Since writing my last post, I’ve made a short but specific list of goals for myself. My broad aims are to write more and to actually complete pieces of creative writing; I’ve found that even when I’m being a productive writer, I have a remarkable incapacity to finish any pieces I start.
Here’s the POA:
- 1. Do a minimum of 750 words of creative writing, at least five days per week.
- 2. Submit to at least one writing contest or literary journal each month, beginning in August.
- 3. Write at least one blog post per week.
Modest goals (I’ve seen many writers with distinctly more impressive daily word counts), but a start nonetheless.
I took my broad aims, which were nice in theory but actually quite useless as far as motivation, and gave them deadlines and numbers. Numbers and dates are usually a sure-fire way of ramping up pressure, especially given my inability to ignore set deadlines. Missing a deadline — especially one determined by someone else — leaves me with an inordinate feeling of guilt, while even asking for extensions embarrasses me immensely.
Of course, it’s only fair that I share my progress. Here are my word counts for Monday to Friday of this week:
- Monday: 793
- Tuesday: 832
- Wednesday: 765
- Thursday: 769
- Friday: 0. (I used Friday as one of my two “off days” because I was in transit all day).
As for goal #2, I have a list of writing contests over the next four months, and a running list of journals accepting submissions as well.
I think this post answers to goal #3 pretty well.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
What I love about blogging is that the pace of it (a few times a week at least for a successful blog) forces you to keep your mind active in search of topics. It also forces you to write as often as you can.
The daily/weekly word minimum is an old but tried and true technique and a must for any serious writer.
I like this quote by Mary Heaton Vorse :“The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.”
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Strange — another blogger used that comment in response to my “How to Write with Prompts” post…but she attributed it to Kingsley Amis!
We need to do some proper googling here…
Zoe, how did you settle on ~750 words, was that just a personal target?
Are you involved in Nanowrimo? 1667 words a day. Most common thing I think when doing it “Can I be done yet?” Mostly because it’s at night and I want to sleep
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@ Roy – It seemed like a target that would be attainable, not pushing it. I decided if it became *too* attainable, I’d up it to 1000. I’m thinking of doing that soon.
@ Anne – I really wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year, but I’ll be away for the second half of November. I’m thinking of trying my own version of Nano early in 2009, but we’ll see…I’ll be missing out on the support of thousands of people doing the same thing.
It’s great that you’re doing it — you can sleep in December!
Very smart! It’s great that you have your goals so clearly stated. Each one of them are reasonable. And by sharing them, you have given yourself extra incentive by making yourself accountable. Perfect goal-setting! Too often people set goals that are so generic or out of reach that they lose before they even start. I’ve done it several times myself. But in hindsight they were often goals I only vested in half heartedly. Looks like you will have no problems succeeding with your plan! I wish you luck!
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@ Laurel – Earlier in the year, I set some loose writing goals (e.g., “write more” or “write every day”), and it was just too easy to let them slip. This approach worked a lot better!
Hey Zoe,
I struggle with my creative writing – homeschool three kids, work online, and am involved in several bible studies. I know I HAVE to make it a priority but it still slips to the bottom of my list. I was determined to do NaNoWriMo this year, but didn’t make it. I am getting more focused with my goals as well, though. It seems to be helping me move my creative writing along.
Keep up the good work.
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Kathryn,
Wow, you certainly have a full plate. I wanted to do NaNo this year too, but I was only here for half of November. Perhaps giving yourself a mini-NaNo would be a fun idea…?
I realize this post is a bit old, but what you said about the embarrassment associated with missing a deadline, especially one set by someone else, rings so true for me. I never would allow myself to EVER hand in anything late in college. If it was late, I considered it a failure.