shared and you encourage others who are struggling. This month's question is : In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

Here's my take on 5-year plans... I used to create 5-year plans for my organization as director of e-commerce in retail many years ago. Anything can happen in five years. People leave. New employee roll in. New initiatives are created. Hell, the people who asked for the 5-year plan may move on to other positions at other companies half way through.


So when I created these 5-year plans, I'd only stayed true to the first two years ahead and winged the following years. Hey, life happens and things change, and instead of failing at a unyielding plan you tuck and roll and change your mind. One of my favorite movie quotes of all time comes from the protagonist in Dreams for an Insomniac. "I never give up. I either get what I want or I change my mind first."

This particular quote is important to me, and I tend to live by it. I had planned on completing and releasing the 2nd book in the Family Relics series in 2016, but I got stuck. Serious case of writer's block. I didn't reach my goal, but I didn't give up on writing and created 2 other unexpected pieces instead -- Monsters Under My Bed, a children's book with my own drawings, and Isabel & Leo, a short story collection about the craziness of relationships and parenting. Tucking and rolling, tucking and rolling...

So, instead of a 5-year plan, I'd like to state that my overall goal in 5 years is to have 3 more novels published (that are in the works), produce one more children's book, and be part of a poetry compilation with two poets I really enjoy. And, there is no plan other than to write, write, write.

Outside of writing, another major goal of mine in the next 5 years is to run a marathon. I am aiming for a half marathon this year and to train more in soccer coaching. Also, my daughter is 15 and my son is turning 10 this years, so for the next 5 years I want to play (soccer, basketball, softball) with my kids while they still want me to, and while I still can. I know this will all end eventually, so I am milking it up as much as possible.

Anyone else hate 5-year plans? Anyone trying to run a marathon? What are some movie/book quotes that have inspired you to continue writing?


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10 comments:

  1. I'm still working on running a 5K! I tried one a few months back but only ran a little of it before having to walk the rest of it. I did complete it though, so I was happy with that. The next one, though, I want to run the whole thing. Or most of it. :)

    Have a wonderful 2017!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Madeline, I started out by running 1Ks. When I was able to complete 1K without walking, then I tried 2K, and so on. It took about a year to get up to running a 5k with walking breaks, and maybe another year to do it with NO walking, and then maybe another to do it and NOT feel completely exhausted for the rest of the day. I didn't try to kill myself either, I was running 1-2 times a week back then. But that's me. I have a friend who went from couch-potato to running 100-mile ultra marathons in 2 years. He's a beast! We all have our own pace.

      Just keep running!! :-D

      Delete
  2. I love that quote. It's perfect!!! That's true of me, too. I may not have achieved my goals exactly as I saw them 20 years ago, but I achieved different goals that were even better!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephanie, 20 years ago I was a totally different person. My goals then can't possibly work for me now!

      Delete
  3. I'm also not a five-year planner. I make goals, and I adjust as necessary. I get there, but I don't hold myself to an unalterable timeline. Too stressful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know right? Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is etched in stone!

      Delete
  4. Wow! Those are great goals.
    I like to start small, and make lists. Crossing items off lists is a wonderful thing. :)
    Best of luck to you!
    Heather M. Gardner
    Co-host, IWSG

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lists are a great way to go too. My list above will change, no doubt, and some will probably carry over to next year. Who knows. As long as you've got something to put checks on. Check. Check. CHECK!

      Delete
  5. Good luck with your goals! I started running about six or seven years ago. I've run up to 6 miles at once, but it hurt. Five seems to be a better fit for me right now. Completing a marathon would be amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Running 6 miles is no joke! I did a Spartan Super a few years back. 8+ miles up and down a ski slope with obstacles and burpees throughout. I tell you I was sore for the rest of the week. I think I just like torturing myself. :-P

      Delete


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