Sunday, March 6, 2011

Conquering Goals (& creating them)

One of the things that I’ve been pondering lately is reaching goals or destination points. This year, I finished my first series (YAY! Darkest Mercy just released) and I have the release of my first adult book (Graveminder, May 17th) and my first anthology (Enthralled, co-edited with Kelley Armstrong, releases 20 Sept 2011). A friend of mine just reached a lifelong goal. I leave for NY tomorrow to see him sing and act in a musical theatre production. There’s something very satisfying about reaching goals . . . and in creating them.

I’m a planner. When I was in high school, I had a Life Plan:
• degree (B.A.),
• degree (M.A.),
• job,
• adopt child,
• possibly another degree?
• Start to write a book at 40.

I had no plans to marry, and a number of doctors told me I couldn’t have a child biologically.
After my M.A., I paused, unsure if I should go for another degree or teach for a while.

Finances and general burn-out on being a student made the decision clearer, and I opted to teach. . . and make a Revised Life Plan:
• Teach for 2-4 years.
• Another degree or
• Adopt (i.e. get to be a mother by mid-30s)
• Start to write novel at 40

But the following year (1998), I got pregnant, miscarried, got pregnant again. I decided to get married. Suddenly, I had two children (a 4 yr old and an infant). I was teaching. All that was left on my goals list was to write a book. With only one of my major goals left, I was stricken by fear. Dreams are delicate things. I had reached two of the biggies (motherhood & teaching), but my schedule was all sorts of off.

I clung to the notion that I wouldn’t write until 40. . . then my husband deployed, and I was suddenly alone in a new state (CA) and had to decide between daycare so I could start my new teaching job or be a stay-at-home-mom for a year. Being a SAHM was never on my schedule. I’d always planned to be a single mom.

I stayed home.

Six months in, I also started teaching part-time because really, I’m not as good at being a SAHM as I hoped to be. The house was orderly; I homeschooled; I wrote. We went to the library weekly. Museums, beach, gymnastics (2X/week for each child, plus open gym), swim lessons, hiking, camping, making paper from scratch, working out, beach . . . I was still bat-shit crazy half the time. Too much freaking time! Must. Find. Tasks.

I had that one big goal/dream/item on the list. I was NOT 40 though. Friends, family, and spouse all gently suggested that my “must be 40” rule was a little unbalanced. So . . . in 2003, I started Revised Life Plan C:
  • Write book or get another degree
I applied to another degree program, and then I started to write, allowing myself 3 years to do so. I got into the program—and I finished a book. I weighed writing (which could possibly earn me a dollar or two) or a degree (costs money). While debating, I wrote Wicked Lovely. The day after I finished it, I started another book. I declined admission to the university, and I queried more agents (late 2005).

Somehow over the past 5 years, I’ve written 5 more books. I turn 39 this year. I’ve hit the key items on the Life Plans, as well as a few random ones (mostly travel related) and . . . I suddenly need to come up with new plans.

Of course, I have general writing goals:
• Co-author a book
• Write in a new genre (middle-grade, contemporary, or historical)
• Write a screenplay
• Create a dual story narrative with story intersection (a la Faulkner’s Wild Palms)
• Write a straight-up horror novel

But I need other possibilities too. I’m pondering starting a business, learning rock climbing, or . . . beginning to plan for getting another degree. Maybe that will be my turning 50 goal. It could work, right? We’ll see. The goal is to create the new goal list before I hit 40, so I have 16 months to make the newest Life Plan.

I think the idea of striving for things is a compelling force. I like goals of all sorts. It’s kinda satisfying to conquer them. So . . . reply here & tell me some of your goals. I’ll send 3 copies of Darkest Mercy and 1 ARC of Graveminder out to randomly selected winners on April 6th.

+1 for each tweet, FB, blog this blog post (up to 4 extra entries).


Find me online:
Melissa-Marr.com
• My Twitter
• Wicked Lovely FB Fan Page
• Wicked Lovely Mobile

PS HUGE thanks to you all for making the 5th/final Wicked Lovely book a USA Today bestseller list & putting the WL series on the NY Times bestseller list again! *sends you all many hugs!!!*

59 comments:

Avery said...

