What’s ironic is when I set my goal in January for The Year of The Writer I really didn’t know what it meant. I knew it meant change, I knew it meant growth, but I didn’t know what it encompass. The great and scary thing about it is that I don’t know what this new me is going to encounter.

The important thing, I’ve discovered drive again. When I was Melthegreatest I had it in spades. *Come on, I called myself Melthegreatest.* I can look back and see being and getting publishing was a matter of when, not if. Back then I was only a submission away from getting the call. I’m a little ashamed to say getting published knocked the drive right out of me. I had succeeded.

Now what? That question has been plaguing me ever since. Get the next one published just seems so vague. What kind of book? To what publisher? What’s the next milestone?

And then knowing it all comes down to luck. Yes, you have to be prepared when luck comes by.The downside is being prepared for years and never having lady luck on your side. I would like to believe this new Melissa is much more humble. I would like to believe this new Melissa will never give up what she has found to be important.

Yet I know I won’t be the same Melissa Blue next year. There would be something in my path that will make me learn a new lesson. I just hope no matter how I change, I will always then in when not if.

Who were you a year ago? Who do you want to be in a year?

So I’ve had to step back and look at my career. It’s dragging. I will give myself leeway because the first half of the year was CRAZY time. But now the vacation is over. Up until last week I’ve been at a lost to what to do with myself. I gave my writing CPR when I wrote the 18k story. But writing that story gave me a light bulb moment.

I wrote this story with the intent to send it in to a publisher. It’s a themed story. I was able to write this story to submission. Something I have never done before. I kind of like.

Ok. Understatement. I love it. I have to thank Jennifer Leeland for planting the thought in my head to write in one genre. I’ve also decided to aim my writing at a publisher.

Dear baby jesus, I now have a GOAL for my writing career. Yes, it’s scary because I might crash and burn. I may spend the next two years writing toward this publisher and we probably won’t fit. But for me it’s better than writing willy-nilly and then hunting for a publisher who will take the novel, only to find my novel doesn’t fit ANYWHERE.

Again, thanks to Jen, she said the floodgates would open. I didn’t believe her. Yet I’m looking at my notepad and I have five ideas I can work with. I have one that’s knocking and yelling louder than the others. I even have a goals spreadsheet. I’m scary folks when I’m on a mission.

But, it’s never felt so good.

What is your career goal? It doesn’t have to be about writing, but if you are a writer do you have a goal? Are you still willy-nilly? Maybe you can join me. Put the goal out there.

Mine: Kimani Press Romance line.

And then Pam was there and we were helping make a water slide. One side just wouldn’t work right and everyone knew we would all drown soon, because it was going to collapse.

And then the dream segued into me reading reviews for See Megan Run.

So, I guess you can consider this a nightmare, because I just finished doing my LAST, ABSOLUTELY LAST galleys. I’m guessing the nightmare stemmed from getting See Megan Run read to me by the disembodied voice of Adobe Reader.

But the story is in and I never, ever have to read it again. Now that’s a start of a very good weekend.