by Kariss Lynch, @Kariss_Lynch
Maybe you’ve seen those 2021 memes: “Everyone come in, sit down, be quiet, and don’t touch anything.” Or maybe you’ve been hesitant to plan too far this year because 2020 was the year of unpredictability and redirected plans.
Maybe you just need to hear that you are not a slave to the circumstances of the world around you. You have the ability to somewhat direct your little slice of this planet.
Here’s what I mean by that.
You can choose how much writing time you give yourself. You can choose to be thankful for this moment right now where you get to pause and think and dream a little about the possibilities. You’ve been given a gift. You get to decide how to use it this year.
Maybe 2020 made you just a little goal shy. That’s ok. Grab a journal and a pen. Set your timer for twenty-one minutes (in honor of this new year). And for those precious minutes, dream of what you would like to do with your writing this year.
What characters come to mind?
What setting?
What are their hopes and dreams?
What are they struggling with?
What theme do your readers need to seize?
What hopeful ending can you provide? It’s okay if there are some hazardous twists on the way to hopeful. That’s life, right?
My hope and prayer is that your dreaming will reinvigorate your goal setting, which will launch you into accomplishing those dreams and goals.
My hope and prayer is that your dreaming will reinvigorate your goal setting, which will launch you into accomplishing those dreams and goals.
Let’s take it a step further. Let’s dip our toes into actual goal setting.
What’s one writing goal you want to accomplish this month?
How about by the end of March?
What about by the end of June?
It’s okay if you don’t want to plan the whole year. When I look at 2021, I’m overwhelmed with the changes coming for our little family, starting with a big move this spring. But I KNOW I am capable of accomplishing one small goal a month. And I find that once I accomplish that goal, I am motivated to find another and another.
You will, too, friend. If 2020 beat you down, know it doesn’t have to win. You get to choose how you plan your days. You get to choose how to use this writing gift. One small step. One word after another. Pretty soon you’ll look back at a successful year…and maybe even a complete manuscript. I’m starting fresh, too, friend. I’m in it with you. Let’s encourage one another as we seize this writing gift together. Trust me, friend. You’ve got this.
When a car almost runs over him in the middle of a snowstorm, ex-Navy SEAL Micah Richards knows he’s hit rock bottom. After the deaths of several of his teammates, Micah is sure of two things: he only hurts those he tries to protect and their deaths are his fault. He has one family left on his list to pay his respects but stranded on the side of a mountain in the middle of the night, Micah has run low on options until Casey Stewart comes careening into his life.
The last thing Casey wants is a man, especially one as charming and handsome as Micah who reminds her of her heartache from high school. And especially not when she has so much on her plate: kids trapped in the middle of bad neighborhood cycles at home and a sister who needs out from under their mother’s roof. But helping is in her nature, and something about Micah makes her want to let him in.
Now in the same city, Micah and Casey just can’t seem to stay away from one another, despite Casey’s best efforts. The more, he gets to know the community, the more he wants to stay. When a local drug dealer goes awry, Casey has only one person to turn to—the one who could hurt her heart the most. Micah must face the demons of his past to fight for his new team and new dream—a woman with the heart of a warrior who fights for others. A woman he would die for.
Kariss Lynch is the author of the Heart of a Warrior series and loves writing romance about characters with big dreams, adventurous hearts, and enduring hope. In her free time, Kariss goes on adventures with her own personal handsome hero, explores the great outdoors, and tries not to plot five stories at once. Connect with her at karisslynch.com, or on Facebook, Instagram, or Goodreads.