Today is Milestone Friday at Life List Club, and we have an important announcement to make:
The Life List Club now has its own website. Check it out! (After you read this post, of course)
We all blog today about our progress on our goals. We also all give away gifts on Milestone Friday. I’ll draw one name from among those who comment on today’s blog and one more name from among those who subscribe to my blog. If you do both, you won’t win two prizes, but you will have two shots at winning. Your prize will be a free download of my upcoming book Web Wisdom: Inspiration from the Inbox. It should be available in April.
Other Life List Club members – click on their names to go to their blogs after you read this post:
My goals short-term:
Finish editing Web Wisdom and e-pub it as near April 1 as possible.
Prepare grammar course
Learn to use Gotomeeting and Gotowebinar
Start preliminary work for novella series
Find ways to expand blog readership
My goals long-term:
Conduct successful grammar webinars
Build sales of Web Wisdom to 1000 or more a month
Release new novellas several times a year and build sales of each to 1000 or more a month
Several months ago I was visiting with my friend @JillianDodd, author of the popular blog “Glitter, Bliss and Perfect Chaos.” At that time she had one novel on the market, That Boy, and she has since published That Wedding. Both are available from Barbes & Noble for Nook and from Amazon for Kindle.
Jill told me that the first book started out with single-digit monthly sales, growing to double-digits after a few months, but that around the six-month point it suddenly took off and began really selling. It has continued to do so, and her second title runs about even with it in sales.
Why am I talking about Jill? Because I had sort of subconsciously given up on ever getting anything published. Been through all the NY agent hoop-jumping and didn’t want to try it again. I hadn’t even been working on anything except blogs in months when we had that conversation. Suddenly, I could see a whole new future in front of me, which is something for someone my age.
At that point, I went back to work on my Christian inspirational book, Web Wisdom with a real goal in mind. I could personally see to it that it was published.
A few weeks ago, Jill and I were eating lunch with Nigel Blackwell, and she told us that novellas were a hot commodity. I suppose I could have found that out for myself, but that was news to me. I have a novel I’ve been kicking around for 20 years which has never worked, because it covers too much time and geography to hold together. When she mentioned novellas, it was like an epiphany—break the novel into a series of novella. Each could have its own antagonist and its own plot.
So now, after 20 years of fooling around with writing and never getting anywhere, I’m on the verge of publishing my first book, and I have clear direction in my mind for where to go for my first publishable fiction. I consider myself a writer, but it will be nice to have something to point to—and maybe even to deposit at the bank.
David N. Walker is a Christian father and grandfather, a grounded pilot and a near-scratch golfer who had to give up the game because of shoulder problems. A graduate of Duke University, he spent 42 years as a health insurance agent. Most of that career was spent in Texas, but for a few years he traveled many other states. He started writing about 20 years ago, and has six unpublished novels to use as primers on how NOT to write fiction. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his non-fiction Web Wisdom: Godly Inspiration from the Inbox and starting his new fiction work—a series of novellas set during the period from 1860 to 1880.
Contact me at davwalktx@yahoo.com or tweet me at @davidnwalkertx
David N Walker 
David, I’m glad to hear that Web Wisdom is so near publication and I can’t wait to read it! I feel like I was priveleged to be there through part of your journey with it during my time with the LLC and am excited to read the finished product : ).
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Thanks, Pam. I appreciate that.
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David – A wonderful uplifting blog – as always.
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Thanks, Sheri. Glad you found it uplifting.
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Pingback: Milestone Friday « David N Walker – Where the Heart Is | Marji Laine ~ Writer
Awesome goals David! Can’t wait for the novella series 🙂
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Thanks, Ingrid. As I explained this morning, there will be a bit of a delay, but I will definitely be doing it.
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Your future sounds so exciting! I’m happy you have a renewed sense of purpose in your writing. I’m so looking forward to see it develop and get to celebrate with you along the way!
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Lara, you’re such a great addition to LLC. Thanks for your comment.
