Give Yourself Credit

Where did you go to school? What did you study? What clubs did you join? Were you an officer or some other kind of leader of any group?

Did you do any volunteer work through your school? through your church? through any other organization? on your own? What did you do? What did that involve? Who was helped? Who else was involved?

List every single thing you’ve ever been paid to do – babysitting, lawn mowing, errand-running? a part time sales job for an event? your first job? your current job? What did you actually do in each of those jobs? Not just the title, the actions you took each day.

What hobbies do you have? What skills do those involve? Do you do them with others?

Now stop and think about the personal relationships you have. How do others see you? What do you do that makes their lives better?

What recognition have you received in any of these areas? Awards, letters, verbal thanks, hugs from happy kids you’ve helped?

What have you created along the way? a school paper? a trim yard? a satisfied customer? a book? a safe place for someone?

When I used to teach people how to build resumes, by the time they answered all these questions, they realized they had a lot more to offer than they’d thought. Give yourself credit for your experience and achievements, especially when you’re selling your work or applying for a job. It’s an essential piece of marketing.

It’s not always easy to blow your own horn – you don’t want to be a braggart. But when you’re trying to sell a piece of your work, people will slow down and take a closer look if you’ve mentioned previous sales or awards in your cover letter. If you’re fortunate enough to have a lot of credits, choose the most applicable to the work you’re pitching and offer a link to your full resume.

This is really good advice – I need to remind myself to follow it regularly!

www.sherimcguinn.com www.amazon.com/author/sherimcguinn

#resumebuilding #credit #pitching #pitchingyourwork #pitchingyourwriting

Setting Priorities

My datebook’s a mess. I’ve been tracking what I do every day so I know where I’m spending time. It all goes onto a weekly chart that I’m sharing with a accountability writing buddy. What I’ve found is I slide off into unplanned activities and spend too much time on things that aren’t really that important.

So the tracking has been a good thing. While I’ve accomplished a lot the last three months (see last week’s Quarterly Report), the tracking records show that I could be using my time more effectively.

Enter the new experiment – or is it old? I sat down this morning and made a traditional four-box matrix for my writing activities. In case you have no clue what I’m talking about, this is what it looks like:UrgentNot UrgentPrimary Importance 1 3Secondary 2 4

Of course, you can louse this up by putting too many things in the urgent & important box, which leads to feeling overwhelmed to the point nothing gets done.

I’ve used this matrix for each of the next few months. For example, consider developing materials for the workshop I’m teaching in June (Self-Publishing for Educators, at Sierra Community College). This is of Primary Importance, because this is the first workshop I’m teaching in this area and I’ll be judged by it. However, the class is at the end of June. So in April, that will be in the upper right-hand box (3), Primary Importance but Not Urgent. In May, I’ll move it into the upper left-hand box, Primary and Urgent (1). In April, I may work on it, but only after April’s Primary/Urgent matters are addressed.

Secondary tasks may be urgent, like getting the reading done for critique groups, or secondary and non-urgent, like making sure I get some exercise in each day. The things in the secondary/urgent box (2) will be scheduled on a timely basis, but won’t replace taking care of items in (1). The items in secondary/non-urgent (4) will get some attention throughout the week, but they’ll be slipped in between the items in the other three boxes.

This clarification of priorities makes it easy to decide what needs to be done when. On days I have a lot of meetings, I’ll knock off some of the secondary items. When I’m home all day, I’ll focus on something of primary importance that needs to be done urgently.

I’ll still use my datebook as a tracking device, noting what I’m doing during the day, but the only thing getting penciled in ahead of time will be meetings. The weekly chart will still go to my accountability buddy. But hopefully it will reflect more time spent on the most important things.

#prioritymatrix #writingprocess #reviewinggoals #settingpriorities #planning #writinggoals #accountability #planningforwriters #matrixforgoalsetting #goalsetting #goals

First Quarter Review

Back at the end of December, I set my goals for 2018. Well, March is behind us – the end of the first quarter of the year, when businesses assess how they’re doing.

My primary writing goal for the year is to make at least $10,000 and I’m losing money at this point. So when I looked at the page with three columns of objectives and steps to reach each that I set up at the beginning of the year, I initially felt disheartened. Then I took a closer look and made notes.

To achieve that one writing goal, I have three objectives. I’ve made progress on each.

Goal #1: Maintain and build on promotional activities, center them on the book coming out later this year (Peg’s Story). Progress:

1. I haven’t had any shorts published yet, but I’ve researched markets, organized my submission process, and have seven pending. I know where each will be sent next.

2. I’ve written this blog every week and several posts have been dedicated to how my writing needs to link to the Me Too movement, which ties in with Peg’s Story.

3. I’ve listened to podcasts and started reading the new edition of Self-Publishing Bootcamp. I’ll focus more on developing the release and marketing plan for Peg’s Story in the next three months.

Goal #2: Keep working on new material. Progress:

1. I have several chapters of a romance novel written and re-written with critique group input. I set up rules for myself in previous blog posts – I want strong heroines.

2. I am developing a YA paranormal novel with feedback from two critique groups – one gets the first draft, I revise, then submit it to the second. This pushes me to keep producing at least two chapters a month through polished level.

3. I’m reworking shorts for the specific markets I’ve decided my work fits.

Goal #3: Do workshops. This goal needs to be amended to Do Activities that Generate Income. Progress:

1. I’ll be teaching a summer workshop Self-Publishing for Educators through Community Education at Sierra Community College and have applied to teach that and a Self-Publishing Basics workshop in the fall.

2. I’m shepherding a local artist and writer, Suzanne Blaney. Her website had been shut down and her Amazon author page was incomplete. I’ve started updating her online presence and her domain is pending transfer to GoDaddy, where I’ll be able to rebuild it for her. She’s finishing up a new art book and I’ll be editing that.

3. I’m negotiating a contract to write another screenplay for Nasser Entertainment. They don’t want to pay anything up front, so I’ll be gambling that they actually produce the film, but they probably will.

I also have two non-writing goals: Maintain balance in my life and Improve my financial status. I’ve made some progress on those, too, spending time with family, doing a little subbing. I still need to get back into a regular exercise routine. Blocking that in may actually increase my productive writing time. We’ll see how the next quarter goes.

www.sherimcguinn.com www.amazon.com/author/sherimcguinn

#usingthegoalsyouset #writinglife #writingprocess #quarterlyreview #planning #writinggoals #goalsetting #goals #Writing