The Joy is in the Journey, by Lori Roberts Herbst

 

This time last year, I set these writing goals for 2024:

·      Publish GRAVEN IMAGES, book 6 in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series.

·      Outline the first three books of a new series, the Seahorse Bay Mysteries.

·      Draft, revise, and ultimately publish book one, LARCENY AT THE LIGHTHOUSE.

·      Draft the second book in the series, ARSON AT THE AQUARIUM. Get it ready for early 2025 publication.

 

These were just a few of my marketing goals:

·      Learn to use BookFunnel to increase my newsletter subscriber numbers.

·      Branch out on social media, to include Threads and Bluesky.

·      Contribute more to the cozy Facebook sites on which I so enjoy lurking.

·      Bundle the first three books in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series.

·      Find libraries and bookstores in my new area that might carry my books.

 

Here’s what I’ve completed on those lists:

·      …zzz…

 

So, what happened to all those lofty plans? Life, I suppose you could say.

 

After publishing GRAVEN IMAGES on schedule in April, the rest of my goals fell by the wayside. See, it’s like this: my husband retired last January, and we moved from our nearly lifelong home state of Texas to beautiful Colorado. We contracted on a new build home in sight of Pikes Peak and moved in just days before GRAVEN IMAGES released. 

 

And I got terribly distracted. 

 

Our new home is in a 55+ community, and we have access to so many fun activities and new friends. Our new state boasts a plethora of stunning locales to explore. And now I have a husband who is home…well, let’s just say a lot more than he used to be. So, I put aside my goal sheet — just for a few weeks, I told myself. That became a month. Then…I’m sure you get the picture.

 

Somewhere along the way, I began to question whether I’d ever get back into my writing — whether I’d ever meet the old goals or even make new ones. Maybe it simply wasn’t meant to be…

 

But recently, I’ve found myself really missing it all — the fingers flying across the keyboard as a new scene comes to life, the creation of characters and all their foibles, the telling of stories. Lately, each morning I wake up with a brain crammed with possibilities.

 

That’s how I know I’m ready again.

 

Here’s what I’ve learned from all this: there’s nothing wrong with a little flexibility. My nature is to be driven, goal-oriented, all-in. If I miss a deadline, self-imposed though it may be, my instinct is to label myself a failure and throw in the towel. Instead, I’ve realized I can cut myself some slack and simply enjoy the fact that I am able to veer from my path, revel in the side trip, and eventually find my way back. My goals and plans will be waiting.

 

I have an almost complete outline for book 1 in the Seahorse Bay Mystery series. Next week, I will begin writing the words and stories that live in my head, clamoring to get out. And if somewhere along the way I get distracted again, so be it.

 

The joy is in the journey.

 

How do you handle unmet goals — or are you one of those extraordinary creatures who meet them all?

 

The Callie Cassidy Mystery series is available on Amazon Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback.

 

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Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in Rock Creek Village, Colorado, and the (hopefully) soon-to-be-released Seahorse Bay Mysteries, set in a Texas cruise port town. To find out more and to sign up for her newsletter, go to www.lorirobertsherbst.com