La La Check-in

Way back on December 2 I found myself visiting La La Land and getting nada done. I needed focus.

That visit to La La Land lead to the creation of the December La La Goals and then the offered prize of the Licorice Lasso! Yee-haw.

So I'm checking in and filling in.

Those of you who shared your own La La goals, let me know how you did. Post here in comments or on your own blog and link in the comments.

My La La goal was: I will keep my Office Hours at The Vault (M,T,Th, F from 12:00-3:30, W from 11:30-1:30) and those Office Hours will not include email, Facebook, or blogging, but will include working to move forward with my work-in-progress.

Those of you who visit me now and again know this didn't happen. Nope. As it turned out, December was a tough...really tough...month and it wasn't even possible to be at The Vault. Could I have kept Office Hours away from The Vault? Well, probably...but it didn't happen.

I was forced to revise. Not my writing, but my writing life. And, you know? I think it was good for me. It was good for me to say to myself, "Jolie, you've been working really, I mean really, hard the last three and half months. It's okay to take a breather. To take care of your girls. To spend time with your family. To enjoy the snow and the season. Oh, yah...and to eat!"

Now, as 2009 approaches--girlies getting back to school and a schedule getting back to normal--I think I can return to my Office Hours refreshed and ready to get back to it. At least that's what I hope.

I'm sure many of you have met your La La Goals and some of you, like me, had to revise your writing life. Either way, let me know.

'Cause some one's taking home the Licorice Lasso and it won't necessarily be the person with the most perfectly matched goal and productivity.

Here are the goals that were posted:

Kjersten said: I'm going to get three new finished illustration samples in December.

CocoaStomp said: My December goal is to clean up a picture book dummy that I put aside for holiday monster paintings and send it off.

Jennifer Bertman said: My writing goal for December is to finish revisions on my novel.

Holly Cupala said: My focus is to finish my novel. Ok, to write 20K words. There. That's totally reasonable, and that will get me pretty close to finishing.

Laurie Thompson said: I am a distractoholic, and December is the easiest of months in which to get distracted, but I really must get moving. So, office hours, here I come!

Kelly said: my goal is to polish up one poetry collection to send out to a few publishers. I'd also like to submit to at least three magazine this month!

Annie said: My December goal is to get my first three chapters of my middle grade novel ready to send to Alexandra Penfold.After that, to continue with it, chapter by chapter.

S R Wood said:
If I'm serious about 1000 words a day, Monday-Wednesday-Friday and maybe Saturday, my WIP should be at nearly 30,000 words by the end of the month.

Kim Baker said: My December goal is to have this draft of my WIP together enough to let someone else read it.

Kim Baise said: I have TONS of art to complete this month.I need to complete 3 works of art for my Lullaby Moon book.I also need to finish my part of a collaboration with a textile artist....and then there's that commissioned work.

Martha Brokenbrough said: My goal is to finish a draft of my novel. I'm really close. :-)

Shelli said: I am finishing line edits on my book to send out on Jan 5th :)