“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all,
and then stands back to see if we can find them…
The often surprising results of that hunt--
that’s what I call Big Magic.”  - Elizabeth Gilbert
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~ by Amanda Smith
This sparkly, brand-spanking-new year is just begging for some bright, shimmery writing goals. With goals we will soar. We will fly! We will publish all our lovely books!

We will crash and burn if we neglect to take a moment to root our new goals in our current progress. For success it is paramount to build a bridge between last year’s product and this year’s dream. How do we construct this bridge?

St Francis of Assisi said, "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

Ask yourself, from where you are right now, what is necessary to move forward.  Towards the end of December, I pulled out my yearly goals and checked off the tasks accomplished. I reflected on what worked, and what didn’t. I took a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the big-ticket items – a novel revised, a synopsis written, a second draft of a new novel completed. I contemplated the items that didn’t get checked off. What will these projects look like in the new year? Are they still a priority?

Asking these questions helped me determine what is necessary for me to move forward. These immediate tasks include final revisions on a YA novel; deep revisions, even possible rewrites on two picture book manuscripts after input from critique groups; and revisions on a middle grade manuscript.

Once I have finished these tasks, what will be possible? What is the practical next step?  I could submit the picture books and the YA novel. So, another goal is to come up with submission plans for those manuscripts.

​Then there is the dream, the challenge: What is the one thing you want to accomplish this year, but the sheer thought of it scares you to death? What is the impossible?  Make that a goal. Mine is to plot and write the remaining two books in a middle grade trilogy. Yup, my boots are shaking.
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Now that you have dreamed necessary, practical and are-you-kidding-me?, it’s time to fit those goals into the year. I use a goals calendar.

• Cross off days that will be unavailable for writing. This visual representation of your possible writing time gives you a clear scope of the year and helps you plan projects in the right season. I have learned I cannot plot and draft in the summer when my kids are home, and that the fall and spring are better for more intense projects. Also keep family vacations and business responsibilities in mind. If you have a book coming out in the fall, you will mostly likely not be drafting during that time.
• Tightly plot out the first 6 months of the calendar. Pencil in the last half of the year, because life is unpredictable.

Don’t forget to reward yourself with proper, meaningful carrots along the way! 
​Yes, we will soar. We will fly! And we will do the impossible. 

by Annie Cronin Romano

At 24 Carrot Writing, we believe in the importance of rewarding yourself with "carrots" when you achieve a writing goal, be it finishing an outline, brainstorming book ideas, querying agents, or honing your craft through writing exercises or research. Back in March, I posted a blog sharing some writing-themed carrot ideas (see "Give Yourself a Carrot"). Now, as the holiday season is upon us, here are some more creative suggestions to add to your own wish list or as possible gift ideas for your writer friends. Included are a few repeats from my spring suggestions and some new discoveries! 
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Like working jigsaw puzzles? White Mountain Puzzles has a few jigsaws with a literary flair. This "Reader's Paradise" puzzle will keep you busy with 1000 pieces of literary atmosphere.
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​Book-shaped saucers and plates abound at Gone Reading. When you're settling in for a writing session, this cozy cup and saucer will help get you in the "write" mindset! (Sorry. I couldn't resist!)

by Kelly Carey

I’ve never been a patient person. Sometimes this works out great. I’ve completed school assignments days before their due dates. I’m usually very relaxed the day before a trip because I have impatiently packed days earlier.  And my kids get a huge selection of back to school supplies to choose from because I make them buy their provisions the first week in August. (My kids would argue that this is a negative.)

Other times, a lack of patience is a problem.  Like when it comes to long car rides,  lines for amusement park rides, and cookie dough (are we sure raw dough can really kill me, because I’ve tested this theory a lot and I’m still here?). And when it comes to a lack of patience and a writing career, waiting to hear back from agents and editors can be a BIG problem.

You can try to wile away the time before you sign with an agent or sell your manuscript by diving into a draft of a new story. Or you can distract yourself with revisions, writing workshops, Netflix, chocolate and gardening. But sometimes that impatience demands more - an offering of some sort.

I have found the answer for this impatient writing monster. Use Scrivener and Staples to take a sneak peek at your novel and you'll find your impatience soothed.

Here's how it works:

 1.  In Scrivener under File, select Compile.

 2. In the Compile screen, choose to Format As: Paperback Novel.

3. Now you have three routes you can take. You can either a) print the pages yourself (print them one-sided only and full 8 ½ x 11)  OR b) you can download the compiled document onto a flash drive to take to Staples OR c) You can email the document to Staples and place your order with them electronically.

