I’ve heard that presenting your writing goals publically helps you stick to your plan. So, here are my goals.
As of now, I only really have two. The first I’ve already stated: 100 rejections. This is my way of turning something perceived as negative into a positive. I’m working towards the goal of 100 with the belief that by the time I reach that goal I will have achieved my first professional publication.
Goal number two: This one’s a daily goal. I aim to write 2,000 words a week day. I know I can achieve this, I’ve written more than twice that on days I am struck with pure, constant creative inspiration. However, right now I’m probably averaging 500 to 1,000 words a day and only about once a week hitting my goal word count. Hopefully posting this will help me to kick my butt in gear.
I’ve hit a slow spot in my submissions because of my WotF Q2 limbo. I haven’t sent anything out since learning of my position because I want to be sure I put the right credential on my cover letters (did I only earn a finalist credit, or do I get to mention a win?). So I feel a bit delinquent, to tell you the truth. I can’t reach 100 rejections if I don’t send anything out!
If you’re so inclined, tell me about your goals. I’d like to know what they are. I’ve seen that some people give themselves word quotas for the year, which is pretty nifty.
And if you want to tell me about a goal, it doesn’t even have to be a writing goal :)
~Marina
Sound goals, Marina. I also just began to track my daily word-counts in an attempt to stretch my productivity. It's also made me stretch my conception of when to write: I just started waking up early so I can get some writing done before work, and I'm finding that, for some reason, my brain really enjoys putting pen to paper (or, fingers to keys) at that hour.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals!
-bn
Ah, interesting. I find morning to be my most productive writing time too (which is weird, I'm definitely not a morning person). Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteGet those other stories in the mail! You can put "current finalist" in your cover letter if you want to make it clear that you haven't lost yet. Unless you're a Big Name author, editors buy stories almost entirely on the strength of the story. Publishing credits are nice, but I don't think they have an earth-shattering effect on the likelihood of future publication.
ReplyDeleteVery good point! You're right, why am I not submitting? "Current Finalist" is a great solution, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour goal number two is pretty much the same as mine: 2000 words every weekday. Except weekday in my case might mean something else, dependent upon the whims of the community. Let's just say 10,000 words a week and arrive at the same result.
ReplyDeleteAs for me I don't put anything in my cover letters besides "Thanks for your time!" Whether that's a good idea or not, you'll have to decide. But hey, as soon as something's rejected, it gets sent out again. I try to make sure to have a !NEXTMARKET! scheduled for when it comes back.
All things considered the "I must write" and the "I'll get rejected until I don't" goal seem to pretty on the ball. Whoo!
Yep, submit, submit, submit, that is the #1 rule of the game. Thanks for stopping by, David!
ReplyDeleteGoals... are addictive. :) I have goals for every little thing about writing. I work them annually based on what I thnk I can do plus about 10%. Drafts, revisions, submission, reading. Yep. Even a seperate goal for "new" submissions to make sure I'm getting new stuff out there. I'm competitive with myself. :D Good luck with your 100 rejections, and some acceptances along the way. :D Maybe, a WotF win?
ReplyDeleteWow, you're a goal makin' fool! Being competitive with yourself is a great trait to have, means your self-motivation is less likely to run out on you. :)
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