JB Lynn

Hijinks, Hilarity and Heart

writing goals

Best laid plans — Day 6 of 100 Days of Effort

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Anyone else start off with the best of intentions and then face-plant?

Do not adjust your screens, I failed to report in on days 4 and 5 of my effort. I’m still fighting a funk that’s made writing a challenge to say the least. I haven’t even looked at my word count for fear it will depress me.

But, I did take some cool photographs. (Yes, I know, nothing to do with writing but still a creative outlet.)

The moon at sunset
The moon 90 minutes after sunset
And I finally got a decent picture of the local blue heron

While I didn’t get much writing done, I DID complete the copy edits for 3 Times a Charm

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Family Reunions Can Be Magic…Or Murder

Ravena Valentina used to hate magic.

Not anymore. Now she uses it to protect Richie, a boy coming into his own magical powers. 

She does still hate the curse binding her to the spirit of her witchy former mother-in-law. Ravena’s searching for the perfect love song to break that, while navigating her complicated relationship with the hot magician, Sol.

But Richie’s enemies are relentless. 

Even with the help of a loyal wizard’s assistant, a sexy dragon, a wise Element and a talking goldfish, protecting the kid can be deadly. 

And things only get worse when his long-lost father shows up.

Some days I suck — Day 3 of 101 Days of Effort

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I didn’t write at all yesterday.

There’s a pink “W” marked on my calendar for yesterday, which means I was scheduled to Work. That means I should have focused on: Writing, editing, and administrative tasks. I did none of it. I failed.

I was a complete and total slug. Except for picking up groceries, I have no idea what I wasted the day doing besides playing a ridiculous amount of solitaire. I woke up in a lousy mood (in truth, my mood has not been great for days, but I managed to push past that until yesterday). Yesterday, I deviated from my schedule, let my mood take over, and accomplished nothing…except beating myself up all day long for not accomplishing anything. Sigh. It’s a vicious cycle.

I’m a big fan of Willpower Doesn’t Work by Benjamin Hardy and yesterday I totally disregarded all the lessons I’ve learned from it. (In a nutshell, your environment and your systems lend more to your success than relying on willpower.)

I went off the rails first thing. Here’s how my morning system is supposed to work:

Gratitude practice before I get out of bed

Drink 16 oz of water

Go for a walk

Write

***no internet before word count for the day has been met

What I actually did yesterday:

Gratitude

Water

Got on the internet (first misstep)

No walk (second misstep)

Then I was doomed….

Okay, not doomed, but I failed to get it together and the day was a waste. I didn’t relax…I just spent the whole day in conflict with myself.

Today there’s a blue “O” on my calendar. I’m supposed to have the day off. I’ve got a Zoom coffee date scheduled with a friend. Once that’s done, I need to write. I’m 2900 words behind on my word count goal…so that’s the goal for today, to catch up on that and to edit Friday’s words.

I’ll let you know how I do….

Looking forward — Day 1 of 101 Days of Effort

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What does the future hold for Maggie Lee?

That’s a subject that dominates the beginning of THE HITWOMAN OWES A FAVOR (book number 25 in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series).

Yesterday I started my 101 Days of Effort project. I took it as a good omen that there was a pretty sunrise to start the day.

Hopefully it bodes well for the future of Hitwoman 25.

I got off to a good start by adding 3408 words to the manuscript. (The goal was to add 3200 words.) Only 100 more days to go…

This writer’s 101 Days of Effort

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Also Known As: Just how crazy of a writer am I?

I’ve debated about whether to share this. I was worried people might find it to be obnoxious. Heck, there are days when I find myself obnoxious. But there are also days when I’m searching for inspiration. Days when I’m wondering, “How do they do that?”

On the off chance I can inspire one person, or give someone a different perspective on how to approach something, I’ve decided to share.

Earlier this year, when I was in danger of succumbing to the pandemic blues, I decided to spend the 100 days before my trip to North Carolina making a concentrated effort to get a ton done. (The much needed change of scenery being my reward.)

I like big goals that I can get excited about!

Overall the endeavor was semi-successful. And in today’s world, that’s a win. It means I did way better than I would have if I’d gotten sucked into the pandemic blues, even though I got a bit burnt out. I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to, but I still managed to do quite a bit of writing. (Though taking up stepping was a HUGE success. I’ve been told I need to have my knees replaced and I had NO PAIN despite doing a fair amount of hiking. Before stepping, my knees were bothering me just walking around.)

About three-quarters of the way through I swore I’d never take on anything so daunting again. But as soon as it was over, I realized I missed the challenge.

All the medical experts have made it clear that life is not going to get back to normal in the next 101 days, so I’ve decided to use this “downtime” as productively as I can.

This round I’ve spent more time planning what I hope to accomplish during this sustained period of effort. I also scheduled time off…something I failed to do the first time around. In fact I spent a good portion of my time away, just thinking about what I want to do based on what I did “wrong” last time.

How much planning? The bag contains all the clothes I packed for my three week retreat. In addition to bringing my computer, this is how many notebooks and ink refills I brought. (And yes, I used every notebook…my knees might not have bothered me, but there were nights when my hand hurt, lol.)

I’ll be sharing more specifics as I move forward, but my hopes for the next 101 days (through 2/28/21) are to be disciplined about my time (on work days…and to be disciplined about NOT working on non-work days) and write 210,000 words.

The 25th book in my Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series is the first project I’m writing. It’s all plotted out. I wrote the first scene. The blurb is written. I even have the cover already. Needless to say I’m excited.

I’m certainly not advocating that anyone should take on my insane kind of goals, but what could YOU do to move toward something YOU want?

Last Quarter of 2020

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Wow!