Currently I am 20 years old and in my third year of my undergraduate degree in bioarchaeological anthropology. Next year I will finish my undergrad and graduate with an honours specialization in bioarch. I then plan to apply to grad school right after graduating and studying either osteology or primatology. 2 years of Masters/ 4 years of Ph.D and I will be 27 years old. I then either want to move somewhere like Madagascar and study my darling primates or dig up bones- or become a professor- I haven't decided yet.

And all the while I want to keep book blogging and I think that it would be pretty awesome-sauce to write a YA paranormal romance somewhere along the line... ;)

Thanks so much for the giveaway! And I am glad that you were able to accomplish all of your goals! It gives me hope! ;)

Avery
averys.book.nook@hotmail.ca

Harley said...

My goal is to read 100 books this year, i hope i can do it! :D

Avery said...

+1 for tweeting about this post/ giveaway (@AverysBookNook)

Avery
averys.book.nook@hotmail.ca

Harley said...

*Harley--22@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'm constantly setting goals for myself. My current list includes:
1. Finish and submit a novel before graduating high school.
2. Get my PhD. in (insert undecided major here).
3. Get a Dalmatian.
4. Publish a book before I'm 50.

My writing goals are a little more short term, the only one right now being finish my novel.

assume_nothing5[AT]yahoo[DOT]com

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/austine94/status/44542455885856768
Blogged: http://themagickpen.blogspot.com/2011/03/supernatural-underground-conquering.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wordsforthought/posts/203220583023531

Reading Mind / The Loyal Book said...

I am getting my MA in less than 10 days so here are my new, revised goals:

-graduating
-starting my freelance career as a translator
-in the meantime, applying for a job in the publishing biz.
-attending book fairs around Italy (my country) and worldwide as soon as I get some money
-hopefully get to translate a book from an author I love
-marry my boyfriend when I'm 30
-getting another degree
-visit Harvard


I'll probably mess it all up, but I'm working hard on it. In MArch, after graduating, I'll be attending Bologna Children's book fair and I already have been asked to do some minor translations!

aliasgirl at libero dot it

Stephanie said...

My list of goals includes:

-graduate college
-go on a roadtrip
-write a novel by 30
-restore a vintage car
-finish the books on my tbr list

Skk25@aol.com

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

I believe in the old adage that God laughs at those who plan. Not that I don't think goals are important... I really do, just that keeping to a rigid set of goals sends TPTB into hysterics. ;) Besides sometimes the unexpected can be more fun and rewarding than what you had planned. All I'm saying is have goals, but keep open to possibilities.

Current goals? Hm... getting the malemute to do a solid "come" command. Now THAT'S a goal! lol

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/BooksThings/status/44547644210679809

Llehn said...

Oooo ... thanks so much for this post!

My current goals? Finish up my WIP, send it out to agents and then start another.

Thanks for the reminder!

lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

My goals for life:

1. Graduate Valedictorian
2. Go to Greece
3. Go skydiving
4. Help people who can't speak for themsleves anymore
5. Be remembered

Thanks for the giveaway
locketstories(at)gmail(dot)com

Dot Hutchison said...

Current goals?
-successfully acquire an agent. I've been working on this one for about two years now, but I learn from each new round, so we'll keep at it
-get back to school so I can redo my degree. Right now I just plain don't have the money, and I don't want to pull out student loans for a BA or BFA, so I'm working full time, slowly accumulating savings, and checking in on various programs so I have an idea of where I'll want to head.
-move to Pennsylvania. This one I get to do next fall, if I've got enough in my savings account by then. There are seasons, and hills, and most importantly, my sister.
There are other small goals, for reading or writing projects, for work related progress, but those are the three big ones, and the ones I'm actively working towards. And, as much as I'm looking forward to achieving those goals, I'm also enjoying the journey. Every day I find new things to love and hate about Florida, learn new things about agents and queries, and remember how much I enjoyed being in school. Gives me drive to get to all three of those goals.
~Dot
(twittered- @DotHutchison)

JenM said...

I'm optimistic that I will reach my current goal which is to retire in a year or two, so that I can have more time to read. I'm on track as long as nothing unforeseen happens.

jen at delux dot com

Unknown said...

I am a 26 yr old mommy from england living in NJ usa. My goals...so far are..

Continue reading as many books as I can, the hope for this year is 100 right now I am on book 23.

