Day 1 and feeling overwhelmed

I. READING –

A. Daily goal

1. Read two other blog posts a day. Yes, or very close.     

2. Read in at least one of the three (its more like five) books I am reading.  Yes.   

B. Weekly goal

1. Do research on my novel. Noooo . . . .    

2. Start research for my next novel. Noooo . . . .     

C. Goals for the Round

1. Have finished reading five books. I have finished three books so far this round. I can’t tell you right now what they are, you will have to trust me.    

  

II. WRITING

A. Daily goal

1. Work on something for two hours a day. Yes, but not the stuff listed here. More on that later.    

a. Write on my novel. No, I just have to shelf this for now.   

b. Write my blog posts. Yes, on schedule.

c. Work on paperwork for the nonprofit organization. No, I don’t think so.    

B. Goals for the Round

1. Have finished my novel.  No, see A.1.a. above.     

2. Have finished all of the paperwork for the nonprofit. There’s no chance.

III. REACHING

A. Weekly goal

1. Comment on two other blog posts. I did this.   

2. Research markets for an hour.  Umm, I don’t remember.

3. Keep up on social media, spending not more than a few hours a week on it. Let’s say yes.  

B. Goals for the Round

1. Have submitted three pieces somewhere. DONE, Yes DONE. And not only three things submitted, but one has been accepted.

2. Book signing at a local library. This is coming up this Saturday. The woman working on it with me is doing most of the work. I feel bad about that, but let her do it.

3. Have survived my speaking engagements at two writers’ conferences. DONE

4. Set up an author website. DONE And here it is 

IV. PERSONAL (goals by the end of the round)

A. Running

1. Have run in the 5K on July 4. DONE.

2. Continue running a few times a week just to improve my time and stay in shape. I am still doing one mile a couple times a week.

B. Family

1. Have settled my mom into better housing.  DONE.

2. Have planned that vacation with Hubby in September. Still in the works.   

C. Nonprofit

1. Have submitted all of the required paperwork. The Articles of Incorporation have been approved and the EIN has been received. Next up is our meeting on September 15 to set up our Board of Directors, work on Bylaws, get started on fundraising, etc.     

V. GOALS BY THE END OF THE YEAR

A. Tumaini Volunteers, Inc., has become a 401(c)3 nonprofit organization. I’m thinking still a pretty lofty goal, but we will see.

B. Have my second book published.

So after all of that, here is the big news, which you may have guessed. This morning I talked to Jeremiah from Life Sentence Publishing, which published my first book “A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven” last year. He likes my new book, a small devotional, and likes the ideas I have for creating a series of devotionals around this theme. I got the email from him later today that contains all of the stuff I have to do and deadlines to do it if we are to publish by the end of November. Pretty much same timeline as last year, but moved up a month. The devotional is about the first Christmas, so it has to be in people’s hands by mid-December to give as Christmas presents, or that is my goal. Or my crazy fantasy. 

I cannot believe that I am doing this for a second year in a row. How do authors do it who crank out a couple novels a year?