4. I’m a hands on gal, so I chose the first option and printed the pages. And this may satisfy the harping impatient writing imps in your soul. And maybe you happily three-hole punch the printed document, slide it into a binder and enjoy hugging this tangible evidence of your wonderful creative energy and your impatient writing self lies dormant for a bit.

This actual printed novel version of my manuscript is not only a balm for my impatience but a talisman that I can hold up to motivate my quest for publication and ward off the pitfalls of self-doubt that will come with even the most polite rejections.

And my heart does a little satisfied sigh when I come across a family member reading my novel.

 So go ahead – be impatient and take a sneak peek at your novel.  

This is my carrot for completing PiBoIdMo 2014.
When it is in my kitchen it reminds me to follow my heart and go write.
When I carry it upstairs to the office, it reminds me of what is essential for writing success.



Heart. Brain. Tea. 

ESTABLISHING INCENTIVES
by Francine Puckly
            
The journey to honing your craft and completing large projects is a long, arduous one. It takes dedication and commitment, and even the most driven and confident individuals need incentives to keep going during those hair-pulling, “why-am-I-doing-this-anyway?” moments of doubt. It is imperative that we take the time to reward and recognize our creative spirits for the completion of the hard work we tackle each day.  

As Annie mentioned in The SMART Key to Your Carrots (Sept. 22, 2014), it’s critical that your established goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant to the task at hand, and timely—a realistic timeframe in which to complete the work. In creative work, it’s easy to lose the long-term focus as we march toward the completion of a project that may take six, twelve or eighteen months to finish. In the novel writing I undertake, large projects are broken into smaller tasks, and rewards are set in proportion to the completed work.

I establish a large carrot that encompasses the entire project, but each of the smaller tasks has a small reward associated with it. These baby carrots are nothing big and expensive—I’m a starving artist, remember! It might be a single rose for my desk, a steaming cup of chai from my favorite café, or an hour to play hooky and browse the travel section at my local bookstore. But the large reward at the end of the project? Now that’s something pretty special. It has to be in order to keep me moving toward the horizon.

So what projects need carrots?

Ask yourself: What are the things standing between me and my long-term goals? What am I having a hard time completing, either from procrastination, time constraints or intimidation? What task haven’t I started because I’m afraid to fail?

These are carrot-worthy tasks.

Afraid to dip your toes in the ocean of social media but your agent or editor expects a strong presence? Give yourself a reward for opening a twitter account. Indulge in a bigger reward after you’ve made 10 tweets and learned how to retweet something you loved.

Struggling with designing your website? Give yourself a carrot for setting up and purchasing your domain name. Then give yourself little rewards for each page you design (your home page, your blog page, etc.). Then a BIG reward when it goes live!

Illustrating a picture book? Reward yourself when you complete the sketches. Pamper yourself after each completed spread. Reward yourself handsomely for the completed project. It doesn’t matter if it sells or not. You must keep rewarding your creative spirit.

Try it for a week. A month. A year. See how much you can accomplish when you give yourself the credit you deserve! 
             
      --FRANCINE

THE SMART KEY TO YOUR CARROTS
~Annie Cronin Romano

If you’re planning on jumping aboard the writing carrot cart, the first thing you’ve got to do is set a writing goal. This may sound straightforward, but it’s not quite as simple as you might think. Setting goals is, in itself, a kind of art. “I am going to write a novel” is not going to cut it. Why? Believe it or not, it’s too broad. Of course, you need this overall objective, but you’ll want to break it down. To be viable, writing goals, like all goals, need have certain elements. In business and education, these are called SMART goals. Really! I’m not making this up. Let’s take a look at these, shall we?

SMART is an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely (or Time-based). These are the characteristics you want your writing goal to have.

First, your goal needs to be specific. What are you going to be working on? A poem? Generating ideas for picture books? A chapter of your novel? Researching agents? Decide what project your goal relates to and specifically state it. “I’m going to work on a picture book draft.” Good start.

Making your goal measurable will help you gauge your progress. How much are you going to accomplish? You need your writing goal to state how you are going to measure your progress. Are you going to write three poems? Come up with five picture book ideas? Complete one chapter of your novel? “I’m going to complete a 600-word picture book draft.” Even better.

