New year, New goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Ok, so I'm ten days late.  Those of you that know me aren't surprised.  Those of you who don't will learn I'm always running behind.  That statement assumes I have a following of which I am not aware; it helps boost my confidence, so let's keep assuming.  I survived a way too short break from school which included a visit to Kentucky and a visit from NOVA.  It was great spending time with family, meeting my brand new nephew, and doing some reading for entertainment.  Now, the novelty has worn off, and I am officially in panic mode.

I didn't accomplish my goal of finishing the novel in December.  Seriously, what was I thinking?  I've decided that 2010 will be the year of no regrets, so I'm just going to establish new writing goals and new life goals and move forward.  So, here we go.  As for writing, I'm going to try to make my goals attainable yet challenging, specific yet vague, and entertaining yet laborious.  Here they are, and please comment as to whether you believe I have accomplished all the adverbs in the previous sentence.

1. I am going to create five blog entries a week.
2. I am going to complete three writing exercises a week.
3. I am going to incorporate three vocabulary words a week.
4. I am going to write short stories for three of the four "First Line" submission dates.
5. I am going to complete the first draft of my novel by April 1, 2010.
6. I am going to apply to attend the Hindman Settlement School Appalachian Writer's Workshop in August 2010.
7. I am going to draft, revise, and submit at least one short story to a publication
8. I am going to outline and perhaps continue writing on my fantasy novel, with hopes of finishing it this year.

Whew!  That is quite an agenda I've set for myself.  I've tried to give myself some wiggle room while still challenging myself to accomplish a good amount of writing this year.  I'm sure there will be weeks I don't succeed; however, I feel I have set good goals.  Without further ado, here I go.

I'm going to count Sunday as the beginning of the week instead of the end.  This blog entry will count as one for this week, and here is the result of a writing exercise, which will count as one of my three for this week.

Writing Exercise #10 from The Write Brain Workbook:

Just like the little red caboose said, "I think I can; I think I can."  Upstairs lived a little old man who used this mantra every time he returned from his bi-weekly trip to the mailbox three flights below his apartment.  He chugged and puffed like an old steam engine, and got slower with every flight.  Right across the hall from him lived an overly ambitious, recent college graduate.  One would think she would pick up the mail for her elderly neighbor, but I'm sure the thought never crossed her mind.  She was too busy losing weight, gaining recommendations, building networks, and tearing down gender roles to notice those around her.  Left-wing activists resided in the third apartment on that floor.  The two of them were always putting flyers on the rest of our doors to inform us of the evils being done to us of which we must be unaware.  Down the hall from me was a quiet, thirty-something accountant.  We made a motley crew, but together we changed the bustling town of Midhaven forever.