Writing Goals

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Re: Writing Goals

Post by lisateb »

To find balance between real life and my real passion. I love writing, but life makes it very hard to find time to do it. Either I'm running everywhere, or I'm too exhausted to write once I find a moment. It's a very hard thing to do, and I'm afraid I will let every day get in the way of living.
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sbuckingham5
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Post by sbuckingham5 »

Hello,

My writing goals include:
1. Believing I am a writer
2. Having enough confidence in myself to write
3. Write!!!
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moderntimes
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Post by moderntimes »

sbuck, I must kindly recommend that you invert your list.

Start by WRITING!

I don't care if it's a fictional version of your grocery list (ha ha) but you must FIRST write. Start now. Never put it off. Believe me, we can each create all sorts of excuses and rationale as to why we're not writing that first novel (or short story or whatever). We can fool ourselves and do so with great gusto.

I know whereof I speak because I did the same for seeming ages.

1. START WRITING!
2. Doing #1 will then automatically fill in the blanks for #2 and 3, believing that you're a writer and having the confidence needed to keep plugging ahead. Words do NOT get onto the page (or screen) by wishing them there. And don't rely on the elves to do it for you like the shoemaker did. The words get there by your punching keys on your computer keyboard (or if you're a luddite, taking pen to paper).

Start somewhere. If you're stuck with "Chapter 1" then start, as I always recommend, with "Chapter 4" or whatever you wish, a specific scene that is buzzing in your mind -- it could be a fight scene or love scene or comic event, no matter what, if this special scene is the one that you are fascinated about, and are imagining, then start by writing down that particular scene, even if it's halfway through your book-to-be.

Writing a favorite scene helps get you moving and unstuck. Write that "chapter" and then revise it a bit, then ask yourself "What led up to this?" or "What happened next?" and amazingly, your brain will cook up a reply. Then write that chapter, and another chapter will pop up seeming from nowhere.

It's all in your brein, of course. But STARTING is the way to unlock the word flow. As my Dad would often joke, "Planning to commence to get ready to begin never got anything done."
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Post by hiluhriehope »

I've been having a hard time lately finding time to write. I'm married, with two toddlers, and a 90 hr/wk job, and my writing has just been slipping through the cracks. But if I have time to sit here and write this forum post, I probably have time to work on my book, so I'm thinking about setting a goal of 1000 words or so a day. I'm trying to come up with a plan to accomplish that goal before I set it in stone, though.

My other goal is to actually finish my book. I'm about halfway through writing it, but I'm having a serious case of writer's block. I just need to get over the hump and finish it up. :)
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Post by moderntimes »

Well, hilu, the real world does intervene and quite properly so. Your family takes precedence. But you're plugging away, which is what works eventually. Keep up the efforts.
"Ineluctable modality of the visible..."
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Post by blue_soliloquy »

My goal this year is to finally participate in Nanowrimo. I have been wanting to do it for years, but I always let the opportunity slip away. This year, I am fully resolved and dedicated to making it happen. Is anyone else participating?
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Post by Simon Dihan »

My writing goals include completing a piece once I've started writing and only write when I feel strongly about a topic. I do free write a lot just to find something that feels important. I just cannot do anything unless it feels very important to me. I work well when I'm given assignments. I just love to leave it to the person who gave me the assignment to be the judge of its significance (for the greater good of humanity) while I just get the job done. It seems I'm a worker type.
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Post by moderntimes »

Well, as you say, Simon, writing per assignment is a certain type of motivation. I worked as an engineering tech writer/consultant for Big Oil for years, and I wrote numerous specs for safety and environmental systems and procedures (my specialty) and often under time pressure.

Writing on assignment was also something I did when I strung for newspapers, and sometimes I didn't care much for the subject matter but I still had to do a good job.

Both take a certain special degree of professionalism and that's one form of a writing goal.

Now of course I write for my own goals, my mystery novels, short stories, articles and essays and whatnot, and those goals come from inside. I don't set specific goals like "1200 words" but I do try to keep a rough schedule of a certain number of hours per day or week. My "writing week" -- aside from forum stuff like this -- is about 20-25 hours / week in solid efforts.

Naturally I have other things to do and for example, my live-in girlfriend's birthday is this week so we're celebrating a while. Things like that.
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Post by ALynnPowers »

blue_soliloquy wrote:My goal this year is to finally participate in Nanowrimo. I have been wanting to do it for years, but I always let the opportunity slip away. This year, I am fully resolved and dedicated to making it happen. Is anyone else participating?
Well done! I am participating too! Been a super active participant for the past five years and really encourage others to join in. There is another thread (somewhere!!) about this year's Nano going on now, so you can join in with talking with us about it there. 8)
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Post by Anacoana »

I do something writing related everyday, be it writing, working on characters or plot, researching, or reading how to improve something. Of course now I'm doing Nanowrimo, so writing everyday at least 2,000 words (I've set the bar a bit higher for myself) is my writing goal.
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Post by vadadagon »

Yes - I should probably be writing right now instead of posting here but oh, well.

I have a novel that I've been writing for the past 3 years and I have yet to finish the first book. I would like to set a goal of writing at least a page a day but unfortunately I need some time alone to get back into the story.

Anyway, I've got excuses :roll: but the sure thing is that it's only my fault. :oops:
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Post by mecheshier »

Oh my. Well, I have two books that I am writing. I would like to finish one of them within the next few days. My other goal would be to start writing at least 2 book reviews a day.
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Post by Margar21 »

I'm just setting a goal to be able to actually finish writing a book I am working on. Try to get about two hours of writing a day once the kids are asleep.
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Post by estelle »

My goal: Win NaNoWriMo!

-- 16 Nov 2014, 21:37 --

My goal: Win NaNoWriMo!
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Post by moderntimes »

I keep my goals flexible because my various projects change focus and I have several literary irons in the fire. So I simply try to do SOME reasonable amount of writing each day but the specific task changes nearly every day.

Today I wrote 2 chapters of my new novel and also wrote some of the new "movie script" format of my horror story -- this script will then serve as the template for the graphic artist in our joint venture to turn one of my horror short stories into a graphic comic.

I keep busy which is the most important thing -- precisely what I'm doing each day differs.
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