Every month we gather here to discuss what we’ve achieved and commit to making more progress in our creative lives in the coming month. We call it our Serious Writer’s Accountability Group or SWAGr, for short! (We’re serious, not sombre!)
Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.
(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)
Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.
And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!
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Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months
- Write a story a day in May – everyone!
- Revise at least 10 short stories – Iraide
- Write two short stories. – Jami
- Attend one writers’ conference – Julie
- Write fable for WordFactory competition – Sonya
- Re-read the backstory pieces I wrote in May and see if I can use them within my novel – Monique
- Research the market – Jami
- Focus on my serial – Maureen
So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)
(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends. )
Don’t forget, if you need inspiration for a story you can still get ALL THE PROMPTS from StoryADay May 2015 and support the running of the StoryADay challenge at the same time. Give a little, get a little 
Click here.
I’m up for this. During the year I have had several books pubbed on Amazon and Createspace, but I’m always up for this fun challenge.
last month:
– 100-word story a day – yes
– write fable for WordFactory competition – no; turns out I can’t write fables
– novella editing notes – yes; not only that, I’ve started a big rewrite, too
August goals:
– submit first three chapters of novel(la) to Hodder by Sunday
– 100-word story a day
– submit to Paper Swans flash fiction competition
Julie, I replied to your email re: StAD September but I didn’t hear back. Just wondering if you got it?
I did! Thank you. Sending out an email this morning to all volunteers…
So you did. Just me being impatient then – again 😀
I prefer to think of it as ‘gratifyingly enthusiastic’ 🙂
So. Things I planned to do in July:
*finish the short story I was working on for the online class I was taking on mystery short stories: draft done (8700 words – not very ‘short’!) and first pass editing
*write at least 5-6 chapters of the novel: did a bit of work, but not much at all
*write 2-3 book reviews on my blog and 1-2 other posts: wrote 2 book reviews
*perhaps write another short story: initial work on a new short story (rough outline, part of a first draft)
*other things I did: signed up for (& just finished) a 5 week writing for children MOOC (weekly lectures and assignments) (it wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure I would recommend it)
On to August!
*finish the not-short mystery story to the point that someone else can read it and look for markets for it
*write at least 5-6 chapters of the novel (really this time)
*write 2-3 book reviews on my blog and 1-2 other posts (try again)
*complete at least first draft of the other short story I’ve started on
*I will not sign up for any online classes this month (really)
Here’s what I promised last month:
*Write 2 short stories — Um, nope. Done lots of other stuff though.
*Revise novel — Yes! Still working on this.
*Go to Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC and pitch novel and Non Fiction book. — DONE! Still working on the Non-Fiction Proposal but it’ll be going out soon.
*Plan for StoryADay September. Maybe a story a week? Or all-scenario prompts — well, you KNOW I’m working on this… 😉
Last time I used this it really helped me reach my goals! So I’m going to write them down here this month:
1. I’m going to write, edit and format a story for my email opt-in freebie
2. Post to my blog weekly and share it via email
3. Write daily my next novel WIP
Keeping it simple. So that’s it for this month!
Sounds good. Feel free to come back here and post links to your blog if you want additional accountability.
Glad writing it down here has helped.
The best laid plans… Life got in the way, and I didn’t accomplish any of my goals (precisely) for July. I did work on Mostly Dead Girls, but I’m still buffer-less, and I’m about a fourth of the way from finishing my novella for the anthology call. At least it closes at the very end of the month… I did write a short story, but it wasn’t the one I was planning on. Ah well.
Goals for August:
– finish Dame Fortune (novella) and submit it to the anthology. Pray.
– Try to build up a 2-chapter buffer on Mostly Dead Girls, and continue updating on Wednesdays.
– Write ‘The Second Boy’ (it’s a partially written short story, but I think I need to rework the bits I have) and see if I can get it ready for submission.
Wish me luck – it’s gonna be an intense month. Finishing projects is always the hardest thing for me.
if it’s any consolation, I’m reading Mostly Dead Girls nice and slowly over on Wattpad 🙂
Finishing is tough but what a rush. Keep that in sight! Good luck.
We all seem to be a bit late this month!
My objectives for July were;
‘I need to finish my journey story and submit it (deadline 5th August) and come up with an intriguing title.’
I finished, after the fifth draft and submitted a few days early! This was the story from the Wednesday prompt a few weeks ago to write a story about a journey. 3,692 word; the word limit was 4,000.
‘The second competition entry deadline is end of August, so I need to start another short story, but this is only 2,000 words.’
I’ve started this story, which I’m using a press cutting I found from a 1944 newspaper whilst doing some family history research. Currently at 1,200 words on the first draft.
‘I’ll no doubt research some more competitions for the coming months.”
I’ve found a possible anthology that I’m looking to submit a story to, deadline mid September. I have a vague idea floating around, but I need to flesh it out before I can begin writing the story.
August objectives;
1. Finish 2,000 word story and submit it by end of August.
2. Start anthology story and at least have first draft finished by end of month.
3. Research competitions for future months.
good luck on the story you’ve submitted and the ones you’ve started! I’m curious – what’s the anthology?
Excellent (and I think the late-coming was my fault, since I didn’t post this check-in until today).
Good work and good luck with the competitions.
Don’t forget there’s one more anthology call from our friends over at DIYMFA.com this month: http://diymfa.com/writer-igniter
Julie
I had one short story published in The Loyalhanna Review, the annual publication of a local writing group. I’ll be sending out two others this month to two different Flash Fiction contests.
Very nice! Well done and keep up the good work.
This will be my first month participating. I am excited to join the challenge. I don’t know if I will be using prompts or not.
Welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here. 🙂
Welcome!