Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Return of the Mojo

Wherever my mojo had wandered off to those first few months of the year, it has decided to return with a bang and bring with it reinforcements in the form of focus and determination. It’s a welcome homecoming but there’s no time for a party to herald the event.

I have decided to think more strategically this year. I have the potential to have 4 completed manuscripts in my possession by the end of this year as well as the first draft of a fifth. One is already completed, the other just needs a little tweaking to clean up a plot issue I discovered, one is thisclose to being done and the last one is in first draft form and ready for revision.

All that being said, I decided to take a look at what contests were available that would have final judges I would want to target with my work. Also, with the tweaking and revisions it would be great to get some feedback from people who haven’t read the manuscripts previously. So after some review, I picked six contests with deadlines in May and June.

Which means for the next two weeks I will have my nose to the grindstone while I prep the entries and write/revamp the existing synopses (oh joy).

Once the entries are sent off, my focus will turn to finishing the final run through of Salvation Falls and start marketing it, then fixing the plot issue in Brimstone I noticed the other day and sending out agent queries, then completing revisions on Invitation to Scandal and sending out queries on it.

That should take me up to end of October, leaving November open for NaNoWriMo and the opportunity to complete another first draft. I already have manuscript chosen. I am redoing Finding Home, Dash and Lucy’s story - or as my brother calls it – Juicy Lucy and Her Big Bat. There’s a reason I don’t let him pick my titles…

Finding Home is my contemporary that I began over a year ago but the plot just wasn’t working. So I’m scraping it, keeping the characters and most of their backstory and going back to the drawing board on the plot / storyline and conflicts.

December I will spend working on the outline for my historical fiction, The Tangled Garden.

So I have my work cut out for me in 2009 but I finally feel like I’m moving forward again with more momentum than I had when the year started.

9 comments:

Rene said...

Glad to hear your mojo is back. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you this year but I love your attitude.

Melissa Amateis said...

I wish my mojo would just stay put. Seem to have it one day, but not the next. :-)

Great goals!

Anonymous said...

Those are great goals, Kelly! Yay to the return of your mojo :)

Amy Ruttan said...

Yeah for Mojo!!

I need some. I'm beat. LOL.

Annette Gallant said...

Good news about your mojo returning!! I have no doubts that you'll do an awesome job with those goals! :-)

Tess said...

Cool to hear your mojo is back :)
Maybe it will inspire mine to return!!

Sounds like you have lots of great things planned for the year.

Patricia said...

My mojo is on vacation!

Lexi said...

That's wonderful news, Kelly, and great goals!

Unknown said...

Yeah! on finding your mojo, again. I think I need a map and secret code to find mine.