Writing Goals: Week 3

Week three has been GREAT! After a rough start, we've gotten TONS of work done on Asylum, moving it past the never ending event horizon of The Big Thing, and we're dealing with the aftermath. The bulk of it should be mopped up by next week - possibly even with us FINISHING Asylum by the end of January. Most definitely by the end of February. I am BEYOND excited!

Writing Goals for 2014: Week 3

-Blog goals: Alright, I actually have something resembling a schedule hammered out ...ish. So far, it'll run something like this:

• 7's (7, 14, 21, 28): The Weekly writing goals update
• 5's (05, 15, 25): Sketches! At least through April. I've got enough sketches queued up for that far, and more sketches lying around on the coffee table and in various binders, waiting for me to find them and post them. I should be able to handle three sketch pieces a month (I hope).
• 9, 10, 11: Doctor Days! Hoooray 
• If I know me, I'll probably do something New Monthy on the 1st and recap-y on the 30/1st, but I'm not setting this in stone
• Smattering of actual writings, probably in the 16-20 range, since there's not a lot going on in there, but again, not a set in stone update. I'd like to try to post some actually writing at least once a week though. That'd be nice.
• Same smattering kind of idea for tips and tricks I use as a writer, various "Writing about Writing"
• Random thoughts and and feelings throughout the month as they come to me

-Writing at least once a day, as is suggested by so many successful authors: 

Ok, this one is a weird one for me.

I actually can't not write everyday (did I set that double negative up right?) but what I'd like to do is getting a little work done on Asylum and Co. every day. But yeah, I'm totally writing everyday, whether its a blog post, or a forum post, or answering some of the lengthy emails I send back and forth with friends, or character blurbs, or what have you. I'm totally writing every day, no worries there.

We're moving into the new semester, and it looks like we'll be able to take Wednesday as an all day writing day, with Saturdays as well if we need them. I should also get about an hour before work on Fridays, and there's always Sunday and Monday mornings, since I work later then. Tuesday is right out the window - I will always been too exhausted on Tuesdays to do anything useful, but we'll see what Thursdays have in store.

-ACTUALLY FINISH A COMPLETE STORY so that I can flex my editing muscles a bit:

Well on the way to that- huzzah! Also , there's that whole NaNo thing I really should look at, though I have no idea where to go with it. Maybe if I actually re-read it, something will come to mind.

-Research employment opportunities in the writing field (so vague, I know) since I'm tired of my soul sucking service industry job: Haven't checked out the local paper yet - I need to stay on this! Doing is the difference between dreams and reality - I'm just so easily caught up in writing that it pretty much steals me away as soon as I open my computer.

So that's week three - hooray! How's everyone else doing?

Writing Goals: Week 2.5

Ok, back before I realized what a stupid idea it was to try and talk about CURRENT PROGRESS before it happened, I wrote this post for week three. You can have it now, and I'll work up a better post for my actual progress report for week 3, which is going much better than anticipated. Week 2 had me really, really down.

___________

TERRIBLE week this week - too much work. Kids came back to school, bad weather and illness in the staff meant I was working way, way overtime, and lost the groove of what was going on in Asylum. We'll get back to it, but it's going to be a struggle, I think. Wish us luck.

Writing Goals for 2014: Week 2.5

 -Keeping my blog post scheduled up at least a week in advance, so I'm not stressing deadlines: Still working with the re-vamp of the schedule, so I guess Mini-goal: Figure out what posting schedule I want to go with and get its page up.

-Writing at least once a day, as is suggested by so many successful authors: Not happening lately. I'm really not happy about this. But it is the first week of school, and everything is crazy, so maybe once I actually settle into a routine?

-ACTUALLY FINISH A COMPLETE STORY so that I can flex my editing muscles a bit: ASYLUM HAS GROUND TO A HALT! I need to figure out how to get back on track with this!

