Post your goals for this month and let us know how you got on with last month’s goals.
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.)
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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
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I achieved my main November goal of completing another NaNoWriMo – 54,599 words – and earned a fifth shiny Winner badge. My Snowdon Shadows police procedural series now has the good opening it needs (Fevered Few). First draft but one I can build on, especially as this began as the backstory of my detective, told as short stories. At the moment, I’m aiming to finish the draft off this weekend – tying up the framing story-line around the shorts. This will be Book 1 of the series, which has evolved – the main protagonist, a female detective appeared when I was re-drafting a mystery written a few years ago (Fates Maelstrom), which has been revised about five times and will now be Book 2. Book 3 (Seeking A Knife) has one plot-line written when I was exploring my protagonist’s career, a few years ago, and Book 4 (Ruined Retreat) was my NaNo win last year. Editing is a 2019 goal with a submission of Fevered Few planned.
Plus, November included as usual a few blog posts. My monthly target is 5-6 – so I fell short with three as my weekly reviews were missed. For December, I have my monthly IWSG one on December 5th and the WEG flash fiction prompt for December 17th. For WEG, my contribution will build on my October contribution – an approach a few of the WEG group use. The reviews may lag again because my reading is sporadic.
My priority, however, is to beta-read a historical fiction novel for a New Zealand writer that beta-read a short for me. To me, a proper beta-read needs care, attention and focus – as if it was my own creation.
In November, I wrote three poems, and so far, I’ve submitted one of those for publication. My goals this month are to:
revise another one I’m currently working on
submit it for publication, along with one I’ve already revised
write at least two more, and as a stretch goal
draft one short story.
It’s my intent to write at least one story draft each week for December. Would love to revise some of all those Westerns I’ve written. But the new stories will be where I hang my writer’s hat. Already have this week’s draft in the hopper. It’s called…
“Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”
https://wp.me/p1AR9N-3l4
Hi, all,
So, in November , I did Nanowrimo and won with 51659 words. The best part about this is that the story has an ending! A real ending, not just some lame, vague couple of sentences. I credit this largely from working through Lisa Cron’s Story Genius. (Thanks again, Julie for mentioning it.)
I also wanted to finish up a story for a December 1 submission date. The story is well under way and fortunately the submission date was pushed back to December 31! I also submitted edits for a story scheduled to be published next year.
For December, I need to finish up that short story. I also have a couple of others that were recently rejected that I want to re-edit/etc and submit to other markets. I also want to write at least one or two more pieces for Medium on the craft and process of writing. I have ideas, but they take a while to sort out in my mind. And I really need to do the final edit and read-through of my all but finished novel so that I can seriously look at potential publishers.
Good luck, all.
At 30,026 words, my NaNo project is a treasure. Although derailed by a parenting crisis the day before Thanksgiving that cost me five writing days, I never lost motivation for my novel. Once I got back to the keyboard, I took stock and was able to adjust my goal with glad heart and move forward. Thank you to this community for the support and good humor.
This month, I am enrolled in two online classes. One is a six-week MOOC through University of Iowa called Stories of Place: Writing and the Natural World. The other is a three-week flash fiction editing class. I am taking this weekend off of writing to nurse my NaNoWriMo hangover and plan my writing time for the month of December. My goal is to come out the other side with two pieces from each that I will submit by the end of January.
Spoiler alert: In January, I will learn how to submit for publication.
Happy holidays, good health and glad writings to all!
For November I won NANOWRIMO! I was super excited about it. There were some spots there in the middle I was unsure where I would go with the story! With support from my fellow writers and sprints I made it and am really happy with the overall story. I have some major rearranging and revisions to do but I will wait til January.
For December I will continue to write everyday.
I will submit at least 2 stories
I will blog and lightly participate in BLOGMAS
I am creating a writing challenge for myself and others who want to join in on my blog
I am signed up for an editing class at the end of the month and will fully participate in that class!
Well done, Tammy!!!
And tell me more about Blogmas…
Blogmas is a challenge where bloggers post holiday themed posts throughout December. The goal is everyday. Another way to foster community.
Morning, everyone.
You guys are pretty inspiring!
I was a last minute rebel this year and decided to work on posts for an inactive blog. I reached 10,650 words, 31 posts (some just outlines) and 4 flash pieces.
