New Year's is awesome. It's the perfect time for us to make all those goals we won't ever keep.
Wait.
That doesn't quite sound right. Maybe someone needs an attitude adjustment.
&%^@!
Attitude adjusted.
New Year's is awesome. It's the perfect time for us to make all those goals that will change our lives in the coming year.
What'll I do? Well, I'm going to be a little more ambitious in my goals than I usually am. For one thing, I'm starting at New Year's - and yes, that is different. Usually I set my goals around the annual writing weekend I have with my best friend, which usually falls somewhere in the spring. I'm still working on accomplishing the goals before our weekend this April, but I will make it. The reason I'll make it is because I have to. If I don't I don't get to go on the weekend and if I don't get to go I know one writer who will kill me.
Death or finish the novel I set out to write. Hmm. It's kind of nice when choices are made simple.
I think that's what I need for all my goals - something I loose if I don't make it. I'm not going to suggest that it should always be my life, but, hey, whatever works.
I've fallen a little behind on my writing weekend goal over the last couple of months and I need to make up for it. I've done the math and figure I should easily finish the novel and one edit if I set the goal to write 7,000 words every week or 1000 words per day. I'm going by the week because I know that some days my schedule won't allow me to fit in the same amount of writing time as others.
That may not sound like a lot to some of you. I know a lot of writer's who've said they have to produce 2000 words per day or more. But part of the process of setting a goal has to be looking honestly at what you can do in the time you have. That said, you still want to be ambitious.
To others this may sound like a lot. Actually it sounds like a lot for me too. I've never consistently written that many words every week. I'm definitely stretching myself. I even have a pad of paper on the filing cabinet next to my computer table to keep track of my words each week. I keep telling myself that it's only about four double spaced pages in 12 point font with 1 inch margins. Not too bad. I can do that.
If I keep up I should be 28,000 words farther into my novel by the end of January - sweet!
Yesterday got me off to a good start. The first day of the year and I wrote a new beginning to an old story. I really think I like it too.
Okay so I wasn't making progress on the story I have to finish by April, but it's a rule I have. If I have an idea I'm dying to explore when I'm in the middle of another project I get one day to devote to it. I stick to that rule too. It satisfies my need to explore an idea and keeps me committed to my current project.
The beginning of this week I couldn't sleep and so my mind was bobbing from one thing to the next. It was out of the blue that I remembered some things from a college lecture and then a story that I'd started years ago. They connected - kind of. I had to turn on my light again a little after 2 a.m. and write some things down.
So I used the holiday to work on what I'd jotted down in the middle of the night. It's odd for me to write what I did because I used the word 'peed'. I hate the word 'peed'. But I think it works, I actually really liked it.
YEAH!
I hope you'll all make some good goals for yourself in 2010. I like the words at the end of the song "Closing Time" by Semisonic:
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end
2009 was a great end to begin on. Good luck to all of us, may we each achieve our goals for 2010.
1 comment:
You are right. I can see why finishing your book is vital. We don't want any dead bodies on our hands. Death is a little harsh, don't you think? (Even for you??) Good luck with your goals. Guess I better kick it up a notch - ay?
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