However, on the editing note, it's apparently time to start editing my NaNo, so I guess if Asylum keeps confounding me, I can work on that. I dread the idea of touching that horrid thing again, but I did make a legally binding promise on a silly website, so I suppose I must. :P

-Research employment opportunities in the writing field (so vague, I know) since I'm tired of my soul sucking service industry job: Might have a lead on this, one of my employees suggested I look into working for the local newspaper - any feedback on that, anyone? HR is also a possibility, apparently - I hate that I feel like I don't know anything about the grown up world and grown up jobs! I'm 27, damnit, when will I finally feel qualified to be an adult?

Aaaand that's my writing week. Anyone else able to chime in with something more positive? I could use some success stories right now.

Writing Goals: Week 2

I'm trying this again. Last week was a flop, and all of you got to see my embarrassing not finished post- but it DID serve its purpose and remind me to check on my progress. I'm gonna try that tactic again, and we'll see if it works or not.

I'm also gonna go ahead and copy/paste my list of goals to help hold myself more accountable, and to make sure I see them over and over and over again so that I actually keep them in my mind. In high school, I used to make little notes in my notebooks or on my mirror or whatever so that I'd see them all the time, so hopefully that tactic still works for me. We'll see.

Writing Goals for 2014: Week 2

 -Keeping my blog post scheduled up at least a week in advance, so I'm not stressing deadlines:So far, so good, but 9,10 and 11 write themselves. Next week will be harder.

-Writing at least once a day, as is suggested by so many successful authors: I am so sleep deprived lately, I can't remember if I've done this or not. I need to come up with a better way to measure that, my days are running together, and writing at a set time every day is just not doable.

-ACTUALLY FINISH A COMPLETE STORY so that I can flex my editing muscles a bit: I am working on that. Slowly and surely Asylum is creeping to a close. Naj is also being very helpful and suggesting to me where I need to do some re-writes, because the story he's telling me now doesn't quite match up with what I've already written. I made a deal with him that if he'll just give me SOMETHING now, I will do all the editing for him later, and even write some gratuitous fun scenes for him (and for all of you!)

-Research employment opportunities in the writing field (so vague, I know) since I'm tired of my soul sucking service industry job: Hmmm, no. Not so much with this one. Anyone have any suggestions? At this point, I'd take any job that was sit down at a desk, reliable Mon-Fri 9-5, soul sucking or not. At least then I could be on a fixed schedule, instead of this In at 9, out at 3am sometimes crap.

Ok, so more of a weekly recap than a monthly one, but I like the weekly schedule better, for now, to help get the ball rolling. It's working for me, and that's the entire point, really.

How's everyone else doing?

Writing Goals: Week 1

So, here's the plan. If I do this right, I will go back and edit this post and actually talk about how I'm doing with my writing goals during the first week of Jan. I'd like to make it a recurring thing for the 7's of every month (7, 14, 21, 28) to help me accountable. We'll see how it goes. If I stick with things like I'd like to, I'll come back, edit this post, and have lots of success to share with you all. Maybe only stories of what doesn't work, or ideas for what might work.

If it all falls through, then there will be nothing but this embarrassing post to remind me I should be writing. : P

I'm tempted to put up an embarrassing baby photo as well, but that seems a bit like overkill for a post I intend to delete, more or less.

Feel free to mock me if I fail, or spam me with motivational Tennants : P

Filler or Fuller? Posting every day

Sitting down to queue up this week's posts, I find myself wondering: what is the "ideal" posting schedule?

Never Enough time: a slightly whiny post

Wow. I hadn't meant for this to get whiny, but apparently I'm really bummed out about this problem of mine, so sorry for that. :( If you care to read on, I would like some brainstorming ideas.

-R

How to achieve your goals: Write it Down!

Welcome to 2014!

I always feel a little silly celebrating the new year two months after it's passed for me (I prefer an older style of yearly reckoning, ending my year with October) but it is a changing of the calendar, and a chance for some clean slate action.

I like to use all the resolution energy floating around to help propel some changes in my life, set some goals and try to lay the ground work for good habits. This includes my writing habits, so I thought I'd share.

Writing Goals for 2014: