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Inspired by Gord's post a while back, I decided to start thinking about the year ahead. I also want to keep my momentum going after NaNoWriMo.
I'm good about setting goals in my professional job but I haven't set firm writing goals for myself--ever. Not even when I was in grad school. Perhaps now is the time to change my approach. I'll follow Gord's method and start with a list of my achievements.
Achievements
I've spent a lot of time putting extra care into writing grant proposals for work. I've often written 9 different drafts for just one proposal to get the wording right. Sometimes, I've avoided writing fiction by bringing work home. On one hand, these efforts paid off positively. Here are my writing (work) achievements for 2007:
Los Angeles Clippers Foundation Grant Proposal. ($2,000)
Kaiser Permanente Community Grant Proposal. ($8,250)
Early Learning with Families Grant Proposal. ($20,000)
Target Early Childhood Reading Proposal. ($2,000)
California Department of Education Grant Application. ($10,000)
California Library Literacy Services Grant Application. ($35,000)
This means my writing has raised the library more than $77,000 in just one year! I know this has nothing to do with creative writing but I have to take the victories of 2007 as I see them. If I can do all of this on my day-job, then I should be inspired to apply some of this positive energy into my creative writing.
One other achievement--I actually finished NaNoWriMo this year, even though my novel is a big ol' mess.
Goals
In order to make sure I keep some of this positive energy for my writing (and not funnel all of it into the day-job), I have to reserve time for myself and my writing.
Work
I quit. As much as I love my current job, I'm at a point in my life where I need more time for myself. I would like to find a job that is less intensive so I don't feel guilty about using personal time. I've got an interview coming up Tuesday (Dec. 4) and received word that I passed another professional exam with the Los Angeles Community College District. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will have a new job in 2008.
Short Stories
Revise, Submit and Resubmit. I have two short stories that, in my humble opinion, have a good chance of finding a home. I've also got a contest deadline coming up at the end of January 2008. In short, I'm hoping to sell at least 3 short stories next year. I think this is very reasonable, especially since 2 of those 3 stories only need revising. My focus in 2008 will be to keep sending these stories out until they find a home.
Novels
I finished the first draft of my children's novel and now I need some distance. I don't plan on looking at the revisions until January 2008. I've got 5 friends who have agreed to read and critique the second draft in late February/early March. After their feedback, I'm hoping to do another round of revisions and then submit my novel to my critique group INK BLOTS. After that, I'll be ready to send my manuscript off to the SCBWI works-in-progress competition. By the end of June 2008, I should have another version ready for one last round of critique with the SCBWI manuscript exchange. By the end of the year, I'd like to mail my polished manuscript off to a few agents. I think this is doable since I'm only focusing on selling 3 short stories.
Reading, Writing, and Craft
Get a Real Handle on Editing. I tend to go through first drafts with lots of energy. I have way too many stories that were dropped after the first completion. I'd like to be less lazy and more proactive. I also suspect that if I work on revising and editing some of my stories, that any new projects I start will be better off.
I want to start with a craft book called Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose by Constance Hale. I read part of this book in grad school and loved the examples. I want to read it all the way through this time, without any distractions so I can focus specifically on:
Sentence structure. I'm notorious for misplaced and dangling modifiers. In the first draft, these kind of mistakes are common but I can't even catch them in rereads and reviews. Something about my brain prevents me from thinking and writing in such a clear order.
Middles. I noticed during NaNoWriMo that I tend to lose steam in the middle. I spend a lot of time building up to the rising action and the falling action falls flat. I find it difficult to follow through the resolution. My beginnings and endings come easily but what's the point if I can't hold everything in the middle together?
Outlines. I never used outlines--not even when I was in school--until this year during NaNoWriMo. I found the structure very helpful and will now use outlines, not only for novels, but for my short story writing too.
Read More Fiction. There's no way any writer can get enough of this. I spent most of the year reading non-fiction books and children's books. In 2008, I'd like to read even more children's books and some classic lit books that I haven't gotten around to like Ulysses by James Joyce.
Research. For 2 years, I worked as a writer for a local magazine called, View. I really should continue to publish in the non-fiction magazine market. I'd like to start doing some research on some topics that interest me and query a few magazines such as Essence. I'd like to sell at least 1 non-fiction article to a magazine or newspaper in 2008.
