Monday, December 11, 2017

Writing Goals for the New Year

It's only December 11, but I'm already thinking about next year and what I'd like to accomplish. And just as I did last December, many of my goals have to do with writing.

First, I'd like to write more short stories. I used to write them constantly, but now I've been focused more on writing blog posts and, during the month of November at least, novels. But short fiction is a great way to practice and improve, and can lead to ideas for longer fiction. Though I'd love to follow Ray Bradury's recommendation of writing a short story a week, that might be a lofty goal alongside writing regular blog posts and finishing NaNoWriMo novels. I plan on setting a number goal, but it will be less than 52.

Second, I want to participate in more writing contests. I just found this great curated list of writing contests for 2018, which includes many free contests. I had a lot of fun participating in the NYC Midnight short story contest earlier this year, and just registered to do that contest again. And if I'd like to participate in one before 2018, Writer's Digest has one running until this Friday, December 15. We'll see if I have time to sit down and write 1500 words between now and then.

My third goal is to get better about writing down ideas. I always say I'll remember them, and then later I can't. This may mean I'll have to stop in the middle of a conversation with someone to pull out my notebook or get out of bed in the middle of the night to jot something down. I'd love to see if I'm a more productive writer as a result.

Last year, I made the goal to average out to 1 blog post a day. Here I am, close to the end of the year, and I'm scrambling just a bit to make up a deficit. I'm going to try to make it, but I've decided not to set a number goal for blog posts in 2018. More doesn't necessarily equal better. I'll have some blogging goals, and one of those will definitely be to participate in April A to Z again (you can check out 2016 and 2017), though I'm not sure what my theme will be. More specific goals later.

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