Can you believe that we’re already entering the last three months of 2020? I still have soooo much I want to accomplish this year. What about you?

My top goals for this month include publishing 2 Spells Too Many at the end of the month and finishing Cursed Chicks 3.

I’m also in desperate need of some “unplugged” time so that’s a priority for this last quarter. This whole combination of pandemic and election season has been stressing me out, so I’ve been throwing myself into my work, but I need a break.

As for the rest of the quarter, I want to write Hitwoman 25 (OMG TWENTY-FIVE!!!!) and finish my passion project…and at least start Psychic Consignment 4. (Is it any wonder I need a break?!?!)

New month!

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Happy September!

Can you believe we’re two-thirds of the way through 2020 already. As is my practice, I was just reviewing my accomplishments for last month and getting clear on my goals for this month.

Last month’s big work accomplishment was publishing The Hitwoman Plays Games.

My personal accomplishment was getting through a more difficult step workout. (Yes, I know that doing step workouts sounds like I’ve stepped back in time, but they’re the only cardio workout that doesn’t cause my terribly bad knees pain so I’m sticking with them.)

I tend to set very big goals for myself, so I rarely (if ever, lol) accomplish everything I set out to do, but I do tend to get a lot done.

Right now my big writing goals are to finish the second Cursed Chicks manuscript and to work on the third book in the series.

I’m also working on my passion project…though that’s a back-burner project that I’m hoping to finish by the end of the year.

Do you have any goals for September?

The Magic Formula?

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I was talking to an acquaintance the the other day who asked me what the magic formula for writing is.

After exerting ALL my self-control to not roll my eyes or scoff at her (in times of pandemic, I’m thinking scoffing is crueler than usual) I managed to tell her that the “magic formula” is work. Usually hard work that no one can even see that you’re doing until your “magical” success when you finish a manuscript, publish a book, or hit a list.

There’s no magical formula, but there IS some writing advice I give to everyone who asks.

Years ago I saw this advice from author Bob Mayer (or I heard him say it at a workshop…either way he gets the credit): I would do anything to succeed at _______, just don’t ask me to _________.

Most people can fill in both blanks pretty easily.

“I would do anything to succeed at skydiving, just don’t ask me to jump out of a plane.”

“I would do anything to be covered in great tattoos, just don’t ask me to face a needle.”

Those might seem like extreme and/or silly examples, but we’re not always the most logical of beings.

For writers they might look like:

I would do anything to succeed at writing a book, just don’t ask me to give up playing video games to make the time to actually write.

or

I would do anything to succeed at landing my dream agent, just don’t ask to face the rejections that result as part of the querying process.

Right now my personal statement is: I would do anything to finish this latest Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman book, just don’t ask me to be funny in the midst of all this worldwide suffering and turmoil. (If you haven’t read the books, “funny” is a prerequisite and I’ve been struggling mightily with this manuscript.)

What about you? What are you dreaming of? What are your goals?

Take a second to fill in those blanks for yourself.

I would do anything to succeed at ____________, just don’t ask me to _________.

If you can force yourself to actually do whatever the second blank is, you’ve got a decent chance of creating your own magic.

Six Chapters Available to Read!

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Have you been keeping busy? I have!

I’ve been writing and posting chapters for

a free serial

Make sure to head over to the CURSED CHICKS CLUB to read the first six chapters (more available soon) of ONE FLEW OVER THE RAVEN’S NEST.

You may think your mother-in-law is a witch, but RV’s really was.

And now there’s a very real chance she’ll be haunted by Mildred Bloodworth for eternity.

The only way to free herself from the curse that binds them, is for RV to make amends for Millie’s misdeeds.

Accompanied by a possessed Siamese cat, RV embarks, in her mother-in-law’s pink camper van, on a journey to right wrongs. But plans, like spells, can backfire.

RV drives right into a crime scene and quickly becomes the chief suspect in a mysterious murder.

Determined to prove her innocence, RV investigates with the help of a lucky penny, a wise owl, a reclusive turtle, and a magician whose agenda is unknown.

I’ve also been keeping busy with finishing up the story edits for Hitwoman 23! I’ll share the cover and blurb for that soon!

Plus, I just finished taking a great class, Unlock Your Five Star Future, for creative entrepreneurs with Mel Jolly.

Make sure to sign up for her newsletter to know when registration opens again. (HINT: it’s going to be very soon.) Even if you’re not interested in the class, you should know that the tips she shares in her newsletter make it a “must read” for me every week.

As you know, I’m always chasing down goals. Next post, I’ll show you how my crafting is coming along. (Prepare to chuckle!)

Writing Talismans

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Do you believe in talismans?

Here’s the definition according to Merriam-Webster:

I love calling the objects I use “talismans” not because I believe they’re magical, but because they connect me to the magic of writing. They serve as a constant reminder of what I’m trying to achieve.

So what are my writing talismans?

For the first few years my talisman for my CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN series was a lizard necklace. Now it’s this guy, given to me by an amazing friend to celebrate the sale (or maybe it was the release? Can’t remember it was a long time ago, lol) of the first book in the series. Godzilla hangs in my kitchen so that I see him every day.

For the Psychic Consignment Mystery series, I wore these crystal bracelets (that represent items that figure heavily in the books) and this little fella who is the inspiration for one of the characters was my constant writing companion.

It’s Pim!!!

I had to search for quite a while to find the perfect talisman for the upcoming spinoff series of the Hitwoman books. It’s too early to show you that, I don’t want to jinx it, lol.

I believe that a physical reminder of what you’re trying to achieve (it doesn’t have to be writing related!!!) can be a potent tool for achieving your goals.

Do you use talismans?