Focus

I've been reading some Napoleon Hill, and though my intent is not to get rich by writing, I am still finding ways to apply his points to my writing goals.  I said I was torn between trying for traditional route with Lab/Six and the self-publishing route.  Well, one key ingredient to success is to know exactly what you want.  I can't want both traditional and self-publishing.  That divides my desires.  That makes me the dog with two bones who ends up with none.  I have a hard enough time writing with allergies, overtime, stress, and enervation all eating away at my time; I can't spend my time worrying about what to do with this novel.

Enough is enough.

I want to see Lab/Six out there with the world.  I want to see a related duology out there too.  And I want to be in control of my "vision" of this interlocked series.  Therefore, I am going to self-publish and I my goal is to have all three in ebook form by Nov 1, just in time for a nanowrimo break and an anniversary celebration.  After all, these novels are all nanowrimo novels.  That would be easy, if all three were in the same condition as Lab/Six, which needs the least amount of editing work.  But Book One of the duo needs major surgery and Book Two needs rewritten.  Doesn't mean I'm going to say, "Impossible."  Instead, I'm saying, "Hell yeah, let's give it a go."

But there is more to success than a definite desire, a definite goal.  Another important ingredient is deciding what I am willing to sacrifice to see my desire come to fruition.

My first sacrifice is distraction.  I'm addicted to reading agent and publishing blogs, keeping up-to-date on the markets and the tastes of agents and publishers.  Well, no more.  I will stop reading them.  Self-publishing these novels will take up the entire year, at the least.  I do not have time to work on and research markets/agents for a "traditional route" novel and my self-pub trio.  Not this year.

Which leads me to my other sacrifice.  That vampire novel that I wanted to be my "traditional route" novel?  That I was hoping would hit before the trend grows sour?  That I wanted to work on at the same time as Lab/Six?  It will wait until January 2011. 

Final sacrifice?  I'm cutting back on my nonfiction.  Originally, I intended write three writing articles a week on my blog and submit four articles to outside venues every month.  Now it is just Motivational Monday posts and about two outside articles a month.  I would love to do more.  I would love to self-publish some writing article ebooks, but that is no longer a goal for this year.  Rather, that is pencilled in for 2011.  This is a year for fiction.  My fiction.  My way. 

These are the first steps toward success.  Though they may be small, they will lead me far.  I'll keep you updated on just how far in this blog.