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I’m so excited for you, David! That novella idea sounds like heavenly inspired timing for you! Still hope you’re planning to visit DFW Ready Writers in a few weeks!
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I’m so glad you remembered that. It’s my intention to do so, but knowing my memory, it wouldn’t hurt if you reminded me a day or two ahead of time.
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Congratulations on the new outlook! Jillian Dodd is definitely a go-to lady for information and inspiration. She definitely has things figured out and is so generous with her time and experience. It sounds like you have a great year ahead of you!
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Thanks, Patricia. Sounds like you know my friend Jill pretty well.
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congrats on being so close to publishing Web Wisdom, David! It’s so inspiring to watch my fellow Life List Clubbers making their goals.
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Thanks, Sonia. You guys are great support.
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I was at a publishing Q and A at a pub on Tuesday with two editors from small Canadian presses. Both echoed what you/Jill said: novellas are doing really well with e-pub. Go, you!
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Thanks for the confirmation, Leanne. BTW, missed you and your shadow on Gotomeeting yesterday.
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David, Congratulations on the progress you’ve made with your book. If I publish mine by April 2013, I’ll consider it a miracle. (It’s not even an official goal at this point.) Sometimes when our friends accomplish things ahead of us (like your friend Jill), they seem so much more doable. So I hope you hurry up and publish your book so I can use that to motivate me.
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Thanks, Gary. I love encouraging others, and it would feel great to accomplish something that encouraged you.
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My mom really likes novellas because of their shorter length. She doesn’t have a lot of time to read, and she finds that with regular length novels, she often goes through them so slowly that the beginning of the story fades in her mind before she reaches the end. Novellas are the perfect length for her.
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Thanks for stopping, Marcy. Hope your mom likes mine – which are unwritten as yet.
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Pingback: The Milestones are Partying Again « Sonia G Medeiros
Glad you had the opportunity to be re-engergized and re-inspired to continue following your dreams, albeit in a somewhat new process. Best of luck to you in your journey!
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Thanks, KT. It’s the first time I’ve truly been excited about writing in a good while.
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Congratulations on finding a way to make those old dreams new again, David! Jillian is really pretty amazing. Her enthusiasm and self-starter attitude would inspire anyone! Can’t wait to see you reach your dreams, even ‘at your age’. 🙂
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Thanks, Marcia. I do all this to make you feel young.
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I have a love/hate relationship with epiphanies/revelations. I’m glad to finally have direction and so on – but I always feel a little silly that I didn’t realize it sooner. lol All the best on your new direction and endeavors.
Lisa Hall-Wilson
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Thanks, Lisa. It was nice to meet you on Gotomeeting yesterday.
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Dave the one way to reach your goals is to make them, and shout about them. Going to check out the new website… Best of luck and success in all your endeavors!
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Thanks, Karlene. Your success in so many different endeavors is an inspiration to me.
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A tremendous WOOT for your epiphany, David. God puts people in our path, and opens our ears to their message, when we are most ready to put the message into action.
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Congratulations, Dave! It feels good to have a direction, and I do believe you’ll reach your goals. Seriously, you are one of the most impressive bloggers and individuals I’ve met here in social media.
And I’m looking forward to your grammar class!
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Thanks, Piper. You always inspire me.
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Me too! Me too!! I practice good grammar (most of the time) but I don’t know what anything is called! 🙂
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Love love love your rejuvenation! I can tell in your writing just how excited you are! Don’t lose any momentum; you will make this happen. So looking forward to meeting you at DFW!
And keep me posted on that grammar course. I needz helps. 😉
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Thanks, Jess. I appreciate the encouragement – along with everything else you and Marcia do for LLC.
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Congrats on the new website. And I love your new more clearly defined goals! You will get there Texas Walker! 😉
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Thanks, Renee. Don’t know what all goes into preparing for a son’s Bar-Mitzvah, but I hope it all goes smoothly for you.
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Web Wisdom is truly an inspirational read. I don’t want it to end – – so I’ll go back to the beginning after I write the review:)
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