Hanging Up My Shoes Paid Off Again!

(I usually use a different picture for this, but since it's like -10 degrees here, I needed a reminder that summer's coming!) And you all thought I was kidding about my blog breaks being good luck... Seriously, on my last break, yet another blog friend signed with an agent. Go by and congratulate T. Anne. Her story is inspiration to us all. Some of you may not know what I'm talking about, so here's the short version: I tend to take frequent breaks from blogging, which I call hanging up my shoes. Recently I noticed a very exciting trend. Every time I take a break, one of my blog friends gets good news on their road to publication. I guess it was T. Anne's turn this time around. Good for her! She worked hard for it. Anyway, I decided, in order to ensure a year full of agent signings and book buyings, I should make one of my goals be to take even more frequent blog breaks. No, I'm kidding. Actually, one of my goals for 2011 is to keep up with my blog a little better. I don't mean in the sense of posting more often or visiting more blogs, but I mean on an organizational level. When I first started blogging, I was much more organized about it. That's what I'm shooting for this year. In other words, I'm going for quality, not quantity. So, don't worry, I'll still be taking lots and lots of breaks, but when I do blog, I will be more organized about it. So, do you have any blogging goals for 2011?

Don't Lean Too Far To One Side

Or you might tumble and fall. Last week, I reviewed my goals for 2010 and the progress I made toward those goals. This week, I want to (for my own sake, so please bear with me) outline what I'd like to accomplish in 2011. On Friday, I talked about balancing my professional life with my personal life and how it was a work in progress. It goes without saying that this will be an ongoing focus during 2011. As I mentioned Friday, it's not my other commitments that are suffering. It's my writing. In an attempt to balance last year, I actually ended up leaning too far to one side. This year, I want to steady myself and put my writing back up in the running for top priority. (It can't and won't ever beat out my family, but it can take more of a center-stage role.) So, there you have it... my first goal for 2011 is to put more emphasis on my writing without sacrificing my other commitments. I think I can do it. No, I know I can do it! Who's with me? Are you ready to let your writing take on a more important role in your life?