Goals for 2017

Seeing as tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and I'm just getting back active on the blog, it seems like the perfect time to talk about goals.

Something I've learned in my time off from writing is that you should never set goals that you don't have complete control over. I'm a big fan of setting goals. Always have been. However, I've been known to set a few that at least had elements that were beyond my control. That's a dangerous game to play, and if you're as goal driven as I am, it can cause a big spiral down a long path that's dark and full of brambles. That's not the kind of place I want to be.

So, this year my focus will be on goals entirely within my control.

Holly's 2017 Writing Goals:

1. Finish revisions on my current project.
2. Find a title for said current project that I actually like.
3. Once it is as perfect as I can make it, query the revised project.
4. Finish a draft of the new project I've been outlining/drafting.
5. Outline that other new project I've been stewing on.
6. Start another draft or round of revisions or both!
7. Remember to enjoy myself.
8. Settle into a blogging routine.
9. Stay active on Twitter.
10. Reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.


What about you guys? Do you have a list of writing goals for the new year? I'd love to hear about them!

Road Trip Wednesday - Goals and Rewards

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.



This Week's Topic:
How do you reward yourself when you meet your writing goals?   

 Most of you probably know how much I like setting goals for myself.  I'm a firm believer in defining clear, obtainable objectives and then blasting the deadline to smithereens.  


I like explosions, okay?


Half of my reward of reaching a goal is that satisfaction.  The, "Ha.  I did it.  And I did it even better than I planned."

But I do have certain other rewards planned.  Usually for finishing a first draft I have a girls night out with my sister.  Mexican food, margaritas, and mayhem.  First drafts are hard, so they get big rewards.

I give myself mini rewards of candy and chocolate when I finish rounds of revisions.  When I finish, finish a novel, I reward myself with a bottle of my favorite wine.  :)  Yum.


The one really huge promise I've made myself is that when I get published, I get a trip to New York.  And I'm taking Super Spawn and my sister with me because they've been my unending support through this whole journey.  I've never been to NYC, but always wanted to go, so this is a really huge reward for me.


What about you guys?  How do you reward yourselves?

All I Want for Christmas

Is YOU!

Hehe.  I've had that song stuck in my head for days.  DAYS.

In preparing for the coming holidays, I'm thinking a lot about lists and goals.  What to get Super Spawn for Christmas (Way too much, that's what!), who to buy for, what to buy, card lists.  The sheer magnitude of list makeage in my life has come to an all time high. (And that's saying something because I LOVE making lists. I make them for everything.)

Naturally, this has bled over into my writing life.  I do this a lot, you guys should have expected it.  ;)

I'm thinking of goals to reach over the holidays, goals for the spring, and overall goals for the year.  The problem with these lists is that a lot of things are out of my control.  Most of them are within my personal sphere of control (which is where I like them), but some...well, they're not.  (Both writing and non-writing.)

That freaks me out.  *shudders*  Back to happy thoughts.

Christmas!  Trees!  Lights!  SANTA!!

Okay, better now.  Back to the real topic.  Goals, aka my wish list.

My Christmas Writing Wish List:

1. I want to make the time to get through all my round-one revisions of the WIP by the end of December.  The ones that have to be done before I can send them to Susan because they SUCK.  lol
2. I want to start outlining book two for the WIP's sequel.
3. It'd be super great if Santa would bring me a Shiny New Idea.
4. Get a good, basic query letter shaped for WIP to give it time to percolate.
5. Find a comparable novel for WIP.  This is proving much harder than I expected.

That's it!  My goals -- er, wishes -- for December.

What are your goals this month?  Are you working on your New Year's Goals (or Resolutions, whichever they may be) yet?

#amwriting Thursday

Admittedly, I haven't read a book to review for you this week.  I've set a lofty writing goal for myself and am determined to meet it.


I'm writing at least 1,800 words a day on my WIP.  That's a LOT for me.  My time is very limited between the day job and being a single mom, but I'm making it happen. 

