My December Plans or Why I Need Project Management

Since it’s the first of December — OMG can you believe 2009 is almost over?  Nooooo! — I decided to evaluate my goals and make sure I know what the first of 2010 will bring.

And let me just say that I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach looking at my to-do list.  Seriously, how on earth am I going to get all this done?  I have one book on submission, one that’s *this close* to a completed first draft (Victor), and then I’ll have two books in desperate need of Revision Hell ASAP.  Then there’s a short story I’d like to write, and maybe something for that steampunk romance anthology at Samhain, and oh yeah, my new SFR series I want to kick off.  Oops, and I also owe one last Keldari novella to Deena at Drollerie.

Not to mention all the promotion work for Rose releasing in print Dec/Jan and Dear Sir, I’m Yours in April.

Before I started popping Motrin for the splitting headache or uncorked the bottle of wine, I decided to step back and approach this just like I would any major undertaking I complete for the Evil Day Job. I always have multiple projects in the queue, with varying needs and usually tight deadlines, yet we always manage to get everything (or nearly so) done.  That’s because we plan.  And then we plan the plan.  And then we plan just a bit more.

So for the next few days, I’m going to post about planning and goals, in particular mine, but maybe you’ll get a few ideas on how to start off the new year with a solid plan in hand, while I work toward the endzone for Victor aka THE END.

My first step I completed was to make a list of every possible thing I’d like to get done between now and 4/30.  (I picked that date because that’s the deadline for the steampunk antho.  You can pick any date.  A month.  A week.  All year.)  At this point, I let myself put anything and everything on the list, no matter how unlikely it’ll be that I can humanly accomplish a fraction of all this work.  This is dream time, pie in the sky list in no particular priority or order.

• finish the first draft of Victor.
• Revision Hell for Victor with a goal to submit by the end of January.
• Revision Hell for Return to Shanhasson with a goal to submit by the end of December.
• Polish the first three chapters of Return quicker — say by Dec. 11 — for potential giveaway idea.
• Revise and polish The Horse Master, my old freebie story (the first I think I ever put up on the blog) for potential promo idea.
• Consider writing a short story to give away for the holidays with The Horse Master to help promote Rose.  How about Dainari?
• short horror story for fun looking anthology
• Finish Deathright and query ASAP.
• Replot Seven Crows once Deathright is done.
• Jot notes for Vicki’s story (the last Connagher).
• Come up with an idea for the steampunk antho.  Worldbuild, plot, etc.  I have something possibly in mind…but the pieces won’t fall into place.  Needs some major brainstorming.
• Drag out Given in Fire notes and rethink the plot in preparation for drafting.
• Manage all the promo giveaways for the holidays, keep the blog interesting, etc.
• Set up the “Find Gregar!” contest.
• Book signing 12/12 at my hometown library.
• Personal note:  trip to home office for EDJ likely in first quarter 2010.

I’m exhausted!!!  I’ll continue this process tomorrow.