Goals Change

I’m revamping my goals for 2012. I’m dropping my picture book goals, it’s more my go-to when I’m playing with my daughter than it is a serious desire for publication. I think it’s just my playground right now.

I’d planned on writing one novel and revising another, and that’ll stay the same, but the schedule is changing, as is the project. I wanted to revise Shadow of Blood starting in February, but for workshop specific reasons, I’d like to apply to the workshop of my dreams with my absolute best writing, not something I wrote five years ago.

So I’ve jumped back into worldbuilding a project I started many years ago. The title came to me before the story did, “Winter Warrior” with the image of a short, spunky little warrior from the arctic zones with a snow leapoard for a pal. I wrote a short story around the par, which didn’t fare well as a short story because it was really my muase showing me how much fun this gal would be to write, wouldn’t I rather put her in a novel? So I am. I’d built the basics of the world, including a pretty serious map, and several nations, basic government structures, geographical climates and a preliminary magic system.

Because of this effort and my love for this world, I ended up writing two other short stories in this world with different characters. (Short story characters, but events that are linked to the horrible things in this world’s history, past and recent).

The plan is to worldbuild, plot, and research for the next two weeks. I’m taking a few days off with my family to visit some warmer climes, then driving into chapter one.

A symphony of characters is now calling to me, with complications to Armina’s mission, and hints of betrayal. In my heart, this is my best story yet. Can’t wait to get it written and see if I’m right.

And this is why I consider goals “guidelines” rather than absolutes i am required to strictly adhere to.

Also, now you know that when I say “happy writing”, I mean it.

~ Dawn