I received a year planner from my family at Christmas. I've never been one to keep up with a planner. Sometime around this time each year, I realize I don't keep track of enough stuff to justify having one. There may be two or three points during the year when I think it might come in handy, but once those times have passed, I once again don't need to lug around yet another item.

Well this one is different. First of all it's a Moleskin (I think that's the name) so the quality and design is up to my snotty standards. Secondly -- and what has made all the difference -- I decided to use it solely to keep track of my writing progress each day.

And it has worked. Too well, possibly. I realized sometime last week that I had neglected the website in almost two months. For shame. I think there's enough time in my day to do both. I think the secret is keeping the website entries and the journal entries reasonably small.

I'll sit down, last thing each day, and write around three short sentences about what I edited, critiqued, wrote, outlined, whatever writing-related activity I accomplished. Then I'll write a reasonable goal for the following day. This gives me something specific to ruminate on over night. I know just what I need to write the next time I sit down to the keyboard.

Hilmer Gibb and His Honkin' Huge Bib is finished, the last half being critiqued last night. Outside of a comma or two and a couple words I omitted during a last-minute edit before the latest Barnes & Noble critique, it's ready to send out.

This work is technically my first full-length story ready for submissions. I'm excited about the accomplishment and even more excited about the reactions it's getting, but I'm feeling a little lost.

What is the best next step? I realize it will need illustrations, but how does one proceed? Is that something I arrange myself or do I allow a publisher to make that most critical choice for me. (Of course, that's vainly assuming I get it accepted by a publisher who wants to produce it as a book.)

When I started out writing, I never expected I'd be in this position, that of pushing my children's book. The story came out of nowhere and had to be written. I'm happy with the results but I'm terribly unprepared.

I'll keep you posted.