Get my 4yr old son into pre school without the emotional black mail every day of "mom why do you leave me here, dont you love me" lol 4yr olds are so unfair!

Go back to school learn new things the mind is the strongest tool we have if we continue to use it.

Learn to drive, yes i think i am the only 26 yr old who doesnt drive! But after crashing a car while learning *sigh* I got so scared and never contined, something which I very much need to over come!

Visit my home town of Liverpool England... I miss it so very much.

Hopefully get to a melissa marr book signing one of these days!!!!


Congrats on all your goals and hope you achieve many more

http://twitter.com/#!/mel_91284

mel91284(at)aim(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I am only nineteen, so I have alot of goals I want to accomplish! Most of my goals I would like to reach in the next 10 years.

These goals include:
-Moving to Edmonton
-Writing a book [or twenty]
-Learning Japanese
-Living in Japan for a couple of years
-Getting a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and minor in classics from Grant MacEwan university
-Creating a book review blog
-Opening a bakery

I am determined to accomplish them all!!!

Anonymous said...

+1 entry - I just tweeted about my comment on this blog ....

http://twitter.com/Becky_Katie

Anonymous said...

+1 entry .. blogged about this post on my LJ !

http://cyanidebullets.livejournal.com/58108.html?mode=reply

Vivien said...

I would love to be able to move soon. I am completely frustrated with my living situation.
I would also really like to start schooling sometime this year. I need to stop procrastinating.
I have a plan to read 150 books this year, but may have to up it to 200.
I would love to be able to move out of state. It's my long term goal.

Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

nymfaux said...

YAY You!!!! That's so awesome!!!
I always find it very inspiring to hear about other people reaching their goals!!!

I feel like I've accomplished a lot; a lot of things on my list, but also missed some things on my list, and also, there have been a bunch of things that weren't on the list. I'm still working on my goals, but after taking the scenic route for a little bit, I feel a little bit in limbo---So it's really nice to see someone else taking a different path and still accomplishing their goals!!!!

as to my goals...
I've graduated and got my B.A., have traveled across country, and minuscule parts of europe, have taken dance lessons...
still on the to do list:
-finish my WIP
-travel more
-walk across hot coals
-see final HP movie in as many states as possible (I have seen the combined Harry Potter movies in at least 7 states and all time zones)


p.s. @Austine, I've read that because of inbreeding issues, Dalmatians with more white on their ears are more likely to be deaf.

tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/nymfaux/status/44668520323231744
linked on fb:
http://www.facebook.com/moviebunny/posts/203249353021541

+2 (or +3 if comment is worth one)

TheGirlOnFire said...

Well my main goal is certainly to finish college and start my career.
Then I hope to move out of the state or country, have a new exciting adventure. I think eventually I may try and write a book. It is something I have messed around with but haven't yet truly tried.

Stephanie- thegirlonfire
thegirlonfire27 at gmail dot com

semicircles said...

It's funny - I remember being at school, sixteen and strewn in bits across the oval, contemplating what life would be like when I graduated (Harvard? Oxford? Endless Concerts? CULTURE). I'm from a "regional centre" if you will, so naturally as a semi-intelligent, well-versed young person I had Big Dreams of making it out of here, travelling, moving to a big, exciting city, writing, owning a pet, playing an instrument, learning languages, being with my One True Love (16 is a stunningly simple age) and I wanted to make it into med school. 3 years into Med School, my grand plan is "make it through med school", and everything else has been crossed off the list. Vague dreams of owning a villa in Nice feature intermittently in this list, but I'm too terrified of not making it through this one, somewhat straight-forward plan that I can't bring myself to plan anything else... I think that's what brings people like me to reading, because escapism is so much easier than trying to actually achieve anything worthwhile.

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

I have two goals. One I hope to achieve soon and that is get a job. I got my degree last May and still haven't been able to find a job. Our economy still isn't too good.

My second goal is involved with my writing. I have finally finished my first complete manuscript and am now in the process of querying. I would love to at least be able to land an agent before the year is up. That would be the first step at least in trying to get published...after all the writing of course! Already got 10 rejections, and still moving forward!

CAsanmiguel said...

