Tag: #Goals

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Writing Plans for 2026 #IWSG

  By IWSG

The first Wednesday of every month is Officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day.  
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the

January 7 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray!

January 7 question – Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn’t get done in 2025?

Happy New Year!

I almost didn’t answer this question, because those of you who follow me may remember I answered this question a few weeks ago.

I’ve been working on the second book in the Edwards Investigations since I finished the first, over a year ago, but have made only slow progress. Well, except for the break I took to write Amos Headley, the short story I contributed to an anthology, Defending the Moonlight. That took longer than planned.

But I am determined to get this new book done before the Waterford Heritage Festival. Getting the first draft complete is doable, but I’m worried about the editing and formatting. I know how long that process can take.

I’m currently sitting at over 25,000 words. That’s half the book, and I’m adding 1500 to 2000 words or more a week. That’s decent progress. I did some editing on Chapter One, and although the plot is good, there’s a lot of tightening to do.

Writing is limited during the summer season because of the many community events I attend. I have several ideas for writing projects, but we’ll see which one moves me when I get to October. I’ve wanted to write another Wolves book for several years.

So, that’s as much as I’ve planned for 2026. Sounds easy, but life often tosses unexpected challenges at me. 

How about the other authors in this group? Check out some of the many writers on the list below.

As always, please stay safe until the next time.

It’s Obligatory – Setting Goals #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Dec 30, 2024

Setting goals for 2025: what are your writerly New Year’s resolutions?

It’s that time of year.

Everyone will tell you so. If you haven’t done it already, you should set your goals for the New Year.

Bah. Humbug.

I hated the whole goal-setting thing even when I was in a paid position. Too often, the team goals were artificial and based on factors outside of our control. Yet, they were used to help determine our pay raises. So, why would I want to set goals for myself?

Sure, the idea makes sense. Goals can create a sense of accomplishment when they are reached. But they also carry the taint of disappointment and worse, self-deprecation if circumstances interfere with them. We all know life happens. And writing can be hard. We don’t need to put obstacles in our own path.

But I have things I plan to do.

I’ve committed to writing a short story for an anthology supporting K9s for Warriors. (service dogs for disabled vets). The second book of the Edwards Investigations is taunting me. (After writing the first chapter I was stumped, but I think I know where I went wrong. I started in the wrong place.) If all goes well, there’s another story in the Free Wolves series that is hanging out at the back of my brain.

I won’t finish all three. (That’s what is called a stretch goal and is doomed to failure.)

If I want to pad my goals, I could include this weekly blog hop post, the critiquing I do for other writers, and my social media involvement. I would include the numbers of festivals and book signings I participate in. (No goals on how many books I will sell. Experience shows it’s impossible to predict.)

So those are my hopes for 2025. Not goals.

How about the other authors on this hop? Do they set goals? Find out by following the links below. (New links will show up mostly on Monday, but could show up all week long.)

And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Dec 30, 2024

Setting goals for 2025: what are your writerly New Year’s resolutions?

Committed To Writing But Not To Deadlines #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Dec 26, 2022

Do you set monthly/yearly goals for your writing? What are your goals for the coming year?

I understand the concept of goals, really I do. I’ve had to make them for years for various jobs. But my goals for my writing are much looser. I want to enjoy the process and not stress about meeting deadlines.

Obviously, this blog is different. It’s a once a week commitment. That shouldn’t imply I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t feel pressure about making it an award-winning post, either.

I also don’t stress about writing my books. Well, that’s not totally true. My characters have caused me misery when they don’t behave themselves. But my deadlines for finishing a book are usually flexible. I’d rather get the story right than meet an artificial deadline.

If you ask me to state my goals, I’ll tell you I want to finish my current WIP (The Rise of Jake Hennessey) in time to have it at an event in June. It’s far enough away to allow me to enjoy the process of revisions. Then, I’ll start another story. Which one of the several that have been rattling around in the back of my brain, I’m not sure. What I won’t say is that I want to complete three books by the end if the year and give you dates for preorder and publication. Not gonna do it. Nor am I going to strive to increase my newsletter subscribers by 25%, like the gurus of publicity demand. (But if you’d like to subscribe, there’s a link over there —> I’d appreciate it.)

There are authors who plot a whole series of books before they start writing, and know the anticipated release dates for all of them. More power to them, but I won’t be joining their ranks. are there any authors on this hop in this group? You can follow the links below to find out. 

Hope y’all are staying warm, and, until next time, please stay safe.

 

Dec 26, 2022

Do you set monthly/yearly goals for your writing? What are your goals for the coming year?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Creating Business Goals for Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the How to write 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

I learned all about the fine art of setting goals years ago.  How to write them in such a way they looked good for the bosses and yet meant the raises they promised were in the bag. About stretch goals versus SMART goals versus whatever  the powers that be decided to use that year.

I understood the process. And I’ve never bought into it. 

I know it’s supposed to be motivation. It didn’t work for me. What it felt like was a tool for bad managers who didn’t know how hard their employees worked. Or lazy ones who didn’t try to find out.

Oh, not all of them. There are exceptions. My current boss being one of them.

But we’re here to talk about writing. And I set goals for my writing the same way I plot out my books. I don’t.

Here’s the deal. Life has thrown me under the bus too darned many times. I choose to no longer live with the guilt of not meeting some artificial goal. I just do the best I can every day. Sometimes that means I write 1500 words in a day. Some days it means I only write 200.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have general goals. I wanted to get the first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags done two months ago. I finished it last week and finished typing it today. And I don’t feel any guilt. The book turned out to be 20,000 words longer than any of my previous stories. Those extra words deserved the extra time they needed to come to life.

My next general goal is to get through a couple of rounds of editing. i haven’t set a target date for publication yet. Life could get interesting in the next few months, and I don’t want to rush things. I want to give this book the attention it deserves.

And that’s my goal. To make each book as good as possible and just keep writing. It’s not SMART but I don’t care.

But that’s just me. I’m sure we’re going to get a variety of opinions from the other writers on this hop. Follow the links below to find out.

Until next time, stay safe!

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter