Write five new pages a day.
Send out three queries a week.
Draft a proposal by the end of September.
Research six agents by the end of the month.

These are all good SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. But sometimes our SMART goals can be too much of a struggle.

When?

When you get two rejections in the mail on the same day.
When the one agent you’ve always wanted to work with decides to retire.
When your last article receives a lot of nasty ‘letter to the editor’ replies.
When your publisher pulls your book from the publication schedule and cancels your contract.
When your agent says “I don’t want to represent you anymore.”

At times a writer can feel small. Really small. And ordinary, short-term goals will feel like a mountain to climb. Fortunately, there’s a solution.

When you feel small, start small.

Instead of five pages write one. If that’s too much, write a paragraph.
Draft a query with no expectation of sending it out. Or just address an envelope and put a stamp on it.
Write your proposal idea down in one sentence.
Research one agent a month.

The key is to continue to move forward. Baby steps are okay and they’ll get you through the slump. In time you’ll see your efforts build. That paragraph will become a page then two pages and more.

You’ll feel big again in no time.

What are the odds of you becoming a New York Times bestselling author versus winning the lottery? Thankfully, someone has answered that question.

Writers you can start shouting for joy. Your odds of becoming a New York Times bestselling author (1 in 220) are a lot higher than winning the lotter (1 in 18 million). Want to date a millionaire? Then your odds are a little better (1 in 215). Find out some more intriguing information at What are the Odds? then finish that writing project!

If you’re really bored you can find more interesting odds here.

Let’s meet Mary Reyland of POWER PLAY. Here’s her interview with Donna Byrd of Lifestyle Magazine.

DB: Hi Mary, thanks for joining us today. Could you let our readers know what you do?

MR: I work for a government agency that awards federal grants to various organizations. My job is to monitor projects that have been awarded these monies to ensure that the job is done and that there is no misuse of funds.

DB: Do you enjoy your work?

MR: I use to, until my boss James passed me over for a promotion, again, and gave the position I wanted to my nemesis Dianne. On top of this, I was forced to work with Edmund Davis.

DB: How did you meet Mr. Davis?

MR: I met him in an elevator.

DB: Was it love at first sight?

MR: Hardly. I was attracted to him, but I didn’t know who he was at the time, and I was still in a long term relationship.

DB: But you two are now a pair. Correct?

MR: Yes.

DB: How did that happen?

MR: Well, it’s a long story……

***

If you don’t know this story, it’s not too late to purchase your copy of POWER PLAY.

On his wonderful blog The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing author J.A. Konrath is offering a free download of his book aptly titled The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing Book. It’s over 750 pages of useful advice and tips to set you on your journey. You can access it here.

Holly Lisle is another fantastic author who shares helpful advice for writers. In her book Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love and Money, you’ll get a great behind-the-scenes look at starting a career and keeping one going. You can access the free download for this title here. She also has a wonderful website with articles and books for writers. Check it out here.

Don’t forget, if you find their work helpful the best way to say thank you is to support their careers. Or as I like to say “Save an author, buy a new book.”

1. Many aspiring authors use the excuse of not having enough time to write yet you’re a prolific author with a husband and three children. How do you maintain the balance of family life and while building your writing career?

It’s a sickness. If I’m not multi-tasking it seems I’m not happy. LOL But really, it comes down to making a schedule and sticking as closely to it as possible. I am dedicated to my family and my writing. And the hubby and kids are great about giving me the time and space to write. It’s just a part of the daily routine now.

2. This month you have a mainstream and category romance coming out. How do you shift between genres?

The shift wasn’t really that difficult for me. The characters in each story are so drastically different that it wasn’t really a conscious effort to write in another genre. Indecent Proposal had bolder characters with agendas that reached well beyond the romance scope. While Guarding His Body was essentially a love story with vibrant characters that added life to the simple boy meets girl. I read both genres a lot so it seemed natural that I write in each.

3. What nonfiction book(s) has helped you most as a writer?

I must admit, I do not read a lot of nonfiction. I read reference books, research books, but not necessarily nonfiction. I like the entertainment of fiction and the endless possibilities.

4. What techniques do you use when you hit a rough patch in your writing?

I watch chick flicks. LOL
A line from one of my favorite movies, or a scene, or even a look from one of the characters will usually spark my creative juices again.

5. What is a common misconception about writing or the writing life?

That it’s easy! It’s not. Sure, sitting down and coming up with an idea might be easy but putting it on paper in a way that will enlighten and entertain is a process that can be grueling at times. And the actual writing is not even the hardest part. Selling a book, promoting a book, networking, all of it goes with the writing life and it’s not always a walk in the park. But it’s oh so gratifying in the end.

