I've never really been a goal setter when it comes to writing. Until I began BuNoWriMo, I didn't realize how important it could be. My goal, in line with BuNoWriMo, is writing 50,000 words in 30 days.
When I think about my first novel being 68,000 words, and it took me two years to write, it's crazy to think I'll be close to finishing my second book in about five or six weeks! Sure, it will be a first draft and I'll have a lot of editing to do, but that's the point. I'll have a novel to edit in about an eighth of the time it took me to write my first novel.
I was raised with a good work ethic and have always taken any job I had very seriously. I show up, on time, get the job done and do it well. I've always been reliable.
I don't know why I've never applied this work ethic to my writing.
I'm sure most of you know Angela Brown. She is an awesome writer with an awesome blog. She routinely sets monthly goals and posts it on her blog. I've always admired that. It's about holding yourself accountable to yourself.
So thank you Angela Brown and BuNoWriMo for inspiring me to set goals!
My goals for the month of June:
- Write 50,000 words toward my next novel in the Indigo Eady Mystery series, A Guilty Ghost Surprised.
- Read four books.
- Post 2-3 blog posts per week.
- Visit 25 awesome blogs per week.
Do you set goals? How strict are you about them? How do you stay on track? What are your goals for the month of June?
I set goals, but not consistently. I don't start out each month with certain goals, but if I have something I want to accomplish then I'll set a goal for that particular item.
ReplyDeleteFor the month of June, I'm scheduled to submit two stories to Chicken Soup--one has been submitted. I'd planned to enter the Hunger Mountain writing contest, which has a June 30th deadline. We'll see about that one. :)
Linda, I love Chicken Soup. Good luck with your submissions!
DeleteYou can do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little behind on BuNo right now. But for me, it was all about the motivation. It will take until the second or third week of July to actually finish my manuscript, but now I am on a roll and will get it done.
Alex, I'm almost caught up on BuNo - I hope I can keep it up for the next 10 days. I've sort of completed writing the scenes from my outline, and now I have to fill in. I guess my outline wasn't as fleshed-out as I thought. But yeah, you're right about getting the motivation from BuNo:)
DeleteWow, you have some major goals! I think that's great. I do set goals for myself. I generally set them weekly rather than monthly. Although I do set monthly goals, too. For June my goal is to finish the edits on my YA novel, PODs, and get it back to my editor. I also want to finish my first read through of two novels I have written but unedited.
ReplyDeleteStick to your goals, girl. You can get them done!
Michelle
www.michelle-pickett.com
Michelle, yes, 50K is a major goal, but I'm on a roll! My goals are kind of mixed between monthly/weekly. Wow, you are one busy lady with all that editing. Thanks for coming by:)
DeleteWow, those are impressive goals! I really wanted to finish my sequel for 18 Things this summer. I just signed a contract yesterday though so I'm not sure if that'll happen between all my edits and the social media I need to participate in, eek! Good luck with everything:)
ReplyDeleteJamie, I have every intention of completing them, too, lol! I heard about your contract - that is so awesome! Congratulations:)
DeleteI love your goals, Gwen. And I'm blushing-humble by the shout out. Thanks so much. Right now, I'm a little behind on finishing my first draft of NEVERLOVE but nearly done.
ReplyDeleteWoot! I've read 2 books. I think I have one more to read to meet my goal. Doing good with the blog posts but have to do better with the commenting. Focusing on my first draft has been a busy-minder but a necessary one.
I know you can meet your goals! And if you need to adjust, then that is an option as well. That's the beauty of monthly goals.
Thanks Angela. Can't wait for Neverlove.
DeleteI have reading as part of my goals and I absolutely love to read, but anymore, the only time I have to read is at bedtime. I don't make it very far before falling asleep!
And of course adjusting goals is certainly a viable option if I set my goals too high, lol!
Congratulations! I know how you feel, I wrote Destruction in a fraction of the time it took me to write The Charge. It was nice knowing I could be quick if needed. :)
ReplyDeleteSharon, I'm finding I'm not so afraid to step wrong on the second book, because I know I can fix it, change it or delete it in the editing. But setting this particular goal (50K in 30 days) made me realize how much I could actually get done!
DeleteI'm definitely a goal-setter. I try to take it one day at a time with the end-goal for the month or week in mind. I record what I get done in a little calendar with my word counts. If I have a reason why I can't write, I write that down too. I pretty much manage it like I would at work.
ReplyDeleteTonja, that's the way to go about it. I think I'll start recording word count. Thanks for the tip:)
DeleteFirst of all congrats for being so productive.
ReplyDeleteI'm much better with goals. What I have to watch is putting too many goals on my plate.
I'm way off on my plan for this month, but next week I'm going to try to do my damnedest to make it up. Awesome job on your part, though.
ReplyDeleteAha! Now you know that I've been experimenting with public accountability. The question is, in July, how did it go. Did it motivate you, Gwen?
ReplyDeleteTheresa, over-achiever, huh? I tend to have lofty goals, too, lol:)
ReplyDeleteMina, thanks. And good luck on your goals.
Debra, calling me out, huh? I did pretty well. How about you?
I did pretty good, too. But my goals were very, very achievable. Hoorah.
ReplyDelete