Today I have to set my goals for the My 500 Words challenge - how am I going to do this? As Jeff Goins says: "Do you want to finish that novel? Start a blog? Just get into the habit of writing? What kind of change do you want to see happen in the next month?".
Well I have a blog which I started in November 2006 - check! I'm not planning to write a novel - apart for not having any talent for this, I have not got an idea for a story (at least good ones!), nor do I believe that everybody has a novel in them. No - I do not want to write or finish "that novel". I have already written three books:
- An Introduction to Business Systems Analysis (2010)
- Exploring Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way (2014)
- Exploring Northern Ireland's Causeway and Mourne Coastal Routes (2015)
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| Image Source: teamgantt.com. |
Last summer I started work on a fourth book "Exploring Ireland's East and South East Coasts" - this was to complete a trilogy of books about my ride around the Irish coast in 2012. A lot of is it written - I started the journey in a clockwise direction around the coast from the mouth of the Liffey in Dublin. I have documented my journey from Dublin to Kinsale where the Wild Atlantic Way starts. I have yet to write about the last part of the round-Ireland journey from Newry to Dublin. Having complete the Wild Atlantic Way and Northern Ireland books which has tonnes of interesting places to write about, I found the East coast in particular difficult to write interesting stuff about. The Wicklow and east Wexford coast don't have the iconic landmarks like the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher, the Slieve League cliffs, or the Giant's Causeway, that other parts of Ireland have. I realised that I need more material - especially photographs. I also confess to not being motivated to finish the book - I might even be suffering from writer's block. So - this summer I will go back to many places on the East and Southeast coasts, take more photos, meet more people, and see more places.
Goal #1 for this year - finish Exploring Ireland;s East and Southeast Coasts.
Goal #2 is to adhere to the discipline of writing a fixed amount each day during the Jeff Goins My 500 Words challenge. I have never done anything like this before - I hate being told what to do.
Goal #3 is to not write shite.
Goal #4 is definitely to get into the "habit of writing". Blogging is very much part of me now that I don't want to give it up or let it die. Even if nobody (except my Mum!) ever reads it - I still want to do it and keep the habit up.
Goal #5 is to think a bit about what to write after I have finished the East and Southeast Coast book. I once submitted a book about video and education to a publisher, but didn't take it any further when the idea was rejected. Over the past couple of years I have thought of making my Business Data Analysis module at the College into a textbook. The world does not need another text book on Statistics - but I have entertained the thoughts of converting my notes into a book but to also make it original by including video. An option here would be to go for an iBook type publication - it's just an idea at the moment.
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