I'm sixteen and i'm about to graduate (high school) this coming march. As of now, my major goal is to choose the right course and university for college. My goal is to be a successful doctor but i don't know if i should take the six year med program or the normal way (8 yrs). My goal is to finally choose because this decision affects my future. My other goals are to enjoy the remaining days of my high school, study hard for college, and read a lot of books while i still have the opportunity :))

email: camilleanne_angel@yahoo.com.ph

Unknown said...

Wow! I have to admit I have never been much of a long term planner, I plan what needs to be done today, then tomorrow i usually tackle what I didn't do today. The most I have planned for is a summer vacation...maybe I need to do a life plan, at 32 it's not too late to start right?!

Rena Rossner said...

I always had big dreams of being a writer/novelist - living in NYC, working for a big magazine. Then I got married and had 4 kids and my plans went sort of on hold. I worked in lots of great writing jobs (grant writing, PR, editing and translating) but at 31 I said enough!!! I have to start living my dreams! I'd been working on a cookbook and a novel on and off and now my cookbook has an agent! I finished my novel and am now seeking representation for the novel. My dream right now is to get that chance to go to NYC to meet the agent or publisher or to go on a book tour (alone without the kids!!!) and of course to get my novel published and start a career as the kind of writer I've always wanted to be!

- Rena
Www.renarossner.com

Anonymous said...

Oops, I forgot my email! My email is tink2613@hotmail.com

Sharon S. said...

as a SAHM for the last 15 years, I look forward to getting back into a lab. I got my masters in Microbiology, but never really got to use it . I want to take voice lessons so I can sing without people wincing.

posted on FB!https://www.facebook.com/sharon.stogner

Joss Ware said...

Wow, Melissa. What a fascinating life journey! And what an awesome mom you are/were!

As for my goals, I always wanted to write, and I wrote all through high school, college, grad school, early marriage/family...and my writing goal was to be published by the time I was 40. (I'd already written several novels long before then that weren't published.)

I managed to attain that goal by less than three months, but I still have all of those books I wrote before getting published hiding in my hard drive. ;-)

Congrats on your great showing on the lists!!

YA Bibliophile said...

My most recent goals are to be healthier (eating,exercise , etc...) and to finish my M.A. Also, to become better with money!!! These may seem like boring goals but they are important to me before I try anything else! I tweeted about this as well! http://twitter.com/#!/hmz1505/status/44857998392295425

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for sharing your story!

Well, my first book comes out in a year and a half. My first goal is to survive, lol.

Actually, I hope to eventually be able to quit the dayjob and write (and be a mom) full time.

Getting my PhD is on that list as well. Even though it's taken a back burner due to life, I still want to get it eventually.

Christina @ Biblio Thoughts said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
My thoughts on anything and everything said...

Wow Auntie M. I had no clue you planned your goals:)Well just want to say that I'm glad DM is out and I'm sure all the rathers are happy with it:)Anywho I do have goals:)

!. get a job(done)
2. fine a better job(not done)
3.Choose a career to study(not done)
4. Write a book before I am 22 :)

Heheheh yep short list:)

I totally want to win this!!!

oh!Here's my email address:

life_is_unpredictable29@yahoo.com

Lis(Darkling)

Micha said...

I used to only have one goal, to be a SAHM. Well, real life and this recession and family health issues have made that impossible. So I do the next best thing, I raise other peoples children for a living! It's close to the same thing, it's running two households instead of one!

Now, my goals are a little broader.
Get my BA in Early Childhood Education, minoring in Psychology(39 credits down 81 or so more to go!)

Have another kid (still working on the timing for that)

Get married (did that last November)

Get the books I am co-writing ready to submit to agents (still working on that... in the process of writing book 2, nearly done,then I start the editing process before we start book 3)

Find an agent (still researching this)

Finish at least ONE of my solo books (yea, not doing so hot here... Keep getting three or four chapters in and scrapping it to start over!)

Get published! (got a while before that'll happen..)



They're not the most adventurous goals, but as a writer and a mother I'm sure you understand at least some of that.


Email: thebutterflybeautiful@yahoo.com

Victoria said...

I'm 21 years old and a Dog Groomer
My goals in life are to become:
-a published author
-a screenwriter
-a set designer
-an actress
Your wonderfully written books have inspired me and I thank you for that.
My Email is vintagevictoria71089@yahoo.com
I Posted a Link to This Page on My Twitter @VintageVampyre and On My Facebook Page http://touch.facebook.com/?w2m#profile.php

Christina @ Biblio Thoughts said...

