I long ago gave up on New Year's resolutions. You know the one - lose weight. Yeah, I'm one of those people who loses ten pounds then gains back twenty, it's much better to just maintain. What I have been doing for the last five years or so is to set goals for my writing. Of course I don't always reach all of my goals but I do give them a good try.
Take last year, for instance. I made of list of zines I wanted to be published in. In no particular order, they were: ThugLit, Hardluck Stories, Shred of Evidence, PulpPusher, Spinetingler, Thrilling Detective, and later Plots With Guns. I submitted to every one of them, sometimes more than once. I was published in four of them, one by invitation. Since Hardluck has shut down, I only have two left to crack and they'll be targeted with more stories this year.
This year I'd like to be published in Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen. Will I make it? The odds are against me, but if I don't at least try, I'll never know. And that's the thing about writing goals. You have to make them attainable to a certain degree. Even if the story is rejected you still have the option of submitting it elsewhere, maybe not your dream market, but a market nonetheless. You won't hit every goal you set for yourself, but if you at least try, you know you're walking the writer's road.
There are other goals, like getting one story a week or a month published, both goals can be achieved, but it takes a lot of writing and submitting. You need to consider how much time you have to give towards your goal and, of course, life can put up stumbling blocks. But if you don't at least try, you don't know what you can achieve.
A lot of writers set daily page or word goals. I tend to shy away from those. The words don't always flow when I've placed my butt in the chair. On those days, I split my time between solitaire and working on rewrites. And while rewrites aren't about pages and word counts, they are a writer's goal. The goal of putting your best story forward and again, it's achievable.
This year I'd like to start a novel. But, hey, a novel is BIG. So maybe I'll set a goal of writing a chapter and see where it goes from there. Maybe at a chapter a week, along with my short stories, by 2010 I might have a first draft.
The trick is to set doable goals, something you know you can manage. It's like a child learning to walk, you need to take baby steps until you find your balance then you can run like the wind. If you hit your goal, great, but you don't have to stop there, you can always take it one more step. And if you don't hit your goal, at least you have the satisfaction of knowing that you tried. In the writing game, trying is half the battle.
Happy New Year!! May all your writing goals be reached in 2009 and may all your polished prose find a home.
6 comments:
True words. I was hoping to get a short story published last year, and viola one was accepted. I tend to sit on my stories and keep them close like a brooding hen. This coming year I plan on introducing those chicks to the world.
I find it hard to let them go, too. I have to remind myself that the worst that can happen is the editor will say no. And if I'm lucky he'll explain why he said no which will help rewrite the story for another market.
My writing goals are the opposite of yours, Sandra. I want to write many more short stories and I let novel #2 gestate. In your 08 recap, you mentioned that you wanted to published in various 'zines. That's my 2009 goal...and now I need to write/edit the stories. A novel is big, yes, but doable. Best thing that helped me write was submitting chapters/week to a critique group. It gave me a deadline and, if I didn't meet it, all the excuses sounded lame. So, I met my deadlines. Now, I look back on those days and marvel at my focus. It's taken me longer NOT to write Book #2 than it did Book #1. Weird. Here's to a fruitful and productive 2009.
Great story on CROOKED, Sandra. You managed to weave so much atmosphere into it.
I recommend staying away from a novel. It's really tied me up no end. On the other hand, the venues shrink and expand so rapidly for the shorts.
I love writing short stories, Scott, and I don't think I could ever give that up. The best thing about writing short is you can experiment with so many thoughts and ideas, writing stories that would never be acceptable in novels. A virtual toast, may we all achieve our goals this year!
Thanks for the kind words about my story, Patti. As for the novel, I think I need to attempt this just to prove to myself that I can do it. The truth is, I've never really expected anything to come of my writing but as I grow and learn as a writer, I want to keep pushing myself. The best part of small expectations is the glorious high when I succeed in reaching each new plateau.
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