1. Work towards getting The Muse published.
Chapter 1 has officially been deleted! I am now in the final stage of restructuring Chapter 2 as the new beginning. The trick was keeping in mind the list of things agents hate to see in an opening chapter, (see Killing Chapter 1). The more I mulled over this list, the more I realized it applies not only to agents, but readers as well.
Gone are all the references to weather descriptions, the sky, and a main character waking up. With the new beginning, the reader is dropped right in the middle of the main character’s life. Bit by bit, her story comes into focus without any sort of an information dump. I’m liking the breadcrumb approach a lot more and I think this set up allows my main character’s personality to take center stage.
Next on the agenda is doing another read through to make sure the rest of the novel is not impacted by the deletion of Chapter 1. I’ve got to dig through each section to ensure there are no references to anything that was mentioned in the old beginning. There are a few things I’m already aware of from memory and I’m sure I’ll find more!
A writer’s work is never done!
2. Start writing Lineage.
My muse is starting to talk for this project. I’m anxious to see where she takes me.
3. Submit poetry.
Once again, I participated in the Poetic Asides community via Writer’s Digest. As always, I find the prompts challenging and the community inspiring.
I also completed another month of National Haiku Writing Month’s daily prompts via NaHaiWriMo’s Facebook Page. June prompts all started with the letter R and were quite challenging. Still, I managed to write one or two haikus each day.
4. Don’t give up or get distracted.
Free time in the summer can be a blessing for a writer, but also an invitation to distraction. There are always so many things I want to do! Luckily, I was able to find a nice balance between writing and other projects each day.
5. Be flexible.
My journal is coming with me to the wilds of Oregon this week. I’m anxious to see what will inspire me.
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And let’s not forget the word of the year:
Persistence
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How are you doing with your 2015 goals?
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c.b.w. 2015
C.B. Wentworth 
It seems like you’re pretty on top of things! My goals are a little more stale. I wish I didn’t have to work so I could focus on writing and taking care of myself!
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It’s always a delicate balance, isn’t it? There are some days where I realize I have to shift my focus elsewhere so the writing doesn’t suffer. An unwell me or and unpaid bills means far less writing time down the line!
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Oh that’s for sure! I’ve had to force myself to take breaks every now and then because what I was producing was complete junk due to family troubles, work issues, or various other forms of stress. We often forget it, but writers have to take care of themselves too!
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Ooh, Oregon! I can’t wait to hear what sort of inspiration that beautiful state will bring! : ) So glad to hear that your goals are going so well. Summer is a great time to get things accomplished.
This has been a great month for goals on several different levels. I’m excited for what July and August will bring. : )
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Oregon was so beautiful. I’m still processing everything I did and saw. I didn’t get to write very much while I was there, but I’m certain the words will come and I go through all of my pictures and revisit the experience. 🙂
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It’s hard to just delete a whole chapter, but if it pays off in coherence and stimulation of story, it’s definitely worth it. You can look at your work with fresh eyes.
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I’m quite surprised how easily it’s all coming together. For that reason, I’m convinced I’ve done the right thing in service to the story. 🙂
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Oh, don’t ask!
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Sometimes goals are more suggestion than they are benchmarks. 🙂
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