The Fabulist Flash

Issue Number 16

Sand Patterns Mousepad

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Writer's Bookshelf
3. Feature Article
4. Tip of the Week
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Happy New Year!

Welcome to Issue Number 16 of The Fabulist Flash. Forward it to all your writing friends.

The past few weeks have been busy with holiday preparations and parties. I've spent a lot of time sending out my annual cards, entertaining guests and family members, and enjoying the spirit of the season. I've also planned another ambitious year for myself of books, articles, queries, and promotional events. I'm looking forward to a busy and exciting 2005.

With the approaching New Year's Eve, I went in search of the seasonal song lyrics. In case you're looking for it yourself, here's Auld Lang Syne (Old Long Since) tr. William Curran from the Smithsonian Magazine.

Like so many of you, I have many holiday traditions. One of those traditions is taking a few moments during the holiday season and thanking the important people in my life. With our busy schedules and the chaos in the world it's easy to take for granted that the people who are important to us know they're importance. But, without the words, how can they really know?

With that thought in mind, I'd like to thank you, subscribers to The Fabulist Flash. 2004 has been a year of fulfilling dreams for me and this newsletter is one of my dreams come true. Thank you not only for subscribing, but for the kind words so many of you have shared about this newsletter. I'd also like to thank all the guest columnists, both those who've been published and those who've submitted. You're an important part of my effort to deliver inspiration and information into freelance-writer's inboxes.

This week's feature article is another collection of goal setting ideas by Corey Rudl. I hope the articles presented over these past five weeks have helped you set your own inspired goals for 2005.

My New Year's wish for each of us is that we not only set positive and challenging goals, but that we fully realize them in 2005.

Until next year,

Gregory
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Gregory A. Kompes is a freelance writer and photographer. Learn more about Gregory and his work at http://www.Kompes.com
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2. Writer's Bookshelf

Poets and Writers Magazine

A review by Gregory A. Kompes

A subscription to Poets and Writers Magazine is a great addition to your own Writer's Bookshelf. This bi-monthly magazine delivers in-depth coverage of topics of interest for writers to your mailbox.

Regular features include interviews and overviews of poets and writers both new and classic. These lengthy expose articles delve into what makes these writers and poets click, how they've formed, and what inspires them to write. Writing topics such as plot, character, and rhythm are covered with detail and care by some of the most respected writers and teachers of the craft.

In this age of short articles geared to an MTV generation, Poets and Writers Magazine, with their long, probing articles, interviews, and stories, is a breath of fresh air.

For more information, visit the Poets and Writers website (http://www.pw.org/).

For titles of inspiration to writers visit The Writer's Bookshelf.

3. Feature Article

How to set goals -- and accomplish them -- by creating your own personal master plan!
by Corey Rudl

It's very important to set GOALS for your business, and this is the time of year when many people set themselves goals for the coming year. But just writing them down is useless unless you actually have a PLAN for following through and accomplishing them.

To start, I'd recommend sitting down with a glass of mulled wine and jotting down a list of ALL the goals you would like to achieve in 2005. If you are running an Internet business, or thinking of starting one, your goals could include:

* Starting a newsletter

* Automating your ordering system

* Adding new content to your web site

* Making $XX in sales by the end of the year

It's a good idea to narrow your written goals down to the top four or five, in order of importance to your business. Setting too many will make the list of things to do seem too long and difficult to accomplish.

By deciding on the most important ones, you will have a much greater chance of achieving them. Once you've done that, THEN you can go back to some of the other goals you had in mind.

Setting goals is relatively easy -- it's creating a workable master plan that's the tough part. This master plan should include a summary of all your goals, a list of the actions that you need to do to accomplish them, specific dates when you need to do them by, and a plan for actually executing these actions.

Here are some tips for making your plan work and achieving your goals:

* Make the decision and go for it. Once you've decided on your main goals, go all out to achieve them. Just not having to decide anymore will focus your mind and provide you with some clear direction.

* Review your progress regularly. You should regularly look back at what you are trying to achieve, then check that you are on track and staying true to the your original objectives. By reviewing at regular intervals, you will be able to pick up on any potential problem areas before they get out of hand!

* Reward yourself periodically to keep motivated. When you achieve a milestone, reward yourself. Give yourself a treat, or just take a little time to relax and get ready for the next stage -- you've earned it!

Just like a New Year's Eve celebration at the end of the year, a reward at the end of a task will make you feel good about accomplishing what you set out to achieve. So review how far you've come, relax a little, and get energized for the next stage!

* Get support. Running a business on your own can be hard. Getting support from a coach, or even just an online forum, can help you out during any times when things aren't going perfectly to plan. Having someone to bounce ideas off and give you a kick in the backside when the going gets tough can be invaluable!

In fact, getting support can be your key to getting started, too. Like I always say, your best bet is to follow the advice of the experts -- and use the methods that are already proven to work.

That's why I'd encourage you to check out the strategies used by the goal-setting experts -- people who have perfected a system for setting BIG (but attainable) goals and making them work.

You can find out more about how to accomplish your goals in the New Year at: http://www.marketingtips.com/goals

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Corey Rudl is the owner of four highly successful online businesses that attract more than 1.8 million visitors per month and generate over $6.6 million each year. He is also the author of the #1 best-selling Internet Marketing course online. To check out his site that's JAM-PACKED WITH THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU NEED to start, build, and grow your very own profitable Internet business, I highly recommend visiting Marketing Tips Newsletter
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4. Tip of the Week

Resell your previously published articles to markets that allow reprints. This is a great time of year to sort through those pieces you've sold in the past. Research markets that take reprints, make copies, write a short cover note, and get those reprint offers in the mail.

5. About the Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

The Fabulist Flash is dedicated to helping freelance writers find resources and inspiration.

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Email
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Gregory A. Kompes, editor
The Fabulist Flash
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