The Road to Prosperity

I finished reading First Draft in 30 Days and loved it. The way she's laid things out makes perfect sense and I think it will definitely streamline the process for me. I don't know if 30 days is the same timeframe I'll be working in, as her schedule seems to assume (I think) that you are working on this all day, but I only have 2 hours, so it may translate differently. Although I work fast so hopefully the timeframe won't be off by much.

What I really liked was how at the end of the book she showed you how to map out your yearly goals. I work better with goals. I'm a Capricorn. Without goals, we meander around lost and confused. Ooohhh, it ain't pretty, I assure you.

Looking at what I need to do, I made up a tentative schedule for the following 15 months starting in July, which allows me time to finish The Outlaw Bride and get that sent off.

So here's my schedule, roughly and subject to change at whim (I'm abbreviating the title names because once again there's that whole laziness issue...):

2005
July: First Draft for D&B (Book 1 in the Widowed Wives Series)
Aug: First Draft for SG (Book 2 in the Widowed Wives Series)
Sep 1-15: Review Outline for D&B
Sep 16-30: Review Outline for SG
Oct - Dec: Write Final Draft of D&B

2006
Jan - Feb: Outline DH (this will take a fair bit of research so I'm taking extra time for the outline)
Mar: Edit & Polish D&B
Apr-Jun: Write Final Draft of SG
Jul: Review Outline for DH
Aug: Edit & Polish SG
Sep - Nov: Write Final Draft of DH

I like seeing it worked out like that. No more wondering when the heck I'm going to get to which story and where I'm going to fit it in. The Cap in me is breathing a huge sigh of relief as if order has just been restored to the universe.

And now I'm off for a day of educational sessions my RWA chapter is putting on at the library. Luckily I'm not putting any sessions on myself, so I can just kick back, relax and soak up the info.

Oh! Almost forgot ~ my website is up! Yay! I still have to go in and add the Excerpts info and I'll do that over the weekend, but I'm pretty excited. It makes me feel more official, like I have a website now so I have to keep going with this full throttle.