My goals are:

1. Get a job.
2. Eventually go back to school.
3. Travel to Japan, Ireland, and Scotland.
4. Reach my goodreads reading challenge goal ( I may be upping it soon).

Posted to:

My Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100000058528416

My Facebook book group
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_181655105202498&ap=1

My blog
http://blissfulreadingforever.blogspot.com/2011/03/melissa-marr-giveaway.html

My emails are:
lacus_freedom19@hotmail.com
blissfulreadingforever@gmail.com

Ellie Caitlin said...

Hi there! I <3 the books! X
Lol I'm only 12 but age is nothing but a number to me :) and here's my life plan:
2.Go to uni and college ( would love to go to Cambridge or something fancy like that - but with these tuition fees, no damn way) and study the sciences.
2. Get my degrees for Them and maybe take one in media or lit? Hard work I know but looking forward to It :D
3. Find the perfect person and get married mid 20s, and have a baby or two?
4. Get the perfect job as I scientist or doctor
5.Have a book published by the time I'm 35 :)

May be a short list but I'm only young and I can work on it!
Xxx Ellie
Elliecaitlin@hotmail.co.uk. ( no caps)
Oh yh and ps sorry but numbers are messed up as typing on iPod and well it got messed up and can't change (ugh)
Also it might be best if I can relearn how to ride a bike too... ( long story)
Xxxx

Kay said...

Melissa, it is so cool to read about your life and the things you have accomplished! I've loved the WL series since I first picked it up, and plan to own all 5 by the end of the year, if not sooner :D It's amazing how hard you've worked and how much you have accomplished in your life!

Posted on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1684454108791&sk=messages#!/

I'm about to turn 20, and I'm finishing my first year of college. I've spent my entire life making long and short term goals and trying to work them in around life's ups and downs. Currently, my goals are as follows:

*Study really hard for the midterms this week (especially Chidlren's Literature!)
*Finish the children's book I'm writing for Children's Lit ASAP and get it published
*Finally hear back from the Disney College Internship Program sometime between now and April 30th (getting in would be a dream come true! My best friend is definitely in, so we're praying hard to go together this August)
*Keep working hard in school and figure out which 4 year college to go to for my Librarian degree
*Work as a librarian at a jr high/high school for the rest of my life!! (except when I have kids and they are young- that'd be a great time to work on writing more stories and perfecting my drawings and cardmaking)
*Visit Japan, New Zealand, and Australia each at least once before I die!
*To marry my darling boyfriend in the next few years and start having kids around 25 years old (only 3, preferably 3 years apart, so that I can give each one the love and attention they deserve but they'll be close to each other!)

Good luck finding some new, exciting goals to work on, Melissa!

aubrey said...

well im now a sophomore in highschool and i really hadnt thought about having many goals until recently seeing how my life is completely unorganized.
with finding out i have A.D.D and struggling to overcome that and the fact that my grades are quite honestly terrible, my goals are somewhat out of my realm of possibily at this time, but not minding that i have chosen these as my new goals until i graduate high school.

1. try to have better grades
2. run for my marching bands drum
major.
3. join the softball team.
4. follow my passion for writing
and create as many short
stories as i can and maybe even
try to write a book.
5. lastly i want to figure out who
i am and who i want to become
as an young adult and someday
an adult.

-Aubrey
acharmedangel65@aol.com

Anonymous said...

I'm 32 and my goals keep changing.
I had a hell of a year last year. Very stressful job and very stressful homelife living with my boyfriends' family.
Last October I had a mini nervous breakdown and got stuck with severe anxiety. It was awful, little things like playing silly games on the net that were against the clock or talking to someone on the phone was too much.
Also in October I got gallstones and after two hospital visits before xmas my boyfriends' mum decided that it would be best for everyone if I left.
So in January I left my job that I was on sick leave from and moved to my Mums' house on the other side of London. But I had complications with my gallstones and my op kept being postponed so I was in hospital once a month until my op finally happened in July.
My anxiety has gone and I'm not in pain or scared to eat anymore, but my goals are now to get a job so I can save up some money and move back to where my boyfriend lives.
Since I met him on a ghost hunt five years ago I would also love to go on another one at the place where we first met.
Your Wicked Lovely series is fantastic and I have a big soft spot for Irial now!
(morrigue03@yahoo.co.uk)

HalsSister said...

