Micro-goals

Micro goals are goals that are broken down into very tiny (hence: micro) seven-day steps. I first learned about them through the book "Living Write" by Kelly R. Stone. Excellent read, just ignore some of the new agey stuff.
Let me give you a personal example of a micro-goal:
I want to start submitting articles places, but have no idea of where to start and am scared of rejection (aren't we all!).

Monday: Make a list of places that might take inspirational pieces, pick top one
Tuesday: Develop a story idea to fit the parameters of the submission site
Wednesday: Write the story
Thursday: Complete guidelines for submitting story
Friday: Re-write story, call and ask for the editor's name
Saturday: Re-write story again, write accompaning letter
Sunday: Submit Work

Now, I'll be out of town starting Wends so that probably won't happen this week. I just wanted to give you an example of how micro-goals work. Pretty cool, right?
All I can say is get the book and read it. It'll change your writing life.
For the past week I've been writing every day and it hasn't quite been life changing, but it's been close to that. To give you a little bit of background for me, I wrote a lot when I was 13-16, got a play produced, quit writing, wrote a novel when I was 21, then stopped writing again. Writing has never been a constant thing in my life. Perhaps it's beacuse I love to wait for the muse to strike. Maybe I'm just lazy. Unmotivated. Tired. Unfocused. That needs to change.
I've written out my vision of success (To write a novel that helps girls and glorifies God), I have micro-goals, I have up to 20 year goals written. I've never been so motivated to keep up writing.

However, I do have to keep in mind that my tenancies are to get discouraged easily. To keep that from happening, I will surround myself with positive quotes, and I will surround myself with positive people and hopefully join a critique group in the near future. Check out this quote:

"I think a successful writer needs to ask herself some hard questions on a regular basis. What's your writing goal? Then, what kind of book do you want to write? When you have answered the first two questions you are prepared to face the third: does the book you want to write enable you to reach your first goal?"
- Novelist Nancy Martin

1. My writing goal is to offer girls with addictions and who suffer from abuse hope.
2. The book I want to write (am writing) is about a girl who is abused and also deals with cutting and the healing and redemption that can be found even when dealing with awful, awful things.
3. And the book I want to write enables me to reach my first goal, so it looks like I'm golden!

My writing schedule for next week:
Monday: Write 2,400 words. Read 2 chapters in "Making a Scene".
Tuesday: Write 2,400 words. Read 2 chapters in "Dynamic Characters".
Wednesday: Write 2,400 words. Read 2 chapters in "Making a Scene".
Thursday (at healing conference!): Write 800 words. No reading required.
Friday: Write 800 words. No reading required.
Saturday: Write 800 words. No reading required.
Sunday: Write 2,400 words. Read 2 chapters in "Dynamic Characters".

Cheers!
L Finch