6. Is there anything you would like to add?

Reading is a personal preference. I like to encourage all readers to read what you like. When my kids first learned to read I would buy each of them books or magazines or whatever it was that they enjoyed reading most. Because if you like what you’re reading you will naturally read more. Increasing literacy is a big pet peeve of mine.

You can find out more about this wonderful author at her website here.

It’s official! Power Play the first book in The Black Stockings Society is on sale. Tomorrow I’m going to talk about it some more on Access Romance All A Blog.

Half way through the year is a good time to reflect on your efforts. I recently spoke to an aspiring author who had been excited about all that she planned to accomplish this year. Namely finishing her book. I asked her how many pages she had written. She sputtered for a moment then quietly said, “Six.”

Six.

Six pages.

That’s one page a month. Hmmm…and you wanted to finish your novel when?

But professional writers also fall into this trap. There is an author who keeps telling me about the fabulous science fiction mystery series she wants to start. After four years she has a title. Hmmm….

Ah, but all joking aside. I understand. It’s easy to let goals slide. We’re all busy, but more often than not we fill up our time with busy work that doesn’t get us any closer to accomplishing what we want. That’s why it’s time to take a step back and look at where you are now.

How many submissions have you made to agents or editors? Do you have a list?
How is your article or book project coming?
Have you tried to increase your skill by reading books, attending seminars, writing?

If you’re published, don’t think you can skip this step. A reflection on career progress is crucial to your survival.

How many contracts are in the works?
How do your royalty statements look?
Is your career progressing as you would like it to (no, this is not the time to compare yourself to someone else’s career that’s just silly)? Where do you plan to see it go? How do you plan to get there?

If you’re not making progress, check your excuse meter. How many excuses are you letting stand in the way? How can you get rid of them?

Please remember that this is not the time to beat yourself up (that’s just another form of procrastination). Now is the time to create steps so that the rest of the year won’t look like the beginning. Dust off that manuscript, research that agent, submit to that editor, come up with new ideas to impress your editor, try to work with your marketing department so your books will get noticed.

If you have done the work and still haven’t made significant progress, don’t let obstacles get you down. For example, perhaps you’ve completed the novel, but it feels dull (or your critique partners look at you with pity); you’ve submitted your work but have only received rejections; you’re a published author, but can’t get an agent. I know this feels awful, but first to congratulate yourself, you’re working that’s good. Now ask yourself a few questions.

What’s working? Keep doing that.
What’s not working? Reflect on why.
How can you change that? If you can’t, what else can you do?

Are you really sending your work to the right markets?
Are you getting any feedback from the rejections that might prove useful?
Are you trying to be a novelist when you’re better with articles?
Are you writing in a genre that is saturated? How can you make your work standout? Should you switch?
Are you having any fun?

Yes, somewhere in this crazy writing life you should have fun. Especially when it comes to writing don’t let anything or anyone take that for you.

Breathe. I know the writing life isn’t easy, but it’s also easy to let it fall by the wayside or eat up your life. There’s no need for that when you give yourself an opportunity to step back and take a break.

Do it, you won’t regret it.

What do you do when things won’t go your way? Stay cool. That’s my new mantra.

I live on the east coast of the United States, which means I’m trying not to melt. Even inside the house my air conditioner wants to commit suicide, but at least it’s still working (though struggling) so I won’t complain. I won’t get upset, I’ll stay cool.

I wanted to show you pictures from my trip to LA and the BEA but my system won’t upload them. Do I punch a hole in my computer screen and try to break my keyboard in half? No, I stay cool.

A thunderstorm swept through my area and knocked out the cable so the TV won’t work. My car is making funny noises, there’s stagnant water in my front lawn because the trench is blocked so mosquitoes are turning it into a nursery. What do I do? Yes, I stay cool.

I stay cool when I return from my trip to LA and see I have page proofs I have to get through within a week; when I learn that I have to give the cover artist an idea for my next book that won’t be released until July of next year so they can begin marketing it; when a movie I’ve been looking forward to turns out to be a dud; when a package I’ve been expecting hasn’t arrived; when my Writer’s Digest magazine stops coming for no reason and my To-Do list makes me want to laugh like a crazy person.

I don’t worry about it. I stay cool. But it is getting obscenely hot and humid so I’m presently thinking of moving into my refrigerator.