One Page at a Time: IWSG Update

It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for my Insecure Writer's Support Group post. A huge thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for putting together this group. I appreciate the opportunity to share my insecurities on the #IWSG therapy couch and to read how others are doing.

We've all heard the saying... one day at a time. But I'm starting this year with a slight variation... one page at a time.

Looking back on 2012, I can best describe it as wildly fluctuating. I'd have stellar months of focus and achievement followed by days (okay, weeks) of complete withdrawal. I was like a small puppy, either full steam ahead or collapsed in a corner.

I completed NaNoWriMo, but barely wrote at all in the months preceding. I completed three daily blog challenges in a row April through June, and then lost steam and struggled to keep a three-day-a-week schedule. Plus, 2012 was a rough year personally... my husband lost his job (and is still looking) and my daughter was diagnosed with EE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis). Neither helped keep me balanced.

Yesterday, I took some time to consider my New Year's Resolutions. Every year, I overwhelm myself with the idea that change is the only solution. Sometimes, it's just about sticking with what you know works and doesn't work.

So back to my one page at a time theory...

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Each page of a book adds value, but not every page has a major revelation or climax. Yet a book needs each page to get from beginning to end. 

So, each day I vow to move forward, even if it's only in some small way. But I also plan to be more realistic about time. When I overschedule myself, one small blip in the plan causes huge ripples. I don't build in any flexibility. This year, I will.

Usually New Year's is all about Yes. Yes to losing weight, yes to writing that novel. I will say yes to both of those, but I think it's more important for me to learn to say No. I truly believe I can achieve more by trying to achieve less.

Am I making any sense?

There are two things I am determined to do this year... finish up my NaNo novel, Chasing Memories, and finish the follow up to Depression Cookies. Many other to-dos will flow from those goals, so it's about focus.

My plan for 2013 is to have a notebook with long-term goals (publishing two books, for example) and daily goals that support those. The tricky part will be finding a balance between what I THINK I can get done in a day and what I CAN actually get done.

This year, I'm going to view Life as a 365-page novel and focus on making each page relevant to the end.

So, my fellow writers, please share your tips for planning. How do you focus on one page at a time?

Wishing everyone a great 2013!