Mr. V’s Top Ten Goals for 2009

I’ve never been one for creating New Year’s Resolution, but being that I’m too lazy to get some writing done right now, I figured I’d share a few thoughts on what I’m hoping to accomplish next year.

1) Hire someone to update my website: I started my website in July of 2005, using good-old html and Notepad. I’m relatively happy with the design, but the source code is a pain to update, and quite frankly, my time is probably better spent writing books than writing code. I’m also hoping to get my blog better integrated into the website.

2) Spend more time with family and friends: 2008 was a killer year. I spent way too many late nights trying to beat a deadline. My schedule looks much, much better this year, mainly because in July I’ll…

3) Graduate from Vermont College: All my critical work is done (more on this later this month), so now that I’m focusing mainly on my creative work, things should go a lot smoother.

4) Finish a new novel: Note that I didn’t say sell a new novel. Don’t get me wrong, I fully intend to have another book under contract by the end of the year (hopefully sooner), but much of the hocus-pocus of publishing is out of my control. However, I can control what I produce at home, in my office, on my laptop.

5) Take more chances with my work: I’m itching to do something new, something different, although I don’t really know what “new” or “different” is yet. Maybe more short stories. Or a picture book. Or a pop-up book about breasts and man-parts (my classmates will get this).

6) Read Octavion Nothing 1 and 2.

7) Do a better job at cheering on other authors: I sometimes get so wrapped up in what I’m trying to accomplish, I forget about what other authors are trying to do. There are some really great authors out there, and I want to make sure that they get their time in the spotlight.

8) Finish a joint-project with a classmate: One of my classmates and I have been talking about working on a joint MG project for almost a year now, and mostly because of me, it hasn’t gone much further than a few outlines and sample pages. I’m hoping that as things calm down, we’ll be able to work on this novel.

9) Find the drive to consistently get up at 5:00 in the morning: Ever since I turned in my last round of edits for Saving Maddie, I’ve been reluctant to get up in the morning for my usual writing routine. My goal this year is to get up and out of the house by 5:50 AM at least four days a week. This would give me almost two hours of fresh writing time before work. (And look for another post in a few months concerning motivation.)

10) Clean up my office: Seriously, it hasn’t been cleaned, dusted or vacuumed in over a year. My desk is covered with papers, books, and random receipts. Mrs. V won’t even stop foot inside my office at this point.

Hmm…on second thought, maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

Happy 2009!