Reading and Writing and Editing Goals

by Kay Springsteen

This is only the second day of the year and already I’ve fallen behind on my most important resolution for the New Year. Goal setting. I promised myself I would actually outline my personal goals for writing and editing and instead I kind of lazed yesterday away.

Well! This is kind of a good news/bad news situation. Since it’s Leap Year, I still have the entire 365 days ahead of me to figure out. So this can be my second New Year’s Day. Of course, that means Leap Day just becomes February 28 and the year rights itself by March 1. What a great solution to falling behind.

Oh, the bad news? Yeah…I still have to set my goals and get them down somewhere so I can periodically check my progress.

I have a day job – medical transcription. And aside from needing the very steady income, the work is at times very personally rewarding. So that’s among my “other career” goals.

But for fiction, I need to divide the goals into three categories.

EDITING: I edit for a couple of different publishing houses and plan to keep doing so. Why more than one? For one thing it spreads the work, but mostly because the editing is different types of fiction and each house has different heat levels. I plan to continue my editing at my current levels.

READING: You would think between editing the work of others and writing my own stories, I wouldn’t need to read for pleasure. But I find reading without the need to polish allows me to sit back and enjoy the ride, to get caught up in the story. Someone else’s story, not my own. I put pleasure reading right up there among the must-do in my fiction goal-setting. And I’d actually like to increase my reading. Problem is, I need to find a cool place to read where I won’t see my computer or I’ll feel the draw to edit or work on something of my own. I truly enjoy the work of others so reading is important. Maybe I’ll look into a place in my garden where I can kick back this summer.

WRITING: I write sweet stories under my real name. But maybe you don’t know that I have a secret alter ego under which I write erotic shorts. I enjoy writing the shorts rather than the full out erotic stories. I also enjoy writing the full length sweets. And I have several of these planned for my up-and-running series books this year. I think I’d like to try writing some middle-ground, a bit sweet, a bit sensual stories. I’m also diving into some historical romance this year. And I plan to write in the paranormal field, the latter of which will have a slightly more sensual feel as well. For the historical and paranormal books I have planned, I am collaborating with my writing and editing partner, Kim Bowman. Lots of exciting things planned, and getting started has been a hoot, since I am a die-hard plotter and Kim claims to be a pantser. So, in the words of another writer friend, we have become a hybrid of the two: plotantsters.

I’ll keep you posted on the joys and pitfalls of collaborative authoring as we go. Now, what about you? Got your goals mapped out yet?

Remember: Tomorrow Never Comes with AJ Best

OK, here’s the deal, tomorrow will never come.  That sounds like a very philosophical statement coming from me and I’m not normally a philosophical writer, but hear me out.  To prove my point check out my waistline.  I know, what does that have to do with writing!?  EVERYTHING!  I keep telling myself that I will diet, and I will exercise, but I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll do it tomorrow because I’m too tired, or that roast beast (beef) looks too good to only have one helping.  I can’t diet today because that Almond Joy cake Momma made for dessert can’t possibly be left for her to eat!  She’s a diabetic for crying out loud.  I’m saving her from herself.  I must save her and I must do it twice TODAY!  So TOMORROW I will diet.  But for some strange reason it is always today.  Today is the only day that we have to think about, so let’s make the most of it.

You need to make yourself write sometimes.  At first it will come easily.  You are going to be so stoked by a great story. You are going to do nothing but write, write, write.  They ideas are going to flow from your fingers.  The sparks will fly, and your significant other will be standing nearby with a fire extinguisher to make sure that no fires are started.  Then your darling child comes up to you and says, “I’m hungry!” or my personal favorite, “I’m bored!” So you get up quickly and run to the kitchen to make a quick PB&J and then you are headed back to write.  You then see the mail on the table that has to be put away.  Dang is that the credit card bill that was due last week?  Why didn’t that get paid?  Now you are making a mad dash for the check book to pay it before too many late fees get added.  Hold up, the check book’s not balanced?  It’s always balanced, do you have enough to pay the bill?  By this time, you have forgotten that you were writing in the first place. 

It’s especially hard on a nice sunny day.  But you need to set a goal, even if it’s small. 

• My goal for today is 400 words, in other words, you can set a word count goal!

