This is the first IWSG day of the New Year. IWSG stands for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You can follow other IWSG members here or on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG. We also have a Facebook page.
Can you believe it’s 2016? Looking back, I didn’t accomplish much with my writing last year. I have nothing to show except the articles I wrote for Southern Writers Magazine and four very rough novella drafts.
2016 MUST be different.
Do you choose a word for the year? This year my word is IF.
IF I focus on my goals, I can and will accomplish them.
I think I set myself up for failure because my goals list is too long and I don’t set a deadline for each project. That’s going to change; every goal has to have a deadline.
Here are my goals for this year. I have to work out some of the deadlines.
I have five articles to write for Southern Writers Magazine. I’ve chosen my authors to interview and will soon send them their list of questions. I need to look at my calendar to note my deadlines.
One Fine Day – Working title for my novella – Deadline is March 1. I have nothing but a rough outline so this is ‘new’ writing.
The Little Girl in the Bayou – Mystery Short Story—submission deadline March 15th. The story is complete, I just need to check it over and make sure word count and theme match up with publishing guidelines.
Novella Series—Rewrite and Edit 4 rough drafts by July 1st.
Listen to the Butterfly – Nonfiction book I’m working on. Determine date for completion and race toward it.
Even though I have so many other projects I yearn to complete, this is all I’m planning to focus on through July then I’ll take another look at how I’m progressing.
What are your goals for 2016? How do you monitor your progress? Got any tips for me? I’m a loosey-goosey writer who haphazardly plots, researches, writes, and blogs. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
Let’s make a deal: Let’s leave 2015 failures behind and move forward with our dreams and goals. Hopefully, 2016 will be a good year for all of us.
I write them down and then just jump in and start – that doesn’t mean roadblocks are found along the way, but that goal is just ahead, always! Some years I do much better than others – that’s why I always love a new beginning!
Good luck! May 2016 be your writing year – and every year thereafter!
Thanks Yolanda! I suppose there will always be roadblocks of some kind. The key is to stay focused and hang in there. 🙂
You can always make a back-up list to pull from if you get all this done. I’m sure you’ll do it this year. 😉
Anna from elements of emaginette
Thanks Anna! This year I focus! And yes, I believe in back up plans and lists!
You have a great start already! The best advice I’ve heard is to make SMART goals. And of course, SMART breaks down to stand for something; Specific, Measureable, Achieveable, Realistic, and TimeBound. A goal like “write more” doesn’t work because it’s vague, “more” is not a quantifiable goal, and there is no real way to measure this. Write 1000 words a week is better. You can measure that, it has a timeframe, and you would need to determine whether it’s realistic. “Be a best selling author” is another vague one. What does that mean? But a goal to publish a book and land on an an Amazon or USA Today list is better. It’s specific and you can measure whether you make the list or not.
Vague goals set us up for failure and then we feel bad about ourselves. Another possible motivator I heard once was to use holidays as deadlines. By Valentine’s Day, I’ll have the draft of my short story done. By St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll send the revision to readers, etc. The dates are easy to remember and measureable.
🙂
Ohhhh, great info, Stephanie. I can use this!!
Hope you post about how you accomplished everything you set out to do with flying colours! I don’t set goals per se. I already did that when I started writing back in 1984. My first novel, that is. Since then I’ve seen wonderfully productive days and not so wonderfully productive days. Today I just want to continue writing novels and maybe continue challenging myself. Feels good, so keep it up, right?
Thanks Joylene. Sometimes I wonder how I ever wrote and sold my first novel. I think I focused better when I had structure with a working hubby and kids!! I had to make every minute count! ?
Another problem is that I like to write too many different things!! ?
Hi Jessica.
I’ve never been a New Year Resolution kinda person. 🙂
I’m more of a “loosey-goosey writer who haphazardly plots, researches, writes…” which means I need more concrete goals.
Michelle
January Co-host.
I’m sure we’re sisters! 🙂
Sounds like you are working on some exciting stuff.