I have been neglecting my manuscript recently. It has been nagging at me as of late, and stressing me out. I’m not competitive by nature, but a writer friend of mine made a comment on Facebook recently which, unintentionally, made me feel like the biggest slacker; really making me want to step up to the plate and say, “See I can write a novel too!”

It made me see the  lack of effort I have been putting into my main goal. I haven’t touched it in several weeks. I can’t achieve my goals by sitting on my ass waiting for inspiration to hit! I have to find it. Right? 

As I said in my last post, I have been really focused on plotting out my topics, and growing my audience. Which has been good for the website, but not so good for my manuscript. I need to get back on track. I am, once again, finding it difficult to balance writing a blog and writing my novel. (The eternal struggle.)

Plotting a novel is the same concept as a blog post, but in greater detail. I needed ideas on how to make the editing process easier for me and decided to ask for help from experienced writers. Long story short, they all told me to find a good workbook and plot out every detail of the story. 

I did as recommended, but wanted something that wasn’t going to be a one time use kind of deal. If it worked, I wanted to be able to reuse the system without having to buy another workbook. I decided the best option was to go digital. So, I found a PDF that looked promising, and bought it! All I have to do is print off a new workbook when I am ready to start a new project; it’s wonderful. It is only day three, but the workbook seems promising. I will post my full review on the workbook soon; likely after I have edited Becoming the Weaver.

I will continue with the theme of setting goals. As I said earlier I am trying to find a balance with writing and growing my audience. In order to keep working towards that goal, I will continue to post weekly, but I am holding off on developing my pinterest strategy. Instead I will replace it with focusing on editing my manuscript. To help me along I will post a weekly essay. Maybe a tale of a shop boy and his mother; a peek into the life of a hooker and her pimp.  A hit-man hired to kill the competition. If anyone has any suggestions on a daily writing prompt, please feel free to comment, and I will add it to the list.  The more essays I can come up with the better.

Here is my updated list: (For anyone who is interested. I am mainly posting them to hold myself accountable.)

Short term goals:

• Edit book
• Develop  podcast

Long term goals:

• Build network
• Self publish
• Earn revenue

I have set a goal of 30 days to finish my first edit. Heavily utilising the workbook while doing so. I’m hoping this new strategy will help me punch through the mental block I have put on myself. Self doubt can either be my worst enemy, or my biggest motivation, right?  I’m tired of it kicking my ass, so I guess I should try the other option. 

Thanks for reading. Until next week, stay healthy.