I am going to be 39 this year. Unlike you, I was never good about having specific goals as a teenager. I never thought about getting married or having kids, I only knew that I wanted to go college and BECOME something - either a lawyer, an architect, or a writer. Halfway through college things got derailed due to financial circumstances, and I wandered through life for a while, taking a management job with the home improvement company I'd been working for to pay expenses during school. That management job led me out of state, where I met my husband. At that point, still no definite goals! Writing was still at the back of my mind, or doing something of substance, something that mattered.

You never know where life will lead you, and this strange life has lead me to being the mother to a fabulous 9 year old boy with special needs. I never imagined being a mom, and never thought of myself as a "kid" person, but I have found such great joy in working with my son and other young children like him. I still don't think I have definite goals, beyond getting my son through high school and hopefully into some sort of college or trade school. But there is a fragment of a goal starting to form now, something pertaining to working with children with disabilities. And of course continuing to read. And hopefully, when my crazy life settles down just a bit, I will have time to sit down and write about this amazing journey I'm traveling on, before I forget exactly where it's taken me!

halssister(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Posted on facebook (+1 entry) :http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsupernaturalunderground.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fconquering-goals-creating-them.html%3Fspref%3Dfb&t=Conquering+Goals+%28%26+creating+them%29

M said...

My plan for the next 10 years;

1 - Raise my daughter to understand that life is short and that she should make it as deep and wide as possible whilst letting her make her own choices/mistakes and generally not interfering too much (although given that she's only 11months, it's currently involving explaining patiently to people why they shouldn't 'tell' her what she'll be/do as she gets older and weathering the looks/comments/grumbles - this is a full-time job so far)

2 - Accept that I'll never really be a 'grown-up', roll with the fact that I'm always learning/changing and quit trying to be all static

3 - Get a BSc to go with my BA (I may be over-reaching here given my natural propensity to run from Maths but, as I understand it, atleast one goal should be almost impossible - makes life more interesting in the long-run)

4 - Move somewhere warm (I figure this is just good sense - I have the cold and the wind in my bones {comes from being Scottish} but that doesn't mean a bit of sunshine wouldn't do me the world of good)

5 - Make it a point to remember that, whilst goals are all well and good, as Mr Harrison says "If you don't know where you're going any road will take you there" and that's always worth remembering

Love the Wicked Lovely series, adore Ani (nice to see a good, strong female lead) and despite wanting to occasionally throttle Aislinn (and trying quite hard not to put too much stock in the fact that I seem to identify/sympathise hardest with the Dark Court) I am completely taken by the world you have created. Go you!

Rhythmjunkie7@yahoo.com

Minas said...

My goals are:

1. Graduate.
2. Get a job.
3. Travel.
4. Go back to school, and become a CPA.

I tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/MT0089/status/44912026698514433

minas_1989(at)hotmail(dot)com

Holly James said...

My goals are:

1) Finish getting my B.A in photography and get an A.S in creative literature.

2) Join the peace corps and do at least three years of service.

3) Finish one of the three books i've started.

4) become a published author.

(goals 3 and 4 are to be finished before my enlisted three years of service to the peace corps are over)

5) move back to my home town and open up a photography studio.

6) spend five years doing concept and portrait photography.

7) open up a restaurant for my mother and I to own.


I'm 19 now, and in college. and i hope to do all this by the time i'm thirty five. :D

email holly.james91@yahoo.com

Pam said...

My goals are:

1. Exercise, eat right and get healthy. (I'm trying really, really hard! Even joined Weight Watchers.)
2. STOP being WORRIED.... Apparently, I'm an over-thinker and my own worst enemy!
3. Read MORE.
4. Write some and work towards being a published author.

P.S. I tweeted (but I'm not sure how to show you that) and added the link to my FB... +2

https://www.facebook.com/pam.o.leffler

Sara M said...

I have two goals:

1. I want to be working in a non-retail job by this time next year. Preferably something that utilizes the Bachelors of Business Admin I've been sitting on for almost two years.

2. Take the time to explore the story idea I've had brewing for a while. I haven't done more than jot down some notes so far.

