How many times do we set resolutions for ourselves and never follow through with them? How many times have I published a blog post at the beginning of January with a list of novels I was going to work on or complete?
And how many times did nothing get done?
I’ve always set goals for myself when it came to my writerly habits. However, one thing that I never did was set an actual deadline.
Sure, I’ve always said I’d have the whole year to work on X, Y, and Z. 12 months should be plenty, right? By December 31 I’d have so much accomplished. Then what?
A deadline is a deadline, but when it’s set by you, and the deadline is so far away, you tend to push it to the side. There are no real consequences and it’s easy to procrastinate.
My past self had an epiphany back in November or December and I realized that I need more than a large deadline with many goals. I need a deadline for each goal. I need a schedule to tell myself what to work on and when.
So, that’s exactly what I did. I’ve created a concrete schedule for myself and have publishing plans and everything.
Wattpad
The Scribe – This will be published on January 8. I ended up getting a little behind due to the holidays, but that’s alright. I’m looking forward to it and I hope you are too.
Take Over – This will be published in April. I’ll spend now through March editing, rewriting, and editing again.
Brave – This will be published in July. I’ll outline in April, write in May, and spend June editing and doing rewrites.
Silhouettes – This will be published in October. I’ll outline in July, write in August, and edit and rewrite in September.
Novels
George Florence – This poor guy has been running in circles in my mind for years now. I’ll be spending my January time planning and organizing the whole series. I have the first novel written so for the months after that I’ll be editing and rewriting. I plan on having it completed in August.
The Lost Girl – The first draft of this has been written since April 2017 (I think?) from Camp NaNo. To give myself some time with George, I’m going to start this novel back up again in June. I’ll edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite, etc. and have it done for November.
Perplexed – This is a mystery short story collection. I’ll be writing two short stories a month through June leaving me with 12 stories total. Then from July through December I’ll be editing, rewriting, looking for beta readers and advanced reviewers, and overall just prepping it for self-publication. I’m thinking of a January 2019 release date, but that may change… if it changes, it will be earlier.
Unwritten – This is another novel from a fairly recent Camp NaNo. I’m editing this monthly with my writing group. So this is kind of a project that’s on the back burner to everything else. Though I’m hoping to keep up with the edits each month. I’m hoping this will be done by 2019.
Side Projects
Poetry – I want to work more on my poetic skills… or gain some skills, I mean. I would like to write 1-2 poems a month, though if I skip a month or two I won’t be heartbroken about it. I have so many other writing projects to worry about, but I do hope I can somewhat keep up with it.
Short Stories/Articles – Yes, I have Perplexed in the works, but I want to submit shorts and articles to other blogs/websites as well as contests and magazines. It’d be nice if I could submit something once a week, but I’m aiming for 1-2 a month. I don’t want to burn myself out and I want to be able to submit quality pieces.
Screenplay – I used to write scripts back in the day when NaNo’s sister site, Script Frenzy, was a thing. It was every April but there wasn’t much interest so they turned it into a second Camp NaNo. I miss it though and I found script writing to be interesting. I’ve always wanted to get back into it and there’s an idea that’s been nagging me for a while. I tried writing it into a novel and it didn’t work. I tried a short story and novella and that didn’t match either. I have a trailer in my head and I’m thinking I might try to write a screenplay for it. This is not a priority if anything it’s at the very bottom of my list. But, time permitting, I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at scriptwriting again.
I’ve always been a hard worker, but I’ve also been one to get overwhelmed with my goals and panic too much.
“Will I make it?” “What if this comes out terrible?” “What if I promise something and can’t finish it on time?” You know the drill. Those little people in your head nag you and just want to kick you down.
But I think I’m finally ready. I’m in a good mindset and I’m eager to get started on my life. I already took some pretty big risks and tried some new things in 2017. I think 2018 will be the bigger and better version of it all.
Do you have any writing goals or deadlines for yourself this year? What are you currently working on? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to chat with you!
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