by Candee Fick, @CandeeFick
It’s a month into the new year (and new decade) and chances are the shine of your brilliant resolutions and goals has already worn off. The new diet is slipping. The exercise plan falling by the wayside. And you’ve hit a wall in your story while the to-do list of marketing tasks just keeps getting bigger.
Oh, and then there’s life. Even those who are blessed to get to write full-time still have laundry and dusting and cooking and family responsibilities. Adrenaline and excitement and accountability can only carry you so far until, like the rabbit in the -known fable, you come to a screeching halt and need to rest up for the next leg of the race.
That’s where it helps to think like the turtle instead. Because slow and steady truly will get you to the finish line.
What does turtle power look like? For me it starts with breaking down my big goals into smaller milestones and my large projects into a list of specific tasks. Instead of aiming to write a new book, I focus on the first 500 words, then shoot for 1000, 5000, and 10000 word targets. Instead of a vague need to set up a book launch, I make a list of tasks including a new website banner, updating my email signature, images for social media, and crafting a dozen new promotional tweets. Other health-related goals can be broken down into tiny habits that will add up to long-term change like drinking an extra glass of water in the morning, taking the stairs, or packing a healthy snack instead of a trip to a vending machine.
Once I have a detailed list of steps to reach that desired destination, then all I have to do is the next thing. Because turtle power lies in finding—and taking—the next step in the journey. And then doing it again. And again.
Imagine if you found fifteen minutes a day to write at least 100 extra words on your work-in-progress? That’s less than the text contained two paragraphs ago. Less than a third of this post so far. Doable, right? But over the course of the rest of the year, that’s 33,500 more words on your book. A novella… without breaking a sweat.
Or back up a step to brainstorming your next story. What if you only focused on one piece of the SEQ and LINDYHOP each day? Today identify the hero’s adjective-noun description and then tomorrow ask “Why?” and dive into his Dark Moment Story. At the end of a month, you’d have solid characters and a strong spine to support your story while also giving your subconscious time and space to work out the plot kinks before you start writing.
What about social media posts or tweets? What if you wrote just one evergreen-type post today and then saved it in a content recycling and scheduling program like Social Jukebox to reuse in the future? In a year, you’d have plenty of content to maintain a social media presence with only minor tweaks required…leaving you time and mental space to focus on writing the next book instead.
Could you brainstorm a giveaway or contest or reason for a sale once a month or at least once per quarter? What would that do to energize and grow your fan base over the course of a year?
Could you try one new healthy recipe this week? Walk around the block after supper every day? Read one non-fiction personal growth or writing craft book this month? Drop your spare change in a jar and then use that money to pay down a bill or invest in a course to advance your career? Email or call an old friend to reconnect once a week? Put your phone down during a family meal and focus on the people around the table?
I have a feeling that step by step by step you’d soon find yourself much closer to achieving your personal, relationship, financial, and writing goals.
There are 335 days left in 2020. How many turtle-sized steps can you take toward your goal?
Sometimes the most heroic live in plain sight.
Tragedy stalks Gunn Castle, most recently when the heir to the Gunn chiefdom died, leaving the land vulnerable to attack. But security has come in the promise of a marriage alliance with the Clan Sinclair, the Gunns’ powerful northern neighbors.
The search is on to gather the eligible maidens…except mysterious accidents befall all who join the laird’s widow at the castle. Meanwhile, messengers have been spotted along the southern border, and Clan Sinclair may be walking into a trap.
With war looming and a madwoman in their midst, the only hope for a peaceful future may lie in the hands of a disfigured Gunn recluse and the overlooked second son of Clan Sinclair.
If you like clean medieval romance, the Scottish Highlands, and cheering for the underdog, then you’ll love the first installment of this new series from Candee Fick.
Candee Fick is the romance editor for a small Christian press and a multipublished, award-winning author. She is the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy editing or writing, she can be found cheering on the home team at sporting events, exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book.