Is your writing goal attainable? That means you’ve got to be realistic. Ah, we writers are totally based in reality, aren’t we? When my book hits the NY Times Bestseller List… Be honest! We’ve all thought it! And there’s nothing wrong with that. Yet it’s crucial that your writing goal is based in reality, or you’ll set yourself up for failure. Life will get in the way and prevent you from meeting goals from time to time. That’s okay. But if you only have two hours free this week, then setting a goal to write ten chapters of your book is probably not feasible. Make sure you have--or are willing to make—the time. You want to push yourself…just not over a cliff! “I’ll draft, revise, edit and my entire novel, research editors, and have my manuscript submitted by the end of this month.” Whoa! Really? Good luck with that. “I’m going to complete a 500-word picture book draft by the end of the month.” Now you’re getting somewhere, Sparky!

Be relevant. “This week, I am going to teach myself how to make the perfect chocolate soufflé.” Good for you. I always wanted to try making one of those myself. But what does that have to do with writing? Unless you’re writing a cookbook or a culinary memoir, that goal isn’t relevant. Make sure to keep your goals in line with your writing project. “This month I am going to read four middle grade novels with 1st person narrators to get myself in the mind frame of 1st person point of view for my book.” There you go! Relevant!

Timing is everything, isn’t it? And having a timely, or time-based, goal is key. Saying you’re going to write a novel is terrific, but if you don’t give yourself a time frame, you could still be saying that ten years from now. Set a deadline and stick to it.  “I will draft the first three chapters of my novel by May 15.” Ha! You got it!

Consider all these SMART goal elements when setting goals for your writing. Of course, you’ll have a big-picture goal (I’m going to write a young adult novel), but breaking that goal into specific, doable pieces and sticking to your deadlines will help you make progress and meet your ultimate writing goal.

Now go set those SMART-y pants goals and earn those carrots! Chocolate, that bottle of wine, a round of golf, a trip to the book store, a beach day, chocolate…did I suggest chocolate already? Hmm…

~Annie

Like everything in life, your writing career will require balance. A balance between writing and the work of writing. 24 Carrot Writing is a mental tool you can use to find that balance.

Every month, set two writing goals. One goal will focus on writing, while the other should focus on the business or work of being a writer. 


Writing Goal

Once you have found the amazing writing community, you will be overwhelmed with all the buzz and activity: blogs, webcasts, seminars, conferences, Facebook groups, pages and pages of information and sharing and support. But don’t get so lost in the sea of community that you forget to write.  Or worse, you use it as an excuse not to write.

While it is essential that we continue to work on craft, like we have to keep going to the gym, we also need to just write.  Don’t let that wonderful basic act of writing get lost in the slew of learning, rules and marketing.

Your first goal each month will be a writing goal. The writing goal you set involves just you and your manuscript. No blogging, no websites, no chat rooms and if it frees you up – no grammar or spelling. Just write.  In the words of Jane Yolen, butt in chair!

Make sure your goal has a purpose by assigning it a measurement like words, pages, or chapters. You can target a picture book revision, or a rough draft, or a plot outline. The only rule is that it needs to be a quiet moment just between you and your writing. Think a date with your writing. No kids and no distractions. Light a candle and get in the mood to write!

Work of Writing Goal

Your second goal each month will require you to spend time managing the business of being a writer.

Put your manuscript away. This is a time for learning and connecting with the craft of writing and with the writing community.  Use this goal to set targets like researching agents, attending a seminar, reading those writing bulletins sitting in your inbox, or managing your website.

Again, give yourself an attainable but measurable goal. I will research five agents or I will read bulletins for an hour a week this month. Or be brave and use the time to write two query letters and send out two manuscripts.

This is the goal that asks you to  improve your craft. You can take a writing class, expand your writing community by having tea with a fellow writer, or move yourself toward publication by connecting with an agent or editor. This is not a solo goal but rather asks you to interact with the industry and community of children’s writing.

Carrots

Now that you have set your two goals for the month – and written them down to keep yourself honest – it is time for carrots.  Carrots are the rewards you offer yourself for hitting your targets. You can motivate yourself to complete your goals by promising a manicure, or a trip to the book store, or a treat from TJ Maxx (the place my husband calls the crack house because I am addicted to TJ Maxx carrots!).

Just like your goals, carrots need to be specific and attainable. You cannot pick a fourteen day trip to Paris with Brad Pitt as a travel companion as a carrot, but you can decide to spend the day dreaming about that trip as your carrot. Personally, I’d rather have a new pair of shoes from TJ Maxx but we all have our own carrots.

 Everyone needs carrots on the long road to publication. Reward yourself for every step you take towards realizing your dream of being a successful children’s author.

 If you set two goals a month and hit them, by the end of one year you will have rewarded yourself with 24 carrots and you will be a 24 Carrot Writer.

Set your goals and pick your carrots!

Kelly