So there it is! I'm looking forward to 2008.
I'm good about setting goals in my professional job but I haven't set firm writing goals for myself--ever. Not even when I was in grad school. Perhaps now is the time to change my approach. I'll follow Gord's method and start with a list of my achievements.
Achievements
I've spent a lot of time putting extra care into writing grant proposals for work. I've often written 9 different drafts for just one proposal to get the wording right. Sometimes, I've avoided writing fiction by bringing work home. On one hand, these efforts paid off positively. Here are my writing (work) achievements for 2007:
Los Angeles Clippers Foundation Grant Proposal. ($2,000)
Kaiser Permanente Community Grant Proposal. ($8,250)
Early Learning with Families Grant Proposal. ($20,000)
Target Early Childhood Reading Proposal. ($2,000)
California Department of Education Grant Application. ($10,000)
California Library Literacy Services Grant Application. ($35,000)
This means my writing has raised the library more than $77,000 in just one year! I know this has nothing to do with creative writing but I have to take the victories of 2007 as I see them. If I can do all of this on my day-job, then I should be inspired to apply some of this positive energy into my creative writing.
One other achievement--I actually finished NaNoWriMo this year, even though my novel is a big ol' mess.
Goals
In order to make sure I keep some of this positive energy for my writing (and not funnel all of it into the day-job), I have to reserve time for myself and my writing.
Work
I quit. As much as I love my current job, I'm at a point in my life where I need more time for myself. I would like to find a job that is less intensive so I don't feel guilty about using personal time. I've got an interview coming up Tuesday (Dec. 4) and received word that I passed another professional exam with the Los Angeles Community College District. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will have a new job in 2008.
Short Stories
Revise, Submit and Resubmit. I have two short stories that, in my humble opinion, have a good chance of finding a home. I've also got a contest deadline coming up at the end of January 2008. In short, I'm hoping to sell at least 3 short stories next year. I think this is very reasonable, especially since 2 of those 3 stories only need revising. My focus in 2008 will be to keep sending these stories out until they find a home.
Novels
I finished the first draft of my children's novel and now I need some distance. I don't plan on looking at the revisions until January 2008. I've got 5 friends who have agreed to read and critique the second draft in late February/early March. After their feedback, I'm hoping to do another round of revisions and then submit my novel to my critique group INK BLOTS. After that, I'll be ready to send my manuscript off to the SCBWI works-in-progress competition. By the end of June 2008, I should have another version ready for one last round of critique with the SCBWI manuscript exchange. By the end of the year, I'd like to mail my polished manuscript off to a few agents. I think this is doable since I'm only focusing on selling 3 short stories.
Reading, Writing, and Craft
Get a Real Handle on Editing. I tend to go through first drafts with lots of energy. I have way too many stories that were dropped after the first completion. I'd like to be less lazy and more proactive. I also suspect that if I work on revising and editing some of my stories, that any new projects I start will be better off.
I want to start with a craft book called Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose by Constance Hale. I read part of this book in grad school and loved the examples. I want to read it all the way through this time, without any distractions so I can focus specifically on:
Sentence structure. I'm notorious for misplaced and dangling modifiers. In the first draft, these kind of mistakes are common but I can't even catch them in rereads and reviews. Something about my brain prevents me from thinking and writing in such a clear order.
Middles. I noticed during NaNoWriMo that I tend to lose steam in the middle. I spend a lot of time building up to the rising action and the falling action falls flat. I find it difficult to follow through the resolution. My beginnings and endings come easily but what's the point if I can't hold everything in the middle together?
Outlines. I never used outlines--not even when I was in school--until this year during NaNoWriMo. I found the structure very helpful and will now use outlines, not only for novels, but for my short story writing too.
Read More Fiction. There's no way any writer can get enough of this. I spent most of the year reading non-fiction books and children's books. In 2008, I'd like to read even more children's books and some classic lit books that I haven't gotten around to like Ulysses by James Joyce.
Research. For 2 years, I worked as a writer for a local magazine called, View. I really should continue to publish in the non-fiction magazine market. I'd like to start doing some research on some topics that interest me and query a few magazines such as Essence. I'd like to sell at least 1 non-fiction article to a magazine or newspaper in 2008.
So there it is! I'm looking forward to 2008.
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