Goal for December:
Edit, add links and images, and schedule posts to relaunch blog in January
Make a checklist and update all the about pages and do a big maintenance on the site
Start reading short stories again
Start organizing all my short stories (currently suffusing my room and online files)
Great plans, and it was lovely being NaNo buddies this past month!
My goals for November
1. Continue to work with The Artist’s Way : I have done this. Currently in week nine. I haven’t been getting every single task done each week, but I see a loosening in myself with what I am doing. I continue to write morning pages every day, and I am struggling to follow through on the Artist’s Dates I schedule.
2. Get some fiction writing in during the times I have blocked off for writing : This has not been going so well. 2 or 3 of the 4 weeks I spent the time doing housework instead of writing. I did try getting housework done earlier in the week so I would feel like I could take the writing time for myself. It isn’t working yet, I still can’t get myself to my desk for that time. Even the one day that I did get some work done, I stopped early because I just couldn’t focus. However, even though I didn’t get much fiction writing done in those times, I am learning from my behaviours and will continue to schedule time for writing and develop strategies for actually attending those appointments.
3. Find somewhere to submit the short story I wanted to submit to the CBC Short Story Prize but it was over on the word count. I could have tried to edit the story to shorten it, but I don’t want to! So instead I will find another way to share it with the world : I haven’t done this at all.
December Goals :
1. With everything I have learned over the last month, I have begun to develop a writing routine after morning pages. I will follow that routine which includes tiny pieces of creative writing. A) Write 1-2 pages of creative writing in my notebook. B) Write a haiku every day. C) Use the times I schedule for writing to work on my writing.
2. Continue to work with the Artist’s Way
3. Enjoy the holiday season with family and friends.
Awesome! I would love to hear more about your artists dates!
I love that you are learning from your struggles to get work done. I feel confident you’ll figure out how to make this work for you.
Is there any one you can buddy up with either for artist’s dates or writing time, or both? I’m learning to lean on accountability partners!
November was a pretty good month. My goals were:
Main goal is to complete NaNo.(Yes! Just a bit over 50k) Within that:
Still Burning & Nowhere to Run – finish 1st draft: finished both of these. A little over 8800 on Still Burning and just over 12k on Nowhere to Run
GH&SF 2 & Craving You – add at least 20000 words to each of these: didn’t hit this goal on either one. got almost 14k on GH & SF 2 and well over 15k on Craving You. So still good progress.
Also:
Finish story toolkits for 4 projects in plotting mode: finished all of these
Edit GH & SF(the first book): started on this but didn’t finish it
Publish Flames of Renewal: No, but I finished proofreading. Just need to format the front and back matter and put it up.
So for December:
Finish 1st draft
GH & SF 2
Craving You
Finish edits:
GH & SF
Publish Flames of Renewal
Go, Fallon!
Intrigued by your story toolkits. Tell me more…
I finished NaNo at 50,230 words. Now it’s time to edit and revise the piece. In addition, I have numerous short story drafts from StoryADay’s September writings to revise and polish. So my plan is to continue working with the Write on Wednesday prompts to create fresh material during the month of December while also revising the novel draft and going a little Christmas-crazy, as is my wont. And I’ll be journaling every night because it keeps me grounded.
Congrats! And that sounds like a lovely December plan!
I finished NaNo at 50, 105, a nice palindrome number, which makes me happy.
This month, I plan to write to a holiday fanfic BINGO card, but I’m not going to stress myself over it if I don’t do every day. Basically, this month is for reading and the holidays.
Reading and the holidays—lovely! I hope you will forgive my ignorance when I ask, what is a holiday fanfic BINGO card?
Fleet, I would also like to learn more about this fanfic BINGO. You are my expert witness w/r/t fanfic. Thank you.
I love that you wrote a palindrome! That gives me an idea for a character! ha ha hah
A Bingo card sounds cool! Would you share it please?
Your palindrome makes me happy too!
In November I did Nanowrimo. I did not write 50,000 words. I only wrote 14,358 words. But for December I am going to continue working on the novel I started in November. I am also going to complete second drafts for the two short stories I wrote in October.
14000+ is amazing!
Good goals!
That’s great. I did the same in 2016 and nearly have that novel finished now, and drafted its sequel this November. 14k words is definitely a “win”!
14000 words is excellent for a month’s work!