Goals -- What are yours?

[David DeLee]

I thought it would be interesting to start a thread about people's writing goals for the coming year. To start off I'll give you mine:

 

For 2011 I intend to write a minimum of 365,000 new words of fiction.

I believe this will take the form of four completed novel (between 60-90k each) and 14 short stories (avg. 6,000 each).

 

How about you. What are your writing goals for 2011? Let us know.

 

David DeLee

[Keith thomson]

My writing goal is at least six little league scorecards.

 

Last year I had a novel due and so much reporting that I missed half of my kid's games, and, if you think about it, the reason they have baseball for six-year-olds is the parents. That statistics are kept in that age bracket is a tip-off. Also, at least once a game, a batter runs directly to third base.

[David DeLee]

Keith, you are right, family trumps everything. It is those moments to really look forward to and enjoy.

[Jacqui Murray]

Good goals, Camille. I think 365k words is not as big a deal as it sounds. No one's mentioned blogs as writing. I webmaster 4 blogs and write 2 columns for ezines as well as my fiction writing, so I better write 365k words or I'll never keep up. My goal is to get some ebooks published. First, I'll finish my thriller (this summer?), then market it, try to double my non-fiction business and go after the ebook business. Dunno if I'll get it all done.

[Ronald S. Barrios]

Hi David,

well let's see, my goal for 2011 is to complete two more novels in the Rey series, I write 10 pages a day between 5-6 days a week and my novels are around 325 pages long, publish the second in the series in the Fall, that one is already complete and in waiting, put out a free short story in Feb for e-book readers, that 70 page short story is also already complete, and do as much marketing and promotion as I possibly can. I might even start on a second series, not sure yet about that, but we'll see.

Actually my goals are pretty tame compared to yours but I have to admit your goals are inspiring.

RSB

[David DeLee]

Hey Ronald,

I don't know, 2 novels at 325 pages (250 words/page) each is 162,500 words. Writing at 2500 words per day and 5 days/week is 12500 words per week. At that pace you'll hit my goal in a little more that half a year. Sounds pretty awsome to me. Good luck with the new books and the series. 

[Ronald S. Barrios]

Haha...I have no life...I should point out that I write five (5) pages in the morning and then five (5) pages in the afternoon. The morning on one novel and the afternoon dedicated to another. I never actually calculated the numbers before. Plus I don't type fast at all. Looks more impressive in print than it really is. Too busy writing and I suck at math, LOL. Plus after I finish a novel I take a month or so off for edits. Not to mention I take like 2-3 weeks off just being lazy. (don't tell me wife, she thinks I'm a force of nature...maybe) But yeah, that's what I have planned for 2011. Your goal however is awesome. I wouldn't even attempt it. I guess I use a few shortcuts that I didn't realized until I wrote it out on this blog...wow, CrimeSpace is making me a better writer already by forcing me to face my flaws...Hmmmm...hey!!!!!!

Thank you David for the well wishes and I wish the best for you also...

RSB

[JackBludis]

Ronald--

It looks like you are the same kind of writer I am. One who admits shortcomings and works on them. Some are not shortcoming. Just taking a break is NOT a shortcoming. I do it rarely and that, I believe, is a shortcoming on my part.

Happy writing.

Jack

[Benedict J Jones]

write more!  that's the general plan... but more specifically

finish a novella I'm about a third of the way throgh and then start and finish a novel with the same character and try and keep up a decent rate of short stories getting accepted.  if i can get that and more done I'll be a happy man this time next year.

[cj forrest]

Here's a nice article to add to the mix of goals.

 

 

 

http://writetodone.com/2010/12/29/how-to-set-goals-for-writers/

[David DeLee]

Good article. thanks for sharing, CJ.

 

David

[Mark Porter]

I am trying to work on a short story a month. My second novel is about to enter the second draft just as my first becomes available.

Other than that, I have three goals.

 

1) To write something every day. (Which i do).

2) To try to sell my book and stories.

3) To enjoy what I'm doing.

[Ryan M. Welch]

My writing goal for this year is a story per week and a novel per quarter. Will I hit that? Don't know, but I'm making every effort to do it. I tend to write most days, so as David said, it doesn't really take all that long. I'm think each writer is different and that we each try to do our best.