Writing Goals Check-in: February Edition
Posted by David Duhr in 
Just before the new year turned, we provided some space for you to write out your 2017 writing goals in the hopes that a little bit of public accountability might help you hit them. Your task was to fill in the blank: “In 2017, I will _______.”
The results ran the gamut. Some of you want to finish books; others want to finish anything. Many of you simply want to write more, or to improve as a writer. Some are on the lookout for a writing community, others talked about being chained alone in a room with nothing but a laptop and soup.
The creativity expressed in this simple exercise shows that you all are capable of anything.
But seeing as how the whole point of doing a public expression of your writing goals was to have some accountability, I think a regular check-in on those goals might prove beneficial.
So:
Kenneth: Are you chained (literally and figuratively) to your computer?
Bill: Did you glue the K key back into your laptop and start writing again?
Glynis: How is that first draft coming along?
E.: Have you found those like-minded people?
Emily: Have you queried those agents?
All of you: Here we are, one month into 2017. Are you one month nearer to hitting your literary goals? Or are you off to a slow start (like me…) and maybe in need a bit of a boost? What kind of a boost? What sorts of roadblocks are you running into?
Let us know below. And don’t be afraid to leave a comment of encouragement for a struggling writer. Just because we write alone doesn’t mean we have to write lonely.
If you missed sharing your goals the first time around, feel free to leave them here instead. Just fill in the blank: “In 2017, I will ________.”
WriteByNight co-founder David Duhr is copy editor and fiction editor at the Texas Observer and has written for the Dallas Morning News, Electric Literature, Publishing Perspectives, and others.
WriteByNight is a writers’ service dedicated to helping you achieve your creative potential and literary goals. We work with writers of all experience levels working in all genres, nationwide and worldwide. If you have a 2016 writing project that you’d like a little help with, take a look at our book coaching, private instruction and writer’s block counseling services. Join our mailing list and get a FREE writer’s diagnostic, “Common problems and SOLUTIONS for the struggling writer.”
Yes, public announcements can hold that higher level of accountability needed to reach goals (that’s why I ran a full marathon many, many years ago, LOL). Last Friday, I got my YA novel manuscript back from an editor I hired for a full critique with helpful feedback (two heartfelt moments of the story actually made her cry! Yes!). I signed up for an upcoming webinar through Writer’s Digest about query letters which includes a critique and another one for creating an author website. Okay, so still haven’t queried agents, but my baby steps are still moving me forward and I… Read more »
Sounds good, Emily. Nice work. Making editors cry is always fun, no matter the circumstance. And the WD webinar definitely shows some motivation and self-starterness (new word?). These don’t strike me as baby steps. In fact, I’d be terrified of any baby who is building his/her own author website.
Good job! We’ll check in again.
In 2017, I will ….. be one month late in leaving my writing goal on your web site. Which is that I will finish three chapters per month from January through August (so far so good and yes, I have it all mapped out), revise half in September and half in October, have some people read it in November, make any changes from that in December, and then make a plan for finding agents/publishers by the end of the year. I figure devoting one year to trying to write a book is what I can afford to give myself, but… Read more »
I mean make a plan by the end of the year for finding agents and publishers. I don’t have an illusion that that process takes a couple weeks. :/
Hey pal. This sounds great. Do you take these monthly goals and break them down into weeks or even days, or do you prefer to work in such 30-day periods? (Remember, there’s no right or wrong.)
I like your thought about the devotion. A year is a long time, but stick with it and it’ll be a year you’ll never forget.
Eh, 30 day periods. Sometimes I have a loose idea of what I’d like to accomplish in a week, and I usually wake up in the morning with a goal for that day, words, or a scene, or whatever. But it’s not quite THat structured.
In 2017, I will write something once a week,
Do yourself a favor: Be more specific. What do you mean by “something?” A blog post? A chapter for your novel? A certain number of words? One sentence? It will be much easier to measure your progress if you know what it is you are striving for.
The best to you in ’17!
Hi Sharon. Thanks for stopping by. That’s a great goal! Did you do this in January, or are you starting now? How is this week shaping up?
Like Bruce suggests below, it might be a good idea to set specific goals for each week. But for now, if what you want is to get into the habit of writing, writing something once/week is a great way to begin. And if that’s easy, maybe it becomes writing something once per day?
I’m chugging along putting the polishing on my second book. I have a critic partner who is looking at it for major errors and is pushing me for more of the book (She likes it!) What I do know is that it is better than my first one and as I’m polishing it, I find that it shows how much I have improved over the last year. I just wish I could edit faster. It takes a lot of time to correct my normal rambling and tighten it up to read like it should. Along with the editing, I’m completing… Read more »
Yeah, this definitely sounds like the opposite of retirement, Barbara! It’s so great that you’re noticing your own improvement as a writer. That’s something to cling to when (if) things get dark; this process won’t always be easy ( won’t *ever* be easy, for some writers), but if you can realize and acknowledge that you’re getting better, that should provide a quick boost when you need one. Editing — revision in particular — can feel like a slog. Some writers find it helpful, mentally/emotionally, to approach it as, rather than editing/revision, just a different kind of writing. I’m glad you’re… Read more »
I was SUPPOSED TO write 2,500 words per week, but I am NOWHERE CLOSE to that goal. I need to get up to even 500 WPW.
So what kind of obstacles are you bumping into? Is it time restraints? The words aren’t flowing? I’d be surprised if it’s a lack of motivation; you always seem to have plenty of that.
Aww, shucks. I am having trouble finding the words. That’s probably because i need some new material to throw in my protagonist’s way. But my biggest problem is family demands.
UPDATE: Today I managed over 600 words.