Happy New Year!
Usually, in a burst of enthusiasm for the chance at a fresh slate, I create twenty-plus goals for the year. Full disclosure: To avoid guilt, I deliberately set them as goals/plans instead of resolutions.
My writing goals this year are straightforward:
Make a big marketing push for The View from Half Dome before and after its launch on April 20th
Send A Nebulous Startup to beta readers during the second week of January
Incorporate feedback from beta readers, revise A Nebulous Startup, and query agents
Start book #4 (which will likely require more research)
These writing goals are not unusual. The balance of marketing, writing first drafts, incorporating feedback and revising, and querying is likely familiar to most writers. But one thing I do not do while writing and revising is to set a word count.
Why? My personal preference is quality over quantity, providing I make a concerted effort to write (or plot) for several hours a day. Partly this is because I have the luxury of writing full time, so my schedule is flexible, and I can accommodate sudden appointments or unplanned events. As a result, my goals tend to be longer term (e.g. Write the first draft within four to six months; complete a revision in one to two months; finish research for a new novel within six weeks.)
I’ve read advice that indicates that writers should incorporate a sit-down time into their daily routine, and I wholeheartedly agree. I view it as a full time job, albeit one that doesn’t (yet) pay. But even for writers who hold other full time jobs, I think the same advice applies. Even if you can only squeeze in thirty to forty-five minutes in the evenings or early mornings, do it! While working on my first novel, Waltz in Swing Time, I worked full time, so most of my writing happened in the evenings and on the weekends.
What are your goals for 2023?