So if you decide that you are going to write that 400 words act like the Nike commercial and Just Do It! Sit down and write 400 words.  It needs to be something.  It doesn’t have to be the most wonderful thing you have ever written and if you are stuck on the story that you are writing, start on something else.  Don’t force the words to come that makes for something that will only frustrate you and drive a very painful and potentially LONG writers block into your near future. (I hate writers block!  In the infamous words of my children, “It sooooo       sucks!”)

• My goal is 5 pages, I’m sure you get where this is going, a page goal right!?

It’s time to be selfish.  Have your spouse watch the kids.  Go somewhere quiet, or semi-quiet if you live in my house and close the door.  Put several full laundry baskets in front of the door and sit down to write.  You have to take the time to do this.  If you don’t take the time to be selfish with your writing, no one else is going to do it for you.  If you don’t take care of this child, (Yes, your writing is your baby too!  Don’t believe me?  Wait till your first not so good review when you want to beat the heck out of some reviewer for having an opinion.  And do remember folks, it’s just an opinion.  OK?) no one is going to do it for you.  So you need to get off your duff and take time for it.  You can not blame anyone but yourself if you don’t get it done. 

• My goal is to write for 30 minutes and last but not least…a timed goal!

 

I know you’ve heard it before but use a timer.  The advice is sound, tried and true guys.  If you don’t have an egg timer, a timer on your microwave, your stove, your phone, or an alarm clock, I do have solutions.  I absolutely love this site: http://www.nakedalarmclock.com/ because you are able to set it and have it go off whenever your goal time is complete. Besides, the name is fun.  (I bet over half of you have already clicked on the link thinking you would find something naked on there, HA fooled you.)  Make sure that when you set a timer for yourself, you are not punishing yourself.  Try not to make this a time out like you would give your child.  So, don’t do it for 3 straight hours in a row.  When I tutored college Accounting, I always told students never to study for more than an hour at a time, take a 10-15 minute break and then go back to studying.  That way your brain doesn’t go into overload.  If you force your brain to work non-stop for 3-4 hours then you may end up resenting the time that you are sitting there, and won’t enjoy what you are doing. Another fun thing that I can tell you about is http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html.  You can go to that site and put in your word goal, a time limit, and if you would prefer the program it to go easy on you, be strict or just be plain evil.  It’s a little difficult to explain, so you may want to go there and play with it just for fun!  If nothing else, it kicks you in the butt and gets your mind working and breaks the monotony of a brain fart or writers block.

Goals for the new year – Serious writing

I suggest to all romance writers that your join the RWA. They are awesomely helpful. After all, I was just reading the RWA newsletter and there were two articles which piqued my interest and made me realize I need a change.

The articles mentioned the things an author should do to become and remain successful as an author. I do all but two. The author of one article suggested making your writing a priority over the needs of others, but I can’t do that with a 2 year old and a newborn at home. The one I really fail on is goals. I set big goals with no intermediate or small ones and I don’t reward myself for completion of goals. I should set smaller and more achievable goals for the short term to help me along the way and make my bigger goals less daunting. So Intend to do just that. I will set my goals, and do periodic goal checks. Perhaps once a month. Here are my goals at the moment. I have two scripts I’m actively working on. One in editing and one in revision.

The one I’m editing.

I’m on chapter 16 of 25 chapters total.
I will complete one chapter a day. I will complete all pre-submission editing by 1-20-2011 I will then spend 2 hours for 2 days researching placement and submitting the manuscript. The process will be complete by 1-24-2011 and I will move on to another manuscript.

The one I’m revising and completing.

I’m on chapter 4 of probably 20 chapters with 5-8 more to revise.
I will revise 4 chapters per week, completing revisions by 1-22-2011 then write 1 chapter or 1000 words per day(whichever comes first) until the remaining chapters are complete. I will complete the manuscript by 2-1-2011. I will then begin edits of one chapter per day until the manuscript is completed (no later than 3-1-2011). I will then allow 2 hours for 2 days researching placement and submitting the manuscript. The process will be complete by 3-4-2011 and I will move on to another manuscript.

For reaching my goals each week, I will give myself a facial.

For reaching the book goals, I will allow myself to enter two contests I have my eye on.

For reaching both goals I will allow myself to take my revised MS to a convention and pitch it there.

I will keep you posted on how my goals are going. Wish me luck in sticking to/exceeding them.

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April Dawn -Author of Crushing Desire and
Bound by Love available now through Breathless Press, All Romance, and Kindle.