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My sweet Ed the dog, may he RIP

Google defines blogging as "add new material to or regularly update a blog." I used to blog, both here on blogspot and on the Spellbound Scribes. Then the Scribes went on hiatus and life got in the way. Blogging was one of the things I let slide.

To say I've been inconsistent with this blog is fairly hilarious - one post every other year makes you invisible, not inconsistent. I'm feeling the itch, though, so one of my New Years Resolutions is to blog more regularly. I manage once a month on the Scribes, but now I want to double that. 

That's right. You can look forward to twice a month blog posts on liv-rancourt.blogspot.com!

Did you know that when you google a word's definition, you also get a little graphic showing how often a word has been used? (Handy for historical romance authors, ya know?) I don't know why it amuses me, but "blogging" shows a flat line until about 1995.

You might be wondering what I've got to blog about. I expect it'll be similar to my posts on the Spellbound Scribes; a mix of writing craft, what I'm up to, and stuff that pisses me off. I'll also post flash-fiction pieces, along the lines of The Hunt, my December post. I could also see doing a serialized story, depending on how things go. I'll start with two posts a month and see where I find my groove.

All of this has me wondering whether you make New Years Resolutions.

I've made a couple besides blogging. I've committed to limiting my game time on my phone to an hour a day (hard!) and eating more vegetables (harder!). It might not seem like much, but when I make resolutions, I try to keep a few basic rules in mind.

Goals should be specific, measurable, and within your control.

Twice a month blogging fits into that fairly well, as does limiting game time on my phone. (What an effing time-suck Two Dots can be! Don't download it!!) Eating more vegetables is a little nebulous, though if I give it some thought, it won't be hard to figure out how to articulate that goal in a way that fits the rules.

I will eat 1.5 - 2 cups of fruit and 2 - 3 cups of vegetables a day, every day, 

in order to lose the weight I gained over the holidays.

See? That wasn't hard at all. 

In general, setting goals is easier than keeping them, but keeping them is easier if you make them as specific as possible. "I'm going to change my life," might feel good in the sparkle of New Years Eve champagne, but "I'm going to do 30 minutes a day on the spin bike" is a lot more concrete. 

It's important to keep in mind that your goal should be something that is within your control. An author might say "this year I'm going to sign with an agent", but it's up the an agent to offer a contract - or not. 

What's within an author's control? Research, queries, and persistence.

"I'm going to research agents in January, come up with a list of names in February, 

send out queries in March, and rinse-and-repeat until I'm offered a contract."

Also, an author can hone their craft and make sure their books is the best it can be. 

Which isn't to discourage anyone from making big goals. Something like, "I'll wear my high school jeans to my 20th class reunion" might feel grandiose, but break it into smaller steps that define the scope of the goal and articulate what it'll take to get there. Then use the success that comes from accomplishing small steps to motivate the next and the next after that.

Dream big, but keep your feet on the ground!

This all reminds me of the song, "In My Mind" by Amanda Palmer. I'm not all that familiar with Ms Palmer's music, but the lyrics for this one are so accurate and so honest that I can't help but love it. Check out the link if you're curious, and btw leave me a comment with your favorite NY Resolution. I'd love to hear from you!