Tag: 2017

2017 Week 1 Accountability

The first week of 2017 is over, and time for Week 1 Accountability.

Writing

The Goal: Write Every Day. Hit 2 million words for the year. Write a book a week.

Actual: I wrote 6 out of 7 days. Week Total: 16,664. Daily Average: 2,381. Words per Hour: 2,641. Books Written: 2. Two rough drafts completed.

So this word count won’t get me to a million words, and not even close to 2 million. I have to really pick up the pace. I had two free days to write, where I wrote over 11k combined. Then our snowstorm hit, and I’ve been called in every day to help with the Post Office. I tried to make myself write for 30 minutes every day, even when exhausted (we got *a lot* of snow). By Friday, my willpower was shot, and Saturday, I no longer had a plan (two first drafts completed, so either needed to edit or start something new).

The books completed were Spilling Blood episode 13 and a pen name novel.

And distractions besides the Post Office? I was offered a position in a Top 10 Rock Band 4 Rivals Crew. How could I say no? 😀 And then Netflix – they have all of Season 10 of Hell on Wheels. *Sigh*

Other: I did not take the move into poetry. I may start this goal later, but it’s going to take a back seat to my prose.

Music

I put off starting this goal due to time constraints. it is a secondary goal to writing.

Other

I didn’t even bother with these goals, as I was barely participating in goal #1.

The weather doesn’t look to be letting up much this week, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. My focus this week will be to write Spilling Blood 14 and get my previous two projects edited. That might be a full week, depending on the weather.

by Categories: Writing - GeneralTags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Why Haven’t I Met My Goals?

Hey again. Yesterday I wrote about my goals for this year. Today, I’m going to write about why I’ve failed to achieve my writing goals the last couple of years, and how identifying them will help me achieve my goals this year.

THE PROBLEM

I am somebody that must write every day. If I miss a single day, that gives me permission to miss more days. If I break my writing streak, it is difficult for me to get back into the flow. So what keeps me from writing every day?

  1. Another job. The more I write, the more it pays. The less I write, the less I can afford to write. I have another job working for the post office, which often takes up a lot of my time. When I am delivering mail, I often don’t feel like writing at all. In the mornings, when I’m working six days a week, it’s hard to do anything but watch TV.
  1. Netflix. Ohhh man do I love my show addictions.
  1. Video Games. Mainly Rock Band 4 and Rocksmith.

THE SOLUTION

So, I know I’ve got to write every day. The three problems above will likely be there for a while. But what am I going to do about it?

  1. The distractions have got to be limited. Primarily, during my morning time. If I wait until the afternoon to write, I have less time and it’s easier to tell myself that I can make up the writing later. If I work 6 days a week, I’m not making it all up on Sunday. Therefore, mornings will be sacred. No TV and no video games. Although they help me unwind, my intention is to continue my existence as a writer. Which is supposed to be my pursuit of happiness.

So… I intend to find 3 hours a day to write, on average. Two hours of this will be in the morning before I go to work for the post office. The third hour will be in the afternoon/evening. If I don’t work for the PO that day, I’m shooting for 5 hours of writing. Neat fact – my writing speed can sometimes hit 3k an hour now.

  1. Can I still watch TV or play games? Sure, but maybe in the evenings while unwinding with my family.

The allowable exception is my music. The evenings will be used to meet my music goals, though maybe only an hour of practice a night.

by Categories: Writing - GeneralTags: , , , , Leave a comment

My 2017 Writer Goals

Hello, 2017, goodbye, 2016! Last year’s goals trickled out with a quiet, embarrassing poot. This year, I’m bringing to the table all new goals, along with some favorite oldies.

When I reexamined my goals and what I want to do this year, I decided that I want to focus on how I define myself. Therefore, my goals this year will focus on 2 things, writing and music. These are the two things (other than family) that bring me happiness, so I’m going to devote my time to having them daily in my life.

GOAL 1: Writing! I’m going to write 1 million words this year. And I will write every day. The real goal, again, is 2 million, because why not truly bury myself in disappointment by December? I am going to talk about what I’ve learned in 2016 about meeting and failing this goal later. I think I’m fine-tuning my writing ability. Anyway!!!!

Goal 1.1: A story a week. I might not get it published the week I finish, but I will have it written.

Goal 1.2: A novel a month. Just like the short story, I’ll have it written, but it’ll get published when it is ready.

Goal 1.3: Poetry. This is a small goal. I might not even share much of this, but I’m thinking I want to create poetry at least every now and then, if not daily.

GOAL 2: Music! This year, I want to get better on the guitar, and maybe later this year, the piano. So, this brings me to:

Goal 2.1: Learn a song a week. 52 songs in one year? Yes. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I have a fun repertoire to annoy people with at parties.

Goal 2.2: WRITE a song a week. Because that would just be cool.

The idea is that I will practice daily, and by 2018, I’ll have a bit of talent development.

Other minor goals:

Zazzle. I like Zazzle, and it provides a little bit of spending money throughout the year. I’ve got a few new store ideas I want to do, so I’ll share them as I make time.

Youtube. I intend to embarrass myself throughout the year, primarily with my music, in front of the world. This will be a difficult goal, because as a writer, I’m happier not being seen.

Social Media and Blogging. I will try to be more active. It’s easy not to be.

Part of the problem with my goals is that I saw them as chores that had to be done. This year, though they are mostly going to be daily, I’m going to try and have the attitude that I want to do these things every day, and it’s how I want to spend my time.

Tomorrow, I’m going to talk about why I see myself failing from past experience, and how I think I should go forward.

by Categories: Writing - GeneralTags: , , , Leave a comment