~~ "She has so many aliases, you'd think she was a spy!" ~~

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Thursday 13: Thirteen Writing Related Goals This Year

1. Finish High Spirits in January, edit before end of quarter

2. Start Caressing the Tiger with Teresa in February.

3. After getting rolling with CTT, decide honestly if we can finish it in the quarter.

4. Edit An Ever-Turning Wheel and get it in the mail to agents and editors, preferably in the first quarter but probably in the second or third quarter.

5. Write two more novels in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

6. Update my tracking spreadsheet for short stories and make sure all of the paper files are in order.

7. Stop being so hard on myself and cut myself some slack. See, e.g., this post.

8. Do not try to write every day. Everybody gets time off. Make weekly goals and work hard on work days so there’s room for off days.

9. Up my word count on days I do write.

10. Write more Sophie short stories with Teresa.

11. Write only short stories for anthologies that pay a pro rate or that have a theme that really excites me.

12. Write some more Battlecorps stories.

13. Review goals on a regular basis and be flexible as necessary.

8 comments:

Jennifer McKenzie said...

Great goals! I hope you accomplish them all.

Dayle A. Dermatis said...

Thanks, Jennifer!

Amber Gilchrist said...

Sometimes I wonder why it's so hard to cut yourself some slack.

Gina Ardito aka Katherine Brandon said...

Very ambitious! Best of luck and keep us posted on how you're doing.

Heather said...

Good luck meeting your goals, Dayle!

Anonymous said...

Your yearly goal list looks like mine, Dayle. :)
Good luck with all of them.

Dayle A. Dermatis said...

AJ, I think it's because writers don't have a regular system of encouragement. In most jobs, ideally there are praises, raises, etc. We mostly get insecurities, rejections, edits, and worries about bad reviews and low sales. Plus, when you're pre-published (or, like me, searching for a new publisher and an agent), you have to set your own goals and deadlines--and the only reward you get for meeting them is the feeling of a job well done (and the kudos of fellow writers who might be sharing in your journey)....

Dayle A. Dermatis said...

Thanks, Paige, Gina, Heather, and Jennifer, and good luck to all of you, too! :-)