X=FIALURE X 1. Lose 6.25 lbs X 2. Do Yoga 5 days a week X 3. Do Tai Chi 5 days a week 4. Finish the first draft of CANVAS (my NaNoWriMo project) 5. Start Editin
Hey everyone! Another three months have passed and it’s time to update my writing goals and share my new ones for the months of January through March 2018. Let’s get into it!
Here is an abridged version of my last quarterly writing goals for the months of October-December 2017. The full post is here.
1.) Finish my novel. This is done! I completed my first original work, The Island, on December 13, 2017. So far, it has 89, 005 words. Its synopsis can be found here.
2.) Outline my next project. This didn’t happen, mostly because I thought I’d finish The Island mid-November and would have time to outline in December. But obviously, I finished it later and didn’t have time to outline the project. In my previous quarterly goals, I was undecided on what project to pick but I’ve decided to outline Knocking on Death’s Door, the first book in my Quasi-Immortals series.
3.) Think about publishing my poems/short stories. This is done, in fact, I wanted to submit my work to my college’s literary magazine but they weren’t accepting submissionsvat the time. This is actually a good thing because I ended up changing my short story, “Ephemeral”, and I prefer the newer version as opposed to the version I would’ve submitted.
4.) Compiling and turning in my anthology. This is done, mostly because it was my “final” for my creative writing class. My prof really liked it and I did pass the class with an A+.
My thoughts on October-December 2017 Writing Goals: I think it was productive. I could’ve fit in more but didn’t want to overwhelm myself. Twas a good quarter.
Now for my January-March Quarterly Writing Goals:
1. Finish the second draft of the Island. This draft will involve a complete read through of the manuscript, restructuring/adding/cutting scenes, fixing the pacing, and looking at overall character arcs.
2. Buy Scrivener. It’s a writing software meant for writers and it has some cool features that I like. I had a trial version of it for Nanowrimo 2016 and it was great. I had a PC back then and the user interface is better on macs. I have a macbook now so I’m going to purchase it.
3. Outline Knocking on Death’s Door. I also hope to be drafting it in the next three months but for now, outlining will do.
4. Beta read one novel. This process is already underway as I’ve agreed to beta a manuscript and return it in early Feburary.
5. Grow my author platform. This blog is the only platform I have that pertains to my writing and right now, I’m using it to document my progress as a writer and connect with other writers but I do need to grow my following in order to establish credibility when I eventually try to publish. This is important whether you’re self publishing or traditionally publishing, because it’s a marketing strategy but it can take a while to implement which is why I’m starting this now. For this goal specifically, I’d like to double the amount of followers I have currently.
6. Post more original content, twice every two weeks. This goes with the last goal. If I want people to find my blog, I actually have to post something. I tend to reblog posts, do tag games, and occasionally post something original. So I’m going to try to change that.
7. Edit “Ephemeral”. Like I said before, I changed it quite drastically and I’d like to edit it before submitting it for publication.
So those are my goals for the upcoming quarter, I encourage you to set your own goals, whether they’re monthly goals, bi-monthly, or quarterly goals. Make sure to tag me if you do! Alright guys, get back to writing!
