Writing Goals for 2011

It seems like each year I have begun a new year — like many other people, I’m sure — with lots of writing goals for the year, and so far each one has petered out without those goals being mostly achieved in some way.  After doing a little digging around, I can find my goals for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.  Looks like I didn’t do it for 2010, perhaps because it seemed like I’d begin the year with so much hope and way too much of a proposed workload, ultimately and perhaps inevitably leading to non completion.

This year, I’m going for a much smaller (and I believe more achievable) workload that I hope to be as completed as possible come December 31, 2011.

Let’s wait and see . . .

Writing deadlines pertaining to specific projects like finishing a specific story, chapter or novel doesn’t seem to really work for me (at least not with a full time job), and I believe part of the reason for this is that I haven’t worked up the resistance to doing as much as needed to get certain projects done by specific times.  I believe I need to work up my “mental writing calluses” to achieve this.  And by achieving each of the goals below, I believe I can do this.

GOAL 1: I’ve tried write something every day before, or write so many words before and it hasn’t worked.  So this year we’re starting smaller and more achievable.  Write AT LEAST 500 words for five days a week; ideally Monday through Friday.  [So far, with the first week of January coming to a week-end, I have achieved this; while I missed doing Wednesday's writing, I picked up the slack on Thursday by doing over a thousands words].

GOAL 2: Complete White Horse novella. While this four-novella project known as The Four Horsemen is going to take some time, my goal with it for this year is to at least finish the first novella.  I already have thoughts and ideas and some planning on what the other novellas will be about.  But by the end of the year I need to have AT LEAST White Horse complete.

GOAL 3: Complete final editing for Nothing is an Accident. I HAVE to get all final editing and bits and pieces for Nothing is an Accident done by this year and start shopping it around.  I will tentatively set a date of JUNE for ideally having the novel finished and done, but will not completely hold myself to this; giving me the rest of the year if needed.

GOAL 4: Make it to at least the 250-page mark of Wyrd. I need to get back to writing Wyrd, and I know this is another project that is going to take some time and will likely end up being quite long (if not very).  So the goal I’m setting for this year is at least to get to page 250.  Whether this is half way or a third of the way through, doesn’t matter.  Just need to hit that page mark by end of year.

GOAL 5: Write 2-4 short stories.  I know I did a couple of short stories last year, but with my mind wrapped up in these longer projects, it’s been hard to want to do short stories, even if the ideas are coming to mind and I’m jotting them down.  So for this year, I’m setting myself the goal of AT LEAST 2 short stories, IDEALLY 4, and anything more is gold!

GOAL 6: Nonstop story submission. I made a big start at the end of last year in sending out stories for publication, and I need to not falter at any point this year.  As soon as they come back rejected, add the rejections to the growing pile, and send it out to someone else.  I have a story currently moved beyond the slush pile and into the hands of the editors, so here’s hoping on that one.  Everything else needs to keep going out as soon as it comes back.

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