Happy June Year's Eve!

by Kelly Carey

It's June and so it is time to assess how your annual writing goals are progressing. Use June Year's Eve to take stock of your accomplishments, reinvest in those goals that need more attention, and set yourself up for success in 2016.

To that end, I am re-posting a blog from June of 2015 and wishing you a Happy June Year's Eve! 


In January, bubbly with champagne excitement and intoxicated by the shimmering crystal ball in Time’s Square, we all set down our writing goals for the year. Since writers are ambitious dreamers, we probably set very lofty goals. To that I say, good for us!  That drive and stamina to succeed will get our manuscripts published.

But did you over promise? Did some unforeseen event steal time and attention from your writing? Did your January va-va-voom  sput-sput-sputter somewhere in March? Then I would like to be the first to wish you a Happy June Year’s Eve!

June marks the mid-year point and is an excellent time to track our progress and make sure we are well positioned for writing success. In June,  writing goals and resolutions everywhere can be given a solid scrubbing, and REVISED for success.  You set New Year’s resolutions, now is the time for June Year’s resolutions.

As writers, we are not only intimately aware of the power of revision, but we are also experts at revising.  It is time to apply that skill not to our manuscripts, but to our writing goals. Read through your goals, keep what is working and toss those goals that just don’t fit or make sense anymore. Maybe that middle grade novel whispered to you on a cold day in March (which frankly could have been any day in March since they were all cold) and you put aside your picture book plans.  Perhaps you had a light bulb moment while attending a conference, reading a blog, or while brushing your teeth (true story, just ask Amanda!). Great! Time to make your writing goals match that reality.

Just reminding yourself of the promises you made and the plans you had will refocus your energy for the next six months. This is not a bash session. Do not beat yourself up over missed goals. You are not giving up, you are revising.  What writer would forsake revision?

I’d like to clink a glass with you on New Year’s Eve in celebration of hitting our writing goals.  The best way to make this happen is with a serious mid-year goal revision.

Happy June Year’s Eve and happy goal revising!  

 I took a peek at my 2016 writing goals and was thrilled to see that I am ahead on some of my benchmarks. For example, I've already hit my target goal for the number of workshops and conferences I had hoped to attend this year. Cue the big smile, the feeling of accomplishment, and the internal "you go girl".   Then I noted some areas that I hadn't even realized were being neglected. I am way behind on writing query letters, and - what do you know - I had set a goal of revising a middle grade novel in progress.  I had totally forgotten about that lofty goal.  Lucky for me I celebrate June Year's Eve and can use the fizzy euphoria of this wonderful holiday to reinvest in my goals for the next six months of the year. 

Pop some champagne and set yourself yp for writing success this year!

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