This week, I would like you to decide on your long-term and short-term writing goals. Most of you have indeed posted your goals. So, I have sent all the people who posted their goals a free e-book via email. I hope you received it. Please let me know if you didn’t. Okay, so now that you have your long-term goals, and short-term goals, I will ask you to divide these up into even smaller goals. Here are my goals for the next 6 weeks: Short-term writing Goal for September and October: Revise Scattered Mind (September14-25th) Revise The Healthy Writer (September 28th to October 16) Revise Malaise book (October 16th to October 30) Each of my books is 16 chapters long. So, here is how my next six weeks will look like when I break this main revision goal into smaller, measureable units for each of my manuscripts. (NOTE: This next 6 week period, I will be revising as I have three books that I would like to submit for publication by the end of the year. So, until November, I will be revising. You need to decide what you will be doing for the next few weeks, whether it is revising, writing new material or both.) Okay here are my goals… GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 For Scattered Mind MONDAY: Revise Chapter 1 and 2 –on paper TUESDAY: Revise Chapter 3 and 4 –on paper Make changes to chapters 1 and 2 on the computer Proofread changes WEDNESDAY: Revise Chapter 5 and 6 –on paper Make changes to chapters 3 and 4 on the computer Proofread changes THURSDAY: Revise Chapter 7 and 8 –on paper Make changes to chapters 5 and 6 on the computer Proofread changes FRIDAY: Revise Chapter 9 and 10 –on paper Make changes to chapters 7 and 8 on the computer Proofread changes GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 For Scattered Mind MONDAY: Revise Chapter 11 and 12 –on paper Make changes to chapters 9 and 10 on the computer Proofread changes TUESDAY: Revise Chapter 13 and 14 –on paper Make changes to chapters 11 and 12 on the computer Proofread changes WEDNESDAY: Revise Chapter 15 and 16 –on paper Make changes to chapters 13 and 14 on the computer Proofread changes THURSDAY: Revise Conclusion on paper Make changes to chapters 15 and 16 on the computer Proofread changes FRIDAY: Make changes Conclusion on the computer Proofread changes Set Scattered Mind aside for two weeks GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 The Healthy Writer MONDAY: Revise Chapter 1 and 2 –on paper TUESDAY: Revise Chapter 3 and 4 –on paper Make changes to chapters 1 and 2 on the computer Proofread changes WEDNESDAY: Revise Chapter 5 and 6 –on paper Make changes to chapters 3 and 4 on the computer Proofread changes THURSDAY: Revise Chapter 7 and 8 –on paper Make changes to chapters 5 and 6 on the computer Proofread changes FRIDAY: Revise Chapter 9 and 10 –on paper Make changes to chapters 7 and 8 on the computer Proofread changes GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 5th, 2015 The Healthy Writer MONDAY: Revise Chapter 11 and 12 –on paper Make changes to chapters 9 and 10 on the computer Proofread changes TUESDAY: Revise Chapter 13 and 14 –on paper Make changes to chapters 11 and 12 on the computer Proofread changes WEDNESDAY: Revise Chapter 15 and 16 –on paper Make changes to chapters 13 and 14 on the computer Proofread changes THURSDAY: Revise Conclusion on paper Make changes to chapters 15 and 16 on the computer Proofread changes FRIDAY: Make changes Conclusion on the computer Proofread changes Set The Healthy Writer aside for two weeks GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 12th, 2015 Goals: Send off Scattered Mind and Healthy Writer to the Publisher by the end of October. MONDAY: Look over Scattered Mind Create Table of Contents Create an Index Page Create a Title Page TUESDAY: Read over Scattered Mind while sitting in an easy chair with a red pen in hand. Make any changes on computer. Set manuscript aside and get ready to send it to 5 potential publishers that I researched before sitting down to write the book. WEDNESDAY: Look over The Healthy Writer Create Table of Contents Create an Index Page Create a Title Page THURSDAY: Read over The Healthy Writer while sitting in an easy chair with a red pen in hand. Make any changes on computer. Set manuscript aside and get ready to send it to 5 potential publishers that I researched before sitting down to write the book. FRIDAY: Send the manuscripts out to first publisher GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF October 19, 2015 Revise Malaise MONDAY: Revise Chapter 1 and 2 –on paper TUESDAY: Revise Chapter 3 and 4 –on paper Make changes to chapters 1 and 2 on the computer Proofread changes WEDNESDAY: Revise Chapter 5 and 6 –on paper Make changes to chapters 3 and 4 on the computer Proofread changes THURSDAY: Revise Chapter 7 and 8 –on paper Make changes to chapters 5 and 6 on the computer Proofread changes FRIDAY: Revise Chapter 9 and 10 –on paper Make changes to chapters 7 and 8 on the computer Proofread changes GOALS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 26th, 2015 Malaise MONDAY: Revise Chapter 11 and 12 –on paper Make changes to chapters 9 and 10 on the computer Proofread changes TUESDAY: Revise Chapter 13 and 14 –on paper Make changes to chapters 11 and 12 on the computer Proofread changes WEDNESDAY: Revise Chapter 15 and 16 –on paper Make changes to chapters 13 and 14 on the computer Proofread changes THURSDAY: Revise Conclusion on paper Make changes to chapters 15 and 16 on the computer Proofread changes FRIDAY: Make changes Conclusion on the computer Proofread changes Set Malaise aside for two weeks So, as you can see, by the end of October, I will have revised 3 manuscripts and have 2 sent out and one ready to send out within a few weeks. That is what I mean by breaking down your short-term writing goals into smaller, doable units. This way, you have a measurable way to determine how you are doing on your goals. Now what I would like you to all do, is choose ONE writing goal, and do the same kind of breakdown into small bits as I did above. Irene S. Roth