Why?  Well, my WIP is so exciting and so fresh I just can't wait to finish it!  So, I set a goal -- finish it by the end of October.  The only way to accomplish that is by writing about 1,800 words a day...I did the math.

It's kind of like my own NaNoWriMo in October!  With an idea I started months ago.

*shrugs*  I'm excited, and that's what counts.

What are some of your writing goals right now?  Sometimes making them public knowledge is a push to actually do the work and get it done.  So let's hear it! 

Writing, editing, reading -- what are your goals?

Math Time!

I see you cringing over there, but don't worry, I'm doing all the formulating.

Last night I was writing and thinking. When I am doing my Write or Die sprints I write an average of 300 words every 10 minutes. Naturally that led to me wondering how long it takes me to actually write a whole book. I'm not talking dream it up, plotting, editing, any of that. Just words to page, write or die style. So I did the math!

I average 300 words every 10 minutes. My goal for WIP is 60,000 words.

60,000 divided by 300 = 200 - So I have 200, 300 word sessions in a 60k novel.

200 multiplied by 10 = 2,000 - That's 2k minutes invested.

2,000 divided by 60 = 33.33 - A total of 33.33 hours to push a 60k word book out.

That just seems crazy to me! I know you've got hours to add in on the formulating, planning, thinking, dreaming, editing, revising, etc, etc, etc.

But still! 33.33 hours is not that long when you think about it. It makes the ending of my WIP seem much, much closer and more achievable for some reason.

Am I the only one that looks at things this way? Please tell me I'm not too crazy.

I<3 Math.

Super Thrilled

You may, or may not, have noticed that I added a new Write or Die widget. It's at the top right if you didn't. I'm making my goal and progress public to inspire me to keep hard at work.

I am so uber excited about this new project. It's a totally intense story about a sixteen year old demon slayer on a mission to infiltrate the White House and save her nephew. The entire book is going to take place over the span of a few hours. It got me thinking though, how do people write stories that aren't at least part fantasy? I just don't think I could do it. My imagination tends to run wild at every turn dreaming up crazy creatures and events. But hey, more power to ya if you can do it. I've accepted the fact that I'll forever be the fantasy chick, and I'm cool with that.

On another note, I've been using the Write or Die website to force myself to do some crazy writing. Boy does it work! Every time my mind starts wandering it snaps me back to reality and forces me to trudge on for fear of evil retribution. Which, I still don't know what the retribution is, I've never failed to meet the goal. See...totally works.

I'll admit, I don't always have much time to write, so my book isn't going to explode into finality in a month. But, this helps me stay focused and on target in the small amounts of time I do have.

What do you use to stay productive? I need something to whip me into shape, or I'll stay on twitter and blogs all day long.

The Time to Write

With a toddler underfoot, a full time job, and no husband to help out I'm often left with the feeling of- well, where do I fit into the schedule? I'm sure most moms, even with lovely helpful husbands can relate to that feeling.

Truth is, it's hard as a mom to find any time to yourself, much less time enough to write a novel! Shoot, sometimes just a shower is a struggle! I know, I've been there.

The answer, you may not like. You just have to make time. I write on my lunch break and at night after my son is asleep. Those are the only times in the day I can really focus on my words. On weekends, I look forward to nap time because I know I'll get at least an hour if not two of undisturbed peace. Aaaaah, the sweet silence. That never inspires me. Eh, the muse likes the noise.

I write best in public, and places that are noisy. So, everywhere I go I carry a little notepad and pen. I even have my notepad in the bathroom while my little guy splashes merrily in the tub. It never fails to make me think of some crazy idea to move my story further.

All that being said, a goal can be the best way to keep momentum going. With my first novel I set a goal, I wanted to have the entire book written by March 2010. I'm an overachiever, I had it finished by early February. Rock on!

My goal for the project I've just started is five pages a day. I know that seems like nothing, but when you're faced with the challenges of motherhood on top of writing brilliantly...it's enough. And I don't want to set a goal so high I'll never meet it...I don't do failure. Like, at all.

What are your goals for your work in progress?