setting goals Archives - GoatKeepers Press

Autumn Cornwell really struck a chord in “Carpe Diem” with me. I use lists a lot. Her main character, Vassar Spore, creates her life in lists of things she wants to accomplish.

My lists have a different purpose. They are lists of things to accomplish, but are tasks needing to be done rather than life goals.

In the Book “Carpe Diem”

Vassar is 16 and in stiff competition to be valedictorian for her high school class. She plans to take AP courses over the summer in pursuit of a 5.3 GPA on a 4 point scale.

Her life goals include being valedictorian, attending Vassar College, marrying a blond surgeon and writing a Pulitzer Prize book. She is a super achiever.

My Lists

To Do lists are so boring. Mine include chores, watering garden, cleaning out the barn, making cheese, cleaning house. Mundane goals for a quiet life.

My life goals are equally modest now. I want to finish a couple of books I’m working on. And I want to finally get my website organized and attracting visitors who will buy my books.

Life Intervenes

Vassar’s goals are upended with a phone call by Grandma Gerd. Suddenly her AP courses are gone as she will be in Southeast Asia for the summer.

Instead of Latin, Vassar will be writing a novel for AP credit. From the pieces put into the book, she will be rewriting and editing for years.

In addition, Vassar is trying to find out why her parents let Grandma Gerd blackmail them into sending her off for the summer. Even though she is constantly getting into trouble, usually her own fault, she does find the answer.

My Nubian goats have discovered the old cow barn. Now that the horseflies are out, the herd goes out the pasture gate and straight to the cow barn to wait out the day. I see them sneak out from time to time to graze.

For me, I write in the morning just after milking. I’m awake and thinking about the plot. The other things happen in the afternoon.

Except the temperatures are now too hot to work outside by noon. So I am doing the work in the mornings and trying to write in the afternoons when I am tired, hot and wishing I could do nothing.

“Carpe Diem”

Seize the Day. Vassar is so busy making her lists, she forgets what is happening each day. How many of us do this?

It’s hard to stop trying to live in the past or the future, yet we can do neither. We can only live today. Planning is great. However, don’t let it rob you of your life.

A book challenge isn’t really necessary to encourage me to read lots of books over the year. I love to read.

I love to write and don’t really need to have a writing challenge to keep me writing. Yet I love participating in NaNo (National Novel Writing Month) and Camp NaNo over the year.

Setting goals might not be necessary, but they do keep nudging me to make sure I set time aside for meeting those goals. They are like deadlines.

My reading goal on Goodreads is 70 books again this year. The number is doable and challenging.

Books are not the only thing I read over the year. Science and writing magazines take up time. The Sunday newspaper is enjoyed weekly.

That is why a book challenge matters. It’s too easy to read materials other than books.

Why does reading books matter?

As an author, I read not only for pleasure, but to see what works and what doesn’t in a book. Do I find the book enjoyable? Why?

What parts of the book bore me? Do the descriptions work well? How do they enhance the story?

These answers and more help me improve my own writing. There is no way I can ever copy some other author’s style or story because my background is much different. The answers tell me how I can focus my plot, bring a setting to life, increase the suspense or tension.

cover of "For Love of Goats" by Karen GoatKeeper — Do you like tongue twisters? The sound of words? I do. I’ve read books of these over the years and found the challenge of creating one stimulating.

What will I read this year?

I don’t really know. There are shelves and piles of books at home. And there is the library.

In fact, the library can be too tempting. I had to wait for someone at the library for ten minutes or so. First I browsed the table of large print books. Next I noticed the picture books on the bookcases. There is a table of juvenile books.

Yes, I brought home a book from each place even though I am half way through two books at home.

The juvenile book is “Virtual Currency” by Martha London. It was interesting. I like starting to learn about a complicated subject with a juvenile book as adult books often make the number one teaching mistake of assuming the reader knows vocabulary or other things the neophyte doesn’t.

So I have completed my first book of the 2023 book challenge. Only 69 to go.