Sara M
sara_UFblog [at] yahoo [dot] com

HayleyAG said...

I am 24 years old. I graduated from university with a degree in English a year ago. I took a year off to work in retail and ponder what I really wanted out of life and that's when I decided to go into Publishing. I applied last year to a post-graduate Book and Mag Publishing program and started last September and have not looked back.

Best decision i ever made. I'm now scouting pub houses to intern at (I would love Harlequin or HarperCollins) and plan to have a professional position in the PR pub industry by the end of summer of this year.

My retirement plans are as follows:

1) Open up my own used bookstore
or
2) Open my own dog daycare.

I was torn about whether to take a course in dog training or publishing- but I know I made the right decision.

The rest I'm just going to let play it self out...

Unknown said...

I am a seventeen year old that will be graduating high school in June. I hope that I will be able to finish and pay for college. Currently I, along with a few friends are trying to write our own books before this school year ends and publish them. I would also like to do some traveling abroad to expand my horizons.

I tweeted and added the link to my fb.

April

Sue S. said...

Hmm...don't really have any realistic goals for myself to be honest. I would like to be able to pay off credit card and student loans, but I need to win the lottery for that one.

sstewart2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

Free Hosting Templates said...

I hate planning my goals! Anbwyay that was an interesting post!

Free Hosting Templates said...

I hate planning my goals! Anbwyay that was an interesting post!

Amber said...

My current goals are to finish my B.Sci degree one of these days, open my own business, and write a book or twelve.
I'm 34 and didn't start college until I was 30. I received my Degree in Medical Billing Dec. 2010 and started my Bachelor of Science in Organizational Administration in Fall of 2010. I was attending 2 colleges at the same time for the Fall 2010 semester.
I am married and, for reasons unbeknownst to me, unable to have children so my goal of having kids is almost non-existent at this point.
I have always wanted to write books ever since I was a kid--in fact I have stories packed away that I wrote when I was 7 or 8.
Currently, I have 4 different books started (from different time frames in the last 4 years) but nothing solid. Maybe I should take a break from school and focus on reading and writing more!

Unknown said...

I'm actually in the process of making goals, right now my goal is to get off this computer and study for my muscle test (I don't think that's happening). I also want to read so much more and hopefully I can win this book, that way you can help me with my goal :)

Rebecca Young said...

I have a lot of goals actually. And after reading this, and seeing how much you have accomplished Melissa, I am determined to reach them! One day I would love to work in publishing. I would love to work in manga publishing and translating!


beckyyoung@hotmail.com

Rebecca Young said...

Oops, actually my email is beckyyoung@hotmail.ca ... not .com

Hotmail entereted .ca for me without my realizing it, and I just can't seem to remember to put it! /blush

Rebecca Young said...

+1 entry for tweeting about this!

My twitter is Rebecca_A_Y


^_^

Kathleen Young said...

Aah, so many goals! I hope I eventually fulfill them all!

I would LOVE to start my own magazine one day, or perhaps go into publishing like my sister. [I believe she posted above me?] I would also love to live in New York one day.

Kathleen Young said...

+1 for tweeting about the post !

My twitter is Kathleen_M_Y .. oh and my email is katieyoung@hotmail.ca

Onge said...

I'm not good at goals. I forget them or get sidetracked too easily. I have an associates and I'm not sure what I want to be so I would like to pick something. I've tried three things already and they didn't stick. :) Thanks for the amazing giveaway! I've read your first three in the Wicked Lovely series and can't wait to finish it. Love them!!!
chickenherder@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I am 20 years old. I have very simple goals at this point in my life: to get a job so I can stay in Maryland, move into a place where I can have my dog back from Connecticut, return to community college this Fall, and continue writing and editing my second and third novels. Beyond that, life, man. I'm flexible and pretty good with making it up as I go along. I don't want fame or fortune, just stability and love and art and adventure.

madelinemoonlight@live.com

Ashley G. said...

I have a ton of life goals:
1) Finish the two novels I'm working on.
2) Have at least one of above said novels published or in the process of being published before the age of 25 (I just turned 23 yesterday so I have to get on that)
3)Get my Masters degree
4)Get a PH.D
5)Travel the world
6)Make a difference
Love your books btw!